Fire.

No matter the course my life took, the all consuming element was always their to erase all traces of my past, leaving me to a uncertain future.

At the age of 9, I watched with unrestrained horror as my family's home was burned to ashes because my father refused to obey our landlord's orders to hand over my mother to the lecherous designs of his piggish son.

At the age of 12, I barely managed to sit through my elder sister's trial and execution. Her only crime being that she had defended her shrunken family's property from being stolen by the corrupt hands of the local tax collector.

At the age of 16, I watched my younger brother perish in a sea of flames as he nobly tried to rescue as many villagers as he could from the inferno that had been set by a group of drunken nobleman who were enjoying lording their superiority over the cowed masses.

And now, at the age of 19, I stand before the one thing that could have prevented me from embarking on the path that I had always thought of taking.

For before my eyes, I beheld the familiar sight of a fire consuming the lives of my loved ones. Only this time, instead of a pair of defiant parents, or a sibling who would do what ever it took to safe the lives of others, I stood before the charcoaled bodies of what had only mere hours ago been my vibrant wife and my 6 month old daughter.

Despite the change in victims, the cause of my pain was always the same.

A nobleman who wanted to reaffirm his superiority over those who had not been blessed with the gift of magic.

For millennia, the magic wielders had kept their stranglehold over the lands of Halkeginia by virtue of the fact that they had successfully cowed the more numerous non magical population into complete submission. Even with new laws being put into place that would supposedly ensure fair treatment for those lacking in magical ability, things remained the same, as fear of retaliation kept most of the common peasantry from voicing their grievances. And since the laws labeled the non magic users as 2nd class citizens, it was nearly impossible to gather enough evidence to bring a nobleman to trial for his crimes. And even then it was more than likely that he would avoid serving his sentence by virtue of the fact that witnesses would disappear, or gold would pass the hands of the right official.

All these thoughts flashed through my head as I stared at the burnt remains of my family. And as tears freely flowed from my eyes, a hardened measure of resolve overtook me.

For I vowed over the smoldering corpses of my wife and daughter, that as long as I drew breath, I would do all in my power to ensure that the nobles of Halkeginia would suffer for the abuse they had inflicted on us commoners for the past millennia.

...

Just an idea I've had for a while after watching the series, and of course various revolution starting films like Braveheart and the Patriot. (Yes I know Mel Gibson is now recognized as a nutjob...but his early films were pretty dam good)

Their WILL be Louise bashing in this story. And as for Saito...haven't decided yet since he could go either way with this Peasant revolution. Will take place during the beginning of Season 1, so it influences what is going on in the academy/development of characters.

So tell me what you think/Give me Ideas..etc