A/N: I'm back! I'm sooo sorry for taking so long to edit this story! I just kept getting busy. Feel free to read over the story if you can't remember what's going on. But don't feel like you need to read it to check for changes. Mostly, I corrected spelling mistakes. The biggest changes I made were to change a few chapter titles. Without further ado, enjoy!
Part Three: The War
Chapter Twenty-six: Woes of a Mousemaid
A booming sound reached the ears of the goodbeasts atop the battlements. Some of them stared about, wide-eyed with fright, but most had grown used to the noises. Even though the vermin army hadn't attacked yet, the war had undoubtedly begun. Shouts, clangs, and other abrasive sounds filtered constantly into the abbey grounds, some of them loud enough to be heard throughout the abbey building. The beasts on the walltop, peeking at the surrounding vermin, found it hard to believe their eyes. Despite a constant morning's effort, they still couldn't figure out how many vermin made up the army. It seemed as if all the weapons not currently being used in training had been arrayed throughout the makeshift camp, the sun catching on the metal tips to flicker like so many beached fish after a storm. Most of the vermin on the ground had either retreated into tents or else were moving about, their constant milling acting to further confuse anybeast set with the task to count them. Swike was getting a headache even trying.
Sighing heavily and slumping next to the wall, Swike pressed her paws into her weary eyes. Truly, she didn't even know why she bothered to try counting Lord Koron's followers. She already knew better than anybeast else in Redwall how big the army was, and unlike anybeast else in Redwall, she also knew of the two units in Mossflower Wood, hunting down Skipper.
A paw lightly touched Swike's shoulder and she opened her eyes to see Brandy's bristly face. The hedgehog waved a paw for Swike to follow. All of the "counters" were being called silently off the walls. Falling in step behind them, Swike couldn't control herself enough to resist a glance toward the trees of Mossflower. She couldn't see them, but she knew there were bound to be crows in those trees, spying on the defensive movements of the abbeybeasts.
Before long, the group of goodbeasts sat assembled in the Great Hall. Not one happy face could be found among them. Maren was soon the only beast standing, and she cleared her throat nervously.
"If you could please," she began, her voice decreasing in volume as she spoke, "give me your estimates." Her eyes were now closed and her last few words had been barely a whisper.
Swike's heart went out to the mousemaid. It had been her idea to count the vermin. She said that not only was it a good idea to know what they were up against, but if they could also keep track of the number of dead vermin, subtracting that number could act as a morale booster for the Redwallers. Not even Maren could be so unrealistic as to think that this was true any more though. Even if the Redwallers could vanquish half of Lord Koron's army, they would still have a force larger than they could handle to reckon with.
Mutely, Swike wrote her "guess" on the paper that was being passed around. Over four thousand, she wrote, knowing that the reality was much graver.
When the paper was passed into Maren's paws, the young mouse opened her eyes and began to read down the list, biting her lip unconsciously. She said nothing. Brandy was soon behind her to take the list from her and usher her into a seat. With barely a look at the stunned mouse, Brandy took charge of the room.
"I'm afraid," she began, looking with concern at the top of Maren's head, "that counting the army has gotten us nowhere. The army outside our gates is vast beyond what any of us could have anticipated. Some of you may feel now that we should give up-"
"No!" said Lifil fiercely. "I don't care how big the army is! We can't give up! Redwall has never fallen to vermin before, ever!"
"Lifil," said Brandy, regarding the youngster with annoyance, "you didn't let me finish." The hedgehog cleared her throat. "Some of you may feel now that we should give up, but Redwall has never given up. We have fought against many armies, many hordes of vermin. These walls have always held and the goodbeasts inside have outlasted every siege. I'm sure you're all familiar with stories of the wars we have won. We don't know for sure how many vermin attacked our beloved abbey in the past, so we have no reason to believe that we can't win this war now. It will be hard, sure, but it won't be impossible. All we need is sound defensive strategies, and I believe we have that."
The bells began to ring outside. Many gasps could be heard throughout the room, but Gyis was only announcing lunch. Brandy placed down the list of predictions, now slightly crumpled, and tried to act like the bells hadn't startled her. "Would somebeast please find the Abbess? She wanted to know our plan by noon."
A squirrel near the stairs jumped up and left the room. Swike got up and began helping Lifil to lay out their plans across the table. From time to time, she glanced either at Maren or Spyn. The young mousemaid looked devastated. Swike wasn't sure she'd even heard anything Brandy had said. Spyn also seemed lost in his thoughts. He had begun writing down plans earlier, but then Brandy gave that task over to Swike who proved herself to have better penmanship than the squirrel.
"Do you really think this will be enough?" asked Lifil, standing back from the plans and folding her arms nervously.
"What?" asked Swike, coming back to their task and unconsciously straightening out her large map of Redwall and the surrounding woods.
"I just feel like we haven't thought of enough," said the otter, now leaning forward and rapping her knuckles on the table. "Alright, help me out here Rosethorn. What is it that we've come up with again?"
Swike lay a paw on the otter's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "You'll do great," she said. "I mean it. We've thought of everything we could. Sentry schedules. Bracing the doors. Archers and sling-shotters. Fire, boiling water, nets, gravel and stones. We have many tools at our paws, and we've taken hold of all of them."
Lifil nodded mutely, continuing to scour the parchments before her with her eyes. Just then, Pojam came up beside the young otter. Swike hadn't heard the old Abbess approaching. Letting go of Lifil's shoulder, the spy stepped back from the otter and mouse. The room became silent with anticipation.
"How much of this has been set in order?" asked the Abbess, reading over one of the papers.
"The sentry schedule you're looking at," said Brandy from across the table, "has already been posted next to Martin's tapestry and also in the kitchens. The correct beasts are on duty right now."
"The nets are almost all finished," put in Bryce, coming up next to Swike. He smiled winningly at the spy for a moment. "Foremole sent me to tell you, Abbess. Some of the nets are already in place."
"Good," said Abbess Pojam, nodding at the young mouse. "But what about the dibbuns and the beasts who are too old to fight?"
"Except for those being tended in the infirmary," voiced Lifil, "all have been taken down into Cavern Hole. That's where Badgermum Ammiv is right now, Abbess."
"And the-" The Abbess was cut off by the bells. Many beasts in the room exited it quickly, not waiting to be excused. Spyn sprinted past Swike and then up the stairs. He was probably going to join some of the other squirrels waiting with nets in the upper stories. In the next moment, Maren was at the spy's side, pulling on her arm.
"Rosethorn, I don't know what to do!" the mouse panicked.
Swike looked around. "Bryce," she called to the kitchen helper. "Help me calm her down!" The mouse came at her call instantly and the two of them were able to lead Maren to a bench and sit her down. "Maren, what's come over you?" asked Swike, holding the mousemaid's head back so that she could look into her eyes.
"Too many," said Maren. "Too many. Too many. Too-" a sob interrupted her rant.
"What is she supposed to do?" asked Bryce, grabbing Swike's attention.
"Do? What do you mean, do?"
"The plans," said Bryce, motioning toward the table, still scattered with parchments.
"Oh, right," said Swike. "She only has to deliver rations and weapons to the walltops."
"Let's get her to the kitchen then. That's my job too." He turned to the sobbing mousemaid. "Maren, we need you to try and calm down and walk with us to the kitchens."
Maren appeared to be lost in her own little world, or nightmare, but Bryce's words got through to her and, with a big sniff, she nodded and stood. The three mice made their way across the Great Hall, scurrying around the beasts who continued to run back and forth. Maren leaned heavily on Bryce as if she were injured and couldn't walk on her own. As the threesome crossed in front of the doors leading outside, Swike stole a look. Crows were flying about the abbey building, but unlike earlier that morning, the sky could still be seen. And also unlike the attack at dawn, the abbey beasts were better prepared. A group of otters and mice being led by Lifil ran about the grounds with pikes and swords, killing crows trapped underneath nets. A mouse lugging a net behind him chose that moment to run inside, dragging the net back up toward the squirrels who were casting them out upon the crows. Then Swike was past the door, suddenly upset with herself for not taking in the state of the battlements. Had any of the vermin scaled the walls yet?
Arriving in the kitchens, Bryce steered Maren over to a stool and then helped her to hold a glass of water as she drank. For a moment, Swike smiled at the two young mice. She imagined drawing the pair of them, sharing a stroll through the orchards or a slice of cake next to the pond. Almost immediately, she felt like hitting herself over the head. If her mind was wandering onto such useless thoughts, she was obviously under too much stress.
"Hello Maren," said a hedgehog holding a ladle.
Maren focused on the speaker. "Hi Cata," she said. She looked about ready to cry again.
"It'll be alright, sweety," said Catalina, gently patting Maren's paw. "It'll be alright."
Bryce took a now confused Swike to the side. "I was afraid she might get like this," he said.
Swike glanced over at Maren. Catalina had placed a bowl of soup in front of her, and the mouse was now eating. Her usual smile was nowhere to be found. "Why did you think she'd be like this?" As Swike asked, she remembered the night that Lifil claimed to have been visited by Martin. Again, she could see the shadow come over Maren's face upon learned of the coming doom.
Bryce shook his head before whispering, "Poor thing! She used to have terrible nightmares when she was younger. Hasn't had any in seasons, I don't think. When I started working here in the kitchen though, I'd notice that sometimes she wanders in in the middle of the night. She never looked too good. But in the daytime, you can always see her with a smile on her face. It's more likely that you'll hear her laugh before you see her, actually."
"Do you know what her nightmares are about?" asked the spy with concern.
"Different things," the kitchen helper replied, "but mostly about vermin. We think that her parents were attacked by bandits. We don't really know though, and Maren was too young to remember."
"Her parents," said Swike softly. "I never even thought to ask before."
"None of us knew them," said Bryce. "Maren was found in Mossflower, hidden in some brush, crying." A mole ran into the kitchen and pushed beside Swike to get to the bread lying on the counter. He was one of the beasts assigned to deliver food to the warriors. Seeing him seemed to snap Bryce back into the present. "Oh my, I should get to work!" He looked at Swike with surprise. "Rosethorn, aren't you one of the warriors? Shouldn't you be outside?"
Swike shook her head. "It's part of the plan of defense. Unless the abbey is being overrun, all sentries," Swike motioned toward herself, "must only be outside during their assigned time. Non-sentries, like Lifil's group and the squirrels upstairs, are on their own rotation. There are many more vermin than us and we can't wear everybeast out at the same time."
Bryce nodded, spooning some soup into a large bowl and then fishing a lid for the bowl out of a drawer. "Makes sense. I wouldn't have thought of that." After gathering together a few last things, he began to leave. "Will you sit with Maren while I'm gone? I think I can calm her down more later. I'm certain that, in the end, she'll get over her fears and help out Redwall however possible."
"Sure," said Swike, walking over to the mousemaid.
"Thanks Rosethorn!" called Bryce, exiting the kitchen door.