"I've been here a week and the guards haven't found me yet. Glad I bought those clothes from that store." Mouse smiled taking a bite from an apple in his pocket while leaning against a wall.
He watched a small group of guards walk past him silently. "Might as well follow them and learn their route, since it is too early to go to the square." He slowly followed them while eating the apple. Once he finished the apple, he looked at the core. "That was a delicious apple thank you."
He looked at the guards who were now walking back the way they came. "So, they go from the gates to the square, not difficult to avoid when I have to." He looked around the square where he watched merchants and others setting up while others were already selling. He sniffed.
"That smells great… What is it?"He followed the smell to a merchant that was on its own. He looked at the strange large prickly fruit. "What's that good sir? It smells amazing." The clean merchant looked at him and smiled. "Finally, another lover of my kingfruit." He smiled as the merchant raised their arms. "The others here have no idea, but this here is the king of all fruit… Hence its name is kingfruit."
Mouse laughed and then looked at the others around him noticing them moving past the merchant with their hands over their noses. He turned to the merchant. "What's up with them? It smells amazing."
The merchant waved an arm at them and cursed. "These people here all walk around with class up their ass, but they have no true idea of what class really is."
Mouse looked at the kingfruit. "It's a bit large for me, so can I have a portion of the amazing kingfruit?" The merchant smiled back at Mouse. "You've got the gold, then it's yours." Mouse pulled out some gold from one of his many pouches and handed it to the merchant happily.
He walked out of the square and headed to the servants' entrance to the keep. He found large crates and sat on them while watching the entrance from a short distance. "That guy is always there. I can't get in this way, and there is something strange about how he walks. I guess he is a skilled runner or something." He opened the kingfruit and took a bite smiling.
"This is as delicious as it smells…" He looked around him in surprise. "They really don't like kingfruit the smell keeps them away. Hmmm. This is giving me an idea." He finished the kingfruit and pulled out a coin running it over his fingers while watching the servants' entrance.
The coin slipped out of his fingers and rolled onto the floor. He cursed and bent to pick it up. He looked up at the servants' entrance confusing crossing his face. "Where did he go?" He scanned the grounds in front of the entrance scratching his head. "He's good…"
He looked up at the sky watching the clouds. "Almost sunset, she will be in the gardens." He felt his heart skip a step and smiled.
"Who cares about some skilled person, when there is a beautiful woman in the gardens." He stood up and stretched and walked towards the gardens.
He stood at the entrance to the garden smiling. "This is my favorite part of my day." He took a step on the garden path instantly feeling refreshed and started humming."Hello trees and flowers. You all look beautiful and amazing today."
He approached the small waterfall and climbed up the nearby trees landing on top of the waterfall. "It's almost time." He sat on the ledge of the waterfall and started to eat a mango. He turned and looked at the large tree nearby. "Wow, it seems you've grown taller recently. Thank you for your delicious fruit."He laid on his back watching the moon starting to rise with evening stars starting to fill the evening sky. He took a deep breath.
"There is only one thing missing…"
"Heart of Eternia… Heartbeat of nature…"
His heart skipped a beat as he heard her voice. "After hearing her voice, I feel like I can take over the world, and nothing can be hidden from me."
"Hello Mouse," a voice broke him from his thoughts as he sat up and smiled at the woman looking up at him from near the stream below.
"Hello, your voice always calls me back here to this garden."
She smiled at Mouse and sat on a nearby rock. Mouse held his breath as his heart started to beat faster. "It has been an entire week you've been here in the Capital Center. Have you found what you are looking for?"
He scratched his head and sheepishly smiled. "No not yet, but I'm sure something will happen to allow me to find the answers I seek."
He saw her frown shaking her head, and his mood instantly fell. "I've made my muse sad."
Her musical voice filled his mind and heart. "You can't just sit and wait for something to happen, or you'll be waiting for years and by that time you'll forget what you are doing." He heard her sigh.
"It seems that this garden has really got into you." He smiled. "Yeah it's a very beautiful place, and every time I'm in here I feel strengthened and full of energy."
Mouse looked down at the waterfall in sadness. "This isn't the way young one." He looked at where the woman was sitting. "Where did she go?"
"You're a mouse. Mice don't ever become complacent, and never do mice stand still, unless they're ready to die…"
He turned behind him and saw her standing behind him. He tried to hide his shock and surprise. He watched in silence as she sat next to him.
"Her smell…" He took a deep breath smelling her perfume.
"You've lost a lot, and you want to sit and let it fade from memory. You were able to get into this part of town and even flourish here, but why are you so hesitant about entering the keep?"
He looked at the keep which was looming high above them and sadly lowered his head. "I feel I'm already too late. Also,I'm worried about what I'll find there. How can one single person maybe two take all those people, even tough and experienced fighters without a blink or even a scream?"
He looked at her and smiled weakly, "I know what I have to do. I know where I must go. I don't know what I'll find in there, but I know at least a hint, or the answer is in there. I'm just afraid..."
He looked into her eyes and lowered his head. Her voice gently soothing his heart. "For a mouse, it isn't about if it's bad or good. It's about what you do after knowing what has happened." He felt her touch on his shoulder.
"Don't let fear hold you. A mouse can never grow when there is fear. Even when they're on a tiny edge with death on all sides, a mouse runs along that edge just to get to the other side."
He watched as she stood up. "Now you need to rest and think about that. Stop letting fear of the unknown hold you back and cross that blades edge. Do what you must do so that you can meet your destiny and keep pushing forward."
Mouse sat in silence, watching her slowly walk away listening to her singing slowly fade in the garden. He laid on his back watching the stars and the keep.
"She's right, I can't be afraid of that building anymore, nor what is inside it… All those times running on the roads with them I was never afraid because I was with them. Now they need me."
"Hahahahaha!"
He laughed loudly. "Hear that fear. I'll conquer you tomorrow!"
Mouse stood up, stretched and climbed into the branch of a nearby tree getting comfortable. He eventually shut his eyes falling into a dreamless slumber.
The first rays of the morning woke him with as he yawned and stretched, he jumped down from the branch, stripped his clothes off and washed himself in the stream while whistling a tune. He got dressed and looked up at the keep.
"She is right. Today is the day, I can't stay out here anymore." He put his hand over his heart. "But why do I feel like this…" He got dressed, pulled a piece of fruit from a nearby tree and touched the bark of the tree. "Thank you for sharing with me."
Outside of the garden he saw a small group of soldiers passing by looking at him casually. He took a bite of the apple and casually walked towards the keep.
"This time, no more watching. I'm coming in and finding out what happened."
As he approached the keep entrance he watched as the servants were busying running in and out preparing for the day, as fresh deliveries were making their way into the keep. "They must be preparing for something big. There is more activity today, so a chance for me to get in through the chaos. "He threw the apple core away and walked past the entrance whistling.
He walked around the keep and smiled. "An open window. That's my way in."
He slowed down his walking speed while looking around. "Good it's clear." He climbed up on to the roof of the opposite building keeping low.
"Thank you Garrn, your highway has given me a way in." He jumped reaching out to grab the open window ledge, climbing through the open window and rolling onto the soft carpeted floor inside the keep.
He dusted himself off and looked around him. "Now I am in, so where do I go now?" He walked down the carpeted hallway looking at all the paintings of past Supremes and whistled softly in awe. "Never ever thought I would be sneaking around in here." He smiled. "Someone's coming." He turned into a nearby room and hid behind a heavy door as heavy footsteps approached.
"What do you mean the contacts have all gone quiet?" He heard a voice as he hid behind the door. He looked around in the room he was in and quickly climbed a nearby bookshelf keeping his body as low as possible. "Shh, what if someone hears us, how can we get the seat numbers if they find out we're blind?"
Mouse heard the door close and his heart sunk. "About a week ago all our contacts went quiet, and when we sent someone down there to check, they never returned. Then we sent another to the docks, and they too have disappeared, every person we send don't return."
There was a moment of silence. "Do you think the other families have bought them?" "No, that's the other thing I wanted to say. My contacts in the other families are saying the same thing, everyone is blind."
Mouse held his breath in silence. "Who are they talking about? Are they talking about us?"
"The last message we got from them is that the Supreme was sending someone to talk with them."
He looked up in surprise. "The Supreme… Did he do this to us?"
"Maybe it's the Supreme whose doing this?" "Hush, you know he hears everything, even though he is from our family. Why would he be blinding us, unless he is hiding something big."
Mouse heard movement below him and a book being flipped through.
"You know what he's like. Ever since he became the Supreme his plans are so far ahead. He can outplay us and reveal things we have no idea about. Just like when we played Lords with us when we were younger. I'm certain there is something out there he is wanting people to stay quiet about or kept hidden."
Mouse covered his mouth in shock. "The Supreme sent that attendant. So, what's he hiding? What is there that he doesn't want people to know about?" Confusion was all over his face and his heart was beating fast. He heard the door open and close again.
"Finally, they've left." He jumped down and stared in surprise at the two people who were also staring at him in surprise. He cursed under his breath as he looked at them. He smiled.
"Hello, bye." He ran. Opening the door and kept running towards the window that he had climbed through and jumped out rolling onto the roof of the opposite building.
He turned and looked at the window as the two men stuck their heads out of the window.
"Guards!""Guards!"
"We have a found a thief, quickly catch him before he gets away!"
Mouse smiled and ran across the roof, jumping and rolling onto the ground below before running away from the keep as fast as he could.
"The market square. I can lose them there." He smiled while heading to the square. Jumping over and under stalls. He twisted and turned from the guards that tried to surround and grab him while laughing at them.
"You call yourselves guards. Your no better than dogs."
"Ouch."
He cursed as he felt the back of his neck. "A dart. Great. I need to find a place to hide before I pass out."
He ran into nearby alleyways. "The dart is stttttaaaarrrrrrrting to worrrk, need toooohiiiiiiiddequickkkly." He mumbled to as he leaned against an alley wall and tried to catch his breath.
He fell forward and stumbled as he tried to pick himself up, and noticed some open barrels at the end of the alley. "I cannnnnnnmakkkkeitttttt."He slowly climbed into the barrel.
He bit his lip causing blood to flow down his face as he heard the footsteps of the guards approaching the alley.
"Maybe he ran down here?" "He was hit with a dart, so he'll be very close to here."
"I cannn'ttttmooovee."
He heard scraping metal, thuds and then silence."Whhhoooarrreeyouuuuuu?" Mouse saw a blurry head look at him in the barrel. Then darkness.