Hymn, The Princess in the Stained Glass Dress

Chapter Two-Agatha

Urine. Honestly, all I could smell on the streets was urine. It seeped into my nostrils like a sickness. The glorious capital city really needed to take a quick run through the back end of town. Though, without this urine street I couldn't have had this upcoming meeting, in urine central. I guess every city needed urine.

"What's the name of this street, Marcus?" I was too curious to not ask my companion.

"It doesn't have one." He answered in monotone.

"Ahh! Right, well that makes sense." From this point on, in my mind, that street is then Urine Street. Finally, we made our way to urine central, which turns out does have a name. One would only have to turn their head sideways at the sign that had fallen ages ago. 'The Yellow Ship', it read in faded black letters. I bet I could have guessed what the yellow was.

"The Agitator?" A voice from behind the door asked. That, of course, was my nickname, Agatha the Agitator.

"She's a powerful woman!" another voice called.

"She's not a woman! She's chaos!"

"Ooo, Chaos. I like that, call me that." I called over the arguing men as I walked in the door. The room, to my delight, fell silent. The power in my presence was my best quality. I took pride in it.

The entire room smelled like concentrated urine. The floors and walls were moist with, probably, urine. The men in the bar were the embodiments of urine. They were waiting for me to say something to them, but honestly the only thing in my mind was urine.

Only after the scent had lost its overpowering effect, did I finally say something. "You know why I'm here. You know who I am and what I do. This crowd is, smaller, than I had expected, but every revolution starts somewhere. I want all of you to know, if you join tonight there is no going back. I am enemy number one, they want my head. Anyone who is involved with me will be imprisoned. There are some of you who will lose your lives fighting for this country's rectification.

"However, this is worth it. Your home is worth it. Your children, your ancestors will think it was worth it. How long have you been repressed by this country? How long have you been enslaved, beleaguered, beaten, and your friends and family killed so the monsters that run this country can make their territory larger? They want to expand their despair across the world. They want your children, your families, and the rest of the world to feel the same oppression you are forced to take part in every day. There are people being torn from their homes, and forced into a reality they want nothing to do with.

"The worst part is, we're letting them. Well no more. I don't want to let them wound my brothers and sisters and anyone else for their own gain. You know my work, what I've been doing. I've won many battles, I won't lie. But this time, I want to win the war. That's why I'm here, in the capital. To win the war, and cut the head off the snake. I'm asking you to join me, because it's worth it."

There was silence, followed by many awkward stares. Then finally, "That's why we're here. To fight." Followed by "Aye!" and "Yeah!", until the room was overrun by cheers.

"This will be the hardest task I've ever done. We need a plan, a way to send information."

"That will be difficult." Hushed Marcus, the capital man who came to retrieve me from the outskirts of town. He seemed to be a type of leader, yet he was silent. I'd just assumed they followed him for his large build. I'm a tall woman, but I barely reached his chest. His skin was darker, much darker, but not the copper color of the islanders. He must be from another land that'd been raided.

"Why is that?" I asked as the men continued their cheering.

"Any news comes from inside the castle. Any paper or announcement, they approve or disapprove. No posts, no under the table articles. Ever since your takeover of that fishing city with the corruption of the news, they've been on high alert. Any foreign message they didn't approve, the source gets sent to prison."

"Or killed!" called one of the men

"Yes or killed." Marcus agreed. Something in his voice told me he held distain for me or my actions. I decided not to dwell on it and let him continue. "So if you need to transfer information, you may have to get creative."

"Excellent. I also need a spark."

"A what?"

"A spark, something that lights the fire of the rebellion here in the capital. Something that assures everyone what their fighting for is right. I know the idea of rebellion is gaining its footing, but we need something to get it going, and keep it going. A spark." He hummed in understanding. "What are the main complaints of the capital? Why are people fighting?"

"They impose ridicules fees on merchants and fishermen." Called one of the men, most likely a merchant or fisherman.

"Aye! They don't let no one have any higher of jobs. The poor are stuck bein' poor! If we make good money, they take it all! It ain't right!" cried another man. Where were the women in this rebellion?

"They make us fight to take over other lands, and we don't even get to use the land! My uncle didn't want to do the Londer take over those years ago but he did! And he got nothing but nightmares from it!"

"Aye!" The crowd cheered.

"They pretend the fires never happened! Like they didn't send all those people into poverty, starvation, and death!"

"Aye!"

"They pick wars with other countries then we have to fight! We don't get paid for that! In fact, we have to pay for it!"

"Aye!"

"They use us and the rest of the world! How many slaves do you see walking the streets? Thousands! It's true, It's true! I was there! I saw the children coming off the boats! I heard there is a slave ship that uses a 'londer to carry his own kin back and forth!"

"Aye." I responded before they all could. "We have more than enough reason to do this, we just need a way to let everyone else know that. We need a way to light the fire, then be able to spread it." Their enthusiasm was intoxicating, but they weren't solving anything.

"The princess. The island princess." Marcus said quietly, as if he was telling himself.

"What?" I asked.

"The island princess, the one they make sing, in the stained glass dress. She can be our spark. The entire city listens to her as she sings, she can spread information."

"How? If the entire city listens, the king will hear." I poked.

"I don't know... But we can use her."

"Perhaps..." I am not convinced

"Have you ever heard her sing?" He asked with a tone of condescension.

"Not personally, no."

The room seemed to stop and look at me silently, as if I had just told them I was born yesterday.

"It's nine now, you must listen." I shook my head in agreement. If this voice can make the drunken room of urine men to stop talking, then perhaps I ought to look into this island princess.