A/N- Hi everyone! I'm so sorry this chapter took so long, but I was working on something, and I also had writer's burnout, but I'm back with another chapter! I wish I could've written another chapter this month, but I suppose one is better than nothing.
Also, I would like to give a shoutout once more to my friend, mardabas! He made an updated version of my Secret of NIMH fanfic, and it looks absolutely amazing, especially with my OC Chris on there! So, thank you again, mardabas, for bringing life to this cover!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and I hope to keep pumping out more chapters when I can!
Reviews:
ric castle: Quite possibly :D
jarmet: Well, you'll just have to keep reading the story, and then you'll find out for yourself ^w^
Fan Boy 101: Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it!
STG96: Lol, that's true, it wouldn't have hurt for sure XD Thanks!
godzillafan1: Yeah, I was quite surprised that I managed to get that chapter out that soon, but I guess the creative juices were just really kicking in! Thanks!
Lelouch-Strife: I will definitely take note of that if I ever do consider playing that game for sure ^^
Chapter 19
More Verities of the Plan and a Duel
The following morning, Chris and Mrs. Brisby woke up as early as they could and quickly shoveled food into their mouths after Mrs. Brisby made the children breakfast. They then informed Teresa, Martin, and Cynthia that they needed to return to the rosebush and speak with the rats. Martin offered to tag along, wanting to be sure that nothing terrible happened to them, but they assured him that they would be fine, that his place was here with his sisters and brother, and that he should be here for very good reasons. Martin eventually gave in, seeing their point.
Before they left, though, Mrs. Brisby gave the children some instructions. 1: Keep an eye on Timmy and ensure he stays in bed—he was still asleep, so everyone decided to let him sleep and continue regaining his energy. 2: Do not tell Auntie Shrew where she and Chris went if she stops by, which she likely would. 3: If Jeremy came by, do not tie him up, but the children seemed to have learned their lesson. 4: If they did not return by lunchtime, they were to make their own lunch, and since Teresa and Martin were the oldest, Mrs. Brisby quickly gave them a tutorial on an easy meal they could make for themselves and Timmy and Cynthia. 5: Under no circumstances are they to come looking for them. Then, it was basically assigning the children chores and following the current rules they had, but the children understood. After that, their mother planted a kiss on each of their heads before she and Chris finally departed for the rosebush.
They managed to skirt around Chris's family and quite a sleepy Dragon and made their way into the rosebush, remembering how to get in. Upon entry, Justin was there to greet them and began to escort them. They began to pad along, and Justin did not hesitate to initiate a conversation.
"Nicodemus is attending to an important matter," he informed them, "so it might be a little while until you get to see him again. He will see the both of you in the library soon, but until then, he has asked me to preoccupy you."
"So, what will we do then?" Chris queried.
"I have just the thing. After our discussion the other day regarding the Plan, I'd like to show you two something."
"What is it?" Mrs. Brisby spoke with curiosity.
A smirk found its way onto Justin's lips. "You'll see in just a bit."
They picked their way through the corridors and paths they took the other day, and while the trio did that, Chris silently noticed that Mrs. Brisby seemed so fatigued. She had circles under her eyes, and so many thoughts just seemed to flit through her eyes, sometimes even squeezing shut as if trying to blot out the sudden thought that came forward.
She looked so lost.
Naturally, this concerned Chris, making him think it had something to do with Timmy. He couldn't say whether or not the boy was doing better as he hadn't once been in his room. He only came into contact with his room when he quietly observed from the threshold as Mrs. Brisby was spoon-feeding her son while the children watched with the same worry lining their faces as their mother's.
Chris drifted to the field mouse and quietly spoke to her. "Hey, you okay?" He gently asked.
Mrs. Brisby broke free from her reverie and slid her gaze up to him. "Oh, yes… I was just thinking."
The tiny human could see it was a lie but wasn't hurt by that. "You know you can tell me, right? Is it Timmy?"
The field mouse shook her head—barely, though. "No, he's doing much better actually. I just… you know when you think about something you wish to say but can't express it in words, fearing how the other will react?"
Chris's jaw tensed, as that was precisely how he felt the other day. So he wasn't alone on that after all. For his response, all he could do was nod his head.
"That is how I'm feeling at the moment."
A beat of silence followed, but Chris filled it with his next upcoming words. "For this person, you fear expressing your thoughts to… is it someone I know?"
Mrs. Brisby nervously wrung her fingers as she replied, "Yes… I just don't know how to put it into words. I want to be truthful and get it off my chest, but at the same time… keeping it to myself seems to be the safer option." A wistful sigh unspooled from her lips. "I just don't want to reap what I've sown, you know?"
Chris knew exactly what she meant. He'd been and still was on the same boat as her. He still had yet to confess his feelings to her, but that didn't mean he couldn't give her any advice, right? Friends were supposed to bear fruit of advice anyway.
"Well, it's usually better getting it out in the open, whether good or bad," he began. "While we never know how the other will react, it's better to know if the person is worth still having in your life. That's pretty much what life is: it's full of the known and unknown." A weak smile hovered over his mouth, recollecting times he saw coming or didn't, like within these past few days. "Don't be afraid to take a risk; sometimes that's just what we need to do. And if the person you mentioned can't see eye to eye with you and support what you have to say, don't let that bring you down, as they're the fool and not you. Being you is better than being a shadow of yourself."
After what Chris said, Mrs. Brisby's timorous comportment slowly quashed, and confidence and hope slowly bloomed over her features. A small smile reached her face, making Chris's heart balloon.
"I know I say this a lot, but thank you. Truly, you are an amazing friend, Chris."
"You're welcome," Chris imparted kindly. "And no matter how often you say it, I wouldn't mind as I will always mean what I say as well."
Chris wasn't sure if it was him, but he could've sworn that the skin inside Mrs. Brisby's ears turned a darker shade of pink. He didn't think much of it, though, but he did think about the advice he gave to Mrs. Brisby, knowing he should take it himself. However, he wanted to wait for the right moment before confessing his feelings to her, but when would it ever be the right moment?
Maybe now would be a good time? Chris pondered but then shook that thought away into the far recesses of his mind. Nope. Definitely not.
They found themselves where the underwater elevator was nearby, but instead of moseying on over to it, Justin stopped in his tracks and brought his gaze to Chris and Mrs. Brisby. "This way," he told them, and they veered in a different direction, much to Chris and Mrs. Brisby's puzzlement. Justin guided them across a corridor that seemed to go on for some time before he spoke to them again. "Somewhere right along here, we're entering the woods. You'll notice the tunnel runs a bit crooked. We had to bend it to go around tap roots—some as thick as fence posts."
Chris's eyebrows hit his hairline, but he didn't say a word.
The trio trod on the path until it branched into two in the tunnel. "Right fork leads out to a blackberry bramble," Justin explained. "Left fork leads to the main hall." He steered himself toward the left passage, and Chris and Mrs. Brisby followed suit. "Now brace yourselves for a surprise."
Chris started to become aware of some noises echoing up ahead. Rats were communicating with each other, hustling and bustling, while the sounds of machinery filled the area. The trio entered a room, and Chris and Mrs. Brisby were agape by what they saw.
They were inside a cavern, brightly lit by electric lightbulbs scattered throughout. There were rats hard at work, and what Chris saw looked so much like a factory to him. There were electric motors, conveyor belts, and so much more, springing with life. The rats were highly focused on their tasks, never once complaining, especially for the ones that were doing some hauling. At the end of the chamber, each rat in the hauling department sported a harness, sacks dangling from each side, either barren or swollen with what they were garnering as they traveled to and from the area.
All Chris could think at that moment was, Wow…
It was a sight to behold, especially when he noticed some kind of electric fan doing its work as fresh air was carried into the place. Chris took in every sight and sound, feeling through the soles of his shoes as the noise vibrated through the ground. He didn't register the fact, though, that many eyes were upon him, private conversations about the 'tiny human rumor' being true, drifting from one rat to another, but even if he did, he wouldn't have paid them any mind. What was this place? And what was it used for?
"What is all this, Justin?" Chris asked.
"This is all for the Plan."
"All this?" Mrs. Brisby said with amazement written all over her face.
Justin nodded. "All this."
Mrs. Brisby averted her gaze to the rat with curiosity. "But how could you ever dig out such a big room?"
"We didn't. We found it. It's a natural cave. You can see that the ceiling and floor are solid rock. That's the reason, or the main one, we chose this spot to live. Others had lived here before us. Probably for centuries before there was a farmhouse, bears. Then wolves, then foxes, then groundhogs. I can tell you we had quite a cleaning job to do."
In all my years of visiting my family's farm, I can't believe that neither I nor my family ever knew about this, Chris thought. Though it looks well concealed, so that's probably why.
Justin ambled deeper into the space, and Chris and Mrs. Brisby were at his heels as he blazed on. "When we found it, there was a large hole, only a few feet long, leading straight in, but it was so full of sticks and leaves you could hardly see it. We closed that entrance entirely and dug another. Then we dug our living quarters under the rosebush and the entrance you came in. But the cave is considered our chief workshop."
The rats staring at Chris and Mrs. Brisby would try to fix their attention back on their tasks, but no matter how hard they tried, they occasionally threw intrigued looks at Chris and Mrs. Brisby's ways. It was clear that they were now officially the main gossip.
Justin then started to wave the two over to something. "Over here."
He directed them toward a group of rats flanking an object that looked familiar to Chris, and when they ate up more of the distance, the tiny human's eyes didn't deceive him when his thoughts had been correct from the get-go. He pointed at it. "Is that… a plow?"
Justin let out a chuckle. "I knew you'd guess that, and you're right."
Then, Chris realized that he and Mrs. Brisby had set foot in the rats' version of a garden. It was very ironic, given how his friend had told him how she'd met Jonathan for the first time. Plants sprouted from different varieties, like oats, barley, corn, soybeans, etc.. The plants that were ripe and ready for the picking were harvested and transported to hand-made wheelbarrows and then wheeled off to a particular destination.
"It's our important invention," Justin elucidated, "the key to the whole Plan. Nicodemus designed it himself after reading every book he could find about farm tools."
Chris blinked his eyes for a beat or two. "Somehow, this doesn't surprise me."
"Not just that, but we also made a pilot model last fall. We tried it out, and it worked. So now we're making three more."
Mrs. Brisby drank in all the details and parts of the plow, studying it carefully. "How does it work?" She questioned.
"Before we scatter the seeds on the ground and cover them, we use the plow to turn over the soil. It's light and sharp, especially made to be pulled by rats. It takes eight of us to pull—more if the turf is tough. But with it, we can turn over in a day of hard work, a patch of earth by about ten by fifteen feet."
The field mouse pressed her lips in thought. "So you're trying to grow enough food for the Plan then."
Confirming what she said, Justin nodded. "We now have a two-year supply for one hundred and eight rats, plus enough to plant for two crops in case the first one fails."
They really had this all figured out, Chris mused, respecting these rats more and more.
"That's really impressive, Justin," the tiny human admitted.
As if agreeing, Justin replied, "If the ants can do it, Nicodemus had once said, if the bees can do it, so can we." Justin then crossed his arms with a smile on his face. "That's the whole idea. That's the Plan."
Chris and Mrs. Brisby trailed behind Justin. He was taking them to a different area, which required them to now actually take the underwater elevator before making their way through some corridors. The tiny human wondered where they were now headed, but his question was soon answered when they drew near a pair of double doors, noise reverberating on the other side, and when Justin flew them open, Chris and Mrs. Brisby were greeted by quite a sight.
It appeared to be a gym they were in. There were rats warming up and training on a few mats—hand-to-hand combat or swordsmanship—on some dummies, bullseyes or doing exercises to increase their agility and strength. There was even a massive ring in the middle with two rats facing each other. Chris watched as the first one went to collide his fist with the second rat's jaw, but the second one maneuvered at the right moment and elbowed him in the biceps tendon while pivoting toward him before delivering a punch to the face. The first rat's head snapped to the side, but he didn't have time to recover as the second one then plunged his elbow to the deltoid, enough to have him crumple to the ground.
Chris and Mrs. Brisby winced at those blows as if they had received them, not the first rat. Now that's gotta hurt, the tiny human voiced in his head.
"Welcome to the training area," Justin said with his arms spread wide. "Some of us will come here to get some training in before or after some work and important matters are attended to."
Chris swung his gaze around as he then questioned, "Did most of you learn all this from books?"
"That and managing to watch snippets from movies."
"Movies?" Mrs. Brisby echoed.
"It's moving pictures on a screen," Chris clarified. "Whether a story, documentary, musical, et cetera., it all unfolds before your very eyes. Almost like the Spinner in Nicodemus's chamber."
It was safe to say for Chris that Mrs. Brisby stored that piece of information away to look back on later.
The trio crossed to the training area, and as they did, most of the rats, of course, took notice of two newcomers, especially the tiny human. It went unnoticed by the two, though, and Chris noticed that his friend had edged closer to him, likely because she didn't want to end up getting caught in the middle of someone's training and get hurt, not that he could blame her, though. The last thing he wanted was to cause trouble anyway.
"Ever tried using a sword?" Justin then questioned them.
"Oh, no," Mrs. Brisby immediately said. "I truthfully would rather not try and use one anyway. My sons have used wooden swords for playing, though."
Justin seemed to have understood and settled his eyes on Chris. "And you, Chris?"
Chris lazily shrugged. "I played with toy swords when I was a kid like her sons," he said honestly, "but I've never held or used a real sword."
They came upon some racks displaying practice weapons for anyone wanting to practice swordsmanship. There were short swords, long swords, daggers, bows and arrows, etc. These rats had it all going.
"If you're interested, I can give you a crash course on using one," Justin offered.
Chris held his hands up a little. "Thanks, but… I wouldn't want to waste your time. Besides, I probably won't be good at using one."
"Nonsense, you wouldn't be. In fact, this gives us plenty of time to kill until we're required to be at the library." The rat then clapped the tiny human on the shoulder. "Besides, not everyone is a natural at something in the beginning and makes mistakes, but that's how we learn from that and improve. I was in that position once, but with enough practice and hard work, I became the Captain of the Guard. I'm sure you can relate to that—now and in retrospect."
Justin had him there. Chris didn't learn to be a professional photographer in one day. He didn't know how to swim in one day. He had to get better each day, but it eventually paid off when he got pretty good at them as the days went on. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to try using a sword. He may not be perfect, but nothing's perfect, right?
Justin plucked out two swords and extended one of them to Chris. "What do you say?"
Chris glanced at Mrs. Brisby, and even with her confession as far as her and swords went, there was a look of encouragement in her eyes, and his heart tripped in his chest. It was enough to know what his answer was.
He tucked the necklace around his neck behind his shirt—so it wouldn't go flying off—and peeled off his denim jacket, removed his flashlight and pocket knife from his jean pockets, and stuffed them in his jacket pockets—same reason for the necklace. He probably could've done the same for his necklace, but it didn't fit in those pockets.
"Let's do it," Chris responded.
Jenner heard conversations buzzing about Christopher Fitzgibbons and Mrs. Brisby being in the training area with Justin, and he did not hesitate to see for himself if that was true. Of course, Sullivan came along since they were in the scheme he came up with to frame Chris and kill Nicodemus together, and when they got there, they indeed witnessed the trio.
Justin was showing Chris some easy techniques with a sword that Jenner could do in a heartbeat if he wished. The rat watched as the tiny human tried to mirror the basic attack skills Justin was teaching him: cut, thrust, measure, and tempo. Chris didn't look bad at using a sword, but Jenner could tell that he had never used one before, judging by his stance and movements.
What a shame, that one, Jenner scoffed. He may be a miraculously tiny human, but he is nothing special. He's just like every human, wanting more and more while poisoning what's around them. I'll see to it that he knows what it's like to suffer.
"He's not bad at using a sword, I must say," Sullivan conceded. "Though his form could use some work."
That made Jenner roll his eyes. "He looks more like a child trying to wield a sword," he bit out.
While still observing the tiny human, Jenner noted that he wasn't donning that jacket of his… and that was when his eyes landed on that exact piece of clothing on the ground. He hummed to himself, stroking his goatee as a plan slowly fleshed out in his mind.
A grin shaped Jenner's mouth, chuckling quietly, and he leaned to his comrade, whispering, "Listen to me very carefully…" He then explained his idea without a second thought.
How is it possible that in only a few swings of this sword, my arms feel like jelly? Chris wondered, flabbergasted as he was slowly breathing in and out.
He did not realize that using a sword would be this hard, and his muscles burned in protest. A wave of sweat poured down his body, and his shirt and hair were dampened a little. Chris and Justin had been at it for a while now while Mrs. Brisby stood by, surveying the training and sometimes even giving the tiny human words of encouragement, which frankly motivated him to some degree. He hated to admit it, but for anyone he'd seen using a sword—especially the rats here—they made it look easy.
"Little break?" Justin queried, seeming able to tell that Chris was a little drained.
"If that's okay," Chris answered, taking another slow breath.
"Of course, that is no problem at all."
Chris muttered a thanks and took a moment to stretch his limbs a little.
Justin folded his arms across his chest as he spoke once more. "I must say, Chris, you did well for your first time. Though there are some things you can improve on, it was not bad."
Chris's eyebrows climbed. "Really? I felt ridiculous, honestly."
"Not at all, Chris. I think you've done better than most who started using a sword. However, like I said, there are some things you can improve on."
A breathy laugh escaped Chris. "Either way, I'll take it."
"I agree with Justin," Mrs. Brisby said with a smile gracing her lips, "You did well for your first time."
A flush swept up the tiny human's neck, his heart leaping as a smile lifted his mouth. He was about to say something when a familiar voice made his presence known.
"How thoughtful of you, Justin," a masculine voice commented, and the trio found their eyes on Jenner. "Teaching a human how to use a sword, who'd have thought."
"Something I can help you with, Jenner?" Justin nonchalantly said, not bothering to convey anything about what Jenner said, and though he seemed calm, Chris thought he saw a hint of another emotion passing through his eyes.
Jenner casually shrugged with a grin plastered on his face, making Chris a little uneasy. "I was just coming in here for my workout, but I just couldn't help but notice you giving the boy some sword lessons."
A small crinkle formed between Chris's brows at what he was called. "I'm actually twenty-four years old," Chris informed the rat, which seemed to have dumbfounded Mrs. Brisby. "In human years, that's considered a young adult—in case you were wondering."
At what he said, the tiny human took notice of the way Jenner's facial expression tightened a little, but his expression remained the same. "Of course…" The rat then crossed his arms behind his back as he addressed Justin again. "Would you say that your lessons were superb?"
"What are you getting at, Jenner?" Justin inquired.
"I'm just wondering if you feel as though you taught him some good things while giving him a little training."
That rubbed Chris the wrong way as he folded his arms, arching an eyebrow of his. "Are you mocking me?"
Jenner's eyes skated to Chris's. "And who said that I was?" He remarked. "It was just a question."
Chris didn't look convinced.
"If you're doubting my abilities at training someone," Justin began, "then you are missing the big picture. You and I both know that using a sword takes a while to master, and Chris is just starting out, but he does have potential."
It took everything within the tiny human to refrain from smiling a little, feeling a bit of pride.
Jenner hummed before replying, "Then I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem for him to try out what he learned on someone—a duel, to be precise." He then began to shed his cloak, dropping his gaze to Chris's. "Let's see how well you do for your first time."
"Jenner, this is not necessary," Justin told him.
"Nonsense, if he's going to learn, he might as well get a taste of what dueling is like. Unless, of course, he can't handle the pressure."
A muscle in Chris's jaw flexed at the words aimed toward him. Who did Jenner think he was? Whether or not what he said was meant to get under his skin, it worked either way.
"Chris, you don't need–"
"No, no," Chris said, cutting off Justin's sentence. "I think it's a great idea, actually. If he insists, then let's get this over with."
That seemed to have pleased Jenner as he emitted a chuckle. "Agreed. We shall duel in the ring."
This did not intimidate Chris as he said, "Fine by me."
Without another word being exchanged, Jenner went to retrieve a practice weapon from one of the racks.
"Chris, you don't need to prove anything," Mrs. Brisby spoke up, trying to make him see reason, clearly worried for him.
A sigh spilled from Chris's lips. "I know…" His eyes were then filled with blazing determination. "But it's better than being a coward…"
Mrs. Brisby opened her mouth but then closed it. He did not intend to change his mind, and the field mouse seemed to have gotten that message. He could tell, though, that no matter what happened, she would support him.
She wanted to stop him, she truly did, but Mrs. Brisby knew that she couldn't stop Chris. He was very adamant and willing to duel Jenner, and the two were now in the ring, circling each other with their practice weapons at the ready. All that was left was for one of them to make the first move.
Mrs. Brisby wrung her hands skittishly, standing beside Justin. While she had never seen Jenner brandish a weapon, judging by his movements, stance, and focus, one could tell that this was not his first time clashing with a sword, and he seemed so confident and sure of himself. For Chris, it was evident that he had never done this before.
"He'll be okay," Justin reassured the field mouse.
"I hope so…" Mrs. Brisby managed to get out.
At this point, most of the rats in the training area were now crowded around the ring to witness Chris and Jenner about to engage in a duel. This was certainly new for them—a tiny human against a rat—but they all seemed here for it with no questions asked.
After a bit more of the repeated circling, Chris took a chance and rushed toward Jenner, sword positioned for a swing. Big mistake. Jenner jumped back from what the tiny human was going for before parrying his practice sword at Chris's from another swing, a clang bouncing off the walls. Their swords connected a couple more times before Jenner pushed Chris back with such force at the next blade-to-blade contact, making him stumble back and almost meet the ground.
Mrs. Brisby's heart catapulted in her throat, her breath clogged.
"Come on, Chris!" Justin cheered him on. "Shake it off! You got it!"
Bouncing back, Chris rolled his shoulders and tried to focus. He and Jenner lunged and parried and danced through the ring. It was not hard to see that the tiny human's concentration was slipping, his lungs barely had enough time to suck in enough air, and his arms were trembling with each block. More than once, Jenner forced him toward the ring's edge, his sword swinging in wide arcs between their bodies. Chris would manage to clash his sword with the rat's, dodge blows, and duck, but for the most part, he was starting to get sluggish, his energy waning.
"Come on, Chris," Mrs. Brisby uttered, her voice shaking a little as she clasped her hands, her heart threatening to beat right out of her chest. "Come on…"
Then, during the duel, Jenner knocked Chris's sword out of his hands, kicked it away, and then leveled the tip of his blade at the base of the tiny human's throat. He had triumphed over Chris.
Mrs. Brisby covered her mouth, trying to silence the gasp that escaped her as an oppressive silence hung in the air.