Chapter Fifteen: The Reckoning
Chorus:
Thebes stands on the edge of a new dawn, but before the sun can rise, old debts must be paid. The city gathers in the square, breath held, hearts pounding. The day of reckoning has come—not just for the king, but for every soul who once hid in the shadows of fear.
The square is transformed into an open court. Banners of every color flutter above the crowd. The broken throne—dragged from the palace and set on a crude dais—serves as a reminder that power now belongs to the people. The F*** It All stands at the center, flanked by Echo and Jocasta. Her face is calm, but her eyes burn with resolve.
Chorus:
Once, the king judged the people.
Now, the people judge the king.
Laius is led forward in chains, his regal bearing reduced to a haunted shuffle. He scans the crowd, searching for allies, but finds only the cold gaze of those he once ruled.
Laius (voice hoarse):
You think this makes you strong?
You think you can erase me?
The F*** It All:
No one is erased, Laius.
But the truth cannot be buried forever.
Jocasta steps forward, her voice steady.
Jocasta:
We are not here for vengeance.
We are here for truth.
Echo addresses the crowd, her words clear and sharp.
Echo:
Let every voice be heard.
Let every wound be named.
A procession of citizens steps forward—farmers, merchants, mothers, children. Each tells their story: taxes that starved their families, soldiers who vanished in the night, daughters silenced and sons conscripted.
Farmer:
We worked your fields and you took our harvest.
Merchant:
We built your palaces and you raised our taxes.
Mother (tearful):
You took my child for your wars.
Chorus:
The city's pain spills out—raw, unfiltered, unstoppable.
Laius tries to speak, but the crowd's anger drowns him out. He looks to Jocasta, but she turns away, tears in her eyes.
The F*** It All raises her hand, and silence falls.
The F*** It All:
Laius, do you deny these truths?
Laius (voice breaking):
I did what I thought was right.
I kept order.
I kept Thebes safe.
The F*** It All:
You kept Thebes silent.
But silence is not peace.
She turns to the people.
The F*** It All:
What is your judgment?
The crowd erupts—some call for exile, others for mercy, a few for blood. The F*** It All listens, weighing every voice.
Chorus:
Justice is not a blade.
It is a balance.
Jocasta steps forward once more.
Jocasta:
Let Laius live, but let him see the city he tried to break rebuilt without him.
Let him walk among us, powerless, a witness to what we become.
Echo:
Let him see that Thebes is stronger than any one man.
The F*** It All nods.
The F*** It All:
Laius, you are stripped of your crown, your titles, your power.
You will live as one of us—no more, no less.
You will see what Thebes can become when it is free.
Laius collapses to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
Chorus:
The king is no longer a king.
He is just a man, broken and unmasked.
The crowd disperses, some in relief, some in anger, but most with hope flickering in their eyes. Jocasta embraces her daughters, the three of them standing together at the heart of the new Thebes.
Scene shift: That night, the city is alive with cautious celebration. Lanterns glow in every window. Music drifts through the streets. Children play, and neighbors share food and stories.
The F*** It All walks the city with Echo, listening to the laughter, the arguments, the dreams.
Echo:
Did we do the right thing?
The F*** It All:
There is no perfect justice.
But we gave Thebes a chance to heal.
Echo:
And you?
The F*** It All:
I am not finished.
There are still wounds to mend, stories to tell.
Chorus:
The reckoning is done, but the work is only beginning.
Thebes stands, battered but unbowed, ready to shape its own fate.
As dawn breaks, The F*** It All stands atop the city walls, watching the sun rise over a city forever changed.
Chorus (closing):
In the end, reckoning is not the end—
It is the promise of a new beginning.
And The F*** It All is there to see it through.