Dett's Speech

A Submission for IronAge Media's prompt "The Pauper."

Dett sat in the small, stone archway as five guards ran past, and watched them out of the corner of his eye. He wasn’t supposed to be looking at them and hoped no one noticed. A small insect was buzzing around his large ear so he shooed it away. He was a mouse, so his ear was real. However the guards and archway were not real. It was all part of a play that was being put on. His family had encouraged him to audition and he had listened to them, somewhat reluctantly at first. Now he was excited although understandably nervous.

He wasn’t the only one from his family in the play. One of his brothers was also in the play as well as his only sister. That was why they had suggested he be a part of it. His brother was the captain of the guard, Mortimer, one of the five who had just ran by. His sister was the cruel tyrant’s cruel wife. And Dett was struggling to recall his lines.

He still had a few minutes before he had his first real scene, but he could not remember all of the speech he had to give. His mind was almost a blank, even though he had spent hours memorizing his lines, especially that speech. All that seemed like wasted time now. Despite this, he did not allow himself to give up.

The character Dett was playing in the play was the true heir to the throne. He had been hidden since birth from the tyrant who had killed his father and taken the throne. Martin was his name in the play and Dett rather liked it. Battles had been fought and wars waged to find him and lay claim to him, but none had found the young prince disguised as an orphan. For, in the play’s story, all who had been thought the true heir had not had the ring which the heir was said to have. The ring which Dett hastily hid in his pocket as no one was supposed to see it yet.

He looked around at the stage and audience. It wasn’t time for him to come out yet, and declare himself the heir. Someone was supposed to come on, he didn’t know who, and talk about how hard life was under the tyrant, then get confronted by the captain. After that scene was when he, Dett, was to jump up and rally the townsmice to him. If only he could remember his lines.

The mouse came out, he thought he recognized him but he probably didn’t know him. It was funny, Dett thought to himself, that he knew this mouse’s lines and not his own. The mouse, Luke was the name in the play, began to say his lines. He listened, quietly saying Luke’s lines under his breath, then berated himself for not trying to remember his own.

His brother got back on stage, swishing his captain’s cape, demanding to know what was going on. He lowered his pike and pointed it menacingly at the unfortunate Luke, telling him tyrant or no tyrant, as long as there was no heir, the king was the king. Until such time, Mortimer was loyal to the throne and would keep anyone from speaking treason.

Dett knew his time was coming. He still had a minute, he guessed, before he had to stand up. He put his paw into his pocket and grabbed the ring, just a little painted thing, and tried to remember. The lines were being said, and it was finally his turn. Now he was supposed to gather the guards and the townsmice to him. Then, they would march against the tyrant and a battle would take place. In the end, he would be victorious and claim the crown. And then he would banish the tyrant, who was played by his best friend. That didn’t matter if he couldn’t say his lines.

The audience was watching, they seemed to be enjoying the play. Nothing bad had happened yet to mess the play up. His brother had worried that he would mix up a rather long line he had as captain, but he had not. Everything had gone smoothly, and now Dett would be the one to mess up the whole play for everyone.

But what if? stood up and braced himself. He had never done anything like this before in his life, but it just might work. He held up the ring, and looked around at all of the mice surrounding him on the stage and those in the audience. He waited a few seconds, to help him gain confidence, to figure it out, and to give the audience the pause the director said they needed.

After a pause he deemed long enough, he launched into an impromptu speech. Dett was scared, but the audience didn’t seem to notice. Well, a few noticed that he wasn’t saying the right lines, he could tell. And the director behind the curtain certainly knew from the look on his face, as well as did the first time actors around him. But he ignored them. He needed to focus on mixing what he remembered from the speech and what he knew it was about into his own words. They come out smoothly and carefully, and he never slipped once. Finally, it was over and time for him to leave the stage so his sister and his best friend could have the floor.

Behind the stage, the director was waiting for him. “Why in the world did you do that?” the director asked him.

“I’m sorry,” Dett replied. “I couldn’t remember my lines, and I didn’t want to ruin the whole play for everyone.”

“I don’t think you did,” said the director with a smile he had been hiding from the beginning. “You managed to give a very good speech on the spot and didn’t ruin the play. Though, I will bet that some are wondering what went on.” He chuckled. “I was wondering if you had thought you could do better than the play.”

“No, I didn’t,” Dett said, grinning sheepishly. “Thank you.”

He watched the two currently on the stage. His sister was wearing a long purple dress and a foil crown while his friend was wearing black armor. Dett would have more scenes soon. This time he knew the rest of his lines and the director gave him the script to go over. He felt confident that the play would be successful.

Soon, he had to go back on stage, this time in armor and with a sword. His spirits were soaring, as if he really were Martin, leading the captain of the guards and the people against a tyrannical king. He walked out, sword in paw, wearing the little green ring, ready to win the day and the crown!

The End,
God bless