Tsaimath
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DLM - Prologue, Bk 5
🕑 Added 2020-07-05 14:00:11 +0000 UTC- AN: I fully expect the chapter to be controversial, please remember who is talking.
There is a soft din of noise, caused by thousands of people, talking to their neighbors in hushed voices. Each voice, a whisper but together they fill the park where they’ve gathered. Few features are common in the crowd, but one thing unites them, a thin, black brassard worn around the right biceps.
Waiting for the speaker to take the stage, set up in front of a backdrop of the calm waters of the Brunne, across which remnants of the old forest stretch up the hill. And the stage is set, with a black eagle on golden canvas filling one half, the other taken up by a set of golden stars, on a blue background. An ancient symbol, with a modern twist.
Suddenly, silence falls over the crowd as a tall woman, wearing a black gown and even a thin, black veil, a symbol of her mourning. She needs no introduction, no grand gestures or claqueurs, just her presence is enough to silence the crowd, to make them listen.
“Greetings, my friends. Greetings, fellow Europeans. Greetings, to all those who believe that we are one People. That you are the People. My People.
“For thousands of years, Europe and her People have guided the world into the future, paved the way for those following us, our ancestors made a foundation for us to stand on. A a foundation that is now under attack, again. Conquest has changed, no longer is it done with armies, with swords, cannons and guns, no the methods have changed. No longer can the brave charge of the legendary Winged Hussars rout the enemy and save Europe, it is now on us, to prevent the slow and steady assault against our foundations.
“Law, law and order, it is what separates us from the beasts, that we are a society, a society of equals under the law. Equals under the law, a wonderful idea, is it now? A standard we have sought for hundreds of years, only to abandon it when Powers came along. Why would those with Power adhere to the same rules as us, the mundanes as they call us, scoffing at our weakness. Our Powerlessness.
No, they want to make their own rules, enforced by literally faceless agents, hiding behind masks and false names, unknown and unaccountable to us. But why would they feel they need to be accountable to us, aren’t they better? Powered?”
Her voice falls silent, for just a moment, before raising her right hand into the air, balled into a fist.
“No! They are not better. WE are the People!” she calls out, her voice powerful. A call that is echoed by thousands of voices, a fervoured chant, “We are the People!”
The chants continues for what seems like an eternity, as fists are raised into the sky until the speaker lowers her hand, gesturing for silence.
“No, they are not better. And some of them know that they are humans, just like us, They decided to do the right thing, to follow the law of the land. Heroes, we call them, those who man the wall, guarding us against those who want to tear down our foundations. But they can’t have that, now, can they? No, they need to make sure that all Powered follow their lead, or their lead would crumble. And so, they resort to murder.
“I saw it myself, saw one of our Heroes, murdered right in front of me. Murdered, for no other reason than to send a message, to make a statement. He dared to bare his face, to show the world that there was something beneath the mask, a human, a young man, just like hundreds are here today. And he had to pay for that.
“I ask you, help me to reign in that terror. Help me to ensure no mother has to watch her son get murdered right in front of her, watch as his life flows out of him. I ask you, to help me make sure that Law and Order keeps intact, that we don’t devolve into beasts, where the might of one's fist makes right. I ask you, to help me keep our foundations strong, against all who want to see them crumble. We are the People!” the call goes out again and again, the echo is deafening.
“I will need all of you, each and everyone. Because none of you is Powerless or Mundane. No, each of you is Human, European, just like the one next to you. And each voice counts, each voice that takes up the call makes the call stronger.
“Will you call out those who seek their own profit over the good of all?” she asks, and an affirmative roar answers.
“Will you call out those who seek to stand above the law? Will you call for Justice for all?” she asks again, and again, roaring cheers.
“Will you make sure that the ancient foundations of Europe will stand tall for a thousand years? Will you stand with me, as one People?” she asks again and for a third time, the chant of “We are the People!” fills the air
“And this is why Europe will withstand, withstand all enemies, foreign and domestic. Because we are one People, united in purpose and equality under the law, One People, united under God. Please, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters of Europe, pray with me, like Europeans have prayed for thousands of years.”
The crowd, now silent again, mirrored the speaker, kneeling in the grass, hands clasped together and the head bowed. After a moment of silence, a thousand voices speak together.
“Pater Noster,
qui es in caelis,...”
And with the final “Amen” silence reigns, as the speaker gets back up, gives a light bow of respect to the crowd before leaving.
No more words are spoken. But everyone holds them in their heart. “We are the People.”
