Chapter 1037 — A Further Awakening
Blade of Dawn · Page 2 of 5
Fendil laughed, and as he headed toward the parlor he said, "If you had a strict aunt, you'd be modest too — when she learned I was going to the front as a cadet officer on probation, she sent me a message over the mage-net. It boiled down to one point: if I dared claim credit for others' deeds or boast about my battlefield experience, she'd freeze me solid and hang me from the highest tower of Winterhold…"
Illevin shrank back at once. "I get the feeling Lady Victoria really would do it…"
"Of course she would — so we'd best stop talking about this dreadful subject." Fendil dropped onto the soft sofa in the parlor, and the sense of ease let the nerves and muscles that had been taut since he left the front slowly relax, bit by bit. He glanced at his friend approaching and put on the expression he wore only when he needed a favor. "Illevin, there's something I need your help with…"
"My help?" Illevin pointed at himself in some surprise. "More coursework in mathematics and thaumaturgy? Do you still have classes like that in the second term of the officer corps?"
"Of course not," Fendil said, waving his hand at once. "I just need your way with words — you know I'm no good at that."
"Words?" Illevin's brow furrowed instinctively at this. "Fendil, did you see some girl in the army who caught your fancy? But I should warn you, a love letter is something you'd best write yourse—"
"Stop, stop, stop — not that either!" Fendil was caught between laughter and tears at his friend's overactive imagination, and waved his hand vigorously. "It's official business. My superiors assigned it to me, but I feel rather at a loss how to begin, so I want your help. It's not confidential, of course — you can set your mind at ease on that score."
Illevin hesitated a moment, but after seeing the seriousness in his friend's expression he nodded. "That depends on exactly what the help is. I reserve the right to refuse."
"Simple enough. His Majesty has instructed some of us who went through this war to write something," Fendil said slowly, marshaling his words. He thought of the celebratory mood brewing in the city, and of the citizens in the streets and markets discussing the news. "About who we were really fighting in this war, why we fought, what came of it, and how this war connects to every class of society — I know what I want to say, but I need you to help me polish the actual wording."
Illevin listened carefully to what his friend was saying, but a look of curiosity crept onto his face despite himself. "I know what you want me to do, but… why do this?"
……
"Let's call it a further 'awakening' — freeing people from the mire of ignorance and blindness." Within the Cecil Palace, Gao Yang had returned to his familiar study, Amber standing at his side as always, and it was to this inquisitive half-elf that he spoke. "In fact, we should have done this before the war began — only the changes outran the plan, and we didn't manage it in time."
At this he gave the pondering Amber a look that was half-smile, half-smirk, and explained with great seriousness: "Have the educated men in the army summarize the common knowledge of war, sort out the threads behind it, and have the propaganda department carry out a 'war analysis' for the citizens — tell everyone, in terms of motive, meaning, and long-term impact, whom we fought, why we fought, why we won, and why there is peace. In a sense, this is just as important as the popular education we have been working at all along."
"I think I can follow your thinking," Amber said, giving it genuinely serious thought — so serious that even her ears drooped a little — but in the end she understood Gao Yang's idea. "It's still that concept you mentioned before… nation, people, society — people must first understand what kind of collective they live in before they can build a sense of identity with it, and from there a more lasting cohesion… is that what you mean?"