"Come with me," she urges, taking my paw in hers. It's a ridiculous proposition, of course. I haven't even caught her name, and she's a searat-nothing more than a thief, and no doubt murderer. A pirate. I've barely been outside the abbey in my life. We'd spent no more than two or three hours together while I treated her injury, and shared a single meal. How could I possibly go with her?
"Okay," I breathe, and everything's a blur.
While the rest of her crew begs assistance outside the gate, clearly a ploy simply to gain entrance (which the abbey is having none of), the lone searat leads me quickly out a side gate, only narrowly avoiding detection by the angry few Redwallers that saw her make off with a sack of food, drink, and stolen trinkets. Still grasping my paw, she breaks into a run, and I follow suit, struggling to keep up. My, but she's fast. She laughs, and my heart skips a beat.
"Not used to this much excitement, eh mousey?" she says, finally slowing up when she determines we've run far enough. It's a relief, my throat is burning and my legs ache, the initial exhilaration having only carried me so far. My arms have been scratched, my dress snagged, and my footpaws stubbed in the mad flight from my old life. She's right, and I shake my head in breathless, embarrassed agreement.
She squeezes my paw, which I realize she still hasn't released, and speaks in a gentler tone (though not without some amusement). "You will be."
I suppose this could be taken several ways, which is probably why she said it like that. I'm naive, and she enjoys poking fun and acting mysterious. But I'm certain I know what she means.
Having caught my breath, I smile up at my beautiful pirate queen. "You promise?"
"More adventure than you can handle." I'm captivated by her eyes as she grins at me.
"That's the perfect amount," I reply, and reach up to press my mouth softly against hers.