Note: Written over a three-year period, hence some of the...badness...of some.

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"I know that the night must end
And that the sun will rise
And that the sun will rise
I know that the clouds must clear
And that the sun will shine
And that the sun will shine"
~Endless Night, from The Lion King:Original Broadway Cast Recording
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My heart raced, thumping hard against my chest and I ran. The seemingly endless wooden planks of the ship hit against the bottoms of my feet. I could hear others behind me, coming to get me. Almost there, but not. I did not look back, that would only slow down my mad dash. I only looked forward. I was near the end of the ship. Near the blue water. Near freedom.

"Get that slave!" a voice screamed angrily.

My hope died inside as a net fell over me. I slashed feebly at it with my paws, knowing I would not even harm the net. I collapsed, my adrenaline rush leaving me worn to the bones. 

The ships captain, an evil wildcat, walked to me. He was tall and heavily muscled. Had he so wished to, he would be able to crush my neck with the slight pressure of one of his fists. His blue eyes stood out keenly against his pure black fur. He wore a white shirt that lay open and black pants. His expression was harsh as he looked down at my pitiful form laying on the deck. He was known as Grijalva Merton, tyrant and captain of the Rogue.

"Another attempt at freedom, slave?" Grijalva sneered.

It was my third attempt at freedom. The other times I had gone down fighting, receiving numerous scars. Once I had seen myself in the mirror and was almost horrified at what I had become. The once proud and beautiful Princess Angustri Rain was reduced to a slave. My face looked much like any mouse’s, but I was beautiful. I had perfect features, even my nose was turned up in the perfect way that made many suitors try for my paw in marriage. But, after my many attempts at escape, my face had become scarred. There was one jagged cut that went from below my left eye to above my right, going over my nose to go on its path. Other smaller scars covered my face, marring me. On the right side of my right eye, another scar began, viciously cutting to the bottom of my ear. I saw myself as ugly and not fit for others to see.

"Freedom is worth anythin’," I said softly. I had learned that lesson long before. I had first cried at seeing my face, but I had begun to let myself ignore it. I was not as beautiful as before, but freedom was far more beautiful.

"Even your life, I’m guessing," Grijalva laughed, like I had said something improbable like breathing underwater.

I spat at him, knowing it would not reach him but it gave me some satisfaction to see him jump back so as not to be hit. "You will never have my life. You may have taken my beauty, but my life is mine."

"Ah, yes, but you are a vain one. Your parents spoiled you, Princess Angustri, but they are dead. You are no more beautiful than a rock that has lain on the beach, getting eaten away by seawater." He turned from me and motioned for me to be taken away. I was dragged down to the slave quarters, which normally would be the prison. One hundred slaves were crammed into an area made for fifty.

"Get in there, slave," a ferret that held me sneered, shoving me hard. 

The door slammed behind me and all the other slaves starred at me. They starred almost accusingly, like I had caused them more problems. I felt my lower lip begin to tremble and I broke into tears. I leaned against the bars and sobbed quietly to myself. I remembered that day so long ago when I had been playing innocently by a pond in my homeland, Phuri Dae, an island located west of Southsward. In Phuri Dae, my father and mother presided as King and Queen. The people of Phuri Dae, the Phrals, were considered a barbarious group, but we really weren’t. We had our beliefs and our homeland, until Grijalva Merton and the Rogue came and took all away from us. My parents were attempting to settle a dispute with a few of the outlying clans when the corsair ship from far away arrived. Grijalva captured me and demanded to see my father, if he didn’t he would kill me. My father consented, worried sick about me, his only daughter. Grijalva killed both of my parents and took many of the castle inhabitants as slaves, including me. We were taken away to the Rogue to be sold to other vermin of his kind.

A total of three times I had tried to escape, and none worked. My hope of returning to Phuri Dae was almost diminished, almost nothing. But I knew I couldn’t give up, not ever. Phuri Dae was my home and my inheritance, if only I could get there.

"Angustri!" I voice hissed. I turned to see my good friend, Nata Taras. She, like me, came from Phuri Dae. She was rather tall for an otter, and quite thin from lack of the right foods to eat. Her once glossy fur was now dull from years of working to row the ship. Her once sparkling blue eyes shown dimly from within her skull, appearing to be sunken in. She had lost hope much before I had, the dreams of home gone with her freedom. She looked at me almost bitterly, and knew I had tried for freedom again.

"Nata..." I said softly and wiped away tears still on my face.

"You know it is foolish ta try and escape! Why did you do it?" Nata demanded.

I could tell the bitterness within her had changed her from before. When we lived on Phuri Dae she wore the plaid of her family, the Taras, proudly. Now she despised all. She had been the only one of the Taras taken when Grijalva had come. The rest of her family had been killed in the fight, at least she believed. I never believed that all of her family could have been killed, it just made no sense. I knew that somehow there were some of them alive, waiting for their lost relative to return.

"I did it for freedom," I said, lifting my chin defiantly.

"Freedom? Freedom is a lost cause that you dreamed up!" Nata snarled fiercely.

"That isn’t true..." I said softly.

Nata looked at me, eyes full of disapproval. "You’ve seen yourself in the mirror, the hideous scars that cover your face show that freedom is impossible."

I pulled away from Nata, shocked at what she told me. "You are not Nata anymore. Nata died that day when Grijalva Merton came," I replied. I turned and slipped through the crowd to a far corner, away from her.

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

Shortly after that incident I woke to odd sounds. Instead of the usual shouting to awaken, I heard the clash of swords. I looked around to see most of the other slaves standing about, tense.

"What is happenin’?" I asked softly.

An older mouse turned to look at me. "Someone attacked the ship," he said with little emotion.

My spirits were immediatly lifted. If someone attacked the ship then there would be a chance of escape, and freedom. "Do you know who is winning?"

He began shaking his head but before he could even get the movement done a dashing mouse with a large sword came plowing through the door at the top of the stairs. Blood flowed freely from a cut on his left arm, but he did nothing against it. His brown eyes were lit from battle with a sort of rage. He looked strong for a mouse and I immediatly knew he was a friend. The sword he carried was magnificent. It looked old, yet new. The red pommel stone seemed to glow brightly red as light from above hit it. The blade itself was beautiful, yet deadly.

"Are all of you all right?" he asked. "Have any vermin tried to harm you during the battle?"

Most slaves either replied no or shook their heads.

"Good. Stand away from the door, I’m going to get you out," he said, walking to the lock on our cell. He lifted his sword and brought it down on the lock with all his strength. There was a loud ringing and the useless piece of metal fell to the ground. I looked at the sword and realized it was unscratched.

"Get out. You are free!" he said, a grin on his face.

I was the first to step out. I could feel myself grinning like someone who just found out after years of being mute that they actually had a voice. "Free?" I whispered softly.

He turned to look at me. For a second he looked almost appalled but he smiled warmly. "Yes, all of you are free."

I turned to find Nata. "Nata! Where are you?" I called over the slaves rushing to go on the decks. Nata sat in the back of the cells. She glowered out from the shadows. "Come out, Nata!"

Nata stood and walked over to me. She looked even worse than before. Some of her fur was gone, leaving spots of her skin exposed. Under her fun she looked deathly pale. "Leave, Angustri. I care nothing for freedom."

"Nata, what is this?" I asked softly, pleading with her.

Nata growled slightly and I had no choice but to pull away from her. The warrior mouse, who had stayed silent, looked back and forth between the two of us, a look of confusion on his face. "Why don’t you want to be free?"

Nata sobbed, her angry expression melting away. "Why be free when my family is dead? I care nothing about life. I’d rather die now..."

"That is not a good reason to give up on life. How do you know they are all dead?" he asked.

"I just know..." she whispered.

I grabbed Nata’s paw and pulled her with me. I knew very well that I was too weak to pull her if she didn’t want to go, but I wouldn’t give up on her. My father had always said I had a fire in me, and I knew that was true. "I’m not leaving without you," I grunted as I pulled on her.

The mouse began to chuckle lightly. "I am Llewellyn, the Warrior of Redwall. Please, come. You are close to Mossflower, my home. Redwall Abbey is a beautiful place, I know you will enjoy it."

"Redwall?" I had heard the name before, but I wasn’t sure where.

Llewellyn nodded kindly. He sheathed his sword and began walking up the steps to go above deck.

"Wait," I called lightly. When he turned around I continued. "I am Princess Angustri Rain of Phuri Dae. How far are we from my home?"

"Phuri Dae?" he asked, a look of confusion on his face. "I have never heard of a place such as that."

"But surely you must have!" I exclaimed, shocked by the thought of someone not knowing of my homeland.

He shook his head. "Come. We are close to Redwall. The Abbess will help you sort things out."

I nodded. We boarded his ship. It was a small ship but we all fit on it. We headed for Redwall Abbey.

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

When we arrived to the Abbey I was immediatly taken away by the beauty of it. It stood tall and red, as its name hinted at. It looked beautifully crafted. Although it seemed to be ancient, it stood sturdy and tall like the day it had been built.

"Redwall..." I said softly to myself.

"Eh?" Llewellyn asked, turning to me.

"It’s, it’s just so wonderful!" I exclaimed. "You have lived here all your life? It reminds me much of my home!"

Llewellyn grinned. "I’ve lived here as long as I can remember. The Abbess said I was found on a slave ship, like all of you. I love it here."

I grinned back at him, almost painfully. Ever since I had received my scars, facial expressions hurt. I grimaced slightly.

"What is it?" Llewellyn asked.

I turned away from him, almost humiliated. "It’s nothing...just my scars..." I mumbled.

Llewellyn turned me around to look at my face. His expression was concerned. "They hurt you?"

"In more than one way..." I muttered.

"I think they make you look even more beautiful," he said.

Before I could thank him he had left and was shouting at whoever was in Redwall to let us in. I smiled to myself, deciding I liked him.

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

Later, when we were in the abbey itself, I was introduced to the Abbess. Her name was Eoduin. She was old and seemed very near the end of her days. Her sparkling green eyes watched from a kind face. She wore a green habit over her light brown fur. Like myself, she was a mouse. I spoke with her alone.

"Hello. You must be Princess Angustri," she said, smiling warmly.

I nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Llewellyn told me about you before you came in," she said, winking.

I felt myself grow hot in the face, wondering if it was so obvious that I found him more than a simple acquaintance. "What did he say?"

Eoduin grinned mischeviousy, her old face wrinkling. "It’s not for me to say, young one. Now, tell me about your home, Phuri Dae."

I sighed and told her of my home. I didn’t leave out a single detail as I explained things to her. When I finished telling her she nodded her head. "Llewellyn came to us on a ship. He had only been there for a short while. He wore plaid of a far-off land. On his clothes his name was written, and so he kept it. You have probably just described his homeland."

My heart skipped a beat. "Llewellyn from Phuri Dae?" I asked softly.

Abbess Eoduin smiled warmly again. "Yes. I have known for some time now that he was from another land. Martin the Warrior came to me in a dream and informed me of the truth. He didn’t say exactly where, though."

"Martin the Warrior?" I asked.

"Yes, Martin. Many years ago he and Abbess Germaine built this abbey. I don’t even know how long ago that was...too long ago. This abbey has stood a great number of years, surviving a great number of vermin hordes."

I nodded. "It almost sounds like my homeland...although it has now fallen under Grijalva’s fist..."

Eoduin put an arm around me and hugged me close. "It’s all right, young one. Cheer up."

I nodded. Before I could get even one more word out the door slammed open.

"Motha! Motha!" I small voice shouted. The Abbess and I both turned to see a small dibbun squirrel. She waddled over and jumped up onto the Abbesses lap.

"What is it, Amria?" Eoduin asked, looking down into the young squirrel’s face.

" ‘Wellyn twing to make me take a baf! Don’ let ‘im get me!" Amria practically shrieked, her small face screwed up in panic.

Eoduin laughed. "I won’t let him..." She winked mischievously at me.

Amria giggled and hugged the Abbess. We sat in silence for a short while, that is, until a soaking wet Llewellyn came running in. Soap suds covered him as he glared at Amria.

"Found you, you little rogue!" he growled playfully. He lunged for Amria, who ducked under a table. The Abbess was shouting that Llewellyn was getting the floor all wet, Amria was shrieking that she had taken a bath a week ago, Llewellyn was grunting as he tried to get the dibbun, and I was giggling as I watched the whole scene.

Soon enough everything grew silent except for the slight whimpering of Amria as Llewellyn hefted her up and carried her out.

The Abbess and I just sat and stared at the empty doorway for a short while.

"Now, this is the Redwall I’m used to...Dibbuns running loose and floors getting wet," the Abbess laughed softly.

I grinned. "What a wonderful place it is..."

Eoduin nodded in agreement.

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

The next day I woke with my face feeling a little more sore than usual, probably because I had talked much and when I was a slave on Grijalva’s ship I hardly ever said a word. I was in a small guest room that had only a bed, a small chest, and a mirror. 

I walked over to the mirror and looked at my reflection. Sure enough one of my newer scars located close to my mouth was bleeding slightly. I wiped away the blood and sighed, wishing for a normal life.

"Angustri!" a voice called from the other side of the door.

"Who is it?" I asked, opening the door. 

Nata stood there and she was actually smiling. A small otter dibbun squirmed in her arms. "Look at him! Isn’t he wonderful! Just sleeping away..." she said, excitement touching her voice.

I grinned. It had been a long time since Nata had spoken of things being wonderful. "He is. Where did you find him?"

"The Abbess told me to take him down to lunch. There have been a few new arrivals and so the badger mother, Iris, has had a few problems controlling all of them. Let’s go eat!"

I nodding and walked down the stairs with her. The small otter kept squirming in Nata’s grasp, muttering that she should let him go and that he wasn’t wonderful. "Lemmie go, messmate!" he said, mimicking the older otters.

"Fine..." Nata said, placing him on the ground beside her but holding his paw. "But I won’t let you go alone!"

He didn’t seem to mind much as we walked down the stairs together. Nata looked down at him. "You still haven’t told me your name, messmate," she said, mimicking him.

"I’m Raz!" he said excitedly, forgetting to add "matey" or "messmate".

"Well, I’m Nata," Nata said, a large grin on her face.

"Hello, I see you have the rascal Raz with you!" Llewellyn said, greeting us as we walked into the Great Hall.

"Hello Llewellyn," I said, smiling at him.

Llewellyn nodded then his expression turned to one of concern. "How is your face? You’re bleeding..."

I sighed and wiped away a small amount of blood. "Not all my scars have healed, hopefully soon though."

He nodded and led us to the table. We sat down. My mouth watered at the sight of all the food. Scones everywhere, vegetables, fruits, bread, anything you could want! I found myself piling my plate high, but I still couldn’t fit all of what I wanted on. I ate greedily, almost ashamed of myself. I carried on conversations with my friends, laughing and smiling.

When we finished eating it was time to clean up after the mess. I began helping but Llewellyn pulled me aside. "I need to talk to you..." he said. He no longer looked to be in a playful mood, instead he was serious.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I-I had a dream last night. Martin came to me... He told me I had to return with you to Phuri Dae..." he said.

"What?" I asked, almost surprised. I knew I’d have to return, but I never expected him to want to come with me.

"He said we have to go back to find our destiny, whatever he means by that."

"Abbess Eoduin said she believed you were from there... what if it’s true and that is what Martin means?" I asked softly.

Llewellyn nodded. "We will go there. Did Grijalva leave some of his vermin there?"

"Yes...he left many there. It is now overrun by vermin. My people live in fear of being taken as slaves, as I was..." I replied sadly.

"We will prepare to leave soon, Angustri Rain of Phuri Dae, we will leave soon..."