Episode 79 - Kingdoms

## Kingdoms

A black background with a straight, thin white border with the top line being replaced by a simple string of part streamers. Within the border a large wooden fence can be seen (depicted in white), the gate of which has been collapsed and a giant Herin (depicted in red) is depicted as walking in. Bellow this image yet still within the border the words "79.KINGDOMS" are written in white.

### Author

William A. Wellman

Hector walks with a queen, Jonah makes a friend in court, and Bern guards her treasure. The theme of tonight’s episode is Kingdoms.

***Content Warnings:** Guns & gun violence, barricading rooms to prevent violence, discussions of genocide, Animal injury & death (Heidi as usual, several Froglins, Frogsticker the giant heron, Froglin Queen), Violence, Kidnapping and abduction, Death + Injury (more than usual), Blood (more than usual), Birds, Strangulation/suffocation, Emotional Manipulation, Body horror, Religious Violence (Fort Freedom)*

## Intro - Heavy Head

Nikignik describes to the Dreamers The Faceless King before they had taken of that identity as they walk out of a hospital ward on the night of black rains. Time passed and others found their homes at the bottoms of lakes (see Sleepers), but after a life spent lying down thy would rather not go to sleep so quickly. They come to an ocean, a singular black pine growing upon the shore, and asks them if they would sleep or becomes its herald and help the new world to wake. They fall to their knees and accept, fell as the rains melt the skin form their face, and a crown of green flame burns brightly upon their head.

Nikignik sits on the back of the Froglin Queen as she walks from her basin upon the land, each footstep a royal proclamation. She did not walk because there was a chain caught in the horns on her neck (see Episode 75 - Loyalties), she walked because it had been whole seasons since she'd left her pool, and she was oddly enjoying the stretch.

## Story 1 - A Stroll With The Queen

Hector Mendoza walks with the Froglin Queen, finding it surprising how politely she was walking besides him, but still keeping an eye on her in case she attempted to crush or eat him. Huntington Waites continues to drag her along by her chain and asks Hector how much further he wanted to take her. Hector tells them that he didn't understand why the Froglins weren't chasing them, and Huntington tells him that it was because they were afraid of them, which was to their advantage as by the time they grew the courage to come after them the Queen would be dead. Hector expresses confusion and disbelief at the suggestion of killing the Queen, and the Queen herself becomes alarmed. Huntington points out that Hector had a flintlock with silver bullets in his bag, but if he had not brought it for the purpose of killing the Queen they could sharpen a branch and drive it through her skull. Hector tells them that they weren't killing her that her death would only make things worse, but Huntington tells him that if they killed the Queen the Froglins would go extinct within a generation with no one to lay eggs. Hector tells them that they didn't know if that was how Froglin's worked, and that they couldn't just kill off a species. Huntington reminds him that extinction was what the Froglins were attempting to do to the Scoutpost. Hector ignores this point.

They suddenly hear the Froglin hunting song in the distance, Huntington reiterates that by the time the Froglin's reached them they'd have killed the Queen but Hector tells them that the hunting part wasn't for them it was for the Scoutpost, it was revenge. Huntington tells him that they were suer the Froglin's wouldn't do such a thing without their queen, as they were lost without her. Hector comes to the realisation that the Froglin's didn't take orders from the Queen, but Lolgmololg, realising that they'd have to catch her if they wanted the Froglins to follow properly. Hector turns from Huntington and they ask him where he was going. Hector tells them that they should take the Queen ten miles south and put him in a big enough lake. When they caught Lolgmololg the Froglins would follow. Hector turns and runs.

### Interlude 1 - Never To Last

Nikignik talks about how the world was never going to last, that at some point along the line the human race had gotten the idea that they would be forever. There had been those who'd managed it, put aside their hatred and greed to build something that stretched the cosmos. But, like candle flames, they had been snuffed by eternity. He tells the Dreamers of how their run had been shorter than he would have hoped, but within a measly century, it was over. Not in full, not yet, but when they awoke surely, they must feel it. The hum of new life, the dim light of a red sun, the beginning notes of an ethereal song, rising just as their last stanza went quiet.

## Story 2 - Maybe Someday I'll Be Ancient

Jonah Duckworth returns to life after the events of Episode 75 - Loyalties, finding chaos and screaming and fire, the Frogsticker in combat with Big Mikey, and the hunting Song of the Froglins. He hears the blast of a shotgun and looks up to see Zelda Duckworth and Buck Silver as they made their way across the upper ramps. He calls out for his mother but knew that her hearing was as bad as his, so he looks for the nearest ramp up to the next level and runs to it, a little too close to the fighting giants as he watches the Frogsticker win and Mikey retreat just moments before Jonah is mowed down by a truck with rusted spikes hammered into its front. The Rat King asks Jonah if he had time to talk now or if he was still busy when Jonah wakes up in the temple of the end (see Jonah Duckworth and Episode 75 - Loyalties). Jonah tells them that it was a bad time, and not to wait for him as he'd take a while. He prepares to leave but notices the Rat King's crown, and asks him about it. The Rat King tells him of how it was his crown, but to not get any ideas of stealing it as Jonah already had one. Jonah notices that he is indeed wearing an identical looking crown. He asks the Rat king where it came from, and they tell him that he couldn't be a king without a crown, but to rejoice for he was now one of the heralds on the end. He tells the Rat king that he had to go, and follows through this time.

He watches as the mendies fight, realising that the Scoutpost had picked good allies, and that he missed Hector, and that he'd lied to his mother when he'd told her that the Scoutpost was safe. Jonah calls out to Stitchery Pins and asks them what was happening. Stitchery tells him that negotiations with Fort Freedom had failed, so they would respond in kind. Jonah attempts to get back up to the ramps again, when a Fort Freedom member tells everyone to listen to him as he dragged Virgil Kane by a length of wire wrapped around his neck and jumps up onto the roof of a truck. He announces that the grounds of the Scoutpost were now property of Fort Freedom, demanding that the members of the Scoutpost gather in the court yard and drop their weapons under threat of death, he gives them ten seconds to do this. Jonah calls out for him to stop, that there was no need for this, but the man shouts back for Jonah to stay back or Virgil died. He is cut off when he is suddenly impaled by a Froglin, their hunting part having arrived, and is dragged out of the gate.

### Marketing - Know Your Place

Lady Ethel Mallory interrupts Nikignik's broadcast with her marketing segment. She speaks to her marketing class, greeting them as "class of the Ivy League Conglomerate 2051 Marketing Program". She tells them that many of them had big dreams, were influencers and already had an audience. A love for marketing, fulling their hopes and dreams because they knew that it would fuel their careers if they mastered it. She tells them that she had only one piece of advice for them: To know their place. Not to let their imagination tell them that they were going to be stars, many had tried, and crashed and burned. Marketing was a kingdom and they only had room for one queen. Success only came to one in a million, and it wasn't going to be them. So, they shouldn't risk it, they weren't meant to be kings anyway, but the maker of kings.

### Story 2, Continued - Maybe Someday I'll Be Ancient

The Froglin's join the fight, and Jonah watches as Fort Freedom becomes aware of the new invaders too late, becoming swarmed. Jonah runs for the ramp, calling out for Zelda. He passes the Radio tower, seeing the end of Episode 77 - Rebels as the Omen left. He asks of Russel McGowan was okay, and Russel calls back that he was, and so was Al. He asks if either of them has seen Zelda, which they tell him they hadn't. Jonah turns to leave and comes fact-to-face with Grug, who he recognises form Episode 6 - Frogs, verbalising as much right before Grug kills him. He returns to the temple of the end, and the Rat King tells him he should just pick one world and stay there for a while. Jonah tells them they he didn't have a choice, that he'd tied three times in the last ten minutes. Rat King expresses that Jonah coming to the temple when he died was curious, and Jonah asks how Rat King could talk to him, given that they were rats. They tell him that most animals talked, but Jonah points out that they were speaking English without moving their mouth. The Rat King tells him that they were just thinking, and Jonah was hearing it in the way he liked best.

Jonah asks the Rt King who they were, telling them that he'd spent what felt like years wondering the temple of the end and hadn't met anyone else. The Rat king comments that they must have been boring years. They tell him that they didn't know if they had a name, but it didn't matter because they didn't spend alot of time at the temple, but they'd seen him and thought they'd say hello to a new friend. Jonah tells them that everyone he knew was in danger, and he didn't know if there was anything he could do to help. The Rat King tells him that there was so much he could do, walk beneath emerald stars, at the edge of the forest between life and death. Watch it spread and grew new saplings and guide its roots to consume all that remains of the old age. That he would learn what they meant, but he was protected. They tell him that their domain was cosmic, secrets and knowledge, the schematics, the unseen ordering. That he thought Jonah's to be the forest, the trees, the blood running through the new world. And the Faceless King for the Northmost, for the sanctuary, for the heart of the world. The three of them would keep each other company for a while. Jonah tells the Rat King that he'd met the Faceless King before (see Episode 13 - Stars), before telling the Rat King once again that he had to go. The Rat King tells him that his loved ones were temporary, that it may not be today, but he would lie to see the sun rise on their bones. But until then he should fear nothing, for he was king in the forest. Jonah leaves the temple.

### Interlude 2 - It Has Its Rhythms

Nikignik tells the Dreamers of Marolmar, that when he made things, he was clever, not just making things but making things the created as well, generated and moved of their own accord. They tell the Dreamers that they'd have to think that certain effects of the heart had been planned, the Sleepers, the North most woods, the Heralds. Bu others they believed Marolmar would have been surprised to see, the Froglin Queen, the Nightgaunts. They tell them that they saw his art in this last project. Nikignik tells the dreamers that they were never much of an artist, as a result when they bult Marolmar's tomb it was shoddy work. But Nikignik could tell stories. Marolmar had liked his stories, and they supposed that as much as they were telling a story about the Dreamer, they were also telling one about Marolmar.

## Story 3 - It All Falls Apart

Bern Keene wakes up in the Scoutpost infirmary (see Episode 67 - Silences) to the sounds of the fight outside. She asks Tarra McGowan what was happening, and she tells her that they were under attack. A member of Fort Freedom starts banging on the door of the infirmary, telling them to open it, before smashing through a glass panel and reaching through to open the handle. Bern grabs her crossbow and aims it at him as he enters the room with a rifle and starts giving orders. Bern shoots him in the chest and Tarra pulls him inside, beginning to tend to the wound as Bern gets out of bed and asks where Violet Keene was. Tarra tells her that the last she'd heard of Violet was that she was talking with Jacob Wicker in her office. Bern leaves the infirmary to look for her wife.

She tries not to be distracted by the fighting as she makes her way to Violet's office, conveniently close to the Infirmary given Bern's wounds. She finds the door locked and starts screaming to be let in, hearing a scream from inside she attempts to kick the door down, but becomes lightheaded and collapses. Hector, having made it to the Scoutpost, comes to her aid, asking if she was alright. She tells him that Violet was in her office, and Hector kicks the door in. They find Violet backed against the far wall of the office, with Jacob pointing a rifle at her with a terrified expression. Bern shoots Jacob in the knee with her crossbow, causing him to fall to the floor. She has a moment of eye contact with Violet. And then all the colour leaves the world, leaving only deep shadow, and a singular green light that flickered and burned like a bonfire outside. She looks to see Jonah floating 10ft off the ground in the courtyard, a crown of blazing green fire hovered over his head, the same colour as the stars that spun in 'crazy constellations. in the sky above (see Episode 57 - Edges). He looks down and tells the now awestruck group of Scouts and Fort Freedom soldiers and Froglins "peace be with you".

## Outro - Kingdoms

Nikignik waxes poetics about Kingdoms, saying that it was ironic of them to be names so, as they were hardly made by kings. No monarch built a kingdom, but they were quick to sit on a throne and demand their respect. But the Dreamers were beyond kings now. Like all so-called rulers, a man sat in a little box far away and thought he owned the world (see Oswald Biggs Botulus), but the world did not know him, has not so much as laid eyes upon him in decades. Kings were wasting away as the forest rose, and its guardians were planted, and one day they would crush out the last of the kingdoms in their roots. What would remain would be no kings, no queens, only a world of quiet growth, and a forest that gnawed on the bones of king and commoner alike, and a future that remembers little of the old court.