Season 2 - Episode 80: What's in a Name?

## Synopsis

Bjorn, Henry, Sammie, and Oliver leave the Fort and head to the mainland. On their way to the airport, Henry has a tense conversation with his dad about the search for information on the Empty Man. They catch their flight to Ireland and spend some time being tourists before heading to the Trinity College Library to meet with their contact. The woman leads them down a hidden passage and to a vast, magical library. They all sign their full names in the book at the front desk before they are allowed access. They split up to cover more ground. While Henry is looking for information he's greeted by the Librarian. The Librarian makes a deal with Henry - give up a meaningful possession and he'll tell him everything he knows. Henry hands over the scarf he has tied around his arm and the Librarian gives him a lot of information on the Empty Man - that the Empty Man is a dangerous fae, the former ruler of the undead, and that the only way to defeat him is by learning his true name. He says the Empty Man will have someone close to him, working for him, that knows his true name but giving up the name could prove deadly for that person.

## Episode Description

Our heroes travel to the mysterious Dragon Knight Archives. What answers... or more questions could lie within?

## Key Events

* Bjorn, Henry, Sammie, and Oliver journey to Ireland and visit the Archives. The entrance to this vast library is hidden within Trinity College in Dublin.
* After providing the lady at the front desk of the Archives with their full names, they are allowed entry.
* Henry discovers a lot about the fae and the Empty Man - most importantly that the Empty Man is an exiled fae, formerly the Prince of the Winter Court and ruler of the undead, and the only way to defeat him is by learning his true name.

## Summary

Bjorn, Henry, Sammie, and Oliver head to the mainland for their flight to Ireland. Henry's dad, James, picks them up to drive them to the Miami airport. Henry talks to his dad on the way there, asking him what he knows about the archive. James says he's never been. Henry asks if he thinks the archive will he helpful and James says that figuring out what kind of creature the Empty Man is will certainly be useful. Henry then complains about why no one ever though to look in the archives before now if the answer has been there the whole time and James cuts him off and says that Henry needs to realize that they spent their time looking for answers but everything that happened to them was incredibly traumatic and at some point they had to stop. James says that there comes a time where you can either accept it and move on or keep searching fruitlessly and despair - and he chose to move on because he had Henry to look after and Stanley has been broken for a long time. Henry apologizes quietly.

The rest of the ride to the airport is quiet. They board their plane and fly to Dublin, Ireland. When they are at baggage claim, they see a man in a suit holding a sign that says 'Thornvale.' The group cautiously approaches the man and he asks for their names and they introduce themselves. The man reaches into his pocket and hands a business card to Bjorn. It says "Trinity College Library, 10 PM." The man walks away after handing the card to Bjorn. As they've arrived in the morning, they head over to the house they've rented in the city to get some sleep. A woman named Mary invites them in and shows them their rooms, asking if they're visiting the archives. She says the archives are an interesting place and that she doesn't want to spoil the surprise.

Bjorn, Henry, Oliver, and Sammie enjoy some free time in Ireland doing touristy thinks like touring the Guinness Factory. Eventually, they arrive at Trinity College at their scheduled time. A petite, young woman in her late 20s with her hair tied up in a bun greets them and tells them to follow her. She guides them through the corridors of the Trinity College Library before they turn in between bookshelves. She walks back to the end of the bookshelf, climbs up a ladder, and pulls out a specific book. A door swings open in the bookcase, revealing a stone corridor with stairs leading downward. After they're all inside, she presses a button and the door swings closed behind them. They walk down the stairs to a wooden door and leads them inside. She takes them to a front desk area. Behind the front desk is a library that looks exactly like the library above them except bigger, magically bigger, going as far as they can see.

The woman walks behind the front desk, seemingly hers, and gestures to a large book on her desk and tells them she'll need their full names for the archives. Oliver is the first to sign, followed by Bjorn who writes "Gunnar Alrick Knudtson," Henry who writes "Henry Arthur Marlowe," and Sammie who writes "Samantha Raquel Overbrook." Once they've all signed, the woman asks what she can help them with. Henry says that they're looking for information on the Empty Man and that they may suspect he's a fae. The woman says there are a few different places they could check and offers to write them down, suggesting they split up to cover more ground. The woman tells them to focus on what they're looking for as it'll help the archives to help them find what they're looking for. They decide to take her advice and split up to cover more ground.

Henry arrives at the first location the receptionist gave him. He's doing what the receptionist told him and keeping his mind focused on finding information on the Empty Man. He seems to be in an aisle on magical creatures when he hears a voice from behind him asking what he's looking for. Henry turns to see a somewhat short, skinny, middle-aged man with medium-length black hair in a well-tailored grey suit with a gold pocket watch and large, square glasses. He introduces himself as the Librarian and asks Henry's name. The Librarian again asks what Henry is looking for and he explains. The Librarian asks what the Empty Man looks like and Henry explains, knowing it's not something he can forget. The Librarian says that it sounds familiar but asks if he can 'look' and taps his forehead.

The Librarian reaches his hand out and tells Henry to close his eyes and think about the creature he's looking for. Henry feels an odd sensation like a jolt of electricity as the Librarian puts his hand on his forehead. As Henry opens his eyes, he catches a glimpse of the Librarian's eyes as a flash of white leaves them. The Librarian pulls his hand away and says that he knows the Empty Man and Henry immediately asks how. The Librarian says that he's right, that the Empty Man is a fae, but that his information doesn't come free - he'll need something special from him as payment. The Librarian's eyes go to the blue scarf tied around Henry's upper arm. Henry immediately covers it, saying he can't give it up. The Librarian insists that he's sure Henry can - if he wants the information, he'll hand it over. Henry slowly unwraps it off his arm and hands it over. The Librarian tucks it inside his suit jacket before asking Henry what he wants to know. Henry says he wants to know everything.

The Librarian tells him that the Empty Man is a very dangerous fae, the former Prince of the Winter Court, ruler of the undead, cast out by his own kinfolk. Henry says that fits, considering what they've seen him do. The Librarian says the 'Empty Man' isn't his name but it's fitting nonetheless. Henrys says that the name of a fae is intrinsic to their being, the only vulnerability the fae have, that if he's to stop him he needs to know it. The Librarian agrees and then states Henry's full name. As he does so, he feels a strange shiver of magical energy run down his spine - the Librarian tells him that names have power. For the fae a name is more than just a title, it's an explanation of their very essence. He says the one they're looking for, the Empty Man, is in exile and when a fae is exiled, there is no longer a being that knows their name in this world. They begin to fade and must find someone to tell their name to before they become nothing.

Henry says the Librarian is a fae, that he made them give him their names to have power over them, and the Librarian simply states it helps with the archives. Henry presses him for more information and the Librarian adds that the fae don't belong in this realm, there's not a high enough concentration of magic here for them to survive, so they have to use other methods to survive. They make deals with humans who will let them feed on whatever they need - for those of the Summer Court it's often feelings of goodwill, love, and devotion, for those of the Winter Court it's pain, misery, and greed. They don't have the same sense of morality as most, not seeing it as right or wrong to feed off these emotions, it's simply how they live. The 'Winter Prince' wasn't exiled for being evil, he was exiled because he broke a very important pact with the wrong person.

The Librarian asks Henry what else he wants to know and Henry says that he wants to find and stop the Empty Man. The Librarian says that he'll need to find the Empty Man's true name - knowing the true name of a fae will give you immense power over them. He says a fae will find a human they can gain a similar sort of power over and make a deal with them, they promise to give the person everything they ever wanted in exchange for keeping their name a secret. When a human breaks this deal, it can be deadly for them. The Librarian says Henry will need to find the person the Empty Man trusted with his name, that it'll be someone close to him.

The Librarian asks Henry again if there's anything else he can help him with and Henry asks for any other weaknesses the Empty Man might have. The Librarian says knowing the name alone isn't enough, they'll need magic to control the Empty Man completely. Henry asks if cold iron will help and the Librarian says it's not comfortable for fae. Henry clarifies that he doesn't want to control or bind the Empty Man, he wants him dead. The Librarian says there are two ways to kill him: use his sword to hack away at him until he's dead or make it so that no one knows his name. He adds that knowing the name will make the Empty Man extremely vulnerable.

Henry thanks the Librarian for his help and the Librarian tells him that if he knows anyone else that needs knowledge in the future, to have them call him. He pulls out a business card and hands it to Henry. The card says "Tap this card three times on a wooden door" on one side with "The Archives" written on the other. When Henry looks back up from the card, the Librarian is gone. He hears another voice behind him, but it's the woman who was at the front desk. She asks him if he's finished looking and Henry says that he's found what he needs.

## List of Appearances

* Bjorn Olafson
* Henry Marlowe
* Sammie Overbrook
* Oliver Allen Evans
* James Marlowe
* Mary
* Poppy
* The Librarian