March, week 3; 3 months after The Start of The End

“…a course which surely shall bring us to war.”

The court was silent as The White Rabbit spoke, showing deference and respect. He was a small figure beside his guard, short and unassuming. As he spoke he adopted an almost apologetic tone, projecting an aura of insecurity. As always he had arrived late to the proceeding, flanked by an escort in red. Less experienced rulers would’ve thought the diplomat clumsy - foolish even - but The Golden Stag knew better. Each move from The Rabbit was calculated. Each misstep a strategy. Beneath the bumbling facade a cold and calculated mind worked, matched only in cruelty by his employer.

Glancing away from the herald, The Stag gazed upon his court. The clearing was bright in the afternoon sun, giving a warm glow to the surroundings. The space was one of the few which sunlight could reach, and a thick layer of flowers and flora grew on the edge. Banners hung on great trees, rippling lightly in the wind. Guards stood upon the forest line, dressed in their finest ceremonial browns. The people of the court were serious but jovial; the day was beautiful, the herd was content. Calm lay over the realm like a thick blanket, spared from the madness that had consumed the world.

The Stag pondered The Rabbit’s remarks, and leaned back upon his throne. He looked down from its dais of wood, and gripped the interwoven branches that framed it with his right hand.

“This is a serious request” The Stag said gravely “One I’m not sure we can meet.”

“The Queen understands the gravity.” The Rabbit was conciliatory in tone, but something sharper swirled in his eyes “These are dark times; she would not ask what isn’t necessary. Surely you can see the importance.”

“My eyes are not those which must be convinced,” The Stag replied “for I am but a guardian of my people. Their will is what I act upon; I do not impose my own. We are a proud herd. Neutrality has been our greatest protection.”

Around the court light agreement rippled through the crowd, and The Rabbit’s facade broke for a moment. For a brief second he scowled, before immediately resuming his apologetic demeanor.

“You understand of course, The Red Queen will be disappointed. She has supported this territory for so long; she hopes only for the same in return.”

“I cannot make promises before my people have decided.” The Stag leaned forward slightly, his own tone becoming conciliatory “But you can assure her the herd will vote on the matter.”

The Rabbit opened his mouth to speak once more, but was interrupted by the blast of a horn. The crowd murmured in anticipation, and turned towards the entrance to the clearing. A group of warriors entered the space, walking quickly towards the throne. Their uniforms - like the guards - were dark brown in coloration, differing in the silver threads woven throughout the fabric. They lightly shimmered as they moved, and the crowd quickly parted to let them through. Excitement grew throughout the court, and The Stag leaned forward in his throne in anticipation.

Finally reaching the dais itself, the group knelt before the king. The leader of the group looked pointedly at The White Rabbit, who mumbled his apologies before stepping aside. The leader bowed slightly, and the group rose to address the assembly. At their backs all of the warriors wore quivers of silver arrows, and in their hands all carried beautifully crafted longbows. Sidearms were holstered at their hips, and the uniforms showed signs of wear. All the members of the group were women, trained to strike from places unseen. Just as The Rabbit’s demeanor was carefully crafted, so too were these warriors’ tactics. The leader of the group looked up, and the light danced on the silver circlet which she wore. In a realm of fighters these were heroes of legend, led by The Silver Doe herself. When they spoke, all listened.

“I bring a report from the outer realms” The Silver Doe’s voice rang through the clearing. Smiling, the Golden Stag rose from his throne, and walked towards the group.

“Go ahead.” The Stag said, stopping in front of the leader.

“Two more kingdoms have collapsed in the east, and raiders have continued plundering all convoys. Peacekeepers have been stationed in Old Town, and a detachment of crusaders has moved into the Downtown Ruins. There are rumblings of a unit of the Liberation Front, however they have yet to take any action”

The Stag raised an eyebrow, and glanced at The Rabbit. “I believe you said something about security.”

The White Rabbit opened his mouth to reply, then thinking better of it closed it. The Stag smiled teasingly at the diplomat, then turned away from the group to begin walking back to his Throne.

“We shall need to increase our security at the border. The chaos of the world is nothing new, its forces are just a bit closer.”

“There’s more.” The Doe stepped forward, and The Stag turned to face her. She lowered her voice a bit, concern edging in. “Someone has raided the library.”

The Stag frowned at this news, a puzzled look across his face “The library? Who?”

The Doe shook her head “We don’t know. There are whispers in all the realms. Something is moving through the dark. Something… old. Nameless. The tomes taken were the darkest in the collection. Strange chanting has been heard on the edges of the city, outside of all controlled territory. The forests have grown more dangerous outside of our borders.”

The Stag nodded gravely, processing what he had heard. For several weeks now reports like this had been given, as stories grew of movement in the shadows. Movement which had been spotted encroaching on their woods. An ominous force was growing, one which had not been seen prior.

“Something is brewing out there, in the dark.” The Stag said quietly “Quietly biding its time.”

“We followed the rumors as much as we could, but whatever it is is buried deep. They’re hiding just out of sight.”

The Stag considered this for a moment before speaking. “Send two songbirds into the trees to seek out this mystery. Till then we shall double our patrols.”

The Doe nodded, and The Stag turned abruptly to face the crowd. A silence had fallen over the court, and all looked nervously towards the king. He stepped towards the group of warriors behind The Doe, and spread his arms.

“A warm welcome to our Does on their return!” He called out to the crowd “Let us adjourn to celebrate their arrival.”

Around the court the crowd muttered in excitement, all tension broken. A horn blasted, and the people began to flow out of the clearing. The Stag and The Doe watched their people leave the clearing, sharing a look of concern.

AUTHORS NOTE:

One of the most common tropes in dystopian tales is that the end of the world is chaotic and unorganized, but this hasn’t been the case since The Start of The End. While larger governments and political entities have weakened or outright fallen during the madness, many smaller territories have arisen in their absence. Some - such as Nova Roma - have grown large enough to be deemed nations of their own, but many remain as micro-states. Small fiefdoms carving up individual cities or neighborhoods, often with populations in the thousands. These territories exist on a scale large enough to provide support and governance to their people, but small enough to avoid conflict with the larger nations. Many collaborate with the nominal national territories they exist within, as war within their boundaries would make them more vulnerable to the roving holy armies. The Woodland Realm exists in a region known for its abundance of such territories, who explore a variety of political ideologies and systems. Colloquially the people refer to the larger nation as “Wonderland”, as everyone seems to be mad there.

Episode 5 takes place 6 months after The Start of The End.