Master Felbin approached the royal office Duke of Heimhaven, his liege, nervous but excited to finally have this request taken care of. The hallway floor was richly appointed with white marble of the highest quality. Each wall was lined with exquisite tapestries of the deeds and history of the Redaldt family, both current and historical. Any one of these fine weavings were worth more than Thaddeus’s yearly stipend, adorned with exotic dyes and golden threads. Normally this would have a damper on his mood, but today was different. Today was the day that the duke would see his true worth as an enchanter.

“State your name and business,” a bored guard at the door to the office demanded.

“Jonas, you know exactly who I am, and exactly who I am here to see!” Master Felbin grimaced with annoyance.

“Yes sir, but protocols need to be followed, His Eminence requires it. So again, state your name and business.”

Thaddeus knew that Jonas would follow orders to the letter and although thoroughly irritated, he knew that the quickest way to gain access to the duke was to comply. “Fine.” He let out a annoyed sigh, closed his eyes for a moment and then continued. “I am Master Thaddeus Felbin, Court Wizard, here to see His Grace regarding his son’s birthday commission.”

“Was that so hard now? I swear, Felbin, you might actually be learning to follow the rules. One moment please.” The burly guard knocked on the door three times and waited for a reply. He apparently got one as he partially opened the door and quietly stated, “Duke Redaldt, Master Felbin is here to see you regarding your son’s birthday.” A moment passed, something too quiet to hear was said and Jonas directed, “His Grace will see you now,” then opened the door and gestured the wizard inside.

Master Felbin walked into the room, forcing his irritation with the guard into a gracious smile. The duke, however, had his head firmly pointed in the direction of a large collection of scrolls on the ebony desk, attention firmly taken by one in particular. Standing between the two small chairs facing the desk, he waited patiently for permission to sit.

Duke Redaldt was holding his right hand one his forehead, messaging his temple while maintaining a painful looking scowl. His eyes darted between lines of the open scroll, clearly not liking what he saw. It was a full minute before he even pretended to notice his court wizard standing before. “Don’t stand there like an ill-mannered oaf, sit down. You make me nervous when you hover, Felbin.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Felbin took a seat in the chair to his left, careful not to snag his loose-fitting robes on the hand rests. Reaching down to his belt pouch, he felt the figurine inside, feeling it over once, confident in the incredible craftsmanship, yet feeling a bit sad to let it go.

“On with it, Felbin, what wizardly advice do you have for me today?”

“Your Grace, I have no advice today, but rather I am here to report that I have finished the commission for your son. It has turned out even better than I had hoped for.”

This got the duke’s attention, for he knew the tantrums his son would give if he did not receive something truly magnificent. “Alright, continue. What do you have for me? It better not be a repeat of the whole Robe of Limited Usefulness debacle. Not if you wish continued employment, that is.”

“No, Your Grace, this year I have truly outdone myself and created something of Elite quality!” Waiting, but not receiving any feedback from the duke’s expression, he continued. “You will be amazed, I am sure, one moment.” Thaddeus reached into belt pouch and pulled out the dark rosewood figurine of a rat and handed it with a practiced flourish to his Duke.

Duke Redalt received the small statue and looked at it intently, turning it over in his hand to examine it from all angles. A small grunt and hum issued from him, and he set the rat-shaped piece of wood down on his desk. “So,” he began quietly, “I’ve given you six months and an ungodly amount of coin as a commission to make something spectacular for my son Larrenzo, is that not correct?” He continued immediately without giving the now worried-looking caster a chance to reply. “And if I remember correctly, you assured me, swearing on not just the holy mother, but your own mother as well that both me and my son would not be disappointed. I recall that quite clearly. Yet, it boggles the mind that you would appear to me today with this,” and after a brief pause, the volume of his voice increased quite significantly, “A DAMN RAT STATUE?! Explain yourself!”

“Your Grace, it. . .”

“And it better be good!” the duke interrupted.

“Y-y-your Grace,” Thaddeus continued, losing much of his momentum as fear spiked through his, “this is no ordinary statue! It is a magic statue imbued with strong summoning magic!”

“Layman’s terms, Felbin, none of that magic-babble crap!”

“Yes, Your Grace! Please indulge me a moment. Grasp the figurine one more time in your hand, but this time, concentrate on calling the rat you see, speaking whatever comes naturally to you. Y-y-you’ll see!”

Although the duke remained unconvinced, he did as requested after a long and dangerous stare that made Thaddeus Felbin shrink deeply into his uncomfortable chair. Picking up the statue, he shook his head in annoyance, then finally closed his eyes, clearly pushing his intent into the item in his hands. Finally, he spoke, “Stupid rat, stupid rat, you’d better be pretty damn amazing or Felbin’s out of a job!” He took a moment to smile in self-satisfaction, which gradually faded as nothing happened. His eyes shot to Felbin.

“Majesty, you have to request the rat appear or it doesn’t work. I don’t make the rules, its just how the magic functions.”

Once again, he tried to activate the item. This time, after focusing his intent he spoke a different command. “Get over here, rat!” He was clearly losing his patience with the entire process.

Master Felbin meanwhile had grown noticeably worried, as he began nervously scratching at his neck which, in fact, did not itch at all.

Once again, the duke gave him a look that needed no explanation, rage building in his eyes and his posture. He began to turn a lovely shade of burgundy and began to speak before he was interrupted.

“Look!” exclaimed Master Felbin and pointed to the floor in between his chair and the desk.

A foggy cloud of mist began to manifest slowly at floor level, only taking a few moments before solidifying into a rat shaped, slightly more substantial cloud, before ultimately becoming solid and a slightly more rat-shaped, well, rat. Runt, now fully corporeal, glanced around, slightly confused by the transition. Behind him stood the one who summoned him the last time, but he felt no compulsion, no link, and thus no loyalty to him.

“Rat, your master is on the other side of the desk,” Master Felbin informed while gesturing in the general direction of the duke.

Runt, now looking underneath the small space under the wooden desk before him, saw a pair of feet placed directly underneath. Without a second thought, he squeezed through the small space between the large wooden structure and the floor, then scurried up the massive legs, ignoring the sudden jerking and thrashing movement of his climbing surface and a high-pitched squeal from above. He quickly ascended the man, which he could now definitely feel a connection with, and jumped onto the desktop and sat down, facing the new master of the figurine.

“It’s just. . . sitting there,” Duke Redaldt whispered, clearly unsure how to proceed.

“That’s because it is waiting for you to do something, to give it a command, to scratch its head or whatnot, my liege.” Felbin motioned for him to continue and nodded reassuringly.

“Alright, um, Rat,” the duke spoke before inhaling and releasing a deep breath, “lay down.”

Runt complied without hesitation.

“Well, by the Navigator, it works!”

“It is actually a he, Eminence. And he is capable of so much more than mere commands. He’s far more intelligent than you think! Try something more complicated, if you would.”

“Rat,” he began, now visibly invested in the entire process, “fetch me my handkerchief.”

Runt did not think twice before scurrying over to the far right corner of the desk, standing up on his back legs, grabbing the forest green handkerchief in his front paws and quickly walking it back to the duke, bending over to bow and present it to him in one fluid motion. Never do something well without style, I always say. Style and presentation is what separates us from the animals!

Duke Redaldt gasped in delight as he tentatively accepted the proffered cloth. “My, but what manners! Some of my staff could learn from you, I daresay!” He shot an involuntary look of irritation at his royal enchanter, who did his best to not show any sign of being offended. After stowing the gift away, the duke reached out and began scratching Runt’s head, to which he show signs of great appreciation, his eyes now closed.

“That will be all, Master Felbin. I am going to spend some time with the rat here and see what he is capable of. Who knew a rat could be this smart and if I am forced to admit it, cute! I think Lorraldo will surely love this gift. Finally you do something of worthy, sir mage!” The duke’s smile was barely contained by his facial muscles as it threatened to force his frown lines to rupture.

Thaddius, knowing when he should stay or go, quickly excused himself and could barely stop himself from giggling as he returned to his lab.

“Alright, Sir Rat, let’s see what you can do.”