01x04 - The River

[bunniefuu]

The festival's a few days' walk.

Kofun. We're going to see the world.

Behold! We have brought witches to burn.

The Witchfinder has missed us,
but his message has traveled.

Where's Kofun?

Help! Haniwa!

- Kofun has written a message.
- How do you know those words?

It's knowledge from the box, Mama.

We opened it.
We have learned to read and write.

And we read all the books he left behind.

Your boy!

A message.

It will flow downstream
through a dozen different valleys.

News from the Sun Grave, Your Majesty.

It's not over.

Chet-chet!

Chet-chet-chet!

They have come for the witches at last!

Before we came here,

we had a chance to give the witches up,

but they enchanted you all.

Now is your moment to repent.

Let us rid ourselves of them!

They are the ones to blame
for the danger we are facing today,

and they must answer for it!

Everyone knows

To the river...

that you have been our true enemy
this whole time!

Hold them! Don't let them go!

Do not let them leave!

We will use them
as a bargain for our lives.

I have him! I have him!

Stand back!
The witch has me by the throat!

We have to leave now.

Get them to the river. To the river.

- Let the devils pass!
- Arca!

We'll be rid of them soon enough!

Matal!

Go.

Go with them. Live.

I love you.

Matal.

What is she doing?

Bow?

I'm coming with you.

Come with me! Follow!

Kofun.

You have no use for me.

Let me go.

He deserves to die.

No.

No.

If I were a devil for real,
I would take great pleasure.

But we're not that kind of tribe.

I am Tamacti Jun.

Witchfinder General for Queen Kane
and the Holy Guardians of the Payan.

At last, Witchfinder,
you have come to save us.

On your knees.

What?

All of you.

For your lives...

give up the children of Jerlamarel.

We Alkenny are good people.

Quiet people.

Please...

Witchfinder, please.

The witches are gone.

Until proven otherwise...

you're all witches.

Holy Guardian!

This is Gether Bax!

The witches, they've run!

Follow me!

Wait. It's a dead end.

No, my boy. This is where we descend.

Look.

Dad.

You did this? Alone?

Anything Jerlamarel can do,
I can do, only bigger.

What is it? What's below us?

Freedom, Mama.

Dad built a boat.

Son.

When did you do this?

When I could.

You'd be surprised
how much you can accomplish

before your eyes even get open
in the morning.

Why?

Like you,
I hoped this day would never come.

But you prepared for it?

Yes, I did. And because of it,
we will live to see tomorrow.

The ones that fled...

was one of them a builder?

Yes. Yes, a very skilled one.

Cross.

- Dad.
- I know. I can hear them.

Give me my sword.

They are ahead. Both sides.

We travel silently.

I have been looking for you...

for a lifetime.

I was there when you were born.

I heard your first cries.

And ever since, I have devoted my life
to finding you again.

I have laid waste to so many lives
to reach you.

And now...

what next?

Nearby, there's a village
filled with your kinsmen

all on their knees
begging for my forgiveness.

Perhaps you can purchase it for them.

Speak.

Let me hear the sound of your voices

for the first time
since they were newborn wails.

Announce yourselves.

And let me escort you to meet your queen.

Do it...

and the village lives.

No?

Help!

No!

- Baba!
- Maghra.

Wait, Mama.

No!

Mom!

Go!

Arca!

What lies downriver?

Can we pursue?

I've been run through.

What lies ahead?

Perhaps you can be saved.

Open waters, deep water.

They'll move quickly.

You will not be able to catch them.

Help me.

There. That should save you some time.

Return to the village. k*ll them all.

Herald.

Message for Queen Kane.

The witches have escaped.

Tamacti Jun sends news.

Did he locate the witches?

Yes. But, for the moment,
they escaped him.

They escaped him again?

- How?
- He doesn't say.

So we must guess,

or invent for ourselves.

Lady An,

when the God Flame burns our skin,
do you blame God or yourself?

Neither one, my queen.

I blame my maid for not shading me.

Gods are not blamed.
No one is blaming you.

But perhaps this news means
Tamacti Jun should return home.

No.

But to undertake such a journey,
Tamacti Jun will need more soldiers.

Majesty, please...

Send more. Send all of them.

These are fathers and mothers,

husbands and wives,

daughters and sons.

Their families have suffered
their absences.

They are tired of this...
fruitless crusade.

It's beyond their understanding.

The holy machines are groaning too,
Your Majesty.

The gods themselves
do not understand this.

But you understand
what the gods are saying?

Yes! They are saying "enough!" Enough!

There...

in our ancient constitution.

"And the monarch
shall rule the parliament,"

"and the monarch shall rule until death."

I'm not feeling unwell.

Majesty,
here is what the people of Payan say.

As you f*ck them like prayer mats.

Plainly, simply, you have
chased the witches for a generation.

Yet none has been found.

You have sacrificed our army,

emptied our treasure houses.

Still there is no proof of evil power.

Just...

a man you once loved
who ran away from you.

They say we are a nation
governed by a broken heart.

A message from Jerlamarel.

A message to present to the children
once they were ready to leave us behind.

It is a message for eyes.

More surprises from Jerlamarel?

I gave him my word.

I would present it no sooner
than when they were ready for it.

It's the last of my messages from him.

Last of my promises to him.

Are we sure?

Yes, we are.

Go ahead.

"My dear children..."

the river is the beginning.

The first step of your long journey
back to me.

Follow the river to the lavender.

"The great lavender road."

The lavender road is real.

"Then follow the lavender road
to the House of Enlightenment."

There, I will build a new kingdom.

A bright shining light
in a world of darkness.

And one day, you will come to me
and know what I know.

"And carry this knowledge forward
to the darkest corners of the earth."

- "Those with eyes to see must follow me."
- "...see must follow me."

So, what? We just follow the river?
For how long?

He'll leave us signs.

- We'll make it.
- Will we?

What other choice do we have?

We have a choice.

Listen to me.

Look at me.

The longer the journey,

the more profound its challenges,

the more it changes all who endure it.

A journey like this one...

Those of us who could survive it,

I fear, would emerge on the other end
of it unrecognizable to each other.

What kind of answers
will the House of Enlightenment provide

to any of us
if we no longer recognize ourselves?

I will abide to whatever our vote decides,
but you must hear this.

We have a choice to live as we are.

We can gain some distance
on the Witchfinder,

who most certainly continues his pursuit
as we speak.

And we can move far away
from anywhere he might track us...

and live our lives simply, and quietly,

and together.

Mama, I don't know that I can ever know
who I really am

until I know where I came from.

And I can't know that
until I know Jerlamarel.

And you?

I don't think I'm meant to be someone
who hides from the world.

I don't think I want to be someone
who ignores the truth

because I'm afraid of what it might mean.

I see.

Shall we take the vote?

All those in favor of leaving the river
and finding shelter.

Chet-chet.

Chet-chet.

All those in favor of following the trail
of Jerlamarel.

- Chet-chet.
- Chet-chet.

Chet-chet.

There's still one vote left to be cast.

- No.
- We are one tribe, Haniwa.

We are one tribe.

We.

The ones who have been in this together
from the beginning.

I agree with Paris.

Right now we are all that remain
of the Alkenny,

and Bow Lion shares that connection.

The Alkenny were willing to hand us over
to the Witchfinder

in order to save themselves.

They did what they did.

But they also taught you, they fed you,

they loved you, and befriended you.

They uprooted their lives to save yours.

And the very first chance they got,
they betrayed us all.

There are six of us on this boat,
and everyone will be heard.

No.

She has absolutely nothing to do
with this.

Haniwa.

I vote to follow the river.

I vote with Haniwa and Kofun.

Arca, Matal, my mother...

We've sacrificed too much to stop now.

Then we have decided.

General!

Report.

Good news, General.

We believe the terrain ahead
is treacherous but may be passable.

The column needn't be camped for more
than a half day while we scout it out.

No one's stopping
until either we're all dead

or we find the children of Jerlamarel.
Understood?

- Understood.
- Good.

So move!

Then it must be done to k*ll the queen.

A god?

Who here still believes that?

What we believe is not important.

Many of the people of the lower walls
still believe it.

- If we deposed...
- Deposed their god, they would rise up.

- We have soldiers.
- So few.

Then we must not be the ones
to depose her.

If even we fear to do it,
who else possibly would?

To k*ll a god, one must enlist a god.

Her death must involve no struggle,
no blood, no w*apon.

No evidence of human hand whatsoever.

And then the people from the lower wall

will hear that their queen was struck down
by divine intervention.

And they will say, "This is justice."

I'm too merciful.

We could pray.

I pray only for the truth.

What do you hear?

There are new whispers about you.

Who whispers? Lady An? Lord Dune?

Yes, and others.

Give me names.

All of them, my queen.

- Why did you do that?
- Do what?

You have no reason to go
where we're going.

If you voted against us,
you wouldn't have to.

They're gone.

Everyone's gone.

Where else am I gonna go?

Still. Still you chose the harder path.

The more dangerous one. But why?

I don't know you and your sister
very well.

Not like I knew the others in the village.

Because we were the only ones
you couldn't spy on.

I know you're a shadow.

I may not know all your secrets...

but your sister's anger
has never been a secret to anyone.

I voted that way because...

I don't know what difference it makes,
and I'm done fighting for today.

She isn't angry.

I mean, she isn't angry with you.

Look, this is just a lot for her,
and she's trying her best.

And sometimes that comes out as anger.

Isn't it hard for you too?

Thank you for trying to speak to me.

I'd like to be alone now.

Hey, do you need help?

Yes. I made these.

- To give to Bow.
- Okay.

For you and Haniwa.

We need to stop for the night.

She needs to rest by a fire.

Yes.

Are you all right?

She's never spoken to me that way before.

Argued with me, yes.

Defied me many times, but...

this was just something so different.

If the vote had been a tie
and I'd broken that tie against her,

I honestly don't know
what she would have done.

We told them to hide who they were
their whole lives.

Told them it wasn't safe
for anyone to know.

We never really knew
who they were supposed to be.

How could they?

Maybe the further up this river we go...

the freer they'll be to find out.

Your Majesty?
Your handmaiden delivered my invitation?

Indeed, she did, Lady An. Indeed, she did.

Your Majesty, welcome.

The smell of sex
and the sound of songbirds.

The divine combination.

And as I told you in my invitation,

I have a special pleasure in store
for you.

Everyone not invited, leave now.

A new song. A new bird.

You will be the first to hear it
inside the palace walls.

And who will stay to share my delight?

It is I, Your Majesty.

With your permission.

Of course, Lord Dune. I know it'd be you.

We think the strange new bird
has been blown off course by a storm.

My net man heard it singing
in the apple trees and managed to trap it.

Well, then that man will be rewarded.

As will you, Lady An.
And you, Lord Dune, for thinking of me.

And here is our new guest.

I don't hear a song.

I'm told this particular bird
only sings when you take it in your hand.

Yours will be the first hand to hold it.

Well...

then open the door of the cage, Lord Dune.

Birds usually tremble among people.
I don't hear it tremble.

Perhaps it's not afraid.

And I am not afraid.

You see, my whole entire parliament
agreeing to my death,

this whole rotten city wanting me to die.

I've decided I won't die for this city.
This city will die for me.

You can go first.

Okay.

We've traveled a good distance.

As long as we keep moving by daybreak,
we should be fine.

One of us should stay awake through
the night to keep watch and tend the fire.

Sit with me.

Mama...

Tell me.
What do you imagine it will be like?

What will what be like?

"There, I'll build my kingdom," he says.

We're all gonna risk life and limb
to get to this place.

So, tell me.

What do you imagine
this kingdom will be like?

Well...

I imagine...

it will be... a place
where we'll remember things.

About what things were like for us once.

About who we used to be.

About...

how to use that knowledge
to make things better now.

I imagine...

it will be a place where...

I won't be the strange one anymore.

Where I can help
to build something important...

and do it without having to hide who I am.

If your father builds himself a kingdom,
you would be its princess.

It's not like that.

I would do whatever he asked me to do.
However I could help.

And who would I be in this kingdom?

You'd be its queen.

I don't think so.

A king with vision...

a prince and princess with vision.

I'd be the one without.

I'll be the strange one.

The one they say is weak.

I would never let anyone say that.

I know you wouldn't.

It is important for me
to reach this place.

But it's not about me.

It's about all of us.

We'll all be better off there.
I really believe that.

We should all rest awhile.

Okay.

Kofun, my sword is missing.

My bow's gone, too.

- Maghra.
- Bow, check the boat.

- Chet-chet.
- Maghra.

- I thought one of you was awake all night.
- Come.

- We were.
- Come.

Then how did this happen?

Someone walked all through our camp,
woke none of us,

- and was seen by neither of you?
- I don't know.

It's all gone now, isn't it?

- Help me. We need to go.
- Okay. Now walk.

We can't leave.

We must.

All that was taken was weapons.
It's nothing irreplaceable.

- I'm missing something.
- Come.

What are you missing?

It's a small pouch. It's soft.
Size of a fist.

What is in the pouch?

Something very important to me.
The only thing I have left of my father.

- My only connection to him. It's...
- Okay.

It's irreplaceable! We have to find out
where it went. We have to get it back.

- But, Mom, what is it?
- It's important.

Maghra, listen...

Please can you just...

Don't ask me to say anything more.
Just help me find it.

My love, we are unarmed.

Whoever came last night may return.

And the Witchfinder lurks out there
somewhere.

If we remain too long, he will find us.

Then we must hurry.

My father, my relationship with him
is not something I know how to talk about.

It's complicated.

And, of all people,
I would think you would understand.

Whatever secrets I have kept from you
has been to protect us.

Whatever secrets you have kept from me
has always been to protect us.

Please help me understand this.

Help me justify putting our children
in danger right now because I cannot.

I know.

What could possibly be so important
and still you'll not say it?

- I'll do it.
- No.

Haniwa.

She already knows everything
you're asking.

I'll find it for you.

If it were river bandits,
they're half a day away.

If it was the Opayol,
there could be hundreds of them.

A hundred of them won't see me coming.

Do you know how fortunate we were
to escape the Witchfinder?

Very fortunate.

Another fight and now without arms?

I'm not suggesting
we get into a fight, Papa.

Whoever took it...

how can they fight me
if they don't even know that I'm there?

And besides, we don't know who they are.
We should at least try to figure out...

I think I know.

- What?
- I think I know who took our things.

- What are you talking about?
- Look, please.

What is it? What do you see?

Tell me. What is it?

Tell me.

It is time, my queen.

News of Lady An's parlor has spread.

Demonstrations in protest of you
having k*lled several beloved lords

have begun about the lower wall.

The palace guard keeps them at bay,
but for how long I do not know.

My queen?

What happens next?

The remaining lords are convening.

If they gain the trust of the mob,
there's no telling what they may do.

Father, whose power we feel
but cannot touch...

I accept my fate.

I thank you that I could choose its hour.

Jerlamarel,
you did not come for me, my love.

So I am coming to you.