Ep. 45- Justice Approaches

This week’s entry will be a rather short one as we prepare to transition from “The Awakening” arc to “The Queen of Blades” arc.

We will also be preparing a number of anniversary updates for June 1st, 2022 as we anticipate celebrating one year of Alice and the Pale Horse. Please keep your eye on this space.

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ext. valley of the bones morning

Alice, unconscious on the ground following her fainting spell. Her arcane energy spent following the battle with Temperance, she takes shallow breaths as the Knight of Cups, distraught, holds her. Pale Horse, who remains close at hand, keeps a calm clinch of his bone jaw until speaking.

PALE HORSE
She’s exhausted her arcane energy. Can your restoration magic do anything for her, Knight?

KNIGHT OF CUPS
(ashamed)
It is a failure, but I also expended my energy. It is all I can do to remain awake.

PALE HORSE
(stiffly, but practical)
Then there’s nothing to be done until we reach Waite.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
PALE HORSE.

The Queen has remained apart from the group to this point, standing at the cliffside overlooking the vast, dusty sea of the desert before them. A figure has been observed on the horizon, their shadow growing as it approaches. As yet, it is but a speck.

The Pale Horse joins the Queen, squints. The figure does not become any more clear.

PALE HORSE
Knight. Your scope. Now.

The Knight of Cups, still holding the Alice, fumbles at his armor, searching a satchel at his side until he produces a comically aged telescope. He tosses it to Pale Horse, who snatches it from the air. He quickly extends the scope and looks through it.

Through the scope’s view we see more details of the approaching figure. He wears a blindfold, a red tunic and a brass crown that is set low on his broad brow. At his back is a massive, two handed sword. He lumbers, rather than walks, with the determination of an unstoppable force- indeed, the dust scatters in all directions as he walks, as though he precedes a coming storm. This is JUSTICE.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
(coldly)
It’s Justice, isn’t it.

PALE HORSE
(stiffly)
I don’t think so. It’s likely just a traveler from Waite.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
Don’t lie to me, Pale Horse. I don’t need your patronization. It’s him. I can feel it’s him.

PALE HORSE
There’s no reason for us to confront him.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
He’s right in our path.

PALE HORSE
(tersely)
So we go around him.

At this point the Knight of Cups joins them at the cliff, sweat dripping from his face, the exertion of moving in full armor after his big battle.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
Justice? But…he couldn’t have quit the Tower as well?

The Pale Horse folds up the telescope and returns it to the Knight of Cups.

PALE HORSE
Why not? Temperance did. The Devil was cast out long ago. We must assume all the Major Arcana are in some fashion of revolt. Either in the service of the Sun, or for themselves. The World Machine must have escalated the Sun’s plans, that or…

The Pale Horse looks back at the unconscious Alice. The Knight takes his meaning.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
The arrival of The Fool.

The Queen can only roll her eyes at this. She takes a swig of fajro juice from one of her canteens, tipping her white mask up as she does. She takes an extra long pull, veins in her neck beginning to give off a soft, red glow as they bulge from the pressure of the fiery ambrosia. As she finishes the swig, she exhales, huskily, returning her mask into place.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
(coldly)
Justice’s true nature has long been an open secret, barely hidden by that clumsy blindfold. That he now stalks the wilderness openly like a wild animal is only fitting. And like an animal, he must be put down, or he will cause untold harm to any he finds.

PALE HORSE
This is a stupid fight, and a fight we cannot win. The Knight is spent. The Alice will be no good to us until we find a healer in Waite. And I will not aid you against a Major Arcana- my oath is to Alice, not to some petty house squabble.

The Queen of Swords turns and squares herself to the Pale Horse. In this moment, her barely contained anger is palpable, her impressive height and musculature bristling beneath the simple black dress. Her breath, heated, an exhalation that might have been sourced from a literal furnace, smacks against her mask, condensing at its edges and on her chin. Her eyes, veiny, red, take a fierce look. This is partly a side-effect of fajro juice, which requires exertion to safely process in the system of the drinker- but also the unquenchable fire known as vengeance- which, itself, could be considered a cousin of the Major Arcana, though it is oft’ too ill advised and short lived to truly rival anyone.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
Then feel blessed that I am not asking for your help- or your permission, half card. I am the Queen of Blades. My sword chooses my path.

With this, she dons the massive blade that she normally carries at her back. With a single arm of coiled muscle, she raises the sword overhead and then points it forward at the speck of a man in the distance.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
This blade is my compass- wherever it points, there lies my destiny. That man, Judgment- is my true north. I will face him- not for some petty house squabble, as you call it- but for myself. I’ve been waiting in the wilderness of Arcana for too long. I have starved my heart of what justly belongs to it. That my cause, my purpose, would come so soon is either a boon, or a calamity. But it is mine alone. Now leave.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
Q-queen. We are sworn to Alice. Breaking that oath so soon for such a…s-selfish act. This is a choice of hatred, not love. I urge you to reconsider.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
(turning to the Knight)
Speak not of broken oaths to me, old man, and do not mistake this lost cause of ours for comradery. Each of us will leave her the minute our own interests are better served, even the Pale Horse.

The Pale Horse can only look down at this. The Knight of Cups, for his part, is genuinely hurt, and his eyes well with tears at this.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
I will not leave the Alice. I may be useless, but I will stand by her- not for my house, or my oath, but for Love. Love is all we have, Queen. Alice does not want you- or any of us, to die. As she told me- there is no such thing as a bitter end. I think…I think I understand that now. It is more important to serve the bonds that tie us to each other than to seek an easy ending.

The Queen lowers her sword from its pointed direction and sighs. She sheathes her sword at her back, and for a moment, the Knight believes he found the right words to dissuade her.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
Words of humility flow easily from the mouths of the weak- and especially from the mouths of broken men. You will never understand the true burden of strength.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
But Alice-

QUEEN OF SWORDS
Means nothing to me. I am not her queen, or her mother, or anything, to her. That man, Justice, may be a wild animal- but his death is more meaningful to me than the Alice ever will be. Goodbye.

The Knight tries to say more, but the Pale Horse places a hand on his shoulder, a sign to stop.

PALE HORSE
We’ll divert North, through the Seawood Forest. It’s close to the Wands territory. With luck, we’ll benefit from their protection once more.

The Queen finds a foothold in the cliff and prepares to climb down. Her hands glow with green air acrane energy.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
(looking up)
I don’t care where you go. I now walk my own path- the Demon’s Path.

PALE HORSE
It’s a lonely path.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
I won’t be looking over my shoulder.

And with this, the Queen lets go of the cliff, launching herself from the wall toward the ground below. Her green air arcane energy alights and her body becomes suddenly weightless as she lands with the grace of a leaf. She begins to stalk forth into the desert, the dust erupting around her.

The Pale Horse and Knight of Cups watch her leave.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
The Party of the Discarded continues to shrink. Could this truly be goodbye for us and her?

PALE HORSE
Better that we lose her now. She’ll take a while to die, at least, and that will give us time to make our escape.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
To speak so callously of a friend-

PALE HORSE
Friend? Do I have friends here? I wonder. Was it not she who said “don’t mistake our respect for friendship?” I rely on no one. And I would sacrifice everyone here to see my own way through this. Stay or go, the Queen’s choice still benefits me- and Alice.

KNIGHT OF CUPS
(sadly)
It is tantamount to murder, letting her go to face Justice as she is. Letting her go when she’s already lost the fight once before…

PALE HORSE
What does murder matter to the bearer of Death.

The Pale Horse turns and leaves the cliffside, returning to the Alice, who remains as yet unconscious. Her face appears vexed, as though she has borne witness to this split despite her cognitive absence. The Pale Horse gently picks her up and slings her over his shoulder.

The Knight of Cups, still at the cliffside, raises his goblet high, a toast to the departed Queen, who is now some distance away from the cliffside.

The Queen, for her part, turns to see the outline of the Knight and his raised goblet against the outline of the sun. She stops for a moment- hesitation, perhaps? Or maybe surprise to be thought of after such a terse exchange.

QUEEN OF SWORDS
Fool.

She returns to her resolved march toward Justice.

The Knight of Cups lowers his own goblet and turns to camp. Alice is now on the back of the Knight’s horse, and the Pale Horse, for his part, has reverted to his horse form. The Knight of Cups clumsily mounts his own steed and the remains of the party takes off down the trail in the opposite direction of the Queen.

The two dusty chalices of Temperance remain set in the dust where they fell after the battle between the Major Arcana and the party, motionless for a few moments. Slowly, a trickle- water running from the dust into one of the chalices until it is full- and a bloodied hand latches on to the chalice…