Chapter 2 - Rat

Who knew what was going through his head, Mel certainly didn't.

There were three boys surrounding Leora, each with a substantially larger physique than him.

There was no way he could win in a physical confrontation.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Mel's voice cracked with a mix of fear and bravado.

His footsteps slowed across the cobblestone ground, bringing him close to the group of children.

The boys turned to him, their faces contorted with a little surprise and then amusement.

The tallest one, arms crossed over his chest, sneered down at Mel.

"Look who it is, another little orphan rat."

Mel squared his shoulders, trying to appear taller than his small frame allowed.

"She's not bothering you, bean pole. Just leave her alone."

The tall boy uncrossed his arms, more than a hint of anger appearing in his expression.

Mel was surprised. 'Was the insult beanpole enough to anger this idiot?'

The second boy, shorter and stockier, but with a mean glint in his eye, stepped forward.

"Or what? You gonna cry to your parents?"

"Oh wait", he grinned, "this rat doesn't have any does it."

The bean pole smiled at that, eager to turn the insults away from himself and back onto Mel.

"Nice one, Bruno!" he snorted, "Don't butt in where you aren't wanted, RAT."

Mel grimaced, 'They are really doubling down on the whole rat idea.'

He didn't like this situation one bit.

He normally wouldn't have interfered with these bozos' lives, but he couldn't let them hurt Leora. Not on his watch.

'Calm down, calm down' Mel thought to himself, eyes darting side to side in search of some kind of weapon, finding nothing of note.

He regretted not analyzing the situation a little more earlier.

It would not have been hard to grab a rock or a stick to fight with had he just waited a little bit longer before rushing in.

Now all he had to work with was his frail body and his obviously stunningly sharp wit, neither of which gave him confidence in walking away physically unscathed.

He glanced back at Leora, worry and fear evident in her innocent brown eyes.

'I have to get her out of here'

He contemplated calling for help from one of the adults nearby, but quickly dismissed the idea.

The majority of the adults here knew his face, and not in a good way.

They would probably take the side of these bullies.

In fact, Mel wouldn't be surprised if they were enjoying the show right now, basking in the warmth of such a nice summer afternoon.

Drawing a deep breath, he steadied himself. "Just go away. You all don't scare me."

The stocky boy from before, Bruno, stepped forward again, sizing Mel up with a cold gaze.

He seemed to be the ringleader of this circus.

"What are you gonna do, rat? She has something we want" he pointed his fat thumb at Leora, "and we are gonna get it, so back off."

Bruno spat the last words, his serpentine smile not friendly in the slightest.

Mel hesitated, his resolve wavering for a moment.

He wasn't a stranger to taking things that weren't his. In fact, it was basically his everyday job, his future career so to speak. 

But taking from Leora? He couldn't imagine it.

Then, Mel remembered the priest's teachings about courage.

He took a step forward, chin raised defiantly.

"I said, leave her alone!"

Bruno and the beanpole exchanged glances, then burst into mocking laughter.

"Fine, we'll leave," the bean pole said, a smirk on his lips.

Suddenly, he put a finger up, as if a brilliant idea had just come to him.

"But not before we give you a little dunk in the well. She wanted to toss perfectly good money into the well, so I guess you can go with it."

He lunged forward, aiming to grab Mel and drag him towards the open well in the center of the square.

Mel always thought of himself as being quick on his feet, years as a thief required him to be. So, it wasn't a surprise when he dodged the tall boy's advance.

What was a surprise was when Bruno's wide frame slammed into him from the side.

"Oooof!"

The boys tumbled to the ground, a tangle of flying limbs.

The bean pole quickly rejoined the fray, helping to hold Mel down and preventing him from fighting back like he wanted.

Mel would like to think he got a few good punches in, maybe even a good eye jab here and there.

The truth was he hadn't done much to stop the stronger boys.

Mel wasn't particularly powerful. In fact, it would be an adept description to call him weak.

"I-I don't think we sho-"

"Shut your damn mouth Keir and get over here!" Bruno wheezed, fighting to drag Mel over to the lip of the well together.

The third boy, whom Mel had forgotten about, hesitated before moving forward.

This Keir, the third boy, was about Mel's size, but had a little more muscle packed on him, looking like he could pack a real punch.

His brown hair glinted with hints of red in the sunlight as he moved forward.

"Leora, run!" Mel gasped, still trying to break free from the other two boys' grasp.

He was glad to see that she listened to him, her figure getting smaller with each second.

Mel was happy seeing that, not just for her safety, but because she wouldn't see him being beat to a pulp.

He had a reputation to create after all.

Leora running away wasn't all Mel saw as his eyes glanced about.

Some of the adult vendors in the square had begun to move to intervene with their little brawl.

Mel's mind raced.

He wasn't going to let these boys have the satisfaction they wanted.

If he was going down, they would take a hit or two in the process.

No adult would stop him from accomplishing that.

Mel relaxed his wrists and limbs, allowing himself to be dragged the last few feet to the well's edge. A plan was forming in his mind.

"Keir, grab his arms here while I get his feet" Bruno grunted.

Once again, the third boy hesitated before reaching out to grab Mel's arm.

The adults on the side were moving faster now, anxiety evident in their movements.

Mel faintly heard a few of them shouting out to them.

Some even stumbled over their wares in their rush forward, fresh fruits and vegetables falling to the ground.

'What a waste of food' Mel groaned, before turning his attention back to his predicament.

Before the third boy could get a solid grasp on him, Mel suddenly twisted with all his strength, breaking free from his captors.

He then proceeded to punch Bruno in the nose as hard as he could.

Blood spurted from the boys face, and he quickly backed off, crying out in pain.

Mel, adrenaline rushing through him, turned to deliver one final blow to the tall boy as well.

He wasn't fast enough.

The bean pole pushed him backward, hard.

Mel's sense of pride deflated.

'There goes my plan.'

He had thought he could escape at the last moment after getting a few last hits in.

'This is fine, I'll just get up and ru-'

He stumbled back, right onto the edge of the well.

Reaching out in desperation, he grabbed the third boy's wrist, attempting to pull himself up and prevent himself from falling.

Instead, he ended up pulling the boy off balance.

"Ahhh!"

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!"

Both boys screamed in panic, their cries mingling with the shouts of the adults now rushing forward.

Together, they fell.

Into the well.