Modern Problems — A Short Story
In an Empire so young, there sat a blonde brute watching his cities burn, his people divided, friends becoming enemies and families losing their loved ones. He clutched his sword; swearing that these travesties were the fault of the People and not of any high order. He chose to believe his own lies, rather than face the truth that corruption runs deep throughout the veins of his land. He heard news of the citizens rioting throughout the Empire, he heard stories of the bazaar stalls being torched, of how stables and chariots were set alight. He scoffed, these things meant nothing to him. It didn’t resonate; he did not care if the common man couldn’t make it to work tomorrow, it wasn’t his street covered in rubble. He could still eat, he still had warmth, he still had clothes, he still had his wealth. Their actions did not affect him. But they didn’t realize this, the citizens of this Empire always believed their actions spoke louder than words, but they did not think of why this method never brought the system to its knees. Time and time again the People would riot over great injustices; but still, they did not produce effective results. What was missing? This was a modern day empire, simply scaring or killing the Emperor wouldn’t be enough, he would just be replaced. A great injustice was born from a Guardsman killing an innocent civilian, someone he had sworn to protect without prejudice or bias. He broke an oath. He didn’t serve the peace, he disturbed it. He created a mess. He took a life. But alas, his loyalty was to the Emperor, for his pay was great in gold and he did not care what the Public thought of him. What the People ought to do is not attack the Bazaar, the Chariots or even take to the streets; if the violence is fueled by wealth that wipes a man of his very soul, that he could not care if he took a life. Then money truly is the root of all evil, it allowed this man to commit his actions without a guilty conscience. Why didn’t the People consider that? The Mint: a refinery wherein the Gold of the Empire was produced and given to Guardsmen, who will have earned Gold after brutally murdering an innocent man. The Source — If they want to make a difference, if they want to shake the Emperor and make him feel it from miles away, it was the Mint, they needed to burn the source of wealth that enables such violence. Attack the heart of a man’s earnings, do not let there be a circulation of gold that funds the death of innocent men. Remove it. Burn it. Let it rot in a blaze of justification. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but if the people truly meant it, they could burn it in just one night. That’s all it takes. One night. It would be a double-edged sword that affected the Citizens too, especially if they throw their current gold pieces away, but it would be a necessary sacrifice to finally end it all, let it fall.
