The sounds and commotion of so many beasts preparing for a long march carried over the wall and through the dormitory windows. Winokur awoke even as the sun cleared the eastern treetops of Mossflower. He’d gotten very little sleep due to the late hours he’d kept the night before, reading up on the histories and watching Urthblood with his owl and his army. But slumber could not contain him, not with the excitement of these events swirling around him. For one thing, the young otter’s father was a member of Urthblood’s army, and would be part of whatever was afoot. For another, Winokur had a very definite idea about what part he himself might have to play in these matters, and if events unfolded as he suspected they might, he would have to speak with the Abbess right away.
        He rolled out of bed, pulled on his jerkin, and went down the hallway to the chamber of Brother Joel, the Abbey’s lantern and torch keeper. Joel was the burliest and tallest mouse living at Redwall, and Winokur had a favor to ask of Joel.
        Joel answered the knock immediately, having been roused himself by the brightening sky and the army’s noise. “Oh, good morning, Wink. Is there something I can help you with?”
        “Yes, Brother. Do happen to have a spare habit I can borrow?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        By the time Vanessa reached her study, she found both Alexander and Arlyn waiting for her. “Good morning, Arlyn,” she nodded to the retired Abbot as she crossed to stand behind her desk. “I gather Alex has brought you up to date on events?”
        “Him, and a few of the others I met on my way in here,” said Arlyn. “Having a score of swordfoxes trooping up the wallsteps outside my cottage door was enough to end my sleep for this night. So, it appears we will no longer be having Lord Urthblood as our guest.“
        “Or most of his soldiers,” Vanessa nodded. “However, it seems there’s a certain squirrel who desires to join them when they leave ... “
        Arlyn turned in his chair to regard the chief of the Mossflower Patrol. “Is this true, Alexander?”
        “We’ve offered Lord Urthblood food and supplies from Redwall, but nothing in the way of our greatest asset: ourselves. I hazard to guess that more than one Abbeybeast would like to march alongside him to Salamandastron, to lend our services in peace or war.”
        “Correct me if I’m wrong,” Arlyn observed wryly, “but weren’t you one of Urthblood’s biggest critics when he and his army first came to Redwall?”
        “Lady Mina will be going with Urthblood to Salamandastron,” said Alex. “My place is alongside her.”
        “No, your place is here,” Vanessa corrected him. “We’ll need every available defender on our walls in case Lord Urthblood’s fears about his brother prove correct. Least of all can we spare our best archer.”
        “But you’ll have Machus and his swordfoxes to lend a paw here.”
        “Maybe that’s all the more reason to keep all our own defenders here,” said Arlyn.
        Alexander looked at the old mouse. “You still don’t trust Machus, even after Maura spoke up for him?”
        Arlyn sighed. “Let’s just say there’s a big difference between having a few of those foxes within our walls unarmed, and having all of them on our walls with their swords at their sides.”
        “Urthblood trusts him, Lady Mina trusts him, Maura trusts him ... and I think we should too.”
        “The matter of Machus is beside the point,” said Vanessa. “This isn’t about him - it’s about you going to Salamandastron with Urthblood. And if, fur forbid, this does turn into a war between Badger Lords, that is not our fight. I don’t want any Redwallers involving themselves in this.”
        “Redwallers are already a part of Urthblood’s army,” Alex said.
        Vanessa pursed her lips. “Ah, yes. Warnokur. Which raises the question of what I will do if Winokur wants to join his father on this march, which he very well might. I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
        Alex was shaking his head. “I wasn’t talking about Wink. I meant Lady Mina herself.”
        “What?” Vanessa and Arlyn asked as one.
        “Mina and I have talked at great length about the history of the Gawtrybe. As you know, they were tamed and taught their great archery skills by the son of Lady Amber, who lived at Redwall during the time of Martin and Abbess Germaine. Every chieftain of the Gawtrybe since then has been a direct descendant of Amber’s son Alexander ... Mina herself is the great-great-great-and-so-forth granddaughter of a Redwaller. And they have never forgotten that heritage, even if we were unaware of it ourselves. For all I know, Mina and I could be directly related. So you see, some of our kin are already marching with Urthblood. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t go too.”
        Arlyn shook his head in admiration of Alexander’s line of reasoning. “And you’re sure your personal feelings for Lady Mina have nothing to do with your sudden wanderlust?”
        The pink inside Alex’s ears deepened a shade or two. “She’s an honorable beast, and so am I. We’d make quite a pair ... in battle, or in other ways.”
        “Romantic yearnings cannot be used as a justification for letting any Redwaller go into danger,” Vanessa said firmly. “And as for your other argument, Alex, well, I’m afraid you stretched the point too far. Simply because a Redwall squirrel once went to the Northlands and married into the Gawtrybe, it does not make them Redwallers. That happened more generations ago than anybeast can count, and there has been no contact between them and us from that day to this. The Gawtrybe have allied themselves with Urthblood, and that is fine for them. But again, his fight is not ours. I’m sorry, Alex, but I cannot give you leave to go with them.”
        Alex opened his mouth, then closed it again, emotions churning in his eyes. “You know, I could go anyway.”
        “Yes, you could,” Vanessa said levelly. “And then I would think much less highly of you than I do now. It might even make me wonder how seriously you take being a Redwaller.”
        These words clearly stung. “Please, Nessa,” he implored. “Nothing has ever been as important to me as this.”
        “Maybe so,” Vanessa stoically folded her paws before her, “but my decision stands. If you accompany Mina to Salamandastron, it will be against the wishes of your Abbess.”
        “Then I have a very hard decision to make,” Alexander said, turning to leave the study. As he opened the door, he found Winokur standing in the corridor beyond, a ball of fabric tucked under one paw and the other raised to knock.
        “Oh, hello, Alexander sir,” the young otter said, surprised. “Um, is the Abbess available?”
        “Be my guest,” Alex said coolly, and stalked past Winokur down the hallway. Wink looked after him in puzzlement, then stepped into the study.
        “Uh, Abbot, Abbess? Might I be able to have a few minutes of your time?”
        “Of course, Winokur,” Vanessa put on a smile for the youngbeast’s benefit. “Although I have a feeling I know why you’re here. Please close the door and come on in.”
        Wink did as bidden, then came forward to stand alongside the seated Abbot before Vanessa’s desk. “Mother Abbess, I’d like permission to travel with Lord Urthblood to Salamandastron.”
        Vanessa and Arlyn traded glances. “Yes, that’s what I’d thought,” said Vanessa. “Alexander just asked for the same thing, and I denied him. But he has lived at Redwall for many seasons longer than you have, and is one of the chief Abbey defenders. You are young, but not a child. You have never enrolled as a novice of the order, despite your knowledge of Redwall lore. But most important of all, you have what nobeast else at Redwall can claim: a father who is an actual soldier in Lord Urthblood’s army. And family ties like those trump my authority as Abbess. If it is your desire to accompany Warnokur to Salamandastron and fight under Urthblood’s banner, I will not seek to dissuade you.”
        Winokur was silent for some moments, digesting what Vanessa had said. “Abbess, I do wish to travel with Lord Urthblood when he faces his brother ... but not to fight.” He removed his jerkin, casting it aside on an empty chair, and unrolled the bundle he was carrying. The shape of the fabric was unclear, until Winokur pulled it over his head and the two mice realized it was a habit.
        “I wish to be made a full novice of the Redwall order,” Winokur continued, standing before them in the ill-fitting garment. “I wish to go to Salamandastron as a full-fledged representative of this Abbey, one who can serve as a mediator if the chance for peace should show itself.”
        Vanessa and Arlyn were surprised almost beyond words. “What brought this on?” the Abbess asked.
        “I was right there when Hanchett was brought into the Abbey yesterday,” said Winokur. “I felt right away that he was telling the truth, or the truth as far as he believed it. Lord Urthfist and the Long Patrol view Urthblood as an enemy. Now, I’ve been helping Brother Geoff read through the histories, and to the best of my knowledge, no Badger Lord has ever been defeated in war. A few have been slain in battle, but Salamandastron has never fallen to an enemy. For two such creatures to go to war ... “ He shook his head. “It would be catastrophic. We can’t allow it to happen, if we can possibly prevent it. Redwall has always stood for peace. Maybe this is all just some great big misunderstanding between Urthblood and Urthfist, but even if it is, both sides might be so busy gearing up for war that they’d miss an opportunity for peace if it came along. Somebeast needs to be right there in the thick of things to act as a mediator at a moment’s notice. Somebeast neutral, like a beast of the Redwall order. If we can send one peacemaker to stop a war, that would mean more than a thousand warriors.”
        “Yes, it would,” Vanessa agreed. “But you would be exposing yourself to great danger.”
        “No greater than if I went to fight for Lord Urthblood alongside my Dad ... which you were willing to allow me to do a few moments ago.”
        Vanessa smiled. “So I was. But I hardly think you’ve chosen the proper uniform for playing peacemaker.” She came around the desk to examine the young otter’s raiments, and had to stifle a chuckle. The habit only came down to Winokur’s knees, and was uncomfortably tight. “Wherever did you get these robes?”
        “From Brother Joel. He’s the biggest mouse at Redwall, and since there are no otters in the order, I figured he’d have the habit that would be most likely to fit me.”
        “Still a few sizes too small,” Vanessa assessed, then disappeared into her adjoining bedroom. “Wait there a moment, I’ll be right back ... “
        When she returned, she carried with her a cloth bundle of her own. She held it out to Winokur. “Here, try this on for size. It may be a bit musty, but I think you’ll find it to your liking.”
        Wink pulled off Joel’s tight-fitting habit and put on the new one Vanessa had given him. To his amazement, it came almost down to his footpaws, and was not nearly as tight as Joel’s robes had been. “Abbess, wherever did you find this?”
        “It’s an old relic I found stored away when I became Abbess. It belonged to Abbess Mhera, an otter herself. Fortunately, we seem to have successfully kept the moths away from it over the seasons. I must say, it fits you well. Good thing you’re not as burly and well-fed as some of the otters around here!”
        “So, does that mean you’ll let me go?”
        Vanessa beamed at the young otter. “With my full blessing. As of now, you are officially a novice of the Redwall order!”
        Winokur grinned back at her. “Now all I hafta do is figure out how I’m gonna tell my Dad that I’ll be going with him, but it won’t be to fight alongside him.”
        “We’ll talk to him if you want,” said Arlyn. “Vanessa and I can be very convincing when it comes to making beasts see what’s important.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        Cyril’s sleep cycle was totally off kilter.
        After falling asleep in the Infirmary with Jans and Broggen, and then staying up for most of the night on the walltop watching Urthblood’s army mobilizing, the novice mouse drifted off again in the hour before dawn. But Cyril came awake promptly when the Badger Lord entered the Abbey with his swordfoxes, and announced his imminent departure to Vanessa - all of which happened almost directly beneath the spot where Cyril was stationed.
        As Machus and his foxes ascended the west wallsteps, Cyril was flashing down the south stairs. Urthblood was back outside by this time, and the Abbess had hurried off to find Friar Hugh, so the grounds were virtually abandoned at this early hour. The young mouse raced across the lawns and into the Abbey, following in Vanessa’s pawsteps. Instead of heading for the kitchens, however, Cyril scurried up the stairs to the second floor, haring down the corridor there to the Infirmary.
        When he arrived, he found Jans and Broggen already on their feet, making ready to leave the sickbay. Cyril rushed over to them, surprised to see them up so early. 
        “Jans! Broggen! Lord Urthblood says he’s going to be leaving for Salamandastron by noon today!”
        “Aye,” Jans nodded, “Lady Mina was just up here to inform us. Looks like our comfy times here are over. We gotta report for duty down in the meadow right away.”
        “Lord Urthblood’s gonna leave Machus and the foxes here at Redwall,” Cyril reported, to the obvious surprise of the two Northlanders; apparently this was one detail Lady Mina had neglected to mention to the chained mouse and stoat duo. “And I heard him telling the Abbess that he’ll pick another score or two to stay behind with them. Is there any way you can convince Lord Urthblood to let the two of you be among the ones who stay?”
        Jans and Broggen traded glances. “Cyril,” the mouse fighter said gently, “I know you’ve grown fond of us an’ you’d like fer us to stay, but it’s our duty to march into battle with Lord Urtblood. We’re his soldiers. We’ll stay behind at Redwall if he orders us to, but we won’t be happy about it.”
        Cyril’s face fell. “I ... I never thought about it that way. I thought you’d want to stay because that’s what I wanted. I guess there’s more to being a warrior than I realized.”
        “Honor, duty, responsibility - Lord Urthblood expects a lot from his troops,” said Jans. “He relies on us to win his battles, even if he’s the one who plans them and is out in front leading the charge. If it’s any consolation, we’re quite fond o’ you too, and I woulda liked bein’ around to train you some more. You’ve got warrior’s potential, Cyril lad. I hope you find somebeast to help bring it out to its fullest.”
        Cyril pawed at his lip in thought. “Yes, but, if you and Broggen are two of Urthblood’s best fighters, maybe he will want you to stay here to help defend the Abbey. After all, Machus and his foxes are staying here, and everybeast says they’re the best of them all.”
        “Yeah, that’s true,” Jans admitted. “Tell ya what. Broggs an’ I hafta go report now. If Lord Urthblood assigns us to Redwall, we’ll come right back in an’ let ya know. An if not, you be sure t’come down an’ see us off, right? It’s always good luck havin’ a goodbeast sending you off when you might be marchin’ to war. I’d appreciate havin’ your luck on me”
        “Me too,” Broggen seconded. “Never had too many mice thinkin’ of me like a friend.”
        “Okay,” Cyril gave a firm nod. “You’ll see me again before you leave. I promise.”
        “That’s th’ spirit!” Jans patted Cyril on the back. “Now, how’s about escortin’ us down to the meadow? That’d get this day off to a good start, eh?”
        “Okay.” Feeling special, the way he did lately whenever anybeast took him seriously, Cyril proudly led the two seasoned campaigners down through the Abbey and out to the lawns.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        The beasts of Urthblood’s army worked through the morning, preparing for the march to Salamandastron. And many Redwallers toiled along with them, not least of all Friar Hugh and his kitchen staff. Ignoring the shortages caused by the storm damage to the gardens and by so many extra mouths staying at the Abbey, he dug deep into the larders and stores to come up with enough drystuffs to see the army on its way. At the Abbess’s insistence, the plump little mice of Redwall would just have to tighten their habit cords for a season or three until the inventories could be replenished.
        It was midmorning, and Urthblood was consulting with Machus just inside the south wallgate as to which creatures of his forces would stay behind at the Abbey with the swordfoxes. This conversation tapered off to silence as Alexander and Lady Mina approached and stopped before them. “Excuse me, My Lord, but there is something I must discuss with you,” the Gawtrybe squirrel announced.
        Urthblood turned from his swordfox commander to address Mina. “Yes, what is it?”
        “Lord, I request permission to remain here at Redwall with Machus and his force.”
        “Oh? Why?”
        “My skills are in archery, not field combat,” Mina said, while Alex remained silent at her side. “I would be better used on the walltop of this Abbey than where you are going. You will need paw-to-paw fighters to match your brother’s hares, not long-range archers. But that is what Redwall will need most if trouble comes, since they will have to hold off attackers from the heights of their battlements.”
        Urthblood’s gaze went from Mina to Alexander and back again. “Your request is denied.”
        “My Lord - “
        “My brother may well have archerbeasts of his own among the hares of the Long Patrol. And you seem to be forgetting that I might gain Salamandastron and then have to hold it against my brother, or searat hordes ... or both. In such a case I will need every archer I can get - you most of all. Redwall has the entire Mossflower Patrol to hold its walls.”
        Mina swallowed. “Then, Lord, I must respectfully resign from this campaign.”
        Machus stared at the two squirrels in disbelief, while Alex shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. Urthblood regarded the squirrel Lady with cool calm. “I know why you ask this, Mina. If Alexander means that much to you, he will accompany us on the march to Salamandastron.”
        Alex shook his head. “I may not go, My Lord. I asked Abbess Vanessa for leave to go with you, and she refused.”
        “Aha. So you will not go against the word of your Abbess,” the badger warrior turned to Mina, “but you will disobey the Lord to whom you and all the Gawtrybe have sworn allegiance, and resign from one of my campaigns for the first time in the history of our alliance, just when I might need you most. It seems to me that the two of you observe very different ideas of honor.”
        Alexander’s fur bristled and his tail twirled at this attempt to impugn his fellow squirrel’s character. “That’s not fair! Lady Mina is one of the most honorable creatures I’ve ever known.”
        Mina put a restraining paw on his shoulder. “Alex ... “ she said soothingly but firmly, then looked back at Urthblood. “If you do not change your decision, My Lord, then I will not change mine either. I am staying at Redwall.”
        Urthblood stood in silence for some moments. Lady Mina was Gawtrybe royalty, second only to her brother Marinus in standing among them. She was not like most of the creatures in the badger’s army - misguided vermin who’d found themselves without a horde leader, or simple goodbeasts who’d grown fed up with the ravages of tyrants and warlords. She was aristocracy, not to mention an archerbeast without equal, and her sense of self-worth was not easily undermined. And from the way she held herself before him now, it was clear that she would abandon Urthblood here, and consider it no dishonor.
        Machus stepped into the strained moment. “My Lord, I think Lady Mina may be of great assistance to me here at Redwall if this Abbey comes under siege. I would welcome her staying.”
        Alex thought it strange to see a fox playing peacemaker, but it was no stranger than any number of things that had come to pass at Redwall since Urthblood’s arrival.
        The Badger Lord seemed to have reached an agreement with himself. “I would rather have you in my service here than not at all,” he said to Mina. “I will be disappointed if the column marches at noon and you are not with it ... but I will not accept your resignation. If you have not changed your decision by the time we leave, then my orders are that you remain here under Machus’s command, to help with the defense of Redwall as he sees fit.”
        Mina nodded. “Thank you, My Lord.” She turned and headed for the main Abbey building. Alex blinked, then ran to catch up with her, scarcely believing what had just happened.
        “Well, that was a near thing!” He drew up alongside her. “I didn’t know you were going to threaten to quit if he didn’t let you stay. Would you have really done that? For me?”
        “Yes, Alex, I would have.”
        Alex suddenly felt light in the head, and light on his footpaws. He’d long known how deeply he cared for Mina, but to have her confirm that she felt the same way about him was something else. “Well, I don’t know what to say ... except that I’m happy you’re staying. More than happy, actually. Uh ... “ He looked her over as they walked side by side; Mina seemed perfectly at ease. “How can you be so calm about this?”
        “Calm?” Mina laughed nervously. The tremor in her voice told Alex how difficult this had been for her. “My heart is still in my throat!” She leaned close to him and wrapped a paw around his waist, whispering in his ear, “But it was worth it!”