Rooftops

"Why are we up here?” Emberline asked, pulling the cloak tighter around her.

“You see it don't you?” Nicholas replied, his voice quiet. He leaned against the edge of the roof, staring out at the prison. “The people locked away for daring to speak up. The ones who’ll never get out unless someone breaks open their cells for them. They will suffer till they decide to accept their fates,”

Emberline followed his gaze, her expression unreadable. “And you think this march will change things?”

“I don’t know,” Nicholas admitted. “But it’s a start. And sometimes a start is all you need.”

“Are you afraid of this?” she asked, her voice barely audible.

“Terrified,” he said with a faint smile. “But fear doesn’t matter. What matters is what you do with it.”