Barely a drop in the bucket

“Before any business is discussed, we must prioritise þe safety of Lady Alice,” Eleanor stated in a hushed voice. “þe most dangerous þing at þis moment ys her very identity. As such, I suggest we fabricate a new one for þe tyme being.”

It was an obvious course of action, and it seemed no one had any pushback to give. The Edelweiss family were a household name, if we went parading around just using her name in public word would reach her father within a week at best.

“So we’ve gotta make up a new name and stuff for her? Seems easy enough, I guess,” I said.

“If I may be of assistance,” butted in the kindly bartender Alphonse, currently cleaning a large flask, “just a change of name may not be enough to keep ne'er dowells away. Wiþout some evidence of her identity, scrutiny bringeþ any disguise down like a house of cards. But if given a name, I could forge a work document or two to ‘prove’ she haþ been employed by me. ‘Twould lend credence to þis false persona being created.”

“You’d go that far just to pay back a favour you owe to Eleanor?” I asked.

“Actually, þe young lady explained her plight whyle ye slept, my lad. I’ve long seen þe dreadful practice of owning people as barbaric, so I’m more þan happy to lend what I can to assist.”

Though Alphonse’s assistance would certainly be of help, I couldn't help but recoil at the idea of Alice just speaking freely about her cause to people. It felt like a really bad idea, and Eleanor seemed to agree.

“Milady, whyle I too put my faiþ in Al’s trustworþy hands, I must ask you to refrain from so openly speaking of youre intentions. þose of us here may share your sympaþies, but many doth not. You wouldst do well to recall þe precariousness of youre position.” Though she seemed to be scolding Alice, Eleanor’s voice mostly rang with concern. The gravity of the situation seemed to weigh on her heavily.

“I am well aware of þe dangers, dear Ella, but we cannot hope to stand a chance wiþout allys. I determined master Alphonse to be a trustworþy soul, and þus hoped to count him among our numbers. þe best option in our, as þou put it, precarious position, þink þee not?”

“I mean not to scold you, milady. Merely to caution you on youre words. A whisper spreadeþ lyke a flame in towns like þis, so to speak aloud be'þ as good as inviting unwanted listeners,” she sighed, “but simply by housing þe two of you, Alphonse haþ already become involved in some capacity. Among þe residents of þis town, he certainly be'þ þe least objectionable party to tell.”

“Least objectionable, ‘eh? Ye truly flatter me, Elly.”

“Verily.” Eleanor rolled her eyes at the barkeep before turning back to Alice. “Haþ you any name in mind for a false identity? You need þink only of a forename, it be best if you takeþ my surname so I may pass you off as a relative.”

“Hmm…” Alice put her hand to her chin, though nothing seemed to come to mind for her. It made sense, really. Who’s prepared to suddenly rename themselves at the drop of a hat?

“Since you's aimin' to 'ide from the bobbies or whoever, it'd make sense to pick somethin' common enough to not draw attention, but not so common as to seem deliberately generic, yeah?” I said, fruitlessly trying my best to help. “Also best to avoid anythin' with an obvious connection to ya's, like a past pet's name or sumfin'.”

“A moderately common name… to which I have no connection…” Alice continued thinking for a short while, before seemingly coming to a decision and confidently declaring “my name henceforþ be'þ Emma. Emma Azalea. A pleasure to make all of your acquaintances.”

I've not a clue why she felt the need to introduce herself, but at least step one was out of the way. We’d refer to Alice as Emma everywhere non-private to keep her true identity a secret. Also apparently Eleanor’s surname was Azalea. I had expected it to be Smith, but that’s what I get for trying to put the logic of my home world onto this foreign one, innit.

“Welp, that’s the easiest order of business done and dusted. So, someone fill me in. Just ‘ow outmatched is we?” I asked.

“þat… is a front on which I bear naught but bad news…” Alice- or ‘Emma’ - sighed.

“þe House Of Edelweiss be one of þe most powerful houses in all of Igris. A standing army of no less þan twenty þousand men would oppose us, were we to march to open war,” added Eleanor.

“Twenty thou-?!”

Forget outnumbered, we were barely a drop in the bucket. Unless we suddenly recruited a small town's worth of soldiers and mercenaries to our side, it was clear we stood less than a snowball's chance in hell.

“Fortunately, as naught but a band of rebels, we’ve no need to fyte a conventional war,” said Alice, though her expression still didn’t inspire confidence. “Faþer rarely haþ more þan a few hundred soldiers wiþin city walls at once, due to our family’s territory lying far from any potential hostilities. We shan’t need to fyte his personal army, for þey are a ways away quelling rebellion in Zahairans. þey be'þ a hundred leagues norþ, perhaps furþer.”

“So we only need to fight a few 'undred instead of a few thousand. Wonderful. Still seeing a bit of a numbers issue here, though.”

A personal guard of a few hundred was definitely more manageable than an army of 20,000, but that didn’t change the fact that we were hilariously outmatched. Considering Alphonse was both too old and too fat to fight effectively, we had three combatants, and I had never so much as held a sword until two nights ago. The odds weren’t just against us. They were nil.

“…I could perhaps appeal to my house’s men to fyte for me…” Alice suggested, but was quickly shut down by Eleanor.

“Milady- Emma, you cannot. Even were you to get a message to þe soldiers of þe city, þe odds of falling prey to a trap or ploy far outweigheþ þose of gaining substantial allys. þose cards be in your faþer’s hand. You cannot expect to take it from him.”

“þen what wouldst þee have me do, dear Ella? I’ve no allys but þee and þe people here. Am I to face down two hundred men alone?”

“Of course not, milady, but you cannot rely on youre faþer’s men. þeir loyalty ys to youre house, not to you. 'Twould would spell youre undoing.”

The two seemed to be growing more frustrated, though with no more words to say they were reduced to mere sighs. Honestly, it seemed like we were shit out of luck. Too few people would support the cause for us to rally the men to take the city by force.

“Wait…” I said, a lightbulb going off in my head. “I think I have an idea…”

***

“You meanest to arm þe enslaved?!” Eleanor asked aloud, throwing any and all subtlety out of the window. The tavern was still empty but I crossed my fingers that none of the people staying in the inn upstairs heard her.

“It's a pretty bloody small amount a’ people who’d support us fanatically enough to get ‘emselves killed for it. But surely those who’d be most likely to is the ones who’d benefit from it, yeah?”

“Forget you þat þey are indentured? þey cannot simply leave þeir owners on a whim to join us on a merry quest!”

“Then we free ‘em. As many as we can. Sure, three combatants is ‘ardly enough to take on a small army, but for freeing individual slaves? I’d say we’ve got a thumpin’ good chance a’ makin’ some ‘eadway, wouldncha?”

I couldn’t pretend it was a foolproof plan. Or even really a plan at all. Just an idea I had, and not an airtight one either. But when our options were as few as they were, it was one we would have to seriously consider.

“…to release people from þeir shackles, only to send þem off to fyte and dy for us… would þat not make us as reprehensible as þose we seekest to usurp?” Said Alice, looking down at the ground. It was a fair objection, and one that I couldn’t entirely deny, but it didn’t seem so black and white to me.

“I’m not talkin' about conscriptin’ ‘em and sending ‘em off on a suicide mission. We free ‘em, then we give ‘em a choice. Live their life as a free man, or help us liberate more. It’d win us more numbers, and it’d spread the word that there was open opposition to slavery. People sympathetic to us could start showing their support.”

No one rebutted me immediately, though no one said anything else either. Eleanor’s slight grimace told me she wasn’t exactly on board, while Alice’s face was scrunched up in contemplation. Al was repeatedly turning his attention to the stairs to make sure we weren’t being eavesdropped on.

“…to go out into þe world and actively free þose in chains… ‘tis certainly an idea þat appeals to me on some level…” Alice muttered.

“M- Emma, 'tis incredibly risky. You’d be making youreself a target for every slave trader and owner in þe region.”

“All of þis bisness be'þ dangerous, dear Ella. ‘Tis a þorny paþ we take, no matter which way we walk it. I will make no rash decision, but I will continue to consider it an option until I have reason to rule it out.” Despite sounding so unsure of herself before, the conviction in Alice’s voice seemed to grow. It seemed like she was excited at the prospect of finally having a direction to move in.

“I… suppose þat be all I can ask. If þat ys all, I must take my leave,” sighed Eleanor. As she got up to leave, I felt myself get swept up with a strange urge.

“…hey, Eleanor… you’re going back to the smithy, right?”

“Hmm? Aye, of course. It be my home and station of work, after all.”

“…could I join you?”