Rue's Lament (Draft 1)

A strong young woman, RUE, with auburn hair wearing black medieval armour.

RUE: Who in this world would ever weep for us? We are the fallen; the damned outcasts of this world. Our ambitions and fears were so great that all of eternity could never be enough time for us to atone for our sins. We were condemned for committing crimes that could never be forgiven; crimes against the world... against whatever gods exist beyond our pathetic pointless lives. The world condemned us when they knew nothing of the truth. What happened on those days of endless night? What drove us to such despair that we would sell our souls to the darkness? Did anyone ever think to ask? Did anyone even give us the right to explain ourselves...!? Did anyone even dare consider our side of the story...?

Beat

Those were different times. The sky was black. The sun had died... or so we thought. Nobody could afford the luxuries of kindness or mercy. Anarchy reigned supreme. Entire villages were slaughtered, left out in the dust like they were just meat for the wolves to gnaw on and the vultures to peck clean. Cities burned, reduced to nothing but ash in the dirt. What could we do? We were helpless. Fear ruled the world. Every man had no choice but to fend for himself lest his best friend should choose to betray him and stab him in the back. The fires burned. The women screamed. The children cried. It was a bloodbath. I was helpless to protect my people; my own family. Not one moment passes without the sounds of that night, the site of that carnage, echoing endlessly through my mind. I am cursed; plagued by that night and all its horrors. I remember it all, never to forget, the details of every single second of that night. They came so suddenly we were never even sure they had arrived until it was too late. The fires spread so fast we couldn't escape. They were everywhere. We were surrounded, outnumbered. They knew exactly what they were doing. It was obvious they had done it all before. Over and over again. The same routine, same tactics. I tried to fight them off, but what could I do? I was a young, malnourished girl with no real experience or expertise in combat; they were strong well trained men who had been slaughtering, burning, and stealing for who knows how many years. I could barely lift my hatchet to chop wood let alone defend myself against a merciless murderer. Somehow I survived and they were all gone. They scurried away as soon as they had done all they had come to do... and my family was left to rot and to burn in the dust.

Beat

I was alone. I had nothing left. What choice did I have? They were my family, they were all I had! They were taken away from me for no reason other than for the sport of men who deserved nothing less than what they themselves did to their prey. I hated them! That's why I did what I did! To ensure that justice could be brought on them as they deserved! And if I could use it to give my family what they deserved – to bring them back to me, to give them the chance at life that they were robbed of – then I would do it...! And I did. I broke the rules of life and death to bring my family back to life. Is that so different to what you would do? Is that really so different to what anyone would seek to do if they were robbed of someone precious to them...? No? Then why are my actions condemnable for all eternity and not yours!? Why am I a villain of the world when I did nothing more than what any sane person would wish for?

Beat

This is the price for my crimes. This is the price for all our crimes. We did the unthinkable, no matter how much you may wish for your darkest dreams to come true, we were the ones that plunged into that darkness to make them true and that's the reason why my actions are condemnable and not yours. We must live in the forced servitude of others for an eternity in order to learn this lesson and yet there is nothing that can free us from this damnation. Unforgivable crimes truly are unforgivable.