There was a sandbar a short distance east of the Maelstrom. The Sea Horde leaders and the goodbeast leaders met there. Three from each side. Blacktail and the two captains of the Plunderer and the Gutcutter, Nittail and Tickear, came from the northern side of the whirlpool. Ryon, Sharpear, and Birchleaf came from the southern side. They met in the center of the sandbar, both sides staring at each other. Blacktail and Ryon walked slightly ahead of their delegations. Ryon's eyes were half-open, as if he was sleepy. Blacktail smirked. The squirrel would be prone to making mistakes then. Blacktail spoke out, loudly over the distant roar of the Maelstrom. "I will give you two options. You can fight and all of you will die, or you can surrender and only most of you will die."

Ryon smiled slightly. "We agree to neither. We will fight, but it is you who will die."

Blacktail narrowed his eyes as Ryon turned and spoke to him again. "You are not worth talking too. But when the time comes, I will be the last thing you see before you reach Hellgates."

Birchleaf watched him go. Sharpear and the squirrelmaid then followed Ryon hastily. As they got back into the boat, Birchleaf looked curiously at him. "What made you say that?"

Ryon smiled again. "That's for me to know, miss."

The longboat bumped gently into the Javelin's side. As the three came aboard, Ryon looked out upon the armada of the Sea Hordes. His sharp ears picked up whispers of worry, growing louder.

"We're going to die. All of us."

"What were we thinkin'? Oakleaf'll get us all killed!"

Ryon turned and placed his paws on the stern rail. "It's not over," he whispered to himself.

"It isn't." Ryon looked up to see Lucar. The young mouse spoke again. "There's still a fight to be had."

Sharpear spoke out. "We have an armada against us. And with the Pikeshaft in the lead, there's no chance."

Ryon locked his gaze on his enemy's ship. "There's only a fool's chance."

Birchleaf placed a gentle paw on the squirrel's shoulder. "Revenge won't bring Silver or your father back, Ryon. And it's not something anybeast here is willing to die for."

For a long while, Ryon was silent. He looked up at the masts of the fleet. No flags were being flown, no standards raised. They waited on his word. The squirrel sighed, and spoke in a soft voice. "You're right." He turned to the others. "Then what shall we die for?"

Ryon walked down the steps. All talking quieted. Ryon looked around at them. "I did not call you here today to watch you cower in fear of death. You, all of you, have known from your first voyage that you would be called upon to face worse things. Now, now is one of those times. Now is the time when you prove your courage and loyalty to your homes! Now is the time when you fight for your beliefs, your dreams, and your hopes! Now, my friends, is the time when we fight!"

The crew cheered him, their fighting spirit rekindled into a burning flame by his words. They began to raise the Vale Island flag. Ryon could see the other ships in the fleet doing the same. He sighed. Now was the time when the fate of the seas would be decided. When the pure, good hearts of honest creatures clashed with the tyrannical hearts of the wicked. Now was the time when destiny itself seemed to intervene.

Blacktail spotted the rising flags of the goodbeast fleet. He signaled the drummer. The rat rolled out a long drum roll, and the vermin fleet raised their flags as well. "This ends now." he muttered to himself.

Ryon stood in his cabin, staring at the wall. Birchleaf entered, knocking softly on the doorframe as she entered. Ryon's green eyes locked onto her. "What is it?"

She stood with her paws clasped behind her back, her eyes fixed upon his. "We may not survive, you know."

The squirrel captain nodded. "I'm aware of the danger, Birchleaf."

She walked up to him and stood behind him, placing a paw on his shoulder. "When I first met you, I hated you. You seemed overconfident, obnoxious, and the only thing that you seemed to care about was yourself."

Ryon turned to her. "Even when I told you I cared for the safety of my island?" One paw came up and moved across her face. "You are young, Birchleaf. You have a full life ahead of you. If you would like to leave now, and take Lucar with you and go to Redwall Abbey, though the other sailsbeasts in this fleet may think you a coward, I will not."

She hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't want to die. I want to survive this." She looked up at him, and began to cry. "I want to stay with you." Ryon drew an arm across her shoulders, whispering in her ear.

"You're not going to die. You have spirit. Whatever happens, stay with me. I'll look after you."

She nestled her head in the curve of his shoulder. "Thank you, Ryon." She lifted her head. "You're not the pirate I thought you were."

Ryon smiled and shook his head. "No, my dear. I'm just a simple creature, trying to make his way in the world."

She smiled back, and kissed him.

The door flew open, and Lucar stumbled in. "Ryon, the other captains want you to…" He hesitated at Ryon's questioning stare. "Er…send a message."

Ryon nodded, whispering in Birchleaf's ear as he passed her. "Remember. Stay with me."

Kind of out of the blue, right? R and R!