FOURTH VERSE ☯ VIDEO;

[problematical]

[ River is sitting on her bed opposite the console in her suite, the soft blues and greens of the Water Sector highlighting her. Even though it's obvious that she deliberately activated the video feed, it still takes her a moment to begin speaking. ]

I have a story.

"Once upon a time there was a Queen in her castle, who had a very strong Knight. But in a distant land there was a Dragon, and the Dragon was even stronger and cruel, and the Queen worried about it coming to the castle and eating all the people who lived there. One day she said to the Knight, I will teach you how to battle the Dragon, so if it comes to our land you can protect all the people.

But the Knight refused and claimed that no one could fight the Dragon, and so they should send all the people away. The Queen was very angry, because she wanted the people to be safe. It is a terrible Dragon, she said. You must learn how to protect the people from it. But still the Knight refused. The Queen asked, don't you want to protect the people? And the Knight said, if you were a good Queen, you would fight.

One day the Queen died and the Dragon came but the Knight didn't send the people away. He didn't fight and he didn't send all the people away. The Queen is dead, long live the Knight."

[ River frowns very pensively at the screen for a moment, as if silently repeating to herself her own story. Finally she asks: ]

Which one is the terrible one?

Comments

[fearlessherosheart]

What happened to the people?

{Tazendra knew what she would do, but she also knows she has the subtlety of a brick (on a good day), and that others might try alternate things.]

No doubt, the Knight has a duty to his lord, but both have a duty to shield their subjects from outside threats, or there would be no reason for a subject to swear fealty to them.

But some lords and knights are diplomatists or sorcerers.

Bah, my friends are better at such puzzles than I.

[A slight pang, given what she had learned in the library; that at least one friend had not lived long after the spell had transported a dying Tazendra here.]

[problematical]

The people started to get eaten.

[iwannabeadragon]

They all sound like idiots to me.

[problematical]

So it'd be bad if they had power.

voice;

[duelkatana]

[A story he's never heard before. And something bothers him about it, right at the very end.]

'Long live the Knight'... [It's contemplative; more of an echo than a question.] So the Queen and their people died, but he was spared?

Re: voice;

[problematical]

The people are alive but they're being eaten.

[raavashing]

And the people? What of them? Does the Knight protect them with the Queen dead? Does the Knight become the new leader of the people?

[problematical]

The people didn't get sent away, but they're being eaten. The Knight isn't protecting them like he should.

Video:

[solo_patria]

[Is the story meant to be one that hits one so firmly in the head as this seems to? Enjolras wonders because, well, the metaphor seems far too obvious here otherwise. Or is the point of it to appear to be so over the top that no one thinks that it is serious? Either way, given River's recent hesitation when he mentioned Evandu, and the similarity of situations, he knows enough to know that something is up, and his expression is rather serious as he contemplates her for a moment, searching about in his mind for a proper way to ask this.

Prouvaire would be much more comfortable in the realm of theoretical and metaphor, and Grantaire, who dealt in metaphors, would also have an easier time of it. But there is only Enjolras now, and he's taking a few moments to pause as he looks into the device.]

Forgive me, I must gather some of my thoughts before I go on. [He finally says, having the feeling that the odd seeming girl who speaks with obvious wisdom here will understand.]

So the peasants were left unprotected by the Knight. Did they realize that such had come to pass, or did the Knight tell them otherwise?

Re: Video:

[problematical]

[ Something is definitely up. ]

The Dragon told them, before it started eating them.

[ a pause and then: ]

It wasn't much of a secret after that.

[royalguard_style]

I'd start with the dragon, but that's just me. Not that the rest of these guys sound like saints, but you have to start with the big problems, or else you won't get anywhere. Besides, in most stories, this is the part where the knight does something big and heroic to show that he's not such a bad guy after all.

[problematical]

... do you really think the Knight will become a hero?

[ River looks genuinely curious if this could be a possibility. ]

[gistful]

[He ponders this, and checks some of his facts with the kedan nearly always present in the Hotel, before replying to this.]

I believe you are forgetting part of the story.

[problematical]

[ River tilts her head, curious. ]

What part?

[ She knows some parts haven't been written yet, but she didn't forget them. ]

video;

[jinzhong]

[Your clever little allegory is totally lost on Jackie, River.]

The Knight didn't learn how to protect the people? And now there's a bigass dragon at the gates? This is one messed-up fairytale. Aren't these supposed to end in "happily ever after"?

Re: video;

[problematical]

[ Sometimes River gets lost in her own analogies, so it's all right. ]

He didn't want to learn, he refused the Queen. She didn't know why, and then she died.

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

[River, this is a little too on the nose. It's totally a coincidence, but he's had dreams about knights and dragons before, and now he knows why.]

The Knight's not doing his job, clearly, but...

...are dragons evil just because they're dragons?

Re: video;

[problematical]

[ River smiles at Gene and shakes her head. ]

Lóng dōu zhǐshì rén de dà línghún.

[ And people can be good or bad. ]

video;

[trainwrecked]

Two're terrible, either separately or together.

You think that's a true story?

Re: video;

[problematical]

[ River nods. ]

All stories are true, somewhere.

[akito]

I think... Doing nothing when you could have been doing something is one of the worst things someone can do.

[ he thinks it goes without saying that the dragon is bad, if it's hurting innocent people. but if someone can do something to help save lives but chooses to sit back and watch instead... that's the worst sort of person. ]

[problematical]

Maybe the Knight should get eaten instead of the people.

[survival_isnt_living]

The Knight, at least, might only be useful to his people as a Knight: when given direction from a good Lord or Lady. Or maybe all he needs is to be in a different situation to serve his people well.

Some people aren't terrible--but aren't meant to be First Lord.

[Beat.]

Then again, some people are.

No questions about the Dragon, of course.

[problematical]

But then there would be more villains than heroes and stories aren't supposed to work that way.

[video]

[apologiesmyking]

Is either truly terrible? [Kaldur feels as if this story is disjointed, something left out that doesn't explain the rest as well as it should be. Is this truly a story, or is this girl speaking of something else in riddles?]

Why did the Knight not send the people away when the Dragon came? It is hard to judge either when we do not know their reasonings for what they did. Is that all there is to this story?

Re: [video]

[problematical]

The Knight had the chance but he didn't, and the end of the story hasn't been written yet.

[highprofilerichkid]

Sounds like it's time for the people to get themselves a new knight.

[problematical]

What should the people do with the old one?