Hurried footsteps sound down the hall. A couple of castle guards enter the hallway, they are clearly in search of something. They hear a sound down the hall and take off.Ā
A closet doorway in the hallway opens and a girl sticks her head out, surveying for sounds of trouble. She exits and starts making her way down the hall. She is clearly very on edge.
She is looking behind her when she trips over an artifact in the hallway, the sound is deafening. She closes her eyes in complete frustration before shouts can be heard in the distance and runs for it.Ā
The guards are gaining on her, thatās when she gets an idea. She opens a large window and climbs onto the ledge. She edges her way across the ledge so that sheās hidden. She looks down and it is a sheer drop into icy, rocky, churning waters.Ā
It is clear to us that she doesnāt know what to do next.Ā
A guard on the wall spots her. She rushes across the ledge almost slipping. She takes a deep breath and keeps going. Sheās rounding the corner when sheās met with a guard.
Someone shouldnāt be out of bedā¦
More guards join him. He advances towards her and she steps back hurriedly towards the edge.
The guards laugh and continue.
The camera gives her a moment of peace. She has resigned herself to what she must do.Ā
She presses her fingers to her lips. Closes her eyes and then lets herself fall backwards. She plummets down into the sheer water.
The sky is overcast and grey, the beach uninviting.
There is a figure on the water's edge. Itās the girl. She is deathly pale and not moving.
The screen flashes with snippets of a scene. A funeral procession, a room cast in low level light. A woman at the window looks back towards the viewer.Ā
The girl gasps, sitting up and immediately turning to the side and vomiting up sea water. The force of it makes her cry out in pain. She brings her hand to her side and it comes back bloody.
She looks at her trembling hands and then all around her nervously, she is deathly afraid.Ā
She gets up shakily, almost falling over and runs for the shelter of a structure of rocks. She climbs them to get a better view and spots a small rural village.
The girl is trying to get through the alleyways without being spotted. She spots a clothesline.
EXT. center of town - day
She has changed clothes and now wears something appropriate for the setting. She wears a coat and relies on it heavily to hide her face.
The town is bustling. Vendors yell and haggle, people all walk with a sense of purpose. She is in the way, people knocking into her.
We close in on her reactions. She is mesmerized. Itās dirty and busy but she is enraptured by the beautiful things. A group of excited children buying candy, fresh produce, spices, anything you could want, people laughing and smiling.Ā
Suddenly her smile drops when she spots a woman on the street grabbing onto people, she's hysterical.
She canāt help herself, she asks the vendor next to her.
The vendor is disinterested.
She says the guards took her husband.
What? Why would they do that?
The vendor now becomes interested.
They say he was involved with the underground movement. Not sure why sheās so torn up about it if her husband was probably a you know.
She is extremely taken aback and tunes out the vendor looking back at the desperate woman.
She leaves the vendor and his rambling and keeps on her way.
The bar is not a welcome sight. Letās just say itās filled with people sheās never seen before.Ā
She walks up to the counter.
Her voice is entirely droned out by the commotion.
Someone cuts in over her, leaning past her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
The man looks back at her.
He stops in complete surprise.
She panics thinking he's recognized her and backs away, her hood slipping down. She backs into the back of a chair, nearly toppling a man over. Heās angry at first but stops when he sees her.
āNow what is someone as lovely as you doing somewhere like here?
He grabs her wrist pulling her in.
Itās the man from earlier.
The two men stare each other down. The drunk man stands, trying to intimidate the other man.
āWhy donāt you stay out of things that donāt concern-ā
The man stops at the sound of a blade and looks down to find one digging into him.
Kene grabs her wrist and drags her out of the bar as she tries to get him to let go.
He drags her to the side.
āWhat am I doing? What are you doing! Who do you think you are?ā
She rips her arm out of his grasp. She starts stalking back towards the bar but he pulls her back again.Ā
āAre you insane? Do you know what theyād-ā
āDonāt go in there again.ā
Her shock is palpable at the seriousness with which he says it.
He lets go of her and reaches for her hood. She flinches back but he gently takes her hood and raises it, placing it back on her crown. He gives her a wink and a smile, before taking a couple steps backwards and turning back around heading in another direction.
She is puzzled but then seems to get an idea and runs after him.
He turns around and she runs the rest of the way up to him. He waits.
āI needā¦some kind of transportationā¦do you know where I might find something?ā
āIn Arsul?ā He laughs and keeps walking.
She cuts his path off and reaches into the top of her dress.
We close in on Keneās surprised face.
She pulls out a necklace, holding it up in front of him.
His eyes go wide and he grabs it out of sight.
āAre you insane? Flashing something like that around here?ā
āWill you help me or not?ā
He drags her into an alley and inspects the necklace.
āI need to get to Evelin.ā
Heās distracted by the necklace but then fully processes what sheās said.
āEvelin? Thatās seas away from here.ā
āWhich means we better get going.ā
She tries to say it confidently but it does not work.
He stares at her in confusion but then bemusement.
āIāll take you to Kirth and no farther.ā
āAnd Iāll get you on a boat that will take you the rest of the way. One where you wonāt beā¦you knowā¦ā
She stares at him in confusion. He stares back in the same manner.
āWhere did you say you were from?ā
She's not convincing at all.
āYou know what, I donāt care.āĀ
He starts walking and she follows closely behind.
āBut wherever you stole this from, it better not get us into more trouble than weāre already in.ā
āI did not steal it!āĀ
Her reaction does not warrant the situation.Ā
āSo you come from Osreet? The capital most well known for its shitty farming and you expect me to believe this is a family heirloom?ā
She looks like she's going to argue but lets it go and keeps walking.
āUm, itās this way?ā
She turns around stalking off in the other direction.
He keeps walking in the other direction. But calls over his shoulder.
āYouāre gonna lag behind!ā
Sheās annoyed but runs to catch up with him.
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