WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES Chapter Thirty-One

 WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES

Chapter Thirty-One

Juvêncio decided to ride through the fields that morning. It was an old habit of his. When he had a case that he didn't see how to solve, he would ride for hours and hours, while putting his thoughts in order. Yes, he was a little lost. There had been no attacks in the surrounding area for a few days. This seemed like good news at first glance, but he knew that, in fact, when he least expected it, deaths would return. After advancing a long way across the prairie, he ended up arriving on the banks of the Cachoeirinha stream. He dismounted, let Tornado loose so he could enjoy the pasture and water, and sat down in the shade to continue his mental exercise. The more he thought, the more he became sure that someone had opened a mystical portal and released some beast. The intention, of course, was to attack whoever this person considered an enemy. And then a range of possibilities opened up.

The region was not as peaceful as it might seem at first glance. Although apparently people didn't care much about politics, you could feel the rivalry between monarchists and republicans in the air. There was a possibility, Juvêncio thought. Suddenly, a supporter of one of the sides had knowledge of the magical arts... the problem would be finding out which side... yes, anti-republican sentiment was very strong in the region, especially among the elite. Many of the farmers were monarchists and did not conform to the new regime, even though it had already been eleven years. Among the more humble population this feeling was divided. There were those who defended the Royal Family, others defended the republican system and there were those who didn't care who was in charge of the country... they were more concerned with buying the weekend... in fact, in normal times, the city delegate needed to worry more about drunken fights motivated by his political passion than for any other reason...

There was also the issue of freed blacks. Yes, there was no more slavery in the country. Not officially, at least. But... and there is always a "but"... every now and then you would hear about a colonel who kept his workers captive... of course not officially. But he charged his comrades rent for his house and demanded that they buy the goods they needed at the sales he set up inside the farm. And the prices were so exorbitant that the guy always ended up in debt at the weekend...

And finally, the Indians. It was no secret that foresters dreamed of recovering their old territory. And everyone knew that this would be impossible if they only considered earthly strength. After all, from a vast expanse of land in the past, they were now confined to a space that did not meet their basic needs. Although the shaman was extremely kind, even offering a patuá to free him from attacks from beyond, Juvêncio was not mistaken about the Indian's friendship... he knew that in a confrontational situation he would have no difficulty in cutting off his throat, if that could guarantee victory...

Maybe you're wondering... "after eleven years the population still wanted the monarchy" and previously I had said that the population was happy with the republic... what inconsistency is this? Well, that's simple to explain. When the Princess signed the Aurea Law, slave owners supported the military's adventure because they thought that the new regime would compensate them for their "losses"... but that didn't happen. And for several reasons, the main one being a lack of cash... perhaps, if they had financial resources, they would even pay, so as not to lose the support of the powerful. But the republic's coffers were empty, and there was no way to collect more taxes from the people...

As for black people... as I said, their new situation was almost the same as in times past... Yes, they had the status of citizens, but...

As I already said, the colonels even kept some black people on their farms, exploiting them even more than when they were captives. Most had to go out into the world in search of their destiny. Some did well, others not so much...

Hunger got worse and Juvêncio decided to roast a piece of dried meat. He made a fire, cut a generous piece of meat and roasted it on the coals. Meanwhile, he was providing a pot of water to make his coffee. Half an hour later he was eating. And after another quarter of an hour, the Punisher fell asleep leaning against a pine forest....

A figure sneaked out of the waters of the river... and slowly approached the place where the Punisher was sitting. The strange creature examined him in detail. He sat down next to her. And she metamorphosed into a beautiful young woman. If until now Juvêncio had not noticed his presence, now there was no way he could fail to notice it. And Juvêncio decided to talk to the girl...

- Who are you?

The young woman just smiled....

- Girl, please... who are you?

Total silence. Apparently the girl wasn't interested in answering that question.

Juvêncio remained thoughtful for a few moments. And he couldn't understand where the girl had come from. After all, there were only tracks of his horse.

Finally the girl decided to open her mouth, so to speak. But she didn't do much good for our friend... after all, he didn't understand a single word she said. After almost ten minutes of talking nonstop, the girl pointed to the patuá that Juvêncio was wearing around his neck. From what he understood, she wanted him for herself... but it might not be like that... after all, he didn't know what she was saying...

Juvêncio was a little helpless when the young woman approached and hugged him. Then she made a gesture that resembled a blessing. As she blessed him, she recited something similar to a prayer. When he finished his ritual, the girl looked him straight in the eyes and seemed to hear her say... "save my people!"

At that moment Juvêncio woke up...he rubbed his eyes, surprised! His horse was still a few steps away, grazing gently. Our friend looked everywhere, looking for any sign that he hadn't been dreaming. Useless work, as not even a blade of grass was out of place. Yes, he had slept and dreamed. And he felt that the dream wanted to tell him something. But exactly what? Unanswered question, at least for now...