When Your Feathers Flutter Down to Me

Chapter Three: The Princess And The Village

Of the five countries that make up the main continent of the world, four of them successfully managed to integrate demi-humans and monster people into their society. At least, that's the story if one asks a politician or noble. The truth of the matter was that when it came to race relations, the differences between them varied greatly.

The first and second countries, those being the Accinautori Kingdom and the Democratic Republic of Velk, were the first to promote the idea of allowing demi-humans and monster people into human society. Surprisingly, they had relatively good success. Being the first two, many demi-humans and monster people came to them to get the chance to be recognized as full citizens of these countries. This would mean that they'd be able to vote on laws in Velk (which of course operated as a democracy of sorts), open multiple businesses, receive certain benefits from these countries, and other various rights.

Of course, when the idea of mixing everyone together was proposed, it was initially met with opposition. After all, it wasn't just Endrelta that had discriminatory issues; it was the whole world. However, unlike Endrelta, the first two countries were able to persuade their people and show them the merits of living in a society with many different kinds of people. In the end, while there was still some resistance, integration happened in a smooth and neat process.

Unfortunately, that was where the good luck for nonhumans ended. Being so popular, the first two countries eventually had to close their gates, barring entry to all people, human and non-human alike. Their infrastructures were straining, and the bloated population threatened to burst their walls. There was simply no more room in either country for immigrants such as the demi-humans or monster people.

This presented a new problem. With so many of these individuals having traveled for the purpose of entering those places (and many more on the way), they needed a place to go. In an attempt to remedy this situation, the third kingdom, the Bemes Principality, decided to allow nonhumans into their borders, approaching this issue in a similar way to their predecessors.

However, unlike those before them, the principality struggled to find common ground with its people. Many of the citizens were opposed to having demi-humans and monster people in the country for any number of reasons, and it didn't help that the nobles of the principality weren't very supportive of the idea either.

In a weird stroke of luck, the news traveled through the demi-human and monster people communities that there was no more room in the countries allowing them in. This helped to put a stop to the constant influx of people, and with no more on the way, the Bemes Principality was left with only those at their gates. Informing their people of this, they made the following compromise: Allow the ones outside in, give them a small amount of land, and leave them be.

It wasn't really the most ideal solution, but all parties involved accepted it in the end, as it beat the alternative of outsiders sneaking in and causing trouble, or fights breaking out in the streets due to a difference of opinion or simply appearance.

For several years after that, there was stability. The other demi-humans and monster people remained in the various regions that they had come from, now able to live more freely thanks to the migration of some of their people. As for the ones farther in the countries, there weren't too many problems. The occasional crime would happen, but nothing out of the ordinary, and if something specific to the foreigners did come up, it was dealt with as civilly as possible.

That is, until one day in the principality, a rather large dispute arose. As is the case with most populations, the size of the demi-humans and monster people grew over time, bringing about a need for more land. As it had already been enough of a headache for the principality to give them what they had, those in charge of land rights said no. Upon hearing the request, the human citizens of the country became quite agitated as well, resulting in a march on the territory that, in their eyes, had been stolen from them.