Below the dining hall, one floor down, was a storage room. In this room, Orias met with his five most trusted men. Pacing back and forth, he explained the situation. Bella sat on top of a wooden barrel, her legs swinging back and forth.
“Gentleman, the time has come for us to rise up and put an end to this tyranny! Our king has decided to personally fuck me in the ass. In front of the whole capital.”
His men squeaked in response. They were rats. As in actual rats. Giant rats that were the size of large dogs.
“Prince, what are your orders?” Said the biggest rat.
Orias rubbed his chin. There was absolutely no way he would make it to the capital in seven days. Maybe on dragons or a flying beast, but with a horse? Not happening. The dirt roads were shit, and he didn’t have any horses to begin with.
This was a nightmare.
He thought about it for a moment before looking at his rats.
“We go hunting!”
The rats cheered, their tiny paws raised in the air. Orias gave a toothy smile.
His sister yawned.
Pointing to his sister, he said, “See men? This is what a lazy person looks like. Do not be like her.”
The rats nodded their heads.
Isabella rolled her eyes.
“Let’s go! Our target is a black swamp lizard with a core the size of my fist! If we can kill it, we’ll have enough mana to get to the capital with time to spare!”
The rats pumped their paws and ran out of the room. Orias grabbed a sword from the corner of the room and strapped it to his back. He was ready for war.
“Brother, I have a question,” his sister said, following him.
He turned around, raising his brow. “What is it?”
She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him towards the wall. His back hit the hard surface, and she trapped him with her hands on either side of his head.
Swallowing the saliva in his throat, he stared at her chest.
“As hot as this is, I don’t think now is the right time,” he said.
Isabella bumped her forehead against his. “Are you mentally ill?”
He blinked. “I don’t think so.”
She sighed and let him go. She grabbed a sword from the wall and placed it on her waist, tying her hair back in a ponytail. “Then we die.”
Orias grinned and grabbed her hand. He pulled her out of the castle and into the courtyard where his rats were waiting.
The sun was high in the sky, and the heat was unbearable. A bead of sweat fell down his neck, and he cursed the weather. He was used to it, but it still sucked. Making their way through the front gate, through the streets, where he got to experience the love of his people in the form of death threats, they made their way to the swamp.
The marshes were a dangerous place, filled with monsters that could kill a man in a heartbeat. But could they kill rats? He hoped not. His rats were his strongest warriors, his most trusted soldiers.
He patted the biggest rat on the head, the creature let out a pleased squeak.
The rats were riding a giant leaf, floating on the water. Orias and his sister walked behind the leaf, their boots sinking into the mud. He hated the feeling, but it was necessary.
The swamp smelled of rotten eggs, and the deeper they went, the worse it got.
“Prince, we’re approaching the lizard’s territory.” One of the rats said.
Orias nodded. “Keep an eye out, we don’t want to be ambushed.”
The rats squeaked in agreement.
They continued forward, the water getting deeper as they progressed, the trees growing taller, their canopy thickening until the sunlight barely reached the water’s surface.
A loud roar echoed through the swamp. The water shook from the force. It was behind them.
“Ambush! From the rear!” One of the rats yelled.
Orias and Isabella turned around and saw a massive lizard. It was as big as horse, with sharp teeth and black scales. Its red eyes focused on them, and it opened its maw, revealing a row of sharp teeth.
The beast charged.
His first mate, the rat named Charles, jumped onto the creature and sank his teeth into its neck. The lizard roared and shook its head, trying to throw Charles off. It was unsuccessful. The other rats followed their leader and began biting the creature.
Blood clouded the swamp water.
Orias watched with his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, though he hadn’t drawn it yet and was starting to suspect he wouldn’t need to.
“Uh, brother... why are they actually winning?” Isabella asked, her eyes wide.
He shrugged. “They’re my best men, what did you expect?”
“Death and dismemberment?” Her tone was unsure.
The battle continued, the lizard slowly losing strength. Its movements became sluggish, and its roars turned to whimpers. The rats were relentless, biting and scratching, tearing the lizard apart.
With a final splash the lizard collapsed, its massive body rolling slowly onto its side—and atop it, Charles sat with his chest puffed out like he had personally ended a war.
“Good job, Charles.” Orias praised, patting the rat’s head.
The rats gathered around their leader, squeaking in celebration. Isabella watched them, a strange expression on her face.
The largest rat, Charles, made his way to the prince, his tiny hands holding a crystal. The core.
Orias took it, a grin on his face.
“I would give you a raise, but unfortunately, I’m broke.”
The rat squeaked and rubbed his head against the prince’s hand. He understood.
Looking at the sky, the sun was setting, and he sighed. “Let’s head back, we need to drown our celebration in wine.”
The rats cheered and floated back to the city. Isabella didn’t say anything, she just followed her brother. Her mind was full of questions about the rat army he had, but she decided not to ask. Instead, she reached out and held his hand.
He squeezed back.
It was dark when they arrived at the castle. The only light was the moon and the torches lit around the city. The streets were quiet, and the castle was dead silent.
They made their way to the dining hall, the maid from earlier was waiting for them. On the table was a bottle of wine and two glasses.
Orias poured the wine, the red liquid filling the tiny glass. He handed one to his rat.
Charles held the tiny glass and took a sip.
“Only the finest wine for my finest rat,” Orias said.
A squeak was heard in response.
The rat army ate and drank, their tiny stomachs full. The maid watched them, her mouth agape. Isabella sat beside her brother, a glass in her hand. She stared at the rats, her mind still trying to comprehend the situation.
The prince drank his wine, the alcohol burning his throat. He looked at his sister and smiled. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?”
She snorted and took a sip of her wine. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. I thought you’d still be moping about our financial ruin.”
He laughed and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Don’t worry dear sister, I’m always crying on the inside. The wine just helps me forget my pain.”
Isabella rolled her eyes. She watched as her brother played with the rats, his smile genuine. It was moments like this that made her happy. She didn’t care about the money, or the politics—only him.