Transcript:A Little Blood, Part 3

EPISODE THREE:
 
EXT. FOOTHILLS - EARLY EVENING
 NARRATOR
 Brennen and Yllowyyn had just returned from scouting
 the nearby hill, their faces ashen.
 REGAN
 Problem General?
 BRENNEN
 It seems there’s a large encampment of Felghir soldiers
 in the valley below.
 NELSON
 Why are they camped in a valley? Doesn’t low ground put
 them at a severe tactical disadvantage?
 YLLOWYYN
 It’s a good question, actually.
 BRENNEN
 Aye, but not as pressing as how we’re going to get past
 them.
 NIA
 Can’t we just ride around?
 BRENNEN
 Getting fully around this valley would take us nearly
 two days out of our way. Their presence here makes it
 even more urgent that we return to Castle Guernatal
 quickly.
 YLLOWYYN
 We need to get off the road now. I hear riders
 approaching. Sounds like a scouting party.
 REGAN
 Shit. Fuck, all right, I know a way. Follow me.
 NARRATOR
 Without waiting for a response, Regan kicked her horse
 into a canter. Nelson and Nia, still sharing the mount
 with her, had to quickly grab on to avoid falling off.
 Brennen and Yllowyyn exchanged a quick glance, but
 really had no choice but to mount their own horses and
 give chase.
 INT. CASTLE GUERNATAL MAIN HALL - SIMULTANEOUS
 NARRATOR
 In Castle Guernatal’s throne room, King Gunther’s court
 was assembled to consider the threat of the rebel
 General Traft--the same rebel general whose march had
 sent Gunther’s court into a panic nearly a fortnight
 ago. Currently, the king was taking the testimony of a
 hunched old man. This man had come from the hamlet of
 Silberg, a silver-mining town located far to the west,
 in the foothills of the Black Mountains. The old man
 scratched at his wild untamed beard, and continued his
 tale.
 OLD MAN
 They come in the middle of the day, when most of the
 men was down in the mines. All hissin an hollerin an
 clanging their spears. We got our garrison of civic
 guard, you know, but they got cut down right quick.
 NARRATOR
 Every ear in the room was clinging intently to the old
 man’s words. Arlene Redmoor, however, furtively scanned
 the room as she listened, searching for some hint of
 court intrigue.
 OLD MAN
 They killed everyone who tried to run or fight. At dusk
 they rounded us all up in the center of town and burned
 up e’rything while we watched.
 NARRATOR
 All the standard members of the King’s Court were
 assembled, save for Brennen and Yllowyyn of course.
 Arlene saw King Gunther, surrounded by emissaries of
 the four other high Princes of Iorden; Felghir,
 Mooncrest, Riverblood, and Ironhurtz. Next to them sat
 the Head Priest, with a large retinue of clergy
 members.
 Arlene noticed he holy men whispering intently at each
 other, counter to their typical exemplary decorum.
 OLD MAN
 Then their lord comes out--
 GUNTHER
 --General, you mean. General Traft.
 OLD MAN
 Whatever you call ’im--
 GUNTHER
 --Whatever he is called in my hall, it will not be a
 noble title.
 OLD MAN
 Yes, Your Grace. I meant no offense, Your Grace. You’ll
 hafta forgive me. Out east we ain’t got much manners.
 (TRYING TO LIGHTEN THE MOOD)
 Alls we know is to call the guy with the most swords
 "sir."
 SOUND: long silence punctuated by a far-off cough
 GUNTHER You may continue your testimony of events.
 OLD MAN
 Of course, Your Grace. So he - Traft - gets up and he
 starts giving a speech. To be honest, Your Grace, I
 didn’t rightly understand most of what he said. But one
 thing is that he kept saying he’d freed us. Seemed
 funny he’d say that since he’d just burned down our
 homes and killed a lot of us.
 NARRATOR
 At the edge of the dais sat the king’s treasurer.
 Arlene knew this man to frequently fall asleep during
 any proceedings that did not involve money. Thus, his
 nervous fidgeting and profuse sweating disquieted her.
 As she studied the man, she noticed an ostentatious
 ring that she couldn’t recall having seen before.
 OLD MAN
 All the while he’s got this mining axe he’s been waving
 around. When he got done talkin’, his orcs dragged up
 the mayor. An’ Traft asks him "who do you serve?" The
 mayor says "Galadon, the realm, and the King."
 NARRATOR
 Arlene then saw that that court philosopher, Lord
 Corelan, had brought his daughter to the day’s events
 and was holding her tightly. She remembered that this
 was the girl who had been having nightmares about
 soldiers.
 OLD MAN
 Then Traft put the pick of the axe through the mayor’s
 head.
 CROWD
 [REPULSED GASPS]
 ARLENE
 (WHISPERS, TO ARDEL)
 Brother, would you excuse me? It...troubles me so to
 hear such things.
 ARDEL
 (WHISPERS, TO ARLENE)
 Yes, fine. If you must be a child do it out of my
 presence.
 OLD MAN
 Killed him on the spot like it wasn’t nothing.
 EXT. CAVE MOUTH - EVENING 
 NARRATOR
 Regan reined in her horse by a rocky crag. Their gallop
 had taken them to the next hill over, remaining on the
 side far from Felghir’s army of course. Now, as the
 other two horses caught up, the party found themselves
 at the mouth of a rather dark cave. Some sounds of
 water, dripping from somewhere, echoed inside.
 YLLOWYYN
 What is this place?
 REGAN
 Gang I did a few jobs with used to hide out here. They
 probably all been hanged by now but I think I remember
 my way around well enough.
 BRENNEN
 And if they haven’t been hanged? Will they be a
 problem?
 REGAN
 Oh they’d slit my throat in a heartbeat if they knew
 about the bounty. But they’re shit fighters and I’ll
 take my chances with them over a whole fucking army.
 NARRATOR
 Oddly enough, this assessment did not seem to comfort
 the three children. It was, however, good enough for
 Brennen, who gave a curt nod. Leaving the horses
 outside, he led the group into the cave. Inside, the
 cave was pitch black. Nia conjured a small glow from
 the tip of her staff.
 INT. CAVE - A FEW MINUTES LATER 
 YLLOWYYN
 This place stinks of death.
 NELSON
 This looks like prime vermin-of-unusual-size territory
 to me.
 BRENNEN
 Aye, you needn’t be an elf to detect a foul stink in
 this cave.
 BILLY
 Yeah, but enough about Weenie’s mom’s--BWAH
 NARRATOR
 With a loud thud, Billy slipped on a wet patch of cave
 and hit the ground hard. Jen and Nia both rushed over
 to see if the boy was hurt.
 BILLY
 Fuuuuuuuuuck.
 NARRATOR
 As Nia brought her tiny light close to Billy, it became
 apparent that there was blood on the boy’s hand.
 JEN
 Billy, you’re bleeding!
 NIA
 I don’t think that’s his blood...
 NARRATOR
 Nia’s light revealed that Billy had slipped in a small
 puddle of fresh blood. She moved her staff closer to
 the wall. A large patch of the rock was dripping with a
 fresh smear of blood that ran down a side cave.
 NIA
 Well, this bodes ill.
 BRENNEN
 Kalth’yr, go down there with Nia and Regan. See what’s
 bleeding. Don’t engage unless attacked.
 NARRATOR
 Those three set off down the side tunnel, Nia taking
 her staff and its light with her. Soon, Brennen stood
 in utter darkness with Nelson, Jen, and Billy.
 JEN
 You all right, baby?
 BILLY
 Yeah, no big deal.
 SOUND: Some LEATHER CREAKS and CHAIN MAIL JINGLES.
 JEN
 Billy, not now. Jesus.
 INT. SMALLER CAVE SECTION - A FEW MINUTES LATER
 NARRATOR
 A few minutes later, Nia, Regan, and Yllowyyn were
 still following the trail of blood down the side
 tunnel.
 YLLOWYYN
 I hear shallow breathing up ahead. Someone is alive in
 here, but barely.
 REGAN
 Am I the only one who smells shit?
 NIA I do.
 REGAN
 What’s the matter with your nose, splinter-pole?
 YLLOWYYN
 Your kind always smell of your own feces, it’s hard to
 tell the difference.
 REGAN
 I wonder what you’ll smell when I put my boot--
 NIA
 --Oh, Galadon’s mercy.
 NARRATOR
 The light from Nia’s staff revealed disembodied human
 entrails. As she raised the staff they saw the body to
 which those entrails had until recently belonged. A
 lightly armored woman, still breathing, and crawling
 laboriously towards the end of the cave, where a neat
 line of similarly armored corpses sat with their
 throats cut.
 Nia, Regan, and Yllowyyn knelt beside the dying woman.
 REGAN
 What happened here?
 (THE WOMAN SPEAKS BARELY AUDIBLY THROUGH A
 DEATH-RATTLE.)
 DYING BANDIT
 Ambushed.
 REGAN By who?
 DYING BANDIT
 Aerona? Do you remember me?
 REGAN
 Of course. Your name is...starts with a...
 DYING BANDIT
 Gailin.
 REGAN
 Right, Gailin. Gailin, who ambushed you?
 DYING BANDIT
 Aerona?
 REGAN
 I’m here.
 DYING BANDIT
 Kill me. Please.
 REGAN
 Gailin, I need to know who did this. Think.
 DYING BANDIT
 Red banners. Don’t know. Sorry.
 NARRATOR
 Resignedly, Regan wrapped the woman’s head up in her
 arms. If you didn’t know Aerona Regan, it may have
 looked almost sisterly.
 REGAN
 You did good, Gailin.
 NARRATOR
 With a quick, practiced motion, Regan snapped the
 woman’s neck.
 NIA
 Fear neither cold, nor darkness of night...
 INT. CAVE - CONTINUOUS
 NARRATOR
 As Nia prayed, Brennen and the young humans awaited her
 return in the pitch-black.
 NELSON
 Wait, Jen, don’t you have a flash on your phone?
 BILLY
 Oh, yeah, good thinking, choad-puddle!
 JEN
 I do, but it takes a lot of battery, and I don’t have
 much left.
 BILLY
 I think this is a little more important than Twitter,
 Jenny.
 NARRATOR
 This discussion was interrupted by the appearance of a
 faint orange from deeper within the cave.
 BRENNEN
 Wait.
 MALE VOICE
 (DISTANT)
 Well you can make your own fucking biscuits if you
 don’t like mine, you fucking ingrate!
 BRENNEN
 Draw your weapons. But don’t do anything unless I do it
 first.
 NARRATOR
 Had you been in that cave then, you would have heard
 leather creak as Brennen unslung his massive axe, then
 a sword slide free of its sheathe, then a second,
 then--
 NELSON
 --Balls!--
 NARRATOR
 --a horrendous racket as Nelson accidentally sent his
 scabbard careening down a hole and into some water
 below. The source of the glow quickened it’s approach.
 BILLY
 NELSON, STOP MAKING NOISE YOU FUCKING BONER!
 BRENNEN
 (WHISPERS) Shut. Up.
 VOICE
 Who goes there?
 NARRATOR
 Brennen squinted through the dark to see six soldiers
 silhouetted against a torch. He could make out a
 crossbow aimed at him.
 VOICE
 Identify yourselves at once!
 BRENNEN WEIGHS HIS OPTIONS FOR A SECOND.
 BRENNEN
 You’re addressing General Brennen, commander of His
 Majesty’s Royal army. If you answer to House Felghir,
 I’m of much greater value to you alive than dead.
 NARRATOR
 The soldiers whispered amongst themselves for a moment.
 THE SOLDIERS WHISPER AMONGST THEMSELVES. WE CAN’T
 HEAR WHAT THEY SAY.
 VOICE
 (NERVOUS)
 General Brennen? Don’t worry, sir, we’re for Lord
 Redmoor. We answer to you.
 BRENNEN
 Why don’t you come down here so we may speak
 face-to-face?
 SOUND: More whispering.
 VOICE
 (NERVOUS)
 We’ve been ambushed by bandits in this cave, sir. Are
 you alone, sir?
 SOUND: more creaking leather
 YLLOWYYN
 Stand down if you truly answer to him.
 NARRATOR
 Yllowyyn, Regan, and Nia, emerged from the side cave,
 weapons readied and illuminate by Nia’s magic torch.
 On hearing Yllowyyn’s elvish accent, and finding
 themselves no longer clearly in a position to make
 demands, the unidentified soldiers lowered their
 weapons and approached.
 To Brennen’s relief, the light revealed uniforms with
 the crest and colors of house Redmoor.
 SERGEANT
 Forgive us, General. Between Felghir’s camp and the
 bandits...
 BRENNEN
 Dark times. I’m afraid I must ask what you are doing in
 this strange place.
 SERGEANT Scouting mission. Half of my men are on their way back to Castle Guernatal to inform Lord Redmoor about Felghir’s movements. That’s Ardel Redmoor.
 BRENNEN
 Yes, I know who Lord Redmoor is.
 SERGEANT
 And His Majesty of course. We stayed behind to see what
 else we could learn.
 BRENNEN
 Very good. I hope you told your men to make haste.
 SERGEANT
 Of course, General.
 BRENNEN
 And what news of Traft?
 SERGEANT
 So far, he seems to be taking his time to establish a
 foothold in the west. But who can say with an infidel
 like that? May I ask what brings you this godsforsaken
 hole?
 BRENNEN
 You may ask, but I must decline to answer, Sergeant.
 SERGEANT
 Well...if you’d like to rest your bones and have a hot
 meal, we’ve a camp a little further down.
 INT. ARLENE’S BEDCHAMBERS - SIMULTANEOUS
 NARRATOR
 As Brennen and his party followed the soldiers deeper
 into the cavern, Arlene Redmoor conferred with her
 handmaiden Gwen in her bedchambers.
 ARLENE
 The girl was having nightmares about soldiers because
 my brother’s soldiers threatened her. Whatever he’s
 planning, it’s happening.
 GWEN
 Poor Maid Corelan.
 ARLENE
 Threatening children to control their parents is craven
 and depraved, even for my brother.
 GWEN
 You were younger when he started with you, m’lady.
 ARLENE
 So I was...He passed me in the hall today, Gwen. He
 caught my eye for just a second. It was like I forgot
 everything we said him playing his last card. I was
 just a scared little girl again.
 GWEN
 A lifetime of fear doesn’t vanish over night. But when
 the time comes, you will find the courage you need. I
 know you will.
 ARLENE
 I pray you’re right.
 GWEN
 And by Galadon’s grace, His Majesty’s army won’t be so
 easily -- Have you seen General Brennen at court
 lately?
 ARLENE
 Brennen. Of course. He wouldn’t be bribed or bent.
 That’s who my brother plans to kill. I need you to warn
 Brennen’s second-in-command.
 INT. SUBTERRANEAN LAKE - NIGHT
 NARRATOR
 Brennen himself, had laid down to rest with the rest of
 his party, beside a subterranean lake where the Redmoor
 scouts had made camp.
 Unfortunately, neither Gwen nor Arlene were there to
 warn Brennen when the Redmoor men drew knives and crept
 towards the slumbering General.
 END OF EPISODE THREE.
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