Chapter Fourteen:
Holding the Sun
Open
on Anthem from a distance. Show the
morning light hitting the hills of Anthem.
The buildings gleam. The sky is
clear and the sea steady. A few ships
bob in the water, and some are tethered to the pier. Seagulls dance high on the wind.
Cut
to the narrow streets of Anthem. They
are mostly empty and edged by tall buildings with numerous windows. The buildings block the sun, casting deep
shadows in the street.
Show
a few people waking up and stretching as they step out of their homes.
Show
the cathedral exterior from the front.
The area behind the archway is dark inside. The sun is hitting the pillars and making
them glow.
Cut
to the cathedral interior. The light is
spilling in through the side-arches. The
pillars cast long shadows across the hall.
The pews are empty, and the palanquin sits stoically in the back of the
room behind a podium. The stained glass
behind it burns with light. Zara is
standing beside the palanquin.
Show
Zara more closely. She is wearing a
travel cloak and has the hood up. The
curtain is pulled back, and she is gazing inside.
Show
the palanquin interior with Zara’s upper-body inside. Aria is inside staring blankly ahead. Her veil has been refastened.
Zara: “See, I told you I would be
back. An Estein always keeps their
promises, my mother used to say.”
Zara
pulls her hood back.
Zara: “Do you remember me? I’m
Zara. We spoke just yesterday.”
Zara
climbs inside and sits cross-legged.
Zara: “Okay, so, I’ve been thinking,
and I know that this is a part of this town’s culture and all, but it still
seems so cruel, whatever the reason, and you don’t seem too happy about it
either. In fact, you seem altogether
terrified. Beyond that, there’s
something wrong with mutilating girls like you, so, I’ve decided to help. So, if you would like, I want to help you
escape. So…”
Zara
holds out her hand.
Zara: “What do you say? Do you want
to come with me?”
Show
them sitting in the palanquin. Zara has
her hand extended, and Aria continues to stare emptily.
Zara
leans forward and takes Aria’s hand.
Zara: “Well, I’ll take that as a
yes. At the very least, we’ll get you
out and about. I’ll introduce you to
Elsea and Mary, and maybe we can all go together to find Glenn, Zelos, and
Dawn. Then, we can just leave, and you
can leave with us.”
Zara
pauses and looks at the veil.
Zara: “And Elsea is the best healer
there is. If anyone can fix what they’ve
done to you, she can. I promise. So, come along.”
Show
the cathedral interior from the entrance.
Show the palanquin at the far end of the hall. One of the curtains is lifted.
Zara
steps out.
Zara
helps Aria down from the palanquin.
Zara: And, after we’re all reunited,
we can travel together somewhere safe, somewhere far away from this place, and
we can figure out what to do next. We’ll
be going back to Silvara, someday. If
you like, you’re welcome to come along.
I’m sure we can…”
Zara
stops and stares ahead.
Zara: “Uh oh.”
Show
the cathedral entrance from behind Zara.
At the front stands President Thaddeus and a collection of Anthem soldiers. All of the soldiers have bows drawn.
Thaddeus: “I knew you would be
trouble.”
Zara: “You can’t hurt me. I’m your guest.”
Thaddeus: “Perhaps, but you’ve been
a very poor guest, haven’t you, stealing my property.”
Zara: “Property? This girl isn’t
property, she’s a person!”
Thaddeus: “She’s a vessel, and she’s
integral to the safety of not only this nation, but of the world.”
Zara
scowls.
Zara: “I never should have come
here.”
Thaddeus: “Listen well, girl, I
welcomed you only because of the dealings I had with your father, but you’ve
crossed the line. Let her go, now, or I
will have you killed.”
Zara: “And if you do that, then you
will have to explain it to Elsea and Mary, the two strongest magicians the
world have ever known. So, I’m calling
your bluff.”
Thaddeus: “They frighten me
considerably less than the monster inside of that girl. Now, once more, let her go immediately.”
President
Thaddeus raises his hand.
The
archers line up their shots.
Show
Zara holding Aria’s hand.
She
looks back at Aria, and then she releases her hand.
Show
President Thaddeus smile.
Thaddeus: “There’s a good girl. Guards.”
The
Anthem soldiers surround Zara and take her by the wrists.
Zara: “Where are you taking me?”
Thaddeus: “To prison. You’re right about one thing, I don’t want
those two on me. I’ll dispose of you
later, perhaps in a method more fitting than simple execution.”
Zara
screams until the soldiers gag her.
Show
Zara being dragged away through the cathedral entrance.
Show
Aria standing with President Thaddeus at her side.
Cut
to the Anthem mansion exterior. Show the
open front gate. Birds are resting on
it. Flowers bloom around the entry way.
Show
the stairs leading up the mansion from the outside. Windows on the mansion walls gleam in the
sunlight. A balcony is above, just out
of view.
Cut
to the mansion interior, inside of a guest room. Show Elsea, Mary, and Glenn all standing over
a bed. Zelos is in the bed with a blanket
pulled up around his waist and a wet rag on his forehead. His face is flushed and his eyes are closed.
Mary: “My oh my! I am glad, don’t you misunderstand, but I am
also quite surprised that you found him at all.
The odds were, as you know, not in your favor.”
Glenn: “Honestly, I’m surprised,
too. How is he, Elsea?”
Elsea: “His fever is strong, but he
is breathing, so that’s good. And…”
Mary: “Ah! So you, too, have felt the unmistakable, I
take it.”
Elsea
nods.
Glenn
looks between them.
Glenn: “Uh, felt what?”
Mary: “The little pumpkin is
practically oozing magical energy. I do
fear what has happened to him in my absence, and I fear even more what might
come out of him.”
Mary
looks around the room.
Mary: “Mayhap we should move his
care outside, where there is more open space and less things…”
Beat.
Mary: “Flammable.”
Glenn: “Mary.”
Mary: “A simple suggestion, sir
knight.”
Glenn: “Will he be okay?”
Elsea: “I will do my best.”
Glenn
nods.
Mary: “Yes, of course, sir knight,
the good Lady Elsea’s healing hands are quite spectacular. Truth told, I’ve never met someone so adept
at the art than herself, and I’ve met quite a few people in my long life. What we should focus our worry on is the
young princess. It seems that in Zelos’
absence she has taken it upon herself to stir up trouble, because the peace
would just be too much to suffer through, of course.”
Elsea: “What do you mean?”
Mary: “Well, good lady, and I ask
you understand and show me that characteristic mercy of yours, for I fear I
have told you a lie. Or, rather, I have
omitted the truth, but a lie is still a lie, I suppose, regardless of its
fashion. The princess swore me to the
strictest secrecy, you see, a vow I would carry to my grave, or at least to the
point of inconvenience, and now that the prince is here, I fear it has grown
ever so cumbersome.”
Elsea: “Please, Miss Mary, just tell
me.”
Mary: “It seems that our dear
princess has taken keen interest in the young lady what represents this city’s
faith. A dangerous interest, if my
memory should serve me.”
Elsea: “Oh no! Where is she now?”
Mary: “The cathedral, I
imagine. She left early this morn, just
after the sun rose.”
Glenn
sighs.
Glenn: “Great. You two, take care of him. I’ll go find her.”
Mary: “Good man, sir knight, always
there for a damsel in need!”
Glenn
grunts as he leaves.
Cut
to the Fionan forests. Show Dawn pacing
back and forth under the canopy. She has
her hands on her hips. Her hair is a
mess, and she has bags under her eyes.
Show
Diando a short distance away. He is
under another canopy with a group of men.
They are coordinating an attack.
A map is laid out on a box in the middle of them and has crude drawings
on it. There is a circle drawn on a port
city near Black Well.
Show
Niva lying on her back and staring up at the sky.
Show
the sky. The moon and stars are
out. Clouds are moving slowly into view.
Show
Dawn pacing again. Remi approaches her
from outside of the canopy.
Remi: “You should rest.”
Dawn
stops to look at Remi.
She
laughs.
Dawn: “Easier said than done.”
Remi: “Easily done with how hard
you’ve been working.”
Dawn: “I wish.”
They
settle on a stump together. Dawn is
hunched over and rubbing her hands together.
She stares at the ground.
Remi
rubs her back.
Remi: “Would you like to talk about
it?”
Dawn: “Nothing to talk about. I’m just nervous, like everyone else is.”
Remi: “I suppose. I do wish there was a way to convince you
against this, princess.”
Dawn: “I told you already, there’s
no turning back.”
Remi: “It will kill you.”
Dawn: “I’m already dead.”
Remi: “No, no you’re not. The nation still needs you, Dawn. You’re all…”
Dawn: “They have Zara.”
Remi: “Yes, but…”
Dawn: “My mind is made up.”
Remi: “Of course it is.”
Remi
hangs his head and sighs.
Remi: “And do you think we can stop
it?”
Dawn
shrugs.
Dawn: “I think we can try, and I
think we’ll make ourselves known, or at least remembered.”
Remi: “Just a paragraph in a Fionan
history book? Doesn’t sound very good to
me.”
Dawn: “Then we’ll just have to make
it a whole chapter.”
They
look at each other and laugh.
Remi: “Then you can tell me the
truth, at least.”
Dawn: “The truth is I’m scared,
Remi. I’ve lost so much already, and I’m
getting ready to lose more. People are
going to die, and I know that’s war, but…”
Dawn
looks out at the forest.
Show
soldiers talking or sleeping.
Show
Diando drinking with his men.
Show
Niva lying on her back with her arms folded under her head. She is wagging her foot.
Dawn: “I just don’t know if the
price will be worth the results.”
Remi: “We can always turn back. It’s not too late.”
Dawn: “No, it is. There’s no turning back, not after all of
this.”
Remi: “Princess, don’t let your
vanity get everyone killed.”
Dawn: “It’s not vanity, Remi. Zara is in Anthem. We have to protect her.”
Remi
sighs again.
Remi: “Then, if that’s the case,
we’ll just have to sink that ship.”
Dawn: “Yup.”
Beat.
Dawn: “Easier said than done, huh?”
Remi: “This time, princess, I fear
you may be right.”
Cut
to the Anthem mansion interior, to Zelos’ guest room. Zelos is lying in bed with a blanket pulled
up to his shoulders. He has a rag on his
head. Elsea sits beside him.
Show
them from a side angle. The window is
open beside them and a breeze moves the curtains. Elsea looks exhausted.
Show
Elsea nodding off.
She
jerks awake.
She
wipes her eyes.
She
looks over Zelos and takes the rag.
She
rinses it in a water basin.
She
replaces it on his head.
Cut
to black.
Open
on Elsea in her chair again. She has her
hands on her lap and her head down, and she is sleeping.
Zoom
in on Elsea’s sleeping face.
Show
Zelos sleeping. Water runs down his
head. He is breathing heavily.
Cut
to a foggy altar overgrown with vines.
The altar is circular and has twelve tiles cut around it in a
pattern. It has a circular wedge in the
center. Each tile has a different design
on them, corresponding to the zodiac.
There is a stag to the north, a fox to the north-east, a moth just below
that, a worm to the far east, a phoenix just below that, an owl to the
south-east, a wolf to the south, a lion to the south-west, a swan just above
that, a roc to the far west, a whale just above that, and a serpent to the
north-west. In the circular, center tile
is a dragon. Elsea stands on the dragon
tile. The area is bright with color.
She
looks around and stumbles around. Her
cloak drags across the ground.
She
stops when she sees a shadowed figure standing on the phoenix tile.
The
figure turns. It is Zelos, and both of
his eyes are gleaming with golden light.
Zelos
smiles at her.
Elsea
looks frightened and runs away.
At
the far end of the altar she reaches the edge and nearly falls over.
Show
an image of her looking over at the vast darkness below. Countless stars stretch out in the darkness,
some larger than others. Beyond them is
the world.
Elsea
turns.
Show
Zelos in a travel cloak with the hood up.
The cloak is red and orange and writhes like fire. His golden eyes gleam out of it like beacons
in the darkness of his hood. Every other
feature is dark.
Elsea: “Who are you? What are you?”
Zelos
stumbles forward. Each step leaves a
smoking foot print.
Zelos
is hunched over and shaking.
He
throws his head back and laughs, and flames roar out of his hood and illuminate
the altar.
Elsea
screams.
The
screen goes black.
Zelos, off-screen: “Soon, soon he
will burn until nothing is left. Then,
you will all burn. Everything will burn.”
Elsea
screams against the black screen.
Mary, off-screen: “Good lady Elsea,
are you well?”
Open
on Elsea in her chair. She is wide-eyed
and sweating. Her arms are still crossed. Zelos is sleeping quietly in front of her,
and Mary is kneeled down beside his bed.
She is looking at Elsea.
Elsea
turns to her.
Elsea: “Miss Mary.”
Elsea
adjusts herself in her seat and wipes her forehead.
Elsea: “I apologize, I must have…”
Mary: “You fell asleep, is all,
dear, no harm in that. I must ask,
though, were you dreaming? You were making an awful ruckus.”
Elsea: “I did.”
Mary: “And what, might I ask, had
you so fitful?”
Elsea: “I’m not sure.”
Elsea
looks at Zelos.
Show
Zelos sleeping.
Elsea: “Fire, I think.”
Mary: “Yes, dreams are often hazy
things, ephemeral in their nature. Full
of texture in the moment, but entirely without meaning after. Still, they have value, don’t you think?”
Elsea: “I—I suppose.”
Mary: “Now then, you’ve been with
him quite long enough. Go, take your
leave, and find proper sleep in a proper bed.”
Elsea: “N-No, I’m fine, I can…”
Mary: “Please, dear, I must
insist. Should events choose to
transpire in the night, as I fear they might, we will need you well-rested,
wouldn’t you think? I shouldn’t want
another limp body what to carry around on my shoulders as we make our daring
escape and all.”
Elsea
sighs and nods.
She
stands and goes to the door.
Elsea: “Good night, Miss Mary, and
to the prince, as well.”
Mary: “Thank you, dear, and I shall
be certain to pass your wishes along to the prince once he wakes.”
Elsea
pauses.
Elsea
leaves.
Mary
stands beside Zelos’ bed and looks at him.
Mary: “Whether he will appreciate
the sentiment, however, depends on the temperament of our fiery little guest,
though.”
Mary
settles in the chair and watches Zelos.
Mary: “Take your time, if you wish,
old thing. I’ve the same eternity to
wait, if you insist upon the waiting.”
