Dawn of the 14th day, the Southern Hills
Ser Perilake, The Gilded Knight
Once more, Heldris is changed, Perilake thinks. Once more my brother's nature is twisted towards the beast. How much will remain, this time? Will Annegrit recognise her father when he returns, or will all that emerges from the Kingdom be twisted shadows of the souls that passed? His eyes are drawn to the narrowed face of his son and his heart is heavy as he contemplates what awaits, even in seeming victory. Will Inga.... he thinks, and he must trust that she will. She will. But heavier still it grows as Heldris reveals the price that must be paid for the portal to open; the life of the Fox Knight. "Sir Milos..." Perilake murmurs. "I.... I did not know. This Winter King's bargains are bitter." He shakes his head. Zoltan spits. "We act as his eyes, and he claims his prize twofold." He mutters angrily. "A kingdom and a brother's life delivered for less aid than the peasants of Bohat. "Aye. A miserly ally, and a greedy one." Perilake laughs despairingly.
Sir Milos, the Fox Knight
Milos stands in silence for a moment, taking in the concerned and confused faces of his comrades. He opens his hands in a gesture of apology "We needed a way into this realm. I was... already compromised. It made sense to make the bargain." A bitterly cold wind swirls the snow around his feet as if in response to his words. He sighs and looks steadily into the eyes of his fellow knights. "Dear friends, I am on a path with the White King that started long before this journey to free Avert and will continue after it. I will do what I must to liberate you all. You cannot jeopardize yourselves on my account." He turns to Ashling and beckons him aside from the others. We walk a short distance away to stand beside a leafless tree. "So here we are. As we approach the gate, the White King will manifest to claim his prize before opening the way. It is time to realize our exchange. The name, for passage back to Barowia."
Sir Anastaz, The Salt Knight
The Salt Knight grows solemn as the minutes pass since Heldris's return. The goldfalx acquired in this realm is plunged into the earth, and he leans slightly against it. "I fear the hermit may not arrive before the Hunt.
Referee
Ashling has folded his arms tightly against his chest while snow is falling slowly all around you, leaving crystals in his hair. His lips are dark red from the wine you drank together and they are parched and taut. He looks at you warily with tired eyes. “How can I trust you to keep your promise?” he croaks. “You are willing to betray your master, who is to say you won't betray your enemy?”
Sir Milos, the Fox Knight
The Fox Knight opens his hands before him. “We may not be friends, but I would hope that you are not my enemy, Ashling.” He ponders the ivory ring, still on his finger, and rubs it with his thumb. “And if the King is my master, it is not a matter of oath or fealty, but one of brute domination. Whatever our link was before, he has reduced it to only that now. If I set aside my yoke, that is no betrayal in my mind.” A shadow of grief passes over Milos’ features briefly before he composes himself again. “A bargain is always a gamble and you must choose whether to enter this one. Without the name in hand, I cannot fulfill my part. Even with it, I may fall, but my comrades are sworn to take you through to the other world if the gate opens. I think a knight’s oath still carries some weight in this realm.” Milos pauses a moment and cocks his head to one side. “But before you make your choice, I have a question for you: if you have the King’s true name, why have you never used this knowledge to aid your Lord in his war against Winter?
 |
| The Southern Hills |
Referee
The sorcerer looks around as if to confirm that nobody listens but in truth he searches to find a bolder to sit on. He brushes away the snow, slumps down and looks up at you, exhausted and haggard. “I trust the word of a knight even one that is so well versed in deceit.” He lets out a mirthless laugh. “And now it seems too late to doubt you … A true name is valuable only to those who know how to use it or who are desperate enough to wield its power anyway. Coredis wears his name proudly because he fears no one, the King however … “ he looks down at his hands grabbing one with the other to stop them from shaking. “... is old and weak. When I was learning my trade from Perunja … when I found his name in her scrolls ... I learned that you need to play your cards at the right moment. She knows his name and never used it, because she waits for an opportunity, … to aid the Elf or ... .” He is quiet for a while. “I am not from Barowia, I believe” he finally says ”I remember ... I remember” He closes his eyes and there is wistful smile “ an endless steppe and ...” he shakes his head and looks up again into your mismatched eyes. “And I will be free to go where I please, yes?”
Heldris, Osier picks up the falconer's glove that slipped from your arm. “It must be so beautiful to fly. Are you not afraid to become a falcon in the end?” He hands it back to you and whispers ”Or do you long for it?”
Sir Heldris the Dove Knight
The Dove Knight tilts his head to look at the young man. “A wolf, a dove, a falcon. I'll be what I need to be, in order to protect my friends.”
Referee
Osier nods and whispers “I'm the same Dove Knight, I am willing to lose a little to win a lot.” He looks over to his father who is standing with his old squire and he adds quietly. “If it come to a confrontation with the King, I won't hold back!”
Sir Milos, the Fox Knight
Milos drops to one knee in the snow to face the wizard. "I think you are remembering the steppes of Waldochia, a land not far from our own. If we make it through, you will be free to return there."
Referee
When you mention the Realm of the nomads to the east Ashling stares dead ahead and there is no recognition in his eyes. Then he leans forward and writes a name in the snow and when he is sure you have read it erases it with his boot. Etzel
Ser Perilake, The Gilded Knight
"I fear you are right." Perilake thinks of the old hermit, and looks to Avert, talking with Heldris. He thinks of his promise to Inga, and feels the familiar pain of duty divided. He draws Reznik, and sights down the keen edge of the blade, and stills his thoughts. Lowering the blade, he nods and speaks quietly to Salt and Dove - and to his son. "We made a promise. We will keep it."
Sir Milos, the Fox Knight
Milos stares at the name written in the snow and speaks it carefully into the silence of his mind. A veil lifts and where there was confusion and uncertainty, sudden clarity blooms. A multitude of images of Etzel coalesce like brilliant facets of a larger geometry, the sun shining through an intricate snowflake, revealing a seemingly endless multiplicity within a greater order. The Fox Knight’s breath catches as his mind attempts to expand to take in the grandeur of what is revealed. The march of countless ages. After what seems like an eternity, Ashling’s boot wipes the name from the snow and Milos finally exhales. His hand reaches out to steady himself against the nearby tree. And when he looks up again, his red eye has transformed yet again, now a brilliant silvery grey. “I see” he says in a hoarse whisper.
Referee
Then the snowflakes freeze where they are, puffy cotton balls that you could pluck from the air and Ashling stares unblinkingly and doesn't move. The wind brings a smell of rain and musky earth and a whispered promise of intimacy. There is a path between the hills, free of snow and strewn with yellowed leaves. Trees line the path, leaning inward and their entangled branches form a roof of red and gold first and in the grove a dome. You hear leaves crunching under your boots as you approach. The light filters through the canopy and throws long shadows over the imposing figure sitting on a throne of roots. You remember seeing the sacred red ribbons that adorn the oak for the first time and the wonder you felt then. Your lord gestures with his many ringed hand at a fur coat that he has spread on the foliage before his feet. “Please, Milos, sit down.” His voice is deep and warm and there is a playfulness you haven't heard from him in a long while. There are new streaks of grey in his beard but his hair is still dark and straight and he wears a crown of blackened iron that twists into thorned branches around his brow.
 |
| The Hidden Grove |
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
The Fox Knight
approaches the throne in silence and settles down cross-legged onto
the furs. He looks up into the canopy of red and gold, and a soft
sigh comes from his lips. “So we have come full circle then, to
the place we first met. The memory of it is bittersweet.” Then
he lets his gaze fall upon the Lord of the Hidden Grove and his grey
eye perceives hidden depths within the folds of his robes. “In
the past, I have only known your masks and your titles and your
dreams. Now I see you more clearly than ever before, and you are
indeed a marvel, my Lord.” A soft breeze stirs the Fox's
once-again coppery hair. It blows through the leaves of the oak and a
single golden leaf drifts slowly down to land in Milos’
outstretched hand. “What do you see when you look at me, I
wonder?”
Referee
You feel his gaze upon
you and over the wind you hear his calm breathing that stretches the
regal kaftan over his chest. It is the colour of moss and pleasure
and intricate geometric patterns are stitched along the lapels and
cuffs, weathered and fraying slightly. In his belt is a sharp dagger,
forged from bog iron and made to open veins. “My lover, my slave …
“ he murmurs as if in regret. “You lost your innocence, Milos,
and there is a new cunning look in your eyes. I don't see the same
young man that came to me before. Instead I see a fox ready to play
... “ he hesitates “... but not willing to serve.” He offers
his hand and among amber and emerald there is an ivory ring and he is
turning his wrist until the ring faces upward. ”And yet, serve you
must!”
You see Ashling
emerging from the hills and staggering towards you. He slumps down at
the campfire that struggles against the intensifying snowfall “The
King took Milos!” he croaks “I don't think we can help … but we
can look out for a path that opens to the human Realm” Osier is
rummaging through his knapsack. “What if it won't? Do you think we
can … force it open?”
Sir Anastaz, The
Salt Knight
Anastaz regards
Ashling with a hard stare. "Show me where he was taken."
Referee
“Ah I see, the
legendary Elfbane ...” Ashling sneers “ … trying to solve
problems by hitting people with his mace again.” He rubs his eyes
in exasperation and murmurs to himself “I have only myself to blame
… and now I am stuck with these … “He gestures at the direction
he came from. “It is called the Hidden Grove for a reason, you
know? Do you think the King will allow you to just bumble in? “
Osier is sitting next to the sorcerer, chewing on a piece of bread.
“They can't find the grove." He breaks the bread and hands a
piece to Ashling. "But you and me: We could maybe force our way
in … if we combine our powers.” He gives his father a cautious
glance.
Ser Perilake, The
Gilded Knight
Perilake looks at
Avert, pride and sorrow and fear mingling in his features. "They
say the more you use these powers, the more you will forget. Your
mother waits for you. I... fear you will forget her love. You will
not feel it." He sighs, and draws Reznik once more. "But
though the power we wield may differ greatly, there is always a price
for it. I am not the boy I was before I killed a man who tried to
steal from Sir Cyrion, and he was not the last." "We wield
our strength where we must, to honour what matters. To protect. And
we take the scars, the pain, and we forget when the world was
simpler...." He looks down at the sword, then back at Avert,
smiling. "I am proud you would do so, to save Sir Milos."
"And I would be pleased at a chance to address the King and his
poor service to our bargain, indeed." His eyes narrow at
Ashling. "Yet Milos told us this one knows the King's true
name, and he promised it to Milos. Did you give it to him? Will that
not let him break his own chains? Does it not give you some power
here, oh mighty wizard?"
Referee
“I did and it might
give the Fox Knight a way … “He shakes his head in disbelief. “I
have bet my life on it. “Ashling stares back at you with his cold
elfin eyes. “And for what? I could have stayed in the Halls of the
Elf, being served the finest delicacies, surrounded by slaves willing
to … And yet, here I am, sitting in the snow and chewing dry bread
like a peasant … .” “Hate me all you want Knight, I pray as
much as you that Milos will find a way to open the portal … one way
or the other.” Osier gets up an eager glint in his eyes and he says
something in an elfin tongue to Ashling and the sorcerer shrugs. “I
have already forgotten all, I have nothing to lose …” Ashling
gets up and leads you to the bolder he sat on and you find some
leaves in the snow and no path. Osier draws his thorned wand.
Sir Anastaz, The
Salt Knight
As the others talk, the Salt Knight paces, clutching and
unclutching the grip of his sword.
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
In one fluid movement, Milos rises to stand and
faces his Lord squarely. “Yes, I am no longer a naive young
man, nor you my magnanimous patron. And I am also not a cunning
trickster trying to outmaneuver a callous tyrant. Nor would I be a
slave, and to be my slave keeper is far beneath your dignity. Enough
of these charades Etzel!” His voice rings out clearly through
the grove and the oaks hush in response. All is perfect stillness for
a moment. “True names are not stumbled upon or bargained for,
they find their own way to moments that will realize their nature.”
The Fox Knight looks at the Fae Lord and gestures broadly around
him. “Open your eyes and behold the truth before you, see the
true state of your realm. The humans are nearly eradicated. Memory
has become repetition. Winter has become stasis. Every turning of
this endless cycle of war with Coredis leaves this world one step
closer to death and ruin, hollowed out of all soul.” He drops
his hands in surrender and despair. “My Lord, you have
forgotten why you chose me. Why you invited me into your most sacred
of sanctums. Why you brought a human heart to the center of winter.
Part of you remembers a time when human and fae prospered together.
It can be again as it was then.” Milos approaches the throne and
with tenderness says: “You do not seek my death, but my life.”
His hands dig into his pockets and toss out a shower of rowan
berries to the left and right of the rooted throne. The berries
spring to life as they hit the ground and rowan saplings begin to
reach for the sky all around, growing with unnatural
vigor.
“Something long awaited can come to pass. We can
bring fertility back to a land where humans no longer grow.” He
dares to take the Lord’s still outstretched hand and the ivory
rings touch. “I would stay with you, willingly. I would serve,
not from compulsion or fear, but from love.
Our union could truly
renew the land. Remember what is possible! Remember yourself, Etzel.”
Referee
The King lets you touch
him and he doesn't move while a strange spring grows around him and
he doesn't speak when you kiss him and only later when you lie on the
fur he draws his dagger and he cuts you both and red ribbons fall
from the branches like streams of blood and he says: “You condemn
me to death, Milos, to become mortal ... but I am willing to live
another life and to grow old for the last time. The Kingdom will heal
and the seasons return to the eternal wheel and humans might come to
the Realm again freely. But I foresee a time of great unrest and a
schism between the Rusalki. I am tired of their intrigue and I will
not allow them to revel in wickedness … and yet, I cannot command
their hearts.” “Come let us say farewell to your brothers.”
Snowfall turns to rain
and the hills extend to the horizon in perfectly symmetrical waves
and covered in flowers, red and implausibly bright. The lord and his
prince step before you like actors emerging from the backcloth of a
stage and now there is a path to another Realm winding between the
hills. On the horizon you see the warriors of the hunt rein in their
horses and some kneel and others follow Stribog back to his brugh. A
single rider on an old mare aproaches slowly.
Sir Anastaz, The
Salt Knight
Anastaz stops pacing
as the Winter King returns. He regards the vulpine prince curiously,
like a stranger. As Batu approaches, he steps out in full view of the
Hunt and offers his hand to help the old man down. "Come,
grandfather. Let's get you home."
Referee
The blind man steadies
himself against the Salt Knight but turns around when he hears Sivka
collapsing onto the ground foaming at her mouth and covered in sweat.
He turns around shakily and with the help of Anastaz puts his arms
around the mare and whispers into her ear.
Ser Perilake, The
Gilded Knight
Perilake kneels
beside Sivka and Batu, and places his hand upon her heaving chest.
"You have done all that was asked. A finer gift was never given
than an honest friend." He whispers. "Thank you."
Referee
Batu strokes her mane
with his callous hands and Sivka whinnies softly in response but
fails to raise her head and then her breathing slows and stops and
the old hermit buries his face into her neck.
Osier is eyeing the
King with awe who is kneeling before his legendary warhorse placing
his massive palm on her back. Gentle rain is falling on all, lord and
hermit and knights while in the background Ashling is slinking away
on the path to Barowia.
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
Milos turns to see
Ashling starting down the road and he whispers "Wizard!"
Somehow the wind carries his voice to the old man's ears and he
turns with eyes wide. "Remember, what has happened here..."
Milos makes a sweeping gesture with his hand "...can
happen there as well." and he points to Ashling's chest.
Then he squeezes
Etzel’s hand and releases it slowly, their fingers lingering
briefly together. Then he steps across the damp grass toward his
comrades. There is a new ease in his gait as if some burden long
carried has been lifted. In his footsteps, tiny red flowers bloom.
“Dear brothers, I am… changed.” But for the mismatched eyes,
he seems the same Fox they all knew with his cooper hair shining in
the sun of the Thrice Ninth Kingdom for the first time. And yet.
“I cannot return with you all to Barowia.” He glances at the
Salt Knight and tears spring to his eyes. He takes a breath and
steadies himself. “I have willingly tied my fate to this realm
and will abide here from now on. A long-awaited healing is possible
and the land quickens in response.” He looks down at Sivka’s
corpse, already surrounded by tall grass and red blooms. “The
way is open and will remain so for those with eyes to see it. In
time, the realm will yearn for the return of humanity and there will
be those who hear its call.” He steps forward with an
outstretched hand to the Gilded Knight. “It has been an honor
to serve at your side, noble Perilake. May the reunion of your family
be a joyful one.”
Ser Perilake, The
Gilded Knight
Perilake clasps the
outstretched hand. "You walk a strange path Milos. But you
walk it well, and I am proud to have ridden alongside you... and my
family will forever be in your debt." His eyes are full of
love, though they show just a glimmer of the worry inside as he
thinks of Inga. He steps back, and his former squire steps forward.
Zoltan searches the fox knights face with a look of awe and no small
amount of sorrow, before gruffly extending his own hand and mumbling
a goodbye and an oath that he will return to the thrice ninth kingdom
if its new prince needs aid.
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
A mischievous
sparkle lights Milos' eyes and he winks at Zoltan. "Stay
warm, Pigeon Knight!"
Sir
Heldris the Dove Knight
The Dove Knight
wings quiver nervously as he raises his hands in reply, but the words
die on his lips, as he realises this isn't a discussion, but a
farewell. “Sir Milos…” Heldris' eyes recover their human
quality as they wet themselves with tears, and he takes a step
forward. “Will you remember our bond? If you won't find
happiness in this realm reborn, I'll know it, and the King will have
to answer to me!” He hugs the Fox Knight tightly, and leans to
his ear, “Be kind with our brother…” he whispers,
“he's going to miss you more than he dares to admit, it's not going
to be easy...” he frees his friend from the hug, and looks at
him one last time wiping the tears from his eyes, but rejoicing for
the Spring he brings to his new kingdom.
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
Milos looks into his
brother's eyes. "Our bond cannot be broken and I will
cherish it always." Then he digs his hands into his pockets
and pulls out the last three rowan berries that remain there. He
presses them into Heldris' palm. "If you ever feel you have
lost your way to the beast, may this token of my love help you return
to yourself." Tears run down his cheeks as he turns to face
the most difficult farewell of all.
Sir Anastaz, The Salt Knight
The Salt Knight
kneels at Milos's feet and kisses his ivory ring. "My
Prince...," his voice falters.
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
As the kiss ends,
Milos turns his hand to cup Anastaz’s face, and he sinks to his
knees as well. “I would not be your Prince. I would have wanted
so much more. But our time was too short.” His hand begins to
shake as his body is racked with quiet sobs. He leans his head
forward to rest on the Salt Knight’s shoulder and the sobs
gradually slow. “I love you Anastaz. Leaving you is the
cruelest part of this strange fate I have been given.”
Sir Anastaz, The Salt
Knight
Anastaz embraces the
other Knight. "You have accepted a burden greater than I
could have shouldered, and done more for the Realm than I could have
imagined. I'm proud of you." And in a whisper only Milos can
hear, he says, "My heart will be with you always."
After some time spent entangled, he rises to his feet, looking
stoic as always. But Milos feels a wetness in the hair by his ear.
Sir Milos, the Fox
Knight
Milos rises as well,
takes a deep breath, and returns to Etzel's side. They take one
another's hands again as the gentle rain continues falling across the
now verdant hills.
 |
| The Southern Hills |
Referee
The knights offer Batu
a hand but he shakes his head. “I had been scared when I decided to
flee but I cannot betray my kin.” He looks up in the direction of
the lord that he can't see and his voice is thin and brittle.”
There are many human slaves in your palace, my King” says the
hermit still kneeling beside Sivka” … in the Brughs and in the
Halls of Desire. When they are freed, they need to unlearn their
chains, they need to heal for the realm to heal. They will need the
guidance of the hawk.”
And when the knights say their farewell and
follow the path between the symmetric hills Batu stays behind in The
Thrice-Ninth Kingdom.
