The Warder Cycle is an Alternate Universe Redwall fanfiction series by Waycaster
on Fanfiction.net. It follows the plot of two fics from Jade TeaLeaf, who has been off the net since 2013, and acts as a Continuation and Recursive Fanfiction to her work.
The setting is the Kingdom of Southsward (that was mentioned in The Bellmaker) and its neighbours, the Kingdom of Triel and the High Kingdom of Parma, who have a tendency to gear up for war every twenty seasons (the Redwall equivalent of years). Aside from the conflicts and the misery that arises from them, two different sets of Functional Magic slowly returns to the world - a situation the title characters, the mysterious Warders, seek to exploit...
Some fic titles by Waycaster are not to be confused with the Final Fantasy XIV expansion titles they are named after.
- The Chains that Bind Us ''by Jade TeaLeaf'' (2008-2011, dormant)
The fic that started it all - a woodlander and a fox enslaved and chained to each other finds their way to freedom, but a threat to Redwall Abbey is marshalling far to the north, in the Lands of Ice and Snow.
- The Blood Between Us ''by Jade TeaLeaf'' (2013, dormant)
The sequel to the first fic, set twenty-five seasons later. Three beasts find their destinies wound together all too tightly in Southsward, with the Stolen Warrior trying to carve his place, the Wayward Traveller trying to find her kin, and the Fledgling Lord trying to fulfil his duty - all while a neighbouring kingdom makes plans.
- A Realm Reborn (2018-)
Waycaster's first continuation, set twenty-two seasons before The Blood Between Us. War breaks out in the Southern Realms, and nobeast is prepared for it. With Southsward breaking away from Triel, all Hellgates breaks loose, and a young noble healer is swept up in the chaos.
- Arcana (2018-)
The Prequel set forty seasons before ARR, illustrating the life of a king who suddenly realises that he can use Conjuration thanks to a visitor from another world - and runs into more trouble than he could handle himself, with conniving lords, errant kingdoms and more visitors from alternate worlds.
The series contains examples of:
- A Child Shall Lead Them Young Thordan is chosen to be King of Dravania, in part due to his naiveté and young age.
- And Now You Must Marry Me: Triel's plan is for Corinne to marry Egan Stalwart, by force if necessary.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Well... not all of them are completely evil, though none of them re exactly squeaky clean except for Thordan Swalestrom, Lorcan Stalwart and Gavin Swalestrom, and that's debatable. Then there's The Ward.
- Arranged Marriage: Again, too many to count. Pretty much every marriage is arranged. This causes some friction between Corinne Swalestrom and her family due to her infatuation with Oriel.
- Badass and Child Duo: Isangrim and Young Thordan. This lasts for a mere two chapters before Dagbert kidnaps them both.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: House Swalestrom. Two brothers not trying to kill each other is a rare occurrence. Even though half the family is dead by The Blood Between Us, the family is still quite strained.
- Court Mage: Matoya and Isangrim were secretly this to Old Thordan, under the guises of being mundane spymasters..
- Cunning Like a Fox: One of the reasons why Keetch is so mistrusted by all woodlanders. Isangrim tries too hard to play it straight, while Renart is a natural.
- Four-Philosophy Ensemble: Brink is the Cynic, Old Thordan is the Optimist, Asch is the Realist, Keetch is the Apathetic, Young Thordan is the Conflicted.
- Four-Temperament Ensemble: The four protagonists. Old Thordan is Sanguine, Brink is Choleric, Young Thordan is Melancholic, and Asch is Phlegmatic.
- Freudian Trio: TBBU's main trio plays it straight - Miria is the Id, Asch is the Ego, Lord Keetch is the Superego.
- Furry Reminder: As Thordan finds out, Isangrim smells just like a fox does in real life does - not exactly fragrant.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: Guards not standing in their posts makes Thordan's rescue not just possible, but pathetically easy.
- Interclass Friendship: Egil and Thordan. Despite Egil's father being richer than Thordan's, Thordan has the social standing due to Egil being a 'vermin' weasel.
- Kissing Cousins: Yet again, a medieval trope. Oddly enough, only one coupling happened between first cousins, and that was in the backstory.
- Lastof His Kind: After the death of King Thordan of Parma, Lorelei is the last member of House Skyward. Not really.
- The Magic Comes Back: Technically, the magic was always there, but nobeast was able to sense that.
- Occupiers Out of Our Country: The Laagmeer shrews. A pity they can't really define which is their enemy — the Domans who try to subjugate them, or the Parmans who already do.
- The Tourney: Once at the end of ARR, the other in TBBU. These tournaments are special because the winner gets the Standard Hero Reward.
