"Liberty and Death?"
by Christine Scully
The beautiful city of Gregminster was in ruins, its former splendor reduced to brittle crumbling walls and wilted, dying plants, yet its inhabitants rejoiced exultantly.
For the first time in so many years, they knew peace.
All over the Imperial Palace, lights went out one by one as the Liberation Army retired for the night. After the exhausting work of that fateful day, everyone needed a good night's sleep. There was much work still to be done, especially in the next few days, for the former Imperial Palace could not be left in its current condition. There was also the mindboggling task of creating the new Toran Republic ahead, a job which, everyone knew, would be quite difficult. But for now, victory, celebration and rest.
Yet there was one who did not sleep.
The harsh wind of the day had been stilled; now the weather was unusually warm for early autumn. Most of the windows had been thrown wide open to let in some fresh air; the tattered curtains of the small bedroom in the eastern hall of the castle had been drawn aside. Its sole inhabitant had immediately claimed this room for his own; he somehow knew when he first saw it that it should be his. Against the wall leaned a long black staff, well-used and well-cared for. There were few furnishings that had not been destroyed-- a bed, a small writing desk, and an overstuffed chair. It was in this chair that Endrey McDohl sat, contemplating the events which had recently taken place.
His thoughts led him in a neverending loop, time and time again returning to the question that endlessly tortured him. Was it right to destroy the Empire? Truly enough, it had been tyrannical, and treated its citizens badly. The collapse of the Empire seemed to be a blessing, freeing its people from hunger and slavery; life was so much better for them now. Yet what of the soldiers that had been killed as a result of the revolution? Things were worse for them. Did the end justify the means in this case? Or was it wrong to kill a man for any purpose, even one as noble as the liberation of the entire country?
It wasn't Barbarosa's fault, and yet at the same time it was. Not until his death had he realized what Windy was doing; he had been blinded by love. As emperor, however, it was his duty to pay attention to the needs of his people. He had done no actual evil, Endrey decided, but he neglected his duty and therefore did a poor job as Emperor.
It was not the judgement of Barbarosa that tortured Endrey tonight, however; it was the judgement of himself. He remained a while in contemplation, unmoving, the only sound the ticking of the clock on the wall. At length he rubbed his eyes as if he could clear his inner vision, surprised at how long he had been sitting there uninterrupted. He still half expected Gremio to poke his head in the door, aware as always that Endrey was awake.
Gremio. What would he have thought of what Endrey did? He would undoubtedly have followed his master's judgement to the end of the earth, but in his secret heart, would he truly approve?
Endrey chuckled. He would have told him to go to sleep and quit worrying, for one thing. "Young Master," Gremio would have implored, "It isn't good for you to deprive yourself of sleep."
Smiling wistfully at the imagined memory, Endrey sighed. Gremio would have been right, but he did not think he could sleep this night. Perhaps some fresh air would do him good. He stood, stretched gracefully, and slipped out the door, pausing only to collect his sharpened staff. He did not truly think he would need it, but old battle habits die hard.
The moonlit halls were barely illuminated, but Endrey's sharp eyesight pierced the darkness easily. Sensing a slight movement beside him, he whirled instantly around, staff ready to strike.
"It's just me!" a soft voice hissed. "Don't hit me."
"Kasumi?" Endrey almost dropped his staff. "What are you doing here?"
The petite ninja looked embarrassed. "I just thought I'd watch your back. There are a lot of people who'd like to hurt the commander of the Liberation Army tonight."
"I know," Endrey remarked dryly. "For a second I thought you were one of them." There was a long pause, and he tried to think of an excuse to get away. Kasumi made him uncomfortable. She had a very obvious crush on Endrey, and there probably wasn't a person in the Liberation Army who didn't know it. Poor Kasumi couldn't help it, just as Endrey couldn't help that he didn't return her feelings. The whole situation made him feel incredibly guilty, and the result was that Endrey avoided his most skilled ninja as much as possible.
"Well," he said finally, "it's late. Why don't you get back to your room?"
"All right, Master Endrey," she replied, sensing his discomfort. Poor Kasumi. She really wasn't the type of girl to fall for every handsome man that walked by. She deserved so much better than this situation, better than ungrateful Endrey. He waited tensely as she left, watching her disappear into the night.
Picking up his staff once more, he walked slowly down the winding corridors of the palace and out the front gate. He paused for a moment in the shrub-lined courtyard of the city of Gregminster to observe what had become of the once-beautiful capital of the Scarlet Moon Empire. It was the city in which he had spent most of his life; he had grown up there, sheltered and somewhat spoiled by his father's servants. For fourteen years he had lived here, unaware of politics or of the fact that corrupt Imperials were leeching off tax money; all of that was "Father's grown-up business" to him. He had a few vague memories of a big important war that lasted for the first half of his life; but they had won the war, and his father had been made one of the new emperor's own generals. From then life was just about perfect, except when Endrey spoiled his appetite before dinner and got spanked.
How long ago it all was! In truth, he knew it had been only a year, but things had changed so much that he was certain it had been a lifetime. Now the city was in ruins, but he had faith that the new Toran Republic could restore it to its former splendor. Crickets still chirped in the still night, and somewhere among the bushes animals made a rustling noise. Endrey wandered down the cobblestone path, absorbing the sight of the abandoned city, taking it into his mind and heart and mourning somewhat for the life he had once known.
He was not paying attention to where he was going, but simply wandering down the streets; and thus it should come as no surprise that he found himself in front of his old house. Its familiar whitewashed facade stood tall, a little faded, but the key was still under the windowsill where it had always been. Taking it into his hand, he gazed sadly at the big red door; entering would only bring painful memories, and yet it was something he had to do. His return to Gregminister would never feel complete unless he went back to his old house.
The key slipped neatly into the lock and turned; Endrey pushed the door open, ignoring the slight creak of the unused hinges. As he stepped inside, he was overwhelmed by a flood of memories, and naturally he remembered the most recent ones immediately. This was where Ted had been caught by the Imperials. If only he could have saved his best friend from the soldiers, he wouldn't have had to die. He thought back to when he and his friends had all set out on that fateful day to get the astrological conclusions from Leknaat. Endrey, Gremio, Pahn, Cleo and Ted... they had all been innocent, just a bunch of friends off on an exciting Imperial mission. Now only he and Cleo remained alive. If only...
Blinking back tears, he flitted from room to room, running his hand along the doorframes, wrapping himself in the blankets on the beds, staring at the familiar paintings on the wall. He worried over the dark stain on the tan carpet where Pahn had spilled grape juice, and smiled at the dent in the wall where he had once kicked it while throwing a temper tantrum. Every inch of this house and its belongings were so familiar it hurt, left exactly as they had been that night. The question crossed his mind as to where his father had lived after Endrey's betrayal. Perhaps at the Royal Palace? He made up his mind to ask Lady Sonya, if he could get her to speak with him. She would know.
Endrey took his old diary from his shelf and began to read, lost in his memories. "Tomorrow I am going on an Imperial mission," he began softly. "I can't wait! It's going to be so exciting. I told Ted he could come with us too. I got to go to the palace..." A tear slowly slid down Endrey's cheek as he continued reading. How young, how innocent he had been! Irresponsible and conceited, yes, but in a strange way he missed the child inside him that had died. Today he was the commander of the army, responsible for so many deaths... so much pain... Unable to read any further, he let the book slide out of his hands as he buried his head in his arms and cried.
A sharp, chill stab of pain shot suddenly through his spine. He whirled around, bringing his staff up to defense position as currents of sudden fear ran through his entire body. His attacker, startled by the sudden movement, shrank back. Endrey rushed at him with his staff, intending to knock him out cold, but the dark-shrouded figure regained his balance and took off running, his knife at the ready. Endrey caught a fleeting glimpse of clean-cut white hair-- it was Sanchez.
Shouting to wake up the Liberation Army's camp, Endrey chased him out of the house and through the street. The cobblestone road was slick from the recent rain and covered with a slippery film of mud. He slipped once and caught himself on the edge of the stone fountain, scrambling up as fast as he could; the would-be assassin was getting away. All around the city, candles were being lit; people were rushing outside, startled awake by the commotion. Sanchez darted around a corner, and Endrey followed, his heels skidding on the surface of the street.
Sanchez, beginning to tire, began to look for a hiding place as he realized he was slowing down. The younger, more agile man would soon overtake him if he continued. Seizing his opportunity, he dashed towards the stone walls enclosing Milich Oppenheimer's private garden. The gates were locked-- he started to climb the wall, just in time. Endrey arrived a heartbeat behind, and climbed after in pursuit.
A small party arrived at the gates, torches in hand. "Endrey! What's going on?" Lepant called, holding his candle up to see Sanchez disappearing over the wall. More people began to arrive, and a small crowd was gathering; just about everyone was awake by now.
Endrey turned his head to give Lepant instructions over his shoulder. "Surround the walls! Sanchez is in there and he must not be allowed to escape!" He lowered himself swiftly to the ground, pushing his way through the crowd in the direction of the tents.
Mathiu, walking somewhat unsteadily, arrived at the scene. His hand rested on Apple's shoulder, and it looked as though he just might be leaning on her a little bit for support. "What happened?" he demanded in a low voice.
The young man filled him in, finishing with, "Mathiu, we were stupid. We should never have let Sanchez free. But who could have guessed that he would--?" He shook his head, wishing for all the world that this mess could only have been avoided.
A shout rose up from somewhere in the crowd, and Varkas and Sydonia emerged with a captive Sanchez in tow. "He tried to escape over the back wall, but we caught him in time," explained Varkas.
"Good work," Endrey praised the bandits. Sydonia only shrugged. Mathiu gave them instructions to take Sanchez to the prison back at Liberty Castle as soon as possible; he would stay there until he could properly be taken care of.
"What do you mean, 'taken care of'?" Endrey questioned as Sanchez was led away and the crowd began to disperse, going back to their beds. "What exactly are we going to do with him?"
Mathiu answered gravely, "I don't want to have to do this, but he must be made an example of." He closed his eyes, pausing, and when he opened them Endrey thought he saw tears begin to form. "We have no choice but to execute him."
"No. Oh, please, no." Endrey shook his head. "I cannot take another life. Not now that the terrible fighting is finally over. Don't let this happen, I can't do it."
"We must," was Mathiu's only reply.
Endrey turned and walked slowly towards the castle, back to his room, back to the overstuffed chair, back to his own private torture. Again and again the questions echoed in his mind, more urgently, each thought a dead end blunted by an ax blade, each new path of reason a rotten and impenetrable thicket. New possibilites opened themselves up only to prove to be lies. Should Sanchez be executed? Endrey didn't think he could take another life. Should he be set free secretly? That would put the Liberation Army's leaders in grave danger. Should he be imprisoned? Would not the Toran Republic then become a target for criminals who wanted to get off with an easy sentence? There was no solution for it.
There was no answer to the question of what they had done. The individual citizens were the important thing, not "the good of the government". Was it a blessing or a curse for the Liberation Army to attack the Empire? At the very heart of it were the people themselves-- what was best for them?
Had they brought liberty or death to the Scarlet Moon Empire?
For a long, long time Endrey sat pondering these questions; the unyielding tick, tick of that infernal clock was the only way he could even tell that time had passed. It could have been an hour or a millenium; there was no way he could be quite sure. At length he sat down at his writing desk and began to pen a letter to Mathiu, containing detailed instructions of what Sanchez's fate was to be, as well as an explanation of what he had decided about the events that had come to pass by his hand. He signed, folded and sealed the letter, placing it on the corner of his desk. Then he finally, finally went to sleep.
* * * * *
Please take a moment to think about what YOU would decide if YOU were Endrey.
* * * * *
Comments can be mailed to Scully88@aol.com.
(
geocities.com/tokyo/towers) (
geocities.com/tokyo)