Where the Anomaly Lay

"Where the Anomaly Lay" 	"Where the Anomaly Lay"
 	
Cast 	Cast
Main Cast:*Barrow Elkton*Deirdre Elkton*Stag Ellis	
Chronology 	Chronology
←Previous"Buried in Satin" 	Next→"Lest We Forget"
"Where the Anomaly Lay" is the eleventh episode of War and the 60th episode overall. 
The episode was published on March 7, 2021.
In the episode, the Doe of Cervidium is increasingly isolated from her husband and son, the Stag and Fawn. Confused by her sudden reversal of fortunes, the Doe defies her husband's orders to uncover the truth.
==Appendix==
11 Where the Anomaly Lay.png|Episode Title Card
Slide11.png|A: Map of the War, 715
Cervidium_c_715.png|B: Cervidian Royal Family, 715
Antlerstag.jpg|C: Antlerstag, Lyme, Cervidium
==The Episode==
—Antlerstag, Lyme, Cervidium—
—Kingdom of the Deer—
—Secret Diary of Doe Deirdre Elkton—
-July 15, 715-
I have decided to begin keeping a second diary. When I returned to my rooms today after walking in the gardens, I noticed once again that select items were askew or misplaced. The ornament on my bedside table, the pink frock in my closet. I am certain that my chambers have been searched yet again. I have my regular diary, but I have never been deliberate about hiding it. After all, as the wife of Stag Ellis of Cervidium I should be above suspicion. However, I have reason to believe that whoever is picking through my belongings will also be reading my writing. 
There aren’t many hiding places in this room, at least none that are markedly obscure. Perhaps behind the dresser drawers? Even as I write these words I wonder if I am being too rash, or even reckless. A secret diary is peculiar even under normal circumstances. If this is discovered, what would the reader think? Alas, I must have something to record my thoughts, the ones that others shan’t see. There’s something wrong with my marriage to the Stag. It has deteriorated over the past two years. I admit I didn’t even notice at first, but now I think I can pinpoint where everything began to go awry. 
It was the thirtieth of December, in 713. Ellis’s fortieth birthday. He told me days prior that he did not want any sort of celebration or shindig to commemorate the occasion. I was reluctant to comply because I had already planned out certain elements of a surprise party. I scrapped everything except the cake, which I was eager to bake myself. On the thirtieth, Ellis informed me that he would be spending his evening alone in his tower study, reading and reflecting on the first four decades of his life. I obliged him for the first few hours, but when it got to about 10 o’clock, I wanted to give him his cake. I had spent all afternoon making it from scratch in the backstairs scullery. 
I remember feeling giddy as I climbed the tower stairs holding the cake. There were four candles—one for each decade—and a lighter in my pocket. It was during the months of the War Plague, so I was also wearing my face covering. However, when I reached the study, it was empty. None of the guards I passed had seen him, and would assuredly told me if they knew. I proceeded to wander around the castle, checking all his usual spots. I resigned to return the cake to the scullery and try again the following day. 
And then I found him, in the hallway connecting the two ballrooms. I’ve never seen him down that way, and I was only there because it was the fastest way to the scullery. He was using a key on a door to a room I’ve never entered. When he opened it, I saw it was a parlor. I crept up behind him and yelled “surprise!”
Ellis reacted with shocking anger. He slammed the door and demanded why I was there. Of course, I lifted the cake and smiled. I didn’t have time to light the candles. He took me into one of the ballrooms and scolded me for surprising him, as he wasn’t expecting it and thought I was a palace intruder. I had to promise never to do it again. He never ate the cake, and he hasn’t mentioned the incident since.
But then things started to change. He stopped joining me for dinners, then lunches, then breakfasts. I only ate with him at state occasions. My staff was dismissed and replaced, one by one. There was always a reason for each termination. A family emergency, dead from the Plague, drafted for war, but it’s hard to believe that all fifteen of them were innocently discharged over a year. 
My interactions with my only son, Barrow, were restricted. As was my interaction with the Stag himself. As I write this, I am only able to see either Stag or Fawn with written permission. I am not allowed in certain areas of the palace, which are newly-deemed “Stag-zones” and off-limits to the royal consort. And of course, my rooms are being searched. 
I have increasingly felt like a prisoner in Antlerstag, and though I know when my inhibitors began, I cannot determine why. My husband has apparently turned against me, and isolated me from our son. But to prevent what? 
Perhaps to maintain my own sanity, I must keep this diary. To remind myself of my feelings, thoughts, and concerns as I navigate this ladder of change so that I may climb back to where I was before. Ellis is stressed from the war; I know that with absolute clarity. One of his advisors could have given him false information. 
I fear there are also spies everywhere, including among my new staff. All the lights in my room are off and I am writing this with a dim booklight by the window. I think my dresser idea was sound; I’ll stash this there. 
I have my other diary, which I must continue to use else they’ll become suspicious I’ve taken a second.
—Regular Diary of Doe Deirdre Elkton—
-July 16, 715-
Mallardia is close to falling. Summer Sun forces, led by the foxes and deer, are miles away from the capital but gaining ground. The invasion of Willie is expected to commence later this fall. Ellis and the Vixen Queen are tired of these wars of attrition, and believe the best way forward is to suddenly and deliberately strike, even if that means loss of life. 
The success of these planned invasions will depend on how quickly we can secure the capitals of Mallardia and Willie. If Anatoidea and Mus bolster a heavy resistance, it may hinder the ability to completely occupy the nation. We look to the falls of Capricon and Gallix as examples. When the Vixen Queen attempted to demolish Simeone by eliminating Queen Ana III and her father the Lord Regent, no attempt was made to invade and conquer Primatia. As a result, Simeone is still in the war and fighting against us. 
On a positive note, at long last, there are no more active trenches in our country. We are now fighting battles in other nations on their soil. 
Victory to Cervidium!
—August 5, 715—
I saw Barrow at his sword fighting practice today. He has become a true athlete! His tournament is this weekend and I am so excited to see it! I am confident he will emerge as victor, and nothing short of ebullient pride will envelop me as he is medaled upon the podium. He’s the youngest entrant in the competition at sixteen. Everyone else is between the ages of 18 and 20. By defeating all other opponents, he will be the undisputed future master of the deer. 
Sometimes I cannot even believe it has been sixteen years since his birth, and that this gallant young man is the same as the little tot I held and played with in the gardens. He is the spitting image of his father, though he is not as tall. The two seem to be very close, as Barrow was telling me of how the two will be going on hunting trips alone this autumn. The Stag has always been accompanied by his noble friends, sometimes with Barrow. But this will be just the two of them. 
That gives me an idea. Though I do not fight with a sword, or consider myself a very athletic person, I am sure I can find some activity to strike up with Barrow. I would very much like some mother-and-son time with him.
—Secret Diary of Doe Deirdre—
-August 7, 715-
I have been told that my presence is not welcome at Barrow’s sword tournament tomorrow. It is for the army and the Stag alone to view, and the only reassurance given was that I would know the results once the tournament is completed. 
I am being deliberately shunned by my husband, and my mind still ponders why. This war is changing him for the worst. There has always been something gleeful about him ever since the declaration. This sentiment is assuredly rubbing off on Barrow. I noticed a few character differences in Barrow when I saw him two days ago. The ferocity with which he swung his sword…
I cannot live like this forever. Locked in my rooms, cut off from my husband and son. I am the Doe of Cervidium! There are answers out there, ripe for picking. The causation for my misery most likely lies behind that door near the ballrooms. 
—August 11, 715—
My attempt to sneak out of my room at night proved fruitless, as I was almost caught before I even reached the landing. It is illegal to have any form of camera in a royal palace, so I need only worry about the physical guards. There are seven stationed around my chambers, but it is mostly to prevent entrants I believe. I can easily slip by. I just must be extremely careful and concealed. I made too much noise tonight. I should not have gone barefoot. I’ll wear slippers tomorrow, black. 
—August 12, 715—
Success! I snuck past the guards, descended the stairs of the tower, and hastened to the ballrooms. The corridor was empty, and of course I remember the door. Unfortunately, it is locked. I’m foolish for not remembering that element of Ellis’s fateful fortieth birthday. Ellis had been using a key to unlock it when I surprised him two years ago. No doubt that key will be difficult to acquire, and the stress of sneaking around the castle at night was too great to bear again. I shall use alternative methods to learn about this room, and whatever secrets it contains. 
—August 14, 715—
My request to access the library this week has been denied. Apparently there are diplomats from the east using it for research, and cannot be disturbed. I asked if book can be brought to me, and this was approved. But I know that all my requests will be scrutinized by the Stag, and I only asked for a few fictional materials. My plan had been to scour architectural blueprints of the palace to see what that room was on the grid. It looked to be a parlor, and I recall furniture being covered with white sheets. What could possibly be in there that’s so terrible it must be kept clandestine? 
—August 15, 715—
I have decided to write a letter to Ellis directly asking why I am being restricted. He is my husband after all. And as Stag, he has the power to lift this punishment. I pray he shows me mercy. 
—Letter from Doe Deirdre to Stag Ellis—
My loving Lord and Husband, 
I have been calamitous with misery these past months, bereft of your love and affection. I miss you greatly, and your historic wisdom. I fear I am also being isolated from our beloved son, whom I care for and cherish above all. I am confined to my rooms, and I believe this is so on your orders. And I beseech you tell me why. Have I offended you in some way? Am I under suspicion for something? Please, my Stag, tell me what is wrong so that I may rectify the situation and restore our family. 
I remain your humble, obedient, and treasured wife. 
With all the love from my heart,
Deirdre
—Letter from Stag Ellis to Doe Deirdre—
-August 23, 715-
Deirdre, 
You have been deemed untrustworthy due to disparaging remarks you have made toward the Vixen Queen. Until I am convinced of your undying loyalty to the Summer Sun, your current situation will remain unchanged. 
Stag Ellis
—Old Diary of Doe Deirdre—
—April 7, 708—
-7 Years Ago, 4 Months Into the War-
The threads of the fates have been cut, and Cartonia’s projection of peace has completely unraveled. As the days of this new war wear on, I begin to sense the event’s tenure shall be long. It is apparent the Vixen Queen was expecting a quick and speedy victory over Mallardia, which would have assuredly been achieved had Willie, Eusuchia, and Canis not rushed to her aid. The foxes had militarized secretly, and were therefore prepared to overcome the peaceful nation of the ducks. I’m sure the four opposing nations expected a likewise quick in-and-out battle, but were unaware of Vulpus’s massive forces. 
What does that leave? A stalemate. An impasse. Therefore, the nations will only achieve victory if they acquire allies. Every neutral nation is up for sale, including mine. Ellis has begun talks with the Vixen Queen, which I advocated against. I don’t trust her, and am inclined to believe she may have had greater reason for being rid of her troublesome heir. 
I feel bad for Victoria Vixen, despite her unnatural relationship with Bentley Connelly. No one deserves to be assassinated in public, and at Christmastime! Her poor mother, may her soul rest. Vora Vixen avoided the burdens of the throne in death, leaving her daughter Victoria to pick up the crown. Alas, neither came to wear it. 
I shall speak with Ellis again at breakfast tomorrow. Perhaps I can convince him that Cervidium’s best interests are in neutrality. 
—Secret Diary of Doe Deirdre—
-August 23, 715-
I’m an idiot! I keep all of my old diaries on the bookshelf near my door, and there’s an entry from the diary I kept in 708 that revealed my distrust of the Vixen Queen. I do not believe I’ve put it in writing since then, but now I know that the Stag has ordered my diaries read. I was right to keep this secret diary, which I have rehidden. I move its hiding spot frequently, and will not hesitate to chuck this into the fire. 
I wonder when they began reading my diaries. Was it after I went after Ellis into that parlor? It must be, as that was when my life began to turn on its head. I therefore could have come close to discovering something terrible. Was Ellis having an affair? No, that would be preposterous. He is not a lustful man. Then what? 
I must get inside that room. There might be something in there that’ll save me. 
—August 24, 715—
At long last, I have some success. I snuck out of my room this evening around 10, slipping past the guards again, and making my way to the corridor between the ballrooms. The door was still locked, but I brought with me an assortment of hairpins and sharp objects from my room. I fiddled with the lock for a while, taking care not to scratch it. The lights were out and I was mostly working in the dark. I didn’t dare bring a flashlight or lamp to avoid detection. 
After what must have been an hour or two, I managed to unlock the door. I relocked it using the hairpin and tried a few more times. I have mastered it. At this point, around half past 11, I was too scared to go inside the room. I kept hearing creaks, and at one point I swore I heard a voice inside.  Next week, I’ll return after midnight, when the palace is fully asleep. Ellis will be out of the country as well, ensuring I will not be caught. 
—August 30, 715—
I have made the effort and, miraculously, have come safely back to this room. I am absolutely terrified! Unspeakable evil resides in this castle. I must transcribe what I have seen, and send this diary to someone who will be able to help, or myself stop the wickedness. My mind is racing, and I apologize to whomever if this writing is illegible. My hooves are shaking so violently from my own fear and panic. 
At two in the morning, mustering my courage, I left my chambers and maneuvered around the guards. I wore black satin and slippers. My hair was drawn into a black bonnet so that I would be truly masked in the shadows. In my pocket was my hairpin to pick the lock and a small flashlight for once I was inside the room. 
In the corridor between the ballrooms, I checked several times to make sure I wasn’t followed, and that no one was around. I picked the lock and entered the parlor. 
It was a standard palace room, not unlike the other living rooms and parlors around Antlerstag. Most of the furniture was draped in white sheets. Several sofas, a few chairs, tables, a desk, a cabinet, a bookshelf. The fireplace was bereft of wood, even the stoking equipment. The clock on the mantlepiece was frozen in time, out of battery. There were no windows. The walls were covered in portraits and tapestries. I was struck by an awful sense of unease, and portend. I should not be here, and yet I had convinced myself that the answers to my misery were hidden here. Furthermore, I felt as if I was not alone, a terrifying feeling. 
There were a few lamps that I lit so I would not have to use my flashlight, and I locked the door behind me so if anyone approached, I could hide. I did not want to return to this room again if I did not have to, and so I searched meticulously. Ellis is smart, and would realize if someone had been here, so I touched nothing that could be observed from afar. I gently lifted the sheets to check for things underneath, but it was just dusty furniture. There were some eccentric trinkets in a cabinet against the wall, but the glass was locked and my hairpin was too thick to fit in the lock. 
I turned my attention finally to the walls themselves, which were quite covered. On the back wall spanned a grand tapestry of Cervidian pride. The palace of Antlerstag was stitched into the fabric. I approached it and pressed my hoof against it. The tapestry swayed with the pressure, and in the middle it bent further than I would have expected. I lifted it from the bottom and revealed to my surprise a passageway! I knew at once that this was where Ellis had gone that night. Into this passage! 
I ducked under the tapestry and began down the stone tunnel. It ended in another locked door. This time, it was passcode protected. It was only four digits, and I’ve been married to Ellis long enough to know dates, years, and numbers that are meaningful to him. But I suppose luck was mostly on my side, and the code is (after three attempts) 1897. Ellis has used that password before. 
The door led to a lit stairwell, leading downward. I have a fairly good sense of direction but I could not tell you how this was possible. A secret basement? In our castle? I wish I had been able to secure the blueprints in the library, but alas. That sense of unease remained with me as I descended the stairs. 
I shouldn’t have gone down, especially when I saw the lights on. That meant somebody was likely down there! But I kept going. One foot in front of another. Down and down, floor after floor. The staircase snaked left and right, turned into a spiral at one point, but there was only one way to go. Down. Or up. Writing about it now gives me chills. It was cold and damp. The further I went, the colder I became. My footsteps echoed, and I was constantly aware of how much further from the surface I was. Drowning in this tunnel of stone. 
Then, suddenly, the staircase ended. And I was at the bottom. There was a door directly ahead, but this too was locked and my hairpin was too thin to pick this lock. To the left, through an archway, was a dungeon. But not the usual dungeons, the ones that are in the south wing and clearly accessible. No, these are a different set. 
I stepped under the archway, and it was at this moment that I first heard noises. Voices. And none of them sounded Cervidian. Ahead of me, down this hall of dungeons, were an innumerable amount of cells. Too many to count, and the hall appeared to go on forever. I believe it was underneath the gardens of Antlerstag. It may have even been a complex series of halls and corridors, but I never got far enough to see for myself. 
It was so dark, simple torches of fire lighting a cluster of cells every few meters. The voices I was hearing were not so much talking as they were moaning, or crying. I was propelled forward by morbid curiosity, though held back by dread. I came to a stop around the second and third cells. There was a pig in one, and a mouse in another. I could tell by their distinctive heads, but they were not looking at me. 
Prisoners of war, was my first thought. This was a place to house them. But if so, they were in dank and awful conditions. Surely that would be against the codes of war conduct? 
Never-mind. I approached one of the cells. In here, I saw a duck. She was crying, her flippers over her face. 
“Hello?” I croaked, my voice weak and frightened. The duck lifted her head, and I saw that she had no beak. It was in her flipper. She was holding her beak in her flipper! I screamed at once, startling her. She turned from me, and continued to cry. I backed all the way up to another cell. There was another mouse in here, but he was missing an ear. Limbs appeared to be unaccounted for on most of the cell occupants. Others were completely shaved, some had boils and warts across their bodies, and all were emaciated. I saw ducks, mice, bears, pigs, crocodiles, rabbits, goats, cats, chickens…probably more. A menagerie of suffering. 
One of them rattled the bars of his cell, and I approached. It was a fellow deer. His antlers had been cut off. I could tell from the marks on his head. 
“Doe Deirdre!” he exclaimed when he saw me. I did not reply, only looked on at his pitiful state of being. “Where’s the Stag?”
I remained silent. This man was terrified. Not of me, but of the Stag. He was frightened Ellis was returning. 
“He’s out of the country,” I told him. The deer asked me if I knew about what went on down here. I shook my head. Was I crying by now? Probably. 
A horrible scream then pierced the air. It was prolonged, and rife with turmoil. I could only think it was someone being tortured. I glanced at the deer prisoner in horror, and he told me to run. 
So I did. I fled that dark pit of hell as quickly as I could, sprinting up the staircase. Adrenaline coursed through me, carrying me to the top. I burst through the passlocked door. 
And there was Barrow. Waiting behind the tapestry in the parlor. My son was shocked to see me, and I him. We both stared at each other. I was for sure a sight to be seen. Sweaty, crying, terrified. I warned him not to go past the tapestry, and not to go downstairs. He continued to stare, and it dawned on me that he knew what was down there. Ellis must have told him. 
Barrow told me I should not have gone in here, and asked how I managed to do so. I told him the door was unlocked and open. A lie, but one that I hoped would hold. This is what it has come to. I’m lying to my own son. He asked why I was walking around the castle at night, and I said I couldn’t sleep. He told me my room was guarded, and I said I hadn’t noticed. 
But all I could think was that Barrow knew, and Ellis did too. There was something deliberate, and wicked, going on in that secret basement beneath Antlerstag. I almost do not want to know what it is. It’s not a prison. It’s a torture chamber, if nothing else. Deer lose their antlers, mice their ears, ducks their beaks. The only companions to the wretched souls down there are time and sorrow. 
I begged Barrow not to tell Ellis that I was here. I lauded him and barraged him with my undying love. I appareled to his good nature, to my little boy. He emphatically agreed to keep my secret, but urged me to return to my chambers. Ellis is apparently on his way back to Cervidium early. As I am supposed to be confined to my rooms, I would have to get past the guards again to get back. I did not tell Barrow that I’ve done this multiple times now. 
And so I raced up here as quickly as I could. I ripped my diary from its hiding place and have been writing ever since. No sounds from the hall. No word from Barrow and Ellis.
Barrow…
He was shocked to see me, but not in a pleasant way. Not in the harmless coincidental manner. In the early hours of the morning, Barrow was on his way to that dungeon for something. And he found me instead. I now know his secret. I don’t have plans on keeping it. Someone outside of this castle needs to know what’s going on here, in case it is more sinister than I can fathom. But will Barrow keep my secret from Ellis? 
I can’t stop thinking about him. There’s something…anomalous. Barrow is usually so calm and level-headed. His face betrays no emotion. But when he saw me in that parlor, his countenance was almost sad. Or regretful. Yes, that’s more accurate. He regretted seeing me. I guess it could also be disappointment. He was vehement that he would not tell Ellis about my entry to the dungeon, but his face makes me think otherwise. His face—that is where the anomaly lay. 
I will put this diary in its place and tomorrow ascertain a way to get this to a leader of the Granite Bloc. I no longer trust my country and my Stag. And now this war has taken away my trust in my son. Yet, I think that once
—Antlerstag, Lyme, Cervidium—
—September 4, 715—
-5 Days Later-
Stag Ellis of Cervidium and his son, the Fawn Barrow, were enjoying dinner in the magnificent dining hall of Antlerstag. The deer lived more extravagantly than some of their monarchical counterparts. 
“Dinner is served,” the butler announced to the Stag, lowering a tray to the table. He glanced at the empty seat adjacent to Barrow. 
“Will Doe Deirdre be joining us?” 
Stag Ellis shook his head sadly. 
“No, I’m afraid my wife has taken ill. It’s not the Ursine Virus, thankfully. We’re not sure what her condition is, but unfortunately she won’t be seen for some time.” 
==Production==
===Continuity and Story Arcs===
Doe Deirdre Elkton kept a secret diary in which she recounted the deterioration of her marriage with Stag Ellis and her isolation in court and from her son, Barrow. The causation for this was her discovery of a parlor leading to an underground cavern of prisoners of war beneath Antlerstag. She recorded all of her findings in a secret diary, but it ended suddenly, her fate left unknown. 
A defecting deer in “Remnants of the People” foreshadowed “something wicked” in Lyme, meaning the gruesome experimentations beneath Antlerstag. 
Stag Ellis refers to the War Plague as the Ursine Virus, as Summer Sun citizens often do to disparage the nation from where the virus originated.
===References===
The Doe believing herself as wife of the Stag to be “above suspicion” is a reference to the phrase “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.”
The quote from Deirdre’s diary, “I have made the effort and…have come safely back to this room,” is a direct quote from Jonathan Harker’s diary in the novel Dracula. Harker's fictional telling of his visit to Castle Dracula in the eponymous novel was the main inspiration for this episode. 
==Trivia==
*The title of this episode is a quote by a Holocaust survivor and former Auschwitz inmate doctor, speaking of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele: "He was capable of being so kind to the children...to do things we would genuinely admire ... And then, next to that, ... the crematoria smoke, and these children, tomorrow or in a half-hour, he is going to send them there. Well, that is where the anomaly lay."
**The line was quoted by Deirdre Elkton in her diary about her son, Barrow Elkton: "his face makes me think otherwise. His face—that is where the anomaly lay."
*This is the shortest episode of War, at 4,554 words.
*The episode was based on Dracula’s epistolary written format. This format also inspired the season 1 episodes “Clandestine” and “Heaven Found.”
*The content of this episode began as an impromptu letter from Deirdre to her husband that the author penned in a boring work meeting. Deirdre's character was created from this letter and expanded to a main role.
**A version of the drafted letter made it into the episode.
*This is the only episode besides "Winter of Discontent" not to have a diary entry by Lana Loudoun. This was done to differentiate from Deirdre’s. However, Deirdre recaps ongoing events of the War in her regular diary in a similar fashion to Lana. 
**This is the only episode of War not to feature Lana in any capacity, including through her diary.
*The passcode “1897” is the year Dracula was published.
*This is the smallest cast in War, with only three members. The 2021 Christmas Special "A Bell Cast In Iron" has the record for smallest-ever cast with 2. 
*This is the first, and so far only, episode to have no recurring, supporting, featured, and guest characters. 
Category:Episodes
Category:War Episodes