Skipper Rorgus and Zaran the Black.

[Tam and Martin]

Does anyone else think it is odd that Skipper Rorgus and Zaran the Black (two characters from Doomwyte) got married after seeing eachother only a little while? After the battle for the Doomwyte Cavern Zaran went to Redwall and It was almost immediately that the book said they were gonna get married.

Does that seem odd to anyone else?

[Cornflower MM]

No.

[Jukka the Sling]

Well, it seemed that right away they took a liking to each other. Then, a few seasons later, you find out they've gotten married. So it doesn't actually say they got married right away.

[Osu]

I don't think they got married right away. They probably took a season or so to get to know each other better and fall in love properly, though it's been quite a long while since I read that book...

[MeadowR]

^ Yeah, I'm pretty sure they didn't get married immediately! I thought it was the epilogue thingy at the end that said they got married, which was definitely a few seasons on.

[Tam and Martin]

Maybe they didn't say it. Maybe it's just my imagination.  It did seem like though that they almost immediately got married.

[Ungatt Trunn]

I haven't read Doomwyte in a while, so I can't really give a proper judgment...except that Zaran the Black didn't seem like a romantic creature.

[MeadowR]

^ She kept it well hidden then! She was definitely very upset about losing her family, showing a more tender side.

[Osu]

Okay, I pulled out the book and looked it up. Two key passages:

"Doomwyte CH37"

[After flooding the tunnel of the Doomwytes] Soilclaw... commented with solid molesense, "Given a cupple o' seasons, [the carcase of Baliss and the remains of the cavern] 'twill all go a-minglin' with ee stream. Hurr, thur'll be a gurt, foine watery meadow all round yurr. Peaceable, with watery lilies, an' flowers, dragonflies, fishes, too. You'm wull see, this'll be a noice place for ee to visit!"

Zaran sat down on a rock, staring out at the spreading mess as it joined with the stream. The black otter bowed her head, speaking slowly. "It would be pleasant to see, I will visit here someday, to relive my memories."

Bisky held out his paw to her. "We'll come with ye, friend. Come on, let's go home now, to Redwall Abbey. We need an otter lady there."

[close]

...it's been quite a while since I read the book in its entirety, but Bisky seems to be implying there aren't any lady otters at the Abbey at this time? If so, Zaran would have had her choice of otter boys, which speaks to Skipper's favor, haha. Whatever the case, the key words are from Soilclaw, that there will be a water meadow in "a couple of seasons."

Next passage is from the end of the book, and I quote:

"Doomwyte CH39"

Skipper Rorgus yawned cavernously. His mate, Zaran, called to their little son, who was frisking in the water nearby, "Rorzan, go ashore and see if tea's ready yet."

The young one waved his chubby rudder. "Hurr, Oi'll do thart doireckly, Mum!"
[...]
Soilclaw sat sipping a beaker of cider, made from last season's good russet apples. He gestured up at the curving, wooded hill, which skirted the bank as he explained to the Dibbuns, "Oi a-members sayin', jus' arter ee caves bee'd curlapsed, that this'n yurr'd make a gudd watery medder. Hurr, Oi wurr roight."

Zaran nodded. "Indeed you were, sir. Look at it now, what beast would think that we, and our young uns, could get so much pleasure from a place that was once an evil lair?"

[close]

That young Rorzan was able to talk and frisk about in the water implies, to me, he is certainly older than two seasons, which is what the previous passage implies as a minimum of time for the area to become a water meadow. So there's that, at least two seasons for a relationship to develop, and how ever many seasons tacked on for a little otter to grow old enough to talk and run.

I like the last part, too, because it implies a lot of internal change in Zaran. She literally spent the entirety of the book -- and a very long chunk of her life, something like 12 seasons or so, wasn't it? -- seeking revenge for her lost family. When it was all said and done, she said she'd return to "relive" her memories, and I get the impression she meant it to be a very depressing time. Now that she is back at the area, she isn't reliving any bad memories, just making new, happy ones. The power of love, perhaps?

[Ungatt Trunn]

So, Zaran DID "Marry" Skipper Rorgus?

[Osu]

I think the "mate" part implies that, yep. However marriage works in Redwall and all, shame Jacques never wrote one in so we'd have a reference for fanfictions. *ahem* I think that would be a great idea for a fanfiction prompt, guys, *nudgenudge* What do you think Zaran and Skipper's wedding was like? I would love to read that.*NUDGENUDGENUDGEWINKWINKWINK*   "Mate" has been used to refer to spouses in past Redwall books, so I think it's a given.

[Vilu Daskar]

Does anyone else think it is odd that Skipper Rorgus and Zaran the Black (two characters from Doomwyte) got married after seeing eachother only a little while? After the battle for the Doomwyte Cavern Zaran went to Redwall and It was almost immediately that the book said they were gonna get married.

Does that seem odd to anyone else?

No really

[Tam and Martin]

Why is that?

[Vilu Daskar]

It just doesn't

[Tam and Martin]

It just doesn't

Okay.....I still think that it was kind of strange.