Josephine: A Peasant's Journey Through Ancient Times

Josephine, a young teenage girl living in Iron Age France, has been dreaming of a life beyond the provincial boundaries of Tuliscona for as long as she can remember. It wasn’t to be found in her rustic village at the very edge of the kingdom, the poorest of the poor, and she considered marrying off at such a young age an unnatural, unfeeling arrangement that she had no interest in. So, Josephine took it upon herself to seek something more in life, scrounging and braving the dangers of the woods around late shouldn’t it get. It wasn’t until one fateful day when Josephine was out collecting firewood for her family when she spotted something incredible; an ethereal figure trudging its way through the woods towards the ever-shrinking settlement. Josephine felt a deep connection to this visitor, and struck up a conversation as the figure made its way out of the woods and into the village square. Appeared a bit off-kilter, this dignified, ambitious, and passionate figure introduced himself to Josephine as Sovereign, hailing from a distant place across the stars. In a time where superstitions and myths run rampant, any rational explanations Sovereign had to give were neither believed by some nor accepted by most, whose hearts quickly hardened in the face of such a drastically foreign being. After seeing the results of a heavy altercation sovereignty had with the village leaders - barely escaping with his life - Josephine declared that she would go on an adventure with sovereign, much to her concerned parent's dismay. She felt a pull within her heart, as well as a strange kindred connection with sovereign she couldn’t explain, and she knit her bag with supplies and fled the village with a heavy heart and heavy footsteps, only for her journey to actually begin at the end of the that first opening chapter.

In the following days, Josephine and Sovereign found themselves traveling all over the country, sailing from city to city, exploring and learning about the key people and events driving the cultural movements of Iron Age France. Little by little, Josephine was beginning to experience the world beyond her small village, meeting individuals from all walks of life who, like her, dreamt of making their own paths in life. And yet at the same time, sovereign held some kinds of power over her, coercing her to always look before she lept, stay conscious of their connecting their respective stories to the movements of the day. It was during these travels that Josephine developed a deep unspoken understanding of who she was and what she wanted. She also learned of the vast differences between high and low status, between city and country folk, as well as the vast historical consequences of the everyday choices people collectively made. Hopes, dreams, and ideas were starting to swirl in her head and she could feel a sense of clarity and self-discovery. Josephine started to recognize how powerfully heartbreaking it could be when those hopes, dreams, and ideas were impeded by major world events, or when those very dreams you foster unintentionally, closed their borders against you. As much as Josephine was enjoying her newfound sense of freedom and independence, she had to keep her head focused and her heart full. No matter how tough the road got, she would always look back and focus on that sparkling morning they first left together.

The further away Josephine and Sovereign ventured, the clearer it became that they were inexorably intertwined, preparing her for the tumultuous crisis that lay ahead. Though she had ignorantly pushed away from learning about the history and events of Iron Age France, this great cultural undertaking pushed Josephine against the ropes - even drowning her in sorrow at times. A heavy grip pressed in on her shoulders and her heart ached for the people who were losing their lives to the major events of the period, whereas she was so enjoying having the ability for her and Sovereign to traverse the earth, even amidst a world torn apart and divided. Still, she persisted onward regardless of the odds. Josephine and Sovereign could now feel on their skin the swell of revolution, of people around them calling out against their rulers and bucking oppressive regimes. They had yet to learn, however, that they were to become a part of this sacred voyage, one that would greatly shape Iron Age France. And with no time to adequately prepare, Josephine found herself here, at a place called “The Crossing-“, a final line of non-violent resistance set up by their people with the intent of gracefully and emphatically rejecting the notion of militaristic conquest. But what Josephine didn’t know was that the Crossing would serve as ground zero for those who wanted to leave a lasting impression upon the history of Iron Age France, and that Josephine herself had a part to play in it as well.

Josephine and Sovereign were undeterred in their convictions as they joined their brothers and sisters in arms at the crossing, a place fitting of symbolic dissent and the beginning of a new era in the area. Together, they pushed hard against their oppressors in the hopes of achieving a greater freedom, only to find themselves confronted by those still loyal to the iron fist of the old ways. It soon became painfully clear that the two were not able to succeed in this battle on their own. Josephine once again begged her companion to help them in their struggle, and with a look of pride and defeat in his eyes, Sovereign agreed. Before they knew it, they found themselves collaborating with a few like minded individuals - some of whom they had previously encountered - with a goal to use the power of storytelling to take people’s attention and make them realize that oppression and injustice could no longer be tolerated. And yet despite the many precautions, great risks were taken in trust that this endeavor would work, that it would be the last straw for their enemies. Everyone was scared for their lives and the lives of their loved ones, but shared an undeniable sense of power and unity borne of their collective fellowship and joint endeavors in the face of the ruthless regime. Josephine now knew that although the future of their beloved Iron Age France was perilous, change was coming. In that moment, the last of Beginnings had passed and Josephine was now truly living through a major historical event whether she had known it or not.