• • •
Toby had not given up his quest, and he was trying his best to get Andrew not to give up the quest either, for Andrew and Oliva to end up together.
"Maybe that was too rash, but it almost worked, if that fox hadn't come," Toby muttered, pacing in front of Andrew. They stood in the Abbey lawn just outside of the entrance, being warmed by the afternoon sun.
"Does this mean I get Olivia?" Andrew inquired, finally up to speed on what was apaw.
"No, we have to challenge that 'Ces' fellow again, beat him and send him running back to Duke with the news that you are the only one for her."
"Her who?"
"Olivia you dunderhead," Toby said, wagging his ears in agitation again, bopping the squirrel between the ears. "I don't think that he left the building actually. I wonder where he could have gotten to..." He scanned the scene around him.
In a stroke of pure coincidence, as the hare scanned the area for Ces, his search locked onto the figured of Seb, only a few paces away, coming towards them to ask them where he was.
"Ah-ha, coward, thought that you could sneak away from us," Toby announced.
Andrew was ready this time, sort of, "Aye, forget swords, let's go in paw to paw combat." Unbalanced, the squirrel bobbed about and jabbed his paws at Seb. One of his jabs aim ended completely askew and sent his own paw into his own face. He hit the ground like a sack of potatoes. Seb watched this, slightly confused and slightly amused. He turned to pass these apparent fools. The hare caught onto his paw.
"Let go of my paw," he said, annoyed now.
"I cannot let my friend loose Olivia to the likes of you."
"What are you talking about? And who is..?"
Before he could finish the question, Olivia appeared, running towards them, now dressed in clothes of pure white. Everything was forgotten in Seb's mind as he saw this creature of beauty coming, possibly an angel, his heartbeat rushed and he felt as if he were floating.
"Ces, please, I know now if will accept as I have. I must ask you, the love of my heart, the perfection of my kind, the wonderful most handsome beast of Mossflower, do you love me? I ask this final time and I need a true answer."
A dream, it must be a dream, Seb decided, but it felt so real to him. He took the paws of Olivia in his, "If I be asleep and this be all an illusion, let me never to awake from this vision of loveliness."
Olivia wanted to scream her happiness, she pulled at the squirrel, "We must go see the Abbot, to fulfill desires. You do love me?" She asked, hoping this wasn't some cruel misunderstanding.
"Yet I know you not I can say that I do."
She saw Toby and Andrew, staring at her, dumbfounded, "Did you hear that? He loves me. Come you can be the witnesses."
"Witnesses to what?" Andrew droned, dazed from his own punch.
"Our marriage."
• • •
The sun was sinking fast by the time that Duke and Valentine made it to the Abbey gates, where Fezz still kept up his pointless vigil for vermin. The mouse saluted to the squirrel and otter, "Ah, the warrior and his noble companion cometh to the Abbey of Redwall, also know as Redwall Abbey, or of more resent events, it could be considered the Abbey of Blooming Love, not a place for a tough hearted warrior of caked heart such as yourself."
Duke put his arms akimbo, "Really? And how about mouse fools of fibbing tongues?"
"Alas, I have been placed outside, the love not meant to have its lips upon my cheeks. I shall be a lonely fool for always."
"And that cute Abbey Sister mouse that you pine about every time you visit?"
Fezz gasped, "Cheater, you use my confident pining against me."
The otter remained slightly confused by Fezz's first comment, "What do you mean it could be called 'Abbey of Blossoming Love.'"
The mouse removed his floppy cap, "The bells of marriage are about to set forth upon the air above our heads..." His voice was interrupted by the said bells actually ringing a joyful tune.
Not suspecting anything amiss, Duke grinned, "A marriage of two loving souls, that must mean a feast is on the horizon to meet this good news. Pray tell, who are the two lucky beasts?"
Fezz's smile faltered only a flicker when asked, "I'm told, though I find it hard to believe, that Olivia and Ces are the two lucky beasts."
The dark clouds of realization flowed over Duke's expression and redness lit in his gaze. He couldn't bring himself to say anything, the horrible betrayed sickness sank in his heart which started to shatter. He quivered in rage. He did not hear what Valentine or Fezz said more, by blind instinct he walked into the Abbey, under the dark arch, into the bright lawn, his gaze darting about, trying to find a target. Unfortunately, Violet as Ces was making her way down from the ramparts, much calmed from her walk. When she saw Duke she smiled and waved.
Duke sprinted at him at full pace and grabbed him at the shoulders. "How could you!"
"How could I what?"
"If you participated in this treachery there is no chance that you do not know of it. I trusted you as a brother, closer than a brother, to send my message of love and compassion, not to steal it away."
With every accusation Ces became more lost in the dialogue, "What do you mean? I did not steal her love..." She realized the Duke must of heard of Olivia's crush. "She pushed herself on me, nothing happened."
"You can't say nothing has happened when everything has happened!" Duke was yelling now, his muscles quivering as his temper grew.
"Duke, I know not what you speak, I have no idea what you think I have done. The only everything I have done is to carry forth your wishes and to listen to your guidance and to come here to once again try to proclaim your love to Olivia."
"But you've married her and...and..." His voice died on his lips and anger disappeared, the world becoming a backdrop, an impulse overwhelming him.
Fezz and Valentine had quickly followed after Duke in his tirade; when they closed in on where he and Ces stood, they froze.
From the main building, the Abbot accompanied Toby and Maria, "I would be glad to tie the knot between you two. If I might not be too bold, I think you make a perfect pair."
"Don't ya think, wot?" Toby agreed, kissing Maria's paw multiple time, "And she's just as sweet as when I first met her."
"That's because of making candied chestnuts just now," Maria chided, pulling the paw away from his lips.
The Abbot caught sight of Duke and Ces as they were passing, "Looks like Ces told Duke the good news about him and Olivia, that's quite a tight hug..." He blinked, changed direction to go closer, "Wait…that's not a...what in the Dark Forest..."
"Hellsgates," Toby gasped, to have Maria bop him for the language but when she saw what they were seeing she said the same thing.
This whole sequence couldn't have taken more than a few second but to those witnessing, it felt by all sense of time much longer as they all stood there, mouths agape, Fezz not even able to make a pun.
Duke and Ces were kissing, not a friend kiss, a real kiss between them. Duke not knowing what drew him into it, and the Violet side of Ces not wanting it to stop.
It did stop and slid into a completely awkward silence as they saw they were watched.
Before either could try to explain themselves on what had just happened, Olivia appeared to break the horrible trance, unaware of had just had took place, "What are you standing around frozen on this wonderful day? It is a time for celebrations, everybeast is in a bustle to prepare for the occasion. Duke! I guess you've come to give your blessing to the wedding, since only your consent must have been the final frosting on the cake, whyever else would Ces finally admit his love? And my beloved, what are you doing out here? I swear you were testing the dishes in the kitchens when I left you."
The silence from the other beasts continued, though a few opened and closed their mouths in response to Olivia's line of blurb.
"Well, I'm out here because I followed you when you left the kitchen," Seb said, stepping up besides her, "But I swear you have eyes at the back of your head, my attempts were to sneak up on you…" Ces and Seb caught sight of each other. They walked toward each other, in wonder and curiosity and unbelief, everyone else glancing back and forth between them, all except Fezz, completely thrown on what was going on, and even Fezz didn't know the complete truth of the matter.
Antonio arrived, a bunch of Dibbuns crowded around him, "Seb, why did you let me be bounded and gagged by these Goodbeasts? I will fergive ya fer de event since dose likkle ones, Dibbun, I tink, fed me dilerbles many and den dey released me since dey say oi did no harm and...and..." It occured to Antonio how silent the scene was, then it occured to him that there was two Seb's in his vision. "Were dere sometin in dose dere chesnuts or is dere two o' you Sebs?"
"Wonderful!" Olivia blurted out.
Seb captured his voice back. "Do my eyes deceive my mind, or do I see I? I cannot know if this is reality or some trickery placed on me by the Fates."
The voice of Ces quavered, barely a whisper, "I think that it shows what it sees."
"But how so, there is no way it is possible, I have no relation of the male race, no identical twin."
"Nor do I in that sense. I came from the far South."
"As did I, and set forth on a voyage after my father departed to the Dark Forest."
"As did I."
"They closed in on each other, all their hopes culminating upon their hearts, growing to bursting threatening to blow, the tears were coming of happiness. "I did have a sister and a father by the name of Sebastian."
"That was my father's name and my brother's, whose spirits was lost to the claws of a storm and drowned from existences."
"I am that spirit, not drowned, which means the spirit of my sister is..."
Violet threw off the deepen voice she had been using and leapt to her brother's arms, "I, Violet."
As the brother and sister embraced, the expressions on the audience's faces turned to something completely at a intersection of surprise, degust, embarrassment, amazement and something akin to the look someone gets when they realize that they had eaten half a worm in an apple and scored in the opponents goal at the same time. The Dibbun's gave a lusty cheer.
Duke cleared his throat, "So my heart has tricked me into corner and let me out of it in the most unusual of ways, so it seems. Eh, Valentine?"
"So it seems friend and you willing to forget embarrassment and take opportunity, despite what events have passed?"
"What mean you?"
Fezz popped and placed an arm around Duke's shoulders, "Meanings are whatever they are meant to be and what you get them to mean. The meaning of course is to take your longing heart and target the target just a few moments ago unseen and unreachable."
"For a fool, you do not take to giving foolish advice well."
"What can I say? A wise fool am I. Take your shot."
"Ces..." He coughed to cover the mistake, "I mean Violet, come here my apprentice. And Father Abbot, could you come over here too."
The two beasts complied, Seb following Violet and the Abbot still being flustered. Duke took Violet's paw, "Ces...ur...Violet, I take it you know of what I really think and even though I know that it to be crazy to know this now and to understand this happening, I must release it now or never. I never really knew love, I never knew the truth of it, I never knew of the things you told me. I know that now. I know that there is only one squirrel for me, you, Ces..." He slapped his face, "Violet."
"Oh Duke, you captured me when I first met you. Though the current events are in sooth…weird, and you still can say that, my heart wants to be even closer to you." Violet took a breath, "I love you." With this statement, she and the Duke kissed again, this time, without the horrible awkwardness.
Meanwhile Olivia and Seb were straightening things out, in a rather smoother way than expected.
"I'm sorry that I unwittingly deceived you," Seb sighed, "I shall end this union if you wish."
"No, never, you love me and I still know that I love you, whether it be Seb or Ces or Violet, I know it is true in my heart. The heart does not trick without meaning. It has led me to you and to you I will stay." With that, another kiss set forth between her and Seb.
"This doesn't make a whisker of sense, wot," Duke mused.
"Sure it does," Maria answered, "Olivia loved Ces who happened to be Violet who happened to like Duke who was trying to win Olivia who was being sought after by Andrew who really didn't love her so it ended up that Olivia married Seb who is Violet's twin brother who..."
"This is why I love you," Toby interrupted and kissed her, both because he wanted to and he was at risk of getting a headache if he didn't stop her explanation.
"Ur...I guess there's going to be another wedding plan," the Abbot comment, watching from the sidelines with Fezz, Valentine, Antonio, and the recently arrived Andrew.
"What happened?" Andrew asked, dazed drunk once again.
"More than can be said in a short period without causing the functions of your slow brain to freeze and die," Fezz said.
"Oh, that's nice," Andrew sighed.
All the players of these events were set here on the Abbey lawns as the light turned to golden, placing the walls into bright red, an effect of the afternoon sun. This statement is not completely true, since all save for one of the notable characters of this tale were present at this scene.
Molvo, his head bandaged up, his fur from ears to tail, completely disheveled, made it to this group in a dazed fashion.
"Ol' Molvo. Welcome," Fez exclaimed in a more enthusiastic voice than he usually used in the greeting of Molvo.
Molvo jumped back, "No, get away from me, forgive me for my sourness, I won't do it again. Please my life depends on it."
Olivia heard this ranting and became worried, "Molvo, what is wrong?"
"Why lady? Why sent a letter of secrecy and love and then hurt me so?"
"I never sent a letter."
"I'm sure you did. It was in..."
"iNoble Molvo is a grand beast that I adore and with out him I shall die. If only he would change.../I" Fezz quoted from his cheesily composed fake letter.
"What do you..."
"iIf only he would don a smile on his maw and dye his tail a bright yellow./i"
"It was iyou/i."
The mouse made an elegant bow, "I'm proud to say it."
Toby and Andrew caught the dark squirrel before he could make it to the mouse to strangle him. "I swear if I get my paws on you blurrering fibbing mossy rotten froggy scum."
Wagging a paw, Fezz had a quip ready, "Ooo, such language, tisk, tisk. Dibbuns, cover your ears."
The Dibbuns complied by stuffing their paws into their ears.
Struggling free from detainment, Molvo growled at the smiles at his misfortune, "That's it, I shall get my revenge on all of you." He stalked away.
"Ah, Molvo has been much pained, he needs to be cheered," Olivia sighed.
"I think so, Dibbuns, go and hug your Uncle Molvo," Fez announced, the Dibbuns stampeding after the sour squirrel.
"Now, let us depart Ces...ur...Violet, and set our hearts together," Duke exclaimed.
"Yes and to tell the full tale of what has happened in the past days since my arrival on these shores."
The group made their way for the main building of the Abbey, an abundant amount of happiness in an aurora around them...
None of them happened to see a beast hidden in the shadows of the wall, making notes on a scroll
• • •