Part 13- Eavesdropping
After returning to the abbey the next day, Matthias wasted no time in getting back to his work in the gatehouse. To his great surprise, the moles had already finished organizing and storing the old abbey records in an empty storage room.
Their next project was to reconstruct the walls and rooms. Once Matthias made up a diagram of how it was to be, the moles and the warrior got right to work.
"Hurr, zurr Mattwise, whurr we be a-putten yon wood planks?"
"Over by the door, there's already a pile started, you can't miss it."
The afternoon carried on in this fashion, the mouse and moles chatting animatedly and working. Several times songs were started to make the labor more enjoyable. By suppertime all the old walls were gone. They would have continued had Cornflower not come in to see their progress.
"Hello, how is it coming?" she asked upon entering.
"Ee shudn't be in this yurr mess, miss. We'm a-comin along well, Should be startin' to rebuild the walls soon, on the morrow."
"That's good! I would be happy to bring you out supper if you like," she offered.
"We'd be most grateful if'n you would, Cornflower. Thank you."
Cornflower nodded and went to get their supper. She returned a few minutes later, bearing two trays loaded with food for them. Once she was sure they had everything they needed, she went back to eat her own dinner.
After dinner, Matthias, Foremole, and his crew went up to the abbey. Every part of Matthias's (A/N: right punctuation??? I've never been good with apostrophes and there's nobody home to ask.) body was aching. He went to find his two friends, Danny and Timto. They were in the vegetable gardens, throwing rotten peas at each other.
"Well, look who it is! Matthias the warrior! Come to join our fight, I see," said Danny upon his arrival, grinning mischievously.
"That's exactly what I was planning," said Matthias, picking some peas, "though I was hoping you wouldn't see me." With this he threw the pawful of peas at Danny, continuing the pea war.
"So, how goes life with Cornflower?" asked Timto, dodging peas that were sent by Danny.
"Same as always- wonderfully perfect!"
Timto stopped for a minute, winking at Danny and nudging Matthias. "I always knew you had fallen for her."
"You certainly did not always know. You never mentioned a thing about it," argued Matthias.
"I beg to differ," chimed in Danny. "I seen to recall something on the way to the shrew camp a few weeks ago... You carrying miss Cornflower in, letting her sleep on your shoulder, giving her your blanket to wrap up in..."
Matthias shot a glare at him. "How could I not love her? She's all a mouse could want!" he exclaimed, tossing a pea at him, hitting his forehead.
Though he failed to realize it, Danny was looking over Matthias's shoulder, almost bursting with laughter. Timto, too noticed what, or rather, who he was looking at. Cornflower had walked up when they were in the midst of their fight, and witnessed the whole conversation. She was standing a few feet behind Matthias, smiling. She nodded at them, as if telling them to go on.
"So, uh, how is she everything a mouse could want? What's so great about her?"
"Everything!"
"What do you mean, everything?"
"Well, she's sweet, caring, compassionate... And she's bloody beautiful too."
It was then that Cornflower made her presence known. "Tut tut, Matthias, such language. There could be dibbuns around!" she said, smiling hugely.
Matthias whipped around and found his wife grinning at him. "Y-you heard our conversation?" he asked sheepishly, knowing the answer and dreading it.
"Parts of it," she admitted. "I've never been complimented so highly before, thank you." This was followed by laughter from Timto, Danny, and Cornflower. "Those two saw me behind you and kept the conversation going for my benefit."
Matthias did nothing but stare at her. He couldn't believe it, his wife standing there laughing with his best friends at some little trick they had pulled. Never would he have expected her to do something like this. His cheeks flushed red.
Cornflower noticed that Matthias looked very hurt. A sudden feeling of guilt spread over her like a wildfire. "Ar-are you okay, Matthias?" she asked, moving close to him.
"Aye. Never been better." The response was caustic and harsh. Matthias turned and walked away. As soon as he was gone, Cornflower could feel the tears coming to her eyes.
"I'll go talk to him," said Danny, seeing her distress. "Try to stay clear for now." He, too, left, leaving Tim to with Cornflower, who was biting her lip to stop the tears that stood on the rim of her eyelids, teetering on the edge.
Timto walked over to Cornflower, placing a paw around her shoulders. "There, there, miss Cornflower. Don't you get upset over Matthias; he's always had a bad temper when it comes to things like this. He'll get over it soon enough. Once Dan talks some sense into him, he'll realize you were just joking around."
Cornflower shook his arm off. "I'm going in."
"Okay. Don't worry about it."
She never heard his response, as she was already running to the abbey.
A/N: Hi. Just letting everyone know, I go back to school September 3rd, so after then updating won't be as often (at least, I don't think. It all depends on how much homework my teachers give me.)
After returning to the abbey the next day, Matthias wasted no time in getting back to his work in the gatehouse. To his great surprise, the moles had already finished organizing and storing the old abbey records in an empty storage room.
Their next project was to reconstruct the walls and rooms. Once Matthias made up a diagram of how it was to be, the moles and the warrior got right to work.
"Hurr, zurr Mattwise, whurr we be a-putten yon wood planks?"
"Over by the door, there's already a pile started, you can't miss it."
The afternoon carried on in this fashion, the mouse and moles chatting animatedly and working. Several times songs were started to make the labor more enjoyable. By suppertime all the old walls were gone. They would have continued had Cornflower not come in to see their progress.
"Hello, how is it coming?" she asked upon entering.
"Ee shudn't be in this yurr mess, miss. We'm a-comin along well, Should be startin' to rebuild the walls soon, on the morrow."
"That's good! I would be happy to bring you out supper if you like," she offered.
"We'd be most grateful if'n you would, Cornflower. Thank you."
Cornflower nodded and went to get their supper. She returned a few minutes later, bearing two trays loaded with food for them. Once she was sure they had everything they needed, she went back to eat her own dinner.
After dinner, Matthias, Foremole, and his crew went up to the abbey. Every part of Matthias's (A/N: right punctuation??? I've never been good with apostrophes and there's nobody home to ask.) body was aching. He went to find his two friends, Danny and Timto. They were in the vegetable gardens, throwing rotten peas at each other.
"Well, look who it is! Matthias the warrior! Come to join our fight, I see," said Danny upon his arrival, grinning mischievously.
"That's exactly what I was planning," said Matthias, picking some peas, "though I was hoping you wouldn't see me." With this he threw the pawful of peas at Danny, continuing the pea war.
"So, how goes life with Cornflower?" asked Timto, dodging peas that were sent by Danny.
"Same as always- wonderfully perfect!"
Timto stopped for a minute, winking at Danny and nudging Matthias. "I always knew you had fallen for her."
"You certainly did not always know. You never mentioned a thing about it," argued Matthias.
"I beg to differ," chimed in Danny. "I seen to recall something on the way to the shrew camp a few weeks ago... You carrying miss Cornflower in, letting her sleep on your shoulder, giving her your blanket to wrap up in..."
Matthias shot a glare at him. "How could I not love her? She's all a mouse could want!" he exclaimed, tossing a pea at him, hitting his forehead.
Though he failed to realize it, Danny was looking over Matthias's shoulder, almost bursting with laughter. Timto, too noticed what, or rather, who he was looking at. Cornflower had walked up when they were in the midst of their fight, and witnessed the whole conversation. She was standing a few feet behind Matthias, smiling. She nodded at them, as if telling them to go on.
"So, uh, how is she everything a mouse could want? What's so great about her?"
"Everything!"
"What do you mean, everything?"
"Well, she's sweet, caring, compassionate... And she's bloody beautiful too."
It was then that Cornflower made her presence known. "Tut tut, Matthias, such language. There could be dibbuns around!" she said, smiling hugely.
Matthias whipped around and found his wife grinning at him. "Y-you heard our conversation?" he asked sheepishly, knowing the answer and dreading it.
"Parts of it," she admitted. "I've never been complimented so highly before, thank you." This was followed by laughter from Timto, Danny, and Cornflower. "Those two saw me behind you and kept the conversation going for my benefit."
Matthias did nothing but stare at her. He couldn't believe it, his wife standing there laughing with his best friends at some little trick they had pulled. Never would he have expected her to do something like this. His cheeks flushed red.
Cornflower noticed that Matthias looked very hurt. A sudden feeling of guilt spread over her like a wildfire. "Ar-are you okay, Matthias?" she asked, moving close to him.
"Aye. Never been better." The response was caustic and harsh. Matthias turned and walked away. As soon as he was gone, Cornflower could feel the tears coming to her eyes.
"I'll go talk to him," said Danny, seeing her distress. "Try to stay clear for now." He, too, left, leaving Tim to with Cornflower, who was biting her lip to stop the tears that stood on the rim of her eyelids, teetering on the edge.
Timto walked over to Cornflower, placing a paw around her shoulders. "There, there, miss Cornflower. Don't you get upset over Matthias; he's always had a bad temper when it comes to things like this. He'll get over it soon enough. Once Dan talks some sense into him, he'll realize you were just joking around."
Cornflower shook his arm off. "I'm going in."
"Okay. Don't worry about it."
She never heard his response, as she was already running to the abbey.
A/N: Hi. Just letting everyone know, I go back to school September 3rd, so after then updating won't be as often (at least, I don't think. It all depends on how much homework my teachers give me.)