From pacifist to terrorist, each person condemns violence - and then adds one cherished case in which it may be justified.—Gloria Steinem
It was the fourth day after The Event when Taryn stumbled over the body in the garden. Situated between a patch of petunias and violets, the body lay unmoving and unresponsive. Pink blossoms from a nearby cherry tree wafted delicately onto the inert lump.
Really, Taryn thought faintly, the violets are quite lovely this time of year. A nice, pleasing shade of purple, I think . And that wisteria. Mum would have loved to see this. Her eyes gravitated back to the body.
She screamed.
The gardener was the first to arrive, followed shortly by a huffing Mrs. Crell.
"What the bloody hell is going on here?" She exploded. Her eyes fell onto the body, "Maker, we need a medic! Right now!" She pointed at Taryn, "You, girl, run an' fetch the doctor. " Taryn's eyes moved dazedly from the body to meet Mrs. Crell's piercing glower. "Lively now! You waste more than two seconds smelling the roses, an' you won't see nothing but the inside of your wardrobe for the next year!"
With a shudder, Taryn spared one last glance at the prostrate figure, and then sprinted towards the house.
What is going on? What is going on? The thought circled frantically through her mind as she flew through the door, tearing past the bewildered doorman.
"Doctor! Doctor!" she screamed, pounding up the stairs. She charged into the doctor's quarters, shoving past a small, scrawny figure.
"Hey!" the figure said. Taryn turned for a split second. "Master Thomas," she acknowledged, then turned back to the doctor.
"What can I do for you?" the doctor asked politely. He was a mousy, balding, middle aged man with a monocle perched upon his long, crooked nose. "I was just seeing to Thomas here, he's gotten a bit of a scrape it seems-"
"You've got to help!" Taryn interrupted. "In the flower bed! There's violets and wisteria. And cherry blossoms! Just falling and falling onto the- the" her throat constricted, choking off the last words.
The doctor's mouth twisted in confusion, "You want me to come see the flowers? In the garden? I'm sorry, dear, but I think you may be overreacting. Are you feeling alright?"
"No!" she squawked. "The body, doctor! There's a body in the garden!"
He blanched. "Are you sure? No, of course you are. I must gather my things." And with that, he scurried around the room, gathering a ball of linens from the bedside table before hurrying out.
It was fifteen minutes before the doctor returned with a parade on onlookers. "Out of the way, out of the way," he yelled, pushing aside several serving girls, "Don't jostle him!" he added, as two serving men carried a heavy board inside the room. On it sprawled the body from the garden. Carefully, they maneuvered the board onto one of the beds near the window.
For the first time, Taryn could see the body clearly. The man was filthy; dirt smudged his cheekbones and found its way into muddy, straw-like hair. His jacket, if it could be called that, was matted with blood. There was no indication that he was alive.
"Everyone out!" yelled the doctor. "Out, out, out!" He herded the spectators out of the room, waving his arms menacingly. Taryn, one of the last to linger, was shoved roughly into the hallway.
The door slammed shut and the corridor exploded into excited chatter.
"Who was that?" "What happened?" "What will the Master say?" "Maker's breathe, in the flower bed?"
"You!" a voice cut through the clamor. Mrs. Crell loomed over Taryn, grabbing her arm in a crushing grip. "You are coming with me!"
In the corner, unnoticed by the loud throng of house staff, a small boy sat quietly, hugging his legs. He watched, ashen faced as the world fell apart.
He could feel it shatter in one, heaving, mocking laugh.
Author's note: If you've made it this far, you are awesome. Pure, unadulturated, awesome. I realized that in the last two chapters, I forgot to include The Statement, so I'll do so now: I own nothing that belongs to BioWare. I just play in their sandbox for my amusement. By the way, this is my first work of fiction, fanfic or otherwise, so if you are feeling charitable, or bored, or even snarky, leave a review so I know how to change whatever might be particularly annoying. Or entertaining.