Into a Land So Free

**"Into a Land So Free"** is the eleventh episode of *Revolution* and the 86th episode overall.

The episode was released on April 10, 2022.

In the episode, Doctor and Bradley must make a decision whether or not to escape Antlerstag. In Toontown, the circumstances of conquest become too much, and Constance solidifies a plan. In the past, Usa Uhuru hears Hamish's story for the first time.

## The Episode

—Talonclaw Castle—

—*Former Felexa—*

—April 24, 1051—

Culper Tallmadge returned to Talonclaw Castle after two hours, armed with messages from his hidden army of spies. Eileen Irenic jumped up from the damp dungeon floor. Culper was conversing with Usa, speaking quickly. Eileen approached.

“Did you hear anything about Cervidium?” she asked.

Culper glanced at Usa. She nodded.

“The Free will spring the Toons captive at Antlerstag tonight. We feel optimistic about our odds of success.”

“What’s the plan?”

Culper shrugged.

“Sometimes the less I know, the better. All I know is that there is an insider willing to help.”

Usa changed the subject.

“Eileen, on 29 April, we will head south into Vulpus via a route of safe houses. We are still on track to enter the Rook of Vulpus through the catacombs.”

Eileen raised her eyebrows.

“Safe houses…in Vulpus? Are foxes going to shield us?”

Usa sighed heavily.

“I know you’re skeptical of the entire species, but how many times must we repeat that the foxes are absolutely necessary to a successful revolution? You have to get over this hatred for them.”

*Hatred*? Eileen scoffed. The foxes were the hateful ones, not her. The foxes had no regard for Toon life. She had seen that firsthand in Toontown.

“You really believe that, don’t you?” Eileen put to Usa. “That the foxes can be on your side?”

Usa’s face softened.

“Of course. It’s part of Hamish’s tale.”

She had heard about this before. Cale had mentioned a dog named Hamish on *The Imperial Conqueror*. Something about how his story created this legend of the heirs.

“How does that tale go?”

Usa smiled, some nostalgic memory resurfacing.

—Upper Vulpus—

—*Former Phantine*—

—Years Ago—

In every Cartonian’s childhood, a moment exists that breaks them. That moment lingers in memory forever, and becomes the everlasting flame to push them toward conformity or rebellion. From that moment on, a child must choose whether to accept the tyranny of Vulpus or vow to fight it.

When Usa was seven years old, her best friend was murdered. She could never forget that day.

Her name was Sababu Kwanini. They grew up together, only three days apart in age. Usa was the elder, and even though the gap between them was so small, she felt protective of Sababu. She had several health defects that plagued her upbringing. Her left foot was split, giving her a limp. Her left ear was shorter than the other. There had been something wrong during delivery, something so wrong that Sababu’s mother did not survive childbirth.

One hot sweltering day in August, Usa and Sababu were helping their parents in the grain fields of the area that once comprised the mighty kingdom of Phantine. Sababu’s father was one of the field’s most tenured workers. The others looked up to him. Mama was pregnant, so instead of harvesting she was seated away from the grove separating grain stalks from the ends. Mama asked the Vulpine overseer for a place in the shade, but he denied her request. Usa saw her sweating profusely throughout the day.

Once their shift was over, Usa and Sababu departed, exhausted. They were on the road back to the village when a car careened up from behind them, swinging around to face them. Four foxes jumped out, aiming weapons at them. Usa screamed and threw her hands up, something she had always been taught to do in a moment like this. Sababu cowered behind Usa.

“You, girl! Turn out your pockets!”

Usa immediately did as she was told, but one of the foxes grabbed her arm and threw her aside. Usa fell to the dirt. The soldiers were now surrounding Sababu. She had both hands in her pockets, shaking her head and crying. The soldiers tore off her dress, leaving her naked in the street. Usa’s screaming drew the attention of workers still in the field. Sababu’s father came running.

“Stealing,” one of the soldiers declared, holding out the silver end of a small hatchet. It must have fallen off when Sababu was hacking at the stems, and she pocketed it. Silver like that would buy a family a year’s worth of grain.

“Stealing from the Vixen Queen,” one of the other soldiers sneered. “Punishable by death.”

“NO!” Usa shrieked. Sababu’s father was closing in, shouting out. Sababu was wailing.

“Please!” she begged. “We’re so hungry!”

The soldiers saw her father, meters away. Sababu’s eyes landed on Usa at the moment the soldiers shot her through the head. Her body blew backward into her father who had arrived too late. He collapsed over her, and they shot her again. The bullet grazed him too.

And Usa ran.

Tears rolled down her face, blinding her vision. She tripped over a rock in the road and rolled into a ditch. Scratched and bleeding, she got back up and continued, racing home. Her heart was completely shattered.

That night, once the crying finally subsided, Mama came to Usa’s bedside.

“I don’t want to live here anymore,” Usa muttered. “I want to go away.”

“I know, love. I want to go too.”

“Why can’t we?” Usa asked. “Why can’t we go far away?”

Usa’s mother frowned.

“There is no place else. Vulpus is all there is. But…let me tell you a story.”

“I don’t want a story. I’m too old for a story.”

“Nonsense,” Mama said with a smile. “Everyone loves a story. My mother told me this story, and her parents told her, and their parents told them. This story is very, very old.”

“How old?”

“Nearly 300 years. Can I sit beside you?”

Usa nodded. Mama crawled into bed with her, pulling Usa under her arm. She kissed her forehead. Papa came over too, sitting at the edge of the bed.

“Once upon a time, there was a brave king named Bentley ruling over a land wrought with sorrow. His kingdom was enslaved, the people crying out in suffering. There was no justice, and no peace. Life was unbearable for all, which brought the king to tears. But it was not always this way. Once, the land was green and happy, and all that lived there were joyous. It was a peaceful place, a wonderful place. This was Cartonia before the War. Then, the Vixen Queen broke everything and dragged everyone into a terrible war. A War that lasted eighteen years, one for each kingdom that once made up peaceful Cartonia.

King Bentley saw this suffering and saw the fall of the royal families across Cartonia. He asked his loyal servant, Hamish McRory, to help him hide the kings and queens of Cartonia and their children beyond the borders of Cartonia. Back then, there was nothing south of the Vixen Cliffs. The royals snuck into Vulpus right under the Vixen Queen’s nose and they blew up the Vulpus Dam, riding to freedom on a flood of their own making. They fled a land so gone into a land so free.”

Usa gaped, stunned. The Vulpus Dam was huge! How did they break it?

“After the royals left, the War soon ended. All the kingdoms fell, and even King Bentley was to die. But before Vulpus took him, Bentley told his servant, Hamish, that the royal heirs would return to Cartonia. He promised Hamish that they would return when all was dark and Cartonia was hopeless. He promised that the heirs would save us. They are coming back, love. Heirs to all the kingdoms, including Phantine. All this time, they haven’t forgotten us. They’re building an army and they are coming. Do you believe me?”

“Yes!” Usa cried out, eyes wide.

“Good,” Mama said, squeezing her hand. “This story has spread all over the world, and we all believe in the heirs and their destiny to save us. You may cry today, for you will be happy one day. This is all temporary, love. We won’t be sad forever.”

An image of Sababu’s bloody head flashed into Usa’s mind.

“I hate the foxes!” she yelled. “They’re evil!”

“Hush,” Papa warned, casting a cautious glance out the window.

“Not all foxes, love,” Mama said. “Hamish once met Matthew Palmer, a fox who helped the royals break the Dam. He fought for his entire life against the Vixen Queen. There are others who will do the same when the heirs return.”

“Foxes must align with us if we are to win against the Vixen Queen,” Papa added. “There is no other way but unity.”

“Thus the wisdom of Hamish’s tale,” Mama said, closing her eyes. “Remember this story, love. You will one day tell your own children.”

Usa did not sleep that night. She envisaged a world beyond Cartonia where the royal heirs lived and amassed their army. They were the heroes of Usa’s dreams, and she pled with them silently to return. She begged them to come now and rescue Cartonia from the evil Vixen Queen and the foxes loyal to her. More than anything she wanted a world like the one Mama described before the War. A place where children like Sababu wouldn’t be killed for stealing a piece of silver to feed her family.

And so Usa made her choice. She would not conform to the world that the Vixen Queens had built over the last three centuries. She would fight against it. The years progressed and the heirs never came back. That did not deter Usa.

With or without them, she would bring the tide of revolution.

—Antlerstag, Lyme, Cervidium—

—April 24, 1051—

—Present Day—

Macaw Kitt requested another meeting with Doctor and Bradley, but this time it was rejected by Doe Halley. Instead, the Doe invited all three for dinner in the banquet hall. It wasn’t an invitation so much as a command. Doctor and Bradley were anxious, unsure what horror the Doe was willing to inflict upon them, but they were hopeful that with the Macaw present there wouldn’t be any nastiness. The Doe seemed to be on some of her best behavior around Macaw Kitt.

Besides, Doctor was hungry. The food they were given was meager, but a dinner in the banquet hall? If the food wasn’t poisonous, he’d eat a lot.

They went downstairs under armed guard, which Doctor found humorous. What the heck were he and Bradley going to do? Run?

The Macaw had told them that the Free was going to save them, but that the Free was walking into a trap. That meant escape was unlikely, as ever. Doctor was resigned to wait until a better opportunity came. The Macaw clearly had the resources to break them free but was opting not to, probably at fear of upsetting the Vixen Queen.

Kitt was already seated with Doe Halley and the Doe Mother when Doctor and Bradley were let inside the banquet hall. The table was set for a magnificent feast. Macaw Kitt rose and smiled, but Halley crossed her arms and scowled.

“Here,” Kitt said, guiding Doctor and Bradley to chairs on opposite sides of the table. Halley was at one end, the Macaw at the other. Doctor sampled the food doled out onto his dish, waiting to see if poison gripped his stomach. When that feeling never came, he risked the lot and devoured as much as he could.

“Tonight,” Macaw Kitt said in the first bout of conversation, “I will be returning to the Psittacorum.”

Doctor stopped chewing. He thought the Macaw was staying for a bit longer. What was the reason for his sudden departure?

“Good,” the Doe Mother said. “I think that’s best.”

“Why?” Halley demanded. “Why are you leaving?”

“Urgent business has called me back to the Canopy. I’m afraid I must depart. I didn’t want to leave without saying a formal farewell to my gracious hosts and their kind guests.”

He smiled at Doctor and Bradley, who merely stared.

“Ah, that reminds me,” Kitt said serenely. “Might I also say goodbye to Mr. Oldman? Where is he?”

Doctor’s heart clenched. He slowly moved his head to look at Halley, who was gripping the tablecloth with ferocity.

“He’s *mine*,” she spat. Kitt was unfazed.

“Ah, never mind. I hope you’ll give him my well wishes.”

He turned to Doctor and Bradley in turn.

“I hope we will meet again the next time I return to Antlerstag, perhaps in the summertime? Yes, that sounds right. I will see you then.”

His gaze was heavy and direct, as if trying to communicate subconsciously. Was there some hidden message in his words?

The Macaw finished his meal and stood. He gave one final bow to the Doe before exiting, leaving Doctor to ponder whether the Macaw meant to warn the Toons to stay put or manipulate the Doe into thinking no such escape was happening. Doctor wasn’t sure, but he had a feeling that soon he would be forced to make a choice that make determine whether he lived or died.

—Toontown—

Commandant Hans Einfach was not in his office when Constance Miller arrived for her weekly meeting with him. The receptionist insisted she could wait in the office, but as five minutes bled to thirty, Constance got annoyed. Why was he late? Was he even coming at all? She stormed out to the receptionist.

“Where the hell is she?” she demanded of the fox, who sneered at her. Even she wore a military uniform. Everyone that came to Toontown were conquerers, not settlers. They were here to reshape and reform so that Toontown would eventually be habitable for foxes without the pesky Toons and their way of life to disturb them.

“He said to have you wait inside,” the receptionist scowled. “So wait.”

Constance rolled her eyes and went back inside. This had once been her office, as Mayor, but nothing remained of her. Hans expunged it all, as he would soon do with the rest of the time.

“*You are iconoclasts!*” Constance had screamed at him the night of the pogrom. There was never a more fitting word to describe them. Destroyers of beliefs and institutions, annihilators of the people.

“Constance.”

He was here, *finally*. He was pushing a cart. There was someone with him, a deer. One of the few deer who came down with the Armada.

“It’s rude to be late for a meeting,” Constance said. “I should have left.”

Hans ignored her.

“This is Nurse Louise. Sit.”

Constance was already seated, but he was speaking to Louise. She meandered into the chair next to Constance. She never regarded Constance, as if she was never there. What a bitch.

Something made a noise from the crate Hans pushed in. It sounded like something alive.

“What’s in there?” Constance asked, tipping her head toward it. Hans grinned.

“I’m so glad you asked. Your friend Kilo Byte has been arrested.”

Constance took a sharp inhale of breath. How did she not know that?

“For what?”

“Mhm,” Hans voiced, rolling his eyes. “You know why.”

*He must have been discovered*, she thought sadly. The Tooncog plan would not work without him.

Hans reached into the crate and removed a squirming infant. One of Kilo’s children. Her distinctive reddish fur was matted from being in the crate. The baby began crying. Hans held it away from him like a bomb.

“These three children are being taken into the ward of the state. Kilo’s fatherhood has been rescinded as he is clearly incapable of raising proper Vulpine citizens.”

“What about Hyla?” Constance seethed. “She’s their mother!”

Hans’s eyes flicked over to her.

“Oh, Hyla’s dead.”

Constance deflated. Sorrow flooded her.

“W-what?”

“Nurse Louise, will you please take the children?”

Constance forced herself to push the revelation of Hyla’s death to the side. She gripped the armrests of the chair for support.

“What are you doing with them? Why do you want those kids?”

“BioFreaks, Constance,” Hans replied at once. “We are going to turn them into BioFreaks. Are Toons biologically different from Cartonians? Will the experimentations enhance the powers? Nurse Louise will soon find out. Any successes will be presented to Queen Vella as a gift from the Toontown Colony.”

“They’re children. They’re *infants*,” Constance near-shouted. “You can’t harm them!”

Hans smirked.

“They’re *Toons*. Their lives do not matter. None of you do.”

Constance got up from her chair and backed toward the door. Her head was spinning. Did anyone else know of Kilo’s arrest? He had been quiet the past couple of days, but she had assumed he was engrossed in his work. The foxes found him, and now his children were threatened.

*And*, Hyla was dead.

“How did she die?” Constance asked from the doorway. Hans inclined his head at her.

“Burned at the stake. For treason.”

Constance pursed her lips, channeling all of her anger into her facial features.

“You’ll regret that,” she threatened, shaking. Hans shrugged.

“Dismissed.”

—Northern Vulpus—

—*Former Ursus*—

—Ten Years Ago—

“Watch your step.”

Usa Uhuru adjusted her face mask before descending into the pit. Her mentor in the Free was leading her blindly toward some hiding place. She wouldn’t say what they going to retrieve.

“What is this place, Johnna?” she asked, shining a torch against the dirt walls. This pit was in the midst of one of the most radioactive and barren Death Fields in Cartonia.

“It’s a trench,” Johnna whispered sadly. She too was shining a flashlight around, mostly at the ground. Her rabbit ears were drooped. “This is the trench where…”

She trailed off, then turned to Usa. “This is where they discovered the War Plague. Some believe it’s still here.”

Usa now understood the face masks and goggles they wore. The War Plague had resurfaced four times since the War, most recently in 1010. Each time it was deadly and mutated. They really should not be here.

“What are you showing me? Why haven’t you told me yet?”

“It’s a secret,” Johnna said. “The biggest secret. The cancer will get me soon, and then you’ll be a leader of the Free.”

She was very ill, though no one would know that. She was just as tough and ready as she’d ever been. Nonetheless, Johnna was dying. She would not live long enough to see the revolution she helped craft come to fruition.

“In here,” Johnna said, leading Usa into an old barrack. The place had been emptied out long ago, and termites destroyed much of the furniture and beams holding the structure up. Johnna knelt over the floorboards and pried one up. A box was within.

Panting, Johnna propped herself up against the wall. She pulled the box between her legs.

“Without looking,” she wheezed to Usa, “promise me you’ll keep this safe.”

Usa nodded.

“I promise.”

“Swear,” Johnna pressed. “Swear that you will never let this fall into the wrong hands.”

“What is it?” Usa asked. Johnna glared at her.

“I swear.”

Johnna cracked the lid, and for the first time Usa laid eyes upon the Harmony Crown.

“Matthew Palmer gave this crown to Hamish McRory centuries ago,” Johnna said. She descended into a coughing fit, then recovered. “Hamish McRory told one other about it, who placed their trust in another, and so on. *This* is the true duty of the leader of the Free. Generations have kept it safe, in whatever form that may be. It must be hidden, and must not be taken by the Vixen Queen.”

Usa stared.

“I don’t understand why it’s so important. You’re acting like the Vixen Queen could destroy us with it.”

“She can,” Johnna rasped. “It’s not a crown. Sure, you can put it on your head, but that’s not what it’s for.”

Usa knelt in front of the box.

“May I?”

“Please.”

Usa lifted the crown from its velvet cushion and held it up. It was dark in here, so she carried it outside the barrack to examine it in the light. The crown was made of solid gold with silver trim and diamond-studded peaks. Four towers came together to support a splendid golden orb ringed with rubies. Around the base were eighteen unique gemstones to represent the eighteen kingdoms of Cartonia. Only two existed now, plus the three principalities. All others were absorbed into Vulpus.

“Well?” Johnna said when Usa returned. “Did you see it?”

“See what?”

“Does it look…different to you?”

Usa went back outside and took a second look. It appeared to be a perfectly normal crown.

“Is this really *the* Harmony Crown?” Usa asked when she came back. “Or a knockoff?”

Johnna was insulted.

“It is the original!”

Usa gave it a third glance-over. This time, she did notice something.

“There’s something off about the gems.”

“Ah,” Johnna smiled. “There you go. The gems.”

“What’s different about them?”

Usa peered at them, but besides them seeming almost fake, she couldn’t place the discrepancy. Johnna reached over and tapped one.

“They’re hollow,” she said. “Or rather, they’ve been hollowed out. Matthew put something inside. A weapon that can stop the Vixen Queen.”

Usa was almost tempted to shake the crown. Thankfully, in hindsight, she did not.

“What weapon?” Usa asked.

Johnna beckoned to Usa, who leaned down. The old woman whispered in Usa’s ear, continuing the chain of susurrations that extended nearly 300 years.

—Toontown—

—Present Day—

After a long day fielding phone calls for the foxes in a never-ending series of compatibility tests for the new telephone network, Vidalia VaVoom perched herself on the ledge of the abandoned Sellbot Headquarters, gazing out at the sea. The crags that encircled Toontown were once a sign of protection, but they just looked like rocks now. Anybody could apparently get through, as the foxes had.

Heavy footsteps came up behind her, and Vidalia turned to see a frantic Constance Miller racing toward her. She nearly flew off the edge, and Vidalia jumped up to halt her pace.

“Constance! What’s wrong?”

“He has Kilo!” Constance cried. “He has his children!”

“Hans?” Vidalia dropped her voice. “When?”

“I don’t know,” Constance muttered, wringing her paws. “But Hans the triplets. He’s going to turn them into BioFreaks.”

Vidalia closed her eyes. The foxes pillaged their homes, slaughtered their neighbors, and now they were going to take their children.

“It’s time,” Constance said. “Kilo’s plan won’t work. So we have to act now.”

Vidalia shook her head quickly.

“Constance, dear, we can’t. We are not ready. The people…”

“The people must rise up *now*!” Constance urged. “We should have done it after the Night of Shattered Stone, or the pogrom. We’ve been complacent too long. We can’t wait for someone to rescue us. *Nobody is coming*! Hyla Sensitive is *dead!*”

Vidalia’s hooves flew to her mouth. If Hyla was dead…the others up north must be as well.

“Each of us will have to make a choice,” Constance said, her gaze settling on the horizon. “Accept our reality, whereby we all die. Or we fight them. Without a plan, without organization. We just rise up and do our worst. Whereby we may be successful. We *may* have a chance. That is our only hope.”

Vidalia looked over her shoulder to the tent villages set up in the marshes, hundreds of Toons displaced. They had spread the word of a coming rebellion, which had never been firm or final. Some would join them.

“We need some time,” Vidalia said. “We can’t rush. Maybe a few weeks--“

“No. This Saturday. April the thirtieth.”

Vidalia took a deep breath. In all likelihood, she would not survive their insurrection. By agreeing to the date, she was in essence agreeing to the date of her death.

“Okay, Constance. The thirtieth of April.”

—

Hans Einfach appeared in front of the bars of Kilo’s cell. The television set had been wheeled way, finally giving Kilo a respite from the eternal inferno of his wife’s execution.

“Fine,” Kilo muttered, broken. “I will go to Vista. But only on the condition that my children join me unharmed.”

Hans raised an eyebrow.

“We do not negotiate. You go alone.”

“No. No.”

Kilo averted his eyes, willing Hans to leave. He was not going to compromise. Hans stepped up to the bars.

“I would reconsider, if I were you. Your children are going to be converted into BioFreaks and gifted to the Vixen Queen. That is a fact. Whether they die upon arrival in Vulpus or live to meet Queen Vella will depend on your choice to stay in Toontown or depart for Vista.”

A moan escaped Kilo’s lips.

“Why are you doing this?”

Hans rolled his eyes.

“This isn’t a drama, Kilo. I am not the villain. I am the winner.”

He started to leave. Kilo tripped over himself trying to get to the bars.

“Wait, no! Wait! I’ll go! I’ll go!”

Hans smiled from the corridor. A victor’s smile.

“The next ship departs for Vista on the second of May. You and your children will be on it.”

Kilo slid to the floor, crying again.

—Antlerstag, Lyme, Cervidium—

—That Night—

A voice awoke Doctor. Someone was standing over his bed. He was about to cry out, when a hoof clamped down over his mouth.

“Shh,” the voice said again. “It’s time to go.”

Bradley was awake too, standing at the edge of the bed with wide eyes. He was shrugging on a jacket that Doctor had never seen before. It was black. The mystery person handed him one too.

“Put this on. You’ll hide in the dark.”

Doctor’s eyes adjusted. It was a Cervidian palace guard.

“Who are you?”

“Not important. I’m with the Free.”

Doctor scoffed.

“We’ve heard that before. I’ll need more than that before I go anywhere with you.”

Bradley sat down next to Doctor.

“He said Alice is alive. She’s with Piggy, Mickey, and Eileen. The others…they’re all dead.”

“Prove it,” Doctor stated. The deer’s shoulders slumped.

“I…I can’t. I’m…”

He sighed. “My job is to get you out of the palace. Someone is going to collect you and take you to Talonclaw Castle. That’s where everyone is hiding. Are you coming or not?”

“It’s a trap,” Doctor said, leaving the black jacket in his lap. “You’ve walked into a trap.”

“Doctor,” Bradley urged. “We can’t trust the Macaw. He’s leaving, and he’s leaving us here. He wants us to stay, but why should we do what the Macaw wants? I want to escape.”

So did Doctor, but he couldn’t be certain that this was a safe mode of doing so.

“How do you know you’re not being surveilled?”

The deer glanced over his shoulder.

“I’m good at staying hidden. I’m a BioFreak.”

Doctor’s eyebrows went up. Bradley folded his arms.

“What’s your power?” he asked. The deer looked away.

“I’m one of…the mutants, I guess. I…can turn out lights.”

Doctor stared.

“Cool?”

“I wasn’t meant to become a BioFreak. It was an accident, a byproduct of extensive exposure to the Aurora’s radiation. I can make lights dim mostly. It’s not useful at all. But if Vulpus found out…they’d put me in the pits.”

He swayed on his feet. “Can we go? The longer we wait…”

Bradley stood.

“I’m going.”

Doctor exhaled. He didn’t want to become separated from Bradley.

“What about Slate?”

“He’s locked up in the dungeons,” the deer sighed. “I can’t get to him. We’ll have to come back for him.”

Doctor shook his head.

“She’ll kill him if we leave him behind.”

“He’s already dead,” the deer snapped. “Good as. Blind me, can’t you realize that? All of you are days away from death. She’ll kill you any day now. This shouldn’t be a question! I’m going. Are you coming?”

He stormed over to the door, which he wrenched ajar. Bradley went over to him, and reluctantly Doctor followed, swinging the jacket around his shoulders.

The nameless deer took them on a circuitous route through the palace. Doctor couldn’t help but think of the first time they tried to escape when the Doe herself led her own captives on an ersatz tour of Antlerstag only to crush their spirits and erase their hope within the same hour. Doctor could only pray that this time the deer leading him was not going to betray him.

On the far side of the palace, the deer pushed open an already-cracked window.

“We have to climb down. It’s only a single story drop.”

Doctor leaned out the window. It was indeed not far. There was a stone column that was narrow enough for Doctor to hold onto. All three were soon on the pavement outside. As soon as Doctor’s paws hit the ground, adrenaline coursed through him. They were out!

The deer checked his watch.

“Four minutes until the others get here. I’ll wait until then.”

They were hidden in the shadows. Occasional lights drew near from palace patrol guards, but no one came close enough to spot them. Doctor and Bradley leaned against one another, patiently waiting.

“Let’s go,” the deer said. “They’ll be near the hedges.”

Checking carefully for watchful eyes, the three scurried into the massive hedge maze. It was a quiet night, and through the hedges Doctor saw no lights. Whoever was coming for them would have to know the hedges well in order to get out.

The deer snaked through the labyrinth with ease. But when he rounded a corner, he suddenly doubled back. He pushed Doctor and Bradley, causing both to fall. A light blinded Doctor’s face, and voices began to shout. Bradley was on his feet first, and hauled Doctor up. As he rose, dread dragged him back down.

Doe Halley was in the labyrinth. She was flanked by an army of guards.

*The Macaw was right*, Doctor thought. This was a trap!

“Get them,” she commanded.

Doctor turned and ran, aimlessly sprinting back through the maze. Bradley was at his side, panting and gasping for air. Once again, they were running for their lives.

And both their lucks ran out when they came up to a dead end, and the guards caught them. Strong arms pinned Doctor’s paws together, and he was dragged back through the maze. He and Bradley emerged on Antlerstag’s main avenue. Their unnamed deer leader was on his knees before the Doe. She was smiling from ear-to-ear.

“I knew it,” she said, beaming. “I knew it! My spies heard the whispers of the Free, and I just knew the two of you would try something again. Mother always says that the past is the best predictor of the future.”

She came up to Doctor and Bradley. Both were being held down by the guards. Doctor thought his arms were going to pulled out of their sockets. Halley pinched his nose.

“I wanted to kill you both the day you arrived here. Vella won’t let me, but she promised that I could kill you if you ever tried to escape again. Thank you!”

Doctor’s lip quivered. She had set the trap. To kill them.

She rounded on the deer who helped them.

“Hold him still,” she ordered the guards. They held him firm as Doe circled him.

“*Tsk tsk*, Cawton. A traitor in the guard…”

She unsheathed a knife from her belt, and then she split him from neck to sternum. Doctor gagged involuntarily, and turned his head. One of the guards forced it back, but Doctor closed his eyes to avoid the sight.

“Take the Toons to the throne room. I’ll call Vella at once. She said as long as I do it publicly—“

“The Macaw knew!” Bradley shouted. Doctor elbowed him. What was he doing! “The Macaw knew it was a trap! He tried to warn us! He—“

“The Macaw’s loyalties are as clear as mud,” Halley scowled.

“Your Majesty,” one of the guards holding Doctor said, “shouldn’t we wait until the morning to contact the Vixen Queen? It is late.”

Halley groaned.

“No! I want to kill them now!”

The guard gently said,

“Majesty. You must obey her.”

Doe Halley rolled her eyes. She threw her bloody dagger onto the ground, and stormed away.

“Throw them in the dungeons!” she shrieked back.

—The Rook of Vulpus, Vista, Vulpus—

—April 25, 1051—

—The Next Morning—

Vella gripped the tabletop as the video feed connected to Macaw Kitt in Psittancyna. He had just returned to his own country from Antlerstag, where he had apparently helped the Toons there try to escape. He had at least warned them that their rescue by the Free was known by the Cervidian and foxes.

The escape did not surprise her. The Free would of course try to spring the Toons from their prison. The fact that the Cervidians caught the attempt before it happened was not surprising either, nor was Halley’s obnoxious glee as a result.

The Macaw being involved was bothersome. Vella had long feared his loyalties. Mother was just as skeptical. He never seemed to commit to anything, and played the role of carefree bachelor jumping around the continent making friends and merriment. How Psittancyna was governed at all was a mystery to Vella. Besides wearing the crown, what official duties did he actually carry out?

The Toons alleged that the Macaw had warned them of the Free’s impending rescue. Nonetheless, they tried to escape anyway. Clearly they didn’t trust him either.

The video feed connected. Skulksmarshall Rook James, who set up the call, stepped out of frame. Vella stared down Kitt Psint-Annenburg-Volta-Antillea, the Macaw of Psittancyna.

“You helped them escape,” she accused. Kitt raised his eyebrows.

“Good morning to you too, Empress.”

“Why did you do it?”

Kitt put on a confused face.

“I’m afraid I do not understand. Why did I do…what?”

Vella rolled her eyes demonstratively.

“Cut the bullshit, Kitt! Halley told me how buddy-buddy you got with the Toons. Are you with the Free rebels? Or do you wish to protect your country?”

Kitt appeared insulted.

“Majesty!” he cried. “I am shocked by your insinuation. But of course you must remember that we do not have the Free parasite in the Psittacorum. That issue rests solely with Vulpus and Cervidium.”

It was a veiled attack. The Free were not resisting Psittancynesian rule.

“You have made a grave error, Kitt. You have crossed your own line of ambiguous loyalties. Need I remind you that your principality’s status is tenuous and can be revoked at any time by the Empire of Vulpus.”

Kitt’s lip twitched.

“If you want the Psittacorum, come and take it.”

Vella looked over at Rook, incredulous. He was emotionlessly watching the television. Something was up with him, but Vella could not figure out what. Jewellia was unsuccessful in determining anything either. It was almost as if out of nowhere there was some sort of shift in his behavior. Jewellia’s best theory was that he had suddenly become ill, but none of the palace doctors reported any visits from him.

“Careful who you threaten,” Vella seethed. “Only one of our nations is in possession of the Horizon Bomb.”

Kitt’s eyes widened, but he composed himself quickly.

“Of course, Majesty, I deny all the accusations you have against me. I would never assist the Free. The Toons are untrustworthy. You said I was ‘buddy-buddy’ with them, but I was merely curious about them. They are actively plotting your downfall. There is no safer place for them than Antlerstag.”

Vella sneered.

“Not for much longer.”

She disconnected the call. Rook went to shut off the camera.

“You can let the Doe know,” Vella said to him,” that she has my permission to kill them. The public executions we had arranged are just not going to have the desired effect. There’s no need to drag this out. The three of them can die, on or off camera.”

“Sure,” Rook said. He made a note. That distracted look crossed his face.

“Rook, I’m getting real tired of your glum charade. Are you going to tell me what the hell is going on or are you going to sulk until the end of time?”

Rook met her gaze. He searched her for an answer to some question.

“Why did you send me there?” he asked finally. Vella gaped.

“To Toontown? You volunteered!”

Rook continued to stare.

“What I saw—“

“If you’re upset about the *Chipper*, get over it! They were just Toons!”

He didn’t say anything else, though his stare lingered, so Vella gathered her notes and left the room.

## Production

### Continuity and Story Arcs

Hamish’s story has been alluded to multiple times, the earliest being the season 3 finale “Into the Fire.” Cale Metfin mentioned it on *The Imperial Conqueror* in “Aurora,” and it was also referenced in “Epilogue.” A version of the story was told to a young Usa Uhuru in this episode’s flashback.

In the past, Usa was bequeathed the Harmony Crown by her mentor. On that day, she learned its secret, which still remains untold to readers.

The Ursine trenches in which the War Plague was discovered in "Remnants of the People" was featured, now extremely toxic and abandoned due to the belief that the mutated War Plague still festers there.

## Trivia

* The title of this episode comes from the song "Hymn" by Van Canto: "From the earth and over valleys green / From the north **into a land so free**."
	+ The line was quoted by Usa's mother when she was sharing Hamish's story: "They fled a land so gone **into a land so free**."
* Sababu Kwanini is Swahli for “the reason why,” as in the reason why Usa joined the Free.
* Usa’s mother’s version of Hamish’s story is not entirely factual, as the tale had been passed on through so many generations.
* Nurse Louise is named after Louise Fletcher, the actress who played Nurse Ratched. Her role was originally to be a little bit larger but was cut.
* The War Plague recently resurfaced in 1010, an indirect reference to 2020, the year the COVID-19 Pandemic was declared.
* Johnna, Usa's mentor, is named after John Adams, a renowned American revolutionary.