#redwall fluff

A bit of belated birthday fluff for @thegoldensoundtwice. She requested a story involving Blaggut.

*

Some distance away from Redwall, in the heart of Mossflower along a broad bend in a meandering stream, there stood a cozy little house built into a naturally-formed cave. The land around the house was plentiful, abundant in fruit-bearing trees and berry-bushes. A creature could live there quite comfortably without worrying about finding enough food.

A score of paces away from the house, down where the land gently sloped into the stream, a lone creature worked on the project that consumed most of his days. The creature, a rat named Blaggut, worked hard sanding down the keel of the small boat he was working on. Many seasons of hard work and trial and error had taught him the right way of making a study and safe watercraft. This craft would be a fine little boat once he was finished, but he still needed to finish sanding before caulking and sealing the outer surfaces.

It was @the-redwaller ‘s birthday recently, and I said I would write a fluff piece of their choice. The selected characters were Martin and Gonff. Enjoy!

*

There was an unmistakable air of anxiety coming from Gonff. He paced back and forth across the stone floor, wringing his paws together and looking at the door to the infirmary every few seconds. As he completed his circuit for the hundredth time that hour, Martin held out a paw to stop him.

“Gonff,” the warrior-mouse said to his friend, “everything is going to be fine. Germaine and the others know what they’re doing.”

“I know,” Gonff said, moving around Martin to resume his pacing, “but I’m so nervous, matey. I’m going to be a father. I don’t know the first thing about being a parent. What if I mess something up?”

With eyes half-open, Martin watched the embers of the dying fire as he dozed off. The day of traveling had been hard on his paws, and he so badly wanted to sleep for a day. Grumm and Pallum had drifted off hours ago, stomachs full with the delicious trail rations Polleekin had sent with them.

Rose stirred silently at his side. She and Martin had stayed up late to talk, though Martin had mostly listened as Rose talked about her home at Noonvale. He could tell she missed the peaceful valley and was worried about the well-being of Brome, her younger brother. No sign of him nor Feldoh had been seen since they had started their journey eastward, though it was possible they had started off further north or south from where Martin and the others had washed ashore after their boat sank.

In her sleep, Rose shifted closer to Martin, using his shoulder as a pillow. Martin kept as still as possible as he stretched his arm out toward his pack to grab a blanket for her, but it was just out of reach. He tried to hook a claw around a loose thread, but caught only air.

Sighing contently, Martin relaxed and closed his eyes, ready to fall off to sleep. Just as he was almost asleep, a faint buzzing followed by a tingling on his nose informed him an insect has landed on him. Irritated at being disturbed, Martin twitched his nose and whiskers, trying to scare the bug away.

It flew away for a few seconds, but returned and continued its dance on Martin’s muzzle. A second nose twitch produced a similar result.

Finally fed up with the annoying insect, Martin opened his eyes to glare at it. The beetle-like creature buzzed as it landed on Martin before lighting up like a small ember.

“HellgatesSonOfA…” Martin sputtered as he scrambled backwards, brushing at his face.

The other three sleepers were quickly up and alert.

“Martin, what’s wrong?” Rose asked, looking around in concern, “Are we under attack?”

“What is that thing?” Martin gasped as he watched with wide eyes as the insect flew around the camp as its light blinked.

Rose giggled, “You’ve never seen one before?”

Martin shook his head in silence as he watched the creature with curiosity.

Humming softly, Rose extended her paw and allowed the insect to land. “It’s called a firefly.”

“Is it dangerous?”

“Only if you’re a leaf, silly.”

Martin lifted Rose’s paw toward his eyes and examined the glowing creature in awe. “How does it do that?”

“Its own special magic I suppose,” Rose guessed. “My Grandpa used to tell me that they were stars that got tired of hanging on to the sky.”

“Are there many of these?”

Rose nodded. “You want to see?” Facing into the forest, she began to sing.

Sleep, O babe, for the red bee hums The silent twilight’s fall: Aibheall from the Grey Rock comes To wrap the world in thrall. A leanbhan O, my child, my joy, My love and heart’s desire, The crickets sing you lullaby Beside the dying fire. 

Dusk is drawn, and the Green Man’s Thorn Is wreathed in rings of fog: Siabhra sails his boat till morn Upon the Starry Bog. A leanbhan O, the pale half-moon Hath brimmed her cusp in dew, And weeps to hear the sad sleep-tune I sing, O love, to you.

Faintly sweet doth the chapel bell Ring o’er the valley dim: Tearmann’s peasant-voices swell In fragrant evening hymn. A leanbhan O, the low bell rings My little lamb to rest And angel-dreams, till morning sings Its music in your breast.

Sleep, O babe, for the red bee hums The silent twilight’s fall: Aibheall from the Grey Rock comes To wrap the world in thrall. A leanbhan O, my child, my joy, My love and heart’s desire, The crickets sing you lullaby Beside the dying fire.

Martin watched entranced as, slowly at first, more and more fireflies entered the clearing, leisurely gliding around Rose, giving her the appearance of some glowing spirit. It was like standing in a field of stars. Everywhere he looked: glowing points of light circled the camp.

When Rose had finished her song, the little creatures remained for a minute before spreading out into the night, taking their magic light with them.

Pallum and Grumm had fallen asleep again, leaving Martin and Rose standing together.

“Rose…”Martin said, still caught up in the moment, “that was amazing.”

Rose smiled modestly, “Thank you, Martin.”

“Let me get you a blanket before we get back to sleep.”

“No thanks, I’m warm enough next to you.”

“Oh! Umm. Okay.” Martin set the blanket down to use as a pillow and lay down. Rose settled next to him.

“Don’t worry,” she said as he closed his eyes, “I’ll protect you from any more dangerous fireflies.”

…

      Matthias blinked the sleep away as the morning light poured into the courtyard of the Abbey. Scanning the courtyard, he gave a throaty chuckle. It had been quite the celebration last night. For what, exactly, he wasn’t too terribly sure, but there were plenty of Abbeybeasts curled up on top of each other in warm piles of bodies, though Basil Stag Hare and Ambrose Spike were sound asleep on a table, tankards still in their paws, snoring most uproariously. Abbot Mordalfus wobbled past, meaning to pat Matthias on the head but smacking an ear instead. 

      “Oh dear me, young Warrior, I’m afraid I fell asleep in the courtyard.” 

       “It was quite the party, Abbot,” 

        “Yes. Do remind me to never let the Guosim throw a wedding party here again.” 

      Four wooden canoes were floating on the surface of the pond, shrews jammed in together, all snoring as if they meant to sleep the day away. Constance was flat on her stomach, eyes bleary, blinking slowly. She looked towards Matthias and the Abbot. The three gave a wobbling nod to each other; all the energy they could extend. 

      “Good morning you grumpy beasts,” Cornflower whispered cheerfully as she approached, a trey of hot tea in her paws. The Abbot muttered gratefully while taking a cup and then limping off. 

        “How are you so cheerful? You drank more than me last night. How are you even up and awake?” Matthias groaned as he accepted the mug. 

        “Well someone needs to help Friar Hugo with breakfast for all these hungover beasts,” Cornflower took a sip from her own mug and then pouted “Yuck, I didn’t realize I had grabbed such a bitter blend, but it is supposed to help with headaches.” 

  Leaning in Matthias gave her a kiss as she pouted at her tea mug. They smiled shyly at each other before glancing back at the courtyard. 

        “Constance is going to need a whole beaker of this tea,” 

        “Yes, yes she is,” Cornflower giggled back, stretching before she stood up. “I’ll go get her some. You rest a bit more, breakfast will be ready soon.” 

@the-redwaller needs some fluff to make her feel better and since she continued on with my odd little Redwall AU in the most adorable way possible, it’s my turn to contribute! 

Cornflower fidgeted near the fountain, pulling at her blue dress to pluck out any crinkles and adjusting the soft yellow scarf with little blue flowers of her name sake hand sewn into the material. This is a stupid outfit. I look stupid. Wait. Why was she even nervous? Twitching her nose, she smoothed out her whiskers. Suddenly the wind whipped fiercely through and the roses danced wildly, petals caught up in a world wind over Cornflower’s head. Amazed, she watched as they swirled about before dropping to the ground as the wind died down. She sneezed as a blood red petal landed on her nose.

“Bless you,” Matthias called out as he approached, his face oddly red. “That was quite the wind wasn’t it?” He cocked his head to the side smiling, not realizing that petals had settled between his ears.

Chuckling, Cornflower reached up and brushed the petals from him, watching as they fell slowly to the path. “Indeed it was.” She looked up and realized he had been studying her face. They averted their eyes awkwardly, muttering some form of lame excuse, faces flushed, noses red, and whiskers nervously twitching. 

“Uhh, I made some Loamhedge Loafs for us.” Matthias coughed after a silent pause, holding up a plastic sack of perfectly sliced bread, the plastic fogging in certain places indicating that the loaf was still warm. 

“That looks delicious!” Cornflower exclaimed, leaning in and sniffing the sack, the aroma of spices and nuts tingling her nostrils. 

Matthias muttered out a thank you, his ears red as he adjusted his backpack. Smiling rather shyly, Cornflower pulled out two flasks of cold mint tea she had made for them, along with a iced spiced vanilla latte just for Matthias, to which he accepted happily in exchange of a warm loaf for her. 

“Shall we head to the library, queen of the coffee’s?” He grinned, bowing in awe of her skills. Playfully pushing him away, they made their way to the library.

A gift of fluff for @thegoldensoundtwice because she has had a rough few days and needs to be fluffed to death.

                A single pair of paws kicked and wriggled as its owner rolled around in her bed, trying to find a comfortable position. On her back, on her side, her front, her other side, no position seemed soothe her. The linen sheets and blankets eventually came loose and tangled together. With a frustrated sigh, the mouse left her bed and set about fixing the covers.

                Cornflower trembled slightly as her feet touched the stone floor. Though the summer days were suffocating and hot, the stone floor was frigid. That pair of slippers she had been putting off making seemed more and more necessary every night.

                Blankets and pillows alike hit the floor as Cornflower yanked the bottom sheet from the mattress and gave it an elegant flick before letting it waft back down onto the bed. Each corner was promptly tucked in tightly and all wrinkles and folds were smoothed down. Next came the second sheet, followed by a light blanket and a thicker patchwork quilt.

                Cornflower smiled as she looked at the hodgepodge of colors and patterns. She had sewn this blanket season ago when she was pregnant with Mattimeo, and it had seen many afternoon naps and sick nights.

                After she arranged the pillows (Matthias’ on the right, hers on the left), Cornflower returned to bed to face another restless night. Matthias had taken Mattimeo and a number of the other Abbeydwellers to the river for a week-long fishing trip. He had been gone four days already, but it felt more like four seasons.

                Feeling lonely, Cornflower reached across the bed and grabbed Matthias’ pillow. It matched hers perfectly, as it had been part of a wedding gift from the Sparrows. Mrs. Churchmouse had done the actual sewing, but the Sparra had provided plenty of feathers for stuffing. As Cornflower pulled it to her chest, she buried her face in it, imagining it was her husband’s strong but slightly chubby torso.

                Inhaling deeply, she could easily detect Matthias’ scent. It was a very earthy smell, like soil, bark, and damp moss. The scent was accompanied by a touch of chestnuts, but that easily could have been from all the late-night snacks Matthias snuck from the kitchen.

                Had Matthias been with her, he would have wrapped his arms around her and given her a kiss on the top of her head, and the absence of these usual affections made Cornflower’s loneliness worse.

                A sudden light caused Cornflower to lift her head from the pillow. The full moon had emerged from behind the clouds, sending its brilliance through the window.

                Leaving the solitude of the bed for the second time that night, Cornflower crossed to the window to draw the curtains. Looking up directly into the moon’s face she whispered to herself, “Please come home soon, Matthias. I’m missing you.

——–

                To the east of Redwall, about a day’s walk from the Abbey, there was a bend in the river where the current slowed to a lazy crawl. Willow trees crowded against the shore, forming a solid canopy over the heads of the creatures who had come to enjoy the gifts of the river.

                It was late at night, and many creatures had already gone to bed or were at least settling down. The otters were an exception, they were enjoying some late night fishing, forgoing rod and tackle in favor of their own paws.

                For the most part, the squirrels and hedgehogs were sleeping under the open sky or in the shelter of the willows, but Matthias was settling down inside a large tent he had brought, sharing it with Mattimeo.

                Matthias smiled as he listened to the sounds of enjoyment and celebration from the creatures of Redwall. He had originally planned a quiet fishing trip for himself and Mattimeo, but the idea seemed a popular one and he quickly had gained an army of followers.

                Glancing over, he saw that Mattimeo was already asleep. He hadn’t even changed clothes, simply collapsing onto his bedroll without a word. It was no surprise that he was exhausted after spending the day running around.

                Sitting up, Matthias reached over to his knapsack and pulled out a small box. He carefully opened it and pulled out its contents: a piece of cloth.

                The cloth was aged, but well cared for. The yellow had faded to an off white, and the blue flowers had smudged and lost a few stitches. Matthias brought the keepsake to his nose and smelt it.

                Cornflower had given him her favorite headscarf what seemed like ages ago. He had worn it as his warrior’s colors for a while, but soon came to treasure it too much to endanger it. Most days he kept it in its box on the top wardrobe shelf, but when he was away from Cornflower, he brought it out to remind himself of her and keep her close.

                The scarf smelled sweet; Matthias occasional snuck away some of Cornflower’s favorite lilac-scented perfume to spray on the soft fabric. As the soft fragrance filled the air around him, Matthias could swear he almost felt Cornflower’s head on his shoulder.

                The light from the moon suddenly filled the tent as the clouds of the day moved past the midnight orb. “Don’t worry, Cornflower,” he whispered as he gazed longingly toward the shining pearl on the blackened sky, “I’ll be coming home soon.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So @the-redwaller came up with this amazingly funny and adorable headcanon and I had to right it out but look out for her drawings of this scene yes I am putting you on the spot for this bwahahaha

     Constance tapped her blunt claw angrily on the table while Abbot Mordalfus took off his crystal-lenses for the 12th time that hour and wiped away at imaginary dust motes. Basil and Foremole nosily munched on a plate of carrots, loud smacking and small talk taking place between them. Finally, in sheer agitation, Constance flung her paws up in the air and gave a loud huff.       “Where in hell’s fire is that Matthias?!”       “Constance!” the Abbot protested, putting his glasses back on as he gave her a severe look. He didn’t back down as she matched his look perfectly.       “Sorry, but I am not sorry, Father Abbot.” She snapped back, slamming a fist down on the table. “This is the twelfth meeting he’s missed in a month!  The twelfth, Father Abbot.” She got up from the table and angrily marched over to where Friar Hugo had set out refreshments and gathered up for herself a plate of mushroom and leek pastries filled with gravy. Sinking her deadly teeth into them, she gargled more rants as the thick delicious gravy filled her mouth. Finally, licking her chops after she devoured the last pastry, she tossed back a swig of cool apple cider and heaved a sigh of exasperation. “And his excuses are becoming more and more absurd!”      At this, Basil snorted and began to chuckle. “My dear gel, leave the poor boy alone. He’s defeated Cluny and has dealt with several other rat hordes in Mossflower. He’s exhausted, eh wot?”        “There’s nothing wrong with taking a rest, of course, but he’s missing important meetings! These rat gangs gathering are small bothers now to be sure--”        “Hurr, thoim a’thinkin’ theys can try to moik a name for ‘emselves by doin’ what Cluny couldn’t, ‘tis turrible trubble, burr hoy!”         “Yes, thank you Foremole. Abbot, these rat gangs may be small enough now but they’re trying to make a name for themselves by ‘taking’ the Abbey, accomplishing something that the Warlord Cluny could not. While Matthias and Log-a-Log and the shrews have everything under control for now, it’s best if Matthias keeps us informed about everything going on and he hasn’t been for nearly a month now.”         “Yes, I understand your point, Constance.” The Abbot nodded his head tiredly.        “Perhoips sumthin’s a-botherin’ Matthias?”        “Phaw! Jolly well better not be the case, good mole. Ol’ Matthias always comes to me with whatever is troublin’ him, doncha know! The chaps like a younger brother to me, eh wot?”       “Then perhaps you could explain his absences, Basil? Or his dreadful excuses?” Constance queried as she poured herself some damson wine, ignoring the look of surprise from the Abbot, quaffing back the entire goblet before pouring herself another. “The first absence made sense; he had nearly been eaten by a pike after chasing off that one...whatwashername, ‘Spearhead the Wicked’, or whatever. Winifred had to help rescue him and he suffered from a cold for a few days. Understandable. But the ones afterwards...helping an old hedgehog find her missing grandchildren, convincing a crazy rabbit he couldn’t fly, gathering nutmeg for Friar Hugo, helping Rooter find his digging equipment, helping Silent Sam find black berries to pick, falling down a rabbit hole and getting lost for nearly two days in the underground maze, taking a nap and sleep walking out in to the middle of Mossflower woods, nearly getting killed by knife throwing eagle--do I even bother continuing on?? Can you explain any of it, Basil??”         “Ah, erm, well now me ol’ gel, I bally well can’t, that is...wot I blinkin’ mean to say--” He was cut off as Friar Hugo entered in, wheeling in more food. “Missing still is he? Hmmph, seems to be a trend with the young’uns right now. Cornflower keeps vanishing mysteriously as well!” At that moment, Warbeak twittered into the room, finishing off a candied chestnut she had been given in payment for bringing the message.      “Ah! There’m be where h’Abbot and stripedog! Me looky all over for’m you.” She swallowed the rest of the treat. “Matthias Crazy Mouse send’m me. Says ‘Sorry for lateness; see stinky rat faces, gotta killee quick fast!’.”       “Thank you Queen Warbeak; this is very kind of you to bring us the message. Well my friends, we now know where Matthias is at and should send him out help right away.” The Abbot said as he pushed his chair back and went to stand up. Constance, however, was not convinced, and went over to table containing food and quickly prepared a giant plate of candied nuts and other goods the Sparra Queen loved and set the plate before her.        “Warbeak, is that really where Matthias is at?”         “You’ma saying Queen Sparra is a lie tell?!” The little birds flashed crazily.         “Not at all, Queen Warbeak. I believe that you are a truthful, honest, and just queen. I also think you are a good friend who wouldn’t betray a request, not matter how silly. All you need to tell me, my dear queen, is where Matthias is currently at, and I can handle it from there. I merely wish to check on Matthias to see if he’s all right.” She pushed the plate closer to Warbeak. Warbeak stared at the food and suddenly gave a little grin as she pecked at the plate.       “Oh, Crazy Mouse issa more then fine, happy me’um think. Crazy Mouse not far from Abbey in woods.” She unleashed herself on the food while Constance strode out of the room with a vengeful look in her eyes.       “Where’s she going?” The Friar asked, mopping away sweat from his face with a dock leaf.       “Heh, she’um find Crazy Mouse. He kissy kissy a lot with Cornyflower right now.” Warbeak grinned as she dove back into her plate.       “Why that cheeky bounder! I bet that’s what he’s been doing the whole time, when he’s not out chasing those rats, un-blinkin’-believable!” Basil sniffed in disapproval, looking down into a cup of tea.      “Hmph! I bet you knew the whole time!” Friar Hugo accused as he marched back into his kitchen. Basil’s ears stood up on end but he made no comment as he sipped back his tea nosily. “The silence proves it! Well I never! When that Cornflower gets back, I do believe that I will have a harsh word with her!”     “Oh come now, they are young and in love.” The Abbot chuckled. “Of course, they will have to reprimanded for skipping out on their chores and meetings.”                                                          ***     “Matthias, I should be getting back now.” Cornflower flushed as she pulled away from Matthias’s passionate kiss, her entire face and ears redder then a cranberry. He looked about the same as he pulled her into a hug.    “Stay just a little bit longer, it’s so nice out here today.” He kissed her on the neck before pulling away and laying down next to her, settling his head on her lap. He closed his eyes blissfully as she gently ran her paw through his fur.    “Is it safe out here, Matthias? Truly? Are those rat hordes finally gone?”    “Oh yeah. Log-a-Log and I chased them out no problem. The moment they saw Martin’s sword, they ran for the hills.” He thumbed towards the sword lying next to him. “That was...a week or two ago, I think?”    “When are you going to tell the Abbot and Constance? I’m nearly disappointed in you, Matthias. A warrior needs to be strong, brave, and true at all times.”     “Ah, that.” Matthias held up his sleeve with Cornflower’s colors tied around it that she had presented to him before the rat Shadow had stolen their tapestry of Martin the Warrior. “See this? A pretty little mousemaiden gave this to me, not sure if you know her or not, she’s a bit shy at times but also quite the feisty warrior herself.” He chuckled as she pushed him off her lap. He sat up, lifting her chin up with his forefinger. “She’s quite in popular demand right now in the kitchens and I’ve seen some other mice calling in on her when they think I’m not around. So I thought that this might be the best time to sneak her out every now and then just to remind her who cares for her the most. What do you think? Do you think she’ll like that?” Cornflower gave a light nod of the head and Matthias leaned in for another kiss when suddenly he felt a wave of terror wash over him and he quickly pulled away to see Constance glowering down at them, her foot paw tapping and her eyes nearly red with displeasure. Her arms were crossed and teeth were bared in a snarl. “HOLY ACORNS!” He yelped as Constance made a snatch for him. He pushed Cornflower out of the way of danger and grabbed Martin’s sword, leaving behind the picnic basket they had brought with them.     “Oh Matthias, I think you’ve a meeting that you’re missing out on.” Constance snarled after them as they raced back towards Redwall, paw-in-paw. “I think there’s some things you’ll want to confess, yes?”     “She’s chasing us!” Cornflower squeaked as she looked over her shoulder at the thundering mass of black and white fur charging behind them.    “Don’t look back!”    “I’d prefer lighting Cluny on fire to this!”    “I assure you I’m more of a terror then Cluny ever was!” Constance shouted after the couple as they dashed back. Irritated as she was, she couldn’t help a throaty chuckle as she gained on them, chasing them through the Abbey gates and into the Abbey itself. Sister May, who witnessed the strange event, was certain she saw Martin’s face in a frozen laugh on the Tapestry.

A gift of Christmas fluff for @thegoldensoundtwice 

*I DID NOT WRITE THIS, @fuzzhugs DID AND I SCREAMED AND MADE A LOT OF INCOHERENT SOUNDS THAT WERE NOT HUMAN. THANK YOU; I ADORED THIS SO MUCH*

The Winter Solstice was a time of celebration for Redwall Abbey. The first day of Winter was the darkest day of the year, but the Abbeydwllers chose to look optimistically at the bleakness, and saw the Solstice as a sign of returning warmth and comfort. Though the entirety of the coldest part of the year still lay ahead, the days would at least be a little brighter, a promise that Spring would soon arrive, accompanied by the flowers and foods the peaceful woodlanders loved so much. A tradition in Redwall was the giving of presents, gifts to greet the sunlight and spread a little happiness.

A thin crack of sun peeking over the Abbey’s walls shone through the gatehouse windows, bathing the pair of inhabitants in a soft, orange glow. Icicles hanging precariously from the edge of the roof sparkled brilliantly in the morning light, and the snow glittered like fine sugar. A batch of snow had fallen during the night, adding an extra foot of powder to the Abbey grounds. The moles would undoubtedly get to work on clearing a bath after breakfast.

Within the gatehouse, Cornflower finished buttoning her dress and started to step away from her bed to where her apron hung from a peg in the wall; a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and stopped her from movement.

“Matthias,” Cornflower sighed as she smiled at her husband’s antics, “I have to go get breakfast ready and then help prepare for the feast tonight.”

A celebration at Redwall was never complete without a feast: roasted nuts stored from the harvest, vegetables cooked, stewed, and grilled, more than a dozen different types of pie, cauldrons full of soups, no doubt prepared with some of the otters’ famous hotroot. Nobeast at a Redwall feast ever went away hungry.

Matthias continued to restrain his wife as he mumbled, still half asleep. “Don’ go. Stay’n bed. Keep me warm.”

In response, Cornflower turned around and gently placed a paw under Matthias’ chin, tickling him. The Warrior giggled in a most undignified manner and his arms fell away as he shook with laughter.

“Stoppit…stoppit,” he gasped between giggles, clearly enjoying the kind torment.

“Are you going to let me go?”

“Yes!” Matthias answered, still shaking and laughing.

“Good.”

Matthias watched his wife walk across the room and grab her apron from its place. After he saw her struggle trying to tie it, he quietly rose from the bed and approached Cornflower from behind, gently taking the cords and tying them securely. A scarf and a thick shawl were shortly thereafter added to her attire.

“Stay warm out there, Cinnamon Bun,” Matthias placed a kiss on her cheek. Cornflower blushed and giggled as her husband’s whiskers tickled her.

Matthias watched Cornflower march through the undisturbed snow toward the Abbey proper. When she reached the Great Hall, Matthias closed the curtain and dropped to the ground so he could reach under the bed. After pulling out a small chest, he opened it and removed a wooden tablet.

Embedded in the piece of polished wood were colored stones, collected by the warrior mouse during his excursions into Mossflower Woods. White pebbles collected from the River Moss formed the background, while shining blue rocks were arranged in the middle in the shape of a cornflower.

“O Cornflower,” he sighed as he looked at the gift he had made, “I do hope you’ll like it.”

A short dash across the Abbey grounds later in the morning brought Matthias into the Great Hall, where there was a continuous buzz of activity as creatures of every ages moved around, seeing to their daily chores and other tasks in preparation for the feast. Matthias himself was later set to help move all of the tables to their proper positions, but for now, he needed breakfast.

Matthias helped himself to a bowl of nuts that was set on the table he was seated at a slowly drag from a beaker of warm greensap milk. A small flurry of activity in the corner of his eye distracted the mouse from his breakfast. Where a moment ago had been no one was now a young squirrel, sitting patiently and watching Matthias.

“Hello there, Sam,” Matthias greeted one of the newer additions to the Abbey.

Sam chittered a little and tilted his head to the side. The young squirrel had grown quite a bit over the past year. He had grown almost a foot and had gained weight. Every day he was climbing higher and higher, no doubt giving his parents more than their share of fright. Still, Sam had yet to talk. The healers in the infirmary had examined him and could find nothing wrong, and Sam clearly understood what was said to him, so the only thing that could be done was to wait for Sam to decide when he wanted to talk.

“Where are your mum and dad at, little guy?”

Sam looked up and pointed at the ceiling. Matthias followed his gaze and say the bushy tails of Mr. and Mrs. Squirrel darting amongst the rafters, accompanied by several sparrows.

“Ah, decorating. I bet you’ll be up there with them one day, eh?”

Sam nodded proudly.

“You excited for the feast tonight? It’ll be your first, won’t it?”

The silent squirrel nodded again and pointed at the bowl of nuts.

“You want a nut? Sure.” Matthias picked up of the little delicacies, cracked it open and tossed it to Sam, who skillfully caught it and gobbled it up quickly before dashing away.

The team responsible for moving the tables was composed of Matthias, Constance, and about a dozen of Winifred’s otters. Basil was present, and acted as more of a drill sergeant than a guide. He was accompanied by Sam, who stood on top of the tables, mimicking Basil’s movements behind his back, much to the amusement of the assembled movers.

On the average day, the tables were left scattered around the hall, but for the Solstice feast, they needed to be arranged in a rectangle following the walls of the Great Hall. Moving the tables into the proper formation took several hours, and by the time he was finished heaving and hauling, Matthias felt sore in his arms and shoulders. With nothing to do until the feast, he settled down against the warm storm near one of the many fireplaces and took a nap.

When Matthias awoke, he saw Cornflower and the other kitchen attendants setting the tables for the feast. Some of the ladies were truly impressive: Saffron and Jenny were carrying stacks of plates taller than they were. Matthias helped by carrying several rundlets of elderberry wine, setting them at the ends of the tables. As he work, he saw Constance moving around the hall, setting the candles and braziers alight, filing the voluminous hall with a warm light.

Not much later, the guests from Mossflower began to arrive and the rest of the Abbey slowly wandered down to the Great Hall, and soon every place was filled.

Matthias was slightly disappointed that there wasn’t any fish to be served. Sometimes the otters managed to break the ice on the pond and haul up a few trout or salmon, but the ponds frozen armor proved too difficult to penetrate.

At the beginning of the feast, Abbot Mordalfus stood and said the traditional grace for the Solstice feast.

“Fur and whisker, tooth and claw, all who enter by our door. Nuts and Herbs, leaves and fruits, berries, tubers, plants and roots, we give thanks this Winter night and welcome back the Spring-time light.”

Followed by a collective ‘amen,’ everybeast dug into the mountains of good with great gusto. Matthias soon lost track of all the different dishes he tried. As the evening wore on, his head began to spin with the amount of elderberry wine he had consumed, and the effects of mild inebriation started to appear. When intoxicated, Matthias became rather giddy, laughing at everything and behaving with a silliness that belonged to much younger creatures.

At the end of the feast, Matthias sat in the corner with a few other enthusiastic consumers of wine, laughing at nothing, but most of Matthias’ attention was directed toward Cornflower, who scurried around the Great Hall, taking dishes down to the kitchens where they would be washed the next morning.

Longing for bed, Matthias stood up on wobbly legs and stumbled over to his wife.

“C’mon Cinnamon Bun, let’s go home.”

Cornflower blushed at having her private nickname spoken so publically. “Just a little longer Matthias, I’ve still got dishes to take away.”

“Saffron  an’ Jenny can handle it,” Matthias insisted, “let’s get home.” Without waiting for an answer, Matthias scooped Cornflower up and hoisted her over his shoulder, carrying her home in a manner most undignified.

“Matthias!” Cornflower flustered, but knew it was next to useless to struggle against her husband. “Matthias, I can walk just fine.”

But Matthias continued his journey out of the Great Hall as his friends hooted and hollered from the corner, laughing at the couple.

Outside, Matthias was pleased to find the moles had finished clearing the snow from the path to the gatehouse, making his homeward journey that much easier. Cornflower, meanwhile, had ceased her resistance, resigning herself to being carried home like a sack of potatoes.

Once the gatehouse door was shut and locked, Matthias gently placed Cornflower on the bed. Cornflower sighed as she stood up and changed into her pajamas.

“You are such a goof, sometimes.”

“And you love it.”

Cornflower did not deny it and focused her attention on adjusting her nightgown.

After the couple had climbed into bed, Matthias reached down and pulled out the small chest. “I’ve got something for you.” He removed the mosaic cornflower and handed it to his wife. “I know it’s not very good, but I made it just for you. You’ll always be the prettiest cornflower anyway.”

“O Matthias,” Cornflower pulled her husband into a hug, “I love it.” She rose and placed the gift on the fireplace mantle before returning to bed. “I have something for you to.” She opened her nightstand and pulled out a piece of fabric, handing it to Matthias. He looked at it and immediately recognized it as a small duplicate of the tapestry, at least the portion that had Martin the Warrior.

“It’s beautiful,” Matthias said. He placed his wife’s present aside and kissed her. Looking at her with a silly grin, he asked, “Want to play Warrior and the Princess?”

“No,” Cornflower said in a quiet voice, blushing, “there’s something else.”

Matthias could see Cornflower looked nervous. “What is it sweetie? Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong, no, it’s just…”

“You can tell me anything, Cornflower. You know that.”

“Well…we’re…I’m going to have a baby.”

Matthias was dumbstruck. “What…you….we” he sputtered, surprised. “We…has baby?”

Cornflower nodded. “I realized about a week ago.”

“That’s great…wonderful!”

“You’re not scared.”

“Yes I am,” Matthias answered proudly, “Scared, confused, worried, overjoyed, excited. I’m everything.”

“I’m not sure that I….” Cornflower’s voice cut out as Matthias kissed her again, and anything else she had to say was halted.

“My,” Cornflower gasped, ears turning red. “What was that about the Warrior and the Princess?”

“Hush dear,” Matthias said, placing a finger over his wife’s mouth, “not in front of the baby.”