Chapter 42.5- The Seadragon's Roar

Just like him, they didn’t believe me when I said they were free. None of them moved forward to attack Declan. They probably saw it as a test of the loyalty or something equally inane. If only I could just shove the thought in their head. You are free men. Well, free men still bound to work for me, but free men nonetheless. If one or two of them wanted to exercise that freedom by not working for me, I would permit it even. All of them though? Well, that would be inconvenient.

Thankfully, such an inconvenience had yet to arise to point out my hypocrisy to me and the wider world. I growled in irritation when they still refused to move. What more could I give them? Here was the man that had oppressed you. Take your freedom from him with your own hands. End him. They did neither. Was this what a broken people looked like. I refused to believe it. They had potential. I just had to draw it out. I reached down, feeling Igneel’s power course through my veins before I grabbed a hold of Declan by the collar of his tunic and tossed him into the crowd.

They scrambled out of his way, not allowing him to land on them.

“I said he is yours. Do as you wish” The sailor managed to make it to his knees, looking at me with betrayal in his eyes. I guess even if he couldn’t understand High Valyrian there were some things one just had to figure out on their own.

“I surrendered mi—“ He never got to finish the sentence. The first to attack was a boy not much younger than I was. He picked up a stone from the ground and tossed it at the sailor, hitting him right in the face.

“You damn brat” The man turned to his assailant, practically spitting fire, and that was when the by standing crowd finally spurred into motion. Declan did not last long under the mob justice they inflicted on him.

Stones, teeth, even a dagger that had come out of nowhere began the work of turning the man into a bloody pulp. It was a matter of minutes until he was surely dead.

“You have grasped your own freedom with your own hands now. The blood you have spilled together binds you as more than just a people. You are a family now. A family of freedmen with a single charge. Mine the limestone that calls this island home just as surely as you do, and you will be justly rewarded for it. I will see to it personally” I said, receiving nods. I turned to Vaelos.

“Reduce the present output back to the original levels. I shall also require a comprehensive report of you when I return. Population, feeding needs, shelter needs, whatnot.” I said before turning to leave, done with this.