Transcript:Monsters, Part 4

Ext. Cottage Near Castle Guernatal - Around Noon
 NARRATOR
 We’ll now rejoin Brennen and Regan. You’ll recall that
 the pair had been ambushed, but Regan had managed to
 stalemate an otherwise hopeless confrontation by
 brandishing a small clay pot.
 REGAN
 You fuckers know what this shit is? Ever heard of
 thunder dust? Yeah you have. You shoot me, I drop this,
 and we get blown to Selbirin.
 OFFICER 1
 Don’t be a fool, girl. They can just walk out of range.
 NARRATOR
 ...said a Guernatal officer, regarding the several
 Redmoor crossbow men with sights on Brennen and Regan.
 REGAN
 Yeah, but the General still gets turned to Shepherd’s
 pie.
 OFFICER 1
 They want him dead. Their orders are kill on sight.
 REGAN
 Sure. But I’ll bet whoever put them up to it is gonna
 wanna see some proof. So they need a recognizable
 corpse. So you’re just gonna head right back that way,
 and we’re gonna head back this way.
 BRENNEN
 No we’re not.
 
 REGAN What?!
 
 OFFICER What?!
 BRENNEN (cont’d)
 We’re going to the castle.
 REGAN
 Have you lost your fucking mind?
 BRENNEN
 Take us to His Majesty, tell us who started this
 mutiny, and I’ll petition for your lives to be spared.
 REGAN
 Hang on. I’ve got the thunder dust. So we’re going
 where I say.
 BRENNEN
 I’m the body they’re keeping you alive for. We go where
 I say. And I say the castle.
 SOUND: PRE-LAP: ARLENE YELPS
 Int. Arlene’s bedchambers - A Little While Later
 NARRATOR
 Arlene’s yelp was in response to an ear piercing that
 Gwen had just performed for her.
 GWEN
 It’s all right, m’lady. Worst of it’s over.
 NARRATOR
 Gwen pulled the needle through, and with it some fine
 silver thread. She fastened a knot around her lady’s
 ear to shape it into a point. Like an elf’s.
 GWEN
 I still don’t know why you poor highborn girls have to
 go through all that for a wedding. I think your ears
 are perfectly fair the way they are.
 ARLENE [CRIES]
 GWEN
 Oh, no, no! I didn’t mean -- they look beautiful.
 ARLENE
 (THROUGH TEARS)
 I failed us Gwen. I could have stopped him, had I any
 courage at all.
 GWEN
 It wasn’t the right moment.
 ARLENE
 Then when is? He’s more powerful than ever now.
 GWEN
 Ardel’s not as clever as he thinks he is. We’ll get
 another chance.
 ARLENE 
 And I’ll fail again like I’ve failed all my life.
 GWEN
 You haven’t failed all your life.
 ARLENE
 Haven’t I?! Then show me one gods-damned thing I have
 to show for my successes!
 NARRATOR
 Gwen looked down, hurt.
 ARLENE
 I didn’t mean to shout at you, Gwen.
 GWEN
 You needn’t apologize. You may speak to your servants
 however you wish.
 ARLENE
 You must realize by now that you’re more than a servant
 to me. Please don’t stay cross with me. You’re the only
 one who’s ever truly shown me kindness...
 GWEN
 You’ve worried yourself sick these last few days,
 m’lady. Why don’t we take a walk in the garden?
 NARRATOR
 Arlene laid down on her side.
 ARLENE
 Will you lay with me, Gwen? Just for a little while.
 NARRATOR
 After a moment of surprise at this novel request, Gwen
 obliged.
 ARLENE
 Did my embrace truly mean that much to you? Back when
 you were homesick?
 GWEN
 Of course, m’lady. I knew I’d found a home.
 ARLENE
 What’s that feel like?
 NARRATOR
 Gwen moved herself close to Arlene and put an arm
 around her. Both closed their eyes, drinking in a
 feeling that almost resembled safety.
 ARLENE
 Tell me I’m good.
 GWEN
 (WHISPERS, SOOTHING) You’re good.
 ARLENE
 Tell me I’m worth something.
 GWEN
 (WHISPERS, SOOTHING)
 You’re worth the world.
 ARLENE
 Tell me I’ll be happy one day.
 NARRATOR
 Almost without realizing she was doing it, Gwen placed
 a gentle kiss on Arlene’s neck.
 Their eyes jolted open, and Arlene whirled around to
 look at Gwen. The two looked at each other with the
 same look you might see when a doe spots a hunter.
 Before either could say or do anything further--
 SOUND: TOWER BELLS
 GWEN
 What’s going on?
 ARLENE
 Emergency court meeting.
 Int. Guernatal Royal Study - A Few Minutes Later
 NARRATOR
 The emergency meeting had been called as a result of
 some important news Ardel Redmoor had gotten from one
 of his advisors.
 ARDEL
 Captured? My orders were kill on sight. Now I’ll need
 to arrange a whole show of a trial. Give the men who
 captured him their 100 gold pieces. Then have them
 killed for disobeying my orders.
 SOUND: BELLS AGAIN
 Int. Castle Guernatal Main Hall - Later
 NARRATOR
 Arlene and Gwen entered the main hall through an
 upper-level gallery and looked down at Ardel, sitting
 smugly in the throne he had recently usurped from
 Gunther Guernatal.
 There was palpable shock in the court when the main
 doors flew open and Brennen strode in, shackled.
 BRENNEN
 Your Majesty, I have been--
 NARRATOR
 --That was when he saw Ardel Redmoor, sitting where
 Gunther Guernatal should have been.
 BRENNEN
 You impudent ingrate! How dare you presume to sit in
 that throne?! Where is His Majesty?
 NARRATOR
 Regan, also shackled, was led into the hall behind
 Brennen.
 ARDEL
 He awaits trial for treasons against the realm,
 blasphemies against Galadon, and issuing orders which
 would bring dishonor.
 BRENNEN
 You’re a liar. None of this will stand.
 ARDEL
 General Brennen of Blackhold, you are charged with
 conspiracy to commit treason against the realm,
 conspiracy to blaspheme against Galadon, carrying out
 dishonorable orders and - oh why not - consorting with
 prostitutes in a manner unbecoming an Officer. How do
 you plead?
 BRENNEN
 I’ll die before I’m judged by the likes of you.
 ARDEL
 You are now charged with obstructing an investigation
 of this court. Do you deny leaving this castle under
 clandestine orders from Gunther Guernatal?
 BRENNEN
 There’s a special rack in Selbirin for traitors you
 up-jumped shit.
 COMPANY
 [Disapproving MURMURS.]
 ARDEL
 You are now charged with addressing nobility in an
 obscene manner. You will face trial in the morning.
 Take him away.
 NARRATOR
 Two of Ardel’s men tried to follow this order, but they
 could not get Brennen’s considerable heft to budge.
 BRENNEN
 Get your hands off me you fucking swine.
 ARDEL
 That’s two counts of obscenity.
 NARRATOR
 It finally took six men to drag the raging general
 away.
 ARDEL You...
 NARRATOR
 ...Meaning Regan...
 ARDEL
 You are charged with vagrancy, lewdity, and seducing an
 officer of the military. How do you plead?
 REGAN
 Bite my cunt.
 COMPANY [GASPS AND FAINTING SOUNDS]
 ARDEL
 In the morning you will be hung from your neck until
 dead.
 REGAN
 And give my asshole a couple licks while you’re down
 there.
 COMPANY [EVEN MORE EXTREME GASPS]
 REGAN
 What? That’s just common courtesy.
 Int. Castle Guernatal Dungeon - Same Night - A Little While Later 
 NARRATOR
 His Majesty High King Gunther Guernatal was sitting on
 the stone floor of a dungeon cell in no way fit for
 royalty when he heard the heavy footsteps. Soon he was
 face to face with the captured general in whom all his
 hopes for salvation had once rested.
 NARRATOR
 They sat in silence for several minutes, before Gunther
 decided what he wanted to say.
 GUNTHER
 It’s not your fault.
 BRENNEN
 If I had gotten her back a bit sooner...
 GUNTHER
 You couldn’t have predicted Redmoor’s betrayal.
 BRENNEN [SPITS]
 GUNTHER
 I’m supposed to be the one with a mind for politics.
 BRENNEN
 Vicious men triumph because they do things virtuous men
 would never think of.
 GUNTHER
 It would have been nice to meet her.
 BRENNEN
 She’s...she’s of a different world than you or I.
 GUNTHER
 No doubt. What’s her name, by the way?
 BRENNEN
 Aerona Regan.
 GUNTHER
 Aerona? That’s a name from the old times. Her Grandma
 loved all the stories from the old times.
 BRENNEN
 But it’s blasphemy to praise the false idols of the
 past.
 GUNTHER
 Indeed. But the thing about women is that the
 blasphemous ones are often--well, never mind all that.
 You never got to read much history did you?
 BRENNEN
 Never found the time.
 GUNTHER
 Mm. How could you? I always had you out killing someone
 or another for me.
 BRENNEN
 It was my greatest honor to serve.
 GUNTHER
 I know, friend, I know. I should have knighted you. I’m
 sorry about that. I was always waiting for the right
 time to deal with all the backlash.
 A SLIGHTLY TENSE SILENCE.
 BRENNEN
 So who was this Aerona from the old times?
 GUNTHER
 Well, they pronounced it Eye-urrr-Ron-uh then. Back
 before the Elves brought peace and men were just
 warring tribes, she was a famous warrior queen.
 BRENNEN
 Sounds about right.
 GUNTHER Oh?
 BRENNEN
 She’s violent, devious, ruthless, uncompromising,
 doesn’t give a damn about anyone but herself...
 GUNTHER
 So, you’re saying...
 BRENNEN
 If only she gave a damn about anyone but herself, she’d
 be a perfect Queen.
 Int. Another Part of the Dungeon - Simultaneous
 NARRATOR
 Elsewhere in the dungeon, a somewhat dense Redmoor
 solider left Regan standing in a corner with her hands
 shackled behind her back while he tried fruitlessly to
 open and examine her bedroll.
 He was thus distracted when Regan squatted and scooted
 her manacled hands behind her to the back of her knees.
 In the same motion, she sat and rocked backward, and
 passed the chain under her feet, and then stood
 instantly and effortlessly. If it looked like a thing
 she’d practiced many times, it was.
 She crept up behind the soldier...
 SOUND: CHAIN JINGLES VERY QUICKLY--
 SOLDIER
 [chokes]
 SOUND: POP OF A BLOOD VESSEL AND SPRAY OF BLOOD
 Int. Nia’s Room in Madame Bailey’s - Simultaneous 
 NARRATOR
 We shall take a turn from that grizzly scene back to
 Madame Bailey’s. You’ll recall that, in order to
 protect a young girl, Jen had recently proved herself a
 passable thespian.
 Her performance was at least convincing enough to make
 Billy come running, and to barely notice the young girl
 in the room when he saw the scantily clad man.
 BILLY
 What the fuck’s happening, Jen?
 YLLOWYYN
 Sometimes at the peak of erotic excitement--
 BILLY
 --Weenie, shut the FUCK UP!
 (TO JEN)
 I leave you alone for ten minutes and you’re nailing
 this guy?!
 JEN
 No, that’s not -- Christ, Billy, everything is not
 about you!
 DEAD, HEAVY AIR
 NELSON
 What’s that kid doing here?
 NIA
 Close the door.
 SOUND: DOOR CLOSING
 NIA (cont’d)
 Jen’s "performance" was a ruse to keep Sergeant McShane
 away.
 NELSON
 Which one is Sergeant McShane again?
 YLLOWYYN
 If I recall, he is city guard and friend to our host.
 PROSTITUTE
 He’s a monster. He knows sons and daughters of whores
 have nowhere else to go. That’s why he comes here.
 BILLY
 Wait, comes here for what?
 JEN
 He’s a child molester, Billy.
 BILLY
 Woah. Shit. Are you sure?
 PROSTITUTE
 I’m sure.
 YLLOWYYN
 No offense, but are we expected to merely take your
 word?
 JEN
 (RE: THE YOUNG GIRL)
 I saw the way she looked when she came in here.
 Whatever he wanted with her, it wasn’t anything good.
 NELSON
 So what do we do?
 BILLY
 We kick his fucking ass is what we do.
 YLLOWYYN
 Why not just report him to his superiors? Surely they
 would disapprove.
 PROSTITUTE
 Then we’ll all be in jail and the kids’ll be in
 orphanages. It’s no better for them in there.
 NIA
 We should leave this place.
 (TO THE PROSTITUTE)
 We can escort you two as far as--
 PROSTITUTE
 --You think I’m here because I got better options?
 NIA
 Yllowyyn, take the children elsewhere. I’ll stay here
 to hide these two until McShane leaves.
 JEN
 What about all the other kids?
 NIA
 I can only hide so many in this room before someone
 notices.
 JEN
 We need to stop him or it’s just gonna keep happening.
 NIA
 This world is filled with evil. The righteous must
 choose their battles. We cannot win this one.
 JEN
 I refuse to believe that.
 NIA
 Well we certainly can’t do anything tonight. Let’s try
 to get some sleep, and think on it in the morning.
 NARRATOR
 Jen stroked the young girl’s hair.
 JEN
 You’re going to be all right. I promise.
 Int. Castle Guernatal Kitchen - A Little While Later
 NARRATOR
 Back at Castle Guernatal, Gwen searched the cavernous
 pantry for some sweet to cheer up her mistress. As she
 moved aside a small barrel--
 SOUND: CAT HISSES
 GWEN
 Ingrid! Get!
 NARRATOR
 A mangy cat skulked away deeper into the shelves.
 SOUND: (FROM ANOTHER ROOM) A MAN’S PAINED GROAN AND THEN
 FRIGHTENED SCREAMING
 NARRATOR (cont’d)
 Sensing the commotion outside was nothing good, Gwen
 looked frantically for a place to hide in the pantry.
 She found a barely remembered service door that led
 through some tunnels and out of the castle. She had no
 intention of leaving, but she breathed a sigh of relief
 at having a way out if the need should--
 REGAN Move.
 NARRATOR
 Gwen wheeled around to see a Mooncrest-style sword
 pointed at her. Holding it was the very
 determined-looking woman she had seen in court a few
 hours before.
 REGAN
 Move or you die.
 GWEN
 You’re the one they brought in with the General.
 REGAN
 And I’ll be leaving by myself, right through that door.
 Maybe over your corpse but that’s up to you.
 GWEN
 You escaped.
 REGAN
 I can see you’re a little slow so I’m gonna give you
 one more try.    
 GWEN
 How many men did you kill to escape?
 REGAN
 As many I had to. If you move right the fuck now you
 won’t be one of them. If not, I will put this sword
 through you and you will die. Got it?
 GWEN
 You can save the King and the General.
 REGAN
 But I won’t. Last chance.
 GWEN
 Help us. I beg of you.
 REGAN
 (MOSTLY TO HERSELF, RESIGNED)
 Fuck. I tried.
 NARRATOR
 Gwen closed her eyes as Regan raised her sword--
 SOUND: CAT SCREECHES
 NARRATOR (cont’d)
 The mangy cat leapt at Regan. Reflexively, Regan
 flicked her sword towards her feline assailant. Two
 bloody halves of Ingrid the cat fell to the ground.
 REGAN Shit.
 NARRATOR
 Strangely, and for the first time in many years, it
 took concentration for Regan to not look shaken.
 REGAN
 Was that your cat?
 GWEN
 Wasn’t really anyone’s, but I fed her.
 REGAN
 Sorry about that. So do I have to kill you too?
 GWEN
 No. You can help instead.
 REGAN
 You’re not gonna be a hero. You’re just gonna be dead.
 Servants don’t make it into the songs.
 GWEN
 Ardel Redmoor is a monster. Good people will suffer if
 he’s not stopped.
 REGAN
 Good people suffer no matter what. I don’t need to
 suffer too. Sorry, sweetheart. Do yourself a favor and
 close your eyes.
 GWEN No.
 REGAN
 Have it your way.
 NARRATOR
 Regan raised the sword once more--
 GWEN
 --Look me in the eyes. Understand the pain and despair
 that’s brought me to this. Does that make you feel
 nothing?
 REGAN Nope.
 GWEN
 I’m sorry. I imagine in your shoes I’d say the same,
 but I’m sorry.
 REGAN
 Oh gods fucking damnit, what are you so eager to die
 for?!
 GWEN Love.
 REGAN
 Love? Love?! Are you fucking -- LOVE?! You scrape up
 everyone’s shit so they’ll feed you! How could you
 possibly be so fucking stupid as to love anything?
 GWEN
 Only other choice is to hate everything. That’s not
 living.
 REGAN
 You get that off some horseshit preacher?
 GWEN
 Me sister. Before she died.
 NARRATOR
 Regan’s eyes were lit coals.
 VOICE (O.S.)
 She went this way!
 REGAN
 Close your eyes, okay?
 NARRATOR
 Gwen took a breath, closed her eyes, and bowed her
 head.
 Int. Castle Guernatal, Room Unclear - A Bit Later Still 
 NARRATOR
 As Regan cleaned the blade of her sword, she found
 herself wondering, for the first time she could
 remember, if she hadn’t just made an awful mistake.
 Int. Castle Guernatal Dungeon - Simultaneous
 NARRATOR
 And as she wondered, Gunther and Brennen spoke to each
 other from their respective cells.
 BRENNEN
 So this is what weakness feels like.
 GUNTHER
 Weak is not a thing you’ve ever been, Brennen. I
 remember you cutting three men clean in half with one
 blow.
 BRENNEN
 I can’t get you out of here now. That’s weakness.
 GUNTHER
 They’ll come for you first. I know you’ll want to fight
 back. Please don’t.
 BRENNEN
 I’m going to make him beat me to death in front of
 everyone. The court should face the brutality of the
 man they chose to lead.
 GUNTHER
 The pretentious sycophants in my court only tolerated
 you because of me. You know that. They won’t care to
 see you suffer. Only I will. That’s what Redmoor wants.
 Don’t give him the satisfaction. That’s my last order.
 BRENNEN
 Just tell me I served you well, and I’ll die content.
 Int. Castle Guernatal Kitchen - A Few Minutes Earlier
 NARRATOR
 Regan could not help but feel a bit sorry for the
 serving girl she had just met, for though Gwen was very
 much alive, like as not she would have to clean up the
 trail of Redmoor corpses Regan had made on her way back
 through the kitchen and back down to the dungeon.
 Int. Castle Guernatal Dungeon - Continuous
 REGAN
 Hey General!
 NARRATOR
 As she committed herself to a decision she sorely hoped
 she would not regret, Brennen’s eyes snapped up at the
 sound of the last voice he ever expected to hear.
 REGAN
 I think we’re due to leave.
 END OF EPISODE FOUR.
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