Chapter 18

A Cold Wind


From one bell all the bells toll. -The Shape, by Dejan Stojanovic


Kiormund sorely hoped his clothes would be able to last him a while.

Lining up outside the Belltower took the Southswarder court at least half an hour, and while the king slept and his granddaughter complained the whole way, Lady Anezka's preparations made it somewhat bearable. However, the recent snows that assaulted the region had rendered any exposure to the chilly air outside a torment.

"You enjoy being out here, don't you?" whispered Veil.

"Not in the slightest," mouthed Kiormund as clandestinely as possible. He did not want to be seen as a beast with his mind stranded in another world. "It's cold."

"You can feel the cold, of course. It's part of being alive."

"As I am currently vividly aware, thank you," snorted the otter, failing to suppress a shiver. "It's almost as cold as Redwall."

Kiormund saw Veil's whiskers perk up. "Not too much snow though. When I was a kit - I refuse to use the Redwall word - I remember all the snow piling up to my knees. Nothing was more fun than wading in the whiteness, or sliding down hills of ice. My mo- Bryony was very insistent that I not injure myself, but who cares about her opinion?" I know I don't."

"But you once did, didn't you?" asked Kiormund.

Veil nodded, his tail swishing around in the wind. "So I did. But I'm here, and she's not, so…"

"I know you two had not been on the best of terms since when both of you were still alive, but surely you still think of her, right?"

"Around as much as you do your own mother," scoffed the phantom ferret. "Speaking of which…"

The otter's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you expecting me to tell you more about her?"

Veil grinned. "If you want to. We have met, after all, and she doesn't seem to pay you that much respect. What went wrong?"

"Fine." Kiormund rubbed his forehead as he searched his memories. "She, um, has a very strong personality. And I do not."

"Well, we both know that's true."

Before Kiormund could elaborate he was surprised by a group of beasts entering his field of view. There were all sorts of Bluecoats, and the otter's lips pursed at the sight of Margane, but the other beasts behind her truly caught his attention.

There was his father, of course. The tall otter in the jerkin was expected, and Kiormund wondered how he could sustain himself with so little clothing. Then there was Emperor Kiordan standing on the side in what little finery he could bring on a long journey, and beside him was a very familiar ferret. Kiormund could feel the smile being propped up on top of his muzzle. The usual formalities were exchanged quite quickly, and the young otter was quick to silence his ghostly companion when the other ferret stepped up to him, suddenly wrapping his paws around the otter's chest.

"So, Kio, have you been well?"

Kiormund picked his words carefully - the attention of enthusiastic eavesdroppers was not welcome. "It has been a tidbit complicated, but seeing you again after all these seasons makes everything alright again."

"Have you been to anywhere in the city?" continued Egil. "It's a large place."

"No, I spent most of my time in the castle," replied the otter. "My uncle didn't want me wandering off somewhere, especially if that 'somewhere' happened to be a location where he couldn't keep track of me. I was quite bored there."

"Not to mention boring," said Veil, chuckling.

Kiormund turned to the source of the new voice, but by then the spirit had already faded back into his imagination.

"Something bothering you?" asked Egil.

"No, I'm just a bit tired. I didn't sleep well because I was woken up a bit early. They had to move everything I have into a guest room, and in the end I had to move as well."

"You weren't in a guest room before?"

Kiormund shook his head. "I was in a relatively comfortable tower prison cell."

"A tower, you say? You could have looked over the entire city! Just think of the view!"

The otter chuckled. "You do remember my fear of heights, right?"

"Oh yes… you didn't do too much looking then."

Kiormund thought of what to tell Egil about. The circumstances of his arrival, his relationship with Veil, or even what went on during his dreams. But then, how would the ferret process that information? Would he be able to keep things secret? The otter shook his head and decided to talk about something else.

"So… I don't think I'm a prisoner anymore. Would you like to see more of Floret?"

The ferret smiled. "Certainly! Do you know where we can begin?

The otter looked up at the Belltower. "Exactly where, in fact!"

"I thought you were afraid of heights."

"Being locked up might have helped with that, whether I wanted to or not."


It took another hour for everybeast to be settled in. Egil and his brother were moved into Kiormund's room, and Lamont enthusiastically revealed that the tower which had held him for so long was Erlend's new, albeit temporary, residence. Kiormund's father was less than amused by the prospect of having to go up and down an impressively tall staircase at least twice a day, but he was reminded that he would have a proper (that is to say, warm) bed for the first time in days.

Before Kiormund could speak to his grandfather the older beast was dragged into Lamont's solar by the Steward, who apparently had much to discuss with him. This, of course, left Kiormund and Egil to find Finnbarr Streambattle.

"You're actually going up the Belltower!" said Finnbarr, waving his arms about in his excitable manner. "You get to see all the city from within the city itself!"

"That's not just it," replied Kiormund.

Egil flashed another one of his luminous smiles. "We're going to ring the bells!"

The older otter's eyes flashed open. "Oh really? That's going to be brilliant! We can make some noise at the wrong time and watch the city squirm a bit!"

Kiormund scratched his head. "We were going to wait until the right time…"

"Oh wait, of course. It's your idea, after all… you've always stuck to the rules, while I… it doesn't matter."

"Shouldn't you tell Lazy Anezka where you are going?" pressed Kiormund.

"Don't worry." Finnbarr chuckled. "Mother should have her paws full with both of Rab's pups, and it wouldn't be a display of filial love for me to add to her burdens, would it?"

Kiordan lifted up a claw. "What will she say when you return?"

"You have a good point." Finnbarr walked forward a few steps before he turned to the ferret. "Oh, and I don't believe we've met before."

"Call me Egil."

"Hm. That's a nice Travrikan name - though I never imagined a ferret would bear it. I shall see you two later then!"

As his cousin's pawsteps slowly faded up the stairs, Kiormund shook his head and sighed. "At least Finn didn't have us try to explain ourselves to his mother."

"You don't like her?" asked Egil.

"Not one bit, and I expect the feeling's mutual. Her family has always opposed my grandfather, and I can't imagine her time in Floret has softened her attitude."

"And now he's here," said the ferret. "I wonder how she's reacting to that."

"Poorly, I believe."

"Proper snoble, that one."

Kiormund raised an eyebrow. "Snoble?"

"Snobby noblebeast," explained Egil. "They tend to have an inflated sense of self-importance."

"I see. Then am I one of them?"

"Well, you fit the 'noble' criterion…" Egil winked. "But if things go bad I'll have the snobbiness beat out of you in no time!"

The otter nodded. "I suppose you think that is somewhat comforting, don't you?"

"More for me than you, of course!"


Finnbarr returned to the pair a few minutes later, and while Egil suggested inviting Arni to their little gathering, the elder ferret was nowhere to be found. Thus, the newly-formed trio decided to set off alone.

"Are you sure you got the timing right?" asked Kiormund. "Wasn't the last toll just a short while ago? We might be too early."

"Don't worry, Father isn't here to ruin the timing this time," replied Finnbarr, dragging his cousin's paw behind him as they marched forward. "We are going to arrive early by quite a margin. Better early than late!"

And early the trio indeed were. The scent of the stones near the tower was in no way eclipsed by those of the beasts normally around to hear the bells. All the cityfolk had returned to their homes or the markets, going about their daily lives without much interference from the higher-born. These were times of peace, after all. Before Kiormund could spend much time wondering if what he did in Helskerland could shatter that peace, he realised that Egil had practically collapsed onto one of the benches in the plaza.

"I've been running around for the last month," said the ferret as he panted. "I think more exercise is going to either kill me or make me a proper warrior - and I'd prefer the former."

Finnbarr shrugged. "Fine, we can take a rest."

Kiormund found himself squeezed between his cousin and his friend as he paid the Belltower another look, this time longer and more deliberate than his observations made two days ago. The pale beige of the tower served as a contrast to the skies, which were finally clear after two weeks of clouds, though the otter knew these days would become rarer and rarer as winter progressed just like back in Mossflower.

The otter's eyes wandered around the square, across trees and bricks alike, before his attention landed on the Bellmaker's statue. He stood up to give the structure a closer look.

It seemed to have been cast out of bronze. Joseph had his right paw outstretched and his left clutching his staff, but mice were not famed for their striking postures. He was in the steward's robes that Lamont wore nowadays, and Kiormund reminded himself that his uncle was being terribly unoriginal. But then, to the average Southswarder Lamont was indeed the Bellmaker come again, this time taller and with a thicker tail.

The otter's eyes looked downwards, and he noticed a plaque, also made of bronze. "I am Joseph the Bellmaker," read Kiormund, "First Steward of Floret and Shield of the Castle and the City. May all you Floretines rest easy knowing that you are under my care."

"It's a bit hard to believe that the Tarelian kings claim descent from him," said Finnbarr, chuckling. "He didn't leave family behind in the South. To be fair, King Gudmund is more related to the Bellmaker than we are."

"I thought he had more children," said Egil, suddenly sitting up straight. "That's what Libius Caminus wrote."

"Really?" asked Finnbarr. "I was taught he never remarried or sired pups after he decided to stay in Southsward. He was too focused on helping Gael and later Truffen rule the realm to think of mousemaids. Except for his daughter, anyway, who we know very little about."

"The old stoat could have just heard a rumour," interjected Kiormund, returning to the bench. "And put it down as fact."

The ferret nodded. "Or he could have snuck in a 'they say', just to confuse future scholars."

The trio were silent for another few moments before Finnbarr spoke up again, this time to Egil. "You seem to have rested up. Should we go up the tower now?"

"How many steps are there again?"

"Twenty dozen?"

"Then no, we can go up later."


The group set off five minutes later. Finnbarr talked with the spearmouse guarding the belltower about their goal, and he seemed more than content with the three grossi the older otter gave him, making a joke about wishing more tourists loosening their purse-straps to make their way up as well.

And then came the ascent.

The first couple dozen steps were not that hard to walk up, but after a certain point in time Kiormund felt his legs burn as he managed pawstep after pawstep. Finnbarr was not having significant difficulty as he darted ahead, though Egil showed every sign of lagging behind.

The worst part wasn't that, surprisingly. There were no paw-rails, and the tight spiral staircase was all too steep for the young otter. If one were to take a sudden slip they would tumble down and down and down. Once they were high enough Kiormund found himself on all fours for safety.

"Are we there yet?" asked the ferret.

"Hardly!" answered Finnbarr. "This is just the two hundred and seventeenth step."

"Really? I think I may have miscounted - I haven't even counted to two hundred!"

"Well, we're almost-"

Before Finnbarr could speak another word he quickly ducked down, turned to his companions and put a claw over his mouth.

"What?" whispered Kiormund.

"There's somebeast up there!" replied his cousin, his voice just as soft.

The three could only cower down the stairs for several moments before Kiormund could see one of the figures on top shake their head. "We know you're here. Show yourselves."

"Daghild?" came the voice of Finnbarr.

"Oh, it's just you." The mole leant downwards to get a better view, before deciding that it was a futile task and trodded down.

The older otter scratched his head. "Well, no. I brought a friend. And a friend of a friend."

"Good for you, finding new beasts to talk to," said Daghild as she made her way further down. "Oh look, it's your cousin again."

Kiormund tore his attention away from the stairway and nodded up at the Archivist. "Good afternoon, Miss Daghild."

The mole nodded in return before she spoke again. "And you… I don't think we've ever met. Who might you be?

"You can call me Egil!"

"I think I've heard that name before… but it is of little consequence. What are two otters and a ferret doing up here?"

"We're going up to ring the bells!" replied Finnbarr. "I am of the opinion that it's something a beast has to do at least once."

"That is not untrue, I suppose…"

"And don't worry, I'll go back to studying later. I promise."

"If you say so. Have fun, you three."

As the mole went back down the tower, Finnbarr elbowed Kiormund in the chest lightly. "You didn't seem like you were paying her much attention."

The otter shook his head. "There was someone up there with her. An otter. I saw him."

Before either of Kiormund's companions could say anything more the otter scrambled up the last few steps and opened the trapdoor to where the bells were kept. His eyes took in all five bells, from the largest Galedeep to the small but shrill Mariel, and a few steps beneath them to make the ringing easier, but there was no sight or scent of a fellow lutrine to be observed.

"You needn't have panicked," said Finnbarr, clambering through the hatch as well.

Kiormund nodded. "I must have seen somebeast else. Perhaps one of the ringers here?"

"Do you mean us?" asked a middle-aged squirrel, her dress fluttering in the gathering wind once she exited the little stone chamber she was in.

"Um, yes?"

"Ah, the mole just gave us some candied chestnuts. It's good fuel for empty stomachs, especially in these wintry times." She took one brief look at Egil's expression before shaking her head. "And no, you can't have them. The kit's going to burn through all of them in a matter of hours. You'd figure going up and down the stairs twice every day would make him thinner, but apparently not. Speaking of which…"

She turned back to the little shed at the corner of the floor. "Wally, we have guests!"

"More?" came a muffled voice. "But I just started the new book Miss Daghild gave me!"

"They're not going to be here for long, Walram!" The squirrelwife turned back to the trio. "What are you here for then?"

"We're here to help ring the bells!" explained Finnbarr, pointing at the bell which was named after his namesake. "I can't imagine two beasts doing all of the work."

"Used to be three, but Aleid went off to be a healer. So it's just us two, running around the tower and pulling on bellropes. I wish there were more beasts like you, who just go to beasts in need and help them. What are your names?"

"Finnbarr! After the brave sea-captain who saved Southsward from the Foxwolf's clutches. Those two are Kio and Egil, my friends from Travrik."

"It is nice to meet you, Finnbarr. I am Serena. Like the queen and her bell."

The chamber door opened, and a portly squirrel around Kiormund's age stepped out, chewing on what must have been the remains of a candied chestnut. "Three guests?" asked Walram in a nasally voice.

"Yes, and they're helping us with the next set of bells… which should be quite soon, right?"

"Around three minutes, ma."

"Just as I thought. You, ferret! Stand under the Dandin bell. That's the small one to your left! And you two head to Gael and Serena. That's the big one in front of you and the one to its left. Wally, you know what to do."

The other squirrel quickly sprinted to take over the Mariel bell, while Kiormund took his position under Serena. "What do we do once things begin?" asked Egil.

"Simple," replied Serena. "You follow my lead."

The squirrelwife proceeded to explain the order of the ringing. Like Jacoba and Finnbarr once explained two days ago, Dandin was rung first, then Mariel, then Galedeep and finally Gael and Serena close to each other. And of course, they all had to be done at the right time.

"So… you remember the important details, right?" asked Serena, her ears folding.

Finnbarr nodded. "I ring the bell five times, and so does Kiormund, while Egil has to do it twice more because his is smaller."

The ferret nodded. "Yes, and on the count of three we all go together, right?"

"Correct, and just give us some time -oh right. One!"

Kiormund tensed as Egil gripped his bellrope tightly, preparing to pull on the squirrel's count.

"Two!"

From the corner of his eye Kiormund saw Walram licking his lips as he prepared his own bell, and he assumed that Finnbarr behind him was doing something similar.

"Three!"

Egil pulled, and Kiormund barely managed to stop himself from following suit at the wrong moment. The sound rang through the tower, carried by the winds across the entire city, to remind them that another hour had passed. A look below shook Kiormund - everything was so small down there! He could barely see the complete outline of a beast, and it took him a few moments to recognise a building he passed through that was not the castle atop the winding staircase up the hill.

"Kio, your turn! Now!"

Hearing Serena's voice, the otter snapped himself back to reality and pulled the bellrope hard. He was not prepared for the crisp toll the bell made, and even less so for the sheer volume of the noise. Still, he managed to gather his wits together and wait for Serena's signal, by then he was less distracted as he managed to ring the bell right this time.

By the time all of that was over Kiormund's paws were sore from gripping the bellrope too tightly, but after all that he was smiling as he slumped down on the floor. There he was, at the highest point of one of the greatest cities in the known world, surrounded by old friends and new, and beating back cold winds with warm hearts.

Then he remembered that Helskerland awaited him, his father awaited him, and twelvescore steps awaited him.

The otter picked himself up from the floor, smiled at the pair of squirrels, and turned back to Finnbarr and Egil. "I think we have to go soon."


There was a time where Kiordan knew not which of the two was more difficult: bringing Lamont and Erlend into the same room or removing Anezka from said room. In the end Lamont's wife ended up tending to her infant grandpups, while Erlend once again did what was bid of him, alongside the usual amount of complaining.

"How did my grandson behave during his stay?" asked the emperor, sipping from a full cup of herbal tea. "Surely he did not cause much trouble?"

"Oh, he was a brilliant guest. He kept to himself most of the time, reading books he borrowed from the library. Admittedly, we did not give him much to do…" the Steward winked at Erlend as he took a sip from his cup, "but surely you are going to remedy that. I cannot imagine little Kio being Lord of Helskerland. I doubt he could manage a rowdy tavern after sunset, let alone the lives and obligations of so many beasts."

"He'll learn," said Erlend tersely, leaving his tea resting on the little tray his brother had carried up. "Pups pick up bits and pieces of knowledge quickly."

Kiordan shook his head. "Compassion and kindness can only get one so far, Erlend Streambattle. Have you even heard from the islands since Lord Holmger's passing?"

The youngest otter winced. "Bragi has the situation under control. The vermin of Eucheria are whispering, of course, but such chaos can still be contained until my son is properly invested and installed… which does not require your permission."

"Not unless you do something that could be seen as an act of mismanagement from His Highness's perspective," replied Lamont. "I doubt he is cruel enough to continue burdening you with your role as Lord of Kaldos."

"Say what you mean already."

"What matters for you and I is simple. I shall not bother your son's rule in Revesvakt by naming a rival to the position you have given him."

"For what price?"

Lamont snickered as he hooked away Erlend's cup with a pair of nimble claws. "Your time and attention - and nothing more. His Radiance the Emperor had written to me to let us discuss our disputes without the slightest threat of bloodshed. Gystra welcomes you and yours with the warmth only family can provide."

Erlend's eyes closed for a few long moments before he nodded. "If I can send invitations of my own as well."

Lamont grinned. "Very well then! We shall see each other again at dinner."

His brother nodded before simply walking out of the room.

"Wasn't so hard, eh?" asked Kiordan.

"You were right to be optimistic, Your Highness."

"I do wonder who he will write to."

"Tarelians, no doubt. As well as his other progeny."

"Absolutely nothing to worry about then. Their presence in Gystra shall not exhaust any ink on the histories, nor shall my brother's. Yours, on the other paw…" Lamont downed what tea was left in one gulp, then sighed in contentment. "The only beasts that matter on all the shores of the Ring Sea are both sitting in this very room."

Kiordan's whiskers bristled. "If you say so." That is a lie, and you know it.


C/N: Hello everybeast. It's Kiormund Streambattle writing to you.

As of this day I am not locked up in some stupid tower, and as you can see I am finally with friends. I have thought of Egil much in the three seasons I was not in the South, but it's always good to see a friend in person after a long absence. I wonder what sort of food we can get together...

But in any case, I have to prepare for a lot of things as well. Awkward family gatherings, avoiding Margane, and telling everybeast I know about my amazing experiences in Redwall. Though i wonder if I can ever get the chance to return... I do have to start getting some idea of what the future holds for me. Ah well - maybe I can be lucky.

Well, here's the end of another batch of chapters. I hope you enjoy my new update schedule, and that you enjoy this chapter.

Like that's ever going to happen.

Now, Veil, be polite. Oh, and he says hello as well.

I didn't.

You did. Goodbye!