Chapter 27

Ferdinand was convinced to let the troupe stay a week longer to help prepare for the wedding of Lily and Dakar. Eager though he was to leave, the hare agreed that they couldn't leave before they saw the wedding of the guardian of two of his troupe-members. So he contented himself with "taking charge" of the situation.

“Firm’s the grip and stands the action, chaps!” the lanky hare shouted to his creatures, back to his old authoritative mood. “You there, put more flowers here. And you, make certain there are more chairs of over there, just in case. I say, young rip! What do you think you are doing, nibbling those raspberries! Get back to work!”

The young squirrel hung his head as he put down the bowl of raspberries and hurried off. Then, looking this way and that, Ferdinand scooped up the bowl and began wolfing down the berries.

Among all the hustle and bustle, Merola made the announcement that she would be going with Primrose and Pansy in the troupe.

“Somebeast has got to keep an eye on them,” the old badger stated, “and make certain that Ferdinand’s manners don’t rub off on them! I can’t go with Petunia and Markas; a journey to Salamandastron isn’t for me. Plus, I don’t have to worry about our little haremaid, she’s the responsible one, and she’s going to a place where she’ll be further disciplined. She has no need of me. Besides, a newly-wed couple deserves to have the house all to themselves.”

“But what about all the babies they’ll have?” Markas asked slyly.

“Lily has raised three very fine babies,” Merola said. “I’m sure she doesn’t need my help with her own. And her children will have Dakar as their father. Besides, there are plenty of other good parents here in Noonvale.”

“Oh dear,” wept Lily as she flung her arms around her nanny. “I’m going to miss you, you old stripedog!”

“Don’t call me ‘stripedog’,” Merola replied, but she too had tears in her eyes.

It was the morning of the wedding.

Primrose, Petunia, and Pansy stood in their room, each clad in what their intended to wear for the day: Primrose wore a white dress embroidered with deep red roses and trimmed with ruffles. Petunia wore a dress of pale yellow and green leaves. Pansy’s lacy dress was a rich purple with a magenta waistsash.

Each maiden was wearing the necklace left to them from Uncle Markas those eleven seasons ago. It was a funny thing, because Markas had said in his letter that each necklace had a story. A story that he would tell them when they were older. They had decided to ask him what the stories were before they parted ways.

The old mouse grinned when they asked him, and, with a twinkle in his eye, revealed each jewelry's tale:

"First," he said, holding up Primrose’s turquoise necklace, "this one belongs to a ferret of ravishing beauty who is an extraordinary actress.

"And this," he continued, holding up Petunia’s pearl one, "belongs to a hare who is one of the greatest warriormaids history would ever know.

"And finally," the old warrior finished, lifting Pansy’s coral, "this one is the property of a brightly-colored, delightfully feisty squirrel who is more graceful than poetry on wind."

The three maids thought it rather unfair at first that their uncle had made them think all these seasons that their jewelry once belonged to other beasts, such as queens and warlords. But in the end they decided that it was rather clever of him to do such a thing.

"Well," sighed Petunia, turning to her sisters. "This is it."

"Yes," giggled Pansy, hopping up and down. "Lily and Dakar are finally getting married! Heeheehee!"

"No, I mean . . . this is the last time we'll ever get to see each other."

The squirrelmaidstopped and stared at her adoptive sister.

Primrose, however, looked indignant. "What are you talking about? Sure, we'll be able to see each other again! You may be going to one particular place, but me and Pansy are going to be in a roaming troupe! We'll be able to drop by and pay our respects when you become General of the Long Patrol!"

"But who knows when that'll happen?" Petunia said, sitting down on the bed that had been hers for almost all her life. "You'll have to make several camps and stop at so many villages to perform, and how long will you stay at those villages? It could be seasons before you're able to come by Salamandastron."

It was in that moment that both Primrose and Pansy realized, for the first time, how much their sister was giving up. They were going to be in a large of creatures that were their friends, they would still have Merola with them, and they would still have at least one sister with them.

But Petunia . . . Petunia was completely alone on her road. She had no friend with her, no family members, no sister. . . .

"But you'll have Uncle Markas with you!" Pansy objected, flouncing down next to the haremaid. "He'll keep you company. Frankly, I envy you, having him all to yourself! You'll be able to find out what went on with him and that princess!"

The three sisters laughed; still Merola forbade the old mouse from telling them the princess story.

"Well, when you put it like that," Petunia admitted. It certainly would be interesting to have a parent-figure all to herself for once.

"And you know something else?" Pansy said, standing up. "You won't have to worry about never seeing us again, because you'll know that we'll be praying for you, that you'll be a success in the Long Patrol! . . . and you know what else? I think it's time for one final vow."

"Yes, that's a great idea!" Primrose agreed, beaming.

"I'll be the one to say the vow this time," the squirrelmaid quickly put in. "Petunia got to say the first one, then Primrose said the second. It's only natural that I should say the last one."

Petunia nodded. "Of course."

And so, they all stood in a circle, ready to make their final vow.

Pansy held out her paw, but she was silent for a moment. Her sisters patiently waited, figuring Pansy wanted her first speech to be perfect.

Finally, the squirrelmaid began speaking:

“We two flowers vow

To use our gifts and talents

For the good and benefit

Of others, as well as ourselves.

However, as we are but

An actress and a dancer,

It is unlikely that we will

Ever get the chance to do

Anything extraordinary to

Help the world.

Which is why we also vow

To pray nightly

(And during the day,

If need be)

That our sister will be able

To do such a thing

As a Long Patroller.”

Primrose spoke, placing her paw on Pansy’s, her eyes beginning to water:

“Because she is ours,

And ours alone.”

Pansy spoke, placing her other paw over Primrose’s:

“This, we vow.”

Primrose placed her other paw over Pansy’s:

“We vow.”

Petunia smiled, suddenly feeling a whole lot better, and put both of her paws over her sisters’:

“We vow.”

The extra rooms in the cottage were spaced out; all of the needed belongings were in packs; the only thing that needed to be done now was for Lily and Dakar to be married.

At first the mousemaid considered waiting a bit longer for the wedding out of respect for Madam Breeze, but Ferdinand explained, “She wouldn’t have wanted us to sit around grieving for very long. It’s just like she always said, ‘The show must go on’!”

And so the wedding was held, the vows were said, and soon the two newlyweds were being bombarded with snowy-white rose petals (most of which were from the paws of Primrose, Petunia, and Pansy). A small but grand feast was then held in the Council Lodge.

Because this might be the last time they ever saw her, the three maidens surrounded Ruri the hedgehog, their friend and tutor. The old hedgehog looked at them with eyes that were somehow both sad and happy.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"For what?" asked Petunia.

"For not letting your gifts go to waste. You were always very brave and very smart, Petunia. I'll admit I didn't quite expect you to chose the path of a Long Patroller, but from what I've heard, you have great talent for such a road. I have high expectations for you."

Ruri didn't mention she actually had the highest expectations for the haremaid, lest she become nervous or her sisters jealous.

"And Primrose," the old hedgehog said, turning to the ferretmaid. "I always loved it whenever you were on stage. I shall miss the weekly treat of seeing you perform.

"And Pansy . . . Pansy, Pansy, Pansy. I knew I didn't have to worry much about you. You know your talent, and nobeast is going to stop you. I admire that. But please, remember this, all of you. . . ."

Ruri trailed off, and the three maidens leaned forward, suddenly concerned but curious about what she was about to say.

"Don't forget to bathe regularly."

Gales of surprised laughter erupted from the little group. Primrose, Petunia, and Pansy knew that they would miss Ruri very much.

Many toasts were made, much dancing was performed: Dakar decided to haveLily teach him the rest of his dancing lessons, and he was now putting a full effort into them; Lily giggled and squealed as her new husband twirled her around the dance-floor; Vanna spun around while in the arms of Acorn, both squirrels laughing heartily; Pansy danced alone, as was her wont; Primrose only made it about halfway through a song before another male would cut in; Petunia opted to sit with Uncle Markas and discuss what route to take to Salamandastron; and suddenly it became time for The Roaming Whimsical Troupe to say their good-byes.

Primrose and Pansy, their hearts suddenly pounding, left the dance-floor and ran to kiss Lily and Dakar good-bye.

“We’ll miss you,” the ferretmaid said as she hugged Lily. “So much.”

“I’ll think about you every day,” the squirrelmaid said as she was squeezed by Dakar.

“And I’ll do the same,” the warriormouse replied.

“The house’ll be so empty and quiet once you’ve all gone,” Lily said softly. Then she grinned. “It’ll be wonderful!”

They all laughed. Merola then came over and said her good-byes as well.

“I wish you every bit of happiness,” the old badgermum whispered in the mousewife’s ear as they hugged. Turning to Dakar, Merola said in a firmer tone, “You take good care of her, you hear me?”

“Yes, I do, marm,” Dakar replied, smiling.

“C’mere, you,” the badger said, giving the male mouse an almighty hug.

“Careful, now!” said Lily. “I don’t want to become a widow, now!”

They all laughed again, even Dakar, though he still massaged his ribs.

Just then Uncle Markas and Petunia came over. “Are you all leaving now? Well, if you are, I don’t want to be hanging around here any longer. We’ll be going too!”

And so more hugs and well-wishes were exchanged. Lily and Dakar hugged Petunia at the same time, wishing her good fortune on her journey.

“I’m so proud of you,” Lily murmured.

“I’m proud, too,” said Dakar. “To have been your teacher.”

Petunia wiped her eyes, and was then embraced by her sisters and Merola.

"What'll we be like without you?" Pansy asked her sister, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

The haremaid smiled. "I suppose you'll be more quarrelsome without me to referee."

Primrose hugged her sister, her own eyes watering. "I'll miss you dreadfully. You were always the nice one."

Petunia wiped at her eyes, but was steadier than the other two. "And I'll miss you, too. Both of you."

"Why, Petunia!" Merola said, raising her eyebrows. "You're giving up more than these two are, and look at you! Ready to face what's in front you!"

The haremaid shrugged. "I suppose I should take that to mean I truly am meant to be a Long Patroller."

The old badger seized Petunia in a hug before turning to Markas.

“Take care of her now,” she instructed.

“Don’t you worry about a thing, stripedog,” the old warrior replied, clapping her on the arm. “Just you worry about taking good care of my nieces!”

Let it be said that Uncle Markas would be forever held in awe by Pansy, who had never seen anybeast give Merola so much cheek.

Lily wrapped her arms around Markas. "Good-bye, Uncle. Oh, will you ever come back again?"

Markas winked. "Who knows. I may, I may not. But one thing's for sure, missy. I'll always love you."

Stepping away from his niece, the old warrior turned to Dakar. "I'm entrusting my only blood-niece to you, young un."

"I understand, sir," the young warrior nodded. "I have every intention of following your example in always loving her."

Markas held out his paw, and Dakar accepted it. Then the fat old mouse took the sturdy young one into a surprise embrace. "None of that formality! We're family now!"

Primrose and Pansy took their turn in hugging their Uncle, and just then, Rogak the otter came jogging up.

“You lot ready? Ferdinand’s starting to get impatient.”

“We’re coming,” Merola said.

After saying a few more good-byes, Merola, Primrose, and Pansy followed Rogak down to where the troupe was waiting.

“I don’t know about you,” the otter said to Primrose while they were still making their way out. “But there are some things that I am not going to miss around here!”

“Like what?” the ferretmaid asked. Even as she spoke, however, Primrose saw none other than Winifred making her way towards them.

“Like Winifred,” was Rogak’s loud answer. “She was driving me crazy, acting like some swooning fool around me all the time! Honestly, I’ll be glad to get rid of her!”

Primrose saw the ottermaid stop dead in her tracks. She had a look on her face of pure shock – that turned to pure outrage when she saw Primrose slip her arm through Rogak’s, glancing over her shoulder to grant Winifred a smug smile.

The ottermaid started forward - but what she would’ve done would forever be a mystery, for Pansy, who had also seen Winifred coming, “accidentally” kicked a stool in the otter’s path.

Winifred didn’t seen the stool before she tripped, stumbled, and fell face-flat into one of the pies.

“All ready then?” Ferdinand called once he saw the group coming. “Let’s get going!”

Rogak and Merola went off to help carry some of the heavier stuff, while Primrose and Pansy opted to help with some of the packs. They both felt a tremor of nerves – and excitement. They were finally living out their dreams, and seizing opportunity.

However, once they reached a certain hill, they both paused to gaze back at Noonvale, the place that had raised them since infancy. Merola also glanced back, but decided to give the two maidens a moment. They were the ones leaving the only home they had ever known, after all.

“I’m going to miss it,” Primrose stated after awhile.

“Me too,” Pansy nodded, staring out at the valley.

"But, this is good," Primrose said. "That wasn't the life for us. We couldn't have come into our own if we stayed. And besides," the ferretmaid added with a smile. "This way I can travel and possibly find a husband."

"And I can find my mother."

Primrose looked down at her sister, surprised. The squirrelmaid looked sad for a moment, but then she smiled up at the ferretmaid. Primrose put her arm around Pansy, and the two shared a small hug.

They were about to turn back around when they suddenly saw in the distance, two other figures on another hill.

It was Petunia and Uncle Markas.

Each duo saw each other, and gave one final wave.

“Why don’t give them a war-cry, Petunia?” Markas suggested. “Something for them to remember you by?”

The haremaid agreed, and gave an all-powerful war-cry that was heard not only by Primrose, Pansy, and the entire Roaming Whimsical Troupe, but also by Lily and Dakar, who were standing outside the Council Lodge, watching as the three maidens went out into the world.

“Eulalaiaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!”

The End

A/N:. . . . It's not over yet, folks. Bwa ha ha ha ha haaa!

However, some of you *cough*FieldsofGlory*cough* have expressed concerns that the three maidens haven't yet 'made their way', so to speak. And you are right, my friend, they still have much more to learn.

Which is why I'm going to do a sequel.

HOWEVER, I do not know when I will be able to actually get started on it, as I am still formulating ideas of what could happen. Before, the whole plot-line was laid out before me, so it was easy to make everything fit together and be Redwall-ish. But this time, I'm on my own, which is very frightening.

Hopefully, I'll be able to figure out what I want to happen with our three little maidens. So far, I know I want to make this into a trilogy: the next fic will center on Petunia, and the one after that will focus more on Primrose and Pansy. Lily and Noonvale will not come back into the mix, as I think Lily deserves a 'happily ever after' after all that's she's been through.

So the next fic will be about Petunia and Uncle Markas making their way to Salamandastron, and Petunia joining up with the Long Patrol. But what could possibly happen, though? What could possibly be the conflict, except the typical vermin invasion? If any of you have any ideas, please don't be shy. I look forward to hearing any ideas any of you might have, and I look forward to seeing what'll be in store for our favorite haremaid. Heh, I think the perfect 'theme song' for Petunia is 'Defying Gravity.' I don't know why, I always think of her whenever I hear that song.

Oh yes, and just in case anyone is wondering: Primrose and Rogak . . . they're not meant to be. I'm sorry, but they're not. The reason I had them share a 'moment' at the end is because I wanted to make Winifred angry. Yes, I'm evil, BUT SO ARE YOU! Hmph! ;)

Welp, I hope you all enjoyed this fic as much as I did, and that you'll enjoy the next installments too.

Happy readings and writings to you all! God bless!

~Kel :)