The middle-aged woman, Pieroly, watches Sigvor smile softly, her eyes warm. She nods, understanding Sigvor's words, but is still confused about why all this happened to her and her daughter. It starts to dawn on her that she tried to kill someone, probably already did in fact. That could not just be swept under the rug.
If Pieroly tried to return home, there would be city guards waiting for her. She has no choice now. She let her anger get the better of her. Though, she doesn’t regret it even now. She would sooner kill herself than regret protecting the honor of her daughter.
After visiting her dying father for the last time, she and her daughter would have to escape to another city. It’s only the two of them who make up their family. Her and her daughter's life in Tritol would be uprooted, but she would not allow herself to be sent to prison or the execution grounds, separated from her daughter.
She still has to know, though.
"... Sigvor. Please tell me. What is going on here? I-I just wanted to leave to see my father, why were those insane people waiting there like that?" The woman clenches her jaw. Sigvor rubs her jaw.
"...Do you know about what's happening at Maz square?"
"Maz square?" Pieroly and her daughter look towards the entrance to Maz square.
She can see that there are a lot of people both human and demihuman. Her ear twitches as she listens to some of the commotion going on within the square. A bit in the distance, she can see a gleaming crystal statue right where the center of the square should be. This is where the most people are gathered.
Could it be…?
Sigvor goes into some detail about how the statue marchers invaded the Gwasila festival. She had heard that the festival was today, but her daughter had no interest in it so they didn't attend.
She learns about how the statue marchers are making a big scene and about Sigvor and Dzan's current theory that human supremacists created a rally for themselves slightly outside the square where there would be no demihumans to get in their way.
"I-I still don't understand why they're in front of my apartment building! What are they even doing in the neighborhood!?" Pieroly’s face is a mess of fear, sweat dripping down her forehead and her hands moving animatedly in frustration. Her daughter tries to calm her down. She takes a few deep breaths as Sigvor continues.
"I-I wish I could answer you, Pieroly. This is far above my ability to deal with. I’m glad that you and your daughter got out of there ok."
Sigvor looks at Pieroly's daughter and speaks. He looks down at her, the girl coming up to her chest.
"I'm sorry I separated you from your mom like that, Willia. I hope you two have good lives. Be safe out there. I have to go see what those two are getting themselves into." Sigvor winks and smiles. She waves goodbye and starts sprinting back towards the square.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Pieroly asks her daughter Willia, "...Was Sigvor alright with you? Are you ok, dear?"
"Yeah, Sigvor told me that she and her friends were going to save you, mom. I don't know her too well, but she's a… good person."
Pieroly and Willia watch Sigvor disappear into the side street. The adrenaline coursing through Pieroly's body has started to dissipate by now. She would love to just lie down and sleep for a couple days straight, but she cannot.
"I'm sorry, Willia, but I don't think we can go back home today."
"I… see. Why… Why did you do that, mom? I've never seen you so angry before."
"Lia, I just… No. I don't regret it, I-I could never stand there and allow you to be humiliated by someone like that. I only regret that it's going to make both of our lives more difficult."
"...I know, mom. I know."
Pieroly breathed in deeply and looked her daughter in her eyes. Her gaze became hard.
“You must know, honey. You must understand that if we have anything we have our honor. This country will only leave you with garbage. They can take your homes, they can enslave you, they can try to break your will. They will try. But, there are some lines you cannot allow anyone to cross.”
“...”
“There are things in this world worth dying for. I would die for you and your honor. I hope you will die for the honor of yourself and your children as well. They will do the same for their children. Until the day that we are given our respect, we must fight for it.”
“I love you, mom.”
“I love you too. I love you too, my beloved.”
***
Sigvor rushes back to the square and keeps her hood up and head down as the roiling chaos around the area starts to die down. She looks around the remaining human supremacist crowd for either Ajax or Dzan. To someone from earth, the atmosphere in the area might be described as an angry beehive.
Humans are walking around, angrily speaking to each other trying to make sense of the natural disaster that just passed through. There are people who even have their swords and crossbows out, surveying the area. She notices that some of those patrolling have rings on their left hands. There were a few of those people here, she just doesn't understand the significance of the rings.
They're part of the same group of losers? All I can tell is that those ones are the biggest fucking assholes of the rotten racist bunch.
She doesn't know why Ajax had made his way out here, but she did see once again his incredible speed and strength. Sigvor had watched from a distance with Willia in hand as Ajax jumped into the smoke and five seconds later, Dzan jumped out with Willia’s mother.
Over the afternoon, he had demonstrated his strength to their group of friends and impressed Sigvor to a great degree. He never bragged, his power just oozed out, proving itself useful when it needed to. When she and Dzan were trying to break up some fights and help vulnerable demihumans, Ajax was a wall preventing them from facing true danger.
But, she could tell that he was only understating himself.
He continues looking for Ajax and Dzan, but can't see them in the surrounding crowd. She understands that they wouldn't stick around here. Ajax had actually told her to meet up near the alleyway to the right of the apartment building opposite the one that Pieroly and Willia had come out of.
She casually makes her way to their rendezvous point, hoping she has the right alleyway. She walks into the empty alleyway, moving deeper and deeper until she sees a corner. She turns it and immediately sees Ajax and Dzan.