How could this have happened to her?
She was a scion of the house of Vallière. The noble blood that ran through her veins had allowed her to hold her head high despite her struggles in enduring the constant taunts of her more...practically successful peers now meant nothing in the face of her recent failure.
Today should have been the day when she would be able to prove to her mocking classmates that not only was she worthy enough of carry her name, but also that she was worthy enough to practice magic.
But instead of summoning a beast of such primal magnificence that would have permanently silenced all those who doubted her, her family included, her magic had failed her once again. For instead of a powerful creature, her summoning spell had brought her an oddly dressed boy who did not even have the decency of recognizing the rare honor that had been bestowed upon him.
Instead of thanking her for her cowardly decision to keep him as her familiar, for she knew that anyone else would have put him down so they didn't have to deal with the shame of having a peasant for a familiar, he chose to act like an unruly mongrel who couldn't decided if he wanted to escape, or hump every curvy piece of tail that he ran into.
Already that slutty German Zerbst, and that oddly featured maid had expressed an interest in her disobedient servant, and while she was unable to punish the pair of them for seducing her scatter brained servant, though she might be able to remove the maid from the school if she could get another nobleman interested in her talents, nothing was holding her back from violently reminding Saito of his place.
Casting a brief glare at the generously provided pile of hay she had deemed suitable for her familiar's bed, she noted with disgust that her unworthy servant didn't even appear to be troubled with the amount of stress he was forcing on her.
Well, come the morning, she would do her utmost to break his defiant spirit and turn him into something that would not disgrace her family name.
After all, as the daughter of Karin of the Heavy Wind, it was in her nature to expect the very best of anyone affiliated with her family name. No matter their rank or position.
...
Despite the relative warmth of the evening air, and the fact that the village fires were doing their utmost to push back the shadows that threatened to swallow this nighttime celebration, Abigail couldn't suppress the shiver of dread that ran down her spine as she approached the makeshift altar and her soon to be husband.
Her fear had nothing to do with her choice in groom, for she had grown up with Edgar, and had remained the best of friends before she accepted his nervous offer of proposal. Nor did it have anything to do with her family or friends, for she knew that they were supportive of her choice in husband, and had actually been holding wagers on when they would get together.
No. The true cause for her fear was whether or not her wedding would be 'blessed' by the arrival of Lord Hotchkins and his troop of body guards.
While the laws governing the noble's right to grant and oversee marriages had been abolished some decades ago, the rule giving them the right for the most bestial of practices remained in force to this day, though it was carefully worded in order to hide its true nature. But regardless of its changing language, it was still a understandable fear for many brides to be.
Prima Nocte.
The law that gave the local landlord the right to bless the new union by taking the bride into his bed and performing the task that should only be done by the groom.
Thought it had been many years since her village experienced such a visitation, Abigail knew that her unease would remain until she and Edgar were able to consummate their marriage themselves.
Noticing her expression, and having decided to shorten the ceremony to give the newly weds every opportunity to escape their worries as quickly as possible, the local clergyman, himself a discarded byproduct of Prima Nocte, hurried to complete this originally beautiful ritual.
"Do you Edgar, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold? To love and cherish for as long as you both may live"?
Flashing his bride a nervous, yet still reassuring smile, he nodded his head.
"I do".
Turning towards the bride, the priest repeated the same question.
"And do you Abigail, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To love and cherish? To have and to hold for as long as you both may live"?
Taking strength from the supportive smiles of her family and future husband, the bride copied the actions of the groom.
"I do".
Smiling at the pair, the priest moved to finish his sacred duty.
"Than by the powers granted to me by the spiritual forces that govern our lands, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride".
Removing her veil with slightly shaking hands, though the bride could tell that the cause of his nervousness was the fact that he would be kissing her in front of the entire village, Edgar slowly moved to seal their union when a richly cultured voice interrupted his progress.
"Now now my boy. I do believe I'll have to arrest you if you continue any further. For it is my intention to bless this marriage in all endeavors".
Desperately hoping that it was merely her mind playing tricks on her, Abigail turned her head to behold a sight that she had been dreading ever since she put on her mother's carefully created wedding dress.
Standing at the head of 6 heavily armed body guards, all of which she knew were capable of magic, Baron Alfred Hotckins beheld the fearful expressions of the assembled peasants before flashing a leering smirk at the frightfully pale bride.
"I do apologize for interrupting your wedding my dead, but I'm afraid your husband is not particularly suited to make your first night as a married woman as joyful as it should be. Luckily for you, I am both well experienced and equiped to do so, and if you do the smart thing and come with me, your husband will have you back before the sun rises".
Feeling her husband tense beside her, and knowing the fate that would befall him should he challenge the gout ridden baron, Abigail resigned herself to her fate, only to stare in surprised horror as the kindly priest dared to challenge the magic using nobleman by using his body to shield her from the Baron's sight.
"My lord, I beg you to reconsider. A wedding is supposed to be a joyous occasion for newlyweds and their families. And I'm afraid I cannot allow you to..".
As soon as those defiant words were uttered, the nobleman dropped any pretense of being friendly, and conjured a flying ball of fire that turned the priest into a macabre human candle.
Ignoring the screams of terror that his actions caused, Hotchkins motioned his solders forward to claim his prize, who was now being protected by her determined looking husband.
"Step aside boy. Let me have the girl, and I promise that I will only accept Father Phillip's death as payment for this spark of rebellion. For my men will vouch that the priest was purposefully opposing the law, and as such, the detailing of punishment falls to the local landlord, which in this case is my good self. So if you choose to defy me further, then I think I'll extend the punishment to include 4 more executions, and finding enough young women to keep my boys entertained while I have my way with your wife".
Clenching his fist in frustrated anger, for he knew that their was nothing he could do to prevent his wife from being forced to service the disgusting needs of the sickened nobleman, it was with a great deal of self loathing that he motioned his terrified, yet nonetheless accepting wife towards the smirking monster.
Holding her head up high despite her mounting terror, Abigail made her way to the waiting Baron, doing her best not to shiver as pig like eyes roamed up and down her body in a manner that made her feel like she was nothing more than a mere possession.
Grinning perversely at his prize, the lecherous nobleman turned towards the group of villagers, who were staring at him with hopeless looks of sadness and barely restrained rage.
"Now was that so hard? No it wasn't. As you all know, I'm a reasonable man. And since the lovely Abigail has agreed to come quietly, I will hold my end of the bargain. For Father Phillip's defiance, I will only kill one of you dirt farming peasants, and allow my men to take 2 of your women so they can entertain themselves while I properly bless this marriage".
Waving his hand to his soldiers, and fully enjoying the looks of horrified betrayal he was receiving from both the villagers and his soon to be conquest, the Baron watched with sadistic glee as his men pointed their wand tipped spears at the now panicking crowd of peasants.
Turning his attention to his latest prize, who was staring at him with abject disgust, Hotckins raised a hand to punish her for her lingering spark of rebellion. But before the blow could be struck, a mocking accented voice caused him to temporarily forget about the newly minted bride.
"You know what always makes me laugh? Its the fact that you magic users see us normal folk as nothing more than educated animals, while your kind revels in the type of activity that one would expect from a rabid animal. A bit hypocritical, don't you think"?
Enraged that someone would dare to mock the proven superiority of a noble magic user such as himself, Hotchkins raised his wand to punish his presumably low born challenger, only to have a sudden burning sensation pass through his wrists before he watched in growing horror as both his hands fell to the ground in a growing puddle of blood.
Letting out a cry of pain, thus drawing the attention of his body guards away from the shocked villagers and back onto himself, the heavily bleeding nobleman stared into the cold eyes of the one responsible for his handless state.
Seeing that he was unarmed except for a strange looking sword that bore proof of his recent misfortune, the rage induced baron shouted orders at his equally stunned body guards.
"WHAT ARE YOU FOOLS WAITING FOR? KILL HIM"?
Snapped out of their stupor by their lord's command, the spear carrying soldiers rushed at the man who had so crippled their master, failing to notice that as soon as Hotchkins gave the command, the black garbed stranger lifted up hand and gave off a sound that sounded like a bird call.
It was the last thing they would see, for as soon as the lingering notes of that avian like sound disappeared, the village was soon filled with the sound of crackling thunder that could only belong to the one weapon that allowed the common people to fight magic users on more even terms.
The musket.
Staring in horror as the heads of his men exploded in a simultaneous rain of blood and bone, the terrified baron could only watching in growing fear as his attacker moved to speak to the crowd of shocked peasants.
"Good evening everybody. My most sincerest apologies for showing up to this event without an invitation, but I could never resist the temptation of joining in what should be a joyous occasion. Hopefully you'll forgive my late arrival, but my security team was delayed by some rather bad mannered men that the Baron here had stationed around this charming little village, so I couldn't in good conscience announce my presence until they were dealt with".
Seeing that his little speech was causing the villagers to look at him with looks of confusion, the stranger nodded his head towards the surrounding treeline, and fought the urge to smile in predatory fashion as men dragged the heavily bruised bodies of the Baron's remaining body guards.
Seeing that they now understood what he had done, and noticing that the newly wed bride was still in shock from being the victim of a legally approved rape, the black clad revolutionary turned towards the equally stunned groom with a encouraging expression.
"Sir, if you would be so kind to collect your wife. She's been through a lot, and I think what she truly needs is to be comforted by the love of her life".
Nodding wearily at the man responsible for saving his wife, Edgar rushed to his wife's side, doing his best to control his relieved sobbing as he returned Abigail's equally emotional embrace.
Sending the crying couple a brief melancholy smile, and noticing that the villagers were now looking at him like he was some patron saint come to deliver them from evil, the German born peasant decided to move on to the next stage of his mission, that if successful, would bring him one step closer to his goal.
"Good people, despite the violent interruption of what had once been a joyous occasion, my compatriots and I are here to gladly offer you the chance to finally achieve what you have all been secretly longing for ever since you were born".
Seeing that he know had the undivided interest of the previously fearful villagers, he had to fight down the urge to grin as a seemingly frail old woman voiced the question that was no doubt on all of their minds.
"And what desire would this be? For as long as this village had stood, the only desire we've had is to grow enough food to both feed ourselves and appease the Hotckins family. So what offer could you possibly have for a small broken down village like us"?
Having heard the same answer time and time again, the sword wielding stranger answered the question with a voice that was at the same time both persuasive, and slightly mocking.
"Why, the chance to avenge your collected sufferings on the family responsible for your plight".
Seeing the wide eyed expressions of not only the shocked peasantry, but also the whimpering nobleman, the revolutionary German began to explain his idea.
"Think about it. For millennia, the non magicals of this world have been treated as nothing more than slightly intelligent slaves, whose sole purpose in life is to cater to the demands and wishes of these so called superior nobleman. Despite possessing powers that could make our toil easier, what do they do? They sit around all day, sponging off of our hard earned rewards, forcing our women and children to perform tasks that betray their monstrous nature, and punishing those who would dare to challenge the status quo. Even the most sympathetic of sorcerers refuse to lessen our burdens, choosing to put their faith in heavily biased laws instead of granting us the barest measures of equality".
Getting many nods of acceptance at his words, though he could tell that not all of them were convinced by his message, he proceeded to finish his impassioned speech that had done wonders for his ever expanding movement.
"For years, I had watched my family taken away from me as they tried to survive in a world that favors those blessed...no...cursed with the gift of magic. But after burying the charred remains of my wife and daughter, I vowed to do all that was necessary to ensure that the age of magical superiority would be brought to an end. And although the deeds of this inbred swine and his minions can never be truly washed away, my compatriots and I would like to extend the opportunity to avenge your people's suffering by offering you the chance to take advantage of this nobleman's weakness, just as his family did to you for countless years".
For a while nobody moved, for what was being offered to them was the unspoken dream of peasants everywhere. But before the revolutionary began to question whether or not he needed to convince them of the righteous of his cause, a small child picked up a rock and threw it at one the injured guards.
As if this simple action was a signal, the once cowed inhabitants of the village roused themselves into righteous anger and quickly proceeded to inflict as much pain as they could on the lackeys of their inherent oppressor.
Watching with a horrified expression as his remaining soldiers were torn to pieces by his former subjects, Baron Alfred Hotckins didn't bother to hide the look of terror his mutilator smiled down at him.
"Not to worry Baron, you'll soon be joining them. After all, it would be heartless of me if I denied my new followers the chance to play with such a high quality specimen such as yourself. And since you've been adequately defanged, I'm sure their will no end of volunteers to ensure that your properly rewarded for your many years of governance".
Patting the balding nobleman in a manner that one would expect a caring owner to give to their well behaved dog, the man known only as Rächer watched the escalating violence with a satisfied smirk.
...
And thats one chapter done. Surprised by how much one can accomplish if one is properly motivated lol.
Apologies for the dark nature of it...but its probably a more realistic depiction of life in Halkeginia than what we see in the series. (Hopefully I can be forgiven for including the concept of Prima Nocta in this story, but needed a pretty good example of what would drive the common peasantry into the revolution)
Pleased to see that the concept of this story is generating interest :)..keep reviewing cause it helps me stay focused lol
Rächer is the German word for Avenger..which is fitting for a revolutionary I think lol...and as you can see...he is very capable of recruiting followers to his cause. Pointing out right now that the OC is not using his quest to place himself at the top of a new World Order...but is instead genuinely interested in improving the plight of non magicals. And since this is a feudal society, only way to do that is through violence.
Playing with the idea of having some political works from our world being present in Halkeginia (i.e. Communist Manifesto, Art of War), just because I think its possible that more than just modern weapons could pass between the realms, and will serve as the tools in which the movement can grow.
Finalizing on how to equipped/support the revolutionaries with the needed resources to wage a currently underground war against the nobles without relying on the sudden appearance of a missile launcher and WW2 era airplane, but have it mostly worked out.
Reading the comments so far, while I am not using Saito as the founder/leader of this revolution (though the potential is their to turn him into a symbol/hero) he WILL be getting a much better fate than the one awarded to him in the series. This could either mean the nature of his brand gets revealed (i.e. that compulsion that makes him fall for Louise and not stand up for himself) a pairing with Siesta/Tiffania or another non magical, or simply enjoying his life without fear of being whipped.
Of course I think he would movement like this...considering his own treatment and the knowledge of his dimension's history, and that he would be welcomed due to his combat skills, but not quite sure how to bring him into it. One way of course would be to have some of the academy's staff (like say the cook) be a planted agent on the look out for information and potential recruits.
As promised...Louise will NOT be a sympathetic character in this story...I really, REALLY hate her. So will ensure that she pays for all the abusive things she did to Saito in the series. The nature of her punishment is still being decided upon, but rest assured, it will be fun to right :)
Anywho...reviews are always welcome...though if its a grammar thing..please private msg me since the correction will be fast approacting.
Til next time :)