Appeasement

Written by WickedSong

Disclaimer : I do not own Chaos Walking. It belongs to Patrick Ness.

Mayor Con Ledger stood, eyes intently focused on the man in front of him.

The man with the pristine white suit, cold, cruel, calculating eyes and a calm demeanour that was somehow unnerving. The quiet, the mysterious quiet that also radiated from him was equally as scary. This man, David Prentiss, mayor of Prentisstown. The town of no women.

"My proposition is very reasonable," he said, the corners of his mouth upturned as he looked like he wanted to smile, like he knew he had already won. Con had two options. Give into his demands or resist. "I should warn you I have an army, waiting for my order."

An army? The size of the army that he had managed to recruit had been reported to be giant, more than perhaps even the men of Haven could handle. He had only one option now. Resistance could not happen now. If that happened then his people would pay the price. "You can have Haven." He struggled to keep the fear out of his voice as he said this. It was all appearing now, the fear he felt at the prospect of the worst befalling his town and himself. Especially himself.

"You are very smart, but also very stupid." The man in front of him grinned manically as he gestured to one of the men with him. "I will take full control of this town, it's new name shall be New Prentisstown. You will make the official announcement." The man he had gestured to grabbed Con by the arms and pulled him out of the door.

With a resentment inside himself he asked bitterly, "Is there anything else you want?" He was not expecting an answer and was rewarded swiftly for his cheek with a shove to the ground.

David held his hand up to the man. "In fact there is," he said, the glint of madness in his eyes, the plans formulating. "You will also announce for the streets to be cleared. I am awaiting very special...guests."

By the way he said guests, Con hoped they would never arrive but the way he sounded so sure he knew it was only a matter of time. There were people who were going to fall straight into a trap.

"Get up," the man who had shoved him barked in a gruff voice, pulling his arms.

He was led out into Haven, where people went about their day to day business, some looking worried, noticing the Prentisstown men, others ignoring them as if they weren't there.

As Con gave the announcement he knew what this was. Appeasement. It was when concessions were made to gain peace with other political leaders. Concessions had to be made here, there was no choice. His people would die if he didn't, bloodshed, so much war. He couldn't let them suffer that, couldn't let himself suffer that.

He was a coward, an appeasing coward giving into a power he supposedly thought was better than his own, his own town. He was a coward because of rumours. The cowardly mayor of Haven, or former mayor he would have to accept now, as he was led into the cathedral and up into the bell tower, to, he supposed, live the rest of his life in suffering.

Where did this idea come from, I hear you ask. Well, I am studying for Higher exams and one of my subjects in History is Appeasement and how the British appeased the fascist powers to prevent WWII. I find it fascinating and so this stemmed from Mistress Coyle in 'The Ask and the Answer' when she calls Mayor Ledger giving up as a form of appeasement. I'm a geek, little things like that get me thinking.

So there you go. It's short and the idea a little strange.

WickedSong x