Rebellion in the Village (Draft Preview) by Kids' Own Publishing Partnership

Rebellion in the Village

Close to death, but not quite there 1

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Content

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue Blurp Background Information

65 69 71

Chapter 1

orture. That’s one word to describe every aspect of Leon’s life. Ever since his sister died he has been pessimistic about everything, thinking the world is a living hell. Every night he woke up screaming. It was always the same nightmare, about Fleur, his sister, being forced to watch her suffer because of his actions. He cannot forget her crying out “Help” desperately. It burnt through his heart. The memory of walking into the living room where she had lain dead haunted him still. Fleur’s death from smallpox was slow and painful. The general belief was that she contracted the disease from the cow she had cared for. It had been Leon’s job first, but his shifts in the grain house increased and he had no time for the cow. So Fleur had offered and Leon accepted. Though she was only five, she was mature for her age. Why did I not look after that cow myself? Leon thought one night still shaking from the nightmare. Why didn’t I just do it myself? So it became official that she looked after the cow while Leon did his everyday errands. She loved the responsibility, because she felt important having a big job, leading the cow to pasture. Now that she had died because of the smallpox, he assumed if he had taken care of the cow she wouldn’t have died. 5

Oh, how he wished he could turn back time but he knows he can’t. That’s the problem. Leon flung the heavy sacks of grain over his aching back and set off for the grain shed. He walked upon the impoverished, filthy streets of Pockseaux. Most of the houses in the village were poor brick houses with thatched roofs. As he walked, he stared at the many families scrounging for bits of food that were dropped. Suddenly Leon heard a scream; he jerked his head around, and noticed a group of women wrestling over a piece of mouldy bread thrown on the side of the village road. Chaos broke out, as one of the ragged looking mothers dived for the mouldy bread and she shared it between her three starving children. They stood watching her with hungry eyes. Within seconds they had demolished the bread. As Leon continued his walk, he saw the many eyes staring longingly at the sacks of grain. He counted himself lucky as nobody dared touch him for fear of the death penalty; at least he had a slice of thin, mouldy bread at night. His mother used to make a fresh loaf when Fleur was around and his father was at home, she was happy. He couldn’t bear to look at the starving villagers any longer, he hung his head in shame. Unexpectedly a heavy downpour of rain began to fall as Leon headed for shelter. Gazing down Leon’s mother at the puddles, he saw an unfamiliar face 6

staring at him. Leon noticed how hollow his cheekbones had become. As the rain slowly came to a stop, he raised his bony hand to wipe the raindrops of his sandy brown hair and continued to walk. As Leon grew closer to the grainshed, he passed a group of people that were watching something. Curious, he went over to them. He immediately saw the tax collector. The tax collector was a wicked, cruel man who collected the daily taxes from the villagers, and unlike everyone scrawny, starving as if they were entirely made up of bone; he was even a bit plump and dressed in finery. Leon was horrified to see he was beating Mr. Marvolo to a pulp. Mr. Marvolo was Leon’s neighbour. “Take a look everyone!” the tax collector said in an unpleasant tone. “This is what will happen to you if you do not pay your taxes. Anyway after all our dear majesty, the King has done for us, I think it’s only fair we give a little back by paying our taxes.” He looked around. “Am I right?” he asked the crowd. There was a mumble of agreement. “I said am I right?” the tax collector said again, the anger growing in his voice. As the fear in the crowd seemed to grow as the wind picked, this time the Tax Collector 7

yes was a bit clearer. A sickly grin crept over the tax collector’s face and he left giving one more kick to Mr. Marvolo when the crowd had gone back to work. Leon rushed over to help him up. But the Provost’s soldiers were already dragging Marvolo to the stinking debtor’s jail. There was nothing Leon could do, as he entered the grain shed. He hated everything about Pockseaux and how unfair life seemed to be. He hated the tax collector, he hated the way he The Grain Shed

worked all day and got nothing in return. He would have loved to take a sack home to his starving mother just to see her face light up. He lifted the heavy sack and placed it on the shelf. If it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t for him having to mind his mother he would run away at the first chance from the corrupt village and live in some sort of other village where people are equal and respected but he knew places like these were beyond the class of peasants like himself.

The Bastille 10

Chapter 2

ierre!” cried Louis partially in disbelief of his younger brother’s death, “I will avenge you. Death to the king!” He pulled on his short dark beard. Louis charged forward to the fallen drawbridge. A strong hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. “Fool,” Louis heard, “You’ll be killed! We are strong but the Bastille is stronger!” “We have more men. We will be victorious!” snapped Louis. “And don’t doubt that Raymond!” With that Louis charged off to the drawbridge before Raymond could say anything more. “Wait!” called Raymond.“You are not armed!” He offered his musket, stolen from the military hospital. Louis stormed off to the drawbridge. He barged through hordes of French rebels. The deafening roar of muskets being shot echoed throughout. It was pandemonium. The man behind Louis fell dead at the Bastille’s forces. Sliding around into his musket, Louis shot the killer dead. The only one of the Bastille’s force’s killed in the entire duration of the raid. Louis lost his footing and tripped, landing upon a body - the body of Pierre. In shock, Louis scrambled to his feet. He stared at his brother’s body. Tears poured 11

from his blue eyes. “Aaagh!” wailed Louis and flung Pierre’s body over his back and hauled him back against the flow of the angry crowd. His leg bled but Louis continued. He dragged as his injury set in. Suddenly he collapsed. ***** “Where ...where ... where am I?” murmured Louis weakly, slowly opening his eyelids to reveal an unfamiliar scene. A blurry figure loomed over him. As it came into focus he could see a familiar figure – Raymond. Louis began to murmur something, but Raymond stopped him. “You need to rest, Louis,” began Raymond. “You are lucky to be alive. When you collapsed I hauled you here – our secret base.” “Secret Base?” said Louis flustered. He looked around. He felt alienated by his surroundings, which seemed to be underground – in a large burro of sorts. Bits of wood held up a ceiling of dirt. Louis saw a large wooden box in the darkness. “What’s in the box?” “Grain! We’ve enough food to last us for three months!” exclaimed Raymond. “We stole it from a mill in a little town. A boy caught us but we let him go.” “We?” said Louis confused. He looked around again. Three men were hard at work tampering with some logs. “What are they doing?” asked Louis. 12

Raymond took a deep breath. “I have to tell you something. This is no simple woodland retreat. It’s the centre of a secret smuggling operation. Us four control the operation. Those men over there are hollowing our logs to float goods down the stream. We’re smuggling goods to rebels in Paris. That’s why our rebels at the Bastille aren’t famished!” Louis gave Raymond a strange look. He suspected something more. “Why give those rag-a-tags food while the people of my village are starving!” blasted Louis angrily. “We can’t float logs upstream!” snapped Raymond angrily. “Anyway, people at the village can fend for themselves.” “Evidenced by starvation,” said Louis sarcastically. On that note Louis leapt to his feet and went to storm out, until he realised that he couldn’t find the exit. Raymond grabbed Louis and pinned him on his bed. “Louis! We’re in the middle of the woods – you’ll get killed!” shouted Raymond. Louis realised even if he escaped that he’d die alone in the woods. Over the next few days, Louis became more and more familiar with the secret hide-out. “How did you get this hide-out anyway Raymond?” asked Louis. “We stole it from wolves. After that we expanded it and it became what it is today,” said Raymond. 13

Louis got up and began looking around. The hide-out was barely tall enough for Louis to stand. “Where’s the exit?” asked Louis Raymond pointed to a hole in the ceiling. Louis wriggled out of the hole. Louis saw a river through the vegetation. That must be how they smuggle their goods to Paris, thought Louis. Louis noticed a long, sturdy branch had fallen from a nearby tree. Louis picked up the branch. It was made of yew. Louis had an idea. Louis brought the branch back into the hideout. “Do you have any rope?” said Louis to Raymond. Raymond pointed to a chest. Louis opened the chest. Over the next few days Louis hammered and bended that stick until it finally became what he envisioned – a bow. “Cool bow, but what use is it without arrows?” said one of the men. He had a small beard and a scar on his face. Louis pulled from behind his back a quiver containing a variety of sticks – each perfectly straight and with a sharpened head. The man said nothing but gave a look of approval and slight envy. With his bow in hand Louis again wriggled out the hole. This time he noticed much more wild life and possible game. Louis loaded an arrow into his bow. Being made especially for him it felt perfect. Louis spotted a rabbit not far off.

It was grey and hopped freely about. Louis got ready to shoot. The rabbit’s big eyes were fixated on Louis’ arrow. They welled up with tears. Louis let the arrow fly. The rabbit leapt off narrowly missing the shot. Louis ran over to retrieve his arrow. He couldn’t help get the feeling he was being watched. As he picked up his arrow he heard an angry bark. Two big, black eyes were staring at him. He began to back away slowly. The body behind those two eyes became clear – a wolf. The wolf stared at Louis longingly and menacingly. Suddenly the wolf leapt towards Louis. Louis darted off, however fast he ran he could not out run a wolf. The wolf was gaining on him. Louis dived into the cave but the wolf dived in too.

Chapter 3

eon was almost finished sacking the grain. His blisters were painful and red. He tried to tie the last sack but his blisters started to bleed. Hang on he told himself just a few minutes and you will be out of here. He needed the soothing aloe leaves. At last, he thought, as he made his way towards the forest. Many sounds put Leon at ease, the birds fluttering from tree to tree, the stream lapping against the rocky surface. Leon thought back to when he brought Fleur here to wade in the water and to help him gather firewood. Leon recalled that painful memory of his sister lying dead on the ground of their house, his mother screaming. Him staring blankly at the limp body. “No,” he cried softly. Leon slowly got to his feet and stretched. He gazed at the sun. It was about midday the thought, so he decided to check on his net down the stream. After all, those bags of grain can’t be lifted themselves. As he walked he remembered Mr. Marvolo lying battered and bruised on the mucky hard ground, how he could do nothing but stare at his crippled body. The trip down the stream was short and relaxing, but this feeling turned to anger as he saw his delicately laid trap tossed aside, the fish 16

gone and footprints headed for the mountains. He looked towards the mountains but stopped and gazed at the sun once more. Would I have enough time? he asked himself. Leon stood there, his face turning towards the village and the grain shed, but both his feet pointed towards the mountains. He knew what he had to do, he had to make his way back. As Leon reached the big grain shed, there were more sacks full of grain piled on top of each other, he sighed at the thoughts of all the work he had to do. Suddenly Leon stopped, as he thought he heard muffled voices. “Quick,” said the voice. “Grab a sack and let’s get outta here, we have enough now.” Venturing further in, Leon stood horrified watching sacks of grain being flung over the backs of two thieves. They had scarves over their mouths. One of the men turned around and came face to face with Leon. The tall figure pointed the musket at him. “Don’t bother with him,” mumbled the other man. “He’s not worth it.” The tall one hit him with the musket and they both fled knocking over a sack of grain. Before Leon was knocked out he knew he recognised the voice from the past. Who...? He woke up with a crowd of people gathered around him.

Chapter 4

vacuate! Grab what you can!” cried Raymond. “Run!” The men sprinted out through the opening as Raymond distracted the wolf. Soon they were all outside except Raymond “Raymond saved me, I’ll save him!” shouted Louis as he leapt back into the cave. Raymond was trapped in a corner with the wolf snarling at him. Louis silently poised to fire his bow, but before he could shoot the arrow, the wolf leapt out at him. Louis jumped away letting his arrow fly into the ground beneath the wolf. The ground collapsed. The wolf fell down into a small pit. Raymond grabbed a plank of wood and crushed the wolf’s skull. A cloud of black dust formed around the wolf. Raymond quickly covered the hole with wood before Louis could get a good look at it. Suspicion grew and Louis’ mind filled with questions. What 18

was in that hole? Why was Raymond so on edge? What was the black dust ? And will that wolf begin to smell? The other three men entered the cave. “Where is the wolf?” asked one. Raymond and Louis looked at each other. The look on their face was like a neutral agreement to keep the black powder a secret. “It escaped. You must have missed it,” they said together. The three men had a look of confusion and disbelief on their faces. “ There are a lot of plants out there so it could have slipped away unnoticed,” said Raymond, trying to assure the men of their cover-up story. It seemed to work. The rest of the day was uneventful. The whole ordeal with the powder was all Louis could think about. As they went to bed – if a lump of straw classifies as a bed – Louis had the urge to investigate the powder. At first it was a mere temptation but

grew to occupy his every thought. By one o’clock, Louis got up silently and pushed aside the planks that covered that hole. The carcass was gone! Now that he could see the powder better it seemed vaguely familiar. Gun powder. Is this one of their goods or is Raymond trying to kill us? thought Louis. Louis could hear footsteps. He covered the hole and leapt back to bed. A black figure crept through the hole. His face was hardly visible under the moonlight but it resembled a familiar face – Raymond. He stealthily crept back to bed. As the dawn broke and the first light of day crept into the cave, the smugglers awoke. Louis woke also. He was tired as he hadn’t slept much that night but he didn’t show it. Raymond looked tired too. Someone had placed a large flat stone over the hole which acted as a table for breakfast. They ate vegetables and pheasant. The meat was a very happily accepted change from the normal array of vegetables. Throughout breakfast Louis and Raymond did not speak but exchanged suspicious glances. Louis felt the need to remind Raymond why he joined the rebels in the first place. “My daughter was two when I left,” sighed Louis. “My son was nine. They didn’t know what was going on or why I had to leave. But you persuaded me, and hopefully they’ll understand why I left when we bring down the king and the country falls into the right hands.” Louis was sitting opposite Raymond. He looked uneasy and distressed. Louis took this as an advantage and pressed on. “At least we have a good cause to leave them. Right Ray20

mond?” Raymond looked even more ghastly, and couldn’t look Louis in the eye. Louis left with one more comment. “Just keep fighting right?” After breakfast Louis got his bow and arrows and went hunting. He climbed a tall tree and shot birds and a few squirrels. He thought long and hard of the last night’s events. What was Raymond doing? Where was he going? he thought. Finally the temptation and curiosity got the better of him. He found the tallest tree in the woods and climbed it to get a view of the whole forest. He saw a variety of birds, even a sight of lights in the distance, but nothing unusual. Louis gazed and gazed at the distant woods and on his little village. He eventually gave up on his search. So down the tree he went like a squirrel. He picked berries as he looked for possible game. He heard a roar from behind. As if by reflex he quickly scaled a tree. Turning around his fears became reality as he saw the animal who roared was a bear. The bear charged at Louis, its paws swung wildly as it blundered towards him. Louis got his bow ready to shoot but he noticed something about the bear. A dart was sticking out of his shoulder. The roar was not to scare Louis but merely as the bear was in pain. Louis withdrew his arrow and looked at the dart it seemed possible to shoot the dart out. If only it would stop moving, thought Louis. He drew back his arrow, waiting for the right moment to shoot. Lining up his eye with the arrow he released it. For Louis it seemed to fly in slow motion as the anticipation grew. Direct hit! The arrow knocked the dart off the bears shoulder. The bear roared as the dart left 21

his shoulder. But the initial shock of Louis amazing feat quickly passed and the bear scampered into the woods. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yay!â&#x20AC;? exclaimed Louis astonished at how well his little joke went. Suddenly voices could be heard not far off. Unfamiliar voices.

Chapter 5

un Leon,” screamed Leon’s mother, desperately trying to escape the firm grip of the soldier, who was dragging her away. Leon didn’t have to think twice, he sprinted towards the direction of the forest. In the struggle to get past the crowd, Leon tripped on the cobbled stones, he winced in pain as he saw the deep gash in the side of his leg, blood streamed down his leg. After about ten minutes of running, Leon slowed down, he had a stitch in his side and the gash wasn’t helping either. He didn’t know where to go or what to do, he also couldn’t stop thinking about that voice, it sounded vaguely familiar. Then there was his mother, he pictured her, sitting on the old crooked wooden chair, crying. He didn’t know how she would survive without him. Leon continued walking, he looked around, he knew he was getting closer to the forest as he saw the tips of the trees over the hill, began to show. Leon jogged down a hill breathing hard. The vicious cut on his leg stung with every step he took. He was still stunned from the blow of the musket. As he tried to look at it, he stumbled on a stone and tripped, when his pocket watch fell out. Leon looked closely at it and noticed that it was the pocket watch that his father had given him. Even though Leon hated 23

his father he always held onto it for some unknown reason. If I ever meet him again, he thought. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll kill him for abandoning us. The vicious cut on his leg stung with every step he took. As night fell, Leon knew he better find shelter or a sturdy tree knowing if he was on the ground, a wolf could jump out of a bush and attack him leaving only his blood and bones behind. The moon fell and Leon looked up to see any trees suitable to climb. He found a tree and since he was exhausted from forcing his legs to carry him as far as they could go, he decided to stay the night in the oak which he was perched on. Leon knew berries wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be enough to keep him alive so he decided to look for a stream, to catch some fish. He climbed up a big tree, to get a better look of the forest. Then, he saw it, the small stream sparkled in the sunlight. It was quite a short walk to the stream. When he got there, he set to work building a trap. He put together a few sticks, tied together with strong strips of grass. Leon then placed the trap across one bit of the stream and hoped a fish or two would swim into it. After about one hour of waiting, he got lucky, a small fish had swam into the trap. Now he had to make a fire. He got two sharp stones and

vigorously rubbed them together. Leon had to try and try many times before he got his fire going. He pushed a stick through a fish and placed it over the fire. When it was cooked he ate it with his fingers. After eating he covered any traces of him that were visible. He had to find a tree to spend the night. As he walked on he noticed a trail of footprints. Nervous now, that he knew he wasn’t the only person in the forest, he bolted in the opposite direction, panting. If he was caught he was a dead man. Finally he reached a suitable tree to sleep on. He climbed up it and slowly fell asleep. “Fleur? Come on wake up Fleur!” “No, she can’t be,” Leon cried out in a dream. “She can’t be. It’s all my fault.” Leon woke with a start. He dared to look down at the monstrous gash on his thigh to find it oozing with pus and blood. He was in agony, feeling faint and weak. He thought he heard muffled voices in the distance. Two men were arguing. Who would be in the forest now? Only people like himself he thought, outlaws. Fear swept through his entire body. Be brave, he told himself sternly, for Fleur. Leon gathered himself and slowly got to his feet. He crept towards the gap in the trees and listened. “He nearly found it,” said one angrily, in a commanding voice. “I know it won’t happen again,” growled the other, the voice of a peasant. To Leon’s horror he heard one of them draw their sword. “We’re not going to get violent are we?” he sighed casually. 25

“No,” said the other. “But” his voice dropped to a low whisper, “if that happens...”. Leon heard the man simply say “Death”. With this Leon shuddered and retreated to a nearby tree, climbed it and as soon as the strange men’s fire died he fell into a deep sleep. His nightmares continued, Fleur and now these men too. Leon woke up with a creak in his neck, sighing loudly he hopped down from the tree. He needed to find out whose footprints they belonged to. Leon went back to the stream to find out more about the footprints. He began searching for them. After finding them he discovered that they were quite big, so they must have been men’s footprints. Questions began to race through Leon’s mind. Who did these footprints belong to? What are they doing in the forest? Leon knew he better move on.

Chapter 6

ouis quickly got up, disorientated, and darted off. The bang of a poorly aimed musket shot was clearly heard. Louis ran on and on through the vegetation. The nobles ran after him with the heavy muskets. Another shot sounded. Through the vegetation Louis saw the river. Without another way at hand he sprinted on. One of the smuggler’s logs drifted by. Louis leapt blindly towards it. He landed on it. The log carried him away with astonishing speed. The nobles shot round after round, but was hard to hit a moving target. “Don’t waste your rounds – the rapids will deal with him!” yelled one of the nobles arrogantly. But Louis heard the remark. Turning around, Louis saw the rapids not far ahead. It was now or never, a tree branch hung above the stream. It was just out of Louis’ reach. He leapt for the branch. It looked old but sturdy. “Yes!” exclaimed Louis as he gripped the branch. But his moment of glory soon passed as the rapids ate away at the bark of the tree. Thinking on his feet, Louis quickly tied his rope around his arrow and shot it at the bark of another tree. Leaping off the branch he swung towards the tree grabbing his rope as he did so. The only thing he didn’t think of was how to stop. 27

Coming to his senses, he realised that he was going head-first into the trunk of the tree. He, by instinct, pulled up his legs in defence. CRASH! Louis crashed into the tree trunk. His right leg took the full impact. With Louis’ weight the arrow was yanked out of the bark and fell with Louis to the ground. Louis landed in a bush so he was mostly uninjured but his leg still hurt badly. He struggled to rise to his feet. He pulled up his trouser leg to reveal a bleeding shin. I hope it’s not broken, he thought to himself. Louis pulled some leaves off a bush and wove them into a bandage. It may have been made in a minute but the bandage was strong. Louis tied it around his leg. A branch had fallen beside him. It had at its top a ball. Louis grabbed it and used it as a walking stick. His rope dangled around his neck. An idea sparked in his mind. A small, sapling grew in front of Louis. With his knife, Louis hollowed it out and put his leg through it. He suspended it with his rope. With a few more sticks he made crutches. Louis used sticks and vegetation to build a temporary shelter. For the next few days Louis rested and ate the berries he had collected. The sound of the stream relaxed him. His leg slowly healed-lucky for Louis it was not infected. On the fifth day, Louis’ berry supply came to an end. With no other option, Louis was forced to look for more food. He reluctantly got up and left his canopy. Very little edible vegetation surrounded his canopy – probably exhausted by the nobles. To remember his position, he put a pile of fallen branches adjacent to his canopy. Louis hobbled away looking famished. As he went, he noticed a clear28

ing not far ahead. Thinking he could see a blackberry bush at the far side of it. He went as fast as he could. Finally he reached it. But his joy was short-lived. As he entered the clearing, he saw a familiar sight. A huge wolf with a scar on its eye leapt from the bush. It slowly prowled nearer and nearer to Louis, snarling as it did so. Its coat was grey as ash. It really resembled the other wolf. Suddenly an enormous bear dashed across the clearing. Its shoulder was bleeding. The bear sprang into the air-crushing the wolf as it landed. It darted off again. Louis tried to make sense of what just happened. It seemed very surreal. Louis eventually just crossed the clearing and picked the blackberry bush bare. Within a week Louis’s leg has mostly healed. It was now time to start his journey to the base. He packed everything he could carry and set off. He kept one of the sticks as a walking stick. At first it was an aid but it grew a hindrance as Louis progressed. The ground was getting soggier and soggier – it began to feel like a bit of a marsh. The woods began to thin and soon cease altogether. It turned into a wild marshland. Louis didn’t remember this. He spotted the river a few meters away. He trudged over. “Oh no!” exclaimed Louis as he realised that he had gone the wrong way. “I guess I’ll just follow the river”. Louis quickly changed direction and increased his pace to make up for his mistake. As he went he noticed an absence of logs he also noticed that the current wasn’t very strong – at least it didn’t seem to be. He soon became tired so he climbed a tree to use as a temporary camp. He climbed to the top branch and looked around. 29

He noticed something very peculiar about the river-it had a fork in it. He couldn’t quite see it but he thought he saw a pile of large rocks blocking one end-the end that led to Paris. The other end led through the woods and appeared to go to some other village. The village had high walls and was heavily fortified. Louis quickly got down and set off towards it. It was quite far ahead so Louis saw no benefit in sprinting. “I bet this is the work of Raymond,” he thought. “And to think he was my best friend.” As the hours drew on, Louis decided to spend the night in a tree. He found a good one and tied himself and his belonging up. He slept well. When he awoke, Louis for the first time realised his hunger. His berry supply had been exhausted and his trek had made him very tired. He climbed down the tree but as he went he saw a wild boar sleeping under the tree. Once he reached the bottom of the tree, he stabbed the boar with his arrow. Quickly he prepared the animal and started a small fire on a rock away from the trees. This is one of the best meals I’ve ever had! he thought as he ate the meat. The meal worked wonders on him-he felt more energetic, less starved. Louis only ate half the boar and saved what was left for later. He packed everything once again and began his trek. The trek was easier on a full stomach. As he got closer to the fork, Louis saw Raymond’s plan. The logs float down the river but take a detour to some village. Now Louis had some proof of Raymond’s guilt.

Chapter 7

inally, Louis reached the fork. He could see their hill upstream. If I move these rocks, the goods will go to Paris, he thought. Louis began to take the rocks away until the rivers current took away anyway he was now quite close to the base. As he hiked, he snacked on the meat. He could see the yew tree from which he made his bow. As Louis got nearer, he could see something was wrong. The entrance was overgrown. He pulled the plants away and the puff of smoke emerged from the cave. Louis didn’t see what he hoped. The cave was blown to bits. RAYMOND. Sounds of murmurs came down from the trees. Louis looked up. Three faces peered down at him – the men from the cave. “What in the world happened?” he called to them. “Come up he and we’ll tell you everything!” one man shouted. So Louis came up and to his amazement saw a tree-house with a full roof. It expanded across two trees and was nearly on par with the noble’s camp. On one section it was even two storeys. “Come inside,” said the man. All of them entered inside. It was bigger than it looked and even had three stools to sit on. “Louis”, began one man, “first of all my name is Richard and 32

I’ll tell you about the cave. Raymond is a traitor. He works for a group of nobles. He had hid a supply of gunpowder around the cave. When we found out he was a traitor he tried to kill us. The cave was destroyed we chased Raymond away and settled up here. At first it was a few sticks tied together but it became this place. Most of our supplies were ruined so we had to make do with what we had. So, what have you been doing, Louis?” That last sentence was accompanied by a piercing look. “I knew about Raymond – well I presumed. But I couldn’t prove it. I also found a group of nobles in the woods. Someone came to their camp. I think it was Raymond. I also found a fork in the river. Raymond had tampered with it so the goods went to some fortified village instead of Paris,” stated Louis. The mouths of the men opened wide until at last one spoke. “Alas! That is an evil deed. So all our work was in vain. I presume that the village was Noblestown. I have never been there but rumours claim that at its heart lay the most powerful prison in all of France. But rumours are rumours and may be off the truth. None the less, evil is afoot in that village. I hear people who refuse to pay their taxes are tortured there.” “Alas, that is bad but may you speak of the noble. I want details,” said one of the men. “Yes, certainly, but I do not know much of their doings. There are about ten of them – all well-armed with muskets and an abundance of gunpowder. They have barrels upon barrels of gunpowder. They have three sturdy, posh cabins. Everyday three go put hunting for food. They are not good shots. They 33

tried to kill me but I escaped.” Louis told them his story in detail. They all were amazed of his feat with the log. “Well it’s getting late and high time for a meal,” Richard said, escorting Louis to another room which had a table and a meagre supply of food. The men brought the stools with them.

Chapter 8

eon scrambled up a tall tree, with many thick branches, perfect for sitting on. He perched himself on a branch, thinking hard about his next move. Suddenly a bird swooped past Leon. Gazing at the majestic bird, he followed it in its wake. The bird perched its ruffled feathers upon what looked like a dilapidated tree house. Realising how uncomfortable he was, he thought it would be a good idea to venture into the tree house. Creeping stealthily in the ivy encrusted tree house, Leon gazed around him. The remarkable truth hit him as he noticed blankets strewn on the floor. Horrified Leon had heard voices coming from below. “Ya, but how are we going to...” The voice trailed off. “We can’t give up now...” The voice seemed nearer. “We are here for a reason...” Leon had no time to escape. “Get down here ya little brat,” croaked Richard as the musket 35

was pointed straight at Leon’s heart. Intimidated and no other choice Leon was forced to come down. “What! Boy get one thing straight. It ain’t right spying on people!” said one of the three rebels. They all grinned at this comment. “No, you don’t understand I...” protested Leon. “Oh, don’t start that rubbish! We’re going to kill you one way or another, I just want one answer, who sent you to spy on us?” asked Richard. “No one, I’m...” Leon panicked. “We asked you for a name, so you’re going to answer us or we’ll force it outta ya!! Got that?” said Richard. “Just let me explain,” boomed Leon, his heart beating. “Ok. You got two minutes,” said Louis impatiently. Leon explained everything to the rebels. “That was more than two minutes”. Richard snarled. “But...” Leon retorted. “We can’t trust a young lad with information,” said one of the rebels grinning. “He’ll run off and tell what he heard.” “But I didn’t hear anything,” blurted Leon and seeing the look on the three men’s faces he knew he shouldn’t have. “We don’t take no lies here!” Richard said. “Now... I think you better tell us the truth ya brat or else,” mumbled one of the three men. “That was the truth.” Leon innocently replied. “You are asking for it,” said Richard running in to grab Leon. 36

Leon dodged Richard’s hairy arms and fell to the ground as the third man kicked him in the stomach. He didn’t notice the locket he always carried slipped out of his pocket, but Louis did. Leon stood up with a wolf like snarl across his face and lifted up his fist to thump Richard in the chest. Louis picked up the locket in shock, he recognised it. He took his turn and kicked Leon in the leg. The third man lifted him by the collar. “Where did you find this?” Louis shouted in Leon’s face. “You stole it in Pockseaux didn’t you?” “Get your filthy paws off me,” roared Leon. Even though Leon was as muscular as a peasant boy could be, he was pinned to the ground by Richard. “Little noble boy trying to flee?” jibed Richard. “I’m not a bloody noble, don’t insult me you son of a *****” “Watch your mouth boy,” interrupted Louis sternly. Everyone glanced at Louis and Leon took this as an advantage. He shoved Richard off of him, scrambled to his feet and faced the men. No one spoke for several seconds. At last Louis spoke. “Who are you, and where have you come from?” “He’s a filthy noble Louis. I say we kill him.” A sudden surge of anger burst through Louis. “What is your name?” he demanded. “Are you from the village of Pockseaux?” He could see by the stunned look on Leon’s face that he was right. Leon lunged at him fists out, prepared to hurt Louis. But Richard grabbed him from behind pinning his arms to his side. 37

“Just who do you think you are? You little noble swine.” “I’M NOT ONE OF THEM!” Leon bellowed with that he wriggled free from Richard’s arms and grabbed him by the neck and punched him in the face. “I want answers!” Louis said shoving Leon to the ground. The other men stood back when Louis gestured them. “This was my locket given to my wife when we married. How did you get it?” “I was given it by my sister Fleur the day she died,” Leon shouted, kicking and punching anyone he could. Breathing hard Leon stood there, as his heart was thumping fast and loud as he remembered the tax collector kicking Mr. Marvolo. He glanced quickly at Richard who had a large swollen eye and his mouth was bleeding heavily. “What have I done,” he whispered quietly. Without word he quickly put out his hand to Richard. Richard start laughing. “If he can fight like that,” he said between wheezy laughs, “he’s one of us!” “He is indeed,” said Louis. “Rebels in arms, may I present my son Leon.” Leon looked at Louis, he could barely recognise him after so many years. His hair was long and straggly. It’s only the voice that remained the same. “We waited and waited for you to come home from the war. Why did you desert us?” Leon wasn’t angry now, but he needed answers. “I couldn’t fight for the King any longer,” Louis said. “Join38

ing the rebels was the only way to get our country free, to free Pockseaux of the filthy tax collectors.” “But we thought you were killed in the war,” Leon said, “then rumours that you had deserted the army brought shame to our door.” He thought of his mother and Fleur. Louis grabbed him by the arms. “I know you don’t, can’t, believe me yet, but I did it for you and Fleur and dear Emilie.” His voice faltered and he squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head. “You can hate me if you want, I will understand. But we have no choice now, we have to fight for justice.” Leon stood in silence, no-one spoke. Richard put his arm around Leon’s shoulder. “There was no day that your father did not think of you, and Fleur,” he blessed himself as he said Fleur’s name, “and every day he missed your mother, but he gave it up to fight the inequality and corruption in our country. Too long we have been enslaved and starved and abused, while the rich are fat and warm. We will teach them a lesson they will not forget.” The men sniggered and Leon managed a smile. “We have an important task for you, if you join with us. What do you say? Are you the proud son of your father?” “Yes.” Leon said. “I am the proud son of Louis De Bois, I will join with the rebels and fight with you.” Louis clapped him on the back, smiling. “Good son. Good.” “This is our plan,” explained Richard. “When we march to 39

destroy the chateau it will certainly be heavily guarded. The tax collector will have heard of the uprising in the country side. We have talked long of our plan to counter this problem. Our meagre supply of gunpowder has been tailed and we presume it won’t suffice to weaken the aristocrats forces. As you know the nobles have well enough gunpowder. Our only option is to raid their base. Our plan is to hide in the trees until they go hunting. Then we will follow them until they are far enough from the camp. Next, we will strike. We will kill them. When they don’t return, the others will go looking for them. We will flee. When all the nobles are gone, you come in. You will hide the barrels in the bushes. When we come back we will take the barrels back to our camp,” explained Richard. “ So you get to kill a noble, but I don’t!” blasted Leon. “ Your part in this is as vital as any!” said Richard, quickly losing his temper. “You are quicker than us, but we are better fighters!” “Alright,” said Leon, reluctantly. He did not think Richard was right, but Richard could have killed Leon with his musket at the time. ***** In the morning, they set off for the chateau. It took a while but eventually, they arrived. Leon could see the nobles’ extravagant home. Why would someone need such a big house, he thought. He jumped the gate, which was rather high and his hands were 40

The Chateau sore but he didn’t care, he half crept half ran to the entrance. The door creaked open. Leon’s nerves were massively increasing. Leon ducked on instinct which was lucky because about three seconds later a man strolled down the hallway. Leon sneaked past him and searched the house, running from room to room. He ended up in the courtyard, where he saw a small cellar. It took almost all of Leon’s strength just to open the door, he made his way to the gunpowder. There were barrels and barrels piled high. *****

Louis, Richard and Roland crept along the path keeping a close eye on the nobles. They could see them clearly up ahead. Slowly Richard reached for an arrow. Instantly, Louis stopped him. “Not yet,” whispered Louis. Richard threw Louis a crooked look and put the arrow back in his quiver. The quiver Richard was carrying on his back was only about half full so when he put the arrow back in it jangled off the side and made a small noise. Instantly, one of the nobles turned around, in their direction. Richard quickly reacted as the arrow went through the noble’s heart and blood spattered everywhere, on the trees, barks and grass. The noble wasn’t moving, he lay dead in a puddle of blood. Richard grew silent, shivers down his back. He stared at the dead body, the arrow protruding from both sides of the body. Arrows were precious and Richard pulled it out. It was covered in red blood. Richard saw Louis aiming at the other two nobles. Richard crept towards him. He kept silence when he tripped on a twig but it wasn’t a bad fall. Luckily they didn’t see him and he continued walking silently. Louis looked over and saw Richard, he waved over and whispered his name. He heard his heart beat faster and faster as coming closer to Louis. He was walking in a dangerous area right now because there were hardly any trees or bushes around. When he reached Louis, he showed him the arrow which was covered in blood. 42

Chapter 9

weat poured down Leon’s face as he stumbled across the lawn straining to carry the second last barrel of gunpowder. His body instantly caved. He lay limp on the grass like Fleur. Tears came to Leon’s eyes. Battered and bruised, Leon lunged for the barrel and struggled to get his feet. Left, right, left right. Clumsily Leon flung the barrel into the bush. Falling to his knees he closed his eyes. Smiling he thought of a little melody Fleur used to chant. “Close your eyes and fill your heart with joy.” One more barrel of gunpowder to go, then he would have proven himself loyal, he would prove himself as a true rebel. ***** “They should be back by now they’ve gone for hours,” said the figure which now resembled a noble. “Yeah, it’s pretty suspicious,” agreed the other. “I ‘ll check around the courtyard, just in case.” Walking around the extravagant courtyard, he knew something was wrong, the door to the cellar was open. “AGGGHH!” 44

But before he could turn round Leon had come up behind him, his knife in his hand. Without thinking, Leon stuck the dagger in the noble’s heart. A picture of Fleur ran through his mind. “What have I just done?” he whispered to himself as started shaking un-controbally, dropping to his knees. What would his family do if they saw him now? Leon ran from the cellar door and with all his might pushed the other noble out of the way. He darted towards the bushes leaving the last barrel behind him. He knew it was only a matter of time before that noble would tell his friends and there would be a very large price on his head. “Come back here so I can kill you and all your rebel friends,” shouted the noble. When the noble lost sight of him he leapt behind a nearby tree. Slumping down as the jagged edges of the bark stung his back, he gazed into the distance. Leon breathed hard, it was getting dark and Louis and Richard hadn’t given the signal for him to go back. Leon felt a rush of anger flow through him. I shouldn’t have trusted those men, was it all a trick? Piercing the noble’s heart made his stomach churn. I’m a murderer, Leon said to himself as an image of Fleur appeared in his mind. “Well, well, well. Look what we have here.” Leon instantly recognised the voice of the noble. He had been caught. It was all over. He passed out. ***** 45

Leon sat there, staring at the bleak wall of the cell. Leon wanted to try to escape but all he could think about was the noble he had killed. The gory image of the knife stuck in the nobles heart overpowered any determination or hope he had to survive. I killed someone so I deserve to die! thought Leon. Images of times spent with his father, mother and Fleur filled his mind, but all of that had been in one way or another taken away by the nobles, his father was pulled off for war to fight them, his family would have never gotten that cow if the nobles didn’t treat them like slaves and Fleur would still be here. With both of them gone, his mother became an emotional wreck. Then it hit him – it wasn’t his fault that Fleur died it was the nobles! The nobles deserve to die! Leon was filled with a sudden burst of energy and an unstoppable determination to defeat the nobles. Leon leapt to his feet and stormed over to the bars which held him in his solitary cell. Even in the dimlight, Leon could see cell after cell down a long corridor. He clenched the bars. “Death to the nobles!” he chanted. “Death to the king!” one Mr. Mavolo man joined in from another 46

cell. With that the whole prison joined in the cheering. The prison was alive with the sound of the chant. “Good job!” whispered a hoarse voice from the back of the cell. Leon was so startled that he jumped. He slowly turned around. A starved, scrawny man who looked like he hadn’t eaten for weeks lay there, motionless. Now Leon understood what ‘Let me die’ meant. The man was barely alive but that he was still hanging on to life just because he could get water was beyond Leon. The man’s large eyebrows drooped over his grey eyes. The man had grown a long beard of grey, wispy hairs. His face was familiar. “Mr. Marvolo!” cried Leon. Mr. Marvolo’s eyes brightened to a dim, faded green. A small smile grew on his face as he weakly lifted his head to look at Leon. ***** “Better get back to Leon,” said Louis trudging through the long wet grass. “Its getting late,” huffed Richard. The two rebels staggered over to the bush where they planned to meet Leon. “Here Louis!” called Richard from one side of the bush. Louis ran over to see what happened. “The boy’s done good,” laughed Richard, hugging the barrel full of gun powder. 47

“Where is Leon?” Louis questioned. “We were meeting here? Weren’t we?” “Well we have the gunpowder, that’s the main thing,” Richard said in a mannerly way. Louis looked around to see if there was any sign of Leon. The ground looked like that there had been a bit of a struggle. “Leon,” he whispered. “Louis, look at this!” Richard shouted. “What do you want this time? I know, there’s lots of barrels of gunpowder,” Louis sarcastically said. “No, it’s not that,” Richard said when Louis approached him. Inside Richards hand laid Leon’s locket. “I’m going to save Leon! I don’t care if I die, I’ll save my son!” Louis sat down. “He’s probably dead by now,” Richard said calmly. “Shut up Richard! I’m going to save Leon.” Tears filled his eyes as he ran towards the village. Richard ran after him. They followed the tracks they assumed to be Leon being carried away by the nobles. “Richard! What’s that?” Louis said, stopping to a halt. A figure appeared out of the distance. Richard positioned his arrow and Louis took out his knife. The figure drew nearer. “Stop! We have weapons!” Louis roared at the figure.

Chapter 10

t’s me Raymond. I have bad news, but we better get moving, I’ll tell you on the way.” “Why should I trust you?” growled Louis. “You have a point but there’s no time to talk, it’s about Leon,” he answered sternly. “Then stop wasting time and spit it out!” shouted Louis. Raymond began to stare at the ground, he took at deep breath. “Leon is going to beheaded in Pockseaux at dusk.” The colour slowly drained from Louis’s face. *****

The crowd were waiting for the entertainment to begin. Everyone was shouting and jeering. Emilie was silent, staring at everyone arguing and shouting. How could her son have become one of the most hated village boys? He never did it, but no matter how many times she told people, they wouldn’t listen to her. The Provost arrived on to the platform. The crowd went silent. “Today we are here to eliminate no other than Leon Dubois who has performed high treason acts against this village and our majesty King Louis. Bring Emelie him out at once.” ***** Suddenly Leon’s cell door opened. “Get out!” shouted the solider shoving Leon out the door. “Leon,” said the gruff voice of Mr. Marvolo, “close to death, but not quite there.” Leon didn’t have time to think about what this meant as the solider was vigorously dragging him away. The solider tied Leon’s cut wrists behind his back with rope and lead him out of the jail. As Leon emerged from the jail, he saw a huge crowd jeering and shouting. “Kill him, kill him!” “NOOO MY SON! TAKE YOUR HANDS OF HIM!” shouted 50

Emile. She barged through the crowd who were all gathered around to see Leon being beheaded. “LEON!” she screamed again. Two soldiers dragged Emile away but she struggled and shook them off. She ran over to Leon “Be brave Leon,” said Emilie as tears welled up in her eyes, she planted a soft kiss on his forehead. *****

“Give me the bow,” Louis whispered both sternly and worriedly. “Not yet. We have a plan and Louis, by God, we’re going to 51

stick to it,” growled Richard. “They have my son. Nobody deserves to die like this at the hands of the nobles.” He squinted as two figures emerged from the cells. Pulling an arrow from his quiver, Louis waited, not daring to blink in case he missed the signal from Raymond across the square. ***** Leon stepped up on the platform awaiting his death. Close to death but not quite there. Those words echoed in Leon’s mind. With one last glance at his at his mother, he thought he saw a tear running down her cheek. With tears in his eyes, he calmly placed his head on the block and gazed at the forest where he felt most peaceful. Before he could close his eyes forever he longed to see Louis. They had started off rocky but they had bonded and Leon was close to him. Leon’s dying wish came true, again. “LOUIS!” Leon exclaimed. ***** “The kid has blown our cover!” roared Richard. “SHOOT!” Taken off guard Louis shot a flimsy arrow that barely hit the platform. “Second Shot Lucky!” laughed Louis. As the arrow struck the target, Richard roared over the 52

chaotic crowd. “Let’s start a revolution!” A horn blew and the rebels ran down the hills which surrounded Pockseaux. They charged towards the village. The rebels fought the nobles but they were no match for them since the nobles had muskets and they only had knives and bows. Arrows flew through the air and muskets bellowed. Wails of agony were supressed by the sounds. A second horn blew from behind, the nobles and a hoard of peasants stormed in. All were bloodthirsty. A rain of arrows followed. Lines of archers emerged from the tops of buildings. The nobles were taken off guard by the might of the rebels. “For the King and France!” cried one. “Death to the King! Death to nobles!” cried the rebels. Blood was everywhere. Fear was filling the air as the crowd tried to disperse. There were arrows stuck in bodies. Women were screaming and trying to protect their children. Bodies hit the cobblestones, one after another. The bloody thirsty rebels advanced forward. Death roamed the square, nobody was safe. Leon jumped off the platform and pushed through the shocked crowd running towards his father. He was very happy to see his father. He hugged him very hard and squeezed his hand. “Leon, listen, listen to me! You have to bring your mother to a safe place and stay there until I come back.” “But father, I’m here to fight!” roared Leon. “I’m so proud to call you my son, but please do this for me. 53

Go, go! RUN!” Leon searched for his mother. “There she is,” he whispered to himself. “Leon,” she cried as she threw her arms around him. “We have to run for it, it’s not safe,’’ said Leon. They pushed their way through the crowd and headed for the edge of the forest. Panting Leon put his hands on his mother’s shoulders and explained where the tree house was. As Leon made for the village, his mother pleaded with him, but he had to go back. ***** Pushing through the dense crowd Louis spotted an armed noble. Creeping forward he drew yet another arrow from his quiver and silently placed it on his bow. The noble turned quickly, but Louis was quicker! Letting the arrow fly, it struck the noble in the chest and blood spattered the cobblestones. Advancing quickly, he darted towards the platform where his son had nearly lost his life forever. Shivers running down his spine he cleared his throat and spoke as loudly as he could. “People of Pockseaux,” he spoke. “We, the rebels, have taken over.” There was a deafening roar from the crowd and Louis continued. “Alas we are not completely in control. Our goal is the chateau. Who is with me?” he roared. 54

Chapter 11

ime to get revenge on the tax collector.” Louis cheered. The crowd roared again. “Great idea.” answered Richard. The mob of angry peasants followed. “Leon and Emile should be arriving at the tree house any second now,” Raymond said changing the subject. “ Yeah, hope they’re alright,” Richard said. “La mort, la mort,” bellowed the mob repeatedly. “Silence!” Louis sounded to the mob as he raised his arm. “There’s a reason why we are here today. We don’t deserve to work until our legs break to pieces and til we starve. Now it’s time to get revenge on these aristocrats. No one here wants their children to grow up living in these filthy conditions, ignored, abused and mistreated, watching their companion’s heads chopped off by the axe men, pleading for justice. So are we ready?” “Yeah! Death to the tax collector!” the mob roared using every ounce of might to shout. “Let’s go then.” Louis pointed in the direction of the tax collector’s house. ***** 56

As Leon scrambled up the hill, heading for the battle to help the rebels, he saw the tax collectors chateau. Leon found himself walking towards the house. He burst through the door and stared. He had never seen a house as big as it in his life. Chandeliers sparkled on the ceilings and a huge wooden table laid with delicious food. Leon walked towards the table, he had just realised how hungry he was. Just in time he stopped himself. No you are here for a reason he thought. Leon walked upstairs checking every room. He opened a door that looked like it led into a bedroom. He walked in and saw a study. As he was looking around, the tax collector emerged from the other room.

He kicked over a desk and saw the tax collector. Leon took out a pocket knife and menacingly drew nearer towards the tax collector. “Where are the documents?” asked Leon threateningly. “Why would I tell a scum like you,” said the tax collector as he spat in his face of Leon. “Ok if you won’t cooperate with me, I am going to have to get violent,” said Leon. “Please, you don’t scare me, you can’t handle a knife like that,” smiled the tax collector in contempt. With that Leon flung the knife into the tax collector’s arm. “Now you know that I do know how to use a knife,” said Leon edging closer to retrieve the knife. “AGGGHHH!” shouted the tax collector in pain. “WHERE ARE THE DOCUMENTS”, shouted Leon this time more aggressively. “In that chest over there,” as he pointed to it. “Now please don’t kill me!” pleaded the tax collector.

***** 58

“Soon there will be no more injustice. The feudal documents will be destroyed!!” cried Richard as he placed the last barrel of gunpowder around the house. Louis was laying a length of rope down by which to ignite the explosives. Everyone move back. “3-2-1,” shouted Richard as he lit the rope. It sparked a burst a flame. The flames sped up the rope like a speeding horse. Then Louis spotted a figure in the window-Leon. He fell to his knees as the true nature of what he had done came to reveal itself. “Son!” he cried. Suddenly the barrels exploded, demolishing the lower half of the building. The upper half came crashing to the ground in a heap of rubble as the second blast destroyed part of the remainder. A shrill shriek could be heard. A cold shiver ran down Louis’ spine.

Chapter 12

suddenly the house shook. Leon stood froze to the spot. “Wh-wh-what is happening?” whimpered the tax collector, fear growing in his voice. “The plan of course, do you think you were going to be let away with all the injustice?” Leon said. “Sorry?” the tax collector questioned. Leon didn’t answer. He shoved past the tax collector and fled down the stairs. Perspiration ran down his face. Leon heard the sound of footsteps as the tax collector followed him. “Leon, please,” he begged. The huge house gave another shake and the huge chandelier fell on the tax collector. The sound of bones being crushed filled the air and a shiver ran up Leon’s spine. Spluttering and coughing, Leon headed for the door, the ceiling crumbled above him and little pieces of the house broke off bit by bit. Leon wasn’t going to make it, he knew it. There was no way out. Tears began filling up his eyes, his father had loved him, he ran away for a reason, he cared about us. Suddenly a deafening sound came from above as Leon made his last attempt for the door. A huge rafter fell through the air and pinned Leon to the ground. Leon was alone, nobody to be with for his last breath, gently closing 60

his eyes he gave up all chance of rescue. Leon was oblivious to his surroundings, but he could hear a soothing voice beside him. “Father,” Leon whispered scared to raise his voice. “It’s okay Leon, I’m here. Don’t worry everything will turn out fine. Soon we’ll be back in our home sitting around the fire, warm and happy.” Louis whispered as his tears fell onto Leon’s lap. “With mother and Fleur,” added Leon crying. “With no nobles or tax collectors to boss us around,” said Louis and they both laughed. “So to make that happen, we need to get out of here, eh?” joked Louis. “Okay,” said Leon and stiffly got up, as Louis lifted the rafter. 61

“No!” screamed Leon as a bolder fell on top of Louis. “Father!” yelled Leon. “Leon get out of here, go quickly,” Louis forced out of him. “No, I’m not leaving, I’ll stay with you,” Leon cried wet with tears streaming down his face. “Leon listen to me,” Louis begged. “No! I’m staying.” Leon pleaded. “Leon if I don’t make it...” Louis trailed off. “You will make it!” screamed Louis. “Leon, listen! I just want to tell you I will always...be...with you!” Louis said. With his last strength, Louis pushed Leon away. With all his might, he roared: “Run, Leon, now!” as the roof began to collapse. Leon limped towards the door, and watched as the wall and roof began to give way. “Father, I love you!” cried Leon.

Epilogue

eon survived the inferno but did not go unharmed. His right leg was badly scorched. The rich merchant helped Leon by giving him the best herbal remedies available. He even gave him a bottle of Snake Oil. Leon recovered quickly and was healed in three months. The grain house was destroyed in the riots after a wild fire broke out meaning Leon lost his job. The rebels were brought to court under false suspicion. They were accused on three accounts – robbery, murder on the first degree and treason. The court battle was prolonged over a fortnight. Fifteen witnesses testified throughout and by the end of the fortnight things looked dim for the rebels. Richard thought that death by guillotine was inevitable. But the tides changed on the last day of the trial. An unnamed individual with the smell of liquor in his breath stumbled into the court. He declared himself ‘Raymond Fionovan’ and pleaded guilty on all charges and gave a brief account of how he committed each felony. Bewildered, the judge sentenced him to death by the guillotine and let the others go free. The very next day he was put to the guillotine. Just before he died he uttered the words: “Close to death, and finally there.” Leon walked away flustered but when he saw the look on Mr. Marvolo’s face, it all made sense. Just as the blade of the guillotine decapitated Raymond, war cries from the South were 64

heard. The Austrians had come. The Austrians took control of most of Pockseaux. The North was still in rebel hands but their strength was waning. In a last effort to take back control of their village, Leon led a rebel army to war against the Austrians. In a cataclysmic defeat, the villagers were driven to the woods. Much of Pockseaux was destroyed. The rebels started a village in the forest. At its centre was the old rebel tree house. The villagers became unhappy and eager to go back to Pockseaux. The rebels began to plan a counter attack on the Austrians in Pockseaux. The village was fortified heavily in case of ambushes or failure. All eligible men and youths over thirteen were sent to war. Leon, at the age of nineteen, was second in command next to Richard. The rebels fought valiantly for six months and eventually won the war. The Austrians surrendered and signed a treaty entailing laws which prohibited any Austrians ever entering Pockseaux again. Leon stayed in the forest as he liked the tranquillity. He met an escapee from Paris, Marie. They settled down in the old tree house which since the settlement had seen many improvements. When Leon was twenty-two, they started a family. The first child was called Julia Fleur DeBouis. She loved climbing in the trees. Their second child was called John Louis Raymond DeBouis. He showed the same general characteristics as Leon before Fleur died. He became general of the French Army twenty-three years later. Once their children moved to Pockseaux, Leon and Marie had a very peaceful life in the tree house with no disruption, no war and best of all no death. 65

Blurp Leon’s life in the village of Pockseaux was torture. Lifting heavy bags by day, and nightmares about his younger sister’s death at night. His father leaving leaves Leon more perplexed than ever, he finds a piece to the puzzle, the puzzle he’s been trying to unravel for years... Rebellion in the Village is set in Pockseaux in eighteenth century France, just as the Bastille is stormed and the injustices of life for the poor people are everywhere to be seen. This story is about a family torn in two by injustice, tragedy and war.

Background Information This novel is set in the time of The French Revolution in the 1800s. We used his setting because we wanted to learn about The French Revolution. The characters in the story are fictional characters, however the poverty in which these characters lived are realistic to a great degree. During the 18th Century France was split into three Estates.

The First Estate •The first estate was made up of the religious leaders, who were in charge of the church. • These corrupt priests only made up 1%of the total population. • They owned almost 10% of the land. • This brought them a great deal of wealth from the products on it and from rent. • They also got a tithing (or tax) of 10%of the earnings of those who lived on their land. • The tithing was supposed to be to fund the church. • It was often used to fund their extravagant lifestyles.

The Second Estate • The second estate was populated by the nobility. • These nobles lived in manors that they had inherited. • The second estate consisted of 2% of the total population. • The nobility owned 25% of the land in France. • The nobles collected dues and rent from the peasants who lived on their lands. • This endless source of income funded their lavish lifestyles.

The Third Estate • The third estate was by far the most populated. • It housed everyone who wasn’t a member of the first and second estate. • In fact 97% of France’s population lived there. • Members of this estate had just shy of no rights and the same amount freedom. • The poorer you were the more tax you were required to pay. • Peasants lived in extreme poverty and were treated very un fairly. Life was hard. Many were starving and had no food. They sometimes forced to eat wood from the barks of trees, mud and worms. Leon and his family lived in the third estate. Due to this extreme poverty, peasants began to become angered at seeing the nobles and in particular Marie Antoinette spend money on lavish lifestyles. This eventually led to the Storming of the Bastille, 70

which happened on the 14th July of 1789. This then led to the Great Fear, where there was rebellion right throughout France. Peasants began to overthrow their nobles, attack their manors and burn feudal documents. The monarch family were beheaded by the guillotine. France went through radical changes in this period of time and they continue to celebrate Bastille Day on the 4th of July every year.