Ch.37
Proposal
Happy Groundhog Day everyone! I'm not gonna lie, this is definitely a filler chapter and I'm really scatter-brained because I've gotten four college letters in the past two days! Despite that, I hope you enjoy it anyways! Please R&R!
The weather at Redwall was amazingly pleasing with the non-humid warmth and the bright sun. A cool breeze swayed the leaves as birds sung joyful tunes. It was such a lovely day outside that lunch was served outside in the orchard, which was the first time in a while Redwall has done so due to war. Most of the Abbeybeasts were more jovial than usual with the end of the war; however, Alastair wasn't like most beasts.
The Abbey Champion sat alone, somewhat separated from the other Abbeybeasts. He dearly wanted to enjoy the beautiful day like every other beast, but he simply had too much on his mind.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Alastair turned to see Rhea take a seat next to him on the bench by the Abbey pond.
Alastair nodded. "I hate thinking this, but…I don't think this war's over yet. If that really was our final battle against Hallthor, where was Broderick? I know he wants nothing more than to slay me, so why wasn't he present during the battle?"
"I've been thinking the same thing," confessed the Badger Lady after a sip of Elderberry wine. "I must admit he's a brilliant tactician, so I would imagine he has something up his sleeve."
"Yes, but what?" asked Alastair. "Just look at everybeast out here, this is how Redwall should be, not living in constant fear of a vermin attack!"
Rhea simply shrugged. "We could send out scouts, but besides that, only time will tell."
Phoebe smiled happily as she walked through the hallways of the Abbey. It felt as if a great weight had lifted of her shoulders with the end of the war. She no longer feared if any beast would be slain or if vermin would try to slay her in her sleep.
"And now for a little writing," she said to herself as she turned to her door, but stopped suddenly. Nailed to the door was a piece of parchment which read, 'You're the of my eye'.
"I wonder who put this here?" the squirrel asked herself as she tore the parchment off the nail. She was going to slip it into her pocket and leave it for later, but she was always fond of puzzles and this one had tantalized her curiosity. "Looks like I just have to write later. The blank is obviously 'apple', so I guess I'd find my next clue where there's an apple. Mayhaps it's in the orchard."
The Abbey Recorder smiled victoriously as she saw a piece of parchment under a lovely red apple by the apple tree in the orchard. Taking the parchment from under the fruit, she unfolded it and read the next clue. "'The two of us in perfect harmony'. Hmmm, since 'two' is bolded like that, it must have some importance to where the next clue is hidden. Mayhaps it's by a pair of something. As for the blank, let's see…work, sing, live…" A wide grin spread across her features as she finally came up with the answer. "Ring! The two of us ring in perfect harmony! And only one pair of inanimate objects ring in this Abbey!" She sprinted full speed to her next destination, feeling a little cleverer with each step.
Phoebe finally came to a stop as she entered the bell tower, her head turning every which way in her search for the next clue. "Now where could it…oh!" She flushed pink with embarrassment as she saw a piece of parchment hanging from the rope used to ring the bell. Tearing the parchment off the rope, she unfolded the clue and read it aloud. " 'You're the sweetest to touch my lips, though my thirst for you is unquenchable'". The squirrel blushed again, her face turning red. "Okay, only one squirrel has touched my lips, but I don't think he's the answer to this riddle. Since 'thirst' and 'quench' are used, then I'm guessing the answer is 'drink' and I know where to find that!"
The squirrel tip-toed down the cellar stares, hoping not to wake the slumbering Cade, though she had no idea how the Cellarhog could hear anything over his thunderous snoring. "How am I supposed to find a clue in here?" she asked herself. "This room is massive! I might as well get something to drink now, because I might be down here for a while." She turned to a shelf of mugs, only to find her eyes to meet the sight of another piece of parchment. "Well that was convenient," she said to herself as she took the parchment and tip-toed back up the stairs, reading the parchment as she did. " 'You and I were meant to be together'. I wonder what Bryon is up too. Okay, there's a few letters that have been bolded, so they must be important. Mayhaps I should unscramble them. Add 'r' to the end of 'you' and I get 'your', so the only remaining letters are m, o, o, and …r." The word instantly popped into her head. " 'your room'? I'm suppose to go to my room? You mean I could have simply just ignored the first clue and entered my room?"
The Abbey Recorder opened her door and entered the room. "Okay, where's that next clue?"
"There are no more clues." Phoebe turned around to see Bryon approach her.
"I knew you had to be the one who made those riddles," claimed Phoebe. "But why?"
"So I could keep you busy until I built up the confidence to do this," answered the male squirrel as he got on one knee. Taking out removing a tiny box from his tunic pocket, he opened it, revealing a breath-taking diamond ring which sparkled in the afternoon sun. "Phoebe, will you marry me?" Phoebe simply stood motionless, shock running through her whole body. She wanted say something, but she couldn't get any words out of her mouth. Tears swelled in her eyes as she finally nodded. "Yes!" Bryon, his face flushed bright red, slipped the ring on her finger before standing up and embracing his love. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment before leaning in, the lips touching. They held their kiss for what seemed to be eternity, Phoebe grabbing at Bryon's tunic as she did.
The male squirrel suddenly broke the kiss and backed up a couple spaces. "Phoebe wait…"
Her face flushed bright red. "Oh, s-sorry about that. I guess I got a little carried away. If you want to wait until we're married, I understand."
"Actually, I stopped so I could do this," answered the squirrel as he walked over to a chair at the side of the room. Taking the chair, he jammed it under the doorknob, disabling access to the room. "Oh no! Looks like we're looked in!"
Phoebe smiled devilishly as she sat on her bed. "I guess we should wait until some beast comes to rescue us. Any ideas what we can do to pass the time?"
"I've got a couple ideas," answered Bryon coolly as he took off his tunic.
And once again, two creatures have sex in my fic! I'm sorry for the filler, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please R&R!