Chapter 7: The Dissenters (Dante)

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

Chapter 7: The Beverages of the Nobles and Peasants of Camelot The Dissenters of Camelot

Xian realized, perhaps far too late, that she was overdressed for the environment despite her best approximation of what would be considered a casual attire. In the midst of ragged-clothed peasants and leather-heavy cloths of the drunkards, her dark red silk attire (in her defense the cheapest kind available) stood out like a drop of ink on a sheet of paper. I really should purchase a Camelot commoner clothing, she thought, hoping to kill two birds with one stone by acquiring something to wear that fits the occasion and learning more about the types of clothes they wear.

In her hand was a sharp, hardened charcoal wrapped in silk cloths that she had been using to save ink along with some rough parchments she managed to get from the servants at the castle. While the emperor was thoughtful enough to send two huge chests full of high-quality papers and inks, Xian was beginning to think that she probably needed to rewrite everything once she got back home.

Ignoring the cautious and sometimes unfriendly looks (which confirmed her suspicion that not everything was as perfect as the nobles made it out to be), Xian walked into what she was guessing was a tavern from the number of unconscious former customers lying on the outside. Her delicate taste already ruined by what the nobles called 'exceptional' drinks, she was pretty much ready for anything that this peasant building was going to offer. At least they're aware that their product is low-quality, she thought bitterly as she retraced the way she had to smile and exclaim how unbelievable it tasted. In certain sense of the word, it was the truth. Sitting down near a table, she began to jot down the preliminary observations about the place.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante was placed in a far off corner of the tavern sipping quietly from a mug of ale. His eyes wandered across the dark building and he watched the gambling, drinking and fighting that went on in the establishment. He gazed curiously from under his hood as a woman clad in red entered. She appeared to be of a higher class of person than the usual tavern goer. He watched as she sat down and started writing on parchment.

He finished his ale and got up and went to the bar and ordered another. As he passed the table with the woman he saw that she was foreign though he couldn't place the origin. He paused and addressed her in a quiet voice, "Miss, this isn't the kind of place where one should draw a lot of attention to oneself."

It was likely in this bar she would be robbed or worse. Simply from her garb one could tell she was wealthy, and that was uncommon in the slums of Camelot. He had no intention of harming the woman but he couldn't say the same for the other patrons, some of whom were eyeing her with strange looks. Not only was it dangerous but the city guard was unlikely to ever set foot in this place which only added to the danger.

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

"Miss, this isn't the kind of place where one should draw a lot of attention to oneself."

Xian looked up, and saw a peasant standing there with a cup of... something she would have to try for the sake of the records. She could see a rather large scar on his face that seemed to have been caused by a farming accident. Must have been a huge scythe if the wound had been that large, she pondered as she observed the person. It was a bit difficult to get an impression of what kind of person he was. Certainly a bold one, if he was able to start a conversation with a noble as a peasant.

"I am perfectly safe right now, but thank you for your kind concern." She smiled politely, while getting a more careful look at the man. There was a very different air about him than the other drunkards around the place, and his speaking style wasn't as unpolished as one would expect from a peasant in the slums. Perfect, she thought.

"Actually, if you don't mind, would you like to sit down and talk with me?" She drew a distinct line to divide her preliminary observation from the interview. "I am a chronicler from a faraway land known as Ming, and I am to write about all aspects of Camelot." She smiled again. "Unfortunately, information I have been getting from nobles in castle has so far been..." she considered her words "too rose-colored to be considered whole truth. I have found that talking with commoner population was far more fruitful. Would you like to help me?"

[Dante Grixis]

Dante nodded and smiled at the woman and sat down across from her.

He listened to her words and smiled cynically, "The Pendragons would never tell anything that paints themselves in a bad light." He looked around the bar and recognized several faces from the Brotherhood. Many of the looks towards the woman had faded once Dante sat down, she might be rich but it wasn't worth dying for. They knew that if Dante wanted this woman safe it would be so, and if you tried to say anything otherwise you would quickly be on the sharp end of his blade.

"So, what do you want to know about common life?" He wondered if he would actually tell her about the Brotherhood. He figured that he probably should so she could get the real story for her country. He wondered what her nation was like, if it was anything like here.

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

"The Pendragons would never tell anything that paints themselves in a bad light."

Xian's eyes sparked with interest as soon as she heard that. A mere peasant would never refer to his king or lord by name no matter how widespread the discontent was. In addition, Xian also surmised that Uther was a... relatively capable ruler with relatively content people, which meant that the negative assessment she had just heard came not from a neutral observation made by the common man.

A dissenter? Xian wasn't sure, however, what was the driving motivation behind this man's distaste for the Pendragons. A rebel? Foreign agent inciting unrest? Ambitious future usurper? Disgruntled noble posing as a peasant? A descendant of the original ruling family dethroned by Uther's family? The possibilities popped up one after another, and Xian couldn't make clear of this man's true identity.

"So, what do you want to know about common life?"

Xian considered for a moment, trying to decide how to ask the relevant question. Well, let's have a little test then, shall we?

"During a dinner with the King and his family," Xian began to fabricate a story, "Prince Arthur had mentioned something about troublesome rebels in city before King stopped conversation. Now, I wasn't able to get anyone in castle to speak of matter, but perhaps common man like yourself feel less inclined to speak of it?" On her parchment, she wrote in her own language the new title of this particular chapter.

The Dissenters.

[Dante Grixis]

Dante nodded and took a sip of his ale. It was cheap and tasted bitter but he didn't mind too much. "The Brotherhood. An organization of men and women against the crown. The Pendragons seem to want to deny its existence but it's becoming harder to hide from the public eye when they themselves are becoming the target of assassinations." His usually song-like Italian-Spanish accent taking on a mysterious edge.

He paused for a moment and took another sip of his drink. "I take it that you are an impartial party in the matter an what is told to you will never be spoken in this Kingdom." He said more than asked. He looked at the strange symbols that she was scrawling on the page, it was much different than the letters of his homeland or of this one. He spoke a few languages but had never seen anything like this. It was strangely beautiful in the way the characters were drawn.

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

"The Brotherhood. An organization of men and women against the crown."

Xian was very satisfied with herself as she scribbled down the information in fast-hand. The gamble, it seemed, paid off big time. Arthur may be a naive little kid, but he wouldn't blabber about things like this. She paused. Yet.

"The Pendragons seem to want to deny its existence but it's becoming harder to hide from the public eye when they themselves are becoming the target of assassinations."

Xian barely stopped herself from breaking into a grin as she jot down the information. It appeared that she had arrived just in time for an insurrection. It would be a pity if Arthur was assassinated, though, she thought, he's such a nice little kid.

"I take it that you are an impartial party in the matter an what is told to you will never be spoken in this Kingdom.""

Xian smiled wryly. "It's a bit late to be worried about my future actions, isn't it?" The emperor's instructions were clear: the emissaries were not to interfere with the local affairs. Xian's mission was to observe, not participate in. Well... even clear instructions can be bent... "Do not worry. Even without instruction to stay neutral and impartial to every going ons of foreign lands, I wouldn't dream of telling any of this to Pendragons or other nobles."

[Dante Grixis]

Dante looked her in the eye. "I ask because I question the safety of telling you the whole truth, but if you remain neutral in the matter I can tell you more." Eyes told everything. You could tell if someone was lying by body posture and speech, but small facial and eye movements were the best way. If she was to remain neutral he would tell her about himself, his vendetta with the Pendragons and his life as an assassin. It would be an interesting addition to her account of Camelot but he would only tell her if he knew she could be trusted. As much as Dante wanted to tell her it wasn't worth risking his life.

He took another mouthful of ale and looked at her over the rim of the glass waiting for her reply.

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

"Like I said," she smiled, "I have no intention of relaying information you are about to give me to King. Besides," she scoffed, "I do not exactly hold King's complete trust... I would not like to find out what his reaction would be if I am suddenly full of information on your Brotherhood organization."

"Trust seems to be an issue here... perhaps I should establish that trust first." She held out her hand. "Xian Zheng Fa, Imperial Scribe and a member of the Division of Diplomacy of the Empire."

[Dante Grixis]

Dante took her hand gently in his. "Dante Grixis, originally from The Ottoman Empire then Spain, Brotherhood Member, Assassin Division." He replied with a small smile. He trusted her, and her argument made sense. If she went to the king with Brotherhood information she herself would be subject to interrogation.

He released her hand after his introduction and took a small sip of ale and set the tankard down. "So Miss Fa, what is it that you would like to know?"

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

"Why is the Brotherhood opposing the Pendragons?" Xian asked curiously. "From what I have observed this past week, Camelot seems relatively well governed in comparison to other lands on this island." Of course, she thought arrogantly, the place is an absolute mess in comparison to any of our imperial cities... "Why such convictions when I am not seeing anything out of ordinary for one of Westernland cities?"

[Dante Grixis]

Dante thought how to best answer the question for a moment then spoke, "They care very little for the poor and destitute in this Kingdom. The Brotherhood is mostly poor looking to make a better life for themselves and crime pays well. But some, like me, want to change things in this Kingdom." He nodded slowly to himself thinking that the response was appropriate and made sense.

He finished his ale and slid the empty glass to the side. He had enough for one evening.

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

"And how would the Brotherhood propose things by changed?" Xian asked, slowly profiling the group with disgruntled peasant insurrectionists that the Empire had seen in its past history. Of course, such insurrectionists only appeared during bad famines, and Camelot didn't seem to be suffering through one. Perhaps Uther is not receptive to all of his subjects as I had previously thought. She decided that a revision on her previous chapters may be necessary. Indeed, the existence of the Brotherhood itself seemed pertinent enough to change the direction of the entire book.

[Dante Grixis]

"Killing Arthur." He said simply. He paused for a moment then continued, "Hundreds die every year in the slums from preventable causes. Hundreds of fathers must bear the burden of the loss of a son. If Uther shares that pain it might make him realize that he needs to care about the Lows. If he did the Brotherhood might not even exist." He said and watched as Xian wrote what he was saying onto the paper in the strange symbols she used.

[Lady Xian Zheng Fa]

Xian raised one of her eyebrows. "Wouldn't that just drive Uther to a more extreme reaction? For example... executing everyone in the slum to root out the organization that is responsible for his son's death." That's certainly what I would do if I was Uther, dead Arthur or no dead Arthur. "Uther is certainly determined enough to do something like that, and he has the manpower."