All of Redwall's warriors had awoke with the sun. Many did so regretfully,
but they knew that the lives of many beasts could rest on how them. By the
time the sun was high in the air, Redwall's warriors had made and eaten a
breakfast of the food they had departed Redwall with. It took them only
about ten minutes to pack their bedrolls and put out their cooking fires.
Once they had completed these tasks, they set out again on their march.
Gormin walked in the front of marching Abbeybeasts, along with Skipper and some of Redwall's best warriors. Cain wasn't there; he was probably further down the line talking to Colin. Gormin had been surprised when Cain had adopted a cheerful demeanor the day before, but had quickly grown used to it. Even though he had been a loner at Redwall when he was younger, Gormin had took notice of Cain's cheer when it came to life in general, and it seemed as though it had completely vanished when Kelly had died. Gormin felt that Cain's happiness was a great loss to Redwall, as it had stood out to everybeast from the time he was a dibbun up until the Stormrat War had begun.
Everybeast had felt the effects of Cain's depression in some way. Before the Stormrat War, Redwallers had to look no further than Cain to find an example of a beast who was content with its life. He loved his wife, and they had a son who was cheerful despite the fact that he had a limited number of friends. But after the Stormrat War, Cain had turned into the opposite of what he had been. Instead of a symbol of happiness to the Redwallers, he became gloomy and depressed, and although the Abbeybeasts tried to help him, he remained unhappy. Eventually, they gave up and left him to care for his own feelings.
Most of the beasts that had accompanied Gormin in the march west to Salamandastron had already noticed Cain's change in attitude. It cheered many of them, and gave the beasts another reason to hurry west to defend their home. After all, Cain was a Redwaller, a member of what seemed to be a single family. The happiness of one beast was enough to cheer up many other beasts.
No, that's not completely true, though Gormin, thinking of the difference in opinions that had divided Redwall into separate groups. There were many beasts on the march who didn't care about Redwall as a whole, nor the family that the beasts who lived within the Abbey seemed to be a part of. They were more concerned with themselves than any other beasts, and would gladly have accepted the loss of any other beast as long as they remained safe within Redwall. And many of the Redwallers were slowly moving toward the opinion that nobeast mattered but those who lived within the Abbey and agreed with their ways. Even Sister Rain, while not as opinionated as this, seemed to believe that Redwall should keep to itself and leave the rest of Mossflower Country to deal with its own problems.
To Gormin, these ideas were foolish. Redwall had been built around the idea of unity, not only the unity of the beasts within it, but among all woodlanders. The beasts that suggested separating Redwall from the rest of Mossflower Country were going against this idea, and to Gormin's eye, without unity Redwall could not stand. The Abbey was almost a family, and it could not survive without the contribution of everybeast who lived within it. The current division between the Abbeybeasts was already causing tension between the Redwallers. What would happen when the division became more pronounced? And the beasts that were against separating Redwall from Mossflower were also fearful of dividing the Abbey from within, so they kept their opinions to themselves.
Skipper, Gormin, and Abbess Elm were just three of the beasts that were forced to sit back and watch the Abbey split itself apart, helpless to do anything about it. Skipper's otters were almost completely united, but there were a few dissenters that made life difficult for him and the rest of the Abbey. Gormin could do nothing to help the Abbey, since the Redwallers barely acknowledged the fact that he was the warrior. And Abbess Elm was too cautious to risk further dividing Redwall by asking the beasts that lived in the Abbey to unite, as the beasts of Redwall used to.
Gormin was almost certain that Cain, too, noticed the division among the beasts within Redwall. Even in his depression, he didn't ignore what was going on around him. As far as Gormin could tell, Cain had not done anything about it, but then, neither had anybeast else. Will anybeast step forward? thought Gormin.
After a couple hours of marching, the Redwallers stopped to eat lunch. Instead of making the area around them comfortable, they either just sat on the ground or remained standing. Skipper and some of his otters stood around and talked, and Cain and Colin were still talking like they hadn't in seasons. Almost everybeast was mingling with their companions as if marching west was nothing unusual. The few who didn't mingle with the others and stuck to themselves were either the beasts who were dividing Redwall or Gormin himself. Other than Jacob, there were no beasts that went out of their way to talk to him unless they needed to.
Today was an exception. Candice, the Long Patrol runner that had brought the news of the vermin horde to Redwall, approached Gormin with a smile. "I think I remember seein' you in the Stormrat War, but I don't think I ever got t' know y' too well. You're Gormin, Redwall's Champion, right? I'm Candice, a hare from Lord Rocketh's Long Patrol."
"Pleased to meet you, Candice," said Gormin, reaching out a paw for the hare to shake. Although he wasn't very social, Gormin tried his hardest to be polite to other beasts. "I think we've met before, but I never got a chance to talk to you as much as I might have liked."
"You'd want t' talk t' me?" asked Candice, seeming surprised and somewhat amused. "I'm just one o' Lord Rocketh's runners. You're the Champion o' Redwall. I haven't done any significant deeds in my life, so why would y' want to associate with me? I'm not interestin' in the least."
Gormin chuckled. "You put on a good show of modesty. Your reputation speaks differently than you do at the moment. I've heard it said that you were the beast who first discovered the Stormrats' horde five seasons ago, and that without your warning Lord Sunforge would have been caught completely unaware. Were you, by any chance, the beast that proposed sending an emissary to Redwall at the beginning of the Stormrat War?"
Candice laughed. "I was th' one who first saw the Stormrats, but I was an inexperienced Patroller explorin' out o' my way. Normally, I would've been punished, but th' war was more urgent, and after Lord Sunforge's death, nobody seemed t' remember. But I would've gladly served out whatever punishment he would've given me if it would bring 'im back. He was a great leader." Candice sighed, and then continued. "An' I wasn't the beast who proposed sendin' an emissary t' Redwall. Though I don't see anythin' wrong with embellishin' tales o' my own accomplishments, I believe in givin' credit where credit is due. It was Lord Sunforge who decided to send a beast to ask Redwall for help, an' I think he got the idea from one o' those prophecies Badger Lords seem t' get."
Redwall's Champion nodded, fascinated. "I never heard that tale before. And there are some other things I'd like to ask you about. Is it true that you saved the life of Cain during the final battle of the Stormrat War? He's mentioned your name once and said that you saved him, but I was wondering if it was true."
"It's true," said Candice, nodding her head. "Though it's really nothin' to brag about. Cain an' his wife were fightin' against a pair o' Stormrats, an' comin' close to beatin' them, I'd say. But another one o' their hordebeasts caught wind o' what those two mice were doin', and tried to sneak up behind 'em. I shoved a spear through the vermin, an' saved Cain an' Kelly. They went on t' kill the Stormrats they were fightin'. They were two o' the few that were killed before they decided t' turn back an' run."
"So you weren't as much of a hero as Cain made you out to be," said Gormin quietly, shaking his head. When he saw Candice stiffen, he looked up at her and smiled. "No offense intended, ma'am. You still did more than I would expect from a hare new to the Long Patrol. I'm sorry if I've caused you any offense."
"Well, it's sort o' offendin' to hear that you aren't as much of a hero as another beast expected y' to be," said Candice, sniffing. "If it were any beast other than th' Champion o' Redwall Abbey who said it t' me, I'd knock 'im to th' ground. I'm half tempted t' walk away right now."
But Candice didn't walk away. She stayed and talked with him for the rest of the Redwallers' lunch break, and walked near the front with him when they resumed their march. Their conversation continued though the rest of the day, touching on their experiences in the Stormrat War, their homes, the beasts they lived with, and their views on the state of the world.
"So you're sayin' that many Redwallers would rather let Salamandastron die than participate in a war?" asked Candice. Even though the hare kept her voice low, Gormin could see frustration and rage in her expression. "I thought that th' ballot Abbess Elm held was just a formality, t' make sure that there weren't any major objections. I know that there was great debate about it, but I thought that it was just a few beasts that objected. I had no idea that so many Redwallers are against war..." Candice looked back at the troops that were marching behind them. They were talking among themselves and didn't seem to notice her, but she eyed them warily anyway. "Will they fight for us?" she asked, looking up at Gormin for reassurance.
The squirrel nodded. "I think they will. Even those that don't want to help Salamandastron wouldn't go against the will of the majority of Redwall. But it would be better if our efforts had the approval of the entire Abbey, rather than just the majority. A war like this needs support, and not many of it is left back at Redwall."
Candice sighed. "At least you've got an army marching for Salamandastron. I'd urge you to move faster, but I don't think many of the beasts in your army would agree. We'll reach Salamandastron in the next couple days at this pace anyway, so there's no real reason to worry."
Gormin and Candice walked in silence for a bit. The conversation of beasts behind them reached their ears, but they hardly noticed. Candice seemed distracted by thoughts of her own, and Gormin was thinking about Redwall. They'll never have me back, will they? I'll be gone from my position as Champion, and banished. I hope this war is worth the trouble.
He finally broke the silence between him and Candice with a sigh. "After the war, I think Redwall will divide into two, or maybe even more, different factions. The beasts that truly wish for the good of all will be lost in this, and Redwall will turn into a place of selfish beasts that will be useless to the outside world, and may even end up destroying itself. And there's nothing I can do to stop it."
Candice grasped his paw in hers and squeezed. "I'm sure you'll be able t' find a way t' turn Redwall back into the place it used to be. You're its Champion, after all. Some o' the beasts in th' Abbey must trust you, an' I'm sure they'll help y' if y' try t' unify 'em."
Gormin smiled gratefully at Candice, and continued walking. After the marching beasts settled down to eat at dusk, and after most beasts had crawled into their beds and gone to sleep, Gormin lay awake. His mind was filled with thoughts of Candice. If only she was a squirrel, he thought miserably. Then, maybe, I could be with her.
He slept restlessly that night, dreaming of the hare whenever he shut his eyes. Keeping them open was no better, since his thoughts always wandered to Candice, and how hopeless his love for her was. Finally, he let the dreams take him fully, not willing himself to wake up when they taunted him of his innermost desire - to be with the beast that he had fallen for, the beast he felt that he must have if he were to live in this world at all.
~~~
Luc awoke to complete darkness. His head was fuzzy and ached when he moved it, and he had difficulty keeping his thoughts straight. The young squirrel had no idea how long he stayed like this before he heard a voice in front of him. "You're awake?" it asked, and Luc had a vague impression of a beast leaning down in front of him. He tried to sort through his mind to find the name of this beast, but he was too confused. Is it... Gormin? he wondered, envisioning the beast that fit that name. No, he was a warrior, and his voice was different from this one's. It was... the Abbey recorder... Jacob.
"Jacob?" Luc asked, and was surprised to find that his throat was dry and his speech was slurred. Memories came back to him, waking up before to Jacob's presence and being given tea to drink. "You gave me... tea?"
The recorder nodded. "Yes. It was supposed to keep you asleep for a few days, and it looks like it did the job. You'll be a bit drowsy and uncomfortable for a while, so you might want to go back to sleep. But I should probably get you something to drink, first."
"No tea," said Luc, raising his paws as if to defend himself. Jacob must have seen the motion through the dark, because he reached out one of his own paws and placed it on the younger squirrel's shoulder.
"I'm done keeping you drugged," said Jacob, and there was guilt in the recorder's voice. "I wouldn't have done it in the first place, but it seemed necessary at the time, and there was no turning back once we had begun. And it still seems necessary now, I guess, though I wouldn't exactly call it the right thing to do. I'll get you some water now." Luc heard Jacob walk away to another part of the gatehouse, and heard liquid flowing. It better not be some of that drugged tea, the squirrel thought angrily. If it is, I'll kill him.
That thought brought back memories of recent days to Luc. He saw the ferret he had killed, the beast falling to the ground, killed by his dagger. He remembered seeing the dead body, and thinking of what he had taken away from the world, the life of a beast he didn't even know. It might have been a vermin, but did that make the murder any less of a crime? What other beasts would be affected by the ferret's death? Would they even know that the ferret had died?
Luc felt tears begin to run down his face, as they had after he killed the ferret and on his journey back to Redwall. In his tears, he felt the bitter truth of the matter - he had killed a beast, and there was no way that he would be able to do it again. Not if it felt like this. At that moment, Luc knew that he could never be a warrior, and he was glad. I will never kill another beast, the young mouse vowed, feeling his heart tighten. I'm done with murder.
When Jacob arrived with a glass in his paws, he heard Luc's muffled sobs and crouched down beside the squirrel, reaching out a paw to comfort him. "Cry, let it out," he murmured, pressing the cup in Luc's paw. "Let it out, and get back to sleep. Things will be clearer in the morning."
He nodded and drank from the cup Jacob had given him. To his relief, it was water, not any of the tea that Jacob had been giving him whenever he woke up from his drugged sleep. He gulped it down eagerly, letting it sooth his parched throat. His tears didn't stop, even when he gave the cup back to Jacob and leaned his head back against the wooden chair he was sitting on. The last thing he felt before drifting to sleep, a natural sleep this time, not a drugged one, was the sensation of tears flowing down his face.
After Luc had fallen asleep, he dreamed of ferrets, blood, daggers, and Jacob. The taste of the tea that the Abbey recorder had used to keep him asleep haunted his dreams, and he was unable to get rid of it. He tossed and turned in the chair he was sleeping in, though he didn't know it from the depths of sleep. After a seemingly endless amount of time, a shadowy figure stepped forward out of his dreams.
The beast seemed to come right out of the tapestry that was hanging in Great Hall, except for the fact that he wore no armor and bore no sword. The figure of Martin the Warrior stood in front of Luc is his dream, and beckoned him forward with one paw. Compelled by some will other than his own, Luc was unable to do anything but follow.
Martin led him wordlessly through an expanse of his dreams, toward the figure of a squirrel. When Martin and Luc got close, the young squirrel could see that the mouse was Gormin. "A good warrior," said the shadow of Martin. His voice was clear, but distant, and it seemed to Luc that the warrior mouse was speaking from some other world. "But he doesn't get the respect he deserves from most beasts. He strives to put this Abbey back together, but he doesn't show it enough to the beasts who live here. He's too solitary, and at this time Redwall needs a charismatic leader. Gormin may see the light, but he won't have the chance to change himself in time to get the approval of the beasts in this Abbey."
"Why does the Abbey need a warrior other than Gormin?" Luc asked. Even though Gormin had seemed distant from the rest of the Abbey, Luc had thought that he was the best Champion Redwall could have. Except for some of the beasts of legend, who were already long dead.
"Because times are changing," said Martin. "Redwall is splitting apart. I care for everybeast within this Abbey, but their fate is sealed if they turn on each other. We need a leader, and there are only two beasts in this world who fit the role. I'd like you to help one of them, either of them, become the Champion of Redwall."
A sensation of being tugged suddenly overcame Luc, and he felt as if he should leave Martin's company. It wasn't unpleasant, but he felt that if he resisted the tug for too long, it would begin to hurt.
"Who are they?" asked Luc. "I can't see anybeast that's alive now other than Gormin as the Champion of Redwall. Maybe Cain, but he doesn't seem good enough of a leader. Who would be better than Gormin?"
"The qualifications of one of the beasts are too obvious to miss. He's traveling to Redwall from his home in the east even as you dream. He doesn't know what's in store for him, but he's an honorable beast and would not pass up the chance to help another." Martin smiled again. "And the other beast might not seem like much of a warrior compared to this one, but he'll prove himself as great a beast eventually."
Luc nodded his understanding. "Can I go now?" he asked. He didn't want to offend the warrior mouse, but the tugging had become more urgent. He felt as if his entire being was being tugged at, and while it still didn't hurt, it was steadily becoming more unpleasant, and he was sure that pain would come soon if he didn't leave.
Martin nodded. "You'll remember this when the first warrior comes. You might not ever remember talking to me, but... you will know what you need to. Live a good life, Luc, and don't succumb to temptation and treachery." And then Luc felt himself being pulled away from Martin.
The sensation of waking up was like nothing he had experienced before. When his eyes opened, he was fully aware, without any of the drowsiness that usually plagued him when he woke up. He felt as if his mind had been working hard while he was asleep, and cast about his mind for any memories of dreaming. But the only thing he remembered after falling asleep was a sensation of falling right before he woke up.
"Nice to see you awake, finally," said Ellen, looking down at him and smirking. "Did you hit your head while you were dreaming? I probably spent five minutes here trying to wake you up."
"Shut up, Ellen," said Luc, getting to his feet and smiling. "You can't stop a beast from getting the rest he needs."
"The sleep you need?" asked Ellen incredulously. "I don't know if you know this, but you just spent about two days sleeping in that chair. That should be all the sleep anybeast needs to at least wake up in the morning! And in the name of Martin, youngbeasts are supposed to be the perky! You have no excuse to have been sleeping for so long! The rest of Redwall has had breakfast already, and Jacob, Kiran, and Retherin are telling Abbess Elm why he kept us in here against our will."
"Why aren't you with them?" asked Luc. "You would be able to tell her how you and I were involved better than the otters or Jacob could. I'm sure the Abbess would like to hear our point of view as well."
"You expect me to be down there with them? I just woke up about fifteen minutes ago, and Retherin told me to keep an eye on you while he went down with Jacob and Kiran. I would've went with them if I hadn't been afraid of how frightened you would be if you woke up and found yourself all alone." Ellen grinned mockingly at Luc, and held up her paws to fend off any physical retort her friend might've had.
"Well, what are we supposed to do now that I'm awake?" asked Luc, looking around. "I'm starving, and I'd like to see my father and tell him what happened. Unless Jacob told us to stay around here. I'm sure he knows what he's doing, since he's the one who drugged us." Luc was sure of no such thing, but since Jacob was the beast who had done this, so he was the most likely to have things planned out. And Jacob was the type of beast that wouldn't harm a fellow Redwaller unless there was nothing else he could do. There had to be a reason for what Jacob had done.
But Ellen didn't seem to think as highly of the recorder squirrel as Luc did. "I don't care what his reasons were. He doesn't know a thing about herbology. If he had used the wrong sort of substance to drug us, we might be dead now. As Sister Rain says, abusing medical practices for any purpose is inexcusable."
"In case you've forgotten, I'm the apprentice recorder, and I know Jacob better than you." Luc glared at his friend as he said this, and clenched his paw into a fist to get the point across. "He would never harm another Redwaller if he could help it, and even drugging us is something of a stretch for him."
Ellen and Luc glared at each other for a few moments. Surprisingly, it was Ellen who backed down first. She took a seat, and taking Luc's paw, dragged him down next to her. "There's something wrong with the atmosphere of this place," she said quietly, looking around the gatehouse and listening to the sounds outside. "There are still beasts out there, but they're not making the amount of noise they usually do. And I have a bad feeling..." Ellen shook her head. "Sister Rain told me never to trust anything other than fact, but I'm not so sure. I'm almost positive that something happened while we were sleeping here."
"I guess we'll have to wait until Jacob comes and explains things to us," said Luc, leaning back in his chair. Ellen groaned, and Luc smiled. "I know it'll probably be boring for you, but we can keep ourselves entertained." Luc pointed at a stack of papers with no obvious organization sitting in a corner of the room. "We could read through those and help Jacob organize them. There are bound to be some interesting stories in there."
Ellen groaned again. "I bet that they're records from some boring time in history. And helping the beast that drugged me is one of the last things I want to do."
But at Luc's urging, Ellen stood and walked over to the corner with him, and they began to page through the papers. The stories were new to both of them; Ellen didn't bother to read through Redwall's histories, and even though Luc was the apprentice recorder and was instructed to read as well as write, he knew only a fraction of what had occurred in days gone by. Soon, both young squirrels were immersed in stories of Redwall's past, and they were enjoying every minute of their reading.
Gormin walked in the front of marching Abbeybeasts, along with Skipper and some of Redwall's best warriors. Cain wasn't there; he was probably further down the line talking to Colin. Gormin had been surprised when Cain had adopted a cheerful demeanor the day before, but had quickly grown used to it. Even though he had been a loner at Redwall when he was younger, Gormin had took notice of Cain's cheer when it came to life in general, and it seemed as though it had completely vanished when Kelly had died. Gormin felt that Cain's happiness was a great loss to Redwall, as it had stood out to everybeast from the time he was a dibbun up until the Stormrat War had begun.
Everybeast had felt the effects of Cain's depression in some way. Before the Stormrat War, Redwallers had to look no further than Cain to find an example of a beast who was content with its life. He loved his wife, and they had a son who was cheerful despite the fact that he had a limited number of friends. But after the Stormrat War, Cain had turned into the opposite of what he had been. Instead of a symbol of happiness to the Redwallers, he became gloomy and depressed, and although the Abbeybeasts tried to help him, he remained unhappy. Eventually, they gave up and left him to care for his own feelings.
Most of the beasts that had accompanied Gormin in the march west to Salamandastron had already noticed Cain's change in attitude. It cheered many of them, and gave the beasts another reason to hurry west to defend their home. After all, Cain was a Redwaller, a member of what seemed to be a single family. The happiness of one beast was enough to cheer up many other beasts.
No, that's not completely true, though Gormin, thinking of the difference in opinions that had divided Redwall into separate groups. There were many beasts on the march who didn't care about Redwall as a whole, nor the family that the beasts who lived within the Abbey seemed to be a part of. They were more concerned with themselves than any other beasts, and would gladly have accepted the loss of any other beast as long as they remained safe within Redwall. And many of the Redwallers were slowly moving toward the opinion that nobeast mattered but those who lived within the Abbey and agreed with their ways. Even Sister Rain, while not as opinionated as this, seemed to believe that Redwall should keep to itself and leave the rest of Mossflower Country to deal with its own problems.
To Gormin, these ideas were foolish. Redwall had been built around the idea of unity, not only the unity of the beasts within it, but among all woodlanders. The beasts that suggested separating Redwall from the rest of Mossflower Country were going against this idea, and to Gormin's eye, without unity Redwall could not stand. The Abbey was almost a family, and it could not survive without the contribution of everybeast who lived within it. The current division between the Abbeybeasts was already causing tension between the Redwallers. What would happen when the division became more pronounced? And the beasts that were against separating Redwall from Mossflower were also fearful of dividing the Abbey from within, so they kept their opinions to themselves.
Skipper, Gormin, and Abbess Elm were just three of the beasts that were forced to sit back and watch the Abbey split itself apart, helpless to do anything about it. Skipper's otters were almost completely united, but there were a few dissenters that made life difficult for him and the rest of the Abbey. Gormin could do nothing to help the Abbey, since the Redwallers barely acknowledged the fact that he was the warrior. And Abbess Elm was too cautious to risk further dividing Redwall by asking the beasts that lived in the Abbey to unite, as the beasts of Redwall used to.
Gormin was almost certain that Cain, too, noticed the division among the beasts within Redwall. Even in his depression, he didn't ignore what was going on around him. As far as Gormin could tell, Cain had not done anything about it, but then, neither had anybeast else. Will anybeast step forward? thought Gormin.
After a couple hours of marching, the Redwallers stopped to eat lunch. Instead of making the area around them comfortable, they either just sat on the ground or remained standing. Skipper and some of his otters stood around and talked, and Cain and Colin were still talking like they hadn't in seasons. Almost everybeast was mingling with their companions as if marching west was nothing unusual. The few who didn't mingle with the others and stuck to themselves were either the beasts who were dividing Redwall or Gormin himself. Other than Jacob, there were no beasts that went out of their way to talk to him unless they needed to.
Today was an exception. Candice, the Long Patrol runner that had brought the news of the vermin horde to Redwall, approached Gormin with a smile. "I think I remember seein' you in the Stormrat War, but I don't think I ever got t' know y' too well. You're Gormin, Redwall's Champion, right? I'm Candice, a hare from Lord Rocketh's Long Patrol."
"Pleased to meet you, Candice," said Gormin, reaching out a paw for the hare to shake. Although he wasn't very social, Gormin tried his hardest to be polite to other beasts. "I think we've met before, but I never got a chance to talk to you as much as I might have liked."
"You'd want t' talk t' me?" asked Candice, seeming surprised and somewhat amused. "I'm just one o' Lord Rocketh's runners. You're the Champion o' Redwall. I haven't done any significant deeds in my life, so why would y' want to associate with me? I'm not interestin' in the least."
Gormin chuckled. "You put on a good show of modesty. Your reputation speaks differently than you do at the moment. I've heard it said that you were the beast who first discovered the Stormrats' horde five seasons ago, and that without your warning Lord Sunforge would have been caught completely unaware. Were you, by any chance, the beast that proposed sending an emissary to Redwall at the beginning of the Stormrat War?"
Candice laughed. "I was th' one who first saw the Stormrats, but I was an inexperienced Patroller explorin' out o' my way. Normally, I would've been punished, but th' war was more urgent, and after Lord Sunforge's death, nobody seemed t' remember. But I would've gladly served out whatever punishment he would've given me if it would bring 'im back. He was a great leader." Candice sighed, and then continued. "An' I wasn't the beast who proposed sendin' an emissary t' Redwall. Though I don't see anythin' wrong with embellishin' tales o' my own accomplishments, I believe in givin' credit where credit is due. It was Lord Sunforge who decided to send a beast to ask Redwall for help, an' I think he got the idea from one o' those prophecies Badger Lords seem t' get."
Redwall's Champion nodded, fascinated. "I never heard that tale before. And there are some other things I'd like to ask you about. Is it true that you saved the life of Cain during the final battle of the Stormrat War? He's mentioned your name once and said that you saved him, but I was wondering if it was true."
"It's true," said Candice, nodding her head. "Though it's really nothin' to brag about. Cain an' his wife were fightin' against a pair o' Stormrats, an' comin' close to beatin' them, I'd say. But another one o' their hordebeasts caught wind o' what those two mice were doin', and tried to sneak up behind 'em. I shoved a spear through the vermin, an' saved Cain an' Kelly. They went on t' kill the Stormrats they were fightin'. They were two o' the few that were killed before they decided t' turn back an' run."
"So you weren't as much of a hero as Cain made you out to be," said Gormin quietly, shaking his head. When he saw Candice stiffen, he looked up at her and smiled. "No offense intended, ma'am. You still did more than I would expect from a hare new to the Long Patrol. I'm sorry if I've caused you any offense."
"Well, it's sort o' offendin' to hear that you aren't as much of a hero as another beast expected y' to be," said Candice, sniffing. "If it were any beast other than th' Champion o' Redwall Abbey who said it t' me, I'd knock 'im to th' ground. I'm half tempted t' walk away right now."
But Candice didn't walk away. She stayed and talked with him for the rest of the Redwallers' lunch break, and walked near the front with him when they resumed their march. Their conversation continued though the rest of the day, touching on their experiences in the Stormrat War, their homes, the beasts they lived with, and their views on the state of the world.
"So you're sayin' that many Redwallers would rather let Salamandastron die than participate in a war?" asked Candice. Even though the hare kept her voice low, Gormin could see frustration and rage in her expression. "I thought that th' ballot Abbess Elm held was just a formality, t' make sure that there weren't any major objections. I know that there was great debate about it, but I thought that it was just a few beasts that objected. I had no idea that so many Redwallers are against war..." Candice looked back at the troops that were marching behind them. They were talking among themselves and didn't seem to notice her, but she eyed them warily anyway. "Will they fight for us?" she asked, looking up at Gormin for reassurance.
The squirrel nodded. "I think they will. Even those that don't want to help Salamandastron wouldn't go against the will of the majority of Redwall. But it would be better if our efforts had the approval of the entire Abbey, rather than just the majority. A war like this needs support, and not many of it is left back at Redwall."
Candice sighed. "At least you've got an army marching for Salamandastron. I'd urge you to move faster, but I don't think many of the beasts in your army would agree. We'll reach Salamandastron in the next couple days at this pace anyway, so there's no real reason to worry."
Gormin and Candice walked in silence for a bit. The conversation of beasts behind them reached their ears, but they hardly noticed. Candice seemed distracted by thoughts of her own, and Gormin was thinking about Redwall. They'll never have me back, will they? I'll be gone from my position as Champion, and banished. I hope this war is worth the trouble.
He finally broke the silence between him and Candice with a sigh. "After the war, I think Redwall will divide into two, or maybe even more, different factions. The beasts that truly wish for the good of all will be lost in this, and Redwall will turn into a place of selfish beasts that will be useless to the outside world, and may even end up destroying itself. And there's nothing I can do to stop it."
Candice grasped his paw in hers and squeezed. "I'm sure you'll be able t' find a way t' turn Redwall back into the place it used to be. You're its Champion, after all. Some o' the beasts in th' Abbey must trust you, an' I'm sure they'll help y' if y' try t' unify 'em."
Gormin smiled gratefully at Candice, and continued walking. After the marching beasts settled down to eat at dusk, and after most beasts had crawled into their beds and gone to sleep, Gormin lay awake. His mind was filled with thoughts of Candice. If only she was a squirrel, he thought miserably. Then, maybe, I could be with her.
He slept restlessly that night, dreaming of the hare whenever he shut his eyes. Keeping them open was no better, since his thoughts always wandered to Candice, and how hopeless his love for her was. Finally, he let the dreams take him fully, not willing himself to wake up when they taunted him of his innermost desire - to be with the beast that he had fallen for, the beast he felt that he must have if he were to live in this world at all.
~~~
Luc awoke to complete darkness. His head was fuzzy and ached when he moved it, and he had difficulty keeping his thoughts straight. The young squirrel had no idea how long he stayed like this before he heard a voice in front of him. "You're awake?" it asked, and Luc had a vague impression of a beast leaning down in front of him. He tried to sort through his mind to find the name of this beast, but he was too confused. Is it... Gormin? he wondered, envisioning the beast that fit that name. No, he was a warrior, and his voice was different from this one's. It was... the Abbey recorder... Jacob.
"Jacob?" Luc asked, and was surprised to find that his throat was dry and his speech was slurred. Memories came back to him, waking up before to Jacob's presence and being given tea to drink. "You gave me... tea?"
The recorder nodded. "Yes. It was supposed to keep you asleep for a few days, and it looks like it did the job. You'll be a bit drowsy and uncomfortable for a while, so you might want to go back to sleep. But I should probably get you something to drink, first."
"No tea," said Luc, raising his paws as if to defend himself. Jacob must have seen the motion through the dark, because he reached out one of his own paws and placed it on the younger squirrel's shoulder.
"I'm done keeping you drugged," said Jacob, and there was guilt in the recorder's voice. "I wouldn't have done it in the first place, but it seemed necessary at the time, and there was no turning back once we had begun. And it still seems necessary now, I guess, though I wouldn't exactly call it the right thing to do. I'll get you some water now." Luc heard Jacob walk away to another part of the gatehouse, and heard liquid flowing. It better not be some of that drugged tea, the squirrel thought angrily. If it is, I'll kill him.
That thought brought back memories of recent days to Luc. He saw the ferret he had killed, the beast falling to the ground, killed by his dagger. He remembered seeing the dead body, and thinking of what he had taken away from the world, the life of a beast he didn't even know. It might have been a vermin, but did that make the murder any less of a crime? What other beasts would be affected by the ferret's death? Would they even know that the ferret had died?
Luc felt tears begin to run down his face, as they had after he killed the ferret and on his journey back to Redwall. In his tears, he felt the bitter truth of the matter - he had killed a beast, and there was no way that he would be able to do it again. Not if it felt like this. At that moment, Luc knew that he could never be a warrior, and he was glad. I will never kill another beast, the young mouse vowed, feeling his heart tighten. I'm done with murder.
When Jacob arrived with a glass in his paws, he heard Luc's muffled sobs and crouched down beside the squirrel, reaching out a paw to comfort him. "Cry, let it out," he murmured, pressing the cup in Luc's paw. "Let it out, and get back to sleep. Things will be clearer in the morning."
He nodded and drank from the cup Jacob had given him. To his relief, it was water, not any of the tea that Jacob had been giving him whenever he woke up from his drugged sleep. He gulped it down eagerly, letting it sooth his parched throat. His tears didn't stop, even when he gave the cup back to Jacob and leaned his head back against the wooden chair he was sitting on. The last thing he felt before drifting to sleep, a natural sleep this time, not a drugged one, was the sensation of tears flowing down his face.
After Luc had fallen asleep, he dreamed of ferrets, blood, daggers, and Jacob. The taste of the tea that the Abbey recorder had used to keep him asleep haunted his dreams, and he was unable to get rid of it. He tossed and turned in the chair he was sleeping in, though he didn't know it from the depths of sleep. After a seemingly endless amount of time, a shadowy figure stepped forward out of his dreams.
The beast seemed to come right out of the tapestry that was hanging in Great Hall, except for the fact that he wore no armor and bore no sword. The figure of Martin the Warrior stood in front of Luc is his dream, and beckoned him forward with one paw. Compelled by some will other than his own, Luc was unable to do anything but follow.
Martin led him wordlessly through an expanse of his dreams, toward the figure of a squirrel. When Martin and Luc got close, the young squirrel could see that the mouse was Gormin. "A good warrior," said the shadow of Martin. His voice was clear, but distant, and it seemed to Luc that the warrior mouse was speaking from some other world. "But he doesn't get the respect he deserves from most beasts. He strives to put this Abbey back together, but he doesn't show it enough to the beasts who live here. He's too solitary, and at this time Redwall needs a charismatic leader. Gormin may see the light, but he won't have the chance to change himself in time to get the approval of the beasts in this Abbey."
"Why does the Abbey need a warrior other than Gormin?" Luc asked. Even though Gormin had seemed distant from the rest of the Abbey, Luc had thought that he was the best Champion Redwall could have. Except for some of the beasts of legend, who were already long dead.
"Because times are changing," said Martin. "Redwall is splitting apart. I care for everybeast within this Abbey, but their fate is sealed if they turn on each other. We need a leader, and there are only two beasts in this world who fit the role. I'd like you to help one of them, either of them, become the Champion of Redwall."
A sensation of being tugged suddenly overcame Luc, and he felt as if he should leave Martin's company. It wasn't unpleasant, but he felt that if he resisted the tug for too long, it would begin to hurt.
"Who are they?" asked Luc. "I can't see anybeast that's alive now other than Gormin as the Champion of Redwall. Maybe Cain, but he doesn't seem good enough of a leader. Who would be better than Gormin?"
"The qualifications of one of the beasts are too obvious to miss. He's traveling to Redwall from his home in the east even as you dream. He doesn't know what's in store for him, but he's an honorable beast and would not pass up the chance to help another." Martin smiled again. "And the other beast might not seem like much of a warrior compared to this one, but he'll prove himself as great a beast eventually."
Luc nodded his understanding. "Can I go now?" he asked. He didn't want to offend the warrior mouse, but the tugging had become more urgent. He felt as if his entire being was being tugged at, and while it still didn't hurt, it was steadily becoming more unpleasant, and he was sure that pain would come soon if he didn't leave.
Martin nodded. "You'll remember this when the first warrior comes. You might not ever remember talking to me, but... you will know what you need to. Live a good life, Luc, and don't succumb to temptation and treachery." And then Luc felt himself being pulled away from Martin.
The sensation of waking up was like nothing he had experienced before. When his eyes opened, he was fully aware, without any of the drowsiness that usually plagued him when he woke up. He felt as if his mind had been working hard while he was asleep, and cast about his mind for any memories of dreaming. But the only thing he remembered after falling asleep was a sensation of falling right before he woke up.
"Nice to see you awake, finally," said Ellen, looking down at him and smirking. "Did you hit your head while you were dreaming? I probably spent five minutes here trying to wake you up."
"Shut up, Ellen," said Luc, getting to his feet and smiling. "You can't stop a beast from getting the rest he needs."
"The sleep you need?" asked Ellen incredulously. "I don't know if you know this, but you just spent about two days sleeping in that chair. That should be all the sleep anybeast needs to at least wake up in the morning! And in the name of Martin, youngbeasts are supposed to be the perky! You have no excuse to have been sleeping for so long! The rest of Redwall has had breakfast already, and Jacob, Kiran, and Retherin are telling Abbess Elm why he kept us in here against our will."
"Why aren't you with them?" asked Luc. "You would be able to tell her how you and I were involved better than the otters or Jacob could. I'm sure the Abbess would like to hear our point of view as well."
"You expect me to be down there with them? I just woke up about fifteen minutes ago, and Retherin told me to keep an eye on you while he went down with Jacob and Kiran. I would've went with them if I hadn't been afraid of how frightened you would be if you woke up and found yourself all alone." Ellen grinned mockingly at Luc, and held up her paws to fend off any physical retort her friend might've had.
"Well, what are we supposed to do now that I'm awake?" asked Luc, looking around. "I'm starving, and I'd like to see my father and tell him what happened. Unless Jacob told us to stay around here. I'm sure he knows what he's doing, since he's the one who drugged us." Luc was sure of no such thing, but since Jacob was the beast who had done this, so he was the most likely to have things planned out. And Jacob was the type of beast that wouldn't harm a fellow Redwaller unless there was nothing else he could do. There had to be a reason for what Jacob had done.
But Ellen didn't seem to think as highly of the recorder squirrel as Luc did. "I don't care what his reasons were. He doesn't know a thing about herbology. If he had used the wrong sort of substance to drug us, we might be dead now. As Sister Rain says, abusing medical practices for any purpose is inexcusable."
"In case you've forgotten, I'm the apprentice recorder, and I know Jacob better than you." Luc glared at his friend as he said this, and clenched his paw into a fist to get the point across. "He would never harm another Redwaller if he could help it, and even drugging us is something of a stretch for him."
Ellen and Luc glared at each other for a few moments. Surprisingly, it was Ellen who backed down first. She took a seat, and taking Luc's paw, dragged him down next to her. "There's something wrong with the atmosphere of this place," she said quietly, looking around the gatehouse and listening to the sounds outside. "There are still beasts out there, but they're not making the amount of noise they usually do. And I have a bad feeling..." Ellen shook her head. "Sister Rain told me never to trust anything other than fact, but I'm not so sure. I'm almost positive that something happened while we were sleeping here."
"I guess we'll have to wait until Jacob comes and explains things to us," said Luc, leaning back in his chair. Ellen groaned, and Luc smiled. "I know it'll probably be boring for you, but we can keep ourselves entertained." Luc pointed at a stack of papers with no obvious organization sitting in a corner of the room. "We could read through those and help Jacob organize them. There are bound to be some interesting stories in there."
Ellen groaned again. "I bet that they're records from some boring time in history. And helping the beast that drugged me is one of the last things I want to do."
But at Luc's urging, Ellen stood and walked over to the corner with him, and they began to page through the papers. The stories were new to both of them; Ellen didn't bother to read through Redwall's histories, and even though Luc was the apprentice recorder and was instructed to read as well as write, he knew only a fraction of what had occurred in days gone by. Soon, both young squirrels were immersed in stories of Redwall's past, and they were enjoying every minute of their reading.