Tea Lilly gazed in awe at the spectacle that surrounded her. The kindly abbot led har down the long corridoors. dibbuns poked their stubby noses out the doors, and upon being seen, quickly slammed the door shut,aand scampered inside. Why was it that these redwallers were so kind to her? What had she done to deserve this graciouse hospitality?
The redwallers had found her outside their abbey walls, and not asking about what it was that brought her there, they immidiatly let her inside. The abbot had found her a fitting habbit (a green robe worn in the abbey) he asigned her a room to stay in. Tomorrow, he told her, they would be having a great redwall feast. The type that only comes round once a season. tea lilly wondered about that. He said a feast was full of food, so much food you could never eat enough of it. The taste he said, was so good. In the kitchens, for days the friar has been baking, and roasting, and cooking up eveything from beetroot soup to deeper n' ever pie. But what he was most looking forward to was a nice grayling, for this was his favorite of them all. After getting to her room, the abbot left tea lilly, and wandered down the stairs. Tea lilly looked around. This was a nice cozy little place. maybe she'd stay awhile. it was late though and the moon had already begun to creep up from it's hiding place below the mountains. she could see this out her window, and watched for a while. Then, easing her way into bed, tea lilly fell fast asleep.
That night tea lilly had a very strange dream. first, she was in a great field. There was mist and fog surrounding her, and then the mist swept her up.she was on a beach. A fiery mountain full of lanterns, glowed far off. In front of her lay a dark castle. Looking back at the mountain, she saw it had stopped glowing. she was on a battleground. Torn green flags with red markings lay on the ground. She saw a streak of what she thought to be an animal run by. No, just a shadow. Turning around, she heard the warcry of "fur and freedom!!!" But she saw nowone to own the haunting sound. Then came a thunderouse shout, "Eulaliaaaaaaa!" It was as loud as ever, but still she was alone. She heard more now, a whole series of battlecries now filled the beach and spread to the crashing waves to her left. Turning around in circles and now feeling frightened tea lilly ran about, now hearing fainted whispers, "badrang, cluny..." in her head the names of evil vermin whispered themselves to her. She saw something though, a glint on a wave. the voices instantly stopped. As if frightened by what she saw in the water. the small hint of light came closer. She saw it was a sword, like none she had ever seen. it had black leather on the hilt and small red stones that glowed like lantern-fire in her eyes. It whispered it's story in her mind, "I am the sword ratdeath, named by Matthias, and made for martin. I have fought, and killed countless enemy's to the home redwall. for years I have remained in salamandastron. but now I must go back to redwall, for I am needed again."
In a fiery ocean haze tea lilly drifted back awake.she had forgotten her dream, and had no recollection of the message given to her.
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