Death (chapter)/Script
Part 1: The Dead Arrive
Pre-Battle
Henriette: Alfonse! Sharena!
Alfonse: Mother?
Sharena: Mother! What are you doing here?
Henriette: Oh, there you are. You look well, both of you! I’m so glad.
Anna: Your Majesty! Have you been wandering the castle without your guards?
Henriette: Commander Anna! It’s been some time. Thank you for taking Alfonse and Sharena under your wing. What a castle you have here! All of these Heroes… It’s lovely.
Alfonse: I’d like to introduce you to our summoner, Kiran.
Henriette: So YOU’RE Kiran! I’ve heard all about you from Sharena. It’s such a treat to meet you. You’ve done so much for Askr. I am Henriette. Thank you for all you’ve done for my children.
Alfonse: Mother… Why have you come?
Henriette: To bring you back home. Your father needs to speak to you.
Alfonse: He does? Last we spoke, I understood that he… He did not wish to see me again.
Henriette: Don’t worry. He’s the one who asked me to come and get you. He wishes to speak to you privately.
Alfonse: What could be so important?
Henriette: Oh, you know how he is. You’ll find out soon enough. Let’s get your things together, Alfonse, and be on our way!
(scene change to the map screen)
Alfonse: What? The enemy!
Sharena: Here in Askr? But how? We’re nowhere near the border.
Anna: I’ve heard nothing from our scouts or the border patrols! Yet look at the size of this army… Where did they come from?
Alfonse: Take a look at their uniforms—these soldiers appear to be from Embla.
Henriette: No. They are from Hel.
Alfonse: Hel?
Anna: No time for that now! Your Majesty, stand back. We’re going to engage the enemy. Get ready, everyone!
Post-Battle
Alfonse: They’re vanishing…like specters. What is this?
Henriette: These soldiers…had already died. They’re Emblian soldiers who fell in battle. They are now in the vanguard of the realm of the dead. How cruel…
Alfonse: Did you say “the realm of the dead”?
Henriette: Yes. Some who pass on go to a joyful place. Others…descend to a realm of unending darkness. That realm is called Hel. Your father will explain more…
Alfonse: So this is what Father wants to talk to me about.
Henriette: Yes. And now, I fear we have less time than I thought… Let us hurry to His Majesty.
Part 3: Lethal Swordsman
Pre-Battle
Líf: You.
Alfonse: Are you a soldier from the realm of the dead?
Líf: My name is Líf.
Alfonse: Líf? You can’t be…
Sharena: Alfonse? What’s wrong?
Líf: Tremble before Sökkvabekkr, the sword of sin…as I destroy this world.
Post-Battle
Anna: The enemy has vanished…
Alfonse: Líf…
Sharena: Do you know him?
Alfonse: We’ve never met. But his name is very familiar to me. I’ve read it in so many books… You should recognize it, too. Líf is the progenitor of the Askran royal family—and a true king. He formed a pact with the Divine Dragon Askr and gained the power to open gates to other realms… Líf, the first king of Askr…
Sharena: The first king? He can’t still be alive today, can he?
Alfonse: Of course not. But if we are fighting the dead… Well, then we may encounter an ancestor or two.
Sharena: And fight them, it seems.
Alfonse: King Líf united Askr and became a true Hero, thanks to the power of the dragon’s blood… You can’t measure the power of a man like that. In the battles we face now…we must be careful.
Part 4: Omnicidal Witch
Pre-Battle
Thrasir: Hold.
Sharena: Alfonse! The enemy!
Thrasir: I am Thrasir, general of the realm of the dead. I am feared as the Omnicidal Witch. Everyone will perish. That is why I have come…
Post-Battle
Sharena: Again, the enemy has vanished. That name, Thrasir—it rings a bell.
Alfonse: The first emperor of Embla.
Sharena: She’s Princess Veronica’s ancestor?
Alfonse: So she must be. She was a witch so powerful she could lay waste to an entire realm if she so choose… Líf and Thrasir… It would seem that the legendary rulers from our history books are now our enemies.
Part 5: Merciful Death
Pre-Battle
Eir: Mother…
Hel: Eir.
Eir: I will do what I can to help you… I’ll do anything, no matter how small.
Hel: You haven’t the strength to help me, Eir. Soon, they will be here. And against them, you stand no chance.
Eir: Mother, I…
Hel: If you would die, then die. Another road is open before you, however… You could join the living.
Eir: What? Why?
Hel: Join their army. Obey them, body and soul. Give yourself to them completely. Once you earn their trust…you can slaughter them at my command.
Eir: Oh, Mother…
Hel: I do not care if you do not like my order. You will obey.
Eir: Yes, Mother.
(scene change to the map screen)
Eir: You’re from Askr…
Alfonse: And you?
Eir: I am Eir… Princess of the realm of the dead.
Alfonse: So you’re part of Hel’s army, then.
Eir: Yes, but… I…
Alfonse: You what?
Eir: The outcome of this fight doesn’t matter to me. Who wins, who loses… Let us begin.
Post-Battle
Eir: I have lost. You may kill me…
Alfonse: I…
Eir: You won’t do it. Why not?
Alfonse: I can’t take the life of an opponent who surrenders it freely. And there are things I would like to ask you…
Eir: So I am to be your prisoner? Very well.
(scene change to the Askran royal castle)
Henriette: Shall we get going, Alfonse? His Majesty is waiting.
Alfonse: Yes, Mother.
Henriette: Sharena, you come too, but please… don’t disrupt the conversation.
Sharena: You can count on my silence! Father is quite something when he’s angry.
Anna: Good luck, you two. Let’s find somewhere to wait, Kiran. We have to figure out something to do with her.
Eir: I would join your fight.
Anna: Join us? Though you fought on the side of Hel?
Eir: I did, yes. But now that I have made my escape, I am no longer princess. I cannot return.
Anna: Tell me why!
Eir: I am afraid I must keep that to myself…
Anna: I don’t believe that for a second! If you can’t trust us, how can we trust you?
Eir: I know how this sounds. It must seem so selfish of me to ask so much of you… Still, though, I wish to join you. If you ever find cause to distrust me…kill me then and there.
Anna: I certainly can’t trust you! But you must know something about Hel’s forces. That’s valuable to me. Just so we’re clear—I’ll take you up on your offer. The second I have cause to suspect you…that’s it.
Eir: That’s all right.
Anna: She’s a strange one, isn’t she? I don’t sense she holds any animosity toward us. She’s…apathetic. Hey, Kiran… Keep an eye on her.
Eir: Do what you must, Kiran.
