That same day provided no regard for Garside’s rage. Word of the Spirit Warrior began to spread as Thomas Conner and his family remained unharmed for one whole night. As Ores had suggested, Sara hung a white handkerchief from atop the trough at the edge of the roof. It waved and fluttered in the gusts and provided a measure of peace for the simple family. Thomas and his family, however, were preparing to move down south to a small settlement by the water where some relatives waited for them. Sara refused to allow her husband to return to work for Garside. Spirit Warrior inspired their emigration that seemed to be long overdue.
Nonetheless, neighbors and bystanders who saw the spectacle yesterday did not take the event lightly. Witnessing a masked hero stand up for justice and win the day was not the norm in Dorandum. Oppression was the way of the land. Now, some children of the realm were gaining a sense of liberty at heart. Within the day, three households had already hung white cloths outside of their homes, hoping that Spirit Warrior would watch over them as well.
Hope eventually turned to anticipation as more citizens began calling out to their brethren that they had seen the ghostly hero defending the meager. The soldiers that were supposed to be hung in the morning had escaped with their families intact. Soldiers were careful with how they patrolled east of Garside Way. Within the day, eight households had already hoisted white clothes outside the home.
With the next day passing, more tales had emerged of the hero’s unwavering will to protect the Dorand populace from injustice. Mobs of patrons attested to an occurrence of five soldiers who approached a small shack near the western village pub to steal a young daughter away from her home as an offering to the king as a fleeting mistress. As much as the single mother and older son had tried to keep their beloved youngest with them, the repressive band of soldiers whisked the young girl away.
While the poor mother shouted on her weak knees in grief of having her only daughter stolen to please the tyrant king, he appeared. “Like a flash of light,” as the witnesses described the entrance. Spirit Warrior commanded that the soldiers halt and return the young girl to her brother and mother. When the soldiers attempted to fend of the hero, Spirit Warrior only had to unsheathe his spirit blade and four of the five had gone off running. The last warrior ran off last like a sheep with a stricken pain in-between his armored legs after he tried the hero’s forewarning.
Another eyewitness of the ghost hero’s sighting came from a farm hand, testifying to his great valiance. A pack of wolves neared too close to the northern fields and threatened to assail his family and his land. With a smile in the northern towns, he described how Spirit Warrior fought off the wild dogs until they were too tired and too spooked to test him anymore. He went on to say that when he asked the warrior why he did not just slay the beasts, Spirit Warrior answered, “It is neither my place nor my right to kill anything if I have a choice.”
Other stories began to arise of Spirit Warrior protecting citizens from basic crimes such as robbery, assault, and even defamation. Within a week’s time, most houses of the east and west quarters of Dorandum donned a white fabric of some sort. The belief quickly turned into a rebellious trend for the populace. It was both honorable and revolutionary to hoist a white textile anywhere.
As much as the monarchy had tried to bribe information from the common people of Spirit Warrior’s whereabouts, no one had broken. There was a secret movement making its way north of the kingdom to take it completely by storm. The laypeople gained an edge over their oppressive rulers in a matter of two weeks. King Garside was heated over the crisis. His army was losing its stranglehold on the general public. When Garside sent warriors to punish those who had somehow defied him, his warriors returned empty handed or did not return at all.
“Don’t you want to know how Spirit Warrior became a legend in the motherland? It is quite rich, actually. Ores, in his hurt, appeared to his people when King Garside was determined to hurt them like he hurt his family years ago! In fact, Spirit Warrior became a hero to the poor and the vulnerable all over the realm, for no soldier would ever dare to follow Garside’s commands and do any harm to any deprived soul anywhere!
“Funny. In time, Garside became so irate at his own soldiers, because they were allowing the lesser citizens to have more rights. Hey, I would too if I knew that Spirit Warrior was going to beat me up if I tried to take them away! Eventually, Spirit Warrior’s name was cursed by Garside’s dominion and praised by those mistreated under his evil rule.”
By the end of the month, Dorandum hosted a city of white colors. Spirit Warrior never directly attacked or instigated Garside or the Council of Elders directly. He urged that every resident of the kingdom stand proud and fearless, but never revolt. He resented anyone who fought back against the crown. It was his duty and his alone to defend the common people until the corruption of Dorandum was deemed ineffectual and compelled leaders to rule justly. Ores wondered if that day would ever come. Nevertheless, his actions in defending the defenseless cast him above any other hero favored by Dorandum with exception of the warrior princess Idunessa. Finally, his message was being heard.
