Transcript:Life in a Corner, Part 4

EPISODE FOUR:
 Ext. Briarhelm Barn - Night
 SELLSWORD
 You don’t need’a get hurt. I just need’a know where
 Aerona Regan is. Scream and I’ll kill you, though.
 Understand?
 NARRATOR
 Jen had found herself once more abruptly at the
 uncomfortable end of a knife. The knife was held by a
 rather grimy looking man.
 SELLSWORD
 Where is she?
 JEN
 I didn’t see her when I got out of bed.
 SELLSWORD
 You’re making yourself expendable.
 JEN
 Okay, if I were Aerona Regan, what would I be doing
 right now?
 NARRATOR
 Suddenly, Jen’s eyes focused past the grimy man’s
 shoulder, as she gestured wildly with both hands,
 pointing behind the man.
 JEN
 I’d be running away behind you!
 SELLSWORD
 What?!
 NARRATOR
 The grimy man turned his back on Jen. Jen, as you may
 have guessed, had recalled Aerona Regan’s preferred
 fighting style, and took the opportunity her lie had
 created to kick the man, as Billy would say, "square in
 the nuts." Her assailant doubled over in pain, dropping
 the knife in the process. Jen grabbed the blade and ran
 towards the barn.
 JEN
 WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!!
 NARRATOR
 Brennen had been on watch at the door of the barn. In
 no time at all, he was running to Jen. He took a quick
 NARRATOR (cont’d)
 look around the field to assess the situation, and then
 herded Jen back into the building. Yllowyyn was already
 prepared for a battle, bow drawn. Nia stood with her
 staff at the ready, although she couldn’t quite mask
 the fear in her eyes. Nelson was fumbling with his
 armor, barely awake.
 Int. Briarhelm Barn, Ground Level - Continuous
 BRENNEN
 Kalth’yr, with me! Where’s Regan?
 NIA
 She wasn’t here when I awoke.
 BRENNEN
 Good thinking. Hide the children, too.
 NARRATOR
 Nia grabbed Nelson by the hand, and pulled him towards
 the ladder up to the loft. Jen followed. Halfway up the
 ladder, they ran into Billy, who was climbing down with
 most of his armor, surprisingly, put on correctly.
 NIA
 Where are you going?
 BILLY
 I heard Jen yell.
 Briarhelm Barn - Continuous
 Int. Briarhelm Barn, Second Floor 
 NIA
 Get over there. Stay low, stay quiet.
 BILLY
 What? We’ve been training to fight.
 NIA
 For a week. They’ve trained their whole lives. Now
 hide.
 EXT. BRIARHELM BARN - CONTINUOUS 
 NARRATOR
 While Nia was shepherding the children upstairs,
 Brennen and Yllowyyn drew their weapons and ran out of
 the barn. They ran directly into a semicircle of men,
 who had been watching the entrance to the barn with
 their own weapons raised.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 This don’t ’ave to be a bloodbath. Just tell us where
 Aerona Regan is.
 BRENNEN
 I wish we knew.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 Well you’re gonna help us look. Or we’ll kill you all.
 NARRATOR
 All the armed men wore a blue bandana around their left
 arms, indicating their affiliation to the same
 mercenary company.
 YLLOWYYN
 You sewer trash. Have you any idea whom you’re
 threatening?
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 Don’t really give a sod.
 NARRATOR
 The men all snickered at this, as though it were a
 clever joke.
 Int. Briarhelm Barn, Second Floor - Continuous
 NARRATOR
 Nia and the children found a small window that looked
 out over the barn entrance. From this vantage they
 could see the excitement outside, and just barely hear
 the conversation
 YLLOWYYN
 (FAR-OFF, FAINT)
 Does His Majesty’s royal crest mean nothing to you, you
 poxy cur?
 BILLY
 (WHISPERS)
 This is bullshit.
 Ext. Briarhelm Barn - Continuous
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 (FAR-OFF, FAINT)
 Ohhhh, you serve the High King, do you? Why didn’t you
 say so?
 BILLY
 (WHISPERS) People keep trying to kill us, and we gotta be pussies about it.
 NIA
 (WHISPERS, URGENT) Be. Quiet.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 We can’t kill you then. It’d make us outlaws.
 NARRATOR
 The men all burst out laughing.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 Start talking ’fore I put this knife up your arse.
 MAN’S VOICE
 What in Selbirin are you doing out ’ere?!
 NARRATOR
 At that moment, a second group of extremely dirty,
 heavily armed men came running out of the woods. These
 men all had red bandanas around their right arms.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 Rickard?
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 Anders? Is that you?
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 I suppose we’s out here for the same thing.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 Not every day someone tells you where to find the thief
 queen of Armstrunguard.
 NARRATOR
 At this, Brennen paid careful attention.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 I thought I was the only one crazy enough to believe
 that buggering old pauper though.
 NARRATOR
 In the part of a man’s mind that makes horrible truths
 unavoidable once made plain, Brennen immediately
 realized to whom this comment referred.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 How d’you suppose we resolve this?
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 I think that’s obvious. We was here first.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 ...No you wasn’t! We was waiting in them woods all day
 to ambush her. You just come running out first!
 NARRATOR
 Yllowyyn swung his bow back and forth between the
 leaders of the two groups, unsure of which was the more
 urgent target.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 Well we ain’t going anywhere!
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 Neither are we. Which means we can either cut each
 other to pieces and wait for Aerona Regan to finish us
 off, or we can split the bounty. Be honest. Fifteen men
 against Aerona Regan’s a gamble anyway.
 A BEAT.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 ...Alright, you sneaky bastard. You’ve got yourself a
 gods damned deal.
 NARRATOR
 The two crews of mercenaries, who had turned their
 weapons toward each other earlier, now turned their
 swords towards their common purpose--Brennen and
 Yllowyyn. Thirty men now stood against the old soldier
 and the young elf.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 You finish off these two, I’ll try around back, and
 we’ll sort out the money later.
 BILLY
 (FAR-OFF, FAINT)
 Sounds like a night at your mom’s house!
 NARRATOR
 That quip, of course, came from the infinitely clever
 mind of Billy. He had been listening to the whole
 NARRATOR (cont’d)
 conversation from above, and decided to ignore Nia’s
 warnings. The sellsword’s response, however, was
 entirely unexpected.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 (TO SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 1)
 You backstabbing sod! I told you my family history in
 confidence!
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 I never told no one!
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 You lie!!
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 How dare you?! It’s not my fault your mum’d drop her
 breeches for a half piece!
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 How’s about we bring up your drunkard of a father?
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 Don’t you dare!
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN 2
 Can’t say I blame him. I’d drink myself stupid too, if
 I’d stuck my cock in your sow of a mum and all I had to
 show for it was you.
 SELLSWORD CAPTAIN
 I’LL WEAR YOUR EGGS FOR A NECKLACE, YOU SHIT!!
 NARRATOR
 All of a sudden, the two mercenary captains were
 fighting each other, their swords clashing loudly. The
 rest of each company followed suit, and within moments
 an all-out brawl between the red-arms and the blue-arms
 had commenced. Brennen and Yllowyyn stood not two feet
 away, utterly forgotten by the mercenaries.
 BRENNEN
 (QUIETLY, TO YLLOWYYN)
 I need to see to the children. Can you clean up what’s
 left here?
 YLLOWYYN
 (QUIETLY)
 Shouldn’t be a problem.
 Int. Briarhelm Barn, Second Floor - Nearly Continuous
 NARRATOR
 Brennen went into the barn and found the rest of the
 party in the loft.
 BILLY
 The fuck’s going on out there?
 BRENNEN
 Nia, that was quick thinking with Regan. But I need to
 know where she is now.
 NIA
 Quick thinking?
 BRENNEN
 Saying you hadn’t seen her.
 NIA I haven’t seen her.
 BRENNEN
 (TO THE KIDS)Any of you?
 NARRATOR
 Brennen had another moment of horrible realization, and
 rushed back down the ladder.
 Ext. Briarhelm Barn - Continuous 
 NARRATOR
 Outside, Yllowyyn watched, with the expression of a
 fanatic at sporting event, the two mercenary leaders
 locked in single combat, the corpses of their followers
 strewn at their feet. The Red Armband saw a opening and
 pushed forward, only to slip on a pile of gore from one
 of his fallen comrades. Blue Armband did not waste his
 opportunity, smashing his mace into his opponent’s
 face. Red Armband crumpled, and Blue Armband raised his
 hands in celebration. His celebration was rather
 short-lived, though, as an arrow pierced his left eye.
 For good measure, Yllowyyn put another into Red Armband
 as well.
 Brennen sprinted past.
 Int. Briarhelm Farmhouse Dining Room - Nearly Continuous
 NARRATOR
 Brennen found Bowen Briarhelm sitting alone at the head
 of his table, lit only by moonlight. Empty bottles were
 strewn around the former soldier.
 BOWEN
 Now we’re square.
 BRENNEN
 Those men could’ve killed any of my charges. Even the
 innocent ones.
 BOWEN
 An’ you killt me the second you brought her here. I
 astyou, Brennen. I astyou if she was trouble. I came
 the closest I’ll ever come to begging. An’ you lied.
 BRENNEN
 I could have protected you if you hadn’t betrayed us.
 BOWEN
 From some snot-nosed bounty killers, sure. What about
 the bankers?
 BRENNEN
 I offered you money, just like I did when--
 BOWEN
 --I’ll be damned ’fore I take a coin of your fuggin’
 allowance from Gunther.
 BRENNEN
 Then that’s your pride, damn you. I’m not innocent but
 don’t dare lay this all at my feet.
 BOWEN
 You’ve some nerve to talk to me about pride, you son of
 a whore. After all your talk about "what’s expected of
 a man."
 BRENNEN
 Honor isn’t the same as pride.
 BOWEN
 No. Pride’s when you refuse to break rules you set for
 yourself. Honor’s when you let everyone else set the
 rules for you.
 BRENNEN
 Honor is all we have when we can’t be trusted to set
 rules for themselves.
 BOWEN
 It’s so easy for you, isn’t it? So easy when you can
 hide what you want behind honorable things.
 BRENNEN
 It’s never been easy. That’s why they call it honor.
 BOWEN
 Was it easy to ruin me with a lie?
 BRENNEN
 Was it easy for you to betray us?
 BOWEN
 You first.
 BRENNEN
 My hands were tied, Bowen. My orders--
 BOWEN
 --Gods damn you, you’re lying again. Don’t hide behind
 orders or honor or duty...How is his majesty?
 BRENNEN
 Old, sick, and under siege.
 BOWEN
 Me too...To answer your question, yes. When I overheard
 those sword-clanging pissants in the bar and realized,
 several brandies into the day, that you lied, yes.
 Betraying you was the easiest thing I’ve ever fuggin’
 done. Well, maybe second easiest. It’s dealing with it
 after I done it that’s hard.
 A BEAT OF SILENCE.
 BOWEN (cont’d)
 You came here to kill me before she does, didn’t you?
 BRENNEN
 Bowen...
 BOWEN
 Lying to a dying man’s a curse on your house.
 BRENNEN
 ...Aye.
 BOWEN
 But now that you’re lookin’ me in the eyes, you ain’t
 got the piss in you to do it, have you?
 BRENNEN No.
 BOWEN
 But you can’t stop her, can you?
 BRENNEN
 30 years ago, maybe.
 BOWEN
 If what I’ve heard about her is true, you let a mad
 bitch off the chain.
 BRENNEN PAUSES A BEAT TO REFLECT.
 BRENNEN
 I don’t think she’s mad. I think she’s spent her whole
 life trapped in a corner.
 BOWEN
 Haven’t we all?
 NARRATOR
 Then, Bowen Briarhelm let out a soft groan. Blood
 burbled out of his mouth, and his eyes rolled
 sickeningly. Regan twisted her sword sword between
 Briarhelm’s neck and shoulder, and then yanked it free.
 Blood sprayed from the body, covering the rogue and a
 large portion of the room.
 BRENNEN
 I suppose it would have been naive to ask you to show
 him mercy.
 REGAN
 That was mercy.
 A BEAT.
 REGAN (cont’d)
 What did he want done with his body?
 NARRATOR
 Brennen said nothing. Had Regan been anyone other than
 she was, the blankness on Brennen’s face would have
 terrified her. She left him alone to his emotions, but
 returned a few moments later dragging the corpse of one
 of the mercenaries behind her. This mercenary, notably,
 was built similarly to the late Bowen Briarhelm.
 Moreover, he had had his face carved off.
 REGAN
 You’re gonna help me get this guy into your friend’s
 clothes. Then you can do whatever you want with his
 body. But make damn sure you bury him deep enough that
 no one’ll find him. And Brennen?
 NARRATOR
 He stared deeply into her eyes, his face still
 betraying none of his grief or anger.
 REGAN
 Now we’re square.
 
END OF CHAPTER.
Category:Episode Transcripts