Today is an important day of the year. A day when woodlanders gathered at Redwall from all across Mossflowerwood. They would feast and talk and sing and dance and tell stories and play and celebrate the coming of spring. Today is the Spring Fest. The famous holiday was actually five days long, and it was that long for a very important reason: the Redwall games.
The Spring Fest itself is thousands of years old but the Redwall games, however, is relatively new. Ever since the defeat of Mangrad Wild three-thousand years ago, the land has been covered in a warm blanket of peace. There has been reports of small run-ins with baddies, but those are few and far in between. In fact, there has only been three bad attacks over the last fifty years, and they where done by tiny bandit groups. In times of such peace it is known that youngsters get restless, witch was why the Redwall games were founded one-thousand six-hundred years ago. At the Redwall games, a sport would be played for each of the five days of the Spring Fest. And today, the fifth and last day of celebration, sparing would take place.
The spar was well favored by the woodlanders, for it used the sword fighting techniques of old. And the old history of heroes and legends where beloved by everybeast. Thus, the headbeast of the sparing sport made rule to make the sparing as historically accrete as possible, but the opponents would have to use wood swords of course.
All of Redwall was exited for the event. One huge courtyard was where all sporting events took place, and it was pact full of chattering and bustling beast. grass was toppled by clawed feet trying to push through to the buffet table. A drunken otter was bumped into and he staggered into a bush. Sounds of "Ow!" followed an old hogwife as her pricks accidentally stabbed unsuspecting beast.
A young mouse was standing outside the crowd, eagerly waiting for his time to spar. He was wearing the light green novice habit of the order. At his waist was a makeshift rope belt at witch hung a wooden sword. His name was Begon. Begon had been apart of the Redwall games for as long as he could remember. He use to play the boxing sport, but now he much preferred sparing. It was easer to think himself one of the heroes of legend when he knew how to handle a sword.
"Ladies and gentlebeast!" a loud voice sounded from an otter silenced the crowd of beast. The otter announcer was standing on a pedestal near the center of the festivities. "I present to you the fifth and final game of the Spring Fest... Sparing!'
The whole courtyard erupted in cheers.
The otter waited for the cheers to die down before he spoke again. "On the left, we have Nimble Nim. But will his agility be enough to take down Bill the Bull? Lets find out. Ready, set, fight!"
The world around Begon erupted in cheers as the two began to spar. However, from his point, Begon couldn't see any action. He knew the fight would take place in a ring formed by white paint. Begon stood on his tippy toes, leaned left and right, but it was no use. Though he was tall for a mouse, too many beast blocked his sight.
Eager to see the fight, Begon ran around the crowd to find a pillar that boxed in the huge courtyard. He was hoping to clime up to get a better view. But on his way there, he almost crashed right into the ancient Abbot Nill.
"Sorry Abbot," Begon almost had to shout over the din. All around them beast where making bets and pooling in nice leather belts and daggers.
The Abbot shook his head. "Begon, Begon. You promised me you'd be more careful if I allowed you to spar. And why aren't you in the waiting room?"
Begon toed the ground. "Well, Father Abbot, I thought it'd be more fun to watch the spar instead of sitting in a room waiting."
Abbot Nill's stern face softened at Begon's sheepish smile. Begon had been brought to Redwall by a band of otters. He was orphaned in a bandit attack. He'd been cared for by Berna, the badgermum. And Abbot Nill helped Begon learn and grow as he did all the little ones of Redwall.
"So be it," the Abbot finally sighed. "But," he added as Begon was about to blunder off, "you must be careful. Stop being a clumsy rat and pay mind to what you're doing!"
"Yes Father Abbot," Begon bowed. And this time, he strolled of more carefully.
Luckily for Begon, he found a nice chair to stand on so he didn't have to figure out how to climb a pillar. By the time he was able to see the ring, the fight between Nim and Bill was over and a new match had began. Four, five, six matches passed before it was Begon's turn.
Without Begon having time to prepare the announcer called, "to the left, we have our beloved Gred-"
The announcer was drowned out by wiled cheers.
After everybeast calmed, the seemingly annoyed otter continued, "and to the right, we have... Begon?"
"Here!" a small voice came from somewhere in the crowd. "I'm here!" Begon made his way through the now silent and curious beast saying things like, "sorry," "excuse me," and "watch my way."
Finally and awkwardly, Begon made his way to the challenge ring.
"Um, everybeast, this is Begon," said the announcer.
Gred smiled at Begon, enjoying seeing the other mouse embarrassed. Gred was an all black mouse, with a scar running down half his face. He was from the same settlement as Begon and got the scar when they where attacked by fox bandits.
The otter continued, "ready, set, fight!"
Everybeast let out loud cheers, choosing sides and placing bets already. Most of the best naturally sided with Gred.
Wanting to knock that smirk off Gred's face, Begon rushed at him with his wood sword raised. Gred only grinned wider as he side-stepped Begon and smashed him in the back with the pommel of his wood sword. Begon fell to one knee, winded.
The otter stomped his foot. "Penalty! Watch it! Two more strikes an' you're out, Gred."
Gred mumbled, only loud enough for Begon to hear, "sometimes you have to risk a strike to gain the advantage."
That was the wrong thing to say.
Before Gred was even able to blink, the enraged Begon was on him, slashing and striking faster than an adder. Gred evaded and blocked Begon's advances with some difficulty, his face stone-hard in concentration and realization of his mistake.
The crowd's cheers around the sparing mice where unleashed like a thunderstorm.
Gred seemed to be tiring. Sometimes, Begon's wood blade would slash the other's arm and he would have to retreat backwards. Gred's look was now one of uncertainty. Begon wished he could give Gred that same smirk, but he too was tiring. Sweat beaded Begon's face and soaked his light-green hobbit. His sword arm was burning with exhaustion.
Gred took note of this and chose that moment to unleash his full fury. He lunged at Begon, bombarding him with forceful bashes and quick strikes. It was too much at once, too much too keep up with. Gred charged into Begon to deliver his final blow, knocking the other mouse flat on his back.
The now blaring shouts from the onlookers were reaching unbearable levels.
Both mice kept still, panting, staring at each other.
The otter announcer had to shout to gain the crowd's attention. "Hay! Quiet! Listen up! Tone down... Good, thank you." The otter looked to the black mouse. "Gred has won this match..."
He was drowned out by cheers and had to wait for the onlookers to finish throwing flowers into the ring, which Gred accepted with a huge smile.
"But," the otter continued, "does he have the stuff to win the championship? I don't doubt it, but you never know!"
The two mice where dismissed from the ring. This time, Begon went to the waiting room to avoid another embarrassing mishap. He hated to admit it, but the Abbot was right. There is a pathway from the ring to the waiting room, cleared by a fence made from rope. It made getting to and from the ring a lot easier. The waiting room itself was a large brick shack lined with benches. Begon sat away from the others, preparing for his next match.
And so, the hours went by, spar after spar. The roster was set up so that all the opponents would have a chance to spar with one another. Whoever would win the most matches would win the overall competition, coming in first place with the gold badge. Begon didn't win all his matches, but he did fairly well. Still, he hoped that he would at least win the silver badge.
"All righty folks!" The otter was standing on a stage now, which was located on the far left of the gigantic courtyard. All the opponents where lined up at the bottom of the stage in no particular order. "Its the moment we've all been waiting for, the choosing!"
Exited murmurs flowed through the gathered woodlanders. Begon was standing somewhere in the middle of the opponents, blocked from view, though he hoped he'd be in everybeast's view soon, holding the silver badge. Begon waited their as patiently as he could, though his heart drummed with excitement and worry.
The Otter held up the copper badge stamped with an image of a sword. It was the symbol of fourth place. Not a very desirable award, but better than not wining at all. "The winner of the copper award goes to... Hoff!"
Polite applause greeted Hoff, who was a rather fat hedgehog, as he walked to the stage to receive his award. Hoff then stood on the stage to the far left as the others would join him, lining up from left to right.
Begon bit his lip. He knew he did well. Not well enough for gold, but silver. Silver, he hoped.
The otter announcer then pulled out the bronze award from its case. It held a simple but beautiful design of a fish. "And the winner of the bronze badge is Begon!"
Begon's face fell, but he tried to act happy as he walked across the stage to receive his badge. He didn't want the applauding beast to think him a sore loser. The bronze badge fit into his palm, feeling cold and awkwardly heavy. Begon didn't pin the badge to his hobbit as Hoff did to his tunic, instead he held it in his paws.
The next awarded went to the small, nimble mouse named Nim. It was the silver badge Begon so dearly wanted. He looked sadly on as Nim pined the badge to his dirty smock. The badge seemed too royal for his scruffy appearance, with its elegant symbol of a stag gloriously crafted onto it.
Everyone knew who won the gold badge. Gred, who beat every single opponent. It was no surprise to anybeast, for this is Gred's fourth victory in a row. He was met with ecstatic cheers and whistles from his fans. Gred received his award with a broad smile. Mousemaids cried, "look at his scar, So though and handsome!" Gred smiled again and bowed, his bright golden badge flashing.
The ending speech was taking place, being given by the sparing headbeast, a hare, instead of the otter announcer. Begon paid no mind to it. He was too busy staring enviously at the gold badge that was made with only the most beautiful artsmenship. It depicted the famous Redwall symbole with extraordinary detail: Martin leaning casually on his sword staring into the distance with a fearless look on his handsome face. Were as Begon wanted the silver badge, he craved the gold badge. But Begon knew he didn't stand a chance against the other mouse. For a second, Gred caught Begon staring and the two mice met eyes for a split second.
One day, Begon promised himself.
A/N: And so, I bring you the knew and hopefully improved version of "An Unexpected Evil" (Is the title suppose to be it quotes? Or italics?) Anyway this was suppose to be out last Sunday but things came up that I had to deal with. Had other priorities first, sorry. And the next chapter should be out by the weekend. I'll try to update once or twice a week basically. Oh, and lets just say the events in this story take place in Redwall's most recent history, so maybe four-thousand years after Razzid Wearat. To be honest, Redwall's history is out of order and it confuses me. Well, on that note, see all y'all later.