Rouge and the Rogue (Knuxouge)

Soldier's Dilemma

The innkeeper was nowhere to be seen that morning. His aging mother played host to the Princess and her entourage in his place. Nobody acknowledged that the original innkeeper had existed at all.

As the group set out to gather Polfeild's taxes, Rouge made up her mind as to how she would help the citizens. She would start slow and small. The first place they hit was naturally the inn they had stayed at. Perhaps it was petty, but Rouge didn't try to stop that collection. The first few houses they visited were able to pay, though there was some resistance and the citizens stared daggers at the soldiers. Finally, the seventh house was a bust.

The head of guard knocked on the ramshackle door. It seemed like the knock shook the whole building, it was so unstable. A thin, trembling rabbit opened the door. The poor being was so starved and hollow looking that it would have been impossible to tell it's gender without the ragged dress that clung to its frame. The head of guard glared at the poor rabbit with cold disdain.

"We're collecting the monthly taxes. You owe the crown three gold and ten silver."

The rabbit kept shifting her weight nervously. She tried to close the door on the guards, but one of the men caught the door before she could do so fully and ripped it off its hinges, then tossed it to the side. Now they could see inside the rabbit's house, which revealed four cowering children. The children were plumper than the homeowner, who could be presumed to be their mother.

"Surely you have the coins available? You have a house and four fat children. Surely you haven't lived past your means," the despicable head of guard scoffed.

"Ah," the woman sighed, speaking for the first time. Her voice was weak like a whisper. "No... no coins. We trade for what we have. We haven't had coins in a long time."

The head of guard's stare turned from disdain to wrath in a split second. He grabbed the woman's arm, preventing her from running away while also blocking the open doorway. She flinched and began stammering, "p-please, you can take any-anything we have. Grain, furniture, my b-bed, we don't have much, I don't have coins! Please!" The man shoved her to the ground and entered the building. The rest of the soldiers were about to follow when Rouge stuck her arm out in front of them.

"Stop," she commanded. The head of guard had to stop too. He slowly turned to look at the Princess. The wrath still hadn't left his eyes.

"She doesn't have the coins. What difference will such a small amount make? The kingdom is not so desolate that it will break without one peasant's meager debt," Rouge stated loudly and clearly. The poor rabbit gazed up at the Princess from where she had fallen on the floor, her eyes enormous. The head of guard laughed.

"If we do not make an example of this peasant, the others may think it acceptable to hold back on their payments. We must keep these peasants in their rightful places," he explained with a tone of voice as if she were five years old.

"Perhaps you didn't understand me fully. This is a royal decree from the Princess. Forgive this citizen her debt until next month and move on. You are wasting everyone's time." She didn't let his tone affect hers. She was an authority figure above him. He wouldn't forget that quickly. The foot soldiers were more wary of Rouge than their chief, so they backed off immediately, scurrying back to the carriages. The head of guard gave in begrudgingly. He made sure to step on the Rabbit as he walked out, dealing her one last blow purely out of spite. She coughed, but made no attempt to get up or thank Rouge. The caravan went on to the next house.

This pattern continued through Polfeild. The citizens who weren't able to pay fully would be forgiven by the Princess while the soldiers looked on in shock. They could hardly do anything against her; she was a member of the royal family, and they were employed by her father. At each house the head of guard's frown grew deeper.