An ottermaid sat inside the clean and quiet infirmary, watching the
dibbuns play from the window. Sitting on the edge of a sickbed, she read a
small stack of parchment about tales from the past from the abbey archives.
'The mousemaid called Storm Gullwhacker. Her story written down by Hubert, Brother Recorder of Redwall Abbey,' she raid quietly to herself for the third time.
As she sat absorbed in the abbey recordings, a mouse crept up behind her, gesturing the squirrelmaid behind him to remain silent. They crept up to the ottermaid, tip-pawing over.
"Hello, Larion. I do believe this is the umpteenth time you and Amethyst tried sneaking up on me," the ottermaid called, her eyes not leaving the parchment.
The mouse, dressed in a nice blue tunic, slumped down beside her dejectedly and cocked his head to see what she was reading, squinting at the small neat script. "We migh' as well give up, eh, Amy(Eh-mee)?"
Amethyst nodded. "Aye, Larion. What are you reading, Lia- er, marm Abbess?"
Larion laughed. "Heehee, sorry, Abbess marm, we jus' keep on fergettin' that yore the new Abbess now."
"Call me as you will," she said angrily, "I'm trying to read."
Amethyst shrugged and peeked over the Abbess' shoulder. "What are you reading, Liana?"
Liana pointed to the heading, her eyes reading the bottom of the parchment.
"The mousemaid called Storm Gullwhacker." Larion read. "Oh, come off it, Liana, you've read that for the umpteenth time. Why not take a break?"
"Oh! It's useless!" She threw the parchment to the floor and threw herself down on the bed, burying her head in her pillow. "I.I.just.can't.distract myself!" she sobbed.
Larion picked up the parchment while Amethyst tried to comfort the Abbess. "Oh, come on Liana. You are the Mother Abbess, show a good example and a smiling face to your fellow abbeybeasts, won't you?"
"We came up to try an' cheer you up, yer know," Larion said, chasing a piece of parchment which had blown off in the wind. "Oh dear, there it goes, out the window.Feegle, Feegle," he called out to the small hogbabe. "Catch the parchment for me, will you? No no no, Feegle, the big brown thing floating around with words all over it- ack! Into the pond it goes!"
Liana sobbed into her pillow. "That.that.mean.dirty.rat..that.that.th-" "Whats going on up here, sah?" A large, towering badger strode in, eyeing the scene around her, from the sobbing Abbess to the mouse poking his head out of the window. "Have you two been upsetting Abbess Liana?"
"It's." Liana sniffed. "not their doing, Badgermum. It's just that, dirty old rat."
Amethyst shrugged helplessly. "We were trying to cheer her up, Stria marm, but."
The badger held a paw up for silence. "Leave Liana and I in peace, both of you. And Larion," she added, with a small smile, "You'd better get that parchment back form the pond and hope that the ink hasn't run too much or Brother Frinia will have your tail for breakfast!"
"Will do, marm," Larion said, throwing a mock salute. He and amethyst dashed out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Stria stroked Liana's headfur gently. "There, there, Liana. It's all over now. Theres nothing you could have done to prevent it."
"Yes I could!" she said loudly, sitting up, her eyes full of anger at herself and tears at the same time. "I should've known, badgermum! Never let that scurvy rat step into our abbey, let alone allow my father to let the rat sleep in his room with him!"
"No, you couldn't have," Stria said firmly. "He was not an enemy of ours when he arrived at our gates and he was begging for food and shelter. It was the nature of a good Abbess to let him in."
"It's still my fault," Liana sniffed.
"Such a pretty ottermaid, don't let tears spoil it. You're a Mother Abbess, with much responsibility. We could not have turned Miggol the rat away from our gates, and that makes it not your fault, but his fault, to use his trust in that horrible, horrible way.."
"You don't understand, Stria.my father. He was the last of my family that I know of."
"You've learned a lesson now, Liana. Even if you have to allow somebeast into our abbey., we have to be cautious until he proves he is trustworthy."
"I should have never trusted a rat," Liana said angrily, throwing down her pillow to the floor, most of her tears gone from her eyes.
Stria shook her great striped head. "No, Liana. Let me share with you a piece of wisdom that nobeast quite understands. You cannot judge a beast by what manner of a creature he is. Even an otter could have just as easily done what Miggol did, and a rat might save your life someday. Liana, later on today there'd be a service in honor of your father. I understand your grief, Liana, but nothing can be done."
Liana nodded, and to the badgermum's surprise, darted out of the room. "Hey, Larion! Amy! You guys still down there?"
Stria sighed, laying her own great striped head down on the pillow. "Someday she'll learn, someday she'll understand."
'The mousemaid called Storm Gullwhacker. Her story written down by Hubert, Brother Recorder of Redwall Abbey,' she raid quietly to herself for the third time.
As she sat absorbed in the abbey recordings, a mouse crept up behind her, gesturing the squirrelmaid behind him to remain silent. They crept up to the ottermaid, tip-pawing over.
"Hello, Larion. I do believe this is the umpteenth time you and Amethyst tried sneaking up on me," the ottermaid called, her eyes not leaving the parchment.
The mouse, dressed in a nice blue tunic, slumped down beside her dejectedly and cocked his head to see what she was reading, squinting at the small neat script. "We migh' as well give up, eh, Amy(Eh-mee)?"
Amethyst nodded. "Aye, Larion. What are you reading, Lia- er, marm Abbess?"
Larion laughed. "Heehee, sorry, Abbess marm, we jus' keep on fergettin' that yore the new Abbess now."
"Call me as you will," she said angrily, "I'm trying to read."
Amethyst shrugged and peeked over the Abbess' shoulder. "What are you reading, Liana?"
Liana pointed to the heading, her eyes reading the bottom of the parchment.
"The mousemaid called Storm Gullwhacker." Larion read. "Oh, come off it, Liana, you've read that for the umpteenth time. Why not take a break?"
"Oh! It's useless!" She threw the parchment to the floor and threw herself down on the bed, burying her head in her pillow. "I.I.just.can't.distract myself!" she sobbed.
Larion picked up the parchment while Amethyst tried to comfort the Abbess. "Oh, come on Liana. You are the Mother Abbess, show a good example and a smiling face to your fellow abbeybeasts, won't you?"
"We came up to try an' cheer you up, yer know," Larion said, chasing a piece of parchment which had blown off in the wind. "Oh dear, there it goes, out the window.Feegle, Feegle," he called out to the small hogbabe. "Catch the parchment for me, will you? No no no, Feegle, the big brown thing floating around with words all over it- ack! Into the pond it goes!"
Liana sobbed into her pillow. "That.that.mean.dirty.rat..that.that.th-" "Whats going on up here, sah?" A large, towering badger strode in, eyeing the scene around her, from the sobbing Abbess to the mouse poking his head out of the window. "Have you two been upsetting Abbess Liana?"
"It's." Liana sniffed. "not their doing, Badgermum. It's just that, dirty old rat."
Amethyst shrugged helplessly. "We were trying to cheer her up, Stria marm, but."
The badger held a paw up for silence. "Leave Liana and I in peace, both of you. And Larion," she added, with a small smile, "You'd better get that parchment back form the pond and hope that the ink hasn't run too much or Brother Frinia will have your tail for breakfast!"
"Will do, marm," Larion said, throwing a mock salute. He and amethyst dashed out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Stria stroked Liana's headfur gently. "There, there, Liana. It's all over now. Theres nothing you could have done to prevent it."
"Yes I could!" she said loudly, sitting up, her eyes full of anger at herself and tears at the same time. "I should've known, badgermum! Never let that scurvy rat step into our abbey, let alone allow my father to let the rat sleep in his room with him!"
"No, you couldn't have," Stria said firmly. "He was not an enemy of ours when he arrived at our gates and he was begging for food and shelter. It was the nature of a good Abbess to let him in."
"It's still my fault," Liana sniffed.
"Such a pretty ottermaid, don't let tears spoil it. You're a Mother Abbess, with much responsibility. We could not have turned Miggol the rat away from our gates, and that makes it not your fault, but his fault, to use his trust in that horrible, horrible way.."
"You don't understand, Stria.my father. He was the last of my family that I know of."
"You've learned a lesson now, Liana. Even if you have to allow somebeast into our abbey., we have to be cautious until he proves he is trustworthy."
"I should have never trusted a rat," Liana said angrily, throwing down her pillow to the floor, most of her tears gone from her eyes.
Stria shook her great striped head. "No, Liana. Let me share with you a piece of wisdom that nobeast quite understands. You cannot judge a beast by what manner of a creature he is. Even an otter could have just as easily done what Miggol did, and a rat might save your life someday. Liana, later on today there'd be a service in honor of your father. I understand your grief, Liana, but nothing can be done."
Liana nodded, and to the badgermum's surprise, darted out of the room. "Hey, Larion! Amy! You guys still down there?"
Stria sighed, laying her own great striped head down on the pillow. "Someday she'll learn, someday she'll understand."