18th of August, 980
Rila, Kingdom of Aquileia
"Ma, may I go play with Anna?"
The innocent question interrupted the argument of two griffons. Audrey Dufour turned to look at her younger brother as he entered the dark workshop of the Dufour residence.
"Have you done your chores?" their mother Federica asked, putting away her tools and leaning down to Gerald's level. Her voice was dry from the magical dust in the air.
"Yes!" Gerald chirped. He presented them with what looked like a short chisel that glowed with dim light. "And I fixed this!"
"Did you now?" Federica asked, picking up the tool. She looked it over, assessing Gerald's work. "The handle is smooth and properly attached to the blade. You did not damage the runes," she mumbled. "Excellent."
Enchanting was messy work, and Federica no longer had the money for proper tools that did not break down. That Gerald had successfully fixed one of them on his initiative was appreciated. He did not need to know how easy the task had really been. A happy blush shone through Gerald's beige feathers.
"You can go play with your friends, and if you behave, you won't have any chores tomorrow. But stay on this block, and be back by nine."
"Yes! Thank you, ma!" Gerald shouted with joy that only cubs unaware of the burdens of the world could manage. A beige blur slammed into Federica's chest, embracing her. He retreated from the room, returned a second later to hug Audrey for good measure, and left. The moment they heard the front door close, the two females dropped their happy facades.
"King Gerard will not accept any riots, not after the revolution in Griffenheim," Federica began. "Your plan is certain to get you shot."
"It is not a riot. And is getting shot any worse than starving to death?" Audrey countered. "There is not a single factory in the city that pays its workers more than four idols. Then the king takes two of those."
"That is still two idols, and we have managed to make it this far. I still have customers. Our family will be fine."
"We will survive, but that is not living. Gerald deserves a proper life. And even then, what about everyone else? Rémy brothers are relying on the prelates' aid, and that will only get them so far." Desperation began to seep into Audrey's voice. Her course was set, but she hoped against hope that she could convince her mother. "If every factory worker in the city goes to strike as one, we can force our bosses to bend."
Federica opened her beak before pausing for a moment. She turned to look at the front door. "Is that why you are so insistent about this? Are you doing this for Gerald?"
"Among other things."
Federica slowly stood up, walking behind Audrey to a bowl of water. She dipped a rag in the water and wiped her face clean. "Your plan is incredibly stupid. But, if you think it can give Gerald a proper future, there is no way to stop you. Go to your damn protest, but for Boreas' sake, come back alive."
"I will ma, don't worry about that."
XXXX
The flight from Dufour residence to the Lesser Market Square was a short one. Arriving in the late morning, Audrey was treated to the sight of over a thousand griffons and ponies filling the square and nearby rooftops.
Audrey spotted a large well and began to search its surroundings for a familiar pony. Finding her bright blue coat from the mass of brown and gray was not difficult. Audrey began her descent towards a less full patch of the plaza, politely asking for those below to make way. From there, she pushed her way to the well, apologizing to those she accidentally pushed out of the way.
"Claudie!"
Claudie Trottier, a blue earth pony with a brown mane, turned towards the source of the familiar voice. Her eyes brightened when she spotted Audrey.
"Ah, there you are," Claudia began. After the two pecked each other in the cheeks she continued. "I'm surprised you took this long. I imagined you would want to be here from the get-go."
"It took me a while to convince Mother to let me come," Audrey explained. "She worries too much."
"Given we are talking about you, there is no worrying too much." Claudie absentmindedly swiped away dirt from Audrey's feathers. "You are a big target, and always need someone to act as your common sense."
"I... what?"
"Who knows what you would have done at the factory," Claudie continued, not gracing Audrey with an answer.
"And what happened there?"
"The usual. Overseer Delcroix nearly had an aneurysm with the way he was shouting. Some people chained the gates, and some warehouses shut... I'm not sure if they left Delcroix in one of them."
"I would've left him."
"Precisely. No common sense. Lucky for you, I am here, and miss Gaudreau is leading this whole thing. Just follow our lead, and you'll be fine."
Internally Audrey composed a detailed objection when Claudie pecked her on the other cheek. When Audrey opened her beak, a mumbled mess of incoherent words came out. Claudie laughed at this.
"Well, you can be my protective knight."
"Sounds good," Audrey composed herself. With a degree of admiration in her voice, she added: "And Gaudreau? That's great. I feared PAT would send some old geezer."
"I don't think any old geezer would get things done."
Rumor had it that PAT had sent Gaudreau to lead the negotiations because she was the least likely candidate to cause an armed revolt. Not due to a lack of desire to do so, mind you, but because she was a competent negotiator who understood how bad of an idea it would have been.
According to another rumor, those skills came from having to deal with Vérany's republicans and Allard's radical communists at the same time. Audrey thought peaceful demonstration sounded like something up her alley.
Finally, after an anxiety-filled wait that seemed far too long to be real, Gaudreau made her appearance. Stepping out to the balcony of a brownstone people's house, she waved at the cheering crowds. With a copper crest of feathers and the red coat of PAT, she made a striking figure.
Audrey nervously tapped her talons against the cobblestone, waiting for the crowd to quiet down and for Gaudreau to begin. Any minute now.
Finally, the griffon on the balcony began her speech.
"Friends, comrades," Gaudreau's voice carried over the plaza. "Some would say you have nobly toiled to fuel the kingdom's war machine, to bolster its navy to new heights, to protect it. You know better: you have withered away in horrendous conditions just to make a living. Many have lost limbs, others their lives, because our lords care not about you. They care only about profit."
Roars of approval rose from the audience.
"And what about the war machine, the one you have been forced to equip? Wingbardy is focused on the east, and the Empire is still fighting the revolutionaries. There are no threats to the kingdom, other than the desire of its people to be free. The sole purpose of the army is to support the bloody regime of our king. And to fund that army, he takes half of your pay, not leaving you enough money for food."
Audrey grumbled angrily. She was very familiar with the king's tax collectors. Others seemed to feel the same way.
"To twist the knife in the wound, he takes nothing from your bosses and expects us to quietly obey his every word! But no more! The PAT has made ten demands, and all work in the city will cease until these are met by the city council or the authorities above them."
There were multiple demands, but the most important ones were the right to peaceful gatherings, ten-hour work-days and that the minimum wages would be raised from four to eight idols. Audrey loved that part. It meant that everyone in her family could eat a proper meal every day of the week.
"But I beg of you, my noble workers of Rila," Gaudreau's voice interrupted Audrey's thoughts. "Do not resort to violence. We must convince the people of the justness of our cause."
"Bear that one in mind," Claudie half-joked. "You're a big, scary griffon, so you would be an easy target."
"I appreciate your concern," Audrey shot back.
The two watched as Gaudreau spread her wings and descended. She landed at the front of the group and began to mingle with those around her.
XXXX
Unbeknownst to the protesters, a force of ten police officers had gathered to, as they put it, disperse a crowd disturbing the peace and causing a danger to the public. They were a minor inconvenience at worst, allowing people to get through, but it was not about that. Protesting against the king or his laws was illegal, so they were a danger to the public. End of story.
So, when in the early afternoon, the unofficial patrol spotted a group of two dozen griffons and ponies blocking the road a few blocks away from the main event, they knew where to start.
Knowing their blind loyalty would be rewarded, the officers marched up to the group, radiating authority and confidence.
"Hey, you!" their spokesperson shouted. "You're not allowed to be here!"
A blue stallion with a steel girder cutie mark looked at the officers. "Thanks for telling us," he answered non-committally, before turning back to his friends.
"This is revolutionary activity and against the law! Disperse immediately!" A more hot-headed griffon stepped in to try and force the group to disperse.
The blue stallion shoved him away with an annoyed huff. "A few angry butchers are not going to stop us."
"I'll show you a butcher!" the officer shouted and pulled out a pistol. His companion tried to swat the weapon away. He was too late.
A gunshot shattered the relative calm of the demonstration. A griffon collapsed to the ground. Her friend desperately tries to stem the bleeding.
One brigadier was preparing to give first aid when he noticed the murderous looks of the people. Dodging stones thrown in their direction, they fled the square.
XXXX
King Gerard Discret disliked bad news. Especially if he was busy when the news came.
"Your majesty," a courier of the royal guard said, bowing. The white-uniformed soldier then extended her talon, passing a folded telegram to the king. "There is rioting in Rila, and the rioters have assaulted the local police with stones."
Gerard accepted the letter and quickly read through it.
"Approximately four thousand protesters. Multiple smaller groups. Numbers growing rapidly. Requesting immediate assistance." The king tossed the letter aside and yelled at the guard.
"Get general Rodier here immediately. He is to restore order."
XXXX
The mood of the demonstrators had grown somber. The day before, one of them had been killed by the police. It was a miracle, but Gaudreau had managed to convince them that lashing out was not the right solution. Instead, they would march to the city hall to make their demands known and demand that the officers would be punished.
So, carrying signs and shouting slogans, they marched through the city.
Gathering onlookers both curious and angry, the column kept going. They reached the Orvalillo River and crossed it, forcing away the constables that had gathered to stop them. Following their instructions, they ignored the hecklers around them. Or, as was the case with Audrey and some others, were restrained by those acting as their common sense. That was the crowd that filled the Great Plaza before the city hall— a marvelous yellow stone building that could have passed for the palace of a minor noble.
It did not take long for someone to come meet them. A harried pony dressed in a fancy purple coat rushed down the stairs. After a long and hushed conversation with Gaudreau, she directed her inside.
Audrey watched the two go. She then turned to look at a small griffon, barely an adult, standing by her side. Pierre Rémy was one of the railway workers of Rila. His yellow feathers and brown fur were stained by soot.
"We got a message with a telegram," he explained excitedly. "Railroad workers have started striking everywhere, and the whole railway system is on the brink of shutting down."
"What do you mean shutting down?"
"No-one is maintaining the railroads, signalers have stopped working and so-on. We're only working enough to keep up communications to the rest of the world."
"That's great," Claudie said. "Do you know how big the strikes are?"
"They are pretty small, but they are everywhere," Pierre explained. "No-one really planned them out, so they just... are happening. But there are over a hundred thousand all over the city, packed in large groups at parks and crossroads. Yesterday really pissed off a lot of people. From what I hear, there are even more rioters in Aquila"
"Thanks for telling us," Audrey said, before shouting out. "You hear that! We have supporters outside the city!"
Cheers answered her call. As Pierre scampered off to be congratulated by others, Claudie asked: "Audrey, how is Gerald holding up? Or your mother, for that matter?"
Audrey shrugged. "Gerald is no longer allowed to go outside. Mom fears he will be caught in the middle of all this. She was really insistent that I won't come here again out of fear of me getting shot. The shooting was in the newspapers yesterday, mostly slanted against us."
"But you still came." It was as much a statement as a question.
"Yes. I can't leave you alone, now can I."
The two stopped for a moment before Claudie snorted. "No use in moping. I think I saw a couple of friends towards the Grand Temple. Want to come there?"
XXXX
The negotiations between Gaudreau and the City Council dragged on. With many of the council members being nobles and businessgriffs with much to lose, they were not too keen on the idea of giving in. Their desire to do so vanished completely when at the bottom of a report on the increasing amount of protesters, they saw a promise that aid was coming.
So they began to buy themselves time, fiercely arguing over every single detail with ridiculous fierceness. To her credit, Gaudreau remained civil the whole time, never allowing her annoyance to come through.
She first showed emotion on the fourth day of negotiations, when one of her aides brought a sweaty and dirty griffon to their conference room. Silencing the council members with a gesture, she tilted her head quizzically.
"Go on, tell her," her aide encouraged the griffon.
"Right, right. I'm Cyrille," they explained. "I work at a farm east of the city. Earlier today, my pa spotted a large army heading for the city. Several thousand soldiers at least, from the nearby fortress."
"Why have our railway telegrams said nothing?"
"If the army comes from the east, they could have easily bypassed all railways."
Cécile thanked the farmer and ordered her aide to get him some water, and reminded him they had prepared for such a thing. She then turned to face the council, striped ear twitching.
"An army is approaching. Are you aware of such a thing?" Her tone made it clear that she knew the answer. "As it stands, the PAT must temporarily halt the negotiations to see what to do. Pray that you have not forced our talons."
XXXX
General Léonard Rodier wished he could have had a hill to stand on. From there he could have observed as his army of twenty thousand destroyed the pitiful uprising in Rila. It had taken several days of forced marching, but they were finally at the city's gates.
Comprised of the actively serving members of two divisions, the force under his command consisted of infantry, artillery, and a battalion of aerial scouts. Currently, he was talking to the commander of those scouts.
"Your battalion will fly to the center of the city, and begin to shut down the rioters' avenues of escape," he ordered. "Capture the Merchant's Street and begin pushing north towards the bridges. We must trap the rioters between us and ensure they cannot cross to your side of the bridge. Do you have any questions?"
"I do, sir," Major Julienne Neri answered. She was dressed in the fancy, white with gold embroidery uniform of the scouts. "Why is it necessary to block their way? If we are to disperse the crowd, we must leave them an avenue of escape, not back them into a corner."
Rodier scoffed. He had no desire to be gentle with traitors. "We will not drive them back, only to let them return. We will crush this riot on the bridges and nip the problem in the bud."
Once the major was gone, he turned his attention to the warships sitting in the faraway harbor.
"Why in Maar's name have you not done anything?" He thought.
XXXX
The news of the army's arrival came as a shock. Many had known the possible consequences of their action, but it was another thing to concretely see them happen. At first, there had been uncertainty about what to do. That vanished when Gaudreau had come out of the City Hall, bellowing orders.
Messages were sent out to all the protesting groups to retreat south towards the factories, and to disperse if possible. If the protesters could reach the factories, they could arm themselves and set barricades. If the army had been sent, they reasoned, they would all be killed no matter what. The brutality of the king's soldiers was well known.
As the bulk of the workers began to fly and run south, sounds of gunfire started to come from the north and the east. Those were followed by bloodied griffons, who told of the soldiers charging unarmed groups with bayonets, shooting those who fled. According to some, a black griffon in a general's uniform marched at the front of the columns.
The evening saw Audrey, familiar with the city's layout, leading around a hundred workers towards the factories. At one point, they had picked up Pierre, who told them that griffon hussars had taken the railway station. If that was true, which Audrey did not doubt, they were quickly running out of room to maneuver. That became apparent when they had to dodge ever more patrols.
Audrey rounded a corner to the Merchant's Street, she came face to face
with a company of soldiers in green uniforms. She dove to the ground as they fired. Bullets ricocheted off the walls and the street, narrowly missing her. Someone's pained scream was cut short by a bullet. Audrey scrambled up and dashed back to cover before the soldiers could reload.
"Get back!" she yelled. "They have the road!"
The mob turned and fled towards the west, the only direction where there seemed to be no soldiers. They knew better than to seek shelter among the houses the soldiers would undoubtedly search through. Audrey began to hear gunshots all around them as the army encountered more protestors.
Finally, after an eternity of terror-filled flying and running, the exhausted group encountered hastily erected barricades. Encouraged by their fellows on the other side, they ran inside.
Panting and heaving, Audrey looked around. The crossroad she was standing at had been turned into a veritable fortress. Carts, barrels, and boxes filled three of the four entrances. On the unbarricaded side, she saw more demonstrators mingling around. Overall, the barricaded area took up several squares in all directions.
"What happened over there?" a compassionate voice asked, helping Audrey up from where she was standing. She realized she was looking at Gaudreau.
"Ahh..." Audrey stuttered. "S-soldiers." Mentally she berated herself. This was not the time. "Soldiers have the Merchant's Street."
"That is bad. Well, go get some rest. We have this place locked down, and the army is not going to attack us immediately." With that, the copper-crested griffon left.
"You were lucky," a pony holding a rifle said. "Another group going your way was trapped and shot to shreds."
Dread filled Audrey, and she collapsed against a wall. Claudie sat down next to her, leaning against her chest.
"Still think starving is worse?"
Audrey wrapped her wing around the pony and held her tight. Tears slowly rolled down their cheeks as the suppressed terror of the day returned to the surface. Around them, many seemed to be panicking, or too shocked to do a thing. As time passed, more and more griffons arrived at the barricaded section, usually alone or in small groups. Some were wounded, soaked in blood and begging for their mothers. Few could help them.
"Gerald will be fine," Audrey said to Claudie, mostly to reassure herself. "He is too far away from here to be in danger."
As the moon rose on a cloudy sky, the two drifted into a restless sleep.
XXXX
"They are coming!"
Audrey snapped awake, scared by Claudie bolting upright. Around them, in the thin fog, panicked griffons and ponies dashed around, taking hold of whatever weapons they could get. Bricks and stones were distributed to the majority who did not have guns.
Someone screamed for everyone to take up positions wherever they could find them. Audrey and Claudie found a spot on a corner where the barricades met with a stone wall. The barricades had been made sturdier over the night, reinforced with stones and heavy furniture. Though impressive, they seemed useless when compared to the cannons being rolled up the street.
The cannons stopped at a few hundred meters away and began aiming for the barricades. The soldiers escorting it laid against the ground. As Audrey watched her imminent death approach, all she felt was disbelief. Disbelief over the fact that someone could so callously murder hundreds. The gunners loaded their weapons.
"Hold fire!"
A group of sailors flew into view, led by what Audrey thought was a junior officer. They seemed to have a disagreement with the soldiers. That was resolved when the officer pulled out a pistol and shot the artillerist. Their companions took it as their cue and struck down most of the soldiers. A few managed to surrender.
Audrey gasped in shock at the display. She was not the only one.
The sailor ran up to the barricades, shouting. "On your side! On your side!"
"What the hell was that?" Someone from the barricades asked.
"We're on your side, that's what happened. Don't you know what is going on?"
"No?"
"With the king's best divisions here, Vérany saw a chance to launch his uprising. Commoners stormed the royal palace, and revolutionaries are taking over most of the country! The navy has mutinied, and is currently fighting the army all over the city."
XXXX
Audrey watched the burning docks of Rila. The uprising had surprised the army, giving the rioters-turned-revolutionaries time to escape with the help of the navy. They had still lost the city, and nearly half of the demonstrators had been killed.
Audrey watched the fire for a little longer. She then turned to her family and Claudia, who were sitting at the back of a wooden cart.
"We'll come back," she promised.
