The One

ELEVEN

His happy, cheery, blushy and colorful appearance? Gone.
The dark stains, the clusters of freckles, contrasting hard with his pale skin made him look inhumane.
His green eyes felt unnatural, the redness of the fire behind them didn't seem to affect them much and the color just didn't feel right.
His size towered, as he sat there, one hand on a knee, the other holding the cup.

He looked back at Morten, but not, he looked right through him.
And he spoke,

" The lives of the people I cared for were horrible. I tried everything in my abilities to better them, I have but for many it was way too late.
It wasn't until recently that things truly improved. With the election of the new One."

Agnus slowly drank his tea, giving Morten time to let that line sink in

"A man alone can make things better, but I can't change the world." He spoke.

Morten blinked, a moment of anxiety passed through him with the possibility that Agnus might too abuse the position he may gain.
But that.. didn't make sense.

" She did. They did, " Agnus let out a long breath.
" They are not going to marry anyone of their own choosing.
So it might as well be me.
At least that way I can make sure they are safe, that the people that live lives at the lower end of our society get the protection they need, require.

So there won't be more mothers like mine.

No more boys like me,
that have to become monsters to save themselves and their loved ones. "

He looked into his tea mug, undoubtedly empty.
Then looked back at Morten so intensely, Morten almost fell over.

" I will make anyone that makes it to the end, that may endanger that, go up in thin air.
I will eat you if I have to. "

Morten swallowed, his hands cramped around the hot mug.

" You," Agnus continued, "You had a day today.
You showed that you are capable of that same horrific way of thinking and dealing.
You can act out what you want, in a controlled violence.
But I need you to get your priorities straight, stop crying to yourself about whatever life you might have imagined for yourself and get with the program. "

Agnus sniffed.

" We are here to bring this to a good end.
To make sure there aren't any men sneaking through the cracks with their own political agendas, shit values or worse, that might endanger what is being built by the council under its current rule.

We can not go back."

Morten blinked carefully.
Agnus had been here for this all along.
His head was going a thousand miles an hour.

But then stopped on a very specific little snippet.

" Or worse? "
He said quietly as Agnus had allowed silence.

Agnus, who had looked into the fire, looked back at him.

" Yes.
You think the men in power are happy with this little girl that suddenly banned slavery?
Meaning they have to pay their workforce?
And have to share their riches?
That they pay more taxes to provide for the people struggling at the bottom of the barrel because a few hog the money of a region and guard it jealously?
A pyramid scheme the council plans to bring to its knees soon?"

Morten had never realized this was going on.
The frozen didn't do slaves, they never had.

They lived simple lives.
There was little trade into and out of the mountains, even less outside the Frozen, riches were a good meal and a warm home.

But he could see that changing, with men like Roran, his tribe closer to the rest of the world and his wishes to be more like them.
Wealth and power driving such man forth.