Ansel landed on the white arched bridge. The soft thud of his feet against the stones and the flutter of his cloak settling around him startled a few swans into a frenzied flight, and a fisherman into a swift escape towards the centre of the lake.

The Piper heard the man curse under his breath despite the loud splash of his oars, the moment he recognized him as the Rat-catcher whom their King was expecting. All people feared him, the nocuous power of his flute was well known.

Ansel smiled at the man from beneath his hood, shaking his head as he watched the fisherman cross himself. That would not help him now, after his King sealed the pact with Lady Destiny, and She decided that these people's time was over. Ansel shook the thought off; there was nothing he could do about it. These people's fate was not his concern, he was only a tool.

Wrapping his cloak tighter around himself, in a manner that only his eyes remained visible from beneath his hood, the Rat-catcher walked towards the town's gate. As he had expected, no one attempted to stop him; the two knights guarding the entrance moved timorously out of his way. It was the same in the square. People rushed away from him, leaving him enough space to walk through the crowd. Exactly like the rats, whose tiny red eyes he could perceive observing him from under the market stalls, where they hid the moment they sensed his presence on the island. As if his touch, or even just a simple look could kill them all... 

After the busy square, Ansel rushed up deserted streets lined with tall houses, listening to shaky whispers reaching him from behind the closed shutters, accompanied by low squeaking and soft pitter-patter of many small feet, claws scraping the cobblestones as they made their escape. 

He reached the castle perched on the topmost spot of the island in no time. Here, one of the King's valets was waiting for him.

"His Majesty is expecting you." The old man's voice shook but he bowed politely, motioning Ansel to follow.

Speechless, the Piper trailed a little distance behind the valet, not wanting to scare him too much, through a labyrinth of empty corridors.

When they reached the throne room without having met one living soul, he knew that the King took all the necessary precautions. Ansel's presence on the island could not be kept secret, but His Majesty did not want too many people to see him in the castle. It was a shame to have a Rat-catcher in the house.

The valet stopped in front of a large door, telling Ansel to wait there until he would be called in, then vanished into a shadow-filled corridor as fast as his old legs would allow him.

When the noise of his footfalls died down, Ansel heard the voices seeping through the wood of the closed door. Someone was arguing-- an older man and a young woman, or rather a girl, judging by their voices, a father and a daughter by their words.

It only took a few angry exchanged sentences before the sound of running feet was followed by the door bursting open and a girl, stumbling over the hem of her dress, landed in Ansel's arms.

He steadied her and let go of her quickly, retreating a few steps, knowing too well the effect his presence, let alone touch, had on human beings.

But this girl did not run from him as he had expected, she approached him instead, her warm brown eyes boring into his icy blue ones as she begged, "Please, don't do it..."

The girl was charming... beautiful beyond her rosy cheeks and the hair of gold... Her main beauty lay within her pure soul. Ansel could almost feel his heart, which had stopped beating a very long time ago, stumble as he observed her.

A loud voice reaching them from the depths of the throne room shattered the moment and the girl inhaled deeply as if she had forgotten to breathe, when she heard the King's words, "Aurora Rose, you'll marry the Prince if you like it or not, you are my daughter and must obey me."

She closed her eyes briefly as she took another breath, then was gone as fast as she had appeared.

"Come in, Rat-catcher!" The same voice called, and Ansel followed it inside.

He bowed to the King who sat on his golden throne in the middle of a richly decorated room and stood silently, waiting for him to speak first.

"There, there, one of Destiny's Pipers. I'm... glad to meet you, Rat-catcher. I hope the island's rats are less excited by your presence... " he smirked at his own attempt at a joke. "I want you to kill all of them before my daughter's wedding, see, I can hardly invite anyone in this place now, the dirty beasts are everywhere."

"Very well, Your Majesty." Ansel said. "I'll think about my work and you think about the promised payment... my lady would not be pleased if you forgot..."

"I'll give you all the money I promised to your mistress, Rat-catcher, the moment the last of the rats is gone."

"Just remember..."

"Enough, don't talk about money anymore. How much time do you need?"

"A couple of weeks at least..."

"Very well. I want you to remain here during the wedding as well, just in case. But make sure that the beasts will perish by then..."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

"You may go now. There is a room for you in an inn in the town. The Golden Rose. I hope that we won't have to see each other soon..."

"Not if everything goes well...

"Good. You can start... your work where and whenever you deem right. I'll send for you when the first guests arrive; I might need you around them then. Leave me now, Rat-catcher. I have more important things to think about than rats."

Ansel bowed and left the room. He could feel the girl's eyes on his back as he walked down the long, deserted corridor.

He smiled. The Princess was not scared of him. She was curious.