She looked so good on the last page I had to color her.
On December 25, 5647, a 27-year-old female rat, the former Queen Guivderin of Dugroznik, became Abbess Gwendolyn of Redwall Abbey. She was the first rat to ever hold the position. (The Dugrozi name 'Guivderin' cannot be spelled phonetically with the Mossflorian alphabet, so 'Gwendolyn' was chosen as the closest thing.)
She was not your typical abbess. She wore makeup and jewelry. She wore a purple robe(Father Abbot Serney talked her out of pink.) It was embroidered with the Peace Dove from the flag of Dugroznik. It was also about two sizes too small and tightened at her waist, revealing her feet and ankles. It also accentuated her hips and breasts. Gwendolyn made being an abbess sexy. She also brought a feminine boldness and a needed dose of girl power to the abbey. It had been over a century since Redwall Abbey's last female leader, and everyone was tired of the swinging dicks of the Long Patrol and Otter Guard, and the overbearing motherliness of the abbey sisters and Badgermum Liza.
Father Abbot Serney Blanders was the true power behind Redwall Abbey and was responsible for so many of the changes that traditionalists despised. This included, but was not limited to, accepting 'vermin' as equals, allowing all species into the Long Patrol, and worst of all, allowing a rat to wield the Sword of Martin the Warrior and then bringing her on as an abbess. Most viewed these actions as token stunts to unite Mossflower against the Siberians. Others spread conspiracy theories that Queen Guivderin used black magic or hallucinogens to make everyone believe she'd seen Martin's Ghost at a time of desperation. But now the Siberians were gone, and things should have returned to normal.
Traditionalists included mostly self-righteous goodbeasts who did not want to lose their status. They included a number of Redwall Brothers, many Long Patrol hares, and various kings and statesbeasts throughout Mossflower. Then there were those of the general populous who were simply afraid of change, how does one cope with it, how does one explain this new complicated world to their cubs? And of course there were the small number of vermin creatures who preferred living in the shadows and preying on their fellow vermin who'd been cast out. These groups felt they had much to gain by returning Mossflower to its roots of 'goodbeast' and 'vermin'. If they could get rid of Abbot Serney and Abbess Gwendolyn, Mossflower could be steered back in the right direction.
Father Abbot Serney was assassinated on November 18, 5660 in Redwall's cellars while looking for a midnight snack. A mouse named Brother Parryi used a knife. The deed was almost thwarted by General Cornelius Longstride of the Long Patrol, who'd also been looking for some vittles. Unfortunately he was subdued by three other hares standing guard, but not before he could blow a distress whistle alerting everyone to the horrifying events. The assassins were caught before they could escape through the cellar window. In his dying breath, Serney named Abbess Gwendolyn as Mother Abbess. She had the support of nearly everyone else in Redwall Abbey. And of strategic importance, she had the support of General Longstride, who led the most powerful Long Patrol that had ever existed.
Gwendolyn had been an abbess for almost 13 years at this point, and she would serve as Mother Abbess of Redwall Abbey for another 36 years. She had her detractors, even among those who supported a united Mossflower. Like Father Abbot Serney before her, she was very open about subjects previously considered private or taboo. Some felt she was more of a Queen than an abbess. In the end, she led Redwall Abbey into what became known as Mossflower's Renaissance.
There is plenty more to be told. I'm thinking when I finish with Chucky and Gwendolyn(the witch), this will be my next project.
Redwall and all associated names and places are (c) Brian Jacques
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4 years, 9 months ago
06 Jul 2020 20:44 CEST
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