Chapter 5 A New Warrior Skill?

Mariel didn't awaken until the next morning, and when she did, it was very late. She was alone in the infirmary, so she decided to get up and stretch her legs. All the laying down made her restless.

She got up slowly and paced the room, breathing deeply. After getting bored with this, she went and looked out the windows. Snow glistened everywhere, on grass and trees, even on the few abbeybeasts who ventured outside. This particular winter had been a very hard one, and showed no signs of relenting. As soon as snow would start to melt, fresh snow would replace it.

It was late in the season, and Mariel had spring fever. She wanted winter it hurry up and finish so se could experience Redwall in springtime again. She wanted to take evening strolls through the orchards and smell all the delicious scents that hung in the air. She wanted it be able to sit in the sun without getting overheated. She wanted to see all the flowers blooming, though she would never admit it out loud.

It was while she was daydreaming that Sister Costario came in to check on her.

"Excuse me, Mix Mariel, the Father Abbot sent me up to check on you."

"Oh, of course..." Mariel went back to her bed, allowing the sister to feel her forehead and throat.

"Well, miss, you don't have a fever and you look fine. Abbot Saxtus will be up later."

"Thank you." Mariel got up again and went back to her window spot. She sat on the windowsill until Saxtus came to see her.

"Hello Mariel. How are you?"

"Fine."

"Sister told me that you don't have a fever anymore."

"Right. I'm fine. Can I leave please?" she asked hopefully.

"No. You're staying for the rest of today just to be on the safe side."

"B-but why? I feel fine! There's really no need!"

"Its just in case you start to feel bad."

"But it's not up to you to decide."

"How d'you figure?"

"You aren't the infirmary keeper," she argued.

"Yes but I think you should stay," he retorted.

She turned back to the window in annoyance. "But it's so boring! There's nothing to do!"

"Sister Sage will be up later to occupy you."

"Why?"

Saxtus braced himself for an outburst of annoyance and possibly anger. "To teach you to sew."

The statement 'outburst of annoyance and possibly anger' was an understatement. Severely understated.

"WHAT? SEW??? Why would I want to learn that?" she demanded.

"According to her, you need the skill for whenever you are traveling."

"I'm a warrior, not a seamstress! Teach Dandin! I refuse to learn that!"

Saxtus laughed at her indignation. "Sorry, but Sister Sage was adamant. She said she'd be up in about an hour with everything."

"Can you please tell her that I won't do it?"

"D'you really think it'll make a difference?"

Mariel didn't respond. She knew that Saxtus was right.

"It won't be that bad. Cheer up." He walked out, leaving her to her bitter thoughts about sewing.

Abbot Saxtus had no sooner left when Dandin entered. He went and stood next to Mariel. "Good morning," he greeted cheerfully.

"Maybe for you."

"What's wrong?"

"Your friends Saxtus just informed me that I get to learn the wonderful art of sewing from Sister Sage," she said sarcastically.

Dandin laughed at the look on her face and at the way she spoke. "I wish I could help. But I can't."

Mariel's face suddenly brightened. "Dandin," she started, turning towards him, "You know, now that I think about it, Mother Mellus was right."

"What, you want to learn to sew?"

She slipped her paw into his. "No silly, She was right about you. You are very tall and strong. Very handsome too, I must admit. Your eyes are just the right color, and your fur is so sleek." As she spoke, she gradually moved closer to him. "I've never seen a more handsome mouse anywhere."

Dandin caught on to Mariel's ploy right away. He stepped away, taking his paw from hers. "Sorry Mariel, but there's really nothing I can do."

Mariel scowled at him, turned away, and walked off in a huff. "Honestly, you would think that after all that flattery he would at least try to help. I lied through my teeth complimenting him, and he just stands there, telling me to put up with torture." She stopped at her bed and let herself flop down onto it.

Dandin knew that she would get over it in a matter of minutes, so he decided to have a little fun with her. "Look at the bright side- at least you'll be able to fix our clothes next time we go on a trek."

Mariel flung a pillow at him, hitting his stomach. "You heartless squid. Here I am, about to go through torture, and you tell me I can fix your tunics."

"I'm glad you feel better, " he said before exiting, smothering his laughter.

True to her word, Sister Sage arrived not long later, bearing a woven rush basket filled with thread, needles, pins, and a measuring cord.

"Good morning Mariel!"

"Morning sister."

"I trust Saxtus relayed my message to you?"

"Aye, with all the details as well," she said glumly.

"Ah good. I'll teach you how to make a simple hem, the different things you can do, and a few other odds and ends. Come over here and pick out a fabric you like."

Sage led Mariel over to an oak trunk filled with beautiful fabrics.

"Where did you get all these?" asked Mariel, trying very hard not to get too excited.

"The solid colors are made here at Redwall, and the others we trade for."

She stared in admiration at the beautiful shades before her.

"You're going to practice on a plain color, this blue shade, since we have a lot of it. If you want to make anything on your own, you can feel free to take some. "

The next hour was spent teaching Mariel all the basics of making a straight line with thread. There were several discarded scraps of cloth that has either been shredded in Mariel's annoyance, or that had gotten so tangled in the thread that it was impossible to figure out. Once she had learned how to make the stitches in a straight line, she started fixing old sheets, much to her displeasure.

Sister Sage eventually left for her lunch, leaving Mariel alone with her sheet. "You stay here, I'll go get us some lunch."

Mariel went and washed her aching paws. She had been pricked on the needle more times then she cared to remember. The worst part was that it hurt almost as bad as a sword wound. She came out of the washroom, muttering to herself about the pointlessness of sewing, and found Dandin there admiring her handiwork.

"It looks good so far, Mariel," he complimented.

"Sister Sage told you to say that, didn't she?"

"No she didn't. It really does look good. Honestly."

Mariel paused before responding, trying to figure out if he was poking fun at her or not. "Thank you. It had better be worth it. Look at my paws." She held out her scratched paws for him to see. "I won't be able to wield my Gullwhacker anytime soon."

"Ouch! I don't envy you that pain."

"Thanks," she replied dryly.

"The blue is a very pretty shade. It compliments your eyes." It was then that Dandin realized that the light that had been missing from her gaze had returned. He started into them until she crossed them at him. "What're you staring at?"

"Nothing. Just. nothing."

Mariel shrugged and picked up the needle and thread. She poked the thread through the tiny hole at the tip of the needle and started patching the holes again. Dandin watched in amazement as she made the minute stitches. Then-

"Argh! I cannot stand this! I'm a warrior! Warriors do not sew, maid or not!" Mariel threw the half-finished sheet at the opposite wall and sucked on her freshly pricked paw. She glared out the window crossly, as if it were the cause of her unfortunate situation.

Dandin could see how angry she was, and he didn't want to give her an excuse to practice her Gullwhacking skills on him. He turned for the door. "If Saxtus decides you're well enough and lets you out tomorrow, d'you want to train tomorrow?"

"Sure, if my paws don't hurt too much."

"Okay. We can work it out later."

He left then, leaving her to get over her anger alone.