Tale 3- the Ruler of Mice

 The Traveler found herself in a town infested with mice, lifting her cloak off the ground in order to avoid them biting on it or worse. Hood over her head, she searched for a story. Who could tell her something worth writing, worth protecting in this book? She suddenly heard a cry and turned. A woman was being attacked by mice, and nobody offered to help, so the Traveler stepped in, brushing them off her and the two going inside before the vermin could attack both of them. The woman sat down at a table and poured them both a drink, thanking the Traveler for helping and wondering if there was anything she could do in return. The Traveler considered, before nodding. Quietly, she bowed her head and asked for a tale, the woman instantly agreeing and preparing to tell the tale of ‘the ruler of mice’.

‘Long before I was born, there lived a civilization of mice under this town, all bearing different jobs and positions. Many of them were poorer mice, forced to scurry about the earth in search of food and water, yet there was one who ruled over them all- the Queen of all mice. She ruled with an iron fist, never allowing the mice a day’s leisure, and had a court of male mice advising her on her rulings and laws. She demanded fresh cheese, difficult to obtain due to the human attitude toward mice, and flowers to decorate her ninety halls, which would wilt within a day due to there being a lack of sunlight. Indeed, she was an awful ruler, and refused to listen to the pleas of her subjects when they complained of hunger or exhaustion. In fact, if any of the mice complained too much, she had them executed by burying them under her throne. Due to this mistreatment, eventually one of the poorest mice stood up and rallied the rest of the peasants to fight against her, and they stormed into the halls, eventually getting rid of their Queen and organizing themselves as a community, creating laws allowing them to inhabit wherever they desired and scavenge for their own food, as opposed to having one central ruler.’

The old woman smiled at the Traveler when she finished, the Traveler writing the tale down and nodding. She finished her drink and quietly thanked the woman, who warned her to pick up her cloak as she left, else she may take a little friend with her. The Traveler took this advice and stepped around the mice on the cobbles, before walking into the nearby forest and disappearing once more.