Fools, thought Piper. He was sure his captors thought this would be the end of him. Perhaps the Duke of this manor thought it funny that Piper would die by rats. And yet, they just strapped the key to his escape to his stomach. They must have that thought with out his flute, Piper would be helpless against the very creatures he controlled. In truth the only discomfort Piper faced were the rat's sharp claws walking over his stomach. Little did the Duke know that Piper's magic did not come from his flute.

Piper laid quiet until he thought he was alone, bound seemingly helpless to the stone table. The moment he was convinced he was alone, his lips pressed together to let out a low whistle. The rats strapped to his stomach leered at him, suddenly still.

Under Piper's hypnotic whistle, the scrawny rats obeyed. The rats examined the cage they were trapped in. If they were well fed, the bars would be too narrow for them, but these thanks to the guards withholding of cheese and other snacks, they could squeeze through. So the rats squeezed their way out of the cramped cage, and while under Piper's hypnotic whistle, they took to gnawing at the rope that bound his hands and feet.

Fools, thought the Piper once more.