The story of our city
is a troubled one. Its roots are many centuries old,
longer than any living thing, probably even dragons,
if they still exist, for like us,
they have not been seen for many a moon.
(birds chirping)
Dispelled from thought, cast into the shadows.
There is nothing for you to see there now.
Broken promises, failed dreams. A city lost.
I like to see it. Remember it as it was.
Don't let it taunt you. Leave it alone.
Cheery as ever. I see.
I see no reason for joy here.
We're alive.
Is that not joy enough? The wind on our faces.
Warmth from our hearts. And you say it taunts you?
Don't put words in my mouth. I said leave it alone.
Is it that easy for you?
No.
But you're too young to remember.
(dog barking)
Curse the humans.
They destroy all that they touch.
(indistinct talking) (metal clattering)
(wind blowing)
(birds chirping)
I just...
(animal squeals)
I know.
I'm sorry.
You think too much for an elf.
- I know what you're going to say. Don't say it.
Then you say it.
The way of the elf.
Act first. Trust yourself. I just...
(goat baaing)
Please, miss, please!
May the sun bless you.
May a hot meal bless you.
Oh it will thanks to you.
I'm on my way to Gemmell's Bakery.
They might have a meal for you there?
- Oh, you should be going to Cameron's Bakery.
Things are getting really hot there.
(horse running) (horse neighing)
(dog barking) (man shouts)
(birds squawking)
Tyfell Stop. Look on the ground over there.
They've dropped early
- Fern horn seeds, collecting them is quite the honour.
Still some leaves on the trees. A bad omen.
Tread carefully.
Oh, I will.
- What about the deer? - We'll come back for it.
This is more important,
Much more.
I heard people worry there may not be enough seeds
for the new births. One seed for one elf.
And I'd...
So many, so many.
But collecting them is quite the honour.
Shouldn't we leave them?
No. They must be collected swiftly.
I remember when I collected mine.
12 years old as all are,
but for me, it's the first time I felt like an elf.
I knew which one was mine and I took it. I knew immediately.
- Have you got the sacks. - Yeah. It Became my weapon
almost the same day. I barely shed blood
with its thorn before it took shape. Not
that I've ever really had a chance to use it.
Tyfell. Focus.
Some have taken root. I feared it so.
We can't pull them out?
No. Once they're rooted, they'll be like that
for over a thousand years.
We'll mark the tree before we leave.
Anyone who treads here now should do so warily.
Careful.
Let's collect them. Carefully
(dramatic music)
Came as soon as I heard.
Where is he?
They took him.
They took him to the edge of the city. Banished.
We'll find him. Where have you been?
I came as quickly as I could.
Did you know about this?
No.
Sam?
Emily. No. I would've told you.
Would you?
Yes.
Has he been taken?
Banished?
Colette, listen to me. I need you to be strong.
They'll be back again tomorrow
and if you are not able to pay both today
and tomorrow...
I'll be banished too.
And the Sheriff would love nothing more than that.
He'd seize this place, put the prices
up and then we'll all go hungry.
But he can only do that if we let him. Sam,
get everyone you know to come here.
Tell them there's free bread
for whoever shows up to claim it.
Go.
I can't do that.
Yes you can and I'll help.
It's my job to keep your head above water. When they show up
we'll tell them the free batch run out,
but we can give them a reduction on the other bread.
Sheriff's taxes have made bread a luxury for most folk.
We get them back here. We can make what we need in a day.
- Even with a reduction. - What about Cameron?
- He'll manage. Let's focus on what we can do.
- I've heard they take their clothes as payment
and worse.
- Gossip is half the punishment with banishing.
They say all sorts. It'll all be
forgotten in a couple of months.
I just, no.
You're right.
Trust me,
let's get to work.
(screaming)
than that Cameron.
Funny thing banishment? People think banishment
means leaving the city on pain of death, like you're an elf
never to return. Which it does.
But it also means that you lose all your rights.
It means no one gives a toss about you.
It means I could cut you to pieces
and nobody could complain.
- I gave you all discounts. Opened early for you!
- Well that's why I haven't killed you. But taxes
must be paid.
Have at him boys!
Prepare to tar and feather.
The tar quarterises the wound, stops you bleeding
out.
And the feathers?
Well, the feathers make you look pretty.
Bring the jewels with us.
The humans brought one of their own here.
Beat him, hadn't paid his taxes.
- That's four this week. Treated same as the others.
It's troubling.
It's barbaric. We should help him.
- If that is your decision, act on it Tyfell.
- Sometimes thinking through an action isn't a bad idea.
- Indeed. And if that is your choice; to hesitate, to,
to weigh up the options, so be it.
I'm not hesitating.
Choose. One.
- This doesn't need considering, he is hurt,
but the tar will have burnt his wounds and sealed them.
He is surrounded by plenty.
He will recover and find food,
- But if he doesn't? - He dies.
That is the circle.
But surely?
Help or don't.
If a kitten is drowning, helping it is an action.
Letting it die is a choice. Watching it is cruel.
- I'm debating not watching. - Hesitation has many names
Elwynn?
- Does the sun hesitate? Does the moon, the wind?
- Oh, why would you not save a drowning kitten?
I would if I could. You would watch it.
- Elwynn - If your heart hesitates,
you die. Heartless.
That's what you think of me. I see it in your eyes.
But I'm not, I just listen to it.
One day my heart shall stop beating
and I shall not curse it
or complain, for all things have a right to a choice.
But if it lingers me in an indecision, unsure of whether
to beat or not? Well, that I shall curse
for it shall be a cruel suffering.
(indistinct whispering)
We need to get home. You go back for that deer.
I'll take these from here.
Wood Elves?
I'll help you back.
It's cold. The deer will keep
Finally a good decision.
I like to watch the humans.
They're like greedy children.
They know little of the old ways.
All can hunt.
They can't skin a deer very well.
I've even seen them fail to properly roast a rabbit,
let alone know where the apples fall.
Is that why you left him one?
Hey; to taunt him?
- Thank you so much. - How did it go?
We're good for today. You did well.
I even got the tinker here and he rarely buys anything.
Thank you Sam
But this will only last a few days.
Next full moon...
Cameron said that we wouldn't last.
That's why he put up a stink to the tax collectors.
Told them it was as good as thievery.
- Sam, you need to talk to the Sheriff. He'll listen to you.
He won't.
Fine. I'll do it.
What?
No. Wait, I, I can, I can come with you.
No, you said he won't listen to you.
(slow dramatic music)
Where do you think my brother is?
Probably the forest of solitude.
No. It's empty and barren.
No one even hunts there anymore.
It's a long walk to get back to the north road too.
He'll be out there for days.
I saw a report on the Sheriff's desk.
That's why so few ever come back or are seen again.
I, I, I'd offer to go and look for him.
But that's punishable too.
- Of the old and the new show us the enchantments
both forgotten and true.
I, I know I'm not
progressing as you'd hoped.
I'm trying.
I know.
A broken heart takes a while to heal Tyfell.
Trust yourself. That's all we have.
We both wish your father were here.
If...
If that human we're conscious
and asked us for help, what would you have done?
Kill him.
Come now.
- I'd I kill him for so much as looking at me.
We're nothing more than a rumour to humans these days.
So I hear. Keeping it
that way is the only way we keep things as they are.
You, you of all people
I would've thought would show the most
interest in the humans. Knowing our enemies,
is our first rule of war.
I know them well.
But surely things change?
And the answer to that riddle lies there.
I hate riddles. Speak plainly. Please.
Look around you.
At all we have. Children
New born babes.
The abundance of the forest.
Happiness, security. Things have
changed since leaving the city, for the better.
For us?
The elves.
Exactly.
We sometimes went a dozen
or more years without the cries of a new born babe.
Things have changed and you won't know
how good you had something
as a young Elf, until it leaves you.
- It's hard to find happiness when others suffer.
True.
But that is the human way. Humans are cruel.
They like things to suffer.
Give me a sack.
Think on that and fetch the deer
and reopen the portal.
You walk with the pace of a storm.
Wish I had the power of a storm.
Meeting with the sheriff went well then?
Word travels quick.
When times are this hard, aye.
It does. Well?
He granted me an audience.
(dramatic music)
You look lovely Emily.
And?
I was to the point.
I've come to discuss the city.
I'm angry at the treatment of the people.
- Is that so? - Our, my people
Come, come, all are welcome in
Lloris are they not?
- All those who share perhaps? My people suffer.
You take from them. The new taxes on the bakeries?
All you do is take, take and take.
You didn't say that to him?
I did, I did.
Emily.
I was angry.
Take.
The taxes are for the people, for caregivers,
for courtiers, for collectors, for ships,
for trade, for courts, for councils.
And no one can question your spending?
Nothing's improved.
No Emily.
Dear Emily, you are
these questions,
questions are tricky things.
- You can never get a straight answer out of him.
Twists everything.
He...
And questions can be good.
I encourage them. So you
question me on my taxes.
So I question you.
Your parents used to rule this city from this very castle.
Could they be trusted?
- Of course. I may have been young when they passed,
but all say they made things better.
Cared for our elders. Housed the poor?
They weren't just trusted. They were loved.
I'm sure, it's good to hear.
But another question if I may.
I'm relatively new to our city,
but even I know that Elven things are forbidden here.
Now I've wondered this since I moved
in and here's the question.
Why are forbidden Elven goblets here?
Hidden away in this office all over the castle?
Your family rounded them all up,
but you didn't destroy them?
It's naughty.
The wood makes the wine instantly sweeter.
It's interesting.
I think in the right marketplace
it could be quite valuable.
No answer? Nothing?
You look upset?
If that is what you truly believe,
that you love the people
and the people love and trust you.
Look where it has brought you?
Begging at my table.
What an odd little orphan you are.
You know if you were still little
you'd be under my management.
Imagine that.
- All in all he didn't like my parents, doesn't like
me and I shouldn't have gone.
You trusted your instincts. Nothing wrong with that.
So no changes to the new tax then?
No.
Now run along.
If you really want to look after the taxes
and the policy of this city,
then I suggest you try and take my seat.
Should you dare.
- I might just, - Of course the old rule
of vote has now gone so it may be a little tricky.
The new laws are so much better, allowing us
to take action when action is needed.
No more dithering.
The people have trusted me with this office.
I make the rules now.
I can't please everyone.
Some win and some lose
and I don't care for losers.
Escort her out.
God, he's a monster.
Makes himself rich and bleeds the rest of us.
All the bakers will be gone by the end
of the week and he'll be running them.
You mark my words. My mother may be
blind and sick.
She saw this coming.
How is she?
Surviving.
Got lice down under
and a rash that's almost as putrid as what she vomits up.
Heading to the river now.
Stinks too bad to throw in the street. Nasty stuff.
(horse neighing)
Courage burns brightly within you.
Sometimes you have to let bad moments be kindling to it.
That's how greatness shines.
(slow music)
What are you thinking?
That human. They stole our city
but it sometimes it feels
as though they darkened our souls as well.
Hate is no companion to hold onto.
200 years of it. It's hard to let go.
- Is it time? - That's the wrong question.
Well?
Is it safe to?
We've moved on Llanofinn, we've built a better city.
Enchantments that will last longer than the wind.
We are hidden here. Content.
- Those seeds you found? - Troubling.
Wonderful. So many?
How can you put something in a river?
And not know another would have to deal with it.
Humans.
Look at me, letting them
get me wound up.
The moon is coming.
- Is it full? - It will be.
A good omen.
- Is it? - I have something for you.
But first you must promise to not be angry.
- Cannot do that. - Oh,
your anger is quicker than a rabbit's foot.
Promise me.
No. How? Why?
They fell early. I helped collect them
and then when I went back to collect the deer we fell
Something pulled me back.
Called to you?
Just like at the council of the young
when we got to choose our own seed
and share blood to tame it.
That feeling?
I feel it.
I feel it too.
Hold it. Hold it. It's not
blooded or taken root.
Nothing happens.
I've never seen one this young before.
What an honour to collect them so.
The thorn hasn't even grown yet?
Drawn to it, but it does not root
or thorn when held? There's only one
thing that means...
One seed for one elf.
The seed must learn from the inner self.
It can only be
For our child.
(door closes)
I got your message...
What by the sun and moon are you doing here?
- The baker Offstead followed them when they took him.
He had to close his shop the day before.
Closed before he owed anything.
Told Cameron to do the same. You should have listened.
If they find him here they'll kill him. Does Sam know?
Good.
I don't know what to do.
He can't stay.
Cameron. You know you can't stay.
He's not fit to go anywhere.
What did they do to you?
We will put you in a cart and get you out
before the dawn patrols come in.
No.
Cameron?
Don't speak.
Sister please.
I'll go.
I had to come back.
I know who will help us.
Who? We need it.
The Wood Elves. They're real.
They left me this apple. I heard them talk.
Elves gave this to you?
I couldn't bring myself to eat it.
(wind blowing)
Not like you to beat me to the sunrise.
- Last night clearly didn't wear me out enough.
I'm going to scout the city. There's something afoot.
I feel it
Very well.
Good luck.
- What about you? - The river over the
mountain. Salmon.
I hope.
After that I'll...
I'll visit the Elder tree.
It's been a while.
Our fallen friends have been
troubling my dreams of late.
Dreaming?
Last night clearly didn't wear you out enough either.
Spear some for me.
I'll try.
May the Lost Moon guide you.
And you.
(indistinct chatter) (metal clanging)
New day, new rules. Pay up.
- You collect weekly. That's how this works.
- Now it's weekly in advance. Too many people not paying up.
- I can't pay next week's. I just paid this week's.
I'm simply the collector.
- And I'm simply the one who made the bread you fed
to your children last night.
That was yesterday. Today you're somebody
who can't pay their taxes.
What's going on?
Tax collector's Mother.
Hey? Again?
No, no, no, no. That's absolute nonsense.
Nonsense it is, I tell you I ain't so frail
that I don't remember you coming yesterday.
Is this what you do? Bully the blind and the infirm. Yeah.
Well, weak I may be but test my metal.
You'll find me stronger than an oak.
So you're not paying?
Oh no. Not on your life I'm paying.
Fine. Seize everything.
You'll pay.
No you'll pay.
You see this is what happens when people
don't pay their taxes.
Tomorrow this stall will reopen under the supervision
of the Sheriff of Lloris.
You have a knack for this.
I get bored watching.
It is not watching. It is feeling.
I have heard of a technique where you dig a small trench,
trap the fish as they swim in.
It seems easier?
Probably is.
Then why not do that?
Is its not more graceful?
The highest effect, the most minimal of effort?
Maybe,
but you focus too much on the success of the task.
The joy of a task is as much in the doing of it
as the reward of it.
Only in the balance of both. Can you find that,
Which is the way of the Elf.
Yes, yes, yes.
I know, but surely
So far away?
Yes. I watched the water move differently. Felt it.
You'll be as good as I one day. If you practice.
I fear my skills shall never be equal to yours.
I had heard of this trick.
Had I not seen it, I doubt I would've believed it.
There's no trick. It's simply patience, awareness,
and focus.
I will be gone for a few days.
Are the bakeries all ours?
By nightfall they will be.
Good.
Next we'll take the ale houses.
They will be trickier.
Nope. Because we will lift the price
of food across this city.
We already control the import of grain that they use
for meat and ale.
We'll raise that as well
and we will increase tax just a little.
They'll be angry.
No. Because we will lend them coin.
Help support them in this time of turbulence.
We will blame it on foreign wars or
or goings on in the capital.
And then?
And then we'll let them fall behind with their payments.
We will bleed them of everything they have
and then, then they will simply give us their business
to pay off their rising debts.
They will see it as a blessing
and they'll love us even more for it.
This is a way of things, power
to the purpose.
What's that really mean?
You keep saying it.
The new law that rules,
is that if the purpose can be proven and it prospers
or defends the city in any way,
then the action is just and can be taken.
No councils or votes
or any other nonsense needed.
Now tonight, buy your men a drink.
Encourage them to frequent the ale houses
in the coming weeks.
The greater our support for them,
the less they will suspect us in unseating them.
I'm enjoying this plan more and more.
Now tomorrow.
Remove the homeless from the city,
in the early hours.
No, no. Give them all a coin.
Put them to work to clean the new bakeries
and then send them on their way.
Tell them there'll be more work in the next city
and then put them to work in the mine.
There'll be plenty more to follow.
Soon they'll come willingly
(door closes)
As once was lost.
Together we may be found.
Let us come to speak and find common ground.
(birds chirping)
This is the custom?
- As once we were lost together, we may be found.
Let us come to speak
and find common ground.
(dramatic music) (birds squawking)
I am not leaving until you talk to me.
- This is the custom. Let's see if you honour it.
This is a dangerous place to be alone.
For my kind. Yes.
- What are you doing here? - I've come to beg,
- Beg? Beg is not a term we are familiar with.
The squirrel does not beg. It forages.
The wolf does not beg. It hunts.
The flowers do not beg, they bloom.
Die and nourish the forest with their decay.
We elves treat all creatures as equal
for they are true to themselves.
Your kind. However.
I did not mean to offend.
I use it only because I'm desperate.
Desperation lives next to danger in our heart.
These are dangerous times.
Life hangs on a thread for all. At any time
the cartographer can change the map of our stars
and the lives within it.
We do not fear danger.
Then pity me, because I do.
There is a strength within you.
But?
But like all humans, chaos resides also.
- We are being beaten, thrown from our homes.
Our trades taken away from us. A foreigner sits as Sheriff.
- This story sounds familiar. - That's why I came.
You lost your city once.
Not lost,
had it stolen, by your kind.
It's the only home I've ever known
and it's being taken from me.
Same way it was from you. We can understand each other.
Maybe we can help each other.
I was taught an elvish saying as a child.
I thought all elvish was outlawed?
We call it a local tongue.
Foreigners don't know any different.
What was the saying?
Evil is bred, when what we should do isn't done.
There is another saying;
A flower must die to bloom another day.
What is your name?
Emily.
I Llanofinn Brokenleaf.
Have heard you; Emily of the city of Lloris.
Return this time tomorrow
and you shall have your answer then.
Terrible things might happen before...
They may not. Also,
I feel in order to answer you, I must first speak to others.
Are there many of you? Where do you live?
Go. Now.
- That was foolish. Take the fish back to the kitchens.
Not a word of this to anyway. Tyfell; not a word.
- You are back early. - The river was bountiful.
Praise to the Lost Moon.
Come here.
(Ethereal Voices recant the meeting with Emily)
200 years of silence,
200 years of silence between humans
and Elves. Ruined today.
- There are people in the city who remember us fondly.
We are done with all of that.
We have a new city, enchantments. Done with and
away from them.
- Hiding, - Living.
- I have seen the brutality she speaks of today.
It is evil and it is wrong.
I want to believe you.
Then go and see for yourself.
- I have duties. - In the kitchen?
Elwynn, you are Warlord of Lloris.
Is the title lost now as well as the city?
I have seen the shame you have carried.
For you. Yes.
As Master Scout,
I have done much for the city.
You have languished in the shadows.
A great commander knows when to attack
and when not to.
Then as your scout, I am telling you
the winds are changing.
Lloris is in turmoil and its people seek our help.
A new leader.
A new leader. She didn't say that?
It is what we are known for.
The council of Elves made the city.
Perhaps this is the step to governing it once again.
The winds of change may be upon us.
I will go to the city tonight,
but only because it is the quickest
path to the Elder Tree.
Thank you for your report. Master Scout.
(loud indistinct talking)
Make the most of it mother.
Might be the last meal for a while.
Not if I can help it. It ain't.
(door bell jingles)
Tax Collectors.
No.
I'm just gonna...
- Don't, don't, don't, 'just' me. This fight is mine.
Oi, scum.
Who, me?
Oh, you know your name then.
Well you should know your place too 'cause scum.
Well you ain't welcome here. Get out.
You're that ***** from earlier.
Lost your loaves and now drowning in your sorrows.
Don't drink when I'm working.
- Oh, drink up love. Your ovens won't run hot again.
- I'm working on a dish that's best served cold.
What happened? Did I get him?
Call for help. Call for help!
Get these ********.
This is a bakers kiss.
And this is a donkeys kiss.
(wind blowing)
I am not shamed by you, for your actions.
I shouldn't have said that.
It was a truth I perhaps needed to hear.
Don't cloud it now. I thank you for it.
I fear for what you'll see tonight.
- All is uncertain when the winds of change beckon.
Take your bow.
- I do not go to fight. - Sometimes fights find you.
I spoke to the druid yesterday.
He's working on a new arrow, one he calls Dragons Warning.
- He is full of bright ideas. Tell me when I return.
May, the Lost Moon guide you.
- I'll be back before the moon is at its height.
Praise the Lost Moon.
(slow dramatic music)
- Well this is a sad start to the Sheriff being away.
- I'm sorry I, I didn't want for this. Please.
Hey, hey, hey. Calm yourself.
No one wants their place smashed up like this.
Let alone a guard murdered. He is dead.
Right Barry?
What a poor turn for you.
You know the tax takes this into account, don't you?
This is for you. Help fix this place up
and I'll send the men round in the evening for a drink.
Get your sales back up.
Sad business this. He had a young wife.
Newly weds. You two on your feet.
Drag the body back to the guardhouse.
I wouldn't open this evening,
likely to be more violence before the night is out.
I hate violence.
What have they done? This tree stood
before any walked here.
- Lucky the elves aren't here to see it. Yes sir?
- It was a burial ground. - Generous sir, very.
- Who did this? - Oh the Sheriff.
Rumors there's Dwarvish Gemstones under that tree
and that's why it grew so big.
Noisy business.
It's quiet tonight.
Very noisy. Earlier. Very noisy.
I've been looking everywhere for you.
What's wrong?
The city's gone mad. Who's been hurt?
The tax collectors.
What?
Axle and Matilde gave them a beating.
Colette sees it all. She even held the door closed
so no one could go for help.
Good on Colette.
- Then riots kicked off, a few fires. Has calmed
down now though, but everyone had to help
put the fires out before they spread.
Kind of took the fun out of it all.
Fun?
- Too quiet now. That's why I came out here.
Too quiet?
Oh, sometimes the darkest of deeds happen in the quietest
of moments.
- I didn't think I'd find you in your thinking place.
The last place actually.
The best place to be right now though
there are guards looking to vent on anyone
they see wandering around. So...
When I was a child, everything seemed so much simpler.
I thought the older you get the easier it
gets, the more you can do.
Truth is the opposite isn't it?
Do you weather it or you take a stand?
Endure the journey or try to forge a new path.
Make a nest or fly away.
What do you think?
Depends where your friends are, where your heart lies.
- I've done something. - What?
A change is coming
- Evidently - I was offered a job earlier.
Good pay, hot meal. Good for some.
You turned it down?
- Oh beggars can be choosers. Them that took it
are being forced out.
Forced to work down there.
And what was the noise earlier? This?
Oh no, this was days ago. Earlier riots.
The fires of rage burned.
And now they have died out.
Extinguished,
but some still step lightly on the ashes
to turn them to dust.
Do you trust me?
- Completely. - You're a good friend, Sam.
What have you done?
Go on.
I spoke to the Elves.
Whatever you are thinking, say it. I need to hear it.
Elves are dangerous.
I've read the scrolls. The reports
of the last days of the Elves.
They slaughtered...
I know you're right. Elves are dangerous.
Go lightly sir.
Let go my coin pouch.
If you want to live.
Humans.
(thunder)
But the way the city is being run.
We can't survive this.
I know it's hard for you to hear. You need to be brave.
I'm brave,
but I worry about the other scrolls I've seen..
The mine and who my father wants to work with.
No.
Really brave, loyal and brave.
If you trust me, we need to take a stand,
forge a new path, fly away from the old
to start anew, where anything is possible.
I've longed to help people
to be the person my parents would've wanted me to be,
to make 'em proud
Even if it was just in my dreams.
Silly I know.
No. That's not silly at all.
They live on through you. They do.
And I trust you as many did them.
Thank you, Sam.
Please.
(crashing)
HELP!
HEEELPPPPP!
I'll give you a smile.
Bigger than the one you've got now.
A real Lloris smile.
Please.
You see consequences.
That's what you lot don't seem to understand.
Now. Open your mouth.
A real Lloris smile.
Please, please don't.
Now. Open wide.
(dramatic music)
Do it or there will be
more consequences.
Help!
Now open your mouth.
You lost an arrow?
I did not lose one. It found a new home.
The winds of change are upon us.
- We go to war? - Perhaps.
We'll speak to them tomorrow.
See how we feel after that.
So a storm is coming.
- Oh, a storm is here. How much changes as it passes
through is waiting to be seen.
What did you see?
Master scout.
You must have seen it already.
You had to see it with your own eyes.
How long you known?
A while.
What else?
Humans being humans.
- This woman was present when a mob attacked
and killed a guard last night.
She claims she saw nothing.
Will any step forward and speak of what they saw?
Are you all deaf?
Playing dumb, eh?
Let me make this simple.
The next time this woman says she's seen
nothing, there'll be half a chance.
She's telling the truth.
I hope you all hear what I'm saying. Loud and clear.
People had better start speaking
up when they're spoken to.
Or the sheriff's guard will
plunge this city into darkness.
One socket at a time.
Now get your tax money ready.
We'll be knocking soon enough.
You are armed.
Draw it and I shall kill you both.
She wears it only for protection.
No weapon is only for protection.
- It's not true. - If I have to teach you the
difference between a sword and a shield,
I fear this conversation is over before it's began.
This is Elwynn Brokenleaf.
Warlord of Lloris.
Make your request and how you balance it.
- Our homes, our businesses are being taken from us.
All the wealth is going to the few
and the many are left to struggle.
I'm no fool. I understand you've every reason not
to care about what happens to us.
Before they died, my parents spoke of the Elves.
They wanted to return what was yours, to talk to you,
to make a new peace between us.
As once was lost.
Together we may be found.
Let us come to speak and find common ground.
That was the only thing my parents left me.
They knew that phrase
with an elvish item,
would bring you out of hiding to talk.
It is an old custom.
- The Sheriff cares not for elves. He cut down your tree.
Even he knew that might anger you.
We've lost far more than an old tree.
What makes you think we care?
- Help us and we'll welcome you back to our city.
Your lost treasures will be returned to you.
You steal from us
and then offer us a token in return to not just forgive
but further help you?
- Well maybe we should side with the dwarves then
The Sheriff is travelling back from a meeting
from them to Lloris tomorrow.
I want us to capture him then
so we can take control of the city.
Why they rush?
If we don't do it now,
he'll hold executions tomorrow night.
He'll execute our friends.
You want us to kill his soldiers
and capture the sheriff?
There won't be many with him.
They're tax collectors, not soldiers.
Oh, tax collectors.
Cutthroats, bandits.
All names for the same thing.
People who hurt other people, soldiers.
I have listened. You'll have our answer.
The Warlord of Lloris has spoken.
Return at this point tomorrow, you shall have your answer.
- That'll be too late. You need to prepare now?
An elf is always prepared.
- Fear not. Should we decide to help you, we will.
Go.
We need to know when the sheriff will
be back and which route he'll take.
I promise I won't hurt him. Not if I can avoid it.
I just want him out of the city for good.
I need your help with that.
I won't fail you.
This will all be ever soon.
One way or another.
- Well, well, well just who I was looking for.
- What do you want? There's no collection today.
Nothing gets past me. Emily.
What are you talking about?
I've been hearing whispers.
Get off me.
- You'll lose your head tomorrow for treason.
Someone's been talking to those they shouldn't.
Haven't they?
- There has been no treason and no trial either.
Sheriff's away. You don't decide that.
Colette?
I didn't tell them anything.
- Will you make it easy on yourself and confess?
I...
Will you confess Emily of Lloris?
Will you confess?
Get out of here beggar.
Emily of Lloris.
Will you confess to meeting
with the banished baker Cameron
within these city walls?
Cameron?
I confess.
Nothing gets past me Emily.
Hold your anger.
You have made a mistake.
That was not the Way of the Elf.
You are of the High Elf lineage.
You deserve your castle back.
- We are Wood Elves now. The city is our past.
We live in the here the now.
You can't speak to our queen like that.
- 200 years we have waited for our moment to strike,
to take back what is ours.
You speak of a time long forgotten.
Of a people we no longer must deal with, shall deal with.
They outlawed us and so we have them. Humans are vermin.
You forget yourself my queen.
We are all under the sun and moon vermin
and elf alike.
- What were you thinking? - I wasn't.
- Curse the humans their way is their destruction.
Do I forget that? Do I forget that humans cannot be trusted?
No. I do not forget myself.
I remember how I built this city, shoulder to shoulder
with everyone here.
How we crafted the magic of the old moon
to enchant ourselves one last time to live alongside
but never with again.
Blood, sweat, magic
and tears have built us a new life here.
One where we are not open to the lies
and betrayals of humans.
I forget nothing.
- You are not good at conversations are you?
But it seems you have forgotten yourself.
Act as you must. Your request for help has been heard.
I did not mean to offend my queen.
And yet you did.
Indeed.
I simply try to find balance between the old and the new,
Which is understandable
and admirable.
- There is more. - More.
You shamed yourself
when the last human delegation came here,
why did I not fear there would be more.
Dwarves?
They have cut down the elder tree.
They believe, foolishly, that there are dwarven gemstones
underneath it and they they plan to mine.
Dwarves. Dwarves dig.
They don't stop digging one hole there
soon, holes everywhere.
And they may come here. To dig.
- Well then it seems you'll be of some use warlord,
for then surely war will come knocking
A long and terrible one. Yes.
And this Sheriff, is key?
- I believe so. - Then kill him.
- They said capture? - Kill.
And so it shall be for any other humans
that entertain dwarves here.
- As you wish my queen. - Up.
My nephew speaks highly of all that you've taught him.
I dare say his help might be of some use to you
and if others offer their bow
or their spear, you may accept it.
Peace would please me.
Many of our most treasured
and secret possessions are still in the city
and humans can be
amusing at times. When they behave.
Go.
So, Tyfell, that makes three.
There will be five of us.
Who else?
- The dancer; Vflaxxus. - The war dancer?
She is a friend of Tyfells.
She hates humans, wants to kill them all.
Make the world a better place.
That's a dangerous attitude.
- She has pledged her scythes. I cannot refuse her.
And the other?
Can't be worse than a war dancer?
An Elven Ogre?
(dramatic music)
Oh, it is you. Where have you been?
What are you doing?
The Sheriff wanted a list he asked for.
Oh the execution list?
Yes. Obviously taken to him
for when he arrives at the west gate.
- The west gate? I thought he was coming in the north gate?
Yes. Well take it to him there then.
I'm just trying to help. Do or don't. It's up to you.
I shall take it to him, personally.
Strange girl.
- Another question for you on your theme of trust.
Do you know how your parents died?
Colluding with those
they shouldn't.
My, how the apple doesn't fall far from the
tree.
Today. We will put you in the middle of the square
and we'll see all the birds show their
true colors, won't we?
Who will come to your aid?
- Who do you think? - Well...
I know that you've been helping a number of bakers.
Probably a few butchers.
Maybe even a fishmonger or two.
We'll see.
And what will you do to them?
I need workers for my expanding mine.
The Dwarves are,
that's the quickest deal I've ever done
back home for breakfast.
- You you'd send your own daughter down the mines?
No. No.
She is cleverer than she looks.
She tells me the odd thing that you've been up to.
And then as if to prove her loyalty.
She simply leaves the city this morning.
Walks off into the forest.
I guess she didn't want to say goodbye.
She knows I'm here.
Oh, very little gets past her.
How did they die?
Thank you all for coming.
I pledge my bow.
Tyfell Fallenoak. Praise the lost moon.
- I pledge my knife. - Llanofinn Brokenleaf.
Praise the lost moon.
I pledge my scythes.
Vflaxxus Fireroot.
Praise the lost moon.
Feed me!
Barshain of the Barkwood.
Praise the lost moon.
And the great war star.
A human is arriving.
Who will tell us what time we should attack.
- It will be this morning. We should leave now.
- Where is your friend? - She's been captured.
I think they might know something.
The Sheriff has moved his arrival up.
Explain yourself.
The execution lists are
traitors who refuse to pay taxes,
work in the mines or break banishment.
Those have been asked for today,
which means this is going to happen now.
He's calling it the silencing of the crows.
Might be a trap.
You speak as though you know him well?
He's my father.
Lead the way.
Aren't there more of you?
This is enough.
(dramatic music)
This does feel like a trap.
Probably is.
You take a different path to Tyfell and I.
Vflaxxus and Barshain will cause a diversion
We'll find the captives and the Sheriff.
In and out.
No heroics.
I put some dragons warning arrows
in your quiver.
They won't do any damage but they'll smoke out the place.
Might be useful.
(chains jiggling)
Axle. Axle.
I used to buy my bread from you.
- Huh? - I like the honey glazed one.
You put a little more flour in it than most people.
That could be it. More finely ground as well.
I think. Made for a nicer texture. Doesn't it?
Charge a little extra for it. It's worth it.
Please.
Should have charged more really?
Help us.
Please help us. She needs a healer.
It's not gonna help her, love.
Please?
You're for the chopping block, old girl.
(indistinct chatter)
Halt.
This isn't a carnival. It's an execution.
What are you wearing?
And what's that?
Have a look. Get close,
to admire the work.
By the sun and moon. Is that a mask?
No.
What?
He's an ogre. A Wood Elf Ogre.
You are pulling my...
(screaming)
Should have put your shields up.
(dramatic music)
Troops coming.
Draw.
Collect the arrows as we go.
We'll probably need all of them by the end.
This a trap.
I've never killed a human before.
Make a sound, you die.
(screaming)
What's that?
Sounds like it's getting started.
Now don't do nothing. Don't bite or spit on me please.
This is not my first job choice.
It's either this or the bloody mines.
Brutal work.
That's why they're struggling to recruit.
The demand for metals rising everywhere, I've heard.
Feed me.
(dramatic music)
There she is. We need to save her.
No, we're here for the Sheriff
and the Sheriff alone.
What have you done?
I made a decision.
No, you've set off the trap.
They're over there!
(screaming)
We need to go. Now.
No, don't go.
We're here to help.
We need to go.
Trust me.
I didn't believe it.
Didn't think you had it in you, Emily.
Bravo.
Elves in Lloris?
You're working with them? How many laws have you broken?
How easy you make this for me?
You brought the city to this.
No, you brought the city to this.
We have all seen those who have paid their way
and been rewarded
and we have seen those who bring anarchy and destruction.
Well, this stops
today!
People of Lloris, for too long
the Sheriff has made himself
and his friends rich beyond compare.
While we struggle and starve.
And he lied to us, he told us we
were not in danger.
That the elves were long gone.
But you can see for yourselves,
elves are among us.
And they want us all dead.
They came for blood and destruction.
(loud dramatic music)
This isn't our trap. We were the bait.
Seize the elves before they kill us all.
Tyfell. Hold.
You talk of blood and destruction.
Look what you bring to people who follow you.
Murder.
Mayhem.
Death.
No please! Please...
Murder. Mayhem. Death.
Look at the blood you spill in our city.
Your reign of terror is over.
How did they die?
(soft tense music)
They tried to meet with the elves.
No, no. Wait.
Let me get this right.
They did meet with an elf,
the warlord of Lloris.
I guess the meeting didn't go very well.
Double decapitation would suggest not.
We will see you in the square.
No, Sheriff. Your reign is over.
You conspired with the elves
to hide them under our very noses.
What?
All who deal with elves must be killed.
The new laws support me. Power to the purpose.
Arrest the Sheriff.
What are you doing?
Conspiring with dwarves and now elves.
You disgust me.
A city is only as strong as its people
and you have made us weak.
Executioner.
We will find the rest of the elves
and we will destroy them.
We will make this city great again.
(cheering)
The tax collectors; are more than that.
They are like guardians of old.
(cheering)
We will give businesses back to those who lost them
and we will lower taxes for everyone.
(cheering)
We will rid this city of corruption,
once and for all.
(cheering)
Starting now
with those who got us here paying the price.
You can't do this.
You encouraged me to do this.
You need witnesses, proof. Real proof.
He wants a witness? Proof?
What about your own daughter?
- Sam. Did the sheriff conspire with the elves?
Yes.
Louder.
Yes.
You little shit.
(dramatic music)
- Elves are among us and they want to kill us all.
Breathe like a dragon.
Get Tyfell and get out of here.
I'll bide us some time.
(screaming)
Where is he, where's he gone?
Nothing gets past me.
Then I'll go through you.
You disgust...
I didn't think it would end like this.
You promised the elves?
Elves are dangerous.
So are you.
- What do you want us to do with the captives?
- You stupid little girl. What have you done?
- She came because of me. We were together, but...
She was married?
Life isn't simple.
You two sit there in your pristine tower
with your perfect lives,
but you fail to see the corruption all around you
and you judge it.
Barshain. Take her to the healers now. Now!
She's alive. Go.
Go!
You.
All thought you foolish. I begged her to come.
Begged. To not leave you unaided. You.
And you. The Warlord, who does not fight.
What? You think the court did not find it funny
that the humans made
you want to fight for them?
To get our homeland back for them?
Oh, I admire you Elwynn, I do, your conviction
to our ways is like none other,
but our way of life has changed.
And with it our way of thinking.
The queen wanted me to keep an eye on you.
That's why you've been training me; to replace you.
Oh, and after this defeat I shall.
Are you hurt
By that?
Yes. But by blade? No. You?
He is but a leaf; young and easily blown.
Elywnn.
Do you think me foolish?
Did you know of this?
No.
And no.
I didn't trust the humans when they first
came to talk to us.
I shouldn't have trusted them a second time.
They desecrate the tree of our ancestors,
our burial grounds.
So we shall make burial grounds for them.
We go to war.
(dramatic music)
Let them go.
They bake great bread.
We will need good rations to hunt the Elves.