Story (c) Hikage Stinkdawg 2004

"You alright, kid?" He heard a gruff voice ask. "You look like you’ve had a few too many."

Zas grunted incoherently and, realizing that the stranger wouldn’t be able to understand him, nodded. He felt a pair of hands lifting him from the floor and the young rat tried his best to stand on his own. The battle-hardened face of a rat soldier spun into his warped gaze.

"Where are you from, boy?" The soldier asked.

Zas couldn’t answer right away and the soldier chuckled. "You need to learn your limits." He smirked. "Come on, I’ll take you somewhere else so you can tell me how to get you home." The soldier lifted the younger rat upright and supported him, Zas having little say in the matter, as the two slowly walked out of the noisy tavern.

The streets of Kathsera were dim as a plume of fog swept in from the ocean, covering the streets in a dark bluish haze. The soldier led the drunken Zas through the twisting streets of the mist-laden city. The young rat’s vision warped and spun in front of him and he cringed at menacing shadows that only disappeared when the two got close to them. The buildings curved away upwards from the sickly rat like ominous sentinels, their tall bodies vanishing into the fog above the two wandering creatures. If Zas’ mind could think clearly, he would have been wondering why this complete stranger was helping him for no apparent reason. He also would have wondered where the rat soldier was taking him as well, but Zas’ mind wasn’t clear and he tried desperately to hold back the contents of his stomach that threatened to push its way back up his esophagus.

"I…" Zas tried to say, but his speech was heavily slurred. "Someday, I’ll be the ruler of this shithole of a town…"

"Is that so?" The soldier replied, "Well, your lordship, if you do become the ruler here, make sure to raise our wages, would you? I can barely afford two drinks a night on my salary."

He laughed heartily as Zas gave him a confused look and the soldier steered them down a small alley. He stopped at the door to an old looking building. "We’re here…" The soldier said. "It’s not much, but I call it home."

Zas couldn’t hold back the flood any longer and he doubled over, retching onto the cobblestones. The soldier was silent as he gave the younger rat an arm to cling to as the sickly spasms wracked his swaying body and he dirtied the pavement in front of them. When Zas’ stomach was emptied, he shakily stood, wiping tears from his eyes and bile from his lips.

"You alright, kid?" The soldier asked.

Zas nodded and then looked at the soldier quizzically. "Who are you?"

"I’m Captain Girin of his lordship’s royal army." The soldier said with a smirk.

Zas’ head was still spinning so he nodded quickly before he swayed on his feet once again. Girin chuckled and opened the door to his house. "You’d better come in so we can get you sobered up." The rat soldier entered the house and gestured for Zas to follow.

Not sure of what else to do, and the alcohol making his thoughts unclear, the younger rat could do nothing but follow as his curiosity got the best of him.

The inside of the small house was nothing new to Zas; he had seen plenty of them on his father’s frequent raids of the town to stamp out would-be "revolutionaries." Zas thought his father was an idiot for ruling the city the way he did. He told himself over and over that a ruler who doesn’t know the people he rules is a doomed ruler from the start. That was the reason he spent so much time outside of the palace walls, to get to know the populace he would soon come to inherit, provided his father didn’t get the entire royal family lynched beforehand.

The soldier’s living quarters was made up of a single room. A cot lay on the far wall and a small lamp hung from the ceiling, which the soldier lit as Zas looked around the now clearer room. A small table rested in a corner and there were several cabinets mounted on the walls. On the cot rested a pillow and a large book titled: "Wondrous Treasures and Magical Creatures." A tiny stove sat on the wall to his left with a black pot leaning against it. The floor of the room was dirt and Zas liked the feel of the earth on his feet.

"You hungry?" Girin asked him. "You look a bit famished after that mess outside."

Zas shook his head. "No thank you." He felt a little less tipsy after emptying his stomach and he found it easier to speak clearly. "I feel like I may be sick again if I eat anything."

Girin nodded. "Well I’m going to make a broth for myself in case you’re interested."

The soldier stepped over to the stove and lit it, lifting the pot onto it. Zas watched in a daze as the soldier added water and a yellowish powder to the liquid. The room was suddenly filled with a succulent smell and Zas found his mouth watering at the scent.

Girin turned to the younger rat and smiled. "Care to take a seat? Make yourself at home." He gestured to the wooden stools around the table and Zas slid into one of them, trying to make his head discontinue slowly rotating the room. Girin stirred the contents of the pot with a wooden spoon in his right hand while he pulled two bowls from one of the small cabinets with his left, setting them down on the table. As he went back to his stove, the soldier started to whistle a tune that Zas found strangely familiar.

"So where are you from, kid?" Girin asked as he stirred the broth casually.

Zas lifted his eyes from the bowls the soldier had plunked down on the table in front of him and slowly moved his gaze to the older rat.

"I’m…" Zas knew Girin would change his attitude toward him if he told the soldier the truth. "I’m from the east end."

"Oh near Drazil’s Bridge? Or down by the wharves." Girin stuck a finger in the pot and brought it to his muzzle.

"Er… I live near the bridge." Zas said without thinking. In truth, he had never seen the bridge or any bridges for that matter, the city was too large for him to do that and his father kept him inside the palace as much as possible.

Girin shook his head at the taste of the broth and added more powder. "I used to patrol down there; it’s a pretty high class area." The rat soldier reached under the stove and stoked the fire with a free paw. Zas just nodded silently even though he knew the soldier couldn’t see him, not sure of what to say. Girin looked back at him and smiled as he resumed his whistling. "Do you have any parents?" The soldier asked after a while.

"Only my father." Zas said.

"Well you must be a pretty wealthy family to get the kinds of clothes you’re wearing." Girin was eyeing Zas’s wardrobe casually.

The young rat mentally smacked himself for forgetting about his clothes. They were by no means the clothes of a commoner and they were very different from Girin’s. The young rat wore a bright red tunic with purple trim, a black leather belt strapped itself around his waist and his underclothes were made of blue silk. Girin’s tunic was tattered and a dull brown. The belt around his waist was hardly a belt and it barely kept up the sword he wore at his hip. The soldier’s undergarments were woolen and looked very uncomfortable to Zas.

"W-well my father is a pretty wealthy man…" Zas stammered.

Girin put out the flame in the stove and sat down across from Zas, taking the younger rat’s paws into his. "Why are you out here in the central city?" The soldier asked. "Why are you so far away from your home?"

Zas didn’t know how to respond at first, the alcohol still clouding his mind. "My father…" he began, "He keeps me inside all of the time. He says I wouldn’t like the world outside his house. I used to think he was a stuck up old goat for thinking that, but now that I’ve been outside, I see that a lot of what he said is true."

Girin frowned. "I hope he wasn’t talking about the city guard in anything he said to you. We try everything in our power to keep this city safe, you know."

Zas shook his head. "No… My father never mentioned anyone in particular. He just wanted to scare me away from the outside so I wouldn’t go seek it." The young rat’s eyes fell to the table in embarrassment and he frowned slightly. "My father is too self-centered to care about me. He loves his work more than he does his only son."

Girin lifted a paw under Zas’ cheek and made the younger rat look at him. "Fathers often think they know what’s best for their children without knowing their children at all." The soldier smiled slightly. "You want to give someone your love and you need someone to love you in return."

Zas’ heart fluttered slightly. It was as if the soldier could read his mind, or maybe that was the alcohol talking. Girin stood from his chair and went back to the stove. He pulled the pot from the heat and poured two bowls of the broth.

"Eat with me?" the soldier asked. "I’m offering this as a gift of unconditional love. It’s your choice to accept it or not."

Zas blinked and nodded, taking the soup from Girin’s outstretched paws. He knew what the soldier had meant and it lit something inside him that had lay dormant for a long, long time. The two rats, one small, young and frail, the other older, wiser and stronger, ate in silence as the night dragged on.

***

Zas awoke in an unfamiliar room. His eyes snapped open and it took him a few moments to remember the soldier’s house, the same soldier who had given him food and a bed for the night. The young rat prince yawned slightly and was about to roll over when he saw his tunic and undershirt hanging from the shelf above his head. Zas’ eyes widened in horror. Had the soldier taken advantage of him in his drunken state? Had he really been so intoxicated that he couldn’t remember what happened after he drank the soup? Maybe the soldier had drugged him! An arm swung into Zas’ vision, but it came from the floor. The younger rat sighed in relief as he realized that Girin had slept on the floor.

The older rat looked up at Zas and smiled "Morning…" Girin whispered from the floor. "Sleep well?"

"More or less… but I have a splitting headache… " Zas groaned as he lifted a hand to his throbbing head.

"That’s not surprising. You were pretty out of it last night." Girin slowly got to his feet. "That headache will disappear with some breakfast and a big glass of water, my friend."

Zas blinked. "We’re friends?" He asked, still in pain from the stampede in his brain.

"We shared a meal, and I gave you my bed." Girin grinned. "That usually makes people friends."

Zas became aware that his britches were still firmly attached to his hips. That was a good sign. It was nice to feel cared for by someone for a change.

"Girin?" Zas asked softly. "I’m sorry for being a fool last night. Thank you."

"You are most welcome." The older rat whispered and chuckled. "I would like to get to know you better, though."

Zas sighed slightly and smiled. "I would like that." He said softly. "I like being around you, Girin."

"And I you, Zas." The soldier leaned down and bumped his nose against Zas’. "Now about that breakfast…"

Zas licked his lips and nodded. "I would love some!"

Girin chuckled. "Just wait there patiently and I’ll have it ready in a second."

As Girin walked away to the stove on the other side of the room, Zas noticed that the older rat only wore his woolen britches, leaving his muscular chest and stomach exposed to the young rat’s examination. Zas found himself staring at the magnificence of the soldier’s figure and smooth grace as he moved about the kitchen, something that seemed odd for one of his size, and something that the drunken stupor had blinded Zas to the night before. Zas’ heart fluttered and he felt a feeling he had never thought he would feel since he had been very young. It was love.

Girin whistled that same familiar tune that Zas had heard the night before as the soldier cracked a few eggs into the only pot he owned.

"Girin," Zas asked suddenly, "What song is that?"

The soldier smiled back at him as he poked at the cooking eggs with the wooden spoon. "It’s something I picked up during my days in the militia." Girin said. "Our sergeant used to sing it when the unit had bad morale."

Zas nodded, dismissing the familiarity as just a coincidence. "Were you happy…?" Zas asked. "In the Militia, I mean."

Girin flipped the eggs. "It wasn’t the best of times, but it kept me busy. It certainly paid better than my current job."

Zas nodded and rolled out of the soldier’s bed, slowly walking up behind the older rat. "The song is very beautiful…"

The young rat stood behind Girin as the soldier cooked their breakfast. He was compelled to throw his arms around Girin and hug him, but he wasn’t sure how the older rat would take the sign of affection. Girin lifted the pot from the makeshift stove and dropped the eggs into two bowls. The soldier turned around suddenly and gasped as Zas hugged him.

"Wh-what are you doing…?" Girin asked.

Zas let go of him and blushed. "I’m sorry… I was just… I didn’t mean to…"

The older rat held a finger to Zas’ lips. "Shh…" He lifted the younger rat’s head with a hand and looked into his eyes. "What are you feeling right now?"

Zas gulped and looked back at Girin. "I’m feeling unease, fear… love…"

Girin needed no other words as his lips pressed against the smaller rat’s cheek. "Me too…"

Zas hugged Girin and the two rats stood in each other’s arms for some time. After they realized the eggs had gotten cold and eaten them swiftly, Girin led Zas back to his bed.

***

Zas awoke the next morning to a loud knocking on Girin’s door. His eyes snapped open and he rolled over to shake the older rat awake, but Girin was already leaping out of bed and rushing for his sword that leaned propped against the wall. The door burst open as Girin grabbed his weapon and stood in front of Zas, facing the six soldiers that piled into the small room.

"Captain Girin, you are hereby under arrest by royal decree." One of the soldiers said.

Girin grimaced. "For what exactly, Razzick?" The older soldier’s eyes were lidded.

"Kidnapping a personage of the royal family, namely the crown prince." All six rats drew their weapons.

"If you resist, sir, we will be forced to take you by force."

Girin looked back at the startled Zas, a tear sliding down his cheek. "Why didn’t you tell me?" He asked as he sheathed his sword and dropped the weapon to his side as the six soldiers moved to surround him.

"Wait!" Zas shouted. "Don’t take him away, please! It was my fault! I left on purpose!"

The soldiers didn’t listen as they led Girin towards the door.

"LET HIM GO!" Zas howled as he launched himself at the guards.

Razzick turned.

Girin dove for his sword.

Time froze as Razzick’s blade embedded itself into Girin.

Zas screamed in silence as the only person who had ever genuinely loved him bled onto the floor.

…..

The young rat king awoke in a cold sweat. That dream had haunted him for as long as he could remember and it was always the same. Zas rubbed his eyes and lay his head back onto his bed, tears flowing down his cheeks. He could bring Girin back with the Sapphire. That was why he needed it. He needed Girin back. Without him, Zas had been a nervous wreck. He had blamed his father for everything and eventually plotted and executed his father’s murder. Blood was blood, and Girin’s blood had been avenged in the king’s death. Yet… Zas felt no release from his sorrow after the dirty deed had been done. He needed Girin back to seal the deal and give him his heart back. Zas sighed and rolled over, the image of Girin’s face cemented in his brain. Love was a fleeting thing and all Zas wanted was to feel it again, no matter what the cost to those around him. He would feel it again, everyone else be damned.