Light
- Despereaux wakes up after fainting and finds that a big human man is holding him. The man introduces himself as Gregory and says that he's the jailer.
- Gregory also says that he knows what the red string around Despereaux's neck means—that the mouse is supposed to die by being eaten by rats.
- Despereaux asks to be let down, but Gregory tells him that he doesn't want to do that. He'll be lost in the dungeons forever and will die here.
- According to Gregory, only he and the rats know their way around the dungeons—Gregory because he has a rope tied to his ankle and has been exploring the dungeons forever, and the rats because they're good at moving through mazes in the dark.
- Gregory informs Despereaux that the rats are already coming for him, and that they want to tear him apart bit by bit. Gregory's seen a lot of mice get eaten by the rats until all that's left is some red string.
- When Despereaux tells him that he cannot die because he wants to live for love, Gregory tells him that love can sometimes lead to sorrow and pain, too.
- He lights a match and shows Despereaux a huge looming tower of spoons, bowls, kettles and more—which apparently make up a monument to the queen, who was well-loved by King Phillip, and who died.
- Then Gregory says that although he's never ever saved a single mouse before, he'll save Despereaux. Why is he making an exception? Because he knows that Despereaux can tell stories…and in the dark dungeons, stories serve as the light.
- That's when Despereaux starts over with "once upon a time…" again, because he knows that he'll need to tell lots of stories in order to save his life.