Usurper of Fire

Back in Restitude, the main course for the feast was soup–one that was especially delicious thanks to the spice fields being cultivated just days earlier. Instead of having individual bowls or spoons, they used a long U-shaped metal trough to hold the soup. As they walked along it, they each were given five pieces of bread to dip into it. The line kept a constant pace, and you could either continue the loop or leave at any time. Yet it was frowned upon to only make one trip, regardless of your tolerance to the food.

Adverity made her way through the line with grace. She commended herself for having the perfect form when going through the soup line. After her fourth lap around she found a quiet place to sit and study the room. It was difficult to tell each woman apart since they all wore the same-sized brown dress. However, the streaks in their hair represented their individuality, and might as well have been a sign written in flames.

The same group of women from earlier–the Matriarchal Order without Adverity–formed a line facing away from her, chatting among each other. A great offense indeed.

She let them confer among each other for some time. Confronting them too quickly wouldn’t allow guilt to build inside of them.

After a while though, she stood and conjured up all her grace, and walked over to them. But before she could arrive, another woman grabbed her with a gentle touch and pulled her off to the side. She didn’t show her frustration, yet her eyes remained fixated on the Matriarchal Order.

“Hello sister,” the woman who grabbed her arm said. “I have a bit of an odd request for the evening if that’s quite all right?”

When Adverity finally made eye contact with her, she realized it was Samartha.

“Hello, sister. What can I do for you?” she said, still paying attention to the group in her peripheral.

“I was wondering if it would be okay to make an announcement this evening, you see…”

Samartha’s words became white noise as she went over her plan once more in her head. Surely the group would expect her to retaliate, but she had to be precise with her words and her actions. She had practiced for several hours in her mirror as she was getting ready.

A hand tugged at her arm.

She looked over to see the woman had an expression of someone awaiting an answer. “You’d like to make that announcement this evening?” she asked.

Samartha smiled and nodded.

“It would mean the world to me to have your approval to do so, sister.”

“Very well then. My approval you shall have,” Adverity said.

The woman shook from excitement before thanking her and walking away toward her own group.

She wasn’t sure what she would announce, but typically announcements were made of new classes, fashion designs, or dye color announcements. She hoped for red for the next month. But she shrugged off that thought and continued her mission.

When she got close, women in the Matriarchal Order nudged each other and turned around with smiling faces.

“Hello, sister!” they all said in unison.

“Greetings, sisters. What a fantastic feast this evening don’t you think?” Adverity said.

“Yes, it was so fantastic…” Mertha said. “I wish I could have made four trips as you did, but I was simply too full after the second. I pray the Goddess blesses me with such an appetite.”

“Yes, I will add that to my nightly prayer for you as well my sister. I believe I’ll put it after praying for your lisp to be cured but right before praying for you to stop balding. It’s a mystery to us all why the Goddess saw fit to bestow upon you these unfortunate deviations. Though may we remark that the Goddess reminds us to always be improving ourselves. So find blessings in having so much to improve upon.”

The women ground their teeth beneath their smiles.

“Thank you for praying for us sister,” Ospera said. “Might I remark that I find it amazing how well you fill that dress. It’s so baggy on all of us. It’s tiresome work getting all the wrinkles out after an evening event.”

Adverity almost felt her eyes roll to the back of her head.

“Thank you, Ospera. That is very sweet of you to say. Might I add that I hope the padding on the new seats is adequate for you. I’ve heard the bones in your butt can cause great sores when sitting on stiff chairs. Thankfully, Alveria was able to make that wonderful cream for yours. And might I add–” she leaned toward the group and spoke more quietly– “Alveria told me it’s also quite good for particular smells in particular places. Can’t verify that last bit myself, but is what Alveria says true, Ospera?”

The light from Ospera’s eyes faded.

“Well, we all trust the word of Alveria do we not? I’m sure there is truth in her words.”

The group went quiet for an awkward amount of time.

Adverity’s smile grew. “Sisters…I was thinking. What if we–''

“Excuse me, sisters.” Samartha said using the loudtalker on the stage.

“Now, now,” said Mertha with intrigue. “What’s this all about?”

“I haven’t the slightest idea…” Adverity remarked. After the room quieted down, Samartha continued.

“Hello sisters, praise the Goddess.”

The room performed the mother’s prayer.

“I have something very difficult to bring up to all of you today. Something about me and who I am. Thankfully, Adverity gave me the courage to stand up here today and make this announcement. I would like to take a moment to thank her.” She gestured toward Adverity and everyone clapped five times.

Adverity waved and smiled, hoping it didn’t look too fake.

“As I said, I’ve come to realize something about myself, about who I am as a person under the Goddess. As you are all quite aware, I have gone through reeducation more than any other woman in our town, and I have learned a great deal about myself in that time.”

“We shall not stray!” a group of women shouted from the crowd. Samartha nodded.

“Yes, indeed. I’ve learned over and over what it is to be a woman. All the struggles, all the victories…I can recite them all from memory if you request me to. Yet I fail to learn and fail to act on that knowledge because that is not what is in my soul.”

The room gasped and whispers filled the air. The Gossipari turned their heads rapidly trying to pick up all of what was said.

“So, what I’ve come to learn about myself…And thank you Adverity for giving me the courage and the stage to admit this. What I’ve come to learn is that…is that it isn’t possible for me to be what I’ve learned a woman to be. Therefore I must admit that I am in fact…a man.”

The whispers intermingled with loud panicked words and gasps. An orchestra of confusion filled the room. Adverity stared at her with her mouth agape, frozen.

“Well…that’s different,” Ospera remarked.

She turned to the Matriarchal Order, who all stared at her with genuine smiles.

“Adverity, I just want to say how proud I am of you, and I apologize if maybe at some point in the past I may have been a tad, feisty.” Ospera walked over to hug her.

The other women shortly followed suit creating a large group hug. After they hugged, the women all ended up gazing over her shoulder. She turned to follow their gaze and found Samartha standing with tears in his eyes. Before she could react she found Samartha’s arms wrapped around her and the whole crowd cheered.

“Come on, girls! Let’s take a couple more laps around the soup line!” Mertha shouted.

“Whoo!”

The crowd all danced away toward their celebratory meal.

Samartha released Adverity from the tight hug and caressed her face.

“Thank you, sister, thank you!” he said before turning around and being greeted by the other women.

Adverity put a smile on her face as the sounds and sights blurred together. She turned around to walk out of the hall. Taps and touches covered her back and arms as she made her way outside. She couldn’t piece together what was happening, what it meant, and how her master plan had failed. How could they applaud a man, she thought.

She headed toward her tunnel in her home. The only space that made any sense to exist in at that moment. She wrapped her hands and began the healing process.