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Memoirs of a revolutionist; A former revolutionary discusses the ethics behind change with a member of the younger generation.
Topic Started: January 5, 2013, 10:30 am (173 Views)
Callington
Newcomer
Hello everyone

I wrote this story a year ago and I now I want to share it with people. In this story, I wanted to debate the ethics behind changing a nation. I hope that some of my ideas come across in this story, hope you all like it.

************************


The doors to the hallway opened and a man with a distinctive and aristocratic look with a powdered wig walked through followed by a girl in an elegant silk dress with her hair tied back into a bun. In her hand she carried a bag and inside were many pieces of paper, a quill and small bottle of black ink.

“So,” the man said, “Which one of the Universities are you from?”

His voice was a strong Sylvian accent which was typical of man of his social standing, “From how organised you are and your cloths I say His Majesty’s academy?”

“Yes that’s correct,” the woman replied.

Her voice was sweet and innocent but at the same time alluring to anyone who heard it. Coming to a door at the far end of the hallway they stopped for a brief moment.

“All the people to write about and you choose Losif Tolstoy; the man who shook Norrsica,” the man said, “I mean all the people to write an essay on and you pick him. You could have chosen His Majesty Jean-Luc, Thomas III or even Xander I; Why him of all the people?”

“He was the only man in the world who ever came close enough to toppling the monarchy in Norrsica,” the woman replied, “Therefore that makes him an extraordinary man”

The man reached for the door handle, “Before you talk to him there are some rules: the first, don’t stare. The second: Do not mention Norrsica and the third: do not mention his trial. Understand?”

The woman nodded. As the door slowly opened she looked through to see two book shelves on either side of the room filled with books at the very end a chair facing a fire place. She took a deep breath and walked through, but before she could say anything the door slammed shut behind her. The only source of light came from the fire; the middle of the light was blocked by the shadow cast the by piece of furniture stationed in front of it.

“Mr Tolstoy,” the woman called out, “I’m the person from the university. I’ve come to speak with you”
There was no response apart from the crackling of the fire while the flames feasted upon the burning logs. The woman stood in the middle of the room waited for a response but she realised she wasn’t going to get one so she continued towards him. Fear began to creep its way into the young woman’s heart as she slowly walked across the room towards Losif. Making it past the two bookcases’ she noticed a statue on the left side of the room composed of wood’ with a face carved into it.

“I take it the statue is putting you on edge?” a voice asked.

Turning, the woman nearly jumped at the site of what she saw. A figure sat in the chair with an arm composed of grey steel held together by nuts, bolts and copper wires as it lay across the arm rest of the chair. The metallic hand attached to the arm held a wine glass, half filled with red wine, which was separated by the thin glass of the cup which stopped the liquid from mixing with the chrome bolts. Now she knew exactly why she’d been told why not to stare, she quickly tried to break her line of sight, but she couldn’t. Turning his head, the woman moved her view away from the arm up to the man’s face. It was much like looking upon her professor, but there were a number of differences; a quarter of the man’s head had a metal plate. His right eye was a circular tube with a glowing green light on the inside. His hair was a faded black with grey roots which were combed back. Sitting back in his chair, he was very relaxed as he just looked into the fire. Looking the man up and down, the woman saw instead of a right leg he had some sort of mechanical peg leg from his knee cap down.

“Mr… Tolstoy?” the woman asked nervously.

Turning his head he swivelled his normal and emerald green eye on her, “The one and only”

Hearing his voice and seeing him for the first time, face to face, she dropped her paper and quill on the ground by accident. “Sorry,” she nervously said as she knelt down to pick them up.

“I take it you’ve read a lot about me Ms…sorry, may I ask for your name?”

“Aceline,” the woman replied, “Aceline Rechel”

“And from your clothing, fine education and pronounced voice, your father is a member of the aristocracy?”

“No. My father is a textile merchant,”

“…Lucky you,”

Looking around, Aceline tried to find a chair she could sit on, so she could begin her interview with Losif. “I don’t suppose you would have an extra chair by any chance?”

“There is a stool in the corner of the room,” Losif replied, “You can use that”.

Looking around the room, Aceline saw a lone wooden stool in the far corner of the room. It had a thin layer of dust surrounded by a number of cobwebs. Going over and brushing away the dust and spider’s webs, she moved it over so she was left of Losif. Seeing a book on top of the fire place, she reached for it and then put it under one of the pieces of paper ready to write, “So Mr Tolstoy. Tell me about your childhood,”

“What do you want to know?”

Not sure where to begin, Aceline changed the subject when she spotted the glass of wine in his hand. “I see you are an admirer of fine drinks”.

“I am,” Losif replied, “However, this ‘Coronation vintage’ is a bit weak for my taste. Have you ever tried Norrsican vodka Ms Rechel?”

“No. I’m not really into drinking much”.

Losif smirked shortly before he threw the glass of wine into the fire. “Shame really; from the looks of you I’d say you’d had a bad experience with drinks. Am I correct?”

Lowering the piece of paper, Aceline looked towards the fire in shame, “Yes. It was during a state dinner to which my family had been invited. It was at this dinner I sat next to the sister of her Majesty Queen Guinevere where I had only one glass of Espania whisky I disgraced myself. I nearly caused a diplomatic incident so my father…”

Losif began to quietly laugh which caused Aceline to stop. Losif stopped trying not to laugh, “My apologies…it’s just that was one of the funniest things I’ve heard in a while”

Aceline bit the corner of her lip to stop the insult that would have sprung out. Calming herself she continued with the interview, “As I was saying Mr Tolstoy. What was your childhood like growing up in Norrsica?”

The metallic arm creaked as it moved inwards towards his chest, “…much like many nameless children you see running about on the street. There was some good and bad”

“It’s been noted that you actually met Xander I during the birthday of his daughter Tsesarevna Anastasia. You were only eight years old at the time and you created...some sort of mechanical…”

“Oh yes my walking teapot,” Losif interrupted, “Yes I remember than. I actually still have that somewhere…back in Norrsica”

“I’m also aware that on that say the Tsar was so impressed with your creation that he even wanted you to design something for him. A building which produce items in massive amounts,”

“Yes, a factory,”

“It was said that by the time you were twenty five you were the brains behind most of Norrsica’s industrial science which you amassed a large fortune by each passing day,”

“How could I forget? The Tsar even offered me a title for my services to the country,”

Aceline just finished writing a paragraph before she asked her next question, “However it didn’t stay that way did it?”

The metal hand at the end of the arm began to close into a fist, “No…it didn’t”

“What may I ask were your relations with Xander’s successor? Alina I?”

“You know what that woman was like. It was during the first week of her reign that she had a soldier executed on the spot because he refused to fight. It wasn’t shortly afterwards that she began devoting all of the country’s resources to the military and navy,”

“A strong army is important for the protection of a nation,”

“That was exactly what I thought at first,” Losif continued, “I thought she was trying to show she was a capable leader… It wasn’t until a group of citizens marched on the palace. They were only women and children who were starving. With prices raised the working classes found it hard to survive”

His biological arm rested on the arm of the chair and the fingers began to tap slowly on the end of the armrest, “She watched from above as the soldiers stood their ground at the palace walls. It wasn’t until they came within a hundred yards of the palace that she gave the order to open fire”

The tapping began to increase in speed, “Nearly four hundred and sixty eight men, women and children died all because they wanted something to eat”

Aceline looked at his hand and she realized something was wrong, “I take it that was one of the main reasons for everything you did?”

Going from tapping to tightly gripping the armrest the expression on Losif’s face changed, “That day became known as Bloody Thursday. It was only two days after did she finally lower the prices…she had all those people killed and you know what really. What really gets to me? She had all those people killed and she…she got away with it!”

With a strong grip and sudden movement Losif ripped the covering off sending pieces of white cloth flying through the air while he held onto a long dark blue piece of cloth. The emotion this man displayed from a single memory was so intense Aceline could almost feel it like it spread to her almost like a fire. Looking upon her Losif saw she was worried so he tried to control himself, “My apologies…although it may only be a memory simply remembering it brings me great pain”

Not sure exactly what to write but to look like she was making notes she dipped her quill in the ink pot then pretended to write something. The green eye in the metal plating turned and watched Aceline, “What are you writing?”

Aceline stopped, “Oh just some notes. So that day changed your view on the government?”

“It was the foundation of my Revolution but it didn’t set it into motion,” Losif replied, “After that the Tsarina created
The Royal Industrial society which she put me in charge to which I would do it if only half the profits went to improving the lives of people. After that everything seemed to be going well. I mean it created more than ten thousand jobs”

With a deep breath Losif slowly rose from his chair then slowly walked towards the fireplace. Every time he took a step forward his mechanical leg made a deep groan and high pitched squeak from the joints but Aceline hardly noticed. Losif placed his biological hand on the work top of the fireplace looking into the fire, “Two years later I was walking home through the streets of St. Rosenberg. I decided to take a short cut through one of the back streets of the city. As I made my way down this alleyway I saw two men wearing uniforms from one of the society’s factories who seemed to be carrying something on a stretcher. I approached them and asked what they were doing at which point they were shocked by my sudden appearance they dropped the stretcher…at which point a body rolled off. I looked at it in horror to find there were carrying the body of a child worker who had died earlier on in the day”

“You do realise working in a factory there are bound to be some risks don’t you?” Aceline asked.

“Which is what I thought when I saw the body…So I went to the factory in which the worker died to inspect the building myself,” Losif continued, “Upon arrival the organiser came all the way from his office to the entrance to try and tell me everything was fine. I pushed past him and made my way onto the factory floor. There I watched in horror by the malnourished workers who walked around like mindless sheep. Only a small number of them were adults, the rest were orphans who had been dragged off the street. However looking around in the aura of death and sickness I saw on the wall overlooking the workers a huge painting of the Tsarina in a golden frame. Seeing all of this I stormed up the office of the Clerk and demanded an answer. He told me that these people were a drain on the country’s resources and so the Tsarina thought she would put them to good use”

“Weren’t many factory workers from off the streets?”

“Are all factory workers forced to work until they drop down dead?”

Desperate to change the subject to avoid another clash of views Aceline flicked through some of her notes before asking her next question, “I wonder if it was after this incident you began your political career?”

Losif got up from his chair and with a few steps he moved closer to the fireplace. Staring into the flames and holding both hands behind his back Mr Tolstoy continued, “From that moment on I vowed that this atrocity would never happen again. I wrote down my ideas of a better government in a book”

Knowing that this was bound to come up at one point Aceline became overjoyed it happened, “Yes I was going to ask you something about your book. Do you have any copies of Government and politics?”

“Sadly when the Tsarina found out that I’d published such works she had them all confiscated,” Losif continued, “As I began to speak out more and more Alana began to tire of my actions”

Turning his gaze towards Aceline she noticed his green eye became smaller as he spoke, “One night as I was working late in one of my factories a group of soldiers burst in armed with swords, axes and hammers. I never saw their faces but from seeing the markings on their uniforms I knew they were the royal guard. Two of them held me down while the others hacked away at me then they left as soon as they had appeared”

Aceline was shocked by what she heard, “And they just left you there?”

“That is the fate of the enemies of the crown. Surly you know what happens to such people who oppose even your own king don’t you?”

Hearing this it put her own belief in her own government but she did not come to Losif to discuss the politics of his majesty, “After the soldiers came and left what happened?”

“Well they may have been the royal guard but they made a very big mistake,” Losif continued, “They left me to die within the confines of my own factory. Dragging myself across the floor towards the nearest conveyer belt I pulled myself onto it then pulled the leaver to the side turning the device on. After an hour of pain I was saved from death but sixty percent of my body had been replaced with technological components”

Slowly moving away from the fireplace Losif walked towards one of the bookcases. His metal leg squeaked as it moved across the wooden floor boards. Once at the bookcase he pulled out a book with a dark green cover with a golden harp on the cover, “I realised that I was no longer safe in Norrsica. So without gathering my belongings I fled to a small country called Celtia. Have you ever been there?”

“No,” Aceline replied, “Can’t say that I have”

“It’s a wonderful country; large green fields as far as the eye can see, a rich culture and most importantly there is no king. The country is a commonwealth and it’s ruled by a person called the Lord-protector and he is supported by a committee. There people gather together every other day and discuss matters of state and here is the best bit, anyone can be the lord protector. So long as you’re a native to the country but they choose their leader every five years,”

“That seems strange,”

“Not to me my dear,” Losif commented, “For me it was a dream come true. When I arrived in Celtia they all knew who I was. It turned out that many of the ministers (members of the committee) had read my book. I then became a figure of interest to the young politicians. In fact I remember having a conversation with a young minister called Nathan O’miles about tax rates. I believe he is now serving as the current Lord-protector”

“…may I ask you about your reaction to the news of the Abdication of Alana?”

Losif then slid the book back into the bookcase and returned to his chair, “I was overjoyed to hear the tyrant had been overthrown. I packed all my belongings and made hast towards Norrsica. Once there I found myself overjoyed to see the people happy. I returned to a country where people were free to speak their minds without the soldiers beating them to death. Where culture and well-being were flourishing now in this new age”

“So it was better than before?”

“…all but one thing remained unchanged,” Losif continued, “I returned to find posters all around the market squares of St Rosenberger saying ‘All hail the new Tsarina’. I found out Alana had been succeeded by her sister. Anastasia”

“Anastasia did the country a great deal of good…yet you were still unhappy?”
“It was not the Norrsica I had envisioned. It was strange to see the people like the Tsarina,” Losif said, “I had not experienced that since I was a young boy when the bards and the great operas sung about the deeds of Xander I. As I thought to myself I wondered what this Anastasia really looked like so I thought of a way to see. I found out there was going to be this festival at the Imperial opera house in the city and it was in honour of the coronation which meant the Tsarina would be there. During the night I managed to sneak in and I hid myself with this huge hollow statue. As it was moved onto the stage for a performance from the play based upon the life of her father I burst out and the crowd were speechless”

“That was the first time in seven years the people of Norrsica had seen you since you vanished,” Aceline stated, “I also know how the newspapers reported it”

“As I was saying,” Losif continued, “I stood on stage. The crowd were all with their mouths wide open. On the main floor were the commoners. In the first row of booths were the factory owners, the military officers and of course the textile merchants. In the second row of booths were the aristocracy of Norrsica. Each booth shows the crests of Arch-dukes, Viscounts and Barons and there above all of them was the royal booth where Anastasia sat. When I saw her sitting in her chair wearing the finest green dress with elbow length white gloves made from the softest silks and around her neck was a pearl necklace. Her complexion was more stunning than her sister’s and her hair was long and black to show off her sophisticated neck. I must admit when I saw here I was overwhelmed”

“I don’t blame you,” Aceline said trying to hide her smirk.

“She was the only one who didn’t seem to be shocked by my appearance. She was sitting between two of the second most powerful people in Norrsica; to her right was the Duma; her royal advisor. To the left of her sat the Lord-General; the commander of her forces. This was obviously a powerful display to show she had her country well under control. I looked upon her, then I looked upon the crowd. I asked them if this is really what they wanted and if they didn’t want it they could speak up. Before I could finish my sentence a group of soldiers ran on the stage and dragged me off in an instant. I expected to get beaten but instead they took me to the nearest prison cell and awaited further orders from their commander. During that night in my cell I was visited by a young colonel. He came in with a rolled up blanket under his arm; he dropped it on the floor and stood to attention. I unwrapped the blanket to the find a fully loaded pistol and a sword inside. I wondered why he had brought me these things; he then said the words I had longed to hear for a very long time”

“Which was?”

Losif then smiled, “The Revolution has begun. When I heard those words it was as if pure joy had been made into a drink and I had just ingested an entire cup full. I followed the officer out of the prison and he led me to one of the abandoned factories which was once owned by the society before it was disbanded at Alana’s abdication. Inside I found workers still working the machines but this time instead of a painting of the Tsarina there was a red flag with a picture of a gear and hammer on it. Everyone inside stopped for a moment and cheered at the sight of my appearance. The colonel told me his name was Marx Smernanor and that he was the acting leader of the Gear-works socialist party and that he had grown up reading my work. Now that I had returned to Norrsica he wanted me to lead the party”

“That party is now out-lawed in Norrsica isn’t it?”

“Of course it is,” Losif said, “Three days later I gathered all the members of the party into the main workhouse. There I told them that under my leadership I would grant them a free Norrsica. This is where ‘monarchy’ had no meaning and that every man and woman were born equal. They all cheered and it seemed that my dream was finally becoming a reality. A month went by and soon we had gathered enough men to build up an army; then we began our revolution. We marched from the factory with members of the party chanting ‘down with the crown’. This was a rhyme which the people had made up. It was simple, yet its meaning was strong. You do you know I intended it to be a peaceful protest”

Aceline nodded in agreement, “Yes I’ve understood that you wanted it to be”

“A group of soldiers came to see what was happening. I was going to tell them it was peaceful but…but before I could say anything Marx gave the order to open fire,”

Losif broke down into tears, “At that moment all the members of the party pulled out guns and shot at soldiers and civilians. Soldiers gathered and the battle had begun. At opposite ends of the street the two forces clashed and I watched in horror as people died because of a mistake”
With a deep breath and wiping away the tears from around his eye Mr Tolstoy regained control of his faculties, “During the battle I confronted Marx. I demanded an answer as to why he ordered the party to fire and he said…he said we must purge those…who challenge the future. I thought he was wrong. I looked upon all of the members of the party and I saw no emotion, no thought and no free will. I then questioned him on how as to how he amassed such a following. He told me he had to implant the idea of equality in the minds of the young…in plain terms he had…brainwashed them all into believing what he wanted and taught them to kill anyone who resisted”

Aceline stopped writing and looked horrified, “That’s monstrous”

“When I looked upon him…I did not see Marx…I saw what I had been fighting against. Tyranny. Escaping from the party I rushed to the command post of the royal army and told them everything. I begged them to give the party members a chance of surrender…they kept their words but Marx would never give up. That day all two thousand people including Marx died. I was seen as the cause of this battle and all of Norrsica cried out for my death. After spending a week to think over the events of the battle I was dragged into the royal court to face my judgment,”

Hearing this Aceline put down her paper and quill, got out of her chair and approached Losif. She knelt down in front of him as he sat in his chair, “It’s been said that what you said at your trial is matter of state and that only the ruler of Norrsica may know…but I must ask. What happened in that room?”

Losif sighed, “With Anastasia as my judge and jury I was not sure what would happen. Everyone wanted to see me die for all the trouble I’d caused, but she had the final word which was at the time proved best. Before she passed my sentence, she asked me if I had anything to say; so I told her the truth. I told her there would come a time when Norrsica would no longer need her. There would come a time when the people would march into that palace, drag her off of that throne and then decide how they want to be governed. But until, that time remember a week ago as if it is the beginning of the end of the crown’s rule. Once I finished she passed my sentence; she said that all my crimes would be absolved if did two things. The first would be if I repented all my attempts to dissolve the throne and the second would be to make an oath of loyalty to the crown in public vowing to follow the judgment of the Tsarina”

Losif looked into the fire for a moment before looking back at Aceline, “It seemed tempting however…I could never accept that form of government so I said no. Anastasia said the option would always be there, but until I accepted her rule, I could never live in Norrsica; for I would be a great disruption for the country. She made contact with the king of Marianna, paid him a very large sum of money and then me sent here. Seven years later I’m in this room talking to you”

Aceline got up and then picked up her pieces of paper, “This has been…an amazing experience and I must…”

“Before you say anything else,” Losif interrupted, “I have something for you”

Getting up from his chair, Losif went over to his book case and reached for the highest shelf. He pulled out a red book then walked back towards Aceline and handed it to her, “I want you to have this”

Looking at the front cover she was shocked by what it was;

Government and Politics
Written by Losif Tolstoy

“Why?” she asked, “Why do you want to give this to me?”

Leaning in closer Losif moved towards her ear and whispered, “I have learned that I am not the one to lead the revolution…you are”

Hearing this Aceline felt her heart beat like it was on fire and felt the heat bash against her rib cage. She had to get out, so leaving behind her pieces of paper, she ran out the room. Losif smiled as he approached the side table to pour himself a glass of Norrsican vodka. He held the glass above his head and as he looked at the glass he said, “To the revolution”

****
Aceline had returned to her home and was currently sitting at her desk with the book laid out in front of her. She looked at the cover worrying what would happen if she turned the page, but as time went by, she gathered the courage and moved her hand. With a gentle grip of the cover she gently lifted it and opened the book. She went to the first line of the first page which read;

Chapter one
Forming a government
Edited by Callington, January 5, 2013, 10:33 am.
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Verser Wallace
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Very interesting story, I quite like it, poor political prisoner and all. Good job Call.
Edited by Verser Wallace, January 16, 2013, 1:17 pm.
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