Chapter 2

Edward completed his half hour workout in the comfort and solitude of his inn room, and felt the day’s stress melt away. As the sun dipped below the horizon, Edward devoted the rest of his waking time to Chirrus, reciting motivational poems and sacred verses from the Order’s holy writings.

Having spent most of the day in the company of his fellow Brothers, reciting Addersfield’s laws and going over scenarios where it would be used, Edward was confident, albeit nervous, about the next day. He knew that the five years of his training was all leading to this point, where he could finally bring his Order’s message of equality and justice to the people.

Upon self-reflection, Edward knew that there was another reason for him to be nervous- he needed to prove his standing to his fellow worshippers, as well as himself. Whatever he did or said for the next couple weeks was going to be known at House Righteous, good or bad.

Calm down, Edward. Just take it one step at a time, and work through everything like you were taught.

Edward sat on his bed, and prayed for strength-

Fair Chirrus, hear me now, and grant me your wisdom and strength to do what must be done. Give me the ability to know right from wrong, and to bring your justice to these people. Give all of the Brothers your guidance, that we may shine your light on the hidden deeds of those who oppose fairness and truth, and make all our judgements in line with yours. Amen

Lying down in bed, Edward felt a calm that brought a fast sleep...

Edward woke up with a start, and quickly checked himself-

No wet dream this time, he pleasantly realized. He instantly calmed down, and looked out the window to see the light of the early sun illuminating the town. It was a little chilly, but the excitement of the day’s possibilities were motivating enough for him to jump out of bed and prepare himself for breakfast.

Coming down the stairs, he saw that Amos was already enjoying some meat and eggs.

“I’ll have the same” he said to the bartender, who nodded and walked back to the kitchen.

“Good morning Edward” Amos said, looking up.

“Good morning, Amos” Edward replied, pleasantly.

“How did you sleep last night?” the older Brother asked.

“Quite well, and you?” Edward replied, smiling.

“Oh, not as well as you, it appears” he said, returning to his food. “You know” he said, chewing on a piece of pork chop, “most Brothers are nervous their first real day of a mission. Chirrus appears to have blessed you with his peace this morning.”

Edward nodded, “Yes, he has. I am his humble servant, and I look forward to serving this town, as well.”

“You won’t always feel that way, Brother” Amos warned. “At some point, and it may come soon, it will feel more like work. It will feel like everyone is against you, and you will wonder why you chose this life. You will ask questions that will test your faith. It happens to everyone.”

“And how did you come through it?” Edward asked.

Amos only thought about it briefly before answering, “compassion.” Amos took another bite, and chewed on the meat-

“Compassion for your fellow man. As long as you have empathy for others, you will find satisfaction in your work. That is what makes our sacrifice sustainable.”

Very wise, Edward thought.

“Your Brothers should be down shortly. My plan is operate in pairs, so that we can look out for each other out there. This place can be dangerous, and some will not welcome us.”

“Shall I don my chain today?” Edward asked.

“Not quite yet. That may come later. But do bring your staff, however. A Brother on outreach should always have a means of protecting themselves from those who resist their due sentencing.”

Edward was glad for the news- he was as skilled with the bo staff as nearly any at the temple.

After Jethros and Laramis joined them, it was decided that Laramis and Edward would set out through the inner district of Addersfield, while Amos and Jethros would explore the poorer neighborhoods. Each Brother was warned against interfering with the Town Guard, and encouraged to give only warnings for the first day they were here.

So Laramis and Edward wished their companions farewell, and set off on a slow tour of the inner town, taking in the sights. They walked side by side in their grey robes, silver weighing scales figured prominently on their chests.

Edward nodded to everyone he made eye contact with, which was pretty much everyone. He wasn’t sure if it was their appearance, or his demeanor that brought them so much attention.

“Hello” he said to a couple of merchants on the street.

It feels great to be out with the people!

“Excuse me, sir” Laramis said loudly. Edward saw that he was talking to a man on the side of the street.

“Ah, yes sir. Care for an exotic aroma?” he responded, picking up one of the colored glass bottles on his table.

“No thank you. My name is Laramis, and this is Edward. We are Brothers of the Chirrus order, and are tasked with upholding the law as best we can...” Laramis said, giving the street vendor a hint.

“Well, very good then. Best of luck to you both” the peddler said, nodding for them to leave.

“You don’t understand” Laramis continued, “the law states that perfumes must be sold in the market square. Since you are selling perfumes on this street, you are in violation of the law.”

The man looked at Laramis in confusion, “You can’t be serious, right? That law was passed so that that pompous ass Gilroy could fill his fat face up with delicacies. It’s all a huge scam.”

“Who is Gilroy?” Edward asked. He felt the need to diffuse the tension.

“Oh, well you two certainly aren’t from around here then. Gilroy is the minister of finances, and reports directly to Lord Taggart. He’s a mean, greedy man, always looking to take money from honest folk. He’s got all us merchants fighting amongst ourselves to make an honest coin, meanwhile he’s taking in his rake. It’s not fair to us. Aren’t you in the business of fairness?” he asked sarcastically.

Laramis keep his gaze, not flinching for a second. “The law is the law, and at this point I don’t see how the law has prevented you from securing your basic needs. If you disagree with your government, I suggest you take it up with them.”

“You think people haven’t tried already?” the merchant said, with a laugh. “Of course we have. They made the law to benefit themselves. Of course they won’t do anything about it!” he yelled.

Edward was starting to feel uncomfortable. It was not going like he expected.

Laramis took a moment to answer- “I’m sorry if that is the case. Perhaps if you all worked together-”

“Right, like we haven’t tried that” the man interrupted, “Gilroy had already hand picked some merchants to be on his side, and with the power of the guards behind him, we had no choice but to follow the rules, or be put in jail.”

“Sounds like you’re not really welcome here, sir” Edward offered.

The man just looked at him, “Yeah, you could say that. Now if you’re done harassing the little guy, I’m still trying to earn my day’s wage.”

“I am giving you a warning today, but if you are out here in violation of the law again, sir, I will have no choice but to arrest you” Laramis said.

The merchant snarled, “Some public servant you are, arresting the good people of this town. Go rot in Hell.”

Edward’s face started to turn red, but Laramis remained calm- “Whether you agree with it or not, it is the law, and I will enforce it.” Both men stared at each other intensely. “I will be back tomorrow. Good day” he said, turning away. Edward followed, all too happy to be away from that situation.

Both men walked in silence for a bit, until Laramis suddenly stopped.

“What did you think?” he asked Edward.

“Well, it didn’t go very well, He was obviously upset.” “That’s of no consequence. What of the law itself?.”

The law ... Hmmm ... does it pass our tests?

“It does not prevent an individual from the basic necessities- work, safety, and living.”

“Right...” Laramis agreed.

“It does not unduly take freedom away, or discriminate a type of individual, so it is enforceable according to our ways.” Laramis nodded, and started to turn away-

“But, Chirrus does warn us against laws designed to help certain individuals. Laws should not be formed out of bias.”

“If what the perfume merchant told us is true, it would be a concern. But not one we can address at the moment” Laramis explained. “We will need to keep an open mind about this, and tread carefully.”

“Only with a light hand should we set the scale in motion” Edward recited.

As the pair continued to walk, talking to people and introducing themselves as keepers of the law, Edward realized that many people were unhappy with the current state of affairs in government.

“They’re taxing us half to death!” a female baker told them.

“The guards’ll beat you if you look at them funny” another one said.

Edward got the sense that people were looking to them to fix all of their problems, but as soon as the Brothers explained their mission, the people thought of them as a part of the problem-

“Well, then you’re just as bad as the rest of them!” someone yelled at them.

Don’t let them rattle you. Keep to the path of truth, and ignore the pulls of emotional thinking.

“It’s worse than last year” Laramis remarked, when they were alone again.

“Through Chirrus’ guidance, we will figure this out” Edward said optimistically.

“And I’m sure Amos and Jethros are experiencing the same thing, but from a different perspective” Laramis remarked.

All those poor people we passed on the way through town. I hope Amos and Jethros are okay. “We need to do something” Edward said with conviction.

“We are doing something” Laramis replied. But not enough...

“Instead of enforcing laws that the people consider unfair, perhaps we should be focusing on their concerns of government injustice” Edward offered.

“Tread carefully with those thoughts, Brother” Laramis said gravely, “people in power are not so easily convinced to give up what they have.”

“I understand ... perhaps we should speak with Amos about this.” Laramis nodded in agreement.

It was about midday by the time Laramis and Edward were making their way to The Fox and Imp, a tavern in the nicer part of town where they planned to eat. They passed many of the same shops where they made their rounds earlier, including the spot where the perfume merchant was selling his wares. His absence was not lost on Edward.

“Ooph!” Edward cried, feeling someone bump into him. He spun around to see a woman fall to the ground. She was wearing a faded black robe with the hood pulled over, so he couldn’t see much of her face.

That hair...

It was a curly, fiery-reddish orange color, instantly reminding him of the woman he saw yesterday.

“M-my apologies, my lord” she spoke.

“My fault, I didn’t see you there” Edward quickly replied. He offered his hand.

“The fault is mine, m’lord” she said, quickly walking off. Edward didn’t realize that she had placed something in his hand and closed it until she was well off.

“The fault was hers, Brother” Laramis said, from behind him. “Don’t fret on it.”

Edward surreptitiously placed the folded up paper inside the pocket of his heavy robe, and turned to face Laramis- “Of course, you’re right. I was simply surprised at how hard she fell.”

“I have seen you in practice many times, Brother Edward. You have knocked men over many times that woman’s size” he said, smiling.

An unusual display of respect, I wonder. “You do me great honor, Brother Laramis. With Chirrus’ blessing, I hope I may not have to resort to violence here.”

Edward felt renewed excitement from meeting the woman again, and wondered what the note would read. Based on the way the red-haired woman presented it to him, it seemed likely the note was meant only for him-

Best I should read it alone when given the chance, he thought. He didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets from his Brothers, but he also wanted to respect the woman’s wishes.

Both Brothers made their way to the tavern, and sat down at an empty table. They were expecting Amos and Jethros shortly.

“I must use the pot” Edward said, excusing himself. He walked to the back of the establishment, and once out of sight, fished for the woman’s note-

I need your help. Meet outside the inn tonight. Please

Edward thought on it a moment- Strange. What help would she need?

A man of his word, Edward went to the tavern’s cess pit to relieve himself. He returned to find Amos and Jethros at the table.

“How went things?” Edward asked, sitting down.

Amos explained that he was surprised at the spread of poverty in much of the town, describing it as crowded and dilapidated. He and Jethros met many people begging for money, and quite a few lamenting over their treatment at the hands of the town’s security.

“They are treated like second-class citizens, even though they are as protected as the rest of the men and women who live up here” Amos said, looking around. “If their tales are true, it seems there is some undue belligerence on the part of the Guard.”

“Laramis and I also found many opposed to Lord Taggart’s style of governance. Some feel that the law and security work together to take money from them” Edward explained.

“Reading the laws is one thing, but seeing it in play is another” Jethros said. “There is a certain attire that is mandated for those who visit the market’s square, in order to promote commerce. The destitute we observed would not be allowed there.”

“Indeed”, Amos said, “Some of those poor souls we listened to made complaints that they were roughly handled by the guards here, and relieved of their valuable possessions ... These are troubling accusations, to be sure.”

Perhaps that’s what the woman needs help with, Edward wondered.

“What say you all about this?” Amos posited, looking around.

It took a moment for Edward to finally speak up, “I feel our responsibility to justice extends beyond enforcing the smaller infractions we observed today. Perhaps our focus should lie with the ones who make the laws.” Amos looked at the others, awaiting their responses.

“I agree with Edward, however I am unsure how to proceed in a productive manner” Laramis said. Jethros nodded his head in agreement.

“As am I” Amos said. Edward felt relieved that his views were validated. “We can talk to Lord Taggart’s assistants about this tomorrow to address this...”

“And if they don’t listen?” Edward asked.

“It has not been done for some time, but there is precedent for a public review of the law.”

Edward remembered reading about previous Public Reviews, where Chirrus members would publicly recite a town’s laws and make arguments against their existence. It was done only in cases where laws were found to be unjust, and no progress could be made to modify them. The reason they were so uncommon was that the public nature of the accusations brought resentment from the people towards the government. In some cases, the Public Review precipitated rioting and rebellion, which were not seen favorably by their order.

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that” Edward said.

“They often lead to lawless acts” Jethros warned.

“I will set up a meeting with whomever I can from Lord Taggart’s governing body” Amos said, resolutely. “I will try to set it up for tomorrow. In the meantime, we should start making a case for those who feel afflicted under Lord Taggart’s rule. After our meal, I will charge you with writing down all of the information you have gathered, and then going out to find out more complaints.”