Ep. 44- No Such Thing As Bitter Ends

ext. valley of the bones day

The cups of Temperance still sit in the dust where they fell, gathering dust. The armored boot of the Pale Horse kicks them aside.

Alice blinkingly regains consciousness, the Knight of Cups and the Queen of Swords gathered over her. They help her sit up. The Pale Horse briskly strides over to her, his skeletal jaw set.

PALE HORSE
(to Alice)
That was reckless.

ALICE
You really do care.

PALE HORSE
(turns away)
Honestly, you’re such a pain.

The Pale Horse brushes past the group, surly as ever.

PALE HORSE
Break camp, we are leaving.

ALICE
Hey.
(pause)
Thanks for the save.

As the Knight and Queen help her to her feet, she groans. The Pale Horse simply continues on with breaking camp.

ALICE
We aren’t even though!

Alice brushes off her supporters, stumbles briefly, retains her balance.

ALICE
I’m good, I’m good. Don’t let me slow you down.

In the midst of camp break, the Knight of Cups shakily follows Alice closely, as though attempting to strike up a conversation but lacking the courage- and eventually, he crashes into her turned back, a sputtering, barely controlled momentum of rusted metal. Alice turns to steady him, her own hands shaking from the previous exertion.

ALICE
(a bit exasperated)
YES?

The Knight starts back, timidly. He then feebly takes a knee, his jaw, indeed his full form shaking with his armor as he does so.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
My dear Alice, I am a failure as a knight. What retainer could truly stand unashamed before his charge, whom he has failed to protect? I have failed in my oath to you and we have only just begun.

ALICE
(somewhat overwhelmedd)
Okay, okay. Jeeze.

Alice grabs the Knight beneath his armpits and hoists him to his feet with some effort. She looks the Knight in the eyes- they are old, blue eyes- murky with silver specks and red veins. In those eyes, Alice can see her own misty grey eyes. She would pity these eyes, if their own owner wasn’t so hapless. In this moment, she chooses a tough mask.

ALICE
I didn’t need saving. And I don’t need protecting. What I need is a good partner, or, uh, partners, I guess. It’s not like this is an exclusive thing.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
B-but you’re a Major Arcana. I could never be an equal to such a powerful card-

ALICE
Well, the horse says I’m just a major pain. And you will be too if you keep going on about damsels in distress and broken oaths. Besides, if being a Major Arcana is such a big deal, then why didn’t you hesitate to fight ol’ goldilocks there? Isn’t he a Major Arcana?

KNIGHT OF CUPS
But I failed-

ALICE
Do you think I can absorb any element? Water? Fire? Whatever that stuff was the cup guy was shooting at me?

KNIGHT OF CUPS
Well…I…can’t you? Aren’t you supposed to know?

ALICE
Well, I know now! And that’s thanks to you. If you hadn’t given me a reason to try, I wouldn’t know I could do that. You did your part. I did mine. So lets cut this shit about pulling rank and call it good, kay?

She puts out a hand. The Knight smiles and clumsily grabs it, shaking it up and down with undo vigor.

ALICE
Okay. Friends?

KNIGHT OF CUPS
Until the bitter end!

The Knight rushes off to prepare his own horse for departure, fumbling with camping equipment, of which he has an abundance.

Alice takes a moment to regard the Valley of the Bones, the fallen form of Temperance, and finally, the distant horizon, where she spies a lone figure- merely a silhouette- backlit by the desert sun.

ALICE
A bitter end, huh? No such thing. But the end may not be long, at least.

With this, Alice slumps over to the ground, fainting. The distant figure on the horizon approaches…