Chapter 3
Gareth still walked next to Perrad as he idly peered around the Great Hall with no more expression than a scout watching the never ending pattern of trees as he looked for peculiarities. And just like a scout he saw everything. Even as he made his way to his seat his mind was racing to reason why there was so much food out. He couldn't recall any holiday being in schedule that day, nor did any other beasts for they murmured quietly at the extraordinary amount of food before them. What could've invoked an impromptu feast?
Despite never missing the details the aspiring warrior could not find any particular reason to justify it, so he stayed silent and took his seat next to Perrad. Surprisingly the squirrel didn't seem much up for banter either as he stared at the repast laid before him. He exchanged inquisitive expressions with Gareth, but they had no time to talk for that moment Abbess Clarine stood up, causing the buzz to fall as beasts paid her respect. She opened the dinner with a knowing smile and said, "I suppose you're wondering why there is extra food on the table?" Though the question was rhetorical a few creatures nodded, but most everyone waited with a collective breath. "We are a celebrating a coming-of-age and an appointing." At this she turned toward the table of young beasts on the verge of adulthood and said, "I'm sorry to tease you with this if I have, but I am not referring to any of you when I say this."
A groan reached her from that general direction and she looked back at them with a now pitying smile. Again she stated, "I apologize."
While the thirteen and fourteen season old youngsters continued to smile half-heartedly the silence from everyone else had long since broken into whispered questions to one another. "An appointing, hmm? What position is vacant? I can't think of any," Perrad mumbled to Gareth, but the mouse only shrugged his shoulders and sniffed inquisitively like he could smell the answer in the air; there was something about the Abbess—her aura—that was secretive, and to a very fine point, sly. She was in her own way enjoying the suspension of agony, but he knew it was only meant in jest. Moments ago, though, he'd formed suspicions of his own about the appointment, and they were confirmed when her warm brown eyes settled onto him.
"Gareth, please stand in front," she requested in a quiet voice that still reached every turned ear. Face stolid the mouse got up with a resounding and hollow screech of his chair, and stepped toward the front until he was but ten paces away from the Abbess behind the table. She turned to the side and nodded then stepped out from behind her marked place and started the walk to the end before turning to meet Gareth in the middle.
From the side he suddenly saw a door open wide and two figures came marching from the side to the center, after they received the signal. He recognized both instantly and felt the rigidness of his face—that of a warrior's—loosen. Ash, the friend he confided to just that day, bore a sizeable pack in her arms which was no doubt stuffed with the best, preserved traveling food she could make for him in a jiffy. Belgara the otter carried with her what seemed to him a chunky, but long object no doubt made chunkier by the layers of cloth surrounding it. These two stopped only five paces away from him and continued to stare at him with not even a twinkle in their eye or the crack of a smile. He studied them intently but they seemed determined not to give anything away, and before he could further examine them Clarine stepped within his peripheral.
In hardly anything above a conversational tone, Abbess Clarine said, "Gareth, I have been told that you have been struggling with a dream for quite sometime. Though I know you were welcomed into adulthood four seasons prior—when you had been fourteen—I feel as if you believe we are still in control of your life. I will tell you once and for all that we will not decide what you do with your life. Please, journey out into the world as you may." With a wide smile she took the pack from Ash and gently handed it to him.
For a moment he just looked at the pack in disbelief that it was actually being handed to him. Then finally his subconscious took over and guided his paws to take it from her with equal care, and barely managed to croak out in his surprise, "Thank you, Mother."
"Thank Ash, Gareth. She is the one who pushed for you to go on your journey," the old squirrel said, gesturing a paw toward the mousemaid who still stood respectfully and emotionlessly. Then the Abbess turned again to Belgara and gently unrolled the fabric off the long object that quickly turned into a thin one. Grasping the hilt, Clarine lifted the sword up to show to the Redwallers watching in mounting awe. A few turned to the wall with the tapestry where Martin's sword should have been, but it was indeed in her hands. "Please, Gareth, will you kneel?"
Obediently the mouse stooped to one knee and bowed his head then closed his eyes as he felt his head reel. This was all happening so fast! He was going on a journey and now he would be appointed the warrior of Redwall. It was almost too much, but he forced himself to bear it with a dignity expected of him.
Holding the blade in front of her and putting her other paw to the sword to refrain from misbalancing it, she said, "Please, answer the questions in earnest. Do you, Gareth, vow to defend Redwall in times of great danger so long as your body may fight?"
"Yes," he said in a stronger voice, but he still kept his eyes closed.
"Do you vow to defend any good creature you should meet and yourself so long as your body may fight?"
"Yes." Still more strongly his voice sounded throughout the hall in the dead quiet, while the Redwallers continued watching with eager and awed faces.
"I hereby appoint you Warrior of Redwall," Clarine said and brought the sword down slowly until it was but a hair's length from his head then brought it up again, and placed it crossways in her paws. Gareth opened his eyes and glanced up, wondering if there was more to the ceremony, but Clarine only said, "Please stand, Gareth."
And so he did, but barely managed it with the nervous and surprised shaking of his legs. Clarine held it out to him. "Take this with you on your journey; its vacancy on the wall will help us to know that Martin is protecting you," she followed as though she was afraid he would deny it. Now he had no excuse.
Bowing his head until it touched his chest he brought his paws up to the sword and answered, "Thank you, Mother. I will wear Martin's sword with honor, if it so pleases you for me to borrow it on my journey. Thank you." He couldn't say anything more and merely bowed amidst a sudden rupture of applause as beasts seemed to awaken from their trance to respectfully honor his skills. Gareth walked past the Abbess and then to Belgara and said, "May I have the sheath, Belgara."
Grinning happily Belgara produced the black leather sheath with the silver inlaid and he took it, and nodded gratefully to her before walking past her as well, farther into the open space between the two tables of Redwallians. He hesitated for a moment then hop-skipped forward on his tip paws twirling and slashing at invisible enemies in the air. As quickly as he'd danced the display the sword was back in its sheath and he was walking down between the large aisle created for him, and walking back toward his seat. A smattering of applauses greeted this scene, yet many creatures bent close to their friends whispering excitedly. That was, no doubt, about the new Warrior of Redwall.
Gareth took his seat before Belgara and Ash sat down across from him, and when his eyes connected with Ash's she offered him an excited smile, which he returned with a smaller one of his own. Beside him Perrad grinned irrepressibly and thumped his friend on the back before jesting, "Oh great, you had to go show off in front of everybeast to make my near loss to you humiliating. Now beasts will think you weren't even trying."
The mouse blinked at him. "I was trying my hardest to beat you. Don't think you aren't better than me because you aren't by much."
"You must be insane," Perrad commented with a shake of his head. "Regardless, you are the Warrior of Redwall as you so rightly deserve. So, can we have a toast?" The red squirrel held his glass of apple cordial up to the middle of his friends, who brought their glasses up to meet his. "To the great health of the Warrior of Redwall! May you live long years."
Perrad down his drink entirely while the others merely took large swallows, and then he set his cup back down and shook his head. "Aaggh. That's sweet. I don't think apple cordial was meant to be downed like that."
"Really?" Gareth asked innocent, and winked at the squirrel as he took another sip of his penny cloud water. "I thought wine was meant to be downed like that."
"Yes, it is, but the elders won't allow us to drink wine, so we must do with what we've got," Perrad said with a sniff of his nose as though he didn't approve of that rule.
Ash scowled at Perrad as Belgara and Gareth chuckled heartily and she said, "That rule is in place so that someone like you will not abuse the drink."
Apparently sensing a new subject was in line, the squirrel jumped on it and turned back to his friend and said a little more seriously, "So, this journey the Abbess was talking about…where are you going?"
"South, first. Hopefully to the Great Sea, but beyond that I have no clear idea. I will go wherever my footpaws take me," the mouse replied as he dug into a piece of the vegetable pot pie Ash had made.
"Well, I'll be going with you, old friend," Perrad said, though he was sure the mouse would know that already and was surprised when Gareth bluntly shook his head.
"No, you are not. None of you are going. This is a task I must undertake alone," he said to all of them immediately, and gave them such a stern stare that all had to turn their eyes to their meals, dashing any argument they'd originally planned.
"But Gareth," Ash began, desperately looking for a loophole in the situation that would let them go. "Don't shun us away! We wouldn't mind going out seeing the world ourselves."
"That's fine, but if you have to you will do it apart from me. And I'd like to see you get permission from the Abbess to go adventuring, too. You are Friar, Ash. You can't leave the Abbey, you have one of the most important jobs," Gareth replied bluntly.
Her eyes narrowed in frustration because she knew he was right and because he was being so insensitive about it, "But, Gareth—!"
"Let it go, Ash," Belgara diverted with a calming paw placed on her shoulder. Shooting daggers at Gareth she turned back to her plate and stabbed at pieces of fruit from a salad. "If 'e says 'e needs ta do it alone then 'e needs ta do it alone."
"Thank you for understanding, Belgara," Gareth said with a kinder tone and light in his eyes.
"Ah can't deny ah want ta go, Gareth, but ah will 'onor yor wishes. Ne'er forget us," she said with a wistful sigh and turned her eyes up to the ceiling of the Great Hall to dream as she pleased. These words snapped Ash's head up again once more.
"What do you mean 'never forget us,' Belgara? Why should he?" She snapped vociferously then turned her own eyes to Gareth as the otter just sighed in exasperation.
"I'm not going to be gone just a season, Ash," Gareth replied plainly enough. "But as to that, how could I ever forget Redwall? It's where I grew up." He grinned at Ash widely as she stared at him forlornly, and mentally she filed that smile away for she knew she'd never see it again anytime soon.
The next morning dawned as chilly as the last, but Redwallers of all ages turned out to see Gareth begin his journey. Even the dibbuns refrained from moaning about the temperature of the weather and merely sat wild-eyed in their parent's arms as they were carried up the ramparts to watch Gareth depart.
Among the Redwallers was Ash, who was still brooding moodily from the night before when he had so quickly made it clear that he was to be alone. Drat him! He's spent the last two seasons alone and now he's determined to spend the next however many seasons alone, too?! It truly makes me wonder if he cares for us at all, she grumbled to herself, but even she couldn't convince herself that the last statement had any truth to it. She highly doubted it, but that did not keep it out of her mind.
Belgara, as usual, stood next to her in contemplating silence as they both waited next to the gate for their friend to arrive and disappear into the new light. As lazy as Gareth seemed, Perrad seemed hardly any better and he'd somehow managed to drag his exhausted form out to the gate, but his fur was mussed up in several places and he could not stifle the yawns threatening to cast him back into dreamland.
Ash sniffed disapprovingly of this but wisely stayed silent.
The trio and all of Redwall waited for several minutes, wondering if Gareth had decided to sleep in on that day and leave at noon when he usually got up. Ash even pondered it herself and had taken a pace back toward the area of the kitchens to start breakfast for everybeast when she saw his silent, lean form slip out the door and onto the dark grass.
Redwallers who'd begun to doze off sat up instantly when the crunch of frost beneath his paws greeted their ears and they turned to see his dark slumped figure walk up to them. At first creatures wondered what seemed to be dragging him so, but then they saw the bulky pack of food on his back that was on top of the heavy sheath and sword. And as he drew closer he stood taller until he was nearly his full height, with a good few inches on Ash, but still two below both Belgara and Perrad. He stopped before them first and clasped paws with Perrad.
Covering another yawn with his paw and blinking blearily Perrad mumbled, "Why'd you have to drag us out this early? If I'd known you'd be late I would've come out five minutes later."
"And then you would've missed seeing me leave," Gareth prodded with his words. Shaking his paws he moved on to Belgara and said, "Take care, friend. Please keep Ash out of trouble. I know how difficult she can be."
Belgara chuckled and shook his paw, "Thas an understatement if ah ever 'eard one, Gareth. Ah think you should be more on the lookout fer yerself, Gareth, rather than ah should be. Yur marchin' inta uncharted territory."
"True. And regardless if I have Martin's sword I'll be careful," he said and then finally moved onto Ash, who's scowl had deepened since his comment to Belgara. A laugh threatened to break from him as he continued watching her, and then he said, "Aww, Ash, don't look at me like that. I will be back whenever I can be."
She continued to stand there, staring at him without a change of expression but he merely waited patiently for a reaction from her. Then quite suddenly she seemed to lose her fire and she launched herself at him and took him into a bone-cracking hug. "I'll miss you, Gareth," Ash said in a stronger voice than she thought she could manage. "Come back sometime soon."
"I promise I will. And thank you, Ash. I wouldn't be leaving today if it hadn't been for you. I will be back someday." With a last squeeze from him he let go and stepped back then nodded to Draylin the gatekeeper, who started cranking it open with the lever. When it had opened Gareth stepped out onto the road and waved at the creatures craning over the wall to see him. "I will never forget you! Redwall!"
"Redwall," the cheer was shouted after him as he began stepping forward at a fast pace without even a glance back. Within a few minutes he was lost in the shadows under the trees. Ash watched long after he disappeared before finally it took gentle words and a push from Belgara to get her mind back on her duty, but she couldn't get Gareth out of her mind for the rest of the day.