There is no greater evil than killing. I don't care whether they call it war or justice. Life is precious.—Bella of Brockhall
Bella of Brockhall, also known as "Bella of Brocktree", was a female badger resident of Mossflower Woods and the first Badger Mother of Redwall Abbey. She was the great-granddaughter of Lord Stonepaw, granddaughter of Lord Brocktree, daughter of Boar the Fighter, wife of Barkstripe, mother of Sunflash the Mace, ancestor of Rawnblade Widestripe, and a descendant of Lady Sable Brock. Her mother died when she was a cub. Bella and her husband Barkstripe lived peacefully in the Mossflower area in Brockhall until Barkstripe was killed rebelling against Verdauga Greeneyes, who had taken over the region. Her son Sunflash ran away while she was ill and grieving Barkstripe.
Although Bella was generally peaceful, she served as one of the leaders of the Council of Resistance in Mossflower, a group of woodlanders organized to fight against Verdauga, Tsarmina Greeneyes, and the Thousand Eye Army. Bella's strength and endurance allowed her to rescue many of her friends. She was especially instrumental in saving Martin the Warrior from certain death after his battle with Tsarmina, running all night to reach Abbess Germaine on time.
After Martin defeated the Greeneyes monarchy and restored peace to Mossflower, Bella helped her friend Abbess Germaine lead the construction of Redwall Abbey.
Seasons later, she helped raise Veil Sixclaw, and although she played a major part in banishing him from Redwall, she did so soberly and refused to mock or jeer the young one, unlike many other Abbey residents. She appeared in a dream to Sunflash as an astral projection, singing a song about Salamandastron.
Not long after, she was reunited with Sunflash, who stayed with her at Redwall until her death. Bella had the longest lifespan of any badger, and, since badgers are generally long-lived, presumably longer than any creature.
Trivia[]
- Bella, along with Cregga Rose Eyes, was one of the longest serving badger mothers and oldest residents of Redwall Abbey. It is unknown which one of them lived the longest.
- Bella, as a very old badger, was the first character to be visited by the Spirit of Martin the Warrior in a dream or vision. He told her of her lost son Sunflash, that he would defeat his enemy Swartt Sixclaw and lose his friend Skarlath the hawk, and that he would journey to Redwall.
- Bella is the only badger mother known to have had a son.