Whistler (The Pied Piper Retold)

Josef and Sofia are from two entirely different worlds, one a beautiful princess destined to rule the country in years to come, the other the son of paupers born to beg on the streets and live in dirt. They are linked by only one thing: rats. The whole kingdom is infested with the disease-ridden animals that cause so much strife for the ihabitants. When a mysterious lute-player arrives claiming he can save the country, the self-absorbed king jumps at the chance to prove to his subjcest and his wife that he is still fit to run his country. When the fluter obliges, the king is so caught in his own success he tries to outwit the player, by refusing to pay him. The fluter leaves, declaring they will all be sorry... had he known it would be his daughter who paid, would the king have so offhandly condemned all of Hammeln?