Author:
Marie Blue-eyes (DD)
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Date Posted: 21:01:40 03/17/07 Sat
Name: Marie Blue-eyes
Dorm: DD
Title: Tale of the Highlander
Story:
Marie Song Blue-eyes was born to Dee and Shawn Blue-eyes, a young mouse couple who made their home on the Northern plains. Shawn was a farmer by profession, although he could use a bow well enough to defend himself and his family from common vermin scum. Their house was located on land claimed by the reigning chieftain in the area, a cruel stoat with almost an addiction to slavery. They were allowed to remain in their home and farm the land, but the stoat's soldiers took a large part of their crop for themselves. A few seasons after Marie was born, some of the very young and very old Highlanders, those who had no family to think of, began to stir up trouble against the stoat and his vermin crew. They spread tales and rumors of Kalet -- the stoat -- taking the children of local citizens as slaves. Some of the middle-aged Northerners with families were led to see the stoat's reign as a threat to the safety of their wives and children, and rebellion stirred in the hearts of the Highlands. Despite the Highlanders' ancestrally independent spirit, they were never really a threat to Kalet's reign -- they never got the chance. Kalet had an elite group of his soldiers seek out the leaders of the rebellion and capture them, on the information of a traitorous "Benedict Arnold". He then had them executed for disloyalty.
After that, Kalet kept tighter control of the native Northerners. He ruled with an iron fist, on the basis that he had extended the hand of friendship, but the locals had broken his trust. Soldiers raided farms more often, and grew rougher. Because of Kalet’s growing wealth, his soldiers grew lax and undisciplined. They could now afford drink, and would often go on drunken rampages through some of the small towns, burning and breaking as they went. Occasionally, a young creature would go missing under mysterious circumstances, sparking rumors that Kalet was indeed making slaves of their children.
It was under these conditions that young Dee and Shawn chose to leave the Highlands. The increasingly precarious position of their people, along with their young offspring, convinced them that staying where they were was no longer a wise decision. Shawn and Dee had both been hesitant to leave. He was still young and full of excitement, and had it in his head to join the underground freedom fighters; she wanted to live where her family had lived for generations, and found it hard to abandon her homeland. Despite these misgivings, they united in their sacrifice for young Marie and started on the long journey south.
The trip was relatively uneventful; that is, as uneventful as such a long trip can be. At first they feared that Kalet might have sent some of his soldiers after them, but it soon became apparent that he did not think them that important to his safety, for they spotted no enemies. When they reached Mossflower, they became lost in the woods. Shawn was a fairly knowledgeable guide on the plains, but woods were strange to him. They may very well have traveled in circles forever, had not they been found by the GUOSIM. The Guerrilla Union of Shrews in Mossflower picked them up and listened to their story. They told them of and agreed to take them to the Abbey of Redwall. The Log-a-Log, Chieftain of the GUOSIM, grew especially fond of the little family. Marie was in the process of learning to speak, being about that age. (During their travels, she had picked up some rather colorful vocabulary, much to the Log-a-Log‘s amusement.) When they reached the Abbey and dropped off the young family, they were loathe to leave their new friends. With a promise to visit the next season, they exchanged farewells and set off to complete their business in the woodland.
The Blue-eyes family was accepted by Redwall with open arms. At first, Shawn insisted that they stay only until they could get a house of their own and he could start farming again, but soon both he and his mate were caught under the spell of the Abbey‘s peaceful charm. They decided to make a home inside the Abbey; Shawn renounced his bow and took up the title of Brother, and Dee followed suit, quickly becoming a very helpful Sister to have in the Kitchens. Marie was integrated into the community of Dibbuns known as DAB (Dibbuns Against Bedtime), a motley crew that generally caused mischief and created chaos within the Abbey‘s red walls. She fit right in, with her quickly-developing fiery personality, and her gleeful love of trouble.
Before long she had reached adolescent age, when she was expected to begin training as a Sister of the Abbey. She tried, at first, attending Abbey School and attempting to curb her aggressive personality. However, despite the kind but firm guidance of the Abbey Elders, it soon became apparent to her that this was not the life she wished to lead. Her parents both urged her to take up the mantle of Sister, and give up her ambitious dreams of adventure and thrill, but she knew it was hopeless. She could not deny herself the pleasure of a life spent following her dreams, of chasing the wonderful visions in her head. She decided to bide her time, however, until she became of age. She took her lessons insincerely, though faithfully. She had no intention of becoming Sister Marie Blue-eyes, but she respected the desires of her parents and Elders.
It was a false peace. As her eighteenth season grew near, the time when most Abbey Initiates would have been taking their vows, Marie revealed her decision to her parents. She would travel to the sea with the GUOSIM, who were visiting during that time, and chase her dreams from there. Her mother was distraught, having seen enough of the world to know that it could be an unkind, cruel place. Like her daughter, she had a stubborn streak, and her worry came off as suppression to her fiery daughter. They clashed often and loudly, causing the other Abbey dwellers to learn caution when they were together. Marie‘s father was more supportive, understanding the need to do something “important.” Although he would have preferred a quiet, peaceful life for his beloved daughter, he respected that she was old enough to decide. He quietly attempted to teach her to use a bow, despite his vow never to use a weapon, but to no avail. She found that she just didn‘t have the knack for the weapon, and they gave up that tact. Shawn advised her to find herself a weapon as soon as possible and get some good training in it; he knew well enough how necessary such knowledge was -- potentially, life-saving.
Marie set off with the GUOSIM, after an emotional farewell from her family and the friends she‘d made at the Abbey. She and her mother never apologized to each other; but they both knew that they had been forgiven. Agreeing to visit soon and remembering her father‘s advice, the young harvest mouse started out on a journey that would begin a life of action and excitement.
The trip itself was rather uneventful, as far as actual occurrences went. However, Marie got some very good advice from the crew and her old friend the Log-a-Log, as well as some minor training in the use of the shrew rapier. They reached the coast, where they met up with the crew of the Windsurfer, a ship run by the Sea Patrol, a group of warriors dedicated to fighting evil and protecting the innocent. As they traveled together to Salamandastron, Marie became enamored with the Patrollers‘ tales of questing and adventure. She was especially in awe of the ship‘s Captain, Trillium Moonstripe, a female badger. Admiring her strength and power, adoring her leadership skills and wisdom, Marie‘s mind was made up. She would join the Sea Patrol. At Salamandastron, the shrews’ destination, she announced that she would travel on with the Windsurfer instead of staying with her GUOSIM friends. She became an honorary Patrol member, and joined in with the crewing of the ship wholeheartedly.
Marie traveled and lived with the Sea Patrol for several seasons. In the company of her crewmates, she learned blade-handling and responsibility, a code of honor and a respect for leadership. She was promoted to an officer position, which tested her limits and stretched her newfound maturity. During their experiences together she refined her fighting technique and adopted a comfortable set of blades. Her style was a combination of lightweight fencing like the shrews’ and heavier handling like that of a broadsword-bearing beast. She found a dirk and a dagger perfectly suited to her purposes. Some of the youthful dreams of adventure wore off as Marie was thrust into the reality of the world, but she found that she could not simply settle down and lay down the blades -- not so soon after leaving that life of peace she had once held in Redwall Abbey.
At about twenty-three seasons, Marie caught wind of escalating violence up North. The quiet, rebellious talk of the oppressed Highlanders had sparked a full-blown war between the disgruntled farmers and commoners of the plains and the increasingly cruel and vile dictator who held the scepter of power over them. Satisfied that she‘d served on the waves for long enough to fulfill her agreement when she‘d first joined, if saddened to leave behind the comrades she‘d come to love, and curious about her birth land, Marie determined to travel to the North and assist her people in their fight for independence. Accompanied by several of her most loyal friends, she struck out for the Northern Plains. She sent word to the Abbey before she left, informing her family of her plans. She had kept in contact with them, visiting a pawful of times during her term on the Windsurfer, and no longer held any hard feelings towards either of her parents, although she regretted some of the reckless actions of her past. She knew that her father, at least, would be proud of her for returning to her homeland, although this would at first be buried under the worry he would share with his wife. Though she hated to cause them worry, Marie no longer desired to hide her intentions from her parents; they deserved, she felt, to know where she was and what she was doing.
Upon reaching the North, Marie swiftly proceeded to come into contact with the leaders of the rebellion. She found that the Northern Freedom Brigade was led by Hornwill Bucktooth, an experienced old squirrel. Everyone respected his knowledge, but they all also knew that it would not be long before his age caught up to him. While offering the services of herself and her crew, Marie was slightly thrown off by Bucktooth’s age. A significant part of her personality was that, when she gave her loyalty, she gave it to one or a few creatures. Indeed, she would fight for a cause or a large group, but she was usually only intimately connected with a select few -- this was the case with Captain Moonstripe, and the Sea Patrol. Although she had matured significantly during her time with the Windsurfer, Marie still remained young and hot-headed; seeing such an old and, in her eyes, decrepit creature in charge of a rebellious, spirited group disturbed her thoughts.
Unconsciously, she shifted her attention to the younger, less important leaders of the Brigade. She did not give out her loyalty off the bat, needing some time to get to know the personalities and characters of the leaders; but she still noticed Willem Yewbow, a young -- and, coincidentally, handsome -- harvest mouse. He was responsible and level-headed, having an air of nobility about him that she could respect. To her pleasure, she was assigned to his division, the Roaring Hornets. He welcomed her warmly to his division, which was a very tight-knit group, seeing in her a fire and a spirit that would prove valuable in the future.
Any budding relationship was ruined, however, by a single incident: the capture of Rowan Hold. Rowan Hold was the location of one of the Brigade‘s main outposts, and it was attacked by Kalet’s soldiers not long after Marie‘s induction into the freedom fighters. According her nature, she assumed that they would rush to their rescue; however, Willem said no. When she demanded a reason, he insisted that he‘d received orders to stand down, along with the other divisions. Furiously, Marie insisted that they couldn‘t just abandon their comrades, and stormed out on him. Will had someone follow her to make sure she didn‘t run off and try to save the Hold herself, but she remained with the division, although she made sure to lose the creature following her soon. She simply couldn‘t comprehend how anyone could refuse to help a friend in need, even if Will had been ordered otherwise. The only conclusion she could draw was that Will was a coward. She stubbornly assured herself that this was the truth, and that belief stuck with her until it was proven otherwise.
However, Will knew something she didn’t, and he couldn’t tell. They had leaked information to the vermin about that particular hideout. It was a trap. They now had a mole inside of the vermin fort, helping them to further their plans. He was torn in his heart. If he told her this, he would gain her trust, and she would be a powerful ally; but he would never be able to reconcile breaking the confidence of his superiors with his honor. So he went on as he had been, miserably enduring Marie‘s chilly attitude towards him.
Almost a season later, Marie finally found out. Brigadier General Bucktooth told her one night as the Brigade celebrated a minor victory. The old wise squirrel could see the tension between the two harvest mice, and decided to help the lad out, for the sake of his father, who had been a good friend of his. After that, Marie was considerably more willing to work with him, and he was greatly relieved, accepting her advice happily. Over the following season, she slowly began to recognize and respect his genius in battle, and her heart slowly began to fall for him, though she would never admit it, even to herself. Little did she know, so was Willem’s. He had actually fallen in love with her much sooner, and been frustrated by her cool indifference to his hints. Now that he had gotten to know her even more, his respect for her increased ten-fold, and he decided that he would wait; if she fell in love with him, he would be open to her; if not, he would not push her. He doubted he could, even if he wanted to.
When old Hornwill Bucktooth stepped down from the position of Brigadier General, he appointed Willem as his successor. No one was really surprised, except for Willem himself, who was too humble to admit that he was the best choice. Soon after that, the war reached its peak. The plan that the Brigade‘s leaders had devised was soon to be fulfilled, assisted by the mole that had been placed inside Kalet‘s Fort. One morning, the Brigade marched on the Fort, surprising the vermin stationed there with their numbers, organization, and boldness. The vermin, although they had grown lax during the times of strengthening control, had toughened up during the time that real violence had come into play. Recovering from their surprise, they rushed to their posts. Several of them saw the mole, free of his disguise as a ferret, aiming a fire-lit arrow at the sky. Recognizing him as the otter he was, they rushed forward, tackling him just as the arrow was released. The signal had been given, but at the price of a life.
Out on the plains, all hell broke loose, as the freedom fighters surged on the castle, which was nestled securely in the mountains, attacking the disadvantaged vermin -- whose weapons and food had been sabotaged by the now-dead spy. While the battle raged below them, Will Yewbow led a small group around to the rear of the Fort, where the spy had left a rope ladder hanging for the rebels. Clambering up and over the walls, they split into two groups. One attacked the vermin, who were concentrated on the battle below, ambushing them and catching them off-guard from behind. The other group set out for the center of the compound, where Kalet was surrounded by his honor guard. He never knew what hit him, for Will‘s arrow struck true, killing him instantly. The honor guard moved in shock away from their leader, scattering and announcing his death to the other vermin with loud cries.
Disheartened by the loss of their leader and disadvantaged by the sabotage and surprise attack, the vermin laid down their weapons in surrender. However, the killing did not end. Enraged with the fire of battle and vengeful for lost loved ones and protective of those that remained, the Highlanders continued to fight. It became a bloodbath. Marie, who had been stationed out on the plains, frantically tried to stop them; but it was no use. Feeling sick to her stomach -- an unusual occurrence for the fiery mouse -- she pulled out of the battle, along with those of the crew who had traveled North with her. Will and the other leaders had pulled out as well, and she met up with them. None of them made a move to stop the fighting, knowing that it would be fruitless; in the minds of some of the leaders, it would also be unjust. To them, the vermin deserved to die as they were, and it was only just that the Highlanders should get their revenge. Still feeling sick, Marie turned her back on the scene and waited for it to end; she was joined by Will, who watched for a short amount of time before deciding that he‘d seen enough. As sunset came, the excruciating screams and barbaric warcries faded. The now-freed Northerners returned from the battlefield, some wounded, most weakened, all weary. Some vermin had probably escaped, but they were precious few, and quickly scattered into the countryside.
That season the North began to lick its wounds, recovering from the carnage that had occurred on its plains. Marie and Will spent more and more time together, until they became almost inseparable; they were both adamantly involved in discussions of creating a peacekeeping force of former rebels who would help to make sure that no such tyrant as Kalet ever threatened the Highlanders‘ freedom again. As the season came to an end, Marie felt that it was time for her to go home, that she had served her purpose in the North. Will, not yet finding the courage to propose, decided to accompany the band of southerners on their journey home; at least to the edge of the plains. Before he knew it, he found himself at Redwall Abbey, staring up at the gorgeous ramparts in awe. He stayed until the season’s Nameday Feast; that night, emboldened by the good cheer and friendly atmosphere of every beast around him, Willem David Yewbow, Jr. proposed to Marie Song Blue-eyes. Of course, she accepted.
A couple weeks later they were married in the typical fashion of the Abbey-dwellers. They lingered at Redwall for some time, not sure where to go from there. Neither of them wanted to stay at the Abbey permanently, although Willem adored its charm and Marie was glad to be with her family again. They were both fighting beasts, even if they disagreed on certain things, and the Abbey-beasts were sworn to peace. Then a group of warriors visited in the Abbey, representing a group called Guardians of Mossflower. Darter Seastreak was the War Commander of their Fort. The otter was a strong leader, if a bit quiet sometimes, and an experienced fighter. Marie saw in him, like she had in her husband, certain qualities that she lacked, and for that she respected him. Will noticed with approval the comradeship shown between the Guardians, and was quick to agree when Marie suggested that this could be what they‘d been waiting for, although he was obviously thinking about it more sensibly. They decided to journey with the warriors back to their Fort, with Commander Darter‘s welcome.
After departing from Redwall, they traveled deep into Mossflower Woods. Arriving at the Fort, they were welcomed with open arms, for their respective skills were much needed. The Fort was in a bit of a slump, as many of the formerly-involved members had set off for various reasons in the peacetime, whether to return to their families or chase adventure. After proving herself a dedicated warrior and a motivating leader, Marie was promoted to the position of Commander, one of two, each of which led a division under Darter. Will was, at first, somewhat unsettled that Marie had been promoted when he had not, but he quickly realized that being envious of his mate would only cause trouble and end in disaster. He continued to support her, giving her good, sound advice when her own feelings were jumbled. She recognized his support and appreciated it thoroughly, knowing that many times he had saved her from making a poor decision. In return, she was extremely loyal, loving him and supporting him wholeheartedly in all of his ventures.
Many things happened during this time: awards were won, vermin were fought, training was participated in. One event that had, perhaps, the most effect on her future was the Tournament. The Tournament was a sparring competition held between the Guardians and several other similar groups, both vermin and non. (The other groups were Sentinels of Mossflower; Fort Tatterack; Corsairs of the Black Flag; and the Horde.) She eagerly signed up, feeling it her duty to represent her Fort and the Guardians. Will stayed at the Fort, not being much into sparring.
The Tournament was one large block of emotional turmoil. She did rather well, winning all but one of her fights, despite having been pitted against some of the largest beasts known to creature-kind (dingoes and badgers and wolves, oh my!) However, the one fight she lost was to Carrack, a dingo corsair who was a strange mixture of barbarism and tenderness. This fight occurred about half-way through the Tournament, and set the tone for every spar following it. There were several factors contributing to the influence it wielded on her emotions. First of all, it was located in the High Northern Mountains, which meant that she was obliged to travel the Plains to reach the location. The revisiting of old places had an odd effect on her, as painful memories mixed with pleasant to send her into a thoughtful, less-focused state. Secondly, her opponent himself was a very unusual character. In her mind, he broke nearly every rule of engagement that her honor obliged her to follow, causing her to think of his name as little more than a curse word; however, judging by the accounts of others who had fought him and from what she saw of him later in the Tournament, she derived that he had a fatherly streak. Although determined not to let her memories of that spar weigh her down in future fights, it was not until she spoke to him in the Tavern, following the final Round, that she really put aside her animosity towards him. After that, he was nothing more than a memory to her, albeit a mysterious one. She sometimes pondered about the strange creature that had such a conflicting personality, puzzling over what might have happened to make him the way he was.
The other major effect that the Tournament had on her was that it stirred her thoughts towards starting a family. Again, Carrack played a large part in this. Seeing him, a violent corsair, raising two pups on his own was unsettling at first, but it caused Marie to wonder whether there might be some chance of her successfully raising children of her own. Up to this point (and she was now about 30 seasons old), she had dismissed the idea with a laugh. Children? Nonsense. She had considered it, once, when Will had brought it up. But they had agreed that their lifestyles were too active for children and that they would wait until they were older to consider it again. However, she was now curious. Could she raise a family? Could she take on that challenge, step into the shoes of a mother? A challenge it certainly was. Perhaps…
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