AN: So sorry again for being slow! I still have five more weeks where my workload is at 200% and I'm just so (insert choice(s) of cursewords here) tired! Also, Stockholm Comic Con is three weeks away and cospaly takes time! At least this chapter is the longest I've written so far, if that makes up for the wait in any way. Until next time!
Fighting the current
The bond goes silent in an instant.
There one second, gone the next.
It feels much like a thread snapping off under too much force and Matthias gasps for air as the world tilts on its axis. His mind struggles to catch up with the sudden loss of emotions and the void left behind makes him feel as if he just lost a part of himself. Each breath is a battle, and he scrambles to loosen the straps of his armor with shaking fingers that refuses to work with the clasps. He so desperately wants to ease the pressure in his chest, but it does nothing to help. The air refuses to enter his lungs properly, leaving him dizzy and desperately clinging to the bed frame to remain upright, with the armor hanging loosely off his frame.
Even in his panic, he is relieved to see that the other two still are firmly asleep, not noticing his breakdown as the tears starts streaking down his cheeks, dripping down to soak up in the fabric of his pants. Thank the Gods they are not awake to see him break down from nothing. There is no way of explaining this to them without them thinking him mad and he would rather not come up with yet another lie to tell them. They do not deserve that.
He just needs a minute to recover and get himself back under control.
He has to, for all of their sakes.
The feeling of loss that consume him, takes him back in time when he was only a few winters of age and did not understand why his father would never come home again. Then again, only a year ago, when he came home to find his mother took her life to save his, leaving him alone in the world and guilty for her sacrifice. This is similar to those times, it hurts just as much, and he feels just as scared and alone with the world crumbling down around him.
He knows he should be relieved to have his mind back to himself again without a spectator to sense his thoughts, but it only feels wrong and empty.
His mind is reeling, trying to figure out which one of his increasingly terrifying theories is the reason the bond went silent. The first, but sadly also the least likely one, is that Lukas got out of his iron cage and regained his ability to suppress the flow of emotions on his own. Lukas might not be all that eager to share is state of mind at every possible second of the day, but he would know not to cut off the connection so abruptly not to scare Matthias, especially not after the increasingly turbulent emotions from Lukas' side over the last few hours.
The most likely, and still terrifying reason is the King's influence somehow blocking their connection, similar to what happened in the marked square when the king ordered Lukas to kill the soldiers. If the King is losing his mind, much like his increasingly crazy demands from his people implies, who knows what he might have ordered Lukas to do next or how long it will be before Lukas gains control over his own mind again.
Then his mind turns truly dark, and he almost passes out with how thin the air suddenly seems. The King might have discovered the mark. He can have found it and done something. Gods, if he killed Lukas.
Matthias pulls up the sleeve of his stolen tunic and is relieved to see the sharp red lines across his skin, just the same as they looked a few hours ago. That calms him down a little as it should mean the bond is still intact, despite its silence and Lukas is still alive one the other side.
He wonders if Lukas is right about his promise connecting their lives to one another, because if that is the case, then he will never have to wonder if Lukas is dead, he will just die right along with him, macabre thought as it may be. He just hopes that if that happens, it will be quick and painless and that whatever magic is at play will not want him to suffer for failing Lukas.
He can hear the herbalist puttering around downstairs, preparing her shop for a new day, realizing that he never heard her move through the doors or walk downstairs. He knows he should wake up Berwald to swap guard. If he cannot even notice somebody moving about in the same house as them and even right next door, then he will not notice anything else either. He just cannot bring himself to wake either of the others, knowing just how desperately they need some rest.
He just needs to calm himself a little, take a few breaths and push aside his thoughts of Lukas no matter how hard that seems. Then maybe he can focus on his watch. Lukas is safe enough for now; the mark is there although muted, that should be insurance enough.
His head feels so heavy and seems to sink towards his chest constantly.
Maybe he can just close his eyes for a few seconds, not any longer than that, it will be fine.
He should keep an eye on the rat on the opposite roof and keep an ear out for any other dangers.
He just needs to close his eyes for a tiny little moment first.
They all startle awake at the sound of feet pounding up the stairs.
Matthias instinctually flails for a weapon that he no longer has, horrified to realize that he fell asleep in the first place, putting all of them in danger. His hand closes around the handle of a water pitcher by the bedside in lack of any better choices for weapons, hoping briefly that the herbalist will not kill him if he breaks it in self-defense.
Tino and Berwald are up in seconds as well, blinking owlishly at the door, gaze only flickering away to look for a usable weapon in the room and coming up with nothing. Berwald carefully steps in front of Tino to shield him, throwing Matthias a disappointed look, probably for not warning them.
Then the herbalist burst through the door, with a haggard expression and sweat beading on her forehead. "You need to leave!" she snaps as she storms by them across the room to the window, where she yanks the curtains aside and peers out. She almost pushes her entire face against the glass as she looks down either side of the narrow back alley below, her harsh breath fogging up the glass.
Matthias realizes he cannot have slept for more than a few hours at most, as the light outside is still a little dim and grey, the sun still a few hours away from reaching its peak. At least the rat on the opposite roof is gone.
The herbalist turns away from the window, looking only marginally calmer. "I just had a customer, and she told me she saw the guards collecting people for mandatory duty somewhere further into the district. They are going house to house; searching each home to make sure nobody is hiding away. They are sweeping the merchant district right now and will come here eventually; I do not know how long we have before they arrive." She opens the window and stares at them expectantly, resting her hands firmly on her hips. "I need you out of here, now!"
Wide-awake and alert in an instant they scramble to collect their belongings while the herbalist taps her foot impatiently, chewing on her nails in a display of nerves, occasionally glancing out the window once more while she waits for them.
"Put on the uniforms," Matthias says. "If the guards spot us outside looking like commoners, we can be sure they will drag us off for mandatory training. That is if they don't realize we're rebels, of course." He refastens the straps on his armor that he never managed to take off before he fell asleep.
"You are lucky that one customer came by," the herbalist comments and her voice sound shaky and it is more as if she is speaking to herself rather than them, just trying to keep herself calm as she watches them pack. "One of her brothers were taken earlier today and her mother fainted. She has a weak heart, might not survive the strain of losing one of her boys."
Matthias does not know how to respond, and she does not look like she expects an answer anyways, so he finishes putting on his armor quickly and moves to help Berwald with the much more complicated plate mail.
When Tino gets his own armor in place, he stuffs their clothes into a bag. The herbalist snaps out of her daze then and tears it away from him and tosses it underneath Ville's bed and then kicks it hard enough that it smacks against the wall. "Guards with backpacks will only look suspicious," she says. "Go, now! I have to go downstairs, pretend everything is normal until the soldiers appear and you can't be here when they do." She herds them towards the window and practically pushes them out.
Tino climbs out on the windowsill easily enough and seems able to find grip on the brick wall and scurries upwards to the roof and out of sight. Matthias follows him, far slower as his fingers feel thick and clumsy against the brick, and he is much heavier than Tino by far, but he too makes it without slipping.
When it is Berwald's turn, Tino and Matthias both hang halfway off the roof to help pull him up over the edge, his armor much heavier and stiffer than theirs, making his climb even more of a struggle than theirs. There is a moment when Matthias fear that they will all slide off the roof and pummel to the ground two floors down when he and Tino to hold up most of Berwald's weight as he struggles to heave himself up, but somehow, they manage and can heave out a breath of relief in relative safety.
Below them, they can hear the window slam shut as the herbalist hides the evidence that she was harboring rebels in her home through the night.
Tino lays down on his back on the gently sloping roof, staring emptily towards the sky with his arms thrown out to the sides. "My Gods," he says weakly. "We just left Vilje behind."
"Leah has it under control," Berwald says calmly, even though there is a strain to his voice. He crouches down next to Tino, keeping away from the edge of the roof to stay better out of sight. "She will keep her safe."
Matthias lies down himself, breathing deeply, trying to calm his razing heartbeat after their sudden scare. Gods, they were lucky to get away once again. He feels relieved that falling asleep did not put them in danger. Even if he had managed to keep awake those few hours, he would not have realized the guards were on their way until it was too late. Berwald made the right choice when he decided to go to an herbalist for shelter. He also tucks away her name into memory, Leah. When this all is over, she deserves proper thanks for risking her lives for them.
They must have fled just in time.
Somewhere in the district and getting closer, they can hear raised voices that are growing steadily closer. It does not sound anything like the normal chatter of a city that is waking up and preparing for the day. Matthias rolls over on his stomach and faces his friends. "If we want to run, this is ours last chance or we might have to wait this out."
"It is better if we wait here," Berwald whispers back. "This is probably just one group of soldiers out of several. We don't know how many more are spread throughout the city and where. If we move around, there might be a higher chance we run into more of them."
"Gods, I don't know if I can do this again," Tino says weakly. "Just watch and listen and knowing that everything will just get worse if we interfere." He turns silent again and takes a few long, steady breaths and Matthias is willing to bet his last few coins that Berwald has reached out to offer him a hand to cling to out of sight in silent support. "This damned city fights us at every turn," he sighs. "Every time we take a step forward, something pushes us three more back in return. It is like fighting a current and the river is made of mud!"
"Made of mud and filled to the brim with rats," Matthias growls, before he can stop himself. Berwald elbows him in the side, letting him know just how he feels about the comment, not appreciating more black paint on an already dark situation and reminding him that they should stay quiet as the soldiers draw even closer.
They can hear the voices better now, some are commanding while others are scared and they creep forward on the roof despite the risk of someone seeing them, curiosity getting the better of them. Luckily for them, everybody has their attention on the approaching group and are not likely to notice three rebels on the roof pretending to be guards.
Below them, there is indeed a large group of soldiers moving down the street and all of them have heavier armor on and weapons clearly on display as if they are expecting trouble.
Matthias feels a shiver down his back and his stomach sinks back as he recognizes the figure in the lead. Lukas. Of course it has to be him, that it just his luck. The fates seem to find joy in bringing them together under the worst of circumstances, taunting them both and testing their resolve. The mark on Matthias' arm remains quiet despite their proximity and Matthias barely resists the urge to scratch at it.
Looking at Lukas's movements however, and how people immediately avert their gaze to avoid eye contact with him, tells Matthias that he must be under complete control of the King's orders. He walks slowly, his movements stiff and unnatural, lacking all of his normal grace and his gaze strangely locked forward, not sweeping around to assess the situation like most people would do. It almost looks like he is sleepwalking, and Matthias is glad then, that the bond is quiet. He does not want to know what thought are moving through Lukas' mind right now and he does not want Lukas to be able to track him either. In his current state, he might not be able to hold back from hunting down the rebels that are so close to his grasp.
Lukas stops two houses away from the herbalist's, far too close for comfort, and the soldiers make a halt behind him. He places his hands on his back, straightening up, preparing to speak. People on the street stop walking and warily look at him, looking as if they wish they were leagues away from this place, covering in fear. Lukas does not seem to notice or even care, just standing there like an empty husk, unconcerned about their plights.
"As per the King's latest decree, each man and woman capable must report to the royal army for basic training to defend our Kingdom from the outside threat." He is not speaking loudly, but the deadly silence in the street allows his voice to carry and it sends a shiver down Matthias' spine with how flat and cold it sounds. "Time is here to report for duty and new recruits are to meet in the main square without delay. We are here to make sure nobody shirks their duty to the Kingdom. Come forward now or face the consequences."
There are a few seconds of quiet as people process the order, and then the whispers begin. A few are brave enough to yell in protest, but a few of the soldiers place their hands pointedly on their swords and the frustrated mutterings quiet down to terrified whispers.
There are a few people to step out of their houses, walking up to the guards and submitting to military duty without protest, but their faces are drawn and their movements slow. One man, if one can call him that, as he looks by far younger than Tino, steps out from ne house while his mother cries in protest by the door with her husband holding her back from running after her son. As the soldiers guide her son to the other volunteers, she collapses to the ground, sobbing hysterically in her husband's arms.
Matthias grinds his teeth, and his knuckles turn white as he clings to the edge of the roof and fights to remain silent when all he wants to do is punch a few soldiers in the face for tearing families apart. He can hear Tino's harsh breathing, and it sounds like he is struggling not to cry.
The situation is turning rapidly more chaotic.
The soldiers count the numbers of new recruits, and they do not look happy with the result, judging by how they march up and down the street looking increasingly agitated. One of them unrolls a scroll and make notes as he surveys the recruits, he then moves up to Lukas and whispers something in his ear and Lukas just tilts his head curiously to the side as he listens.
When the guard moves away again, Lukas straightens his back, and he gazes out dispassionately over the crowd. "Search the houses," he commands coldly and the crowd gasps in fear, cowering away as several of the guards spread out in groups of four towards different houses.
Where they meet open doors, they bully their way right in, pushing aside whoever is in their way. They shove aside the poor mother still crying for her son with little care, not caring that those were one of the few people cooperating.
On the neighboring house, they hammer on the door and when nobody opens, they break it down.
A few of the guards move between the people gathered on the street, asking them questions and pulls aside those that fit the categories for mandatory service. Those left alone, cower in fear. Some are clinging to each other for support, openly crying while others are obviously fighting to restrain themselves from reacting violently as the soldiers drag more people out on the streets against their will.
All three rebels on the roof struggle to remain quiet when they notice one particular group of guards drag a girl away from one of the houses. She is shrieking in protest, fighting the soldiers with everything she has, kicking and clawing, and even biting, but they easily restrain her. She can be little more than 13 winters of age and her strength is nothing against two fully grown men.
By the door, her parents are screaming as well, her father pleading to take her place, but the soldiers just hold him back until he gives up and sinks to the ground with his wife clinging to him and sobbing.
Beside Matthias, Tino is biting down on his fist to keep quiet, breathing hard and with tears at the corner of his eyes. It is all so wrong, dragging children into war and Matthias feels so helpless watching events unfurl and knowing there is nothing he can do to stop it or he will make everything worse.
The citizens must feel the same, considering how little they argue back. They are mostly staying quiet, letting the guards do as they wish. None of them wants to fights; they just want to live their lives in peace.
He wonders if the guards believe in the job they are doing, or if they are too scared to do anything but obey orders, much like the guard he met in the castle. No matter which is true, there is only one way to end the conflict. The king has to die. That is the only way to make this all stop.
Matthias holds his breath as one group of soldiers makes his way up to the herbalist's house right below them and the chaos in the street turns into background noise as he focuses all his senses on the one guard. He creeps as close to the edge as he dares and sees how she is waiting on the doorstep with her arms crossed, greeting the guard coldly.
The guard rolls out a scroll and looks at her and then the house, making a grimace of distaste. "Is this your business?" he asks brusquely.
"Yes," Leah replies curtly.
"According to my papers, this is also your accommodations?"
"That is also correct." Her voice sounds cold enough to wither an entire field of crops more easily than the first frost of winter, not that it seems to affect the guard in any way.
"You are the only inhabitant?" The guard sighs as if he is growing bored of the entire conversation and would prefer to just break down the door instead of asking questions.
"Yes,"
"I still need to check your home," the guards says. "I have to make sure nobody is hiding away in there. All procedure, you understand."
"Of course, officer," she replies icily. "I have nothing to hide from you or the crown and you are free to search much as you like; all I ask is that you do not disturb my patient in the process."
"You have a patient inside?" the guard sounds suspicious. "Who is it?"
"Some poor girl attacked in the streets," Leah replies calmly, but Matthias can hear the suppressed rage in her tone. "I am not in the business of asking questions, nor is she in any state to answer either, but you are free to see her for yourself. You of course need to know that she is not trying to skip out on her mandatory duty."
They can hear Leah huff out a breath as the guard bodily pushes her aside even though she said he was free to do his search and makes his way into her home. Leah must follow him and they hear her steps after the heavier ones from the guard as he moves through the house.
Next to Matthias, Tino clings even harder to Berwald. His nails are digging bruises into the flesh of his arm, but Berwald remains firm as a pillar, not even flinching. Thank the Gods. Matthias does not feel so steady himself. He wishes they could have brought Vilje with them outside to keep her well away from all of this. He does not want any of the guards even near her, but it is too late now, they will just have to hope the guard will leave her alone.
Matthias holds his breath as his attention turns to the voices and sounds he can hear from within the house through the window on the opposite side of the house. He clings to the edge of the roof so hard his fingers turn numb, but not daring to move across the roof with the guards so close below them The house is not exactly well isolated either so they can hear the guard's steps as he marches up the stairs and opens the door to the guest room.
There is a few seconds of silence then the guard growls. "What is wrong with her?"
They all know who he is speaking of.
"Lover's quarrel I suspect," Leah replies evenly, and if Matthias did not know she was lying, he would have believed her instantly. He cannot see what is going on inside the house, but he hears them move around. "She was brought to me from the streets by a Good Samaritan and I agreed to help her," Leah continues. "I don't know who she is, and I did not ask, but I can tell you she is not a candidate for your army."
"You watch your mouth, healer." The guard growls. "You better show us some respect."
"The same respect you show me and my profession?" Leah replies flatly. "You should remember who you might need to ask for help if you ever get sick or injured. There is not many in this city with my particular skillset."
Matthias admires how calm she sounds when alone and faced with an angry guard.
"She can handle herself," Matthias whispers, not knowing if he is trying to comfort a pale-looking Tino next to him or himself. It does not seem to work for either of them either way, but thankfully, there is no sound of further arguments from within the house. The guards apparently finds no reason to question her further and leaves well enough alone."
Conversations on the street does not appear to move on smoothly at all. There volume of chatter is increasing as something seems to agitate the situation and the three rebels on the roof, turn their attention back to the main street once more, trusting that Leah has the situation inside under control.
An older man has somehow made his way past the soldiers and is marching his way right up to Lukas with determination displayed in his entire being, and Matthias senses this will have no good outcome for anyone.
Lukas merely tilts his head as he eyes the approaching man with disinterest.
"You cannot take my son and grandson!" the man screams. He looks old and frail, his back hunching from age and his arms thin as he gestures wildly. "It is just cruel and unnecessary!"
A soldier comes rushing forward, ready to deal with the older man, but Lukas holds up a hand to stop him and the old man freezes in his tracks, uncertain of how to react at the lack of immediate violence. He glances nervously at the soldier but then turns a truly spiteful glare back on the commander of the entire affair.
Lukas's only reaction is to rest his hands calmly on his back, almost making a show of how unthreatened he feels by the angered man. "All must do their duty to the Kingdom," he says flatly, still no emotion behind his voice. "Your son is listed as a tailor; a non-critical job in this time of need, and your grandson is not yet employed despite being of an age where he should at least be learning a trade. For the city to survive, everyone capable must fight."
"That is what soldiers are for!" The old man shrieks loud enough that it echoes through the suddenly quiet streets. "We pay taxes to support the damn army so that those with proper training and equipment can protect our city and those who live in it. You are supposed to be our first line of defense and now you would rather just sacrifice our children to improve your own chance of survival." He sticks a finger pointedly in Lukas's face. "What is it that has our king so damned scared of a few rebels, huh?"
From the roof, Matthias cannot see exactly what happens next.
Lukas appears to say something, but it is inaudible and the old man rushes forward with his hands reaching for Lukas's throat, screaming in rage and intent on murder.
There is a gasp from the crowd and the old man stops just a few feet or so from his target and his hands drop.
Then he staggers backwards, and Matthias can see a sword sticking out of his stomach. Lukas almost gently pushes the older man further away from himself with his free hand and pulls the sword back with the other.
The old man gasps and stares down at the sudden hole in his gut as if he cannot really believe what he is seeing and he grasps desperately at the wound to stop the blood that is suddenly gushing once the sword is gone. A strangle gurgle leaves his mouth along with a spatter of blood as he begins coughing. Then he sinks to his knees and sways on the spot, still not catching up with the fact that he is about to die.
"Too bad it had to come to this," Lukas says with a sigh, but he does not sound apologetic in the slightest as he wipes of the sword on the older man's clothing who can do nothing but stare up at him with wide and horrified eyes. "We do not want people to die unnecessarily," Lukas continues as he straightens back up, "but this man fights against us when all we want to do is protect the city. Luckily for us all, he is not a great loss. He is too old and fragile to fight and only serve to cost us resources to keep alive." The words sounds awkward and practiced in a way that makes is seem that Lukas is only repeating somebody else's opinion rather than his own.
Lukas then uses his foot and slowly pushes the old man in the chest until he topples over and crashes to the ground where he takes a few ragged breaths and grows silent at last.
People gasp in horror, and a few begin yelling in protest. Several look like they are wanting to rush the commander and just waiting for the right moment to react.
"Anyone else that wants to challenge the crown?" Lukas yells then. He raises his sword, pointing it towards his horrified audience. His voice sounds strangely forceful, reminding Matthias of the king's when he used magic to enhance it. "Contribute or be punished!"
It turns real quiet then.
"Good," Lukas continues and sheathes his sword. He turns to one of his fellow guards "Continue the search, and I expect there to be no further incidents." It is a warning to the people much as it is an order for his men.
The guards recover quickly and resume their effort in going house to house.
The group of new recruits slowly grows larger, most people cooperating far better after the display of violence. The guards still tear through their homes, tossing around their furniture and breaking things while the citizens watch them in fear but do nothing to stop it. Nobody wants to end up like the dead man still lying in the middle of the street in a puddle of blood that nobody seems intent on clearing up.
The guards even check every single back alley, moving around barrels and crates and even breaking up the lids to check the contents. Then finally, after what feels like an eternity, one of the guard declares the section clear after counting the number of recruits and checking his list several times.
Lukas nods curtly and orders some of the guards to escort the new recruits to the main square while the rest of them prepare to move further down the street to continue their search.
It still takes a lot of time for the soldiers to disappear out of earshot and none of the rebels dare move until they are sure that there are no straggling soldiers that might catch sight of them. They can still hear crying from the streets from those that were not taken away as they mourn their loved ones as if they are already dead.
"We should get back inside," Tino whispers hoarsely, his voice sounds absolutely wrecked. "We need to check on Vilje and Leah."
Matthias does not even dare to speak in fear of what he might sound like. He only nods in return and they move towards the back of the house again, where the window is.
Climbing back down seems much harder than climbing up was. They begin with Matthias and Berwald lowering Tino over the edge until he finds grip with his feet and tells orders them to give him his arms back, one at the time when he finds places to hold onto. Once he is safe, he guides the two of them to blindly find a safe paths to tread as they struggle to follow.
They must make more noise than they would like, because they have barely made it in the window all of them when Leah comes marching upstairs. She barges in the door with a skillet lifted over her head, prepared to swing, but sighs loudly in relief at the sight of them. "Thank Gods its only you," she exclaims and lowers her weapon. "Get in and get the damned window shut."
"Are you alright?" Matthias manages to ask. "is Vilje?"
Leah waives one of her hands dismissively. "The girl is fine, I'm fine." She places the skillet on the bedside table and adjusts the blankets covering Vilje as if to prove that everything is as it should be before she turns back to them. "They did not find any evidence of your presence and your Vilje is in no shape to answer their questions so they left well enough alone. They tossed a few things around, but no real harm done."
She tilts her head as if she is listening to something and there is a deep line of thought on her forehead. "I have other patients downstairs right now, those that did not cooperate well enough the guards satisfaction or just need a place to recover until they can handle going home to an empty house."
"We can just stay right here until they leave," Matthias suggests carefully, terrified that she wants to throw them right back out on the streets. "We can be quiet. They won't even notice we are here."
Leah licks her lips as if she is carefully considering her next words. "The thing is, I am beginning to think I might want for you to meet them, I just do not know how they will react to seeing your uniforms after what just happened, but I think they will want to know that there are rebels within the city that want the same thing that they do."
"Are you serious?" Tino hisses. He looks horrified at the idea.
"Very serious," Leah huffs at him, clearly not impressed. "All those people downstairs just had at least one family member taken away today. If I can give them some hope back by showing them the people that fight on their side, is it not worth talking to them?" she gives each of them a firm look. "They have no reason to tattle to the guards if that is what you fear. Those soldiers have proven that they are far beyond reason at this point."
"If you trust them not to expose us, then we'll see them," Matthias interrupts before Tino can argue against her and ignores the look of betrayal sent his way.
Leah looks pleased with herself. "Just give me a few minutes to prepare them," she gestures at their uniforms. "They are going to need a warning if you are going to be dresses like that, I'll holler when we are ready. I promise you wont regret this."
She leaves with the same flurry she arrived, sans skillet, leaving them behind and looking uncertainly at each other.
"Are you sure about this," Berwald asks.
"She does have a point," Matthias, and he is a little surprised at his own response. "We are running out of time and there might be some good to come of this if she is right. If we can get these people on our side, they can help us get information we could never gather on our own. They know the city, the people. I think it is worth the risk." He does not want to put any more people in danger, but these people are already in danger and they should be free to make their own choices. "just think about it," Matthias continues, his mind spinning with new ideas. "If we can convince both our army and the new recruits not to fight when the king forces them to meet on the battlefield, neither side will lose people unnecessarily. Think if we can convince them to turn on the soldiers instead."
Tinos expression changes in rapid succession as he considers the possibilities. "That is a very big 'if'," he says eventually.
"I know," Matthias says, "but could change everything for us."
The other two still does not look convinced. Tino is chewing on his lips as he paces the room and Berwald is glued to the window.
It is all too soon when Leah yells up the stairs. "You can come down now."
Matthias takes one deep breath for air and heads towards the stairs first. "I guess this is it."
Leah is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, holding on to the curtains that keep the shop separate from her home. "Try not to scare them," she says and places a hand on Matthias' arm, giving it a squeeze. "These people have been through a lot and they had a hard time believing me when I said we might have a chance of stopping the king's tyranny. Are you ready?"
When Matthias nods, she opens up the curtains and gently pushes him into the open space of the apothecary where all the curtains for the storefront windows are firmly shut.
There are fifteen, maybe twenty people staring at him as he enters, spread out on the various mismatching furniture or on the floor, and those that have no place to sit are standing. They look at his uniform, notice Berwald and Tino behind him and they look terrified. One man even moves towards the door, but one of the women take him by the arm to hold him back.
"Leah told us you are rebels," the woman says hesitantly, her fingers tightening around the arm of the man she is holding back.
Matthias only manages to nod weakly in return, not at all sure how to respond.
"So, you are here to stop the king's tyranny then?" she continues firmly and unlike the others, she looks determined rather than purely scared.
"That is the plan," Matthias replies.
"Good!"
Matthias looks back at Tino and Berwald who looks just as uncertain as him. "So you hate the king?" he finally asks as a way to begin.
"Many of us do," she replies. "We stopped believing in him ages ago, but it not like we have the power to do anything about it. We have tolerated a lot over the years, but taking our families, that is going too far."
There is a hiss from one of the other people in the room as if they want her to stop talking, but Leah steps into the middle of the room to take the attention. "It is alright, we can trust them."
Whoever it was that spoke stands up as well. "It is dangerous speaking like this, it is treason. We could all get hanged for this, or worse."
"Then you should have left the moment we started speaking up, and gave everybody the chance to walk away," the first woman snaps at him.
"For all we know, the rebels winning and becoming in charge might be just as bad if not even worse than what we already have," the man growls back.
"We just want our lives to return to normal," Tino interrupts. "We never wanted any of this."
"What are your plans then?" One of the others ask. "Do you see any way for this all to end without our children dying out there on the fields before the capitol?"
"We have a few plans in play," Matthias says hesitantly, not sure what to tell these people, but knowing that he needs to make a good impression or risk any of them turning them in to the guards the moment they leave. These people need to believe that the rebels are the better side to support in the war. "We were sent here ahead of the main army to learn the inner workings of the city and search for weak spots that we can use to our advantage, and also to sabotage if we could. Which we did."
The citizens stare at them in wonder. "You caused the storeroom fire the other night," one of them gasp.
"We intend to do more," Matthias says firmly. Tino still looks uncertain, but Berwald gives him a nod that tells Matthias to keep going. "We have people outside that can give news to our army. We can tell them the king is intending on sending innocents out on the battlefield. We don't want civilians to die. We don't even want to kill the soldiers unless we have to." He pauses "So far, battle has been our only way of moving forward and those that are loyal to the king tend to go out of their way to cause harm."
One of the older women walk up to Matthias with a unsteady smile. Her face is wrinkled and her back crocked with age and she places one hand on his face to make him look at her. "You don't have to defend yourself to us," she says gently. She wipes away a few tears from her own cheek. "We do not blame you for standing up for yourselves. We are just all trying to survive in this world."
Matthias breathes to calm himself down trying to come up with the right words. "This new plan of the king's to send inexperienced people on the battlefield was not something we could have imagined," he whisper. "If we can only get word to our people outside, they will know not to attack them and if we can just get the new recruits to not attack them. There is no reason for us to fight, we all want the same enemy. We just need to get word to our people on the outside, and we don't have the means of moving freely outside the city."
The old lady pats him on the cheek again. "I think we can solve just that problem." She turns on one of the younger men, maybe in his mid-forties. "Your other boy, the one they did not take, is he not working the fields?"
The man in question makes a bitter grimace like he is fighting against his own temper. "Yes, and that's the only reason he is going to avoid the training," he growls. "Who would have thought the day would come when it was better to be a farmer than a merchant."
"That means he can get in and out of the city then?" woman asks. "He could get a message out?"
The man looks hesitant and Matthias is quick to interrupt. "We cannot ask any of you to risk your lives to help us or those of your loved ones. We need the help, that is true, but we will not force you."
"I'd rather not send my boy out alone to speak with the rebels," the father of the farmer says uncertainly. "I suspect your people will not trust a stranger from the city and neither does my boy know who your people are or how to find them, but what if a get you his papers. You can go out on your own during his shift."
"That does make sense," Tino agrees, "and it would help us a lot."
The man sighs deeply, still looking a little hesitant. "I'll see what I can do."
The rooms turn a little more quiet after that.
Leah walks up to the three rebels, looking very pleased with herself. "It seems your presence actually did some good here today," she says. "For you and them both I would say."
"And I thought you didn't want anything to do with us," Berwald whispers back to her quiet enough that only the four of them can hear.
"I changed my mind," she says firmly. "I thought I could hide away, just do my job and let all of this blow over, but you assholes are right, I care too much about people to ignore them." She gestures at the collection in her apothecary. "I still want to curse you for forcing my hand, I never wanted to get involved in this mess."
Matthias feels a warmth in his chest at her words. Leah reminds him of Vilje right then, forceful and strong willed, pretending to be cold just because it is hard to admit just how much they care and it is easier to put up a front of indifference.
"is there anything else us common folk can help you rebels with?" Leah asks eventually.
"I don't want to ask too much from these people," Matthias replies, "but the more people we can get working on our side, the better. We have an army on the outside, but it will still be hard beating the soldiers even if we get past the false army. They have better weapons and training and the protection of the city wall. I think our next priority will be finding a way to breach the city walls, find out how to open the gates maybe, if we get people within the city to turn on the soldiers, we will have a far better fighting chance."
"They don't necessarily have to fight," Tino interrupts when he sees a few of the closest civilians turn pale as they listen in on their conversation. "There is plenty of things that normal people can do without putting themselves in too much danger. We have done something similar before, turning the surroundings against the soldiers. If people just put up blockades, to close off important roads when the rebels make their attack on the city, that can disrupt them enough to give our people the upper hand. Everything little thing helps."
"That would require a lot of organization," Leah replies thoughtfully. "We need more people and we need a good way to communicate between all the districts and find the best routes to block off."
"Do you think we can do it?" Tino asks.
Leah breathes in through her teeth. "It will be tough, but we can turn this place into a center of operation. The most difficult thing will be keeping this whole thing a secret." She scratches at her chin deep in thought and turns her body to address the room. "You hear that everybody. This is our base now, we need people, but be vey careful about who you bring here, we need to be able to trust them completely." She points at the father of the farmer. "You need to bring us those papers."
He nods.
"Should we meet back here tonight then?" Tino asks. "Go over how to bring information outside? Will that be enough time to get the paperwork"
"Then we have a plan," Matthias says when the man nods in confirmation once more. He is relived to finally have a strategy after the series of disasters they have been through lately. "We have one of us go outside tomorrow morning." He looks to his friends and already knows Tino will the one to volunteer. Matthias cannot imagine that Berwald will opposed the idea considering it will get Tino out of the city and away from the rats. "That leaves us with the rest of the day to figure out as much as we can about the supposed training the soldiers intent on giving the new recruits."
"Well then," Leah snaps. "No time to lose." She claps her hands together. "I will get control over the situation here, get organized. You lot have work to do."
Matthias throws a last glance around the room at the people that have so suddenly joined their side in the fight. It is not something he could have imagined or even dared to dream of. They would not ask in fear of somebody reporting them to the authorities.
The few people in the apothecary stare back at them with wide eyes, but rather than fear, there is determination, and more important, hope.
