More days passed. We figured out that Matthias was Martin the Warrior, and it was then that I realized that Matthias was the Warrior Mouse I had been looking for. But I wasn't ready to admit it to him… (Book 2, chapter 13, around page 172)

Matthias reached for some candied nuts Cornflower was preparing for Matthias' trip into the sparrow territory.

"You glutton," she gently chided as he plopped some in his mouth.

"Whatever," Matthias said.

"Matthias, I know where you're going. Just be careful," Cornflower warned.

"Yes mother," Matthias teased.

Matthias was now ascending the Great Hall's wall with a bit of difficulty. He was afraid of heights. Cornflower somehow knew this, but from where she did not know. "Matthias! Reach up and left! Left!" she called from the floor.

"I can't!" he hollered back.

"Just pretend it's something you really want!" Cornflower screamed.

It's Cornflower's hand and she's falling off a cliff. Cornflower, Cornflower… Matthias thought to himself. He reached for it… And caught it on his first try.

"Thank you so much Cornflower!" Matthias yelled.

"See you later!" Cornflower said as she walked off.

Some days passed as Matthias was in the sparrows' territory. And I was absolutely desperate for him to come back. When Jess came with report that he had been attacked by a bird, I knew he'd still survive somehow. But when he still wasn't found by nightfall, I started to lose hope.

Cornflower had heard the Abbot tragically saying of how Matthias' life had been a loss. She joined in the conversation saying how it definitely was NOT a loss; Matthias was a good soul and was in heaven. But somehow, Cornflower couldn't block out the suspicion that Matthias was lurking somewhere, waiting for her…

When Constance came in with Matthias, all soaking wet, Cornflower got a warm blanket and a lantern for the Abbot. Lord, let him live! I'll do anything! I'll even give up my life, just let Matthias live!

Cornflower helped bring Matthias into the infirmary. She was chosen out of all the helpers to stay with Matthias over night, as she was the youngest, strongest, most vigilant, and demanded it. The door was closed. There was only a dim lantern lit so that Cornflower could attend to Matthias. She sang him the song she had written for him, so many years ago. Cornflower took Matthias' head into her arms as if he were a baby and stroked his fur as she knew he had never had anyone to do so. "Matthias live," she murmured. She kissed the top of his head, to check his temperature. He was burning up. She put a cold, wet towel on his forehead to try to lower the fever. Then Cornflower put him back on the pillow, and settled for holding his hand while she slept.

Cornflower had had to wake up several times the night before, but she was still as alert as ever when the Abbot came in to take the King Sparrow's beak out of Matthias' shoulder.

"Cornflower, hold Matthias' hand," Abbot ordered.

"Why?"

"Because if he wakes up, your face will distract him enough," Abbot replied curtly. Sister Juliette, who was working in the hospital giggled when she heard that. Cornflower stared her down.

"Okay."

"And hold the bowl too Cornflower."

"Alright."

As Cornflower held Matthias' hand, she felt him shiver, and then she was suddenly jolted from reality's world. She was in Matthias' dream. Martin the Warrior was there. He was telling Matthias to beware of "Asmodeus", whoever that was. Matthias woke up with a jerk, thus taking Cornflower from staying in the dream.

Matthias was complaining about something as the Abbot tossed the beak into Cornflower's bowl. She let out an involuntary squeak. Matthias tried to move too much to see if Basil was in the next bed.

"Yes Matthias that is Basil. Now rest! I was so afraid that you'd leave me all throughout the night," Cornflower chided.

Abbot told Matthias of Martin being returned to the Abbey.

"Great! Methuselah must be elated!" Matthias exclaimed.

Brother Alf, Abbot, and Cornflower exchanged looks.

"May I?" Abbot asked.

As Brother Alf turned to leave the room, Cornflower swirled back.

"Would you like to tell him?" the Abbot asked.

Cornflower nodded.

"I shall leave now," Abbot announced, leaving.

"What's wrong Cornflower?" Matthias asked.

"Matthias, Methuselah was elated at the return of Martin. In fact, despite my warning that he'd prick himself, he sewed old Martin back into the tapestry himself. But a fox had come the night before begging for sanctuary. He had a big bag of stuff he stole. When Methuselah blocked him, the evil fox just hit him with the sack. With that, Methuselah departed from us," Cornflower responded reverently. Then, simultaneously, the two of them started to cry. They had both been quite close to the old mouse and had to grieve for him.

"That's why," Cornflower added as a tear rolled down her cheek, "When I heard Jess say that you went down from that sparrow, I felt like a part of me had died. As if, life held no more meaning. Yet something inside me said that I shouldn't give up hope, that you were still living. And when you were brought in… I kicked myself ten times over and over again for not being there."

"But I wouldn't have let you go," Matthias pointed out, now crying at the intensity of Cornflower's story.

"I know. And I still punished myself. It seems so… silly now," Cornflower concluded.

Matthias sensed that "silly" was not the word that Cornflower had wanted to say. She just felt she needed to say something. So he said, "Nothing more needs to be said."

Giving him an awkward little hug, Cornflower hugged Matthias, who was in the bed. Then she left. She knew that Matthias needed to think. She knew that she needed to think.