Shields and Stars
The Tale of the Stoat Uprising In Southsward
In the Tradition of Brian Jacques's Redwall Novels
Chapter 2
The Madame
"There's no time! Come!" The rat garbed in brown servant's livery called to the Lady of Stoat House, leader of the Stoat Quarter and a minor member of council. The female stoat of impressive height, her jade eyes piercing and heavy-lashed, peered up from the parchments on her rolltop desk and stared, demanding an explanation without ever using a single word.
"My Lady..." the rat pleaded, taking at least two swift looks over his shoulder, "An incident involving two of your Quarter is taking place at this moment on the broadwalk to Market Square. A strangebeast is in their midst and he carries a sword. The transient has threatened an officer of the Guard." He added at the last minute, hoping that the involvement of the Guard would spurn the stoatess into action more quickly.
"What have I to do with lawless brigands?" the Lady asked in a low tone. Her voice was deep and even, rather like cool lake water. The rat shuffled and wrung the end of his kirtle.
"Well, um," He licked dry lips, "Two of your beasts are involved in the, uh, fight. It falls to you to ensure their safety..."
With a deep breath the Lady rose, her embroidered forest green robe straightening and falling to her mid-calves. She took another sharp look at the rat messenger.
"Be gone now, I'm going to resolve this..." With a deep but rapid bow the rat backed out of the study and into the hall. As soon as he was out of eyeshot he relaxed his stiff posture, sighing slightly and wandering gratefully toward the door out of the immaculate manor.
Kyol had waited until the scarred squirrel had come within an arm's length before making his move. With the tree rodent's breath almost brushing his hood, the rat stepped swiftly to the side, leaving the confused guard swinging at the air. Then the strange rat retaliated, planting his moccasined footpaw hard in the beast's posterior.
Rising from the ground in embarrassed rage the squirrel dusted off his star and bared his teeth at his much quicker adversary. He swung again, this time stepping into it with broadly planted feet so that he could change direction fast should Kyol dart away again. There was a clang of metal as the rat parried the blow, turning it down and sending it to bite the stones of the street.
"You've been trained to wield a blade, I see." Kyol said with a pique of interest. "Who was your tutor?"
"A hare, scum." the squirrel smirked, "A great better teacher'n yores, t' be sure!"
"How know you that?" the rat fired back, whipping his rapier forward and forcing the guard to step backwards to avoid it nicking his cheek, "You've never met my master."
"Hah! I know 'e was a great ugly vermint like you, so 'e can't be too good," the squirrel snickered, chopping repeatedly at the rat's upraised blade. Kyol bent at the knees, giving the spectators the notion that the small creature was being forced to the ground. Several of the hares, mice and otters began cheering, while others looked away, not caring which side lost if it meant blood being spilled.
Kyol lifted his head up towards the squirrel's. For the first time, his eyes became visible. The squirrel's heart seemed to stop for a beat or two from the shock as he looked upon the stranger's visage. Were both of his eyes whited over with the sheen of blindness? No, only one, the other's natural color was simply so pale that it took more than a glance to determine that he did indeed have a single functioning eye. Kyol bared his sharp incisors and stood suddenly, pushing outward with both paws on the hilt of his sword, causing his opponent to fall backward on his tail.
"You are a knavish one, aren't you?" he said, a glimmer of dislike finally tingeing his voice. "Stand up and fight. Or stay where you are and admit defeat."
The squirrel's paws shook as he scrambled backwards, wiping a thin thread of spittle from his chin. A scowl formed on his convoluted brow and he rose, clenching his paws into quivering fists.
"H-How dare you, you dirty..!"
Tallon pushed and shoved at the crowd, trying to see what was happening. A hare shoved him down as the stoat tried to shimmy past him for a better view. Findarr was taller and could see marginally better, gasping at the new turn of events.
"Great snakes!" he exclaimed, staring intensely at the figure of Kyol as he struck back against the squirrel, sending a spark from the rodents' blades, "What eyes! How does a beast get born with eyes like those?!"
"What eyes? I can't see!" Tallon complained, "Tell me what just happened!"
"The rattish fellow just got back up. Now he's giving that guard a lesson he'll never forget! Ah! Careful there! Oh, not a kick to the--he's done it again! This is the greatest bit of swordplay I've ever seen! So much improved from all our stage performances!"
"I don't bloody care!" Tallon sighed, "Just tell me who's winnin'!"
"Oh, I dunno. The rat fellow at the moment," Findarr wagered, "I think...?"
"This is why I should 'ave a look!" Tallon stomped the ground. A nearby vole gave him a foul look, and Tallon returned it with equal malice. "'S not fair, somebeasts want t' see what's goin' on!"
"Shut it, weaselfeatures!" a squirrel with a heavy mustache snarled. Tallon bared his teeth in reply and said nothing.
Jabbing with the very tip of his rapier, Kyol forced his adversary into a dance of death around ans around in the cleared oval of street. Flicking his tail out, the rat tried tripping the squirrel, but the rodent leaped over it and brought his sword down in a downward arc. Kyol rolled to the side, causing the guard's blade to smash into the cobblestones and shatter one. With a smirk the hefty rodent rose again, brushing lithic dust from his shirt.
"Can't run f'rever, longtail!" he taunted. Kyol tapped his tail sharply on the ground.
"I do not run, only wait," he responded, then dashed at a surprising speed towards the squirrel. Alarmed, the brushy-tailed rodent raised his sword and thrust its point at the rapidly approaching figure. Kyol sailed upward in a bound, over the seeking weapon and cannoning both legs into his enemy's chest. Both were tossed to the ground in a heap, but the rat was up first, his rapier point hovering a mere whisker from his vanquished opponent's throat.
"Checkmate."
A hush fell over the crowd, goodbeast and vermin alike, all waiting with some degree of horror on their faces. They were all wondering if the rat would really slay his enemy right there in the street, in front of scores of witnesses. Somewhere in the back a ratwife hurried away, her swaddled babe beginning to set up a wail. Tallon and Findarr too stood stock still with bated breath, unable to look away from the suspenseful scene.
Kyol said nothing, to either his audience or the panting squirrel underneath him looking on his shadowed face with fear-stricken eyes. Reaching out one paw, the rat confiscated the other rodent's sword and stood, still keeping the rapier point near his neck. He walked in a half-circle around the defeated one. After what seemed like an age, Kyol took up his sword and stowed it away with a confident scrape of the scabbard.
Now oxygen was once again a common commodity, and the entire congregation let out gasps and sighs of relief. On the side opposite of the two stoats a mousemaid fainted from the excitement, having to be removed from the road by a pair of voles. Tallon could not keep his gaze from wandering to the strangebeast; Kyol stood by like a majestic creature, an eagle or stag, or something else wondrous but perilous to look upon. He barely noticed when a series of harsh shouts echoed from further up the street, the shouts of approaching Guard reinforcements.
"Look out, there! Make room, alla youse! Get outta th' way!" the otter at the patrol's head bellowed. The young stoat took one look at the some two score soldiers approaching and began shouldering his way forcefully through the crowd.
"Where are you going, Tallon?!" Findarr said, his voice risen an octave. "We need to get out of here!"
"I want to help that rat!" Tallon shrugged off his friend's grasping claw. Ignoring the taller stoat's continued protests he broke through the crowd and scurried over to Kyol at reckless speed. The rat turned, eying him suspiciously.
"What do you want? Are you friend or foebeast?" Kyol took a step back, putting distance between himself and the breathless mustelid. Tallon's throat was dry, but he managed to speak anyhow.
"Quickly!" he pointed over behind him, "The Guard is coming! You'll be killed'r'worse if you stand here!"
Kyol's single working eye cast over the stoat, examining him thoroughly. Saying nothing, the rat shouldered his cloak about him tighter and, to Tallon's shock, obeyed him.
With the rat swordsbeast striding at a swift clip behind him the crowd now parted fearfully for the youngbeast. Finding Findarr again, Tallon urged him along, taking a sidestreet with all his speed.
"What are you thinking, man!?" Findarr shrieked, giving the rat with them a wary glance, "Do you know what'll happen to us if it's found out we helped him escape?! I'll have you know, I like my stage career! I don't want it ending over a, a..." he came to a faltering halt as Kyol turned his gaze on him.
"Stop bein' such a yellowfur!" Tallon growled, leading them off through another tight empty lane, hemmed in on all sides with the sides of residences. "I ain't watchin' another creature get kicked around just 'cuz he doesn't know th' rules!"
"It's not a matter of the rules, it's a matter of-"
"Yes it is! The laws here are stupid!" Tallon contested, "Do you know what, I seen a mouse just today, big scary-lookin' feller, come in. He had a blade, but no guardbeast went up to him an' demanded his weapon!"
Kyol could not help but listen silently to the friends' argument as he ran along with them. He wondered where the two were leading them, and of the curious manner in which this township was run. He had been places where the goodbeast clade looked down on him, tormented him, and even attacked him, solely for the reason of his species. But never had he encountered a place where it's own laws, set in stone, encouraged the division. There was no law in otter holts, in squirrel dreys, in vole middens or mole tunnels, or mouse abbeys, which declared openly that the verminbeast was inferior and to be held to a different standard. Taking in the sights of the beautifully-made houses and roads, the rat pondered how such a place could be so very fine to look on, and yet have such a rot at its core.
The narrow way opened up, revealing the south end of Market Square. Kyol eyed the stands and booths and their gleaming produce and goods with a joy that never made it to his face. This parade of the senses was lost on Tallon and Findarr as they heatedly argued more.
"We can't go out there! We'll be spotted, the sparrows have surely been sent around by now!"
"It's the only way! Any'ow, how's a sparrow going to pick us out from all those other beasts? All they know is two stoats and a liddle rat."
"It's not that crowded!" Findarr chewed on a hangclaw, "We could be seen. Besides, there's a guard right there!" He pointed with a slim claw at the otter who was standing with his back to them, chatting with a pair of mice running a fruit stand.
"If you two wouldn't mind," Kyol interrupted softly, "I'd like to know where you are taking me."
The two exchanged looks dumbly for a moment, then turned their backs to him and held a whispered conference. If the situation were not so serious Kyol would have had himself a rare chuckle.
"To Stoat Quarter, of course." Findarr finally lifted his head in reply.
"Aye, an' Stoat House in Stoat Quarter. Original names, what?"
"I see..." Kyol nodded. "And what is this Stoat House? Do you all live together, separated by kind?"
"Yeah, not all in the House, but...yeah," Tallon admitted, confused by his sudden burst of shame upon telling the rat of that fact of life here. Never had he so questioned how the town was run before, and it scared him to think that he'd never given the startling fact so much as a second glance.
"What will Our Lady say..?" Findarr groaned. "Will she even let us harbor this, this... wanted man?"
"Of course she will!" Tallon thrust any doubt aside, "She's a good sort. She'll understand. An' besides..." Tallon smirked, "She don't like those guard types any more than we do. We tell 'er th' details an' she'll welcome you in with open arms."
Kyol was suddenly uncertain about following the two mustelids. But nevertheless he sighed quietly and followed, having no other choice at the moment.
"Escaped? How?" the tall green-eyed stoatess interrogated her fellow councilbeast, a venerable ferret in goldenrod robes similar to hers. The old one coughed slightly and adjusted his bifocal spectacles, tapping a claw on the strip of birch parchment lying on the table between them.
"'Tis not known at this time, but rumor is that two of a vermin species whisked him away in the confusion of the Guard arriving," the ferret explained. He took a long sip of comfrey tea and hacked slightly at the aromatic liquid, "Ahem! The Captain of the Guard has instructed us all to be on the lookout for a pair of creatures, possibly weasels, ferrets or stoats, together with a small-statured rat carrying an illegal weapon. We're to turn them in immediately, of course," Something about the way the old ferret said "of course" carried with it a hint of sadness, but also the suggestion that their duties were not as obvious as the letter to them had stated. The Lady of Stoat House stared questioningly at the ferret for a moment after this, her own soul equally reluctant to obey the edicts of their hare Lord.
"It feels so like treason, does it not? Throwing such beasts onto the mercy of our Council's majority if we already know what the outcome will be." She chose her words carefully, sipping at her own drink, which was not herbal tea but strong peach brandy. The ferret coughed again.
"Yes, quite," he stared at her, as if chiding her for speaking of their displeasure out loud, "It does seem most untoward for the voices of five Quarters to go entirely unheard. We shall have to bring it up next session, and see if we cannot convince our Lord Rainwhether of revoking the ban on vermin carrying arms within the walls."
"An astute observation," she applauded with a nod. "But that would be no easy task. It may as well be doomed to fail in the infant stages. You know better than anybeast how the hares and their colleagues feel about mustelids, myurids, vulpines and the like."
Self-consciously the elderly beast shifted the sleeves of his yellow robe, covering a part of his arms with a suppressed wince.
"Yes," he said, "I know that feeling well, my friend."
Will the trio escape? Will the Lady let them hide in her mansion? Will there be any more sword fights? Find out next time! Remember to review!