War (Rewrite) By Bo Brewer
INT. QUEEN'S KEEP -- CHAMBER - NIGHT War rages outside the castle walls. We hear the screams and cries of soldiers. Swords clatter against each other. Blazing torches illuminate the shady keep. Barrels stack on each other to touch the ceiling. QUEEN ROSELYN (40s), watches the battle from the tower's window. Surrounding her is her son, PRINCE APOLLO (14), the King's Hand, SIR BARRON (30s), and a highborn lady, LADY ANNA (40s), accompanied by her male slave, CRUX (20s). QUEEN ROSELYN The walls will fall soon. (beat) Barron. May you relay a message to the King? SIR BARRON sharpens his sword. SIR BARRON What is it? QUEEN ROSELYN Prepare the horses. We'll flee to Balen's Vineyard upon the breach. Tell the King I'll send a crow for the Torrens to prepare for our arrival. PRINCE APOLLO These Scottish rats. The High Guard will defend as they always have, won't they? QUEEN ROSELYN turns to PRINCE APOLLO, who plays with a snake. It curls around his forearms. QUEEN ROSELYN They won't. Not this time. SIR BARRON Perhaps patience is best. Better to not distract the King's leadership in such dire times. LADY ANNA The King's leadership is precisely why we waste away in this filthy chamber-waiting for our souls to be claimed by dirty, Scottish barbarian rapists.
2. QUEEN ROSELYN Perhaps before they claim our souls, I'll claim your tongue. SIR BARRON Enough. LADY ANNA It's the only tongue that speaks any truth in this kingdom. QUEEN ROSELYN Truth? That's what you call it? You amuse me. SIR BARRON There's enough fighting as is. Best to leave it to the swords. QUEEN ROSELYN gives a look, then returns to the window. A pause. PRINCE APOLLO I've had nightmares of this. I remember it so clearly. The approaching ships, the manning of the walls, archers knocking their arrows... the bodies. SIR BARRON Did we lie with the bodies? PRINCE APOLLO I don't remember. SIR BARRON Perfect. QUEEN ROSELYN How many swords, Barron? SIR BARRON Hard to tell. We were forced to prepare so quickly. Roughly 800. LADY ANNA (shocked) 800?
3. QUEEN ROSELYN The Knights were sent to aid the Eastern front. A few hundred at least. PRINCE APOLLO By whom? Father? SIR BARRON The attack was unanticipated. If we had known the Scots' plans they wouldn't have had the pleasure of pressing their shit-stained boots on our precious soil. We'd have a thousand footmen at least. LADY ANNA (aside to CRUX) Fetch my wine. CRUX gives a bow and retrieves a fancy, glass wine bottle with a partnering goblet. SIR BARRON We had no choice. If the East falls, so does the country. The King was not willing to take that risk. LADY ANNA Ah, and now his own people must pay in blood. CRUX returns with a full cup. SIR BARRON We'll be victorious. I swear of it. LADY ANNA You've always been so brave, Sir Barron. An appropriate virtue for a warrior of your caliber... But I've seen many, many battles in my time. Far too many. And-SIR BARRON (interrupting) The battles I've fought in? I've seen them too, just much closer. LADY ANNA Perhaps. But you haven't seen them from afar. You haven't observed. It's
4. why I've called you brave. Because I've seen you fight valiantly. I've seen you slice men like bread-- and be crushed by that blade of yours... But-do you know what defeats even the bravest of men?? SIR BARRON stops sharpening his sword. He looks to LADY ANNA. LADY ANNA (CONT'D) Wisdom. QUEEN ROSELYN (giggling) Wisdom? I wasn't aware I was in the presence of such profound intellect. (beat) Lady-- you know nothing. Ships, armies, war, none of it. (paces to ANNA) The only thing you know is red wine and gossip among your little posse. Whom all feel better fit to rule than I. But you know what? (stops) Some were born to rule... And some were born to watch. LADY ANNA sips her goblet. LADY ANNA (smiles) I love war... It delivers truth and it does not forgive. It doesn't care for the deserving, it doesn't care for justice, it doesn't care for banners. It just... is. SIR BARRON Rich-- coming from a highborn who's never wielded a sword in her life. Who's never watched her men be killed. Screams of burning men sliver into the chambers. PRINCE APOLLO (nervous) They're getting closer-- are they not?? PRINCE APOLLO rises and marches to the window. Booms of a
5. battering ram echo from afar. QUEEN ROSELYN pours wine to the brim of her goblet. She chugs it down, then pours another. SIR BARRON (to ROSELYN) Careful, your Grace. We hear a collective, celebratory cry from the gates. PRINCE APOLLO (panicking) No. It can't be... THIS CAN'T BE TRUE! LADY ANNA But it is. PRINCE APOLLO They've breached. They've fucking BREACHED! BANG!!! The chamber door bursts open. Everyone jolts in _______ fright. A knight covered in bloody chain mail enters with wild eyes. KNIGHT Prince! The Lord Commander requires your assistance, immediately! PRINCE APOLLO For what matter? SIR BARRON stands. SIR BARRON I'll go. KNIGHT You'll stay with the Queen. (to APOLLO) Hurry, boy! And leave your serpent. PRINCE APOLLO (nervous) I-- I can't. KNIGHT You can't what?
6. PRINCE APOLLO I can't leave. I won't. KNIGHT For God's sake, boy. We don't have time! PRINCE APOLLO You must be deaf. I said I'm not going, you dog! The KNIGHT grabs Prince Apollo's arm. The snake latches to the knight's forearm. KNIGHT (in agony) AGH! FUCK! The KNIGHT yanks the snake from his arm and throws it to the floor. The snake hisses as it slivers across the ground. Everyone but CRUX screams and clings to the walls as the KNIGHT forces PRINCE APOLLO to the door. PRINCE APOLLO NO! Let me go! I'll have your head if do not let me go AT ONCE! The KNIGHT and PRINCE APOLLO exit. PRINCE APOLLO (O.S.) UNHAND ME, YOU BASTARD! MOTHER! HELP! The snake hisses. SIR BARRON raises his sword. But before he can strike, CRUX steps on its head. It goes limp. CRUX nods at SIR BARRON. He nods back. QUEEN ROSELYN finds her wine bottle and takes a monstrous swig. LADY ANNA Good heavens, your grace. You'll be cold before the rebels think to search our chambers. QUEEN ROSELYN wipes her dripping lips. QUEEN ROSELYN So be it. QUEEN ROSELYN sits.
7. LADY ANNA Are you not worried for your son? A pause. QUEEN ROSELYN The King's bastard is not my son. SIR BARRON My Queen-- I beg my leave. Those men could use my sword and I could be of service in protecting your son. QUEEN ROSELYN He's not my son, and you'll stay right where you are. SIR BARRON Your Grace, I-QUEEN ROSELYN (interrupting with a scolding tone) I AM THE QUEEN and you are nothing but a filthy, orphaned blacksmith from a family of worthless mutts. You would be nothing without me... You will stay, and that's an order. SIR BARRON sits with a dejected face. Moments pass. QUEEN ROSELYN (CONT'D) My apologies, Sir Barron. I hadn't meant what I said. The wine can make me cruel... SIR BARRONS nods to her. QUEEN ROSELYN (CONT'D) (to CRUX) You. CRUX looks to QUEEN ROSELYN. QUEEN ROSELYN Yes, you. LADY ANNA Don't speak to him.
8. QUEEN ROSELYN I will speak to him... (to CRUX) Who are you? CRUX looks to LADY ANNA for permission. She nods hesitantly. CRUX Crux. My name is Crux. QUEEN ROSELYN Crux, where are you from? CRUX England. QUEEN ROSELYN England? And you've become a slave? CRUX looks down and doesn't respond. QUEEN ROSELYN (CONT'D) Did you murder a Lord? CRUX No. QUEEN ROSELYN Then why are you a slave? CRUX exhales. CRUX When I was a boy, we lived in Brighton and we had no money. My father, he was a farmer, and my mother, a-- lady of the night... But it wasn't enough for all of us. I had six brothers and three sisters, and we were forced to find food however we could. We had nothing. (beat) One day-- I'd been fishing near a river just outside the village. At the other side of it I saw flailing. Limbs splashing water. I threw my pole aside, and swam across. It was a young boy, about my age. He'd broken his foot and couldn't fight the current. I pulled him out of the water and saved his life.
9. (beat) Weeks later-- my sister Amelia, she was the eldest of the children. Must've been seventeen or eighteen. And all of us-- we looked up to her. The English soldiers were having issues with thieves at the time. And she was caught with a roll of cheese. It just so happened they chose to make an example of Amelia in the village square. My brother and I had gotten word of Amelia's arrest late in the day, and by the time we arrived at the square, they were ready to hang her by the neck. My brother, Eren, being the dimwit he was, charged the stage without hesitation. His bravery was always something that got him in trouble, but it was the same reason I loved him. (grins) I followed him, but he didn't stand a chance. They killed him... They hung Amelia, and right as a knight was preparing to plunge a sword through my chest, one of the guards stopped him. He squinted at me, and he recognized me. The man took me away. He saved my life. And the next day, he told me the best he could do was send me here to Tehlrog Castle to become a servant. I agreed to it, and before I left-- he thanked me for saving his son from drowning in the river weeks before. (pause) So when I got here, they shaved my head and gave me a new name-- Crux. QUEEN ROSELYN What is your birth name? CRUX William... My name is William. QUEEN ROSELYN Well-- William. I'll see about your freedom when this is all over, and have you returned to Brighton to reunite with your family at once.
10. LADY ANNA You can't. He's not yours to free. QUEEN ROSELYN Everything within these walls is mine. He will be freed-- and I'll find another slave for you, Lady-BOOM. The chamber door bursts off its hinges, slamming against the stone floor. The Scots have arrived. There's ten at least. SIR BARRON unsheathes his sword. He fights and fights. Deflecting the enemy blades. But he grows weary. A Scottish dagger drives into his liver. He stands in shock. He pulls out the blade. A sword flies through his stomach. He buckles to his knees. He turns to look at QUEEN ROSELYN. SIR BARRON My apologies, your grace. A Scot slits his throat. He perishes. Moments pass. Another Scot strides to LADY ANNA. He slits her throat. She tries to plug the bleeding with her hands as she collapses. The Scots look to QUEEN ROSELYN. They approach her. A Scot plunges a blade through her belly. She falls to the ground. They look to CRUX. The ring-leader SCOT patiently steps to him. The SCOT pulls a dagger from the back of his belt. He observes it in his palm, then extends it to CRUX. SCOT Welcome back. They both smile. The SCOT turns and makes his way for the door. His men follow closely behind. CRUX follows, then stops in his tracks. He turns to Queen Roselyn's corpse. He paces over to her, gets on a knee, then strokes her cold cheek. CRUX (Scottish accent) I'm sorry, darling. But my father was a Lord, and I was born in Scotland. CRUX closes her open eyes. He smiles, then exits the chambers.
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