Crimson Flags & Razor Blades

Stitching Together Hope

The liberation of Bremen was not an instantaneous conclusion to a fairy tale. As a result of a lifetime of fear, the citizens of the town regarded their improbable saviors with a mistrustful gaze.

The doors to their homes remained closed, and their voices were barely audible above a whisper. Millie and her group of misfits found themselves in the position of overcoming not only an external threat but also a much more subtle one—the terror that ate away at the soul of a people.

The transformation was gradual, resulting from a combination of inconspicuous actions and unyielding determination. Gunner, with his gentle eyes and scarred muzzle, became an unofficial guardian. Children were the first to approach him because they were drawn to his quiet strength. Soon after, the other person left tentative offers of stale bread at his side and exchanged hesitant smiles.

Jack, who has always been a tenacious beast, discovered a new purpose for his life. Through his tireless efforts, he was able to restore order to the streets, which were littered with rubble. He was a one-donkey cleanup crew. The sight of his determination inspired others to come forward with shovels and brooms in their hands, thereby transforming his solitary efforts into a collective wave of determined industry.

Luna, the spectre that remained silent, became their eyes. Despite the fact that the citizens of the town feared her, they were unable to deny the safety that she brought. On the walls that the wind had blown off, messages such as alerts from Grim Society scouts and hints of hidden supplies appeared. Fear transformed into a wary respect for the shadows that protected them, rather than a blind trust in the person or thing that was protecting them. 

Rusty, who was known for his ability to put on a show, brought a spark of defiance back to Bremen. Previously, his crow was a sign of danger; now, it is a sign of encouragement and a morale boost to the people. Every morning, his ragged call would pierce the air, serving as a reminder that dawn was still coming and that they were still alive to fight another day before the sun went down.

In spite of her bloody history and haunted eyes, Millie was the one who struggled the most.

However, a peculiar yearning began to take hold. The desire to disappear, to become a shadow among shadows, was no longer something she desired. An unfamiliar ache—a yearning to truly belong anywhere—started to stir within her when she was here with the people she had saved.

In the midst of this gradual rebirth, a ragged figure emerged from the crowd of people who were hesitant to approach. His hands were gnarled, and his eyes were filled with the sorrow of a lifetime.

He was a shoemaker. His wife, who was clinging to his arm, wore the same exhausted expression, which was etched with guilt and hope that was desperately needed.

"Did you happen to be... The girl from the Red District?" The shoemaker had grayish-blue eyes and so desperately wanted to look into Millie's eyes. His hand was shaking as he tried to reach Millie's face, and his voice was whispering under his breath. Millie's gesture prompted Felix to withhold his hand, and he did so with a small hint of refusal.

There was a confession that came along with the revelation, which made Millie shudder. The old shoemaker and his wife by the name of Felix and Hannah were Millie's parents, the ones who had abandoned their daughter, wrapped in red, on the doorstep of a brothel out of desperation and shame. Since that night, they had not been able to get a good night's sleep, and their prayers for the baby that they had left behind reverberated hollowly in the silence of their deserted cottage.

Millie's response was like a stone being placed in her chest. No sobs, no rage, nothing. The hollow echo of that night, when she became the Wolf Slayer, was all that remained.

In spite of this, a glimmer of something moved within her as the shoemaker, with tears streaming down her face, begged for forgiveness. She saw not just the parents who betrayed her, but the people they had become—broken, yes, but with remnants of love and kindness within them.

"I cannot give you what you seek," Millie said, her voice rough. "The girl you left died a long time ago. But if you are willing to put in the effort, there is room for you here in Bremen to be useful for the entire society.” They were aware that it was too soon for them to approach Millie, and they were prepared for it.

Consequently, the shoemaker and his wife agreed to participate in the process of rebuilding. Luna was supervising the meticulous stitching of sturdy boots for Gunner, and Jack was hauling leather while Rusty strutted around giving "artistic critiques." It was an odd sight to see him in such a position.

Millie, in turn, was presented with a new cloak, which, instead of the bloodstained flags that she had worn in the past, was a cloak that had been sewn with the strength of her adoptive family. It was not forgiveness; rather, it was a peculiar truce, a mutual determination to create something new out of the ashes.

Millie was born as a leader, not just a tragedy that was left in the door of the Red District brothel house, and Felix and Hannah expressed their gratitude in a silent gesture as they watched her.

The heroes of Bremen continued to experience social rejection because their histories had left an irreparable mark on who they were. Despite this, there was now laughter and the shared meals of those who were no longer starving within the walls that they had defended.

Without a doubt, the bards would sing about them, but not in the role of knights or mythical beasts. Instead, they would sing about them as a demonstration of the fact that even the most broken souls can discover a place to belong, a reason to fight, and possibly even a bit of redemption.