3.03: Revelations

While the soldiers carefully lowered my carriage from the ship, the sky began to darken overhead.

The smell of rotting soil overpowered that of salt, wet timber and seaweed, even far away.

As we walked away from the crowd, leaving the construction site behind, Aprilia leaned into me, sliding an arm around my waist.

“Was it alright to tell them that those weapons are being made here?” she asked.

“Anyone with half a brain would eventually figure it out, and we have to put some trust in the immigrants if we want to earn theirs.”

Her eyebrows remained drawn together.

She was clearly uncomfortable with the weapon demonstration.

Not the best at hiding her emotions, my Cha princess.

My heart fluttered. I hoped she would remain with me, even after I tell her about Reshma.

“You want to say something?” I whispered.

“That demonstration. Was that really necessary?”

“Yes. Now they know how lethal our soldiers are and how stupid it would be to start a fight with them.”

“It doesn’t feel right.”

I pulled her into my chest.

Thankfully, she didn’t resist.

“It’s not the best solution, baby,” I whispered, rubbing her back, “but it bought us time. Time we can use to gain their trust.”

She finally relaxed, her shoulders loosening.

“Maybe I should just focus on teaching,” she whispered.

I tilted her chin upwards, until she was looking at me.

“You lack experience, not ability,” I said, kissing her nose.

Her eyes searched mine.

“Experience comes with time, and blunders.”

A small smile appeared.

Better.

Looking around, I noticed the only Cha present there were soldiers.

“Where are the Elders?” I asked.

Her jaw tensed as she took a step back. “In Cradle. We didn’t think it would be wise to have them talk with the immigrants.”

We?

“Alright,” I said, straightening up and looking at her and Lothar. “What the hell happened here while I was gone?”

A coy smile spread on his face. “Remember you told me to prepare her for a seat on the council you were planning?”

“Yes?”

“Well, she established it.”

“What?”

I stood there, mouth open.

Aprilia remained silent, her cheeks getting redder by the second.

“She established the council?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“There was a vote.”

“The Elders just agreed to it?”

“No. Not exactly,”

“Please don’t say you jailed them.”

“If we did, would you disapprove?” he asked.

“Yes, I would disapprove! A democratic system found on violence alone won’t last long. Sooner or later, some ambitious idiot will find like-minded supporters to help him topple it. And why not? He’ll have the same moral authority. He’ll be using force for what he believes is right, opinions be damned!”

“Isn’t that how all systems work?” he retorted.

“Not a real democracy.”

He gave me an unimpressed look.

“I know,” I said, rolling my eyes, “every political system has to be backed by force, but the people’s consent is what makes it real. If they all truly support it, tearing down a democracy becomes very difficult. You cannot force it on them and then expect it to last.”

“Kingdoms have lasted for centuries that way.”

“And most subjects suffer for it. A democratic system produces a better society, but only if the people support it.”

And are educated, my mind finished the sentence.

Shut up, brain.

Lothar’s lips curved in a smile.

“Then you’ll be happy to know that the people supported it.”

It took me some time to pick up my jaw from the floor.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

He exchanged a glance with Aprilia.

“There was… an incident.”

Not a happy one, judging by their expressions.

“What kind of incident?”

Aprilia looked away.

“Hyde was planning a rebellion.”

Within expectations, but what did it have to do with her?

My head snapped to her.

She didn’t look too perturbed.

“She happened across his group of idiots meeting in the forest, and they captured her,” he explained.

My limbs went cold.

“Did they hurt you?”

She shook her head.

“No. Lothar got there just in time to rescue me.”

Just in time.

I let go of the tension with an exhale, then pulled her into my arms.

She eagerly stepped closer, clinging to me. Tightly.

That told me what she didn’t show or say.

I hugged her closer.

He’s going to fucking pay for it.

After a while, I let go of her, then bowed deeply to Lothar. “Thank you for saving her.”

“No need for that. I was only saving myself from your wrath.”

“No. I am in your debt.”

“They were angry about the immigrants,” Aprilia explained. “Hyde had whipped them into a frenzy, saying they would destroy our culture.”

“I am only bringing in the people we can’t do without. No more. You know I want Chadom to be a safe haven for us all, right?”

She smiled, rubbing my arm. “I know.”

“What happened then?”

“I feared there were many like those men among the rest of us, just not out in the open. So I decided to propose we create a larger council to represent everyone’s concerns, as you had planned.”

My chest swelled with pride. I knew she was bright from the moment we met, but I hadn’t expected her to blossom within such a short time.

“We gathered all three thousand Cha, and proposed to form the council.”

“The Elders?”

Her face soured.

“They protested, but Lothar stood behind me. The soldiers were furious on your behalf. I think their faces alone made the elders pause.”

“Then?”

“They made some speeches about age and wisdom and how it has guided us,” Lothar added. “When I didn’t budge, they finally agreed to it. Thought people wouldn’t vote in our favor.”

His smile widened. “They miscalculated how thankful people were to you for sending those sheep, chickens and grain.”

I couldn’t help but return it. “They’ve earned it. Even Erickson didn’t support you?”

“Not initially, but he has come around.”

“Good. The others?”

“They keep grumbling, but it’s out of their hands now. Meir is compliant, but only because of…”

“What?”

He waved a hand.

“We’ll tell you everything later. Rest for now.”

It didn’t feel right, but I decided to trust in him.

“So we now have a council,” I asked Aprilia.

“Yes. We had two sacks for yes and no, and people were given a gravel to put it in one of their choice. In the end, the one saying ‘yes’ had more than the ‘no’ one. Not by a lot, but we now have a People’s Council.”

“Wow,” I said in genuine admiration, squeezing her shoulders. “Every Cha voted?”

“Mm hmm. All those above the age of eighteen except for the captives; Hyde’s core supporters.”

“That… is amazing. I’m very proud of you.”

She remained quiet, blushing.

“And I thought it would take years to establish a real council.” I chuckled. “You’re leading it?”

“I just listen to people. Technically, you lead the People’s Council.”

My smile faltered.

“It’s called the People’s Council?”

“Yes. It sounds right.”

I groaned internally.

Great. First Supreme Leader, now People’s Council.

At this point, why not just rename ourselves the People’s republic of Chadom and fly a hammer and sickle?

Somewhere in the great beyond, Goddess Rand was probably preparing a lecture before denying me entry into Capitalist heaven.

“You chose a good name for us all,” she said brightly, oblivious to my plight. “Chad sounds so much better than Chadian. That’s what I’ve been using.”

Only then did she notice my expression. “You don’t like it?”

“No.”

“Why? It’s short and simple, unlike Nanoan and Vozoranian.”

I just looked at the sky, slowly getting populated by the stars.

How am I supposed to explain an internet meme to people without electricity?

At the docks, the soldiers finally managed to cajole the horses rankled from the sea voyage to hitch themselves to the carriage.

Torches were being lit up as people hauled precious cargo on carts.

To the right, smoke curled upward from cook fires that peeked through the forest of tents, where the three hundred immigrants lived. The poor bastards would have to endure for a while.

I was watching Jaklen negotiate with a particularly upset mare, when Lothar spoke.

“Jack?”

The tone made me turn my head.

Before the blessing of sharp senses, I wouldn’t have picked it up.

Reluctance and pain.

Pain?

His expression remained calm, but his voice betrayed him.

“You spent quite a few weeks in Nobart. What happened there?” he asked.

I had expected the question. The tone, not so much.

“Lots of things,” I told him. “I got stabbed the first day I reached Falkenheim.”

Aprilia blanched. “Are you fine?”

“Like I told you in the letter. I healed fully,” I said, rubbing her shoulder.

I turned back to him. “I met with the claimants to the baronies and established stewardship councils there.”

He stared at me with hidden intensity.

“What else?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I’m… originally from there.”

“Didn’t you join the exodus long before the Cha reached the county?”

“I moved away years ago. So?”

“It was a mess. Not as bad as it could have been. After the Ironfelds took the town of Blackrain, my cousins had enough sense to hire a reputable mercenary company. Their patrols saved the county from falling into utter chaos. Well,” I chuckled, “more chaos than I had already plunged it into by killing most of its leaders and knights.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Aprilia added. “We were just defending ourselves.”

“I know.”

Intellectually.

“Still, with that many leaders and their knights gone, it was a shit-show. So I decided to set up a system that would keep the county running even in their absence.”

“And they agreed to it?”

“Not easily. I had to make promises and deliver on them. I retook Blackrain back for Wulf, made trade deals with Dowager Nordhaven,” I counted on my fingers, “then we reestablished leadership in Nebelhain. They have a new Baron now.”

His expression had become still.

“Finally, we established law and order in Mondgrove.”

His throat bobbed at the last word.

Hmm. Why would he recognize that name?

It irked me more than I’d like to admit.

Shit.

I still had feelings for Eirica.

No, Jack did.

Great, I still wasn’t free of it.

Something else itched at the back of my head.

Then, the thought came unbidden.

It happened to me. So why not someone else?

Lothar looked at my frozen face in confusion.

I looked back, with my heart racing.

Matilda had told me that Lothar had been hit in the head. She hadn’t expected him to recover, just like “me.”

I had long figured out that the man was a nobleman in disguise, despite his best attempts to hide his background. Whenever he was carefree and tipsy, his choice of words would change. Far more refined than any peasant.

Why not just confirm it?

I took him aside.

Aprilia stayed back, watching us with curiosity.

“What is your real name?” I whispered.

“What?”

“Tell me your real name. And don’t deflect,” I snapped. “I noticed your expression when I mentioned Mondgrove.”

His eyes broke away.

“I have some history with the place. I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I bet. Look at me.”

He didn’t.

My heart picked up pace.

What kind of nobleman would leave his cushy life and join a bunch of refugees with an uncertain future of his own choice?

I knew of only one.

The one whose body I now inhabited. The one I thought was gone.

Grabbing him by the arms, I used my supernatural strength to turn him towards me.

“Eirica,” I whispered, looking at his eyes.

The widening of his pupils was all the proof I needed.

“You asshole. You’re Jack.”

I lifted my hand and threw an open palm at his sternum.