The Confidence of the Freedom Lovers

In the cramped space of the community hall, the Rebellion made the final preparations. The elders gave instructions. Me and the other captains raised the spirits of our boys. Everyone had work to do. The final battle drew near.

I am Dandelion, captain of the Maugalin Rebellion. I wield two swords and, as of recently, I have a special power that I can use to move objects over short distances. A sort of magic, if I can call it that. A very special type of weapon that very few people in the world can use.

Today, me and the boys are gonna end Dresda’s tyranny for good. That bastard will pay for killing old Maugalin. We’ll make him regret all the evil he has committed against our people. In a few hours we will reclaim our freedom and show the entire world that the people of Maugalin bow to no one.

“Hey Dan, the merchants dropped the last batch of supplies from our sponsors. Gimme a hand!” my buddy Basil shouted as he carried a large wooden box on his wide shoulders. I rushed to help him carry the other crates from outside.

“Amazing, Baz—just amazing,” I replied, lifting the largest box I could see. “This is bread and weapons from Lord Barriton! There’s even some swords here! Such a generous man he is, sending us such last-minute help. Baz, get a sword for yourself then tell the boys to take anything they find useful. Also, give some of the bread to the women and children. Last winter was hard on everyone.”

“Will do,” Basil replied with a wink as he started unwrapping the coverings of the goods.

Aster, a slender young man from my village, approached me in a hurry.

“Bro, I have news,” he said. He was full of excitement for some reason. “My wife got a piece of bread from a traveler a moment ago. You’ll never guess who that was!”

“Ah, Ast, my brother from another mother!” Basil laughed. “Don’t tell me you took the last piece of bread from your starving wife?”

“Bro, of course,” Aster objected with indignation. “I told her to give it to our little Timmie. Besides, did I hear right? We got more food from lordy buddy Barriton, did we?”

Basil meant to answer, but Aster followed before he could respond.

“Never mind that! The traveler my wife met! You’ll never guess who the traveler is! None other than Brother Lumen from Volcamona!”

“Ah, Lumen the gravedigger,” I laughed, remembering the guy. “Such a shy, awkward fella. They say he travels to distant battlefields all across the Continent. Every time, he buries the dead, one by one and equally, no matter which nation they belong to.”

“Such a nice guy, but weird, yeah,” Aster commented.

“Good for him!” shouted Basil. “Tonight let him bury Dresda and his men! I hope he’s ready to dig a wide, deep hole for those fat stinkers!”

“People say he’s an outsider who only arrived in our lands a few years ago,” added Aster.

“I don’t know him, bro,” I added. “But the boys told me he’s chill and friendly. They say he brought them a large package of food. It helped many survive through the winter. They also say he carried it on his back, alone through the snow. No carriage, no horse. A package three times his own size.”

“If he’s that strong and charitable, why ain’t he fighting with us?” Basil replied.

“Volcamona people have done a lot for us already!” Aster argued. “You can’t ask the followers of the God of Peace to fight our wars.”

“You know Dresda himself used to be a Brother at Volcamona?” Basil continued. “Lumen might be nice and all, but Volcamona… that’s a different story.”

“True, if Lumen would fight for us, we would certainly win!” added Aster.

“Haha, do not fret, my friends,” I interjected, raising a first in the air. “For we will win anyways. I, Captain Dandelion, will lead this army to reclaim the freedom of Maugalin.”

Aster whistled joyfully, while Basil and some of the others cheered ecstatically. Feeling emboldened by their faith in me, I took a deep breath and screamed from the top of my lungs:

“Today we will become heroes! Today we will save Maugalin!”

But as we rallied in celebration, a sudden roar pierced over the entire room. No, perhaps the entire village. It was loud, terrifying, like the scream of a wild beast. Grotesque. No animal in the world could ever make such a noise. All the cheering was gone within a second. Everyone went silent.

And with every second, the scream got closer and closer!