Love In The Light 03: Side By Side

Love In The Light 03: Side By Side

Dandin swallowed hard as he was prodded in front of the fearsome creature. It had madly rolling eyes and reddish-brown fur…a frightening figure of a wildcat.

"Name?" he demanded in a shrill voice.

"I am Dandin of Redwall, cat."

The wildcat's eyes flashed, and then continued in their circles.

"Do you know who you are in the presence of?"

"A wildcat?" suggested Dandin.

"King Mordred Mordunish! Know that you are in his wake, mouse, and you may live to see another dawn!"

"What, you mean we'll have windows in our cell?"

The wildcat leapt forward and attacked the young mouse. Luckily, the guards restrained their master, or Dandin would have been killed instantly.

"Remember, mouse! Remember that you have offended the King of Hartfar, and beware! There will be no guards, no second chances when we meet again!"

*

Dandin was thrown violently back into the cell. He rubbed his elbow distastefully. "Not a nice creature."

"Who was it?" asked Mariel eagerly.

"A wildcat. King Mordred Mordunish, or so he says. He's crazy."

"Wouldn't surprise me," replied Mariel thoughtfully. "D'you think we could try to escape?"

"P'raps. But how?"

Mariel leaned forward. "Remember what Meldrum said, in Southsward?"

Suddenly Dandin understood. "The door!"

"The hinges are on the inside. I think it was the same architect as designed Castle Floret."

"But - "

"What?"

Dandin looked miserable. All those hopes…

"We haven't got anything sharp to cut them with."

"Oh, that." Mariel smiled. "Don't worry. The guard's spear is wobbly."

"You mean that we could snap it off?"

"Yes."

Dandin nodded. It was a plan, at any rate. But if it didn't work…

*

"Hey! Fishface!"

The guard stumped up to the heavy oaken door.

"Who you talkin' to? I'm notta fishface!"

"Fatty!"

The guard drove his spear in through the bars. "Don't you say things like that, or - or King Mordred'll have you done!"

Snap!

The spearhead snapped off, nearly hitting Dandin in the cheek. He dodged and picked the rusty metal point up.

"It's better than nothing. What's wrong?"

Mariel looked worried. "It's nothing…just…what if he raises the alarm?"

"Why should he?" asked Dandin.
"Good point." She seemed happier now.

"I'll do the top ones," decided Dandin. "I'm bigger."

"Are you?" demanded Mariel. Then - "Oh, yes, so you are."

*

The spearhead grated against the weakening hinges. Mariel covered her ears, and waited for the door to fall as Dandin stepped back.

"Now, don't you go makin' more noise!" yelled the guard, storming up to the grilling. "I'll - "

But what he was going to do was never known, for at that moment the door collapsed.

Crash!

Dandin looked around, while Mariel listened. It seemed that none had heard the crash.

They dashed down the winding stone staircase. Mariel noticed that it was one that allowed the person walking down to use their weapon freely…one that, while very useful to them, was hardly helpful to the vermin for which it had been built.

It wonted but three minutes to midnight. All was still…too still. It unnerved the two comrades more than noise and bustle would have done. Mariel was shaking as she opened the heavily bolted and chained front entrance. Dandin silently let the drawbridge down and fled across it, hand in hand, with Mariel.

*

King Mordred stretched luxuriously and lay down on the massive four-poster bed. He'd had a good day - quite apart from that cheeky young prisoner, there'd been a marvellous banquet to celebrate the fact that there was no need for celebration, and perhaps - perhaps - there would be another cause for festivities. He'd seen his youthful son, handsome as all his family was, speaking to that royal catmaid, Luciana.

Mordred glanced out of the window. He could see his sons walking in a huge body, showing off to the others, his daughters gathered in a small huddle, giggling at something, and other courtiers kneeling to them, giving messages and receiving them. Maybe he'd beat some of the nobles tomorrow, that always put him in a good mood, as it did the others. Then he sat up. Surely…

"Rouse the house!" he roared. "Two prisoners have escaped!"

The guards leapt to attention, and began running to their stations. Sleepy servants, on their way to bed, hastily splashed cold water on their faces and then sped off to warn everyone that the King was in a bad mood.

"Two prisoners have escaped! Sire, your helmet!"

"Never mind it! Go and recapture the prisoners, you dolt!"

"Yes, Sire!" shouted the servant from halfway down the corridor.

Dandin shook his head. "There's no way we'll plough through this, Mariel. We'll go down fighting, though."

"And together," added Mariel.

"And together."

Something about her adding this gave Dandin a warm feeling in his stomach, but this was soon replaced by fear at the marching swarm of soldiers. Something told him that this was no army of generally less than competent, however, battle-hardened vermin, but skilled, well-trained, deadly fighters. Noble creatures - not noble in the sense of bravery, but that of power, of gold and land.

"Here comes trouble…quick, back to back!"

"Wait - run for that rock."

Dandin caught on immediately. He yelled, "Come on, Mariel! Double round the castle keep and back into the gatehouse!"

The great majority of the horde raced for the gatehouse, but one or two brighter sparks saw where the two were heading for, and tried to cut them off.

Dandin punched one, knocking him out. Mariel clubbed another with her Gullwhacker, and Dandin snatched up his victim's sword.

"S'better than…nothing!" he gasped out as the army came at them in full force.

They stood side by side, backs against the rock, fighting for their very lives. The two were wounded badly, and were on the point of collapsing, when a familiar battlecry rang out.

"Eulaliaaaaaaaaaaa!"

A/N: If you read the second part, you'll find that Mariel has her Gullwhacker with her - yes, I know she shouldn't…it's those vermin, awfully remiss at searching their prisoners. The next part will explain how their saviours got there. (Yes, I know they walked, ha, ha.)

Mariel Gullwhacker.