District 42-Chapter 148: Objectives and Reform
Alfar was already awake, looking to the ceiling and rambling. He was meditating regarding what he had said to his friends in the past night.
Although he seemed very confident in what he answered to Olaf, he sort of spoke like that out of nowhere. It was a wish he had in his heart and that he was willing to share with others, also to remember himself that it was still there, burning, and it wouldn’t stop until it was accomplished.
From the start, the only thing that Alfar wished for was to free the prisoners from that cruel situation inside Halden. If the government would treat them as inmates because of their "sins", then it would be more reasonable if they, at least, keep in mind that they were humans.
Alfar wouldn’t forget the rules of District 42, and just because they suffered, it did not make them fewer criminals than they were, but he could not bear to see those people being tortured every day, as if their crimes didn’t take just their freedom, but also their humanity.
The Dark elf has been struggling every day to achieve that goal, and with Casper beside him, he finally was able to do it... But, then, Anton opened his eyes, and he realized that escape with them, just to keep escaping forever afterward, wasn’t the best future to live. How many would die until they could stay in society as normal people? And how many of them wouldn’t corrupt themselves and destroy the lives of many innocents, in an endless fight against the Jarls and the Crown? That was just chaotic to think.
Because of it, Alfar realized that free them from that suffering was the very first step, and to be able to really save them he would need to find a way to cover their scars first, change Halden completely, and try to show to the world that they were still humans.
Another thing that was passing in his mind while he looked up to the ceiling, restless, was about what Olaf said in the last night.
"I will not say anything else, Casper, but the Frelsi aren’t as bad as they say. I would give my life for their ideals." That quote was doing rounds inside his head and was one of the motivations as to why he didn’t sleep well and woke up so early in the morning.
"If the Frelsi aren’t so bad as they say, then those people were suffering for, unfairly, being labeled as criminals? That’s two times worse than I thought, then..." He sighed, not knowing what he should believe.
"My whole life I was compelled to believe in the Jarls, to give my life to the Real Family, just be quiet and accept my destiny, no matter how poor I was. Maybe that’s an effect of the masks as well, but... I don’t know. The Frelsi appeared suddenly a decade ago, everyone was dumbfounded when it happened and so was I. They were labeled as the villains since the start, but... Is it right? And if... And if they are not? Why did nobody stop to think about it? If they were so bad, why a good part of the commoners would like them so much?"
His head began achy while he thought so deeply on that matter. He cursed himself for not sleeping properly and tiring himself so much. Alfar would need energy on that day, after all, he couldn’t be spending so much time just thinking and not resting.
He looked to the bed on his right side. Olaf was still asleep.
On the left side was Casper’s bed. The soldier was laying there, turned to the side, with his back turned to Alfar. For some reason, the Dark elf was sure that he was awake. He could feel it.
"Is it time already?" The elf risked asking, staring at Casper’s back.
Just after he questioned this, the White warrior raised his upper body immediately, but not suddenly like someone frightened, sitting on the bed. He glanced at Alfar.
"Yeah, it’s time. We will meet the princess in just an hour. Better we get ready now." He got out of his bed and walked towards the bathroom.
"I think that, maybe, he is awake for way more time than me..." He moved towards Olaf’s bed and awakened the only one of them that could easily fall asleep during the night.
The pilot had difficulty waking up but ended getting out of his bed as well.
"Today is the day we will finish with all of this, huh?" The ex-Jarl asked, stretching his arms, seeming a bit bothered for being awake so early in the morning.
"Yeah. I would like to see closely how the prison and Lab reform will go, but the Princess said that we would just need to help to give the idea, and making the main plans, and the rest would be work for her and the construction company working in this project. Casper assured us to keep an eye on it, so we probably will be free to keep going with our lives..."
Olaf looked to be both relieved and sad at the same time. Alfar had the same feelings inside his heart, but he was not good at expressing himself.
"I never had friends before, not until I became a Frelsi, and when I got arrested, I really thought that it was the end for me... It was good to know you guys. You allowed me to get back to the place I belong." He was fidgeting like a young lady when speaking those things, but the Dark elf tried to not pay attention to it and just consider his words.
"You are welcome. And if you are so shy, don’t push yourself to say those embarrassing things." After this, he walked off to the kitchen, and the pilot remained on top of his bed, laughing nervously and rubbing his neck.
...
The trio finished their breakfast, and also prepared themselves. They were given common clothes for citizens of the Third Lab, and it was way more comfortable than the ones they wore being inmates.
Casper didn’t remember to have had changed his clothes once, and since he went to Halden, he bathed just a single time. The place there didn’t have somewhere to bathe, so he needed to do this in the sink of the cell when Anton was pretending to be asleep. Also, clothes were another thing they did not seem to be so worried about, so he was wearing dirty and stinky clothes all that while.
"It’s good to dress me better... Oh my Odin, I am so glad that I was a soldier. I am used to having clay and mud inside my underwear for days along and keep my sanity, so stinky clothes were like heaven in the end. It was still uncomfortable, though."
After changing and leaving that hotel, making sure that they had brought everything they needed with them, Casper and his friends walked hastily to the meeting point.
The Princess was already waiting for them at that point. For some reason, she seemed two times more tired than in the previous day, but they tried to ignore that point.
"You are a bit late, but I will forgive your incompetence for now." Was the first thing she said after look at them with her cold eyes filled with angriness and turning her back to them, walking to the Teleporting pad that was next to her.
"Come, we are going to another floor, sixteen, to the Third Lab."
Without even greeting her, they just obeyed and got up on the Teleporting pad. She mumbled the coordinates.
Casper needed to admit, he was missing that strange experience of the Teleport. It has been a good while since he didn’t have the chance to do it, and he nearly forgot how convenient those things were.
"Talking about Teleport, that Aesir called Canute was there in the General Court... Damn, we always meet each other when I am in a sort of a messy situation... I would like to talk to him about teleportation and stuff, but with these kinds of inconveniences, it won’t be good. Also, I think he kind of hates me, so..."
Casper planned to talk to the Princess and see if she could force him to do so, but he doubted that Canute would be so flexible or have the goodwill to share with him some information.
The teleportation ended, and all of them found themselves already in front of the Third Lab, some meters away from its door.
Waiting for them beside the door was another person. He was with a suit different from what the other commoners or Jarls used. That seemed to be thicker, have more fur, and also some parts had iron sheets for protection.
Casper, Alfar, and Olaf lasted to know that that was the man encharged of the remodeling of Halden, an engineer and architect very famous.
Along with him, a Jarl. He would take care of the reform of the administrative part of Halden.
"Let’s go, you three. Now we will start the reform." Vick called, and then walked towards the entrance.
