Helizabel x Fredegund

## Helizabel x Fredegund
## C
\f[2|Helizabel]
\s[2]
Hmm...|
\s[-2]

\f[5|Fredegund]
\s[5]
Ah, Lady Helizabel. What\n
has your brow furrowed so?|

\s[2]
... It is nothing, you need not\n
worry about it, Lady Fredegund.|

\s[5]
My Lady, you have need not refer to\n
me as 'Lady', for I am but a common\n
soldier. Just Fredegund is fine.|

\s[2]
You say that, and yet I do not know if\n
I believe you. This 'common soldier' act.|

\s[5]
... I am sorry? Have I... offended\n
you in any way, Lady Helizabel?|

\s[2]
Hold. Say that again.|

\s[5]
What do you mean? I merely asked if\n
I had done something to offend--|

\s[2]
No, no, say exactly what you\n
just did with the same inflection.|

\s[5]
...? Uh... I am sorry... Have I\n
offended you... in any way, Lady--|

\s[2]\m[2|2]
No, no! Hmm... Maybe I am entirely\n
in the wrong. I apologize, Fredegund.|

\s[5]
Well, I apologize nonetheless, Lady\n
Helizabel. I really do mean no harm.|\n
And if you feel as if I have acted\n
callously towards you, please inform me\n
and distribute punishment as you see fit.|

\s[2]
... It is not that serious.|

\s[5]
If you will excuse me, my lady,\n
the battle yearns for me. I must\n
answer its call.|
\s[-2]

\f[5|nil]
\w[32]

\s[2]
If not for her face and voice, I would\n
never suspect this in the first place...|\b[2|2]\n
However, that statement...|
\s[-2]
\x[Fredegund]
Have I... offended you in any way, Lady Helizabel?|
\s[-2]

\w[32]

\s[2]\b[2|0]
No, I must be crazy. Rigundis is dead,\n
along with all of the Leovigs... I saw\n
them all hang 11 years ago.|
\s[-2]

\w[32]\r[2]\m[2|1]\w[64]
\r[1]
\s[1]
But... I can not shake this feeling...|
\s[-2]

## B
# Base
\r[5]\f[5|Fredegund]
\w[8]
\r[5]
\s[5]
Hmm? Lady Helizabel? Are you there?|
\s[-2]

\f[0|Helizabel]\m[0|2]\w[4]
\s[2]
I am, Fredegund. I wanted\n
to ask you about something.|

\s[5]
Feel free, my lady. How can I help?|

\s[2]
My brother tells me that you are well\n
versed in the noble houses of Merovin.\n
I wished to hear it for myself.|

\s[5]
You are... testing me? Or is it\n
you have little confidence in\n
Lord Pellinore's claims?|

\s[2]
Perhaps a bit of both. If you\n
would humor me, though, Fredegund.|

\s[5]
I certainly will do my best, my lady.|
\s[-2]

\s[5]
Houses Saras and Girart in Fafnir, House\n
Apollo in Otr, Houses Hadrian and Pasgan\n
in Reginn, House Saracen in Lyngh...|\n
House Anafortas in Heior, and Houses\n
Corbenic and Chlothar in Hreidmar.|

\s[2]\e[2|1]
Most impressive... My brother was right.\e[2|0]\n
However, you missed one, Fredegund.|

\s[5]
I... did? What house did I forget?|

\s[2]
House Liuva of Fafnir. Lead by Lord Chilperic.|

\s[5]
... House Liuva no longer has any\n
political standings and has been dissolved.|

\s[2]\e[2|1]
Oh, so you do know them.|

\s[5]
... I do. I just did not think to add\n
them to the list given they are disgraced.|

\s[2]\e[2|0]
Indeed... Hanged, the entire family.\n
Treason, embezzlement, fraud, debauchery,\n
siphoning of funds, rumored slavery--|

\s[5]
Lady Helizabel. What exactly are you\n
trying to gain by pressing me on this house?|

\s[2]
Gain? Nothing. Like I said, I was\n
curious to know if you knew of them.|\n
In particular, I want to know your\n
opinion of Lady Rigundis of Liuva.|

\s[5]
Why her...? She was a cruel, awful woman...\n
Borderline sociopathic. As was her father,\n
uncle, and the other hanged members.|

\s[2]
Wait, you failed to mention Reccared...\n
You do not find him to be on the same\n
level as Rigundus or Lord Chilperic?|

\s[5]
... Most of what was said about his\n
relationship with Rigundis was not true.\n
He was set up out of spite by her.|

\s[2]\m[2|2]
What? Hold on, are you saying...?|

\s[5]
... I have to go, Lady Helizabel.\n
If you will excuse me.|
\s[-2]

\f[5|nil]
\w[16]

\s[2]
... What in the world? Reccared was\n
set up...? How in the world would\n
she have such an idea-- Oh. Oh!|\n
But how can this be... I saw her\n
die! With my own two eyes! The dead\n
do not return to the waking world...|
\s[-2]

## A
# Base
\f[7|Fredegund]\m[7|6]\w[4]
\s[6]
... Lady Helizabel? Are you present?|
\s[-2]

\w[32]

\f[2|Helizabel]\w[4]
\s[2]
Oh, Fredegund... Did you need me?|
\s[-2]

\m[6|5]\w[4]
\s[5]
... I think we need to speak\n
about what transpired during\n
our last conversation.|

\s[2]
You know, you are right; we do.|\n
After you told me what you did\n
about Lord Reccared, I had someone\n
look into the claims you stated.|

\s[5]
... And I suppose you must know...|

\s[2]
Most every servant we managed to find\n
described him as a harsh man, but kinder\n
in comparison to his father.|\n
Additionally, none were aware of any\n
wrongdoings he had committed to his\n
younger sister Rigundis. It... was a lie.|

\s[5]
I imagine you have questions.|

\s[2]
Fredegund... No, that is not your name, is it?|

\s[5]
... Lady Rigundis is dead, Lady Helizabel.|

\s[2]
Then how do you stand before me now?|

\s[5]\b[5|2]
I... I wish to have no association with\n
the identity I used to have. When I look\n
upon the things I did, the way I acted...|\n
The lies I spread in order to try and\n
drag my brother down to hell with the rest\n
of us... I wish I had died that day.|

\s[2]
And yet you are here... How?|

\s[5]
... I made a deal. Another took my place.\n
Her name was... Fredegund... I was to\n
become her and escape capital punishment.|

\s[2]
... So the woman I saw hanging...|

\s[5]
An innocent woman who paid the price\n
for my sins. A debt I can never repay...|

\s[2]\m[2|2]\e[2|2]
I... I am so angry I do not even\n
know how to process this information.|

\s[5]\b[5|0]
Your anger is justified.|

\s[2]
... Who else is aware of the truth?|

\s[5]
Lord Claudin and Sir Childebert both know.\n
Other than that, no one who is still alive.|

\s[2]\b[2|1]
You had them killed too?|

\s[5]\m[5|5]
No! The man who arranged the entire thing\n
was killed during a bandit raid, which is\n
how I even managed to escape to Hreidmor.|\n
I was in the slums of Reginn beforehand, in\n
a sense paying for the crimes I committed...|

\s[2]
You regularly had the servants beaten,\n
you stole from me, and were known to--\n
No... You...|

\s[5]
... Yes. I will not claim my hardships\n
were any worse than those who suffered\n
under my hand's were, though.|\n
At first I was angry, as I wished to\n
shirk all responsibility and avoid\n
punishment entirely for what I had done.|\n
... But in time, I understood this is\n
more than what I deserved. Much more.|

\s[2]\e[2|0]\b[2|0]
... How long have you been in Hreidmor?|

\s[5]
About six years now. Lord Claudin\n
took me in, helped train me to fight,\n
and gave me a new purpose in life.|\n
... All while knowing exactly who I was.|

\s[2]
Lord Claudin was willing to do that for\n
you, even though your family razed his\n
lands to try and evade capture...|

\s[5]
I do not deserve his mercy or forgiveness,\n
but I hope to atone for my actions for as\n
long as I live. This is not an act.|

\s[2]
Given what I have seen from you now\n
compared to... then. I believe you.|\n
However, the information about your\n
brother deeply troubles me...|

\s[5]
If you see it fit I am to sit in the\n
gallows or be hanged, I will not resist.|\n
I only admit that I am a coward for not\n
bringing this information to anyone's\n
attention outside of Lord Claudin's.|

\s[2]
... I will speak with my Father and\n
see what he says. But I will vouch for\n
you, as I... I think you can be redeemed.|

\s[5]\e[5|1]
Thank you for the kind words,\n
Lady Helizabel. I... hope one\n
day we can be friends. Real ones.|

\s[2]
... Only time will tell, Fredegund.|
\s[-2]