Ariel Nyx
Once we did tell Lyra that, she reacted quite weakly. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Lyra sputtered. "What if she did it?! What if she-"
"If she had done it," Alan cut her off, "then it would be her decision and hers alone. I would feel no remorse, and she would have had no regrets."
Right now, we were just following Alan, who was scanning the crowd intently.
I raised an eyebrow. "Where exactly are you taking us? Do you even know the layout of this place?"
"I don't, actually. But the more appropriate question would be, why are all the people here secretly checking you out, Ariel? Are you famous or something?" Alan asked, his pace steady.
My eyes landed on a group of middle-aged men, who drew their eyes away as soon as they met mine. "Not exactly, but people know me. I come here to this area every day. Oh, and I think they hate me."
Lyra looked around, noticing that she and Alan were also being watched. "Why? Did you do something bad?"
I twiddled a strand of my hair around my finger. "No, but my hair color is the natural hair color of people of the Darkness families. Put simply, I am a noble. Or I guess I was."
"You're a noble?!" Alan gaped. "Why didn't you tell us?!"
"Because I'm disowned…?"
He looked at Lyra, whose eyes were glimmering. "Interesting… Wanna do something?"
I hesitated, but stammered out, "What… exactly?"
"We're going to perform a small heist," said Alan, grinning. Lyra nodded fervently next to him.
At that moment, I understood the caliber of the two in front of me. "Did you not get the part where I said my family is of the Darkness branch? They're literally known for being strong! Even the black walls scream strength!"
It's fine," he waved me off, "Lyra and I robbed multiple farms when we were younger. This'll be easy."
I sighed as I grabbed the two by their collars, and with surprisingly little resistance, dragged them into an alleyway. "We aren't doing this. We can't do this. Yes, it's just my parents in Argent, but they're really, really strong. They'll find us, and catch us and-"
"Unless we have a diversion, of course," Alan cut me off, looking entirely unapologetic. "These people… They don't like you because of your status, yes? They might hold scorn towards you for being privileged by birth, while they weren't, but they will understand reason. Why would the little lady of a noble family even visit poor people? Correct me if I'm wrong, but you want to help them, yes?"
"Of course I do. That's all I've wanted to do, but my family wouldn't let me."
Lyra smiled. "Alan. Let's do that. It might work."
Alan smirked slightly. "I agree. Public opinion is king, after all."
"What… What are you two planning?" I muttered.
Alan patted my shoulder as he led us into the town center. "Just follow my lead. The worst they can do is throw tomatoes at you, but I doubt they'd waste food like that."
Ignoring my silent protests, Lyra, who stood in the middle of the town square, screamed, "People of Argent! Hard workers of Aurevia! A noble has fallen from her grace!"
'If the people weren't looking at me before,' I thought, taking a step back, 'they sure as hell are now!' Without having to specify, every person around already knew that I was the noble in question. 'What exactly was their plan?! To embarrass me in front of the whole city?!'
My lips quivered while my hands shook. I… I did not think I was this adept at public speaking.
A gentle hand on her shoulder took me out of my daze. I turned to see Alan nodding at me. He seemed proud. Maybe not of me, but of himself. What a narcissist. Then again, what he'd done was no simple feat. And I wouldn't waste it.
I stepped forward. "I… am Ariel, a former member of the house of Nyx." my voice trembled, "you may know me as the 'girl who pities us.' As you now know… I have been excommunicated."
I couldn't help but keep my eyes on the ground. And yet, I heard no sounds. No booing, no screaming, and only a few footsteps leading away.But some stood where they were. They listened.
"My family is… complicated. I have visited the town square almost every day of my life since I turned eleven, so it's been about five years now. And as you have likely seen, I've fed children from time to time." I clenched my fists. "You likely think that I feed them like dogs. And I get why you would be upset..."
Were they really upset? They were likely confused, no?. Why would I stain my hands and waste good food on the homeless?
My voice stopped trembling, and so did my fingers.
"Everything I have done up till now… It was for me. I did it to satiate the hunger in myself, the hunger that told me to rebel against the trash that are the nobles of this damned city. Every time I come here, I have been mocked, ridiculed, threatened…" I paused. The sun seemed strangely bright for an autumn day.
"But back home," I continued, "it was worse." I laughed bitterly. "My own parents, the people who are supposed to love me through thick and thin… they ruined me. All for giving a piece of bread to a child."
I saw a couple more groups of people turning away and leaving, but that was not what I was focusing on. A group of children had formed, children that I'd fed.
"To all the parents out there. I know I may not have fed you, but I have fed your children. If you wish to mock me, know that I have done everything I could for the future of your children. Perhaps you may despise my family for this gods-forsaken hair color," I clenched my silver locks, "but please, do not lump me with them. I am no noble. I never was."
I didn't hear anything, still. I couldn't tell if that terrified me or gave me hope. Yet another person left, though.
"And," I continued, "as you know, the Nyx family… they rallied the other families to stop the rations."
A surge of boos erupted.
"I know. I know it's terrible. And that… was because of me. My mother… No, Milea, did that. She did it to 'protect me,' as she says. So if you must hate anyone…" I took a deep breath. "Hate me. I am why you starve. I am why so many have died."
Alan and Lyra, who were by the crowd, gaped at me, and so did much of the crowd.
"If I may be audacious for a moment, then let me ask for a favor. If you hate me, or don't want this, then leave."
A long silence stretched, and yet, only three left. I still had a crowd of about a hundred. A hundred who either wanted to help me, or wanted to use the square themselves.
And this was just one sector of Argent.
There were three more, so I was bound to get a few more. But I'd have to see how many stayed after my request.
"I want you to rebel. The government did this to you, did they not?"
A few words were spoken, but I couldn't hear them.
"I… I want you to follow me. I want to go through Argent. I want to gather supporters. And once I've gone through the other three sectors, I will do what I must."
I took a deep breath.
"I want you to storm the Nyx estate with me. That is my request."
There were more and more people speaking now. They murmured among themselves.
"You… We do not have to do anything at all. Our mere presence scares the middle sector. Don't you see it too? They're afraid of what you can achieve. The rich keep those below them far from the market and revel in their wealth. Is this not the economic capital of Aurevia? Are you not the workers of the greatest nation of them all?! Are we not what makes the rich richer?!"
Even more people began to talk.
"What if we protested? What then? If all of Argent was brought to a stop, wouldn't they have to face us? Don't they hide behind their thick doors in air-conditioned rooms, while you, the workers, slave daily in the bolstering heat? What gave them the right to do so?"
Some of the people that had left earlier came closer. They did not join the crowd, though.
"They refuse to light up our streets to 'save us,' but you can see it too, don't you? All the convicts on the side of the road? They refuse justice for ease. They… They are not human."
I looked at the crowd before me.
"But we are. We are alive, are we not? As long as we live, they will fear what we can do. Is Aurevia not a democracy? We deserve this as a right. So please, brothers and sisters!" I shouted. "Please end this cycle!"
I hadn't realized how much I'd spoken until I felt a faint throb in my jaw muscle. My cold fingers pressed against them as I panted. But the people… They were not looking at me. They were discussing amongst themselves.
And from what I could hear… They did not like it.
I clenched my fists tightly, but did not utter a word. I knew that their opinion was their own, and if I forced any more of my own on them, I'd be like my mother.
Among the chattering crowd, a lone voice was audible.
"She gave us bread!" a child screamed. "Always! Bread!"
Another child joined, and soon after, the entire group of children screamed as loud as they could. Even people I hadn't fed joined in.
My eyes went over each and every one of them. I… I couldn't believe it. Each of them were shouting… bread? Did they expect me to buy some for them?
"Please don't steal any," I said with a small smile. "Does that mean that you are with me?"
Even though my voice shouldn't have gone far, I heard a few people respond affirmatively, though I suspected that some wouldn't follow.
After saying a small 'thanks,' I walked over to Alan.
"I do not know how long it will take to rally the people… But I think you should wait a bit. Arrive before the crowd does. And the estate is mostly a garden with a lot of elevation changes. There's a hole in the wall on the east side, by the way. Oh, and… What're you trying to get?"
"Weapons. Lyra and I need some."
"Ah… The far end of the estate has a cave-armory. It's nothing too special, just spares our knights' use."
"Do you need anything?"
"No, I… Well, I don't think I need it."
"Right. Thanks. Once you're done, head to the inn. You… Good luck, alright?"
I tilted my head with a small smile. "I'll do my best," I told him, as he walked away with Lyra. Now… Now it was the hard part, wasn't it?