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00:00Kindness can heal a city, but treachery can sink a ship.
00:04While Alessandra brings hope to the outcasts of Lockwood,
00:07a dark prophecy is found in the ashes of the Red Light District,
00:11and Gideon Cross has just signed a death warrant.
00:15The Keeper is gone, but her influence was a spiderweb that stretched across every kingdom.
00:20As the truth about that blast Emperor emerges,
00:24the Alliance on the High Seas is about to turn into a bloodbath.
00:29Welcome back to the Duke's Masked Bride.
00:34At the edge of the city, children cried softly in the distance
00:38while women sat in tight clusters, speaking in hushed tones, or not at all.
00:45With Alessandra at her side,
00:48Eleanor stepped carefully over a broken fence and onto the muddy path
00:52that wound through a camp of makeshift canvas tents.
00:57Together, the women carried bags of food just purchased from the market.
01:02Close behind them, a few of Edgar's other men followed,
01:07holding bags of supplies filled with clothes and blankets.
01:11Some of the women turned their backs.
01:14Others simply stared.
01:16A few lowered their heads and pulled shawls over their faces.
01:21Eleanor leaned over to Alessandra.
01:31Alessandra gently touched Eleanor's arm.
01:34Take it slow, she whispered.
01:37Let them come to us.
01:40A woman sitting near one of the fires finally stood.
01:46I know you.
01:48You're the writer, she said to Eleanor.
01:52The one who came to talk to the women in the brothels.
01:56Eleanor nodded.
01:59I've written about them, about their experiences,
02:02but I want to do more.
02:06She looked out over the crowd.
02:09I'd like to help all of you.
02:13The woman crossed her arms.
02:16You come with good intentions,
02:18but intentions don't pay for food.
02:21They don't put roofs over our heads.
02:24They don't stop the guards from treating us like rats in the street.
02:29A low murmur rippled through the women nearby.
02:33One of them, younger and with a bruised cheek,
02:37wiped her nose and nodded solemnly.
02:40Eleanor took a breath,
02:42glancing briefly at Alessandra,
02:45then stepped forward.
02:48You're right, she said.
02:51Intentions mean nothing if they aren't followed by action.
02:56That's why I'm not just writing anymore.
02:59I'm here to listen,
03:01to help organize,
03:03to tell your story, yes,
03:06but also to make sure the crown hears you too.
03:10Finally,
03:11an older woman with silver-streaked hair
03:14rose from where she sat on a wool blanket.
03:17If you really mean that,
03:19she said quietly,
03:22then sit down.
03:23Let me see what you've got in that bag of yours.
03:27Eleanor and Alessandra moved from tent to tent,
03:31baskets in hand.
03:32They handed out loaves of bread,
03:35dried meats,
03:36and small vials of medicine
03:38gifted by a physician that the church had recommended.
03:43Alessandra knelt beside a little girl
03:45wrapped in a threadbare shawl
03:47and pulled a small stuffed bear from her satchel.
03:51This one's been waiting for someone brave to take care of it,
03:55Alessandra said softly,
03:57holding it out.
03:59The girl blinked up at her with wide eyes
04:02before taking it gently into her arms.
04:05She clutched it tight
04:06and leaned forward
04:07to wrap her arms around Alessandra's neck.
04:12Alessandra held her for a long moment.
04:15She didn't say a word.
04:16She didn't need to.
04:18She just gave the little girl
04:20precisely what she needed,
04:22a loving embrace.
04:25When they finally parted,
04:27the girl skipped away,
04:29a smile on her face
04:31as she excitedly called
04:32to show her mother what she had gotten.
04:35Nearby,
04:36Eleanor stepped onto a crate
04:38and addressed a group of gathered women.
04:41Ladies,
04:42I want to extend something to you all.
04:46The Duchess and I have been talking and planning.
04:49What if there was something safer than this?
04:53What if we could help you start a better life?
04:58Much to Eleanor's surprise,
05:01a silence fell over the crowd.
05:04The warmth from the fires
05:06did little to cut the cold tension that followed.
05:09A few women exchanged glances.
05:12One crossed her arms.
05:15Another scoffed quietly.
05:17We don't need charity
05:19to help you nobles
05:20feel better about yourselves.
05:23It wouldn't be charity.
05:26Eleanor stepped down from the crate,
05:28approaching the women.
05:29Over the years,
05:30I've come to know many of you.
05:33She looked around with a smile.
05:35You are my friends.
05:37And when my friends need help,
05:39I help them because I care for them.
05:42This isn't any different.
05:44The crowd softened.
05:47Eleanor took a breath.
05:49If the Queen herself offered help,
05:52if she saw to it personally,
05:55would that change your minds?
05:58The women turned icy once again.
06:01All of the good grace Eleanor had earned
06:03gone in one fell swoop.
06:06The only thing the crown's been offering lately
06:09is shackles.
06:10Someone called out.
06:12A murmur of agreement rippled through the crowd.
06:15An older woman,
06:17eyes sunken and voice weathered,
06:20stepped forward.
06:21You and the Duchess,
06:24you've been kind.
06:26But don't mistake kindness for trust.
06:30You're the exception,
06:33not the rule.
06:35We've seen what the rest of high society does
06:39as to people like us.
06:42Another woman,
06:43cradling an infant in one arm,
06:46nodded.
06:47We've been raided,
06:49chased out,
06:50blamed for sins
06:51we didn't commit.
06:53Promises don't mean much anymore.
06:55We're better off running to Greyhold.
06:58Another woman shouted.
07:00Greyhold?
07:02A younger girl asked.
07:04What's Greyhold?
07:05Her mother shushed her.
07:07Don't even speak of the land.
07:10They say from there you never return.
07:14Alessandra stepped beside Eleanor,
07:16her gaze soft but unwavering.
07:19No one needs to run to anywhere.
07:22She drew in a deep breath.
07:25I understand your apprehension.
07:27I do.
07:28Probably better than most.
07:30When you're an outcast from society,
07:34you never see a world in which you're accepted.
07:37But I can tell you from experience,
07:40with the right people at your side,
07:42you can overcome anything.
07:46Everyone looked around.
07:47They had known the rumors about the Duchess,
07:50that she had once been a cursed outcast.
07:54But now,
07:55she stood as a shining beacon of the kingdom.
07:59Eleanor and I want to be the people at your side.
08:03It's okay if you don't want us to be.
08:07But if you want our help,
08:09we'll fight for you.
08:11We may not always win,
08:13but we'll never stop fighting.
08:15The girl with the stuffed bear broke through the crowd.
08:19She ran up to Alessandra and clutched her leg.
08:23Without hesitation,
08:25Alessandra reached down and swept the girl up in her arms,
08:29brushing her hair aside lovingly.
08:32The whole camp fell silent as they watched one of society's highest-ranking members
08:38treat one of their own as if she were their mother.
08:48The wind blew through Gideon's matted hair as he stared out at the sea stretching endlessly before him.
08:58He stood at the prow of his ship,
09:01taking a deep breath of the salty air.
09:05Below,
09:06a pack of smugglers ambled along the docks,
09:09half-drunk and grinning.
09:11One of them caught sight of him and elbowed the others.
09:14Look up there!
09:16The mighty Gideon Cross!
09:18One jeered.
09:20Have you heard?
09:21He's looking for the treasure!
09:23One of them snickered.
09:25Fool's errand!
09:26A third said with a chuckle,
09:29Letting those fresh-faced pups fill his head with stories.
09:33He ain't so mighty anymore.
09:37Gideon leaned over the railing.
09:41Aye!
09:42I'm not deaf, you little bastards!
09:45The smugglers scattered,
09:47laughing as they ran like schoolboys caught up in a bout of mischief.
09:51It's real!
09:52Gideon shouted.
09:54You'll see.
09:56He turned back toward the horizon,
09:58eyes narrowing.
10:00Soon,
10:01he thought,
10:03the treasure will be mine and mine alone.
10:07My reign over this land can return to what it used to be,
10:11no longer shrouded by Damien's shadows.
10:14I'll ship him back to Lockmere where he belongs.
10:18Captain!
10:20The voice broke Gideon's train of thought.
10:24He looked over his shoulder to find one of his men hustling up the deck,
10:28breathless and clutching a parcel.
10:30This just arrived.
10:32Courier said it was urgent.
10:35Gideon looked at the brown, stained box in his man's hand.
10:39A red string tied it all together.
10:41Gideon's jaw clenched.
10:44He knew that could only mean one thing.
10:48He snatched it from the man's hands.
10:51And you're still standing here.
10:52Why?
10:53Go make yourself useful before I toss you overboard.
10:57Hi, Captain.
10:58The sailor gave a quick nod and disappeared down the deck.
11:02Once the man was out of sight,
11:05Gideon looked around,
11:06ensuring that he was entirely alone.
11:10When he knew his only company was the wind and the waves,
11:14he tore into the box.
11:16On top was a letter that Gideon immediately ripped into.
11:20His eyes quickly scanned the page.
11:23Oh my God.
11:24She's dead.
11:26He looked out toward the horizon,
11:29and the tide suddenly became quieter.
11:32The Keeper's dead.
11:34For years,
11:36he, the Keeper,
11:38and their shadowy benefactor
11:40had operated in secret,
11:42a trinity of power, protection, and control.
11:47Now, one of them was gone.
11:49And not just gone.
11:51Erased.
11:52A chain snapped off completely.
11:56Gideon returned to the letter,
11:58the parchment stiff and water-stained,
12:01as though it had survived a storm.
12:03His eyes scanned the next line.
12:06Damien is your pet now.
12:09Do with him as you see fit.
12:11Gideon frowned.
12:13For weeks,
12:14he'd been planning to send Damien back to the Keeper.
12:17Let her deal with the boy once he'd outlived his usefulness.
12:22But now,
12:23that plan had been foiled.
12:26Beneath the letter was a torn up and dirty, stuffed rabbit.
12:31Gideon stared at it for a moment.
12:33Then,
12:34slowly,
12:35he picked it up.
12:36The ragged toy sagged in his hand,
12:40its stitched smile still intact,
12:42despite everything.
12:44Gideon turned it over,
12:46studying the worn seams,
12:48the torn ear.
12:50It appeared to have been Damien's once.
12:53He took a deep breath,
12:55considering what to do.
12:57He's been useful.
12:59Gideon muttered to himself,
13:01almost begrudgingly.
13:03And,
13:04it was true.
13:06Damien had adapted faster than expected.
13:09He learned the ropes of smuggling,
13:11bartering,
13:12gambling,
13:13and intimidation,
13:14the kind of innate talent that made even Gideon uneasy.
13:19With Kate at his side,
13:21the two had grown as a powerful duo.
13:24Too powerful.
13:27Gideon turned back toward the sea,
13:29the wind-lifting strands of his unkempt hair.
13:33Greyhold was his domain.
13:35His kingdom lived and breathed by his rules.
13:39And he wasn't willing to share the crown.
13:42Not with Damien.
13:44Not with anyone.
13:46They'll come for more,
13:48he whispered.
13:49And one day,
13:51they'll come for me.
13:53He stared down at the rabbit again,
13:56letting the silence stretch.
13:59Then,
14:00he clutched the rabbit tighter in his hands.
14:03They can't be my undoing.
14:07With a sharp breath,
14:08he tossed the rabbit overboard.
14:11The toy tumbled through the air,
14:13then plummeted into the waves below.
14:16Damien and Kate must die.
14:20The rabbit's limp,
14:22sodden body bobbed on the surface of the water,
14:25its matted fur stained with salt and dirt.
14:29One of its button eyes had come loose,
14:31hanging by a thread,
14:33staring blankly at the sky above.
14:36Farther out,
14:38the clouds began to gather dark and low on the horizon.
14:41A flash of lightning cracked silently in the distance,
14:46followed by the slow,
14:48rolling breath of thunder.
14:51The tide pulled the rabbit farther from shore,
14:54into deeper waters,
14:56toward the growing storm.
14:58With that,
15:00Gideon shoved the letter into his coat pocket and disappeared below deck,
15:04his heavy boots echoing against the planks as he descended into the ship's belly.
15:09For a moment,
15:11everything stood still.
15:14Then,
15:15from behind a tall stack of weather-stained crates,
15:19Kate emerged.
15:20Her breath was shallow,
15:23her spine rigid.
15:24She had heard every word.
15:27Her eyes burned,
15:29not just with fear,
15:31but fury.
15:33She stepped out into the open,
15:35her hands clenched into trembling fists at her sides.
15:40She's going to kill us,
15:43she murmured under her breath.
15:46Kate walked over to the edge of the ship.
15:49She wasn't surprised.
15:51She knew Gideon had had it out for her from the day they had met,
15:55so she had never trusted him in return.
15:58She stared out at the gray water,
16:00her mind racing as she wondered what she should do.
16:04Then,
16:05she saw it.
16:07There,
16:08bobbing just beyond the hull,
16:10was the stuffed rabbit,
16:12its ears soaked and sagging,
16:14its eye barely hanging on.
16:17It drifted further with each passing wave,
16:20the tide pulling it toward the storm on the horizon.
16:24The sea rose,
16:26and a gust of wind rolled through.
16:29The rabbit vanished beneath the surface.
16:32Kate's jaw tightened.
16:35Her reflection in the dark water below
16:37stared back at her.
16:38She barely recognized herself.
16:41She was furious and fearless,
16:44grizzled and weathered,
16:45far from the dainty woman
16:47she had left behind in Lockmere.
16:49She turned toward the stairwell.
16:52But he can't kill us
16:54if we kill him first.
16:59The red light district
17:00was no longer the bustling,
17:02criminal underworld it once was.
17:05Edgar and Tobias walked side by side
17:08through its now quiet streets.
17:10Gone were the lanterns
17:12that once flickered from every balcony,
17:14the raucous laughter
17:15pouring out of every tavern.
17:17What remained were shuttered windows,
17:20broken signs.
17:21Silence and silence.
17:23Wooden boards were nailed across
17:25former brothels and gambling dens,
17:28some marked with wax seals from the crown.
17:31Ashes still stained the corners of some walls,
17:35reminders of the two fires
17:36that had nearly consumed it all.
17:39They rounded a corner.
17:41Ahead, a group of former workers
17:44moved furniture out of a sagging brick building.
17:46A couch, a cracked mirror,
17:49a child's stool.
17:51Each item was handled with care,
17:54as if salvaging remnants of a life
17:56they weren't sure they'd ever return to.
18:00A woman paused,
18:01catching Edgar's gaze.
18:03For a moment,
18:04she looked like she might say something.
18:06But instead,
18:08she offered a small nod,
18:10grateful or bitter,
18:11he couldn't tell,
18:12before lifting a box
18:14into the back of the wagon.
18:16This is it,
18:18Tobias said quietly.
18:20The final dismantling.
18:24Edgar looked up
18:25at the once vibrant balconies above,
18:28now stripped bare.
18:30Follow me,
18:31Edgar said,
18:33stepping deeper into the wreckage
18:34once known as the Red Light District.
18:36The two had visited
18:38so that Tobias himself
18:40could inspect
18:40the keeper's secret attic,
18:42though there wasn't much left
18:44to inspect.
18:46Ash and soot
18:47clung to every surface
18:48as Edgar and Tobias
18:50stepped over the charred threshold
18:52of the ruined attic.
18:54The roof had partially collapsed,
18:56sending splintered beams
18:58jutting into the sky.
19:00The floor was littered
19:01with blackened paper
19:02and scorched fabric.
19:05Edgar crouched
19:06by a partially burnt painting,
19:08brushing aside ash
19:10with the back of his glove.
19:11What is it
19:12that you're hoping
19:13to find here, Tobias?
19:15The king shrugged.
19:18Anything that I can.
19:20I don't think
19:21I had a particular expectation.
19:23He walked up
19:25to a rickety desk.
19:26He pried open
19:27a warped drawer
19:29and pulled out
19:30a rolled-up mat,
19:31its edges singed
19:32but intact.
19:34Tobias stared at it
19:35for a moment.
19:37Though I had hoped
19:38I would find
19:39something like this.
19:41The map stretched
19:43across Lockmere,
19:44Greyhold,
19:45and Eldenfield.
19:46Red ink
19:47traced trade routes,
19:49hidden roads,
19:50and dotted lines
19:51that connected
19:52the kingdoms
19:53like a spider web.
19:54At its center
19:55sat Lockwood,
19:57circled over and over
19:59until the ink
20:00had bled
20:00into the parchment.
20:02Her influence
20:03spread farther
20:04than we thought,
20:05Edgar said grimly,
20:07peering over
20:08Tobias' shoulder.
20:10Tobias nodded.
20:12I'll send a warning
20:13to Alistair.
20:14He needs to see this.
20:17Edgar didn't reply.
20:19His eyes had caught
20:20on something deeper
20:21in the rubble,
20:22an overturned trunk
20:23with its lid
20:24warped by heat.
20:25He stepped over
20:27debris and forced
20:28it open.
20:29Inside were stacks
20:31of journals
20:32and tomes.
20:33Their spines cracked,
20:35but pages
20:35mostly preserved.
20:37He flipped
20:38one open.
20:39Each page
20:40was filled
20:40with obsessive notes
20:42about the Western
20:42kingdoms,
20:44their history,
20:45legends,
20:46and, most notably,
20:47their royal bloodlines.
20:49A page near the middle
20:51had been marked
20:52with red thread.
20:53It was a genealogical chart,
20:57hand-drawn
20:57and meticulously updated.
21:00Here,
21:02Edgar said,
21:03drawing Tobias closer.
21:05Look at this.
21:07Tobias narrowed his eyes
21:09as Edgar turned
21:10to a page labeled
21:11Descendants of the Last Emperor.
21:14Names had been scrawled,
21:16some crossed out,
21:18some circled violently.
21:21Edgar ran his thumb
21:22across it.
21:23The paper brittle
21:24beneath his touch.
21:25The Mad Emperor.
21:28He looked up
21:29at Tobias.
21:30What the hell
21:31was Lady Harcourt doing?
21:33Tobias shook his head.
21:35I'm not sure,
21:38but perhaps
21:39we will never find out.
21:41Edgar pocketed the book.
21:43And perhaps
21:45that'd be for the best.
21:49The Kingdom of Eldenfield
21:51rivaled Lockmere
21:52in beauty,
21:53though its splendor
21:54lay not in marble halls
21:56or crowded marketplaces,
21:58but in its golden fields
22:00and bountiful harvest.
22:02Where Lockmere thrived
22:04on the hum of city streets
22:05and the elegance
22:07of court life,
22:08Eldenfield breathed
22:09in rhythm with the land.
22:12Past the hues of amber
22:13and green
22:14that painted the patchwork farmland,
22:16windmills turned slowly,
22:19creaking in the soft breeze.
22:21The morning mist
22:23clung to the rolling fields
22:24of Eldenfield
22:25like a woolen shawl.
22:27The scent of damp earth
22:29and harvested grain
22:30lingered in the air.
22:32At the heart of it all
22:34stood the palace,
22:35rising from the earth
22:37as if it had always
22:38been a part of it.
22:39It was a structure
22:40carved not from opulence,
22:43but from the soil
22:44of tradition
22:45and prosperity.
22:47Within,
22:48King Ludlow stood
22:49at an arched window,
22:51his weathered hands
22:52clasped behind his back
22:54as he surveyed
22:54the fields beyond.
22:56The late autumn sun
22:58cast long shadows
22:59over the furrows.
23:01A letter,
23:02your majesty,
23:03from Prince Alistair?
23:06Ludlow's eyes narrowed.
23:08He stepped away
23:09from the window
23:10and took the letter.
23:11The seal bore
23:12the mark of Lockmere.
23:14But,
23:15to his surprise,
23:16the letter wasn't
23:17from Tobias
23:18or even the Duke.
23:20Instead,
23:20it was from his son.
23:23He read in silence
23:25once,
23:25then again.
23:27He writes
23:28of alliances,
23:30the king eventually mumbled,
23:33of rooting out corruption
23:35and chasing shadows
23:37in Lockmere
23:38as if they were his own.
23:40The steward waited,
23:43unsure whether to speak.
23:45He forgets,
23:47Ludlow growled.
24:10the king after they were
24:11what he saw.
24:11The king after the
24:14And,
24:17the king after the
24:30He heard it on the
24:30He wrote it on the
24:31He wrote it on the
24:42I should have known he would go out looking for trouble, or at the very least, head out to abandon
24:50his responsibilities.
24:52He turns to the steward. Send word. I want him back in Eldenfield by week's end. No more distractions. No
25:04more foreign crowns.
25:06It is time he remembers where his duty lies. Ludlau remained by the fire, staring into the flames as they
25:16snapped and curled.
25:18You want to be a king, boy? he muttered to himself.
25:23Alistair wants to be a hero in Lockwood, but his father demands he be a king in Eldenfield.
25:29With a winter famine looming and a prince in denial, the golden fields are turning cold.
25:34Don't miss episode 452.
25:38Join now for early access, and don't forget to like and subscribe.
26:02And don't forget to like and subscribe.
26:02Good night.