Once upon a time there was a Prince who lived in a palace in a land called Hartsville. His palace had many rooms, each holding a secret of its own. His bedroom was massive, for it was his throne, and there he ruled as sorcerer the comings and goings of his entire country. This is the story of the mouse that would not leave.
One night as Prince Egypt slept, he awaked to a small pawing sound coming from his room closet. The young Prince groggily opened his closet door and saw a small brown fuzz ball zoom pass him, a mouse! The Prince was alarmed and infuriated; he grabbed his thyrsus and swung at the rodent missing the mouse but shattering mirrors throughout the house. Shortly after he had tired himself, chasing the mouse through the house, Prince Egypt returned to his bedroom. Shortly enough, the mouse was back. The prince made a proclamation:
Hear ye, hear ye, any man in my kingdom that can rid me of the mouse shall have riches beyond his wildest imagination.
Well, the Prince was known for his poison-candy-apple challenges so very few men came forth. The first was from a land called Gregaire. Lord Micah from Gregaire appeared before the Prince in flowing red robes and petitioned for a chance to win his fortune. He was a pleasing sight to the Prince therefore Prince Egypt allowed him into the royal chambers. There Lord Micah pulled a green box from among his robes. He opened the box and took out a flute. The Prince chuckled inside. Is this the pied piper? For many days the lord played and although the mouse never crawled into the box he did not appear. The lord left and after three days, halfway through the waiting period of red tape, the mouse resurfaced and troubled Prince Egypt. The prince ordered that the lord be found and beaten and it was so. The next day, Prince Egypt reissued his proclamation:
Hear ye, hear ye, any man in my kingdom that can rid me of the mouse shall have riches beyond his wildest imagination.
This time a stranger from an unknown land appeared with strange toothy smile. He wore purple garb and petitioned for a chance to win his fortune from the king. He was a pleasing sight to the Prince therefore Prince Egypt allowed him into the royal chambers. This stranger’s name was Duke Buckingham. He entered the bedroom cautiously surveying its contents. He reached inside his pouch and lit incense, telling the Prince that the smell would entice the mouse from its nest. A man of few words, the Duke silently moved to the couch. Fingers-to-lips, he instructed the king to follow. The stranger then gestured for Prince Egypt to darken the room, so that the mouse would be comfortable enough to come out. The prince whispered a few words and there they sat silently in the dark. The duke’s eyes had a small glow in the dark, not able to be seen by most humans but the sorcerer was not human, well, not completely. Uncertain, he snapped his fingers and a flame danced on his fingertip. Prince Egypt lit a candle. As they sat silently in the dark, the prince could not help his curiosity and in the light of the candle, the prince and the duke danced out of their clothes, only resting at dawn dawn…
In the morning, Prince Egypt awoke alone. Duke Buckingham had left.
In the silence, the prince listened for the sound of the mouse, he heard none. As night approached, the man from Gregaire reappeared. The prince asked him if the mouse was dead and the duke responded that he had killed and disposed of him but did not want any money. He asked that he spend the night with the prince again. Prince Egypt agreed and in the morning, the strange duke was gone again. This became unsettling to the Prince, but he kept these things in his heart. As the third night approached, the duke appeared again and only asked that he spend the night with young prince. Prince Egypt agreed. In the morning, as expected the duke was gone. The following night, the duke could not sleep and upon the witching hour, he awake to find the duke missing. This was as no surprise. Prince Egypt rolled on his side went back to sleep.
In the morning, a peasant from the land of Len came to see the king. He was a pleasing sight to the Prince and so Prince Egypt allowed him into the royal chambers. The man explained to the prince that he was seer and a fool, but was certain that there was a mouse in Prince Egypt’s palace. The king entertained the man’s suspicions for in his heart he was still unsure. Bull, as the man from Len was called due to his robust nature, just asked that the prince ignore his presence and allow him to sleep in the closet. Prince Egypt granted his request. They talked all day, and as night approached, Bull hid in the closet. Hours later, the duke appeared. Prince Egypt was delighted by his presence and the opportunity to perform for the closeted stranger…
And when they had tired themselves, the prince and the duke fell asleep in a warm embrace.
Moments after the witching hour arrived, Prince Egypt was awakened by a loud noise. The peasant from the land of Len was playing a cello in the middle of the bedroom floor. As Bull played, Duke Buckingham transformed into the mouse. As it scurried across the bedroom frame towards the cello, the mouse ran into Bull’s trap, a huge clear box. Bull stopped playing and the mouse turned into the duke once again. Prince Egypt could not believe his eyes.
“What is the meaning of all this?!” the prince stormed.
“I did not want to leave your beauty, I admire it every day,” the mouse man began to speak. He explained that the only way he could get next to the Duke was as a mouse and that once he had transformed, only as a mouse could he truly appreciate the scent of the Prince’s long glorious hair. The “duke” did not want another man to beaten for his cause, and so he appeared before the prince himself as a mouse whisperer.
Prince Egypt was disturbed and embarrassed; he reached for his thyrsus pummeled the man to mouse and on to death.
The Prince buried his head in his hands, tremblingly full of emotion. Bull turned to him and wisely spoke, “Once the music changes, so does the dance.” Although Prince Egypt had no idea what this meant, it made him feel better. He thanked Bull for his helping hand and asked the former peasant to stay in the palace as the Royal Advisor.
And so is the tale of the mouse and the prince.
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