Chapter 3

Sixteen years had passed since the fateful day the Muskrat had stepped into Adrin's home and slaughtered her family, and now the pure white mousemaid was an adult humming gaily as she carefully made a flower chain consisting of sunflowers. Her blue eyes shined brightly with happiness as she carefully tied the flowers together neatly and with the deftness of one used to dealing with difficult thread.

And dangling just outside the neck of her Novice Green robe was the blue stone dolphin Baresck had given her just before Adrin had run to the gates of the Abbey. As the old wildcat would've liked Adrin had never forgotten and her thoughts occasionally wandered back to their first meeting. As Adrin did that nowadays she had thought it quite a coincidence as to how their meeting had made her the mousemaid she was today.

It hadn't taken Adrin long to see what Baresck had meant when she said the Redwallers did not care for vermin-ish types. Right from her first lesson, history, she had learned that a wildcat had oppressed the inhabitants of Mossflower before Redwall was even built. And then there had been the war that had followed for the inhabitants' freedom, finally ending with Martin taking up his sword to do battle with the cat.

From that day forward Adrin decided to keep her mouth shut concerning Baresck and merely contented herself with nodding her head when somebeast said all vermin were hated. Though the nightmares had persisted well into her sixth year of life, the bright hope Baresck had provided, the fact that Adrin was still alive to live her sixth year, said that not all vermin were bad. Upon coming to that conclusion the mouse had grabbed onto it and refused to let it go.

As she trudged through her teenage years she had started to become a little more vocal, but merely hinted at what exactly she had in mind, mostly just listening to those around her. When she was fifteen she had finally, quietly, spoken up. Cambin, the old squirrel who had rescued her to begin with was going over Cluny the Scourge. It was a story known by heart to the young inhabitants and each time the name was mentioned they shuddered in revulsion and hate.

Adrin was sure that this Cluny rat had never felt any spark of love in his life, however, she voiced her doubts about the morals of his horde and followers. Raising her paw, she waited for the squirrel to call on her. Cambin had glanced away from the chalkboard to see her and, pushing his pince-nez glasses up his nose pointed to her in the back and said, "Yes, Adrin, you had a question."

"Not really a question, sir," the mousemaid began respectfully, and continued, "it's more of a speculation. I don't doubt that Cluny the Scourge was evil. The deeds he did against Redwall are unequivocal, but are you speaking for his horde when you voice your hate toward him?"

Cambin nodded strongly, "As a matter of fact I am. If anyone in his horde were anything, but cowards, they would've spoken out against their leader, or refused to participate. No, they did not."

"But, sir, not everyone was meant to be a warrior," Adrin countered. "They would be killed for any thoughts of mutiny towards what their leader says. Cluny is obviously not a fair leader like our Abbot, so what makes you think the rat would actually take into consideration what a thoughtful soldier might say? He wouldn't. He'd kill him straight off. Speaking against their leader was a sure death sentence, but there was always the possibility Cluny might take Redwall and they could live more happily than they were. Isn't it possible that some of them might have been good?"

The squirrel stared at her with his mouth slightly ajar as he mulled over the argument she had presented, remarkably, in favor of the vermin's spirits. Classmates stirred fitfully and whispered quietly amongst themselves, astonished that a mousemaid might actually think this way. They had all been born in Redwall Abbey, unlike Adrin, who'd had the fortune to stumble across a good wildcat like Baresck.

After a few minutes thinking Cambin slowly nodded and said, "Yes, I suppose there could've been. I doubt it, but then… Where'd you get this speculation?"

Here Adrin shifted as she was put to the spot with that question. She didn't want anyone to judge her because of her having been with a wildcat for a few days and merely said, "It just came to me a few days ago, and I was wondering about it. Another point I'm trying to make, Brother Cambin, is that we don't know enough about the society 'vermin' live in because we haven't bothered to find out. We are only thinking in stereotype."

Cambin had dismissed the class after that observation, and locked himself in his study pondering it, not even coming down to dinner.

It was after that one of her peers and acquaintance, though she knew little about him, came to her at the edge of the Abbey pond and asked, "May I sit with you?"

She consented with a smile and a nod before turning back to watch the peaceful, shimmering surface of the water. The mousemaid had glanced back at him, barely managing to put the name to the face since they'd never talked to each other more than greeting each other. A half-smile touched her lips as she recalled what a rogue he'd been when they were much younger, and the difference between their behaviors that had created a rift between any possible friendship.

It had been years since then and he'd grown into a much calmer, though still exuberant young mouse with light brown fur and a charming smile. While she was assistant to the Infirmary Keeper, doing her best to learn the craft, he stayed down on the grounds to train with Skipper and his crew, and learning the art of war with a few other youngsters. Their Abbey Warrior was getting on his age and many speculated that this young mouse was the one whom might replace him.

Having sat in silence enough he finally said, "I wanted to ask you why you had come up with that inference in Brother Cambin's class today. I'm sure he and the entire class know you weren't being entirely truthful when you made your excuse, and I was wondering if you might tell me."

Adrin stiffened slightly from the possible intrusion of this person she hardly knew. She had kept the real excuse to herself for a reason and she turned to him with a slight frown on her white face, asking, "It's McKaid, isn't it?" When he nodded with a smile she went on, "I'm sorry, McKaid, but I'd prefer to keep that information to myself for now. I did not reveal it for a reason."

"Whoa, whoa," McKaid began, holding his paws up in slight defense, "Take it easy. I wasn't meaning to be rude. You don't have to tell me, I was just curious."

"Why?" Adrin's blue eyes were now shadowed in confusion as her gaze, which had rested onto the pond after her little tirade turned back to his.

"Because no one else in the Abbey has thought of that before," he said quietly. "Or if they have they haven't been strong enough to voice it if they were afraid of what the others might think. Your speculation… Got me thinking and as an aspiring warrior for the Abbey I was suddenly wondering about the possibility of a good vermin. Do you really think it's possible?"

With a little less zeal Adrin replied, "Yes, I do."

Since then McKaid had become very interested in her reasoning behind this and it wasn't long before they were very close friends. Adrin also eventually told him about Baresck and what the wildcat had done for her after her family died. His eyes had widened in enlightenment at the time, and he had sat at the pond over training with the other would-be warriors thinking on this. When he'd seen her next he'd grinned irrepressibly and said, "It fits."

As Adrin grew older and practiced her medicines—still not quite the infirmary keeper—she began to stumble on an idea of what she might do to show beasts that not all vermin were coldhearted. She'd presented the idea to McKaid who urged her to pursue it with gusto. Now, at the age of twenty-one, as the mousemaid continued with the sunflower chains, she was still indecisive on whether she should take the opportunity or not.

"There we go," the mousemaid said as she finished off the tie to make a crown of the big, yellow flowers and presented it to a squirrelbabe, who'd been patiently waiting for the Infirmary Aide to finish with it.

"Wow," the squirrelmaid squealed in delight as she touched the sunflowers on top of her head, beaming, "fanks, Ms. Adrin. There bootiful. Can I go show it to my friends?"

"Of course you can," Adrin responded, grinning widely and called out as the squirrel began running out of the Infirmary, "Be sure you don't touch it often or it will come undone."

The squirrel was shouting her assent when there was a sudden grunt of two creatures. Shaking her head slightly to herself Adrin got up from her open book of herbs and started out to the hallway to see if anybeast was injured. "Sorry, Meester Micaide. I didn' mean to run inta you."

"You're fine, little one, just be sure you don't run into any other beast," the familiar voice of McKaid said to her as she dashed off down the hall once more. He was turned away from the door watching her go as Adrin finally reached it. When he turned back he was shaking his head in a mock exasperated manner, "Just you wait, Adrin. She'll be back here in a trice with a skinned knee considering the way she's running around this place."

Nodding to herself Adrin said, "Probably." And then she stepped back into the Infirmary to retreat to her book, yet it was when she noticed he'd followed her inside that she blinked in surprise. "What, may I ask, are you doing in here? Are you hurt?"

"Hmm?" McKaid blinked in surprise at her question, seeming startled then shook his head and said, "No, no, I'm not hurt."

"Then what is it?" Adrin asked gently, knowing he'd eventually get to saying it if she gave him time. The Infirmary Aide would be quizzing her soon on the properties and names of Herbs, which was why she treated him with a clipped manner and still paid him little attention as she returned her eyes to the book. McKaid knew her well enough to know she was very serious about her education.

"Well… I heard something the Abbot was talking about this afternoon and I knew you had to hear it as well. I thought it might… Help you make that decision in whether you should try and spread the idea of vermin not being evil," he finally said with hardly a breath in between his words. He knew this was important and so was trying to present it in the best way he could—and grab her attention.

McKaid got it. Immediately her blue eyes snapped to his and they were wide with curiosity at what he said, "What? What is it you want to tell me?"

Again, McKaid hesitated as he thought about telling her before he finally whispered the words that seemed to echo through the Infirmary, "War."

"Where?" She asked him urgently as her eyes strayed out the window, thinking back on the time Baresck had helped her and planted the notion of peace. Could there be peace throughout the land if she, Adrin, had somehow got all the vermin and woodlanders to accept each other?

"At Salamandastron," he replied. "The Abbot apparently got a letter from the badger lord informing him that an army large enough to invade Mossflower was heading directly toward the mountain. It wasn't asking for soldiers, but the Abbot came down asking if any one of us would possibly want to go and lend aid to the Long Patrol. If this force is as big as the badger lord said—and we both know they won't lie—then they might need our help. D… D-do you think this might be a good opportunity to spread the word?"

"It might," Adrin said breathlessly as her mind suddenly thought on the consequences of going to avert this war might be. It could be a huge success or… Or it would be just as woodlanders had assumed. Vermin were heartless and cruel, and there was no way they'd make peace with woodlanders. And the war would continue.

No, I must try! I have to try at least, her blue eyes firmed in resolve and she nodded resolutely at McKaid, "I must go and speak with the Abbot and beg permission to go as a Pacifist. I will try with all my might to stop this war."

The male mouse nodded before he said, "I'm going with you, too. If not to protect you I'll at least be there to see your ideals come to fruition." He smiled confident, but the words of what he did not say hung in the air: If you do manage to succeed.

They left the Infirmary room together with Adrin striding in front of McKaid with purpose and determination. Any creature they met along the way was greeted with a curt "Hi," and their unspoken question was left unanswered as the bewildered bystander watched Adrin swoop out of the hall and toward the Abbot's private office.

Steeling herself and bringing her head up to show her confidence she turned to her taller companion and said, "Let me do the talking, McKaid."

"No worries there. It's your cause," he responded with a shrug, though she knew better what he was like when he pretended to be offhanded. If the Abbot so much as hinted at her not going the discussion would dissolve into a bitter argument between him and McKaid. It had happened before on other issues with much less important creatures.

Knocking strongly on the door she waited for him to answer. She was almost taken offguard when the door was opened by the older squirrel itself as he blinked slowly at her. When recognition hit him he smiled widely and warmly, "Ah, Adrin, how nice to see you. Come in, come in. And McKaid! What a lovely surprise."

Directing them to two chairs in front of his ordered and clean workspace he creakily made his way to the chair behind it and settled down, peering closely at the pair. Abbot Morton had gained his position when Adrin had been thirteen. Seemingly young then, yet very wise, his appearance finally caught up with his age as he shouldered the duties of Abbot, but it only seemed to enhance his fitness for the job.

Breathing deeply, Adrin looked into Morton's eyes and said, "Father, is it true an invading force is heading toward Salamandastron?"

Abbot Morton seemed slightly surprised then his gaze drifted over to McKaid who sat expressionlessly if a little harshly, as though he dared the Abbot to call on him for telling her that information that was probably meant only for the warriors. He merely seemed to acknowledge that though and nodded, "Yes, yes I did. I don't suppose you and McKaid want to go, do you? Because truly, my dear, it is not a place for a sweet, young, mousemaid like you."

"Oh, but, sir," she began, her eyes still meeting his with unwavering fortitude, "I do want to go."

The old squirrel seemed to be startled by this statement as he sat back silently, only staring at the mousemaid. After careful consideration he finally asked a simple question, "Why?"

"Because, Father, I want to try and prove to other creatures, namely the hares at Salamandastron, that not all vermin are bad. Given the chance they might actually turn over and we could make a truce with them. Sir, it could work! And if it does then we could see peace for ages on end, we just have to swallow our pride and accept the fact that there are good vermin in the world. Father, don't you remember Blaggut, the rat who killed his own captain because he'd ruined the peace at Redwall? He was obviously good. They are out there, Father. I want to see if I can find them."

Abbot Morton nodded, and then turned to McKaid who was eagerly awaiting his decision on whether she could go or not. He finally asked, "And why would you want to go, McKaid? It would be terribly ironic if we had one Novice of Redwall head out to be a mediator and another to fight with the hares."

"Yes, Father, we already discussed that," McKaid said, with only a slight hint of exasperation in his voice. "And we've already discussed the possible failure of this idea; I want to go as a protector of her in case this should happen and possibly to protect her from vermin hands on the way there. They might not be so ready to listen to her if she did not appear as something to respect rather than harass."

Adrin blinked as McKaid cited his own reasons for going and thought perhaps that might not be a bad idea. It would be terrible, though, if McKaid ended up killing something on the way there to protect the person who was willing to risk her death to spread her message. But what would be the point if she never actually made it there? Would the vermin listen? She couldn't tell.

Abbot Morton sat back once again to consider the case these promising creatures presented to him before he finally nodded, though he hesitated in doing so. "Son, daughter, I empower to go and do very much wish for your success. However… It's a very dangerous world out there. Adrin, you need to keep an open mind and do not needlessly put yourself in danger. I know you're smart and will understand what I mean when I say this. Do take the greatest care with your lives, please?"

"Yes, Father," they both replied in unison, slightly bowing their heads before they arose from their chairs to walk out the door. Though Adrin did not doubt the wisdom of her Abbot, she chose not to follow his advice in taking the greatest pains to keep herself alive. How would that impress on the vermin that she cared about them more than she cared about herself? It wouldn't.

If I have to die to bring peace to Mossflower then I will, she silently vowed to herself.