High Rhulain

High Rhulain Plot Summary

Introduction

# High Rhulain: The Crown of Destiny Across Western Waters The ancient tapestry hung in Redwall Abbey's Great Hall for countless seasons, its threads holding secrets that would shake the very foundations of destiny. When young Tiria Wildlough's sling stone tore through the sacred fabric that morning, she unleashed more than just the Abbot's fury. Behind the torn weaving lay a hidden image—an ottermaid crowned with gold and emerald, bearing the ancient title of High Rhulain, Queen of Green Isle. Across the Western Sea, that same dawn brought fresh torment to the enslaved otters of Green Isle. Under the iron claws of Riggu Felis, a scarred wildcat warlord, they labored in chains while their ancient songs were forgotten and their royal bloodlines scattered like leaves before winter storms. But prophecy has its own timing, and the threads of fate were already weaving together across vast waters. The crown of the High Rhulain awaited its rightful bearer, and destiny would not be denied.

Chapter 1: The Tapestry's Revelation: Prophecy Awakens at Redwall

The Great Hall erupted in gasps and accusations as Tiria stood frozen, her sling still humming from the stone that had shattered centuries of reverent tradition. Abbot Lycian's face darkened with righteous anger, but old Quelt the Recorder pushed forward with trembling paws, his scholarly eyes fixed on something far more significant than damaged fabric. Where the stone had struck, ancient pigments emerged from behind the torn tapestry like ghosts materializing in candlelight. The hidden image showed an ottermaid of unmistakable nobility, her bearing regal despite the primitive artistry. Above her head, symbols in the old tongue spelled out a title that made Quelt's voice shake with recognition: Rhulain, the High Queen of waters far beyond Mossflower's borders. That very night, as if summoned by the revelation, fate delivered its messenger. A magnificent osprey crashed into the Abbey grounds, its golden eyes dulled with pain and an iron barb piercing its noble beak. The great fish hawk spoke of Green Isle's suffering, of wildcats who ruled through terror, and of a scarred tyrant named Riggu Felis who tortured birds for sport. When Pandion Piketalon's fierce gaze fixed upon Tiria, something ancient stirred in the young ottermaid's blood. The dream came with the force of prophecy itself. Tiria stood on moonlit shores beside Martin the Warrior, watching as a spectral queen emerged from silver waters. The apparition's voice echoed across time and tide, speaking words that burned themselves into memory: "Like the sun, High Rhulain will rise anew, to set the downtrodden free." The crown upon the phantom's brow gleamed with emerald fire, and Tiria woke knowing her peaceful days at Redwall were ending forever.

Chapter 2: Ancient Blood and Hidden Crowns: Discovering Royal Heritage

The dusty archives of Redwall became a battlefield of riddles as Tiria and her companions wrestled with Sister Geminya's cryptic puzzles. Each verse peeled back layers of forgotten history, revealing the tragic tale of Corriam Wildlough and his sister, the last High Rhulain, whose ship had been destroyed by wildcat raiders in ages past. The scholarly squirrel Girry traced ancient scripts with reverent claws while young Tribsy the mole dug through forgotten chambers with determined enthusiasm. Their breakthrough came in the Abbey's highest tower, where generations of creatures had unknowingly lived beneath the disguised lance of Corriam, hidden in plain sight as a simple curtain rail. The weapon's silver length bore the scars of ancient battles, and within its hollow core lay secrets that would reshape Tiria's understanding of her own bloodline. But triumph turned to tragedy when water rats struck at the Abbey gates, seeking revenge for past humiliations. Young Brinty fell beneath a crude blade, his mouse blood staining the very stones he had sworn to protect. As life ebbed from his small form, his sacrifice revealed the coronet of the High Rhulain, hidden within the lance's silver sleeve. The crown was a simple circle of gold bearing an emerald that seemed to hold the very essence of distant waters, its ancient power pulsing with each of Tiria's heartbeats. Standing over her fallen friend, Tiria felt the weight of destiny settling upon her shoulders like a mantle of lead. The crown that would make her queen had been purchased with the life of one who would never see her reign. Brinty's death became the first payment in a currency of sacrifice that would follow her across the Western Sea.

Chapter 3: Across the Western Sea: Journey to Green Isle's Shores

The western shores beckoned with salt wind and seabird cries as Tiria found herself aboard the most extraordinary vessel she had ever seen. The Purloined Petunia bore the scars of countless battles, commanded by Major Cuthbert Frunk, a hare whose madness masked the cunning of a master tactician. Sometimes he believed himself a sea captain, other times a regimental officer, but always he remained dangerous and utterly unpredictable. The voyage tested every fiber of Tiria's resolve as storm-lashed seas gave way to encounters with creatures of legend. At Salamandastron, the mountain fortress of the Long Patrol, Lord Mandoral the badger ruler recognized in her the living image of the ancient queen. In his forge, he presented her with armor crafted by his predecessor for a ruler who never lived to wear it—a breastplate that gleamed like captured starlight and a cloak the color of deep forest shadows. But the sea demanded its own tribute in the crushing depths where the original Rhulain's ship had foundered. Tiria battled a monstrous conger eel among the bones of long-dead warriors, her lance flashing silver in the underwater gloom. Though she failed to retrieve the crown from those haunted waters, fate had already set other wheels in motion through the loyalty of friends and the wings of a barnacle goose who would brave impossible distances. As Green Isle finally appeared through the morning mist, Tiria felt her heart quicken with recognition she could not explain. This was the land of her ancestors, the realm her bloodline was destined to rule. The peaceful ottermaid of Redwall was gone forever, replaced by something harder and more dangerous. The real war was about to begin.

Chapter 4: The Outlaw's Alliance: Meeting Leatho and the Resistance

The mists of Green Isle parted to reveal a land scarred by generations of oppression, where otter families cowered in slave compounds while their ancient songs were forgotten. But not all had submitted to wildcat rule. In hidden caves along the coast, Leatho Shellhound gathered the remnants of the free clans, his very name forbidden in the fortress where Riggu Felis ruled behind a chain-mail mask that hid his ruined face. The sea otter was legend made flesh, a warrior who struck like lightning and vanished like mist, leaving dead catguards in his wake. When he emerged from the coastal shadows to meet Tiria, his scarred features bore the weight of countless battles fought for a freedom that seemed impossible to achieve. Yet when he saw her standing in the ancient armor, the coronet gleaming upon her brow, something like hope flickered in his weathered eyes. The reunion with the otterclans proved both joyful and heartbreaking. Big Kolun Galedeep, massive as a storm-tossed wave, knelt before her with tears streaming down his face. Banya Streamdog, tough as seasoned oak, pledged her sling and her life to the cause. These were her people, reduced to scattered bands hiding in the wilderness while their families suffered in chains, yet they recognized in her the fulfillment of prophecies spoken in whispers around dying fires. But their joy was tempered by desperate news that chilled every warrior's blood. Leatho Shellhound, their greatest champion, hung caged above the wildcat's fortress, slowly dying as bait for a trap that would doom them all. Riggu Felis had calculated his cruelty with precision—attack, and the innocents would die. Surrender, and all hope would perish with them. The final battle would demand a price written in blood and sacrifice.

Chapter 5: Gathering Storm: Preparing for the Liberation War

The fortress of Riggu Felis squatted beside the lake like a cancerous growth, its towers black against the dawn sky. The wildcat warlord, his face a ruin of scars from Pandion's talons, had set his trap with cruel precision. Leatho dangled in his cage high above the pier while below, enslaved otter families cowered under the threat of execution. The tyrant's message was clear—come for your champion, and watch your people die. Thirty hares of the Long Patrol made landfall with military precision, led by the grim Captain Granden and the unstable genius of Major Frunk. These were not the gentle creatures of Redwall's peaceful halls, but warriors forged in the crucible of Salamandastron's endless battles against evil. Their scarlet tunics bore the stains of a hundred campaigns, and their eyes held the cold light of professional killers. Tiria's transformation reached its culmination as she donned the full regalia of her ancestors. The coronet, delivered by Brantalis the goose at the cost of exhausting flight, completed the image that would rally the oppressed clans. When she stood before the assembled warriors in her gleaming armor and emerald crown, even the battle-hardened hares felt the weight of destiny settling upon their shoulders like a shroud of stars. The war council convened in darkness, voices low as they planned the assault that would either free Green Isle or see them all die in the attempt. Riggu Felis had not counted on the madness of Major Frunk or the surgical precision of Long Patrol tactics. While the otterclans created a thunderous diversion on the lake, the hares would strike like ghosts through the fortress's rear defenses. The time for hiding was over. The time for blood had come.

Chapter 6: Fire and Steel: The Battle for Green Isle's Freedom

The attack began before dawn with the whistle of sling stones and the clash of steel on steel. The slave compound fell in minutes, its guards overwhelmed by creatures who fought with the disciplined fury of those who had seen too many friends die for freedom. Otter families emerged blinking into sunlight they had thought never to see again, while their liberators pressed deeper into the fortress's burning heart. High in his tower prison, Leatho found unexpected salvation in the form of Pandion Piketalon and Brantalis, who risked their lives to carry him from the flames that now consumed the ancient timbers. Lady Kaltag, driven mad by grief for her slain son, had set the fortress ablaze in her quest for revenge. The rescue came at a terrible cost as Riggu Felis, seeing his hated enemy the osprey within range, hurled his war axe with deadly accuracy. The morning air split with the whistle of Tiria's sling as she stood upon her raft, her weapon loaded with the barbed iron star that had once wounded Pandion. Time seemed suspended as the projectile crossed the impossible distance between queen and tyrant, guided by fury and justice in equal measure. The star took Riggu Felis between the eyes, ending his reign in an instant of perfect retribution. But victory's price was written in the still form of Pandion Piketalon, the great osprey who had carried word of Green Isle's suffering across vast seas. His body floated in the lake's dark waters, another hero claimed by the endless war between freedom and tyranny. The fortress burned through the day and into the night, its flames visible for leagues around, while the freed slaves ran laughing through the shallows and their parents wept tears of joy and disbelief.

Chapter 7: Crown of Sacrifice: Victory's Price and the New Reign

In the shadow of the burning fortress, Tiria Wildlough was crowned High Rhulain of Green Isle. The ceremony was simple—no grand throne room or elaborate ritual, just the ancient words spoken by firelight as the otterclans bore witness. Leatho Shellhound, the legendary outlaw, knelt to place the crown upon her brow, his scarred paws gentle as he whispered the oath that bound ruler to people in bonds stronger than iron. The celebration that followed mixed triumph with remembrance as they honored their fallen with floating pyres that carried the dead to their rest beneath the lake's dark waters. Pandion Piketalon was given the warrior's farewell, his body wreathed in flowers as it sank into the depths alongside otter heroes whose names would live in song. Even young Brinty of Redwall was remembered, a small wooden figure cast into the waters to join the company of the brave. Yet challenges remained in the high passes where Pitru, the wildcat prince, had fled with loyal guards to proclaim himself the new warlord. The Long Patrol would hunt him down, their scarlet tunics bright against the mountain stone, while Tiria led her people to the hidden sanctuary of Holt Summerdell. There, in a valley where waterfalls sang eternal songs and ancient terraces bloomed with forgotten flowers, the otterclans would rebuild their shattered world. The crown sat heavy upon Tiria's brow as she stood in the sacred grove, watching her people begin the long work of healing. She had crossed the Western Sea as a simple Abbey maid who broke tapestries with careless stones. Now she bore the weight of prophecy fulfilled and the hopes of a people who had dreamed of freedom through generations of chains. The price had been paid in blood and sacrifice, but the dawn of a new age was breaking over Green Isle at last.

Summary

The emerald crown had found its destined bearer, but the cost of prophecy was written in the graves of heroes. Tiria Wildlough's transformation from innocent to queen had been forged in the crucible of loss—Brinty's death at Redwall's gates, Pandion's sacrifice above the burning fortress, and the countless unnamed warriors who had died dreaming of freedom. Each victory demanded its tribute, each triumph its price in blood and sorrow. Yet from the ashes of the old tyranny, something beautiful was taking root in the hidden valleys of Green Isle. The otterclans would remember this day not for its sorrows but for its promise—the promise that even in the darkest times, heroes could rise from the most unlikely places. In the years to come, when bards sang of the High Rhulain's return, they would speak of courage found in friendship, of destiny discovered in duty, and of a young ottermaid who learned that true royalty was not worn like a crown, but carried like a burden willingly borne for love of one's people.

About Author

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Brian Jacques

Jacques explores the realm of imagination and courage through his unique approach to storytelling. His experience delivering milk to the Royal Wavertree School for the Blind inspired him to create vivid, descriptive prose that brings stories to life for visually impaired children. Jacques's books often feature anthropomorphic animals and epic battles of good versus evil, allowing readers to embark on medieval-like quests filled with honor, heroism, and intricate puzzles. This method not only served his initial audience but also captured the imaginations of a global readership.\n\nIn his literary works, Jacques synthesizes themes of friendship, bravery, and chivalry, weaving them into rich, immersive fantasy worlds. His Redwall series exemplifies this, with its setting in a woodland abbey where creatures unite against sinister forces. By incorporating detailed descriptions of food, music, and feasts, he creates a sensory experience that enhances the narrative depth. Jacques's influence extends beyond storytelling; his writing invites readers to consider values like honor and courage, fostering an appreciation for timeless heroic tales.\n\nReaders seeking adventure and moral lessons in fantastical settings will find Jacques's work deeply rewarding. The author’s ability to craft elaborate animal societies in the Redwall series and his other books like "Castaways of the Flying Dutchman" resonate with both young and adult audiences, ensuring a lasting impact in children's fantasy literature. Although not formally recognized with literary awards, Jacques's legacy endures through the millions of copies sold worldwide, reflecting his significant contributions to the genre and his commitment to storytelling that inspires hope and adventure.

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