"My people." The small bald man addressed the large crowd gathered before him. There was a long period of silence and the cool wind blowing in the night continued, swaying the old timer's golden beard like some kind of flag.
"I have one simple question to ask?" He surveyed the tattered crowd before him; everyone from the starving children clutching even hungrier mothers to the staggering drunks and finally rows upon rows of dusty coal miners still holding pickaxes.
"Are you all happy?" The silence shattered with the question.
"NO!!!"
"And who do we have to blame for this?" The speaker moved closer towards the edge of his makeshift podium. "Us or those fattened pigs wallowing in the capital?"
Cheers rang out loud.
"Pigs that suck us dry with stupendous taxes while their associates pay peanuts." The crowd grew even louder with more shouts of rage and curses.
"And when we talk or fight what happens?" The small speaker gestured towards a burly miner.
"Me?" The miner mouthed, pointing to himself and looking around in case it was some kind of mistake. A nod from the speaker's head affirmed it.
"Yes, my dear friend." The speaker nudged on.
Summoning the kind of strength that he didn't know was possible, the miner roared.
"They send their hounds to kill us."
"Exactly." Everyone roared in agreement.
"Even this our very movement is endangered." The speaker reduced his voice to a more hush tone.
"BUT." A single finger ascended into the air.
"Enough is enough!"
"Yeah!" Someone from the crowd joined in. "They can't kill all of us!" Another boomed.
"And thankfully a savior has appeared." The crowd grew quiet once more listening to every word coming out from the bald speaker. "In the form of someone who though royal…"
"Still understands our pain more than even the accursed Night that claims to be a blade for the common man." He added, frowning a little as he observed a few looks of shock and disappointment on the faces of his audience.
"My fellow peasants." A few scoffs could now be heard as the earlier cheerful vibe began to dissipate.
"This royal is someone who has been scorned by this very regime and at the same time was raised up in a neighborhood far worse than ours."
"Worse?" A lone voice in the crowd echoed.
"Yes, my friend, worse."
"Without further ado then." The old man with a slight bow gestured towards the empty alley behind the vast crowd.
"Allow me to present Princess Blossom."
"Princess?" Everyone in one swift motion turned around, catching a glimpse of their supposed savior.
The tall woman walked with pride, her golden locks framing a pretty face that beamed with innocent joy. Many peasants couldn't help but wonder why a supposed royal would walk out all alone like that, not to mention the simple floral dress she wore; the kind that even some low-level peasants would call cheap. The absence of guards only made their wariness grow with every passing second.
Until a low chime coming from one of several little bells decorating her waist's hemline suddenly made everything clear.
"It's Blossom the healer." A drunk whose fat made him look like a wild boar laughed.
"Blossom!" The crowd grew wild, a few even went as far as laying down whatever thing of beauty they could find.
"It's okay." Blossom grinned, her pristine set of teeth giving off a radiance that warmed hearts.
"I'm nothing more than a servant performing the Mother's work." She stooped down, collecting a bright red rose from a gaunt little girl.
"Hello there, beautiful." She patted the girl's head before continuing down the straight path cleared out by the shuffling peasants. Eventually, the people's savior climbed the few stones leading up to where a smiling bald bearded man remained bowed.
"Thank you very much, Hunt." Blossom curtsied in front of the speaker.
"You are far too kind, my queen." Hunt bowed reverently.
"Now I know you all are wondering how the lowly healer standing before you ended up becoming royalty."
Blossom surveyed the expectant faces among the crowd before going straight to the point. "My mother was a palace maiden raped by King Ronald thirty years ago."
"So yes, I'm a royal bastard." Blossom chuckled. "On learning of my existence, my father, the king, sent out men, trying to kill my mother and the seed within."
"By the grace of the Mother, we were able to survive and managed to escape to Retonia."
"Retonia." Many people in the crowd couldn't believe what they just heard. A royal bastard spending her childhood in Retonia; a place so poor and dejected that it made their own backwater town of Breezetown look like some capital.
"From Retonia I learnt healing and love for the common man." Blossom smiled. "A fact that many of you can testify to."
"After I graduated from my mistress, I left my mother and travelled, visiting towns and villages to share the goddess's gifts."
Blossom's calm voice continued through the quiet night, with no form of interruption. "The goddess—our great mother Gaia—on noticing my kind heart, rewarded me with a beautiful vision."
"One where everyone; both rich and poor lived happily, a place where no one had to whore, steal, kill or cheat just to make money."
A shimmer of hope grew in Blossom's blue eyes.
"And our dear Mother told me that this was a future only we the masses could achieve."
"And so." Blossom stomped her feet hard on the podium.
"I am here to ask if the great people of Breezetown will join the great Mother's cause and fight those greedy bastards up north."
"YES!!!!"
Many fists rose into the air, echoing the hope for a greater Magnitia.
"Know this though." Blossom's face became stoic all of a sudden.
The people paused their cheers.
"Many of us will die, many more will be taken prisoners, but we the poor shall be the victors."
"Even if we must shed the last drop of our own blood."
"So I ask again." Blossom walked around the stage, stopping at its extreme end.
"Are you all still willing to fight and, if possible, die for the good of all?"
"YEAHHH!!!"
"Good." Blossom grinned…
---
"Great." A figure stood upon an adjacent roof, vermillion eyes peering down from a dark hood. "Another rebellion."
Celia checked if the coast was clear one more time and jumped, landing with a roll and disappearing into the darkness.
Blossom continued to rally support for the goddess's great cause, filling the peasants with vain hope and having no idea how close she was to death that very night.