Chapter 1

The Spirit of The Guardian

Marley skipped down the endless halls of Redwall Abbey, orbs of light dancing around their vision as the rainbow-stained glass illuminated the floor in a myriad of colours. The mouse's purple tunic flowed cleanly under a dull jerkin as if they were floating. They glanced at the rays of sunlight shining through the windows, not realising somebeast was in front of them until they slammed into each other.

"Ow!"

Marley yelped and fell onto their belly, twitching a large, pierced ear as they glanced over their shoulder. A tall, well-built mouse wearing a suit of plate armour and a sleeveless longcoat turned to Marley with a helmet completely obscuring his face. The armoured mouse knelt before the shorter one and asked, "Are you alright?"

Marley tilted their head, staring down the endless hallways which faded into an iridescent mist the farther they went. "I think so, but why did you summon me here? I thought you only came to visit when bad things were about to happen?"

The armoured mouse chuckled. "Straight to the point, I see. Unfortunately, you are right on the nose."

"Ah." Marley stared blankly at the other mouse. Something about what he said made Marley feel something. They weren't exactly sure what, but it probably wasn't good. Anyway, it gave them a lot of questions. The first time they woke up in this version of Redwall Abbey was a few weeks ago, and while something happened that was bad enough to warrant coming here, they didn't think it would involve multiple visits. More importantly, why a spirit as legendary as Martin the Warrior himself would visit them of all beasts was a huge question they couldn't answer, especially considering their current circumstances.

"I can tell you are confused," the armoured mouse noted.

"Maybe," Marley deadpanned. Silence passed as Marley expected the other mouse to explain why they were meeting or what was going on, but he kept quiet. If it weren't for the fact that Marley was still sitting on the floor of an endless hallway, they would have assumed the conversation was over. Given that, they decided to ask, "Is there something I should know?"

Instead of answering, the other mouse decided to ask a question of his own. "Marley, what is it that you dream about? What do you want more than anything else in the world?"

Marley opened their mouth to answer but stopped. They could think of a few things, but were any of them big enough to qualify? Then again, why did they have to answer? The armoured mouse tilted his head as Marley rested their paws on their lap. "Shouldn't you know? You're a spirit. I thought you were supposed to know everything."

The armoured mouse nodded. "Yes, but I am asking you for a reason." When Marley hesitated again, the other mouse's voice softened. "I do not mean to worry you. Trust me when I say that nothing you can say would surprise me. I have visited many beasts throughout the seasons. All of them had good intentions, but none were completely pure of heart. Everybeast has at least a bit of darkness in them, that's just a part of who we are. 'Tis our job to help draw out the best in everybeast we see." The mouse leaned forward, staring at Marley through the helmet. "I just want you to keep that in mind when you wake up and in the days to come, alright? I'll see you soon."

Marley shuffled backwards. "Alright, Martin. I wish you would've answered my first question, but alright, I guess." The cobblestone tiles beneath Marley's footpaws faded away, prompting them to ask, "Hey, can I ask one more thing before you go?"

The armoured mouse folded his arms. "It depends."

"You know what I've done. Why me?"

Martin chuckled and waved his tail dismissively. The dancing lights flooding the hallway brightened in intensity until it was too much for Marley to bear. They shut their eyes as a flicker of pain burnt through their body. When they opened them, they weren't in the warm, colourful halls of Redwall Abbey, but in a cold, dreary cave in the middle of Mossflower Woods.

Marley raised their head from the stolen knapsack they used as a pillow and was surprised to find their eyes already adjusted to the darkness. They stiffly pushed themself to their footpaws, stretching their sore back and glancing around idly. Even though they had just woken up, they immediately felt exhausted seeing the burrow of dirt and stone surrounding them. The hole wasn't that spacious; Marley could touch both ends if they held their arms out. They guessed a mole dug this long ago to hide and left when it was safe. The slightest bit of light flooded through the tunnel leading inside the chamber, and on closer inspection, Marley realised it was moonlight.

Marley sighed and crawled through the tunnel, exiting into Mossflower Woods. They headed over to a plank of wood embedded into the ground by the entrance and scratched in another mark with a trembling claw. "65 days down, five more to go. Just five more." The mouse sat against the rock wall surrounding the burrow with their legs hugging their chest and gazed out into the forest. Marley felt their chest ache as they thought about the past two moons.

Five days. Just five more until their banishment from Redwall Abbey was over. Marley knew they were lucky to get a second chance instead of being immediately outcast, especially considering what they'd done, but it didn't make the situation any more pleasant. They shut their eyes and tried to remember the warm fireplace in Cavern Hole, the soft furniture, and best of all, the food. Try as they might, however, the memories were fading. Marley attempted to focus on specific aspects like the uneven legs on the dormitory's armchair or the scratches underneath their bed from all the times they snuck their practice sword down there, hoping it'd rouse their mind a bit, but all it did was make their brain hurt. Marley shook their head and switched their attention to something more immediate, like their grumbling stomach. They turned towards their supply pile only to remember they were out of food. Oops. Maybe they should've rationed better. Oh well, they only had a few days left. They briefly considered heading to the River Moss since there were a decent amount of edible plants growing nearby, but they quickly disregarded it. The mouse felt themself shiver as they remembered what happened the last time they went.

Before Marley could create a plan to find something to eat, they heard a distant cry for help. The mouse swivelled towards the sound, ears twitching as they listened to the cry again. Without hesitation, Marley crawled back into their burrow, pulled out a wooden branch they had been using as a weapon, and headed towards the noise. Not even a few steps out, Marley felt a sudden urge to be careful so strong it froze them in place. Their heart pounded as they scanned the forest for anything dangerous, but nothing was there. Marley tilted their head as they realised they didn't know if those were their thoughts or Martin's. They didn't even see anything, so why would they be worried? Marley continued running until that urge came back so violently that they staggered and fell to the ground. Something hot flickered in their chest, but they weren't sure what it was. Now was not the time to dwell on that, though.

Once they got up again, those thoughts didn't return, so Marley focused entirely on searching for the screaming.

In hindsight, maybe they should've been slower.

Marley crashed through the bushes too quickly and couldn't dodge the knapsack somebeast slammed into the side of their head, sending them tumbling to the grass. Marley groaned and shook the stars out of their vision to find a figure lying next to them. It was a stoat clutching a bloodied arm. She looked about their age. Her face scrunched up as she gazed at the mouse. "What the hell? Who are yew?"

Marley quickly waved at the stoat before picking up the tree branch and standing up, holding their makeshift weapon in front of them. A scraggly weasel emerged from the bushes, grasping a knapsack in one paw and pulling a dagger out of their belt with the other. "Now, what's a lil' mousey doin' all th'way out here? Ye picked th'wrong time ter mess wit' th'most infamous thief in this side o' Mossflower Woods!"

"I've never heard of ya," the injured stoat spat indignantly.

"'Tis a work in progress, shut up! I'm tryin'! Anyway, empty yer pockets, mousey!"

Marley shook their head. "For your information, I don't have anything with me. I'm guessing that bag isn't yours then, thief?"

The stoat glared at the mouse. "Of course, it ain't his! That's obviously mine, ya moron!"

Marley nodded. "Yeah, that's hers, so give it back."

The weasel laughed and raised his dagger. "And what're ya gonna do? Hit me wit' a stick?"

"Yeah." Marley lunged and swung the branch at the weasel, who leapt back and darted to Marley's side. Moonlight glinted off the dagger as the weasel thrust it towards the mouse's head. Marley stumbled back and fell to the grass. Thinking quickly, Marley kicked their leg and sent the weasel to the ground before he could stab them.

"Ow, ya piece o' shit, mouse!" Marley got up before the weasel did (albeit already tired) and swung the branch into his head with a crack, rendering him unconscious. Marley panted heavily and slowly grabbed the knapsack that had been dropped during the scuffle. They turned towards the stoat and tossed the bag at her footpaws.

If it weren't for a sudden voice in their head screaming at them to "step to the side", Marley wouldn't have understood why the stoat's eyes widened. Marley did as they were told, only to trip over their footpaws and fall to the grass. It turns out the weasel wasn't unconscious and had swung at the mouse, whose back was turned. Marley kicked out again, but the weasel learned from the last time and leapt back. The weasel pounced a moment later and pinned Marley to the ground, grinning as he raised his weapon. Marley grabbed his wrist before he could slam the dagger into their chest. The weasel growled into Marley's deadpan face as the dagger slowly inched away from the mouse. A fist slammed into Marley's snout, weakening their grasp on the weapon. A couple more blows turned the tide in the weasel's favour. He bared his fangs as the blade lowered, tearing into the mouse's jerkin.

The pressure on Marley's chest was suddenly released as the stoat slashed the weasel's back with a knife she grabbed from her bag. The weasel howled and rolled to the side, backing away as the stoat aimed her weapon at his throat. "That's what'cha get fer stealin' my stuff! Piss off and leave if ya know what's good fer ya!" The weasel glanced back and forth between Marley and the stoat before scrambling up and dashing off, snarling curses as he faded into the distance. Marley lay on the grass, trying to catch their breath when the stoat stood over them and aimed her dagger at them. She glanced at the moon and ordered, "Take me to wherever ya live. J-just until mornin'."

Marley gave a weak thumbs up in response. "Okay."

The stoat lowered her weapon. "'Okay'? That's it? Whatever, just hurry and get up."

Marley rolled onto their footpaws with a grunt. "Sure, but I'm warning you in advance, it's kind of bad."

"I don't care," she replied and looked over her shoulder, "Just somewhere that ain't here. Hurry up already, can ya move any slower?"

"I'm tired. You wouldn't happen to have anything to eat, would you?" Marley asked as they motioned for the stoat to follow.

The stoat opened her knapsack before quickly fastening it. "Wait, no, this is mine, I ain't givin' ya anythin'."

Marley sighed and continued leading the way. "Alright then." The mouse gazed at the deep blue sky, tinting the moon and the foliage around him in a soft haze. Stars floated in the air like dancing lights, trees rustling softly with the late spring breeze. Marley hummed along with the bugs chirping and buzzing around them. Meanwhile, the stoat glanced over her shoulder, eyeing the shadows cast by the rays of moonlight. "We're almost there," Marley noted, hoping that would ease her worry a little.

"Where do ya live anyway?" The stoat asked. "Is it just yew here?"

"For now, yeah."

The stoat narrowed her eyes. "Whaddya mean by that?"

Marley turned as they finally reached the burrow. They aimed their tree branch at the plank decorated with tally marks. "I mean that I'm leaving in five days. It shouldn't be a problem if you're just staying here for the night, though."

"Ugh. This is where ya live?" The stoat stared at the burrow and groaned. "Ya weren't lyin' when ya said ya had nothin'. Shoot, this ain't much safer than stayin' out in the open."

"So are you going to leave, then?"

The stoat turned and scanned the woods before plodding towards the rock wall with heavy steps. "No." She sat on the grass and tossed her knapsack next to her. "Some twit will prolly stab me if I try to walk all the way home." Marley watched as she searched her belongings with one paw while the other quivered in the air. Her movement quickened when she reached the bottom of her bag. "Seasons, did I not bring anythin' to fix this?"

"Do you need something to help with that?" Marley asked, glancing at the blood running down her arm.

"What do you think? Ngh, is this gonna be fine 'till mornin'? Oh, my pa's gonna be so pissed. I'm not even supposed to be out here."

Marley shifted their weight and crossed their arms. "Are you sure you want to wait here for that long? I can take you back now if you want."

"No! No, those bastards are prolly lookin' for me, and I don't wanna be caught out in the open," she hastily explained.

"Who?"

"Those twats from Redwall Abbey. I've heard stories where they go all out tryin' to kill anybeast that steals from them. I swear, they're out there right now lookin' to skin me and hang my pelt over a fireplace."

Marley stared blankly at the stoat as she experimentally draped her bag straps over her arm. Eventually, she noticed Marley watching and scoffed. "Seasons, stop lookin' at me with that creepy face."

"Creepy?"

"Yeah. Draw a picture, it'll last longer."

"Never mind that. You tried to steal from Redwall Abbey?"

The stoat snorted. "Yeah. In hindsight, bad idea. Super incredibly bad." She glanced at her arm and whined. "Ugh, they're prolly gonna tear off my arm and make a belt out of it or somethin'. Somebeast told me that they do that."

Marley scratched the back of their ear. "No, we don't do that. I've never heard anybeast trying to make clothing out of body parts."

The stoat raised a brow. "Whaddya mean 'we'? I thought you… Oh hell no!" She sprung up and aimed her dagger at the mouse. Marley raised their paws defensively. "I didn't know yew were from that dumb abbey! That's why ya helped me, wasn't it? Ya wanted me alive! Aw dang, yer gonna take me back and get my spine torn in half by a badger or somethin'!"

"We don't have a badgermother," Marley answered matter-of-factly. "But even if we did, I'm not going to do that. I can't return to the abbey for a few more days, anyway." Marley motioned towards the plank of wood embedded in the dirt. "I don't have a reason to hurt you, so I won't."

"Oh yeah? Why'd ya help me then?"

Marley shrugged. "I don't know. I heard a scream and I thought I should help?"

The stoat's mouth hung open limply as she looked around the mostly empty camp. She slowly lowered the knife and shook her head. "Ya really expect me to believe a random homeless mouse with no food or water tried to help a stranger gettin' held at knifepoint just because they heard a scream? Yew didn't get anythin', yew don't even look happy to have saved me- actually, yew've been makin' that same dumb face the entire time. Nevermind. The point is, yew gained nothin' from this."

"Am I supposed to have a reason? Can't I help someone just to do so?"

"Well… no, but… Seasons, you're weird. Okay, I'll choose to believe ya for now, but if ya try anythin', I have a knife and I've been told I'm good at usin' it."

Marley blinked. "Sounds fair to me." The stoat sighed and sat back down, placing the knife in the bag. Marley tilted their head and asked, "So if you don't mind me asking, what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I already told ya, I was tryin' to steal from Redwall. I didn't think anybeast would be awake this late, but there was some twit with a spear, and they cut me."

"What were you trying to get? Because if you need it that bad, I could try to pass it to you when I'm allowed back inside."

The stoat rubbed the back of her neck, staring at the ground. "Uh… it might've been that magic spirit sword," she muttered.

A familiar silhouette flicked in the corner of Marley's vision. They ignored it and continued. "Oh. Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to get you that."

"Obviously." The stoat raised her injured arm.

"Do you need it for something important? I can't get you that sword in particular, but we have a lot of weapons stocked in the armoury. I mean, it's locked and I think I'll be forbidden from stepping near it when I get back, but I have a friend who knows how to open locked doors, so she-"

"What? No, are ya daft?" The stoat sighed and leaned on her uninjured arm. "I don't know how to describe it. Someone wants it for somethin' important 'cause she thinks it'll solve a few problems that popped up, but besides that, I've also always dreamed of seein' it for myself. I've heard 'tis also made of a star or somethin' dumb."

Marley's ears twitched. "Huh. I mean, yeah, it's a cool sword, but is it cool enough to break into Redwall Abbey as a stoat? They're not too fond of vermin."

The stoat narrowed her eyes. "Seasons, me likin' the sword was only a small part of it! I didn't even get to see it anyway, so it doesn't matter. Anyway, somethin' weird is happenin' and our- someone I know wants to study that sword and see if it's magic can help us."

"Huh." Marley buried their paws in their pockets. Well, it sure is magic. Hi Martin. Can you hear my thoughts? I know you can read them. Hello. Hi. Hey. Can you not answer me, or is this not how this works? Why are you in my head? Can you get out?

The stoat hummed to herself, frowning as she tried to think of a solution. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she pulled the knife out of her bag, aiming it limply at Marley. "Oh I've got an idea, yer gonna study the sword for me, or else I'll stab ya. Yeah, that works."

Marley ignored the knife. "You could've just asked, I was going to research the sword and its owner anyway. There is a problem, though. I very much doubt I'm going to be allowed near the sword or anything sharp once I'm allowed back inside. I bet the abbot already confiscated my practice sword, but if it needs to be done, then I'll try to get it done."

"Yer no fun, can ya at least pretend to act scared so it feels like I'm forcin' ya to do somethin' instead of askin' ya fer a favour?"

"Believe me, this isn't too much out of the way. I really, really need to figure out something related to the sword. And its owner. Mostly its owner."

"But now it- alright." The stoat pulled the knife away from Marley, instead using it to scratch the dirt.

Marley nodded. "So we have a deal then?"

"No, this ain't a deal 'cause yew ain't askin' for anythin' in return," she snapped. The stoat experimentally raised the knife a few centimetres away from Marley's neck. Once again, the mouse didn't react. Their face stayed as blank as ever. "Seasons, why aren't ya scared? Listen, I hate owin' favours, so there's no way I'm lettin' ya leave with the advantage. Just ask me for somethin' in return, anythin' at all."

Marley blinked, not expecting the stoat to offer. "Oh, really? Well… hm." The mouse's ears twitched thoughtfully. There wasn't anything important they could think of, but if she was insisting on giving something in return, they might as well take the offer. "I'm not going to ask for much, just to yell for me at Redwall Abbey if you see or hear anything suspicious."

The stoat snorted. "Suspicious? Where the hell have ya been? A lot has been pretty darn suspicious recently. Anythin' yer lookin' fer in particular?"

Marley opened their mouth and paused. They hesitated to answer until they realised Martin already knew what they were about to say. Hell, Martin started visiting them the night this happened. "A while ago, a weasel attacked me by the river. I want to say hi to him if you know what I'm getting at."

"Ya can just say ya wanna hurt him, 'tis not like I'm gonna put ya to death or somethin', but easy enough." The stoat tossed the knife back in her bag. "So, just to keep track, yer gonna research the sword and tell me everythin' ya can 'bout its magic, and I have to keep an eye out for suspicious weasels."

"Or anything big, really."

"Right." The stoat tapped her footpaw as the conversation ended there. Marley watched as she examined her arm again with a frown.

"Do you want me to find stuff to keep that clean until morning? I know there's some moss growing nearby we can use to stop the bleeding, maybe some cobwebs too," Marley suggested. The stoat glanced at the ground and slowly nodded. Marley stood up to head into the woods when the stoat spoke up, stopping them in their tracks.

"Kanor."

"Hm?"

"That's my name," she muttered. "If I need to talk to ya inside the abbey, I need to know what to call ya."

"Oh." The mouse turned and gave a slight nod. "Marley."

"Marley, huh?" The stoat, Kanor, got up and eyed the noise. "Yer a weird one."

"Yeah, I've heard that a lot." Marley twirled the tree branch in their paw and stepped towards the woods. "So, do you want to come with me, or do you want to stay here?"

Kanor shrunk back, holding her arm close to her body. "I think I'll stay here."

"Alright. Don't do anything dangerous while I'm away, alright? I'll be back in a little bit. I'll grab some food on the way back, too." Marley waved and headed off into the moonlit forest, leaving Kanor behind at their camp. The stoat turned towards the wood plank embedded in the dirt and the 65 tally marks scratched in.

"By the claw, what kind of mouse did I just make a deal with?"

When Marley finally went back to sleep that night, they once again found themself in the endless hallway, something that surprised them since they thought Martin would only talk to them once in a while. This was already their third meeting, and they all took place during their banishment. Marley wandered until he found the armoured mouse pacing hastily in a circle. Marley tilted their head and waved. "Hi. Why did you bring me here?"

Martin looked over and pinched his armoured snout. "I've been meaning to ask you something for a while, and now's as good a night as any."

"For a while?"

"Yes. Take a seat." Martin flicked his tail and two armchairs appeared in the middle of the hallway. Marley darted towards the nearest one and climbed on it, not having anything this comfortable since they got banished. Martin took the other seat and sighed. "I hold no ill will towards you and I only want what's best for Redwall Abbey and its residents. That includes you. I need you to understand that, first."

"But I'm not currently a part of Redwall Abbey," Marley said, curling up in the chair.

The armoured mouse leaned forward, staring into Marley's eyes. "You don't trust me, do you?"

Marley tilted their head and shrugged slowly. "What…ever could you mean?" They deadpanned.

"You're scared."

Marley's ears twitched as they avoided the other mouse's gaze. In hindsight, their being scared would make sense, but having it pointed out to them made their heart beat faster. "Can you leave me alone and haunt someone else?" They asked quietly.

Martin sighed, leaning his helmet back against the chair. "I'm sorry, but there isn't much I can do about that. I called upon you for a purpose, and I cannot leave until we're done."

"Well, what is that purpose, then?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

"Why not?" Marley asked, rising from their chair. "Why can't you tell me what's about to happen to me and my friends so I know how to protect them? How come every story about you involves some mystery or question to answer? You asked me one already, and I don't want to answer it. Why can't you just tell me what to do if you want me to succeed? Better yet, just take over my body at this point and do everything yourself. You might as well, since you seem to know everything, including all of my thoughts and who knows what else about me. Maybe you know stuff about me that I don't even know since you're so omnipotent." Marley sat down and waited for Martin to respond. The armoured mouse chuckled and Marley couldn't tell if he was making fun of them or not. "What's so funny?"

"Apologies, but there aren't many beasts who bother questioning my methods. Not that there's anything wrong with that, keep doing it. That being said," Martin tilted his head, his voice lowering into a growl, "I think we both know you of all beasts don't want that to happen. I'm willing to refrain from using possession if it makes you that uncomfortable- not that I can without your trust, anyway, but in return, you have to listen to what I say, or, seasons, at least take it into account. If I tell you to be careful, then take it slow. You seem to be able to take a hit, but in terms of everything else, you're… how do I put this nicely? Less developed. I don't want you to get needlessly hurt."

"What's the difference? You're still controlling everything I do, just less directly."

"You still have choices. I will guide you, but 'tis up to you to carry them out however you wish." Martin stared at the other mouse, who looked at the floor. The armoured mouse folded his arms. "For what it's worth, you did manage to help the stoat and strike a deal with her, something I know will be important down the line. You've been doing well thus far."

Marley sighed. "Oh, you wanted that too, huh? So, was that even my choice, then? Or were you setting things up so I'd do that?"

"No, that wasn't me. Marley, I chose you specifically because I knew you would do things like this. It was the same for everyone else I visited. Don't think about it too hard and continue to go about things your way. Besides, you seem to be doing a good job at knowing when I'm giving you instructions since you go out of your way to ignore them."

Marley glanced at the armoured mouse, who smiled through the helmet. Marley dipped their head. "Alright. I'll keep this in mind. Can I leave now? I just want to get these last few nights over with."

The armoured mouse nodded. "You miss your home, don't you?"

"… Yeah."

"Then, in that case, our meeting will end here. I'll see you soon."

Marley realised something just as the lights floating around the endless hallway brightened. "Wait, you never answered my question, why can't you tell me what I'm doing and what am I facing?" Martin grinned and flicked his tail, causing the lights to explode in a flash of colour. Before Marley realised what had happened, the dream was already over, forcing them back into the reality where they were just some banished mouse from Redwall Abbey.

Author's note: I'll remove this note later if I remember, but if you've read the first version of Unmask on my profile, this is a rewrite of that. I decided to restart for a few reasons, some of which I can't go into because of spoilers, but the short version is that in hindsight, I had too many ideas and plot points I wanted to include going in, which made planning a lot more difficult as I tried to fit them all, yet somehow I didn't establish the most important ones quick enough because I wanted them to have more impact later. I'll leave the old one up for posterity, but know that not everything in there will be kept and some stuff will be changed.