The Unnamed Story: The Four Thrones, Chapter Eleven: "Assignation of Guilt"

Chapter Eleven: Assignation of Guilt

Open on the Black Castle exterior on the night of the gala.  The sky is dark, the party goers are stumbling about in the cold, singing merrily.

Show the Black Castle interior richly decorated, the party hall sparkling as nobles mingle with one another.

Show Kratos dancing with his son on his feet, his wife watching in amusement.

Show five thrones empty.

Show the interior of Zelos’ room, Zelos on his back, sweating and panting, one eye glowing, Glenn watches over him from beside the bed.

Show the interior of the King’s room, the wall where the ornamental swords are hung on the wall, one of the swords missing.

Show the King staggering back, one of the ornamental blades buried in his stomach.  He is holding the blade, trying to pull it from his stomach, the blade cutting his hands.  Zara is holding the hilt, blood soiling her gloves.

The King falls onto his back, coughing fitfully as Zara stands over him, dress soaked with blood, a faint purple glow to her eyes.

The room goes quiet.

Zara comes to, the glow fading from her eyes.  Tears come to her eyes.

Zara shrieks.

Zara: "M-My Lord...King...Sir...What have I....?"

Zara kneels beside the king, staring at her shaking hands, tears running down her cheeks.

Zara: "No! No, no, no!"

Zara pulls the blade from the King’s stomach.

Zara tries to staunch the wound with her hands.  Blood bubbles up between her fingers while she cries.  The King has gone pale, his eyes glassy as he stares at the ceiling.

Zara: "No. No!  This cannot—Someone!  Someone, come and help, the king...!"

 

Elsea bursts through the door and Zara looks back at her.

Elsea settles beside Zara, who turns to her, falling into her embrace.

Zara: "Elsea!  Help, quickly, the king—He’s..."

 

Elsea checks the King while Zara watches, crying beside her.

Elsea: "The king is dead."

 

Zara: "What? No.  No! That can't be!"

 

Elsea: "Princess, what happened?"

 

Zara: "I—I don't...We were...."

 

Elsea grabs Zara by the shoulders and stares her in the eyes.

Élsea: "Please, princess, you need to calm down.  Take a deep breath, and then tell me what happened."

 

Zara closes her eyes and breathes deeply while Elsea squeezes her shoulders.

Zara opens her eyes, sniffling.

Zara: "We spoke with Metis...And then I came here...And I—I'm not so sure what happened, but I think I..."

Zara looks at the King’s corpse beside her.

Zara resumes crying while Elsea comforts her.

 

Elsea: "Please, come with me."

Elsea stands.

 

Zara: "But the king..."

 

Elsea: "He’s already dead, m'lady, and there is nothing I can do to fix that."

 

Zara: "But..."

 

Elsea: "We must leave quickly!  I understand your confusion, but whatever happened here cannot be solved by us being caught in so compromising a situation."

 

Metis, off-screen: "And yet you were caught!"

Elsea, standing, and Zara, kneeling, look toward the door to find Metis there.  Metis watches them with a smug smile on his face.

Metis: "So, you came tonight only to assassinate our king, a man who has wanted only peace with your nation.  Disgusting filth!"

 

Zara: "No, it's not what you think!"

 

Metis: "What I think is unimportant, princess, because before me stands all the proof I need."

Metis extends his hand toward them.  There is a faint glow of purple magic around his fingers.

Metis: "Come, turn yourself in."

 

Zara’s eyes glow again.

Zara staggers forward while Elsea takes her hand.

Show the hallway, a flash of sky-blue light filling the hall as Metis is hurled against a wall.

Elsea leads Zara from the room, dragging her down the hall while Metis groans.

Metis sits up, smiling, as they disappear down the hall.

Fade to black.

 

-The Four Thrones-

 

Cut to darkness lit only by a faint golden light at the center of the screen.

Show Zelos on his back, his left eye glowing, surrounded by rubble his body is coated in dirt.  He is whole, save for a few superficial cuts across his limbs and cheeks.  Zara is at rest beside him, her arm on his chest.  She is largely unharmed.

Zara stirs, her fingers curling as Zelos winces.

Zara sits up, rubbing dust from her eyes while Zelos groans.

Zara and Zelos make eye contact.

 

Zara: "Zelos?"

 

Zelos: "Yes?"

 

Zara: "What in the world am I doing on top of you?”

 

Zelos: "Honestly, I’m trying to figure that out myself.  Could you move?”

 

Zara: "Right, sorry."

Zara and Zelos stand, Zelos stretching while Zara knocks the dust from her cloak.  They are surrounded by rubble.  Deep fissures in the walls show where the stones have collapsed together.  A makeshift cavern has formed around them.

Zara and Zelos look up.

Show a thin passageway leading further in, far too narrow and steep for an escape.

Show them staring up at the ceiling again.

Zara: "Where are we, exactly?"

 

Zelos: "Not sure.  The creatures attacked and then..."

 

Zara looks around while Zelos continues to stare at the hole in the ceiling.

Zara: "Where are the others?"

 

Zelos: "Not here."

 

Zara: "Obviously!  Do you think they're dead?"

 

Zelos: "They've got Mary and Elsea with them.  If you and I survived, then they're fine."

 

Zara: "Right, they're fine. Though, it does raise the question..."

Zara runs her fingers along the jagged rocks while Zelos watches her.

Zara recoils as she cuts her finger on the rocks.

Zara: "Ow!”

Zara sticks her finger in her mouth and sucks the wound.

Zara: “How exactly did we survive?"

 

Zelos: "I'm trying not to think about it too much.  Consider it a miracle and leave it alone."

 

Zara: "Fine."

Beat.

Zara: "Is that your..."

 

Zelos: "My eye?  It appears so."

 

Zara: "And so you can see in the dark."

 

Zelos: "As if it were day."

 

Zara: "Well, are either of us injured?"

 

Zelos: "Don't worry.  Not even falling rocks could do anything to make your face look any worse."

 

Zara: "Really, Zelos? This isn't the time!"

 

Zelos: "We'll be fine.  Glenn and the others are probably looking for us as we speak."

 

Zara: "If only all of us were simple enough to remain optimistic in impossible circumstances."

 

Zelos: "I like to think of it as my gift."

 

Zara: "Don't you take anything seriously?"

 

Zelos: "I take a lot of things seriously, but if this situation is as impossible as you say, then what's the point in worrying?  Should I just curl up and cry to myself until I die?"

 

Zara: "I'd prefer that over your thoughtless rambling!”

 

Zelos: "Rambling?  By the gods!  I can't believe father intended to have us marry!"

 

Zara looks at Zelos in surprise while he stares at another wall with his hands on his hips.

Zara: "He...?"

 

Zelos: "You didn't know?"

 

Zara: "I hadn't even imagined, considering how much we...Well, you know..."

 

Zelos: "Hate each other."

 

Zara: "I was trying to be polite."

 

Zelos: "Why start now?"

 

Zara: "And why did your father want us to marry?"

 

Zelos scoffs.

Zelos: "He favored you, thought you were a sweet girl with a good head on your shoulders.  Said you would have a sobering effect on me, kept saying how my head was in the clouds, 'but that girl, she would bring him back down to earth or else bring the earth up to meet him!'"

Zelos pauses.

Zelos: "He said we balanced each other.  Just a bunch of nonsense."

 

Zara: "So, he meant to put US on the throne?"

 

Zelos: "So it would seem."

Zara goes silent and watches Zelos survey the cavern.

Zelos tries to get footing on the rocks.
Zelos slips, cutting his hand in the process.

Zelos: "Just as I thought.  Looks like we'll just have to wait."

Zara sniffles off screen while Zelos regards the rocks.

Zelos turns to face her and finds her back to him.

Zelos: "What's with you?  Are you that scared?"

 

Zara wipes her eyes while Zelos approaches.

Zara: "It's nothing!"

 

Zelos: "Oh, come off it, it's obviously something, otherwise you wouldn't be crying.  Even you're not that crazy.  At least, I didn't think you were."

 

Zara scoots closer to the wall.

Zara: "I don't want to talk about it."

 

Zelos sighs.

Zelos: "Listen, I'm sorry.  I should have kept my big mouth shut.  I mean, this entire situation must be difficult for you, too, but I promise you, no matter what, I won't let them blame you for his death.  We'll figure out who’s framing you, and we'll bring them to justice.  I mean it."

Zara bursts into loud wails.

Zelos rushes to her side.

Zelos: "Come on, don't...Why are you crying?"

Zelos kneels beside Zara, reaching toward her with his bloody hand, and he pauses.

Zelos takes her shoulder with his clean hand and directs her toward him.

Zelos: "It's alright.  So, you don't have to..."

 

Zara: "But it was me!"

 

Zelos: "What?"

 

Zara: "It was me, Zelos.  It was me!"

 

Zelos: "You said that already, but what was you?"

 

Zara: "Are you really this dense?  It was me!  I killed your father!  I killed the king!"

 

Hold on an image of Zelos staring wide-eyed at Zara, who is still crying.

Zelos laughs.

Zelos: "Yeah, real funny."

Zelos recoils from her while she continues to cry.

Zelos: "You didn't. You wouldn't.  Why are you saying this?"

 

Zara: "I didn't mean to.  I don't know why—I was just...It wasn't ME, but it was my body.  It was like I was watching myself, my body, moving, speaking on its own.  It wasn't my thoughts or actions.  I tried so hard to stop, to scream, to warn him, but—But when I finally got control, he was bleeding. Everywhere. I tried to put pressure on the wound, to keep him...But he died. Right there, right in front of me."

 

Zelos stumbles away from the sobbing form of Zara, staring at her in horror.

Zelos: "You did—You did what!"

 

Zara looks up from her wet, bloody palms, tears streaking down her dirty face.

Zara: "I am so sorry!  I promise, I never meant...I would never have..."

Zara hides behind her hands and continues to cry while Zelos falls to sitting and stares at her in silence.

 

-The Four Thrones-

 

Cut to Elsea, Glenn, and Mary sitting inside of their own cavern.  Red magic burns across Mary’s hands.  The runes across her body glow, illuminating the cavern that has formed around them.  Elsea kneels beside Glenn, examining his shirtless body.

Elsea stands and smiles.

 

Elsea: "You look fine."

 

Glenn stands, slipping his shirt back on as he does.

Glenn: "Thanks.  Now what?"

 

Mary: "We make our escape, of course."

 

Glenn: "You make it sound so easy."

 

Mary: "It is easy.  We're trapped beneath the earth, so all we need to do is move the earth.  Why, you're here with two top tier magicians, sir knight.  We'll have these rocks cleared before you can even give me one of your signature disapproving glares."

Glenn regards her with his arms crossed.

Mary: "Fine, mayhap that is a bit of an exaggeration, but we'll make quick work of it, mark my words.  Lady Elsea, if you would assist."

 

Elsea: "Yes."

 

Mary: "Good.  Now, just keep the stones above from collapsing in on us.  While you do, I'll remove the bits before us so that we may tunnel our way out."

 

Elsea: "Alright."

 

Elsea draws sky blue runes in the air while Mary conjures magic from her flesh.

A sky blue barrier forms, illuminating the cavern walls and casting light through the fissures.  Red light forms around stones which Mary then picks away from the rubble.

Mary creates a small incision in the rubble that is just wide and tall enough for them to pass through.  Glenn follows her as rubble is dislodged around him.

Elsea follows at the rear into the tunnel.

 

Mary: "What I would do for a moment with my staff."

 

Glenn: "Why?"

 

Elsea: "Staves and wands can act as magical focal points.  While it’s not impossible for magicians to perform spells without one, it is more difficult to cast precisely."

 

Mary: "And precision is paramount in a situation such as ours. One wrong twist and I fear I shall send the tunnel crumbling down around us, crushing any that do not possess the gift of magic."

 

Elsea leans forward, smiling, and whispers to Glenn over his shoulder.

Elsea: "She's kidding."

 

Glenn: "Right."

 

Mary: "Now then, we have time to ourselves with the children away.  Why not indulge in a little adult conversation?"

 

Glenn: "About?"

 

Mary: "Well, you and I have had many, many private conversations, alone, in the shadows, yet we've never thought to include the pretty, young Lady Elsea in our nocturnal affairs."

 

Elsea blushes.

Elsea: "I am quite fine with that, thank you."

 

Glenn: "She's being facetious."

 

Mary: "I am being no such thing, sir knight!  Why, all I am doing is speaking of our periodic discussions about the state of our great nation, Fiona, and the goings and comings of certain figures of considerable political and social clout.  Anything else is simply imagined on your part and speaks more to your character than to mine, thank you!"

 

Glenn: "So, Elsea, thoughts?"

 

Elsea: "On what, exactly?"

 

Mary: "The current situation, as in, possibilities of war between the two nations, identity of the true murderer."

Mary glances back while removing a large boulder, crumbling it with a series of deep cuts into the stone as she dislodges it.

Mary: "Mayhap you could shed some light on events that transpired on the night of the gala.  The princess—sweet and gentle as she is—was covered head-to-toe in blood, and while I wouldn't consider her a regicide outright, I will go so far as to assert that was royal blood what soiled her gown."

 

Elsea: "How did you know?"

 

Glenn: "Mary is familiar with royal blood."

 

Mary: "Oh, you do go on at times."

Mary’s tunnel forms a gentle curve up while Glenn and Elsea follow.  Glenn uses the rock wall for balance.

Mary: "Lady Elsea, please do tell the happenings of that night."

 

Elsea: "I don't really know much myself.  The princess went off with the king.  When I found them the act was already done."

 

Mary: "The act being?"

 

Elsea: "It seems that she…had run the king through with a blade."

 

Glenn and Mary make eye contact over Mary’s shoulder, Glenn looking concerned while Mary is amused.  Elsea is watching her feet as they walk.

Glenn: "Go on."

 

Elsea: "After that we ran."

 

Glenn: "Nothing else?"

 

Elsea pauses.

Elsea: "Metis had stopped us at the door.  He told the princess to turn herself in."

 

Mary: "And how did you manage to solve that mess?"

 

Elsea, looking embarrassed, blushes.

Elsea: "I threw him into a wall..."

 

Glenn grins while Mary laughs.

Mary: "Highly effective!  Now then, Lady Elsea, I have a question that may seem strange to you: how was Metis behaving?"

 

Elsea: "How do you mean?"

 

Mary: "I had hoped to ask in a manner that would not lead your answer, but did he seem at all surprised to find you?  Or was there not an appearance of a job well-done written upon his features?"

 

Elsea stops suddenly behind them as rubble dusts the floor.

Elsea: "You don't mean..."

 

Glenn: "There's no proof."

 

Mary: "Maybe not, but there is evidence enough, and the theory certainly fits."

 

Glenn: "What would he gain?”

 

Mary: "Metis is a schemer.  He was as a child and is as an adult.  With him everything is like a game of chess.  He makes moves that seem without sound logic, but his end game will make them relevant, of that I am certain."

 

Elsea: "But how would he..."

 

Mary: "Have controlled the princess?  Metis is skilled both in magic and rhetoric.  That he would be able to manipulate the princess is not impossible.  Why, I've always said that words do possess great power.  Quill mightier than the sword and all that."

 

Elsea: "Manipulate, possibly, but what occurred was more like puppetry.  No words have that sort of power."

 

Mary shrugs.

Mary: "Then the alternative: the princess is a cold-hearted murderer and bears the king's death squarely on her sleek, yet attractive shoulders.  Tell me, in this dark hour, which seems the most like story?"

 

Elsea looks between Glenn and Mary.  All three have stopped in the haphazard tunnel.

Elsea sighs.

Elsea: "So, Metis is behind this, then?"

 

Mary: "Seems most like, considered those who were issued blame."

 

Elsea: "Why would Metis blame his own brother, though?"

 

Mary: "Metis was never fond of Zelos.  Always saw him as something of an outsider."

 

Glenn: "It's more than that."

 

Mary: "Oh, and what have you been hiding from me, sir knight?"

 

Glenn: "What you said earlier: Metis is a schemer and if this is his plot, then it's working toward some invisible end, right?"

 

Mary: "Yes, yes, now you're just being redundant."

 

Glenn: "What if that end is Silvara?"

 

Elsea: "Then that is even more mystifying. Why take by force what he was already being offered?"

 

Glenn: "He was offered nothing.”

 

Mary: "He aims to take both thrones with one move."

 

Glenn: "Maybe."

 

Elsea: "That still lacks sense.  He murdered his father, made his brother a traitor, and the princess a murderer, and for what?  A throne better taken through proper appeals?  Silvara was already on its way to becoming a Fionan colony.  He simply complicated things."

 

Glenn: "Agreed, and that's why this is just conjecture.  All we can do is theorize at this point."

 

Mary: "Which we've done more than enough of for the day.  Lady Elsea, Sir Knight, I do believe we have a duo of tortured nobles what need rescuing."

 

Mary turns, adjusting stone, with Glenn and Elsea following, the tunnel they have formed crumbling just beyond the reach of Elsea’s magic.

Chapter End.