- Pronouns
- He/Him
GrapeFlavDragons
Evil
Outline:
A knight is sent on a zealous quest to slay a witch in the fens, only to meet her and fall in love. She beguiles him, and they return to slay the priest that sent the knight.
Cast:
Cornelius: The gallant knight, easily swayed
Brigthwina: The witch of wiles
Bertram: The zealous priest
A knight is sent on a zealous quest to slay a witch in the fens, only to meet her and fall in love. She beguiles him, and they return to slay the priest that sent the knight.
Cast:
Cornelius: The gallant knight, easily swayed
Brigthwina: The witch of wiles
Bertram: The zealous priest
Act I (of I)
Scene I
Within the chantry grounds.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. I have come, Father Bertram, at thine summons. Thou hath ask'd for aide, and mine hand shalt lend it.
Enter BERTRAM.
Bert. Heroism thine shalt save mine church; the witch of wiles enchants our congregation. Lureth them to her vile rites!
Corn. Verily, mine oath to Ignis leaveth me immune to such charms. I shalt venture to the fens to seeketh her for thee, and bring her to justice.
Bert. Thou'rt a pure heart, Sir Cornelius. Thou'rt pure and good.
Exeunt CORNELIUS.
Bert. Such a fool, he! Such a witch confronts congregation mine with dark truths. Mine white lies shalt see us return to prosperity soonly enough.
Exeunt BERTRAM.
Scene II
Deep in the wilds.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. Hark, such heavy fogs art o'erpow'ring mine eyes. Tis hot vapours; perchance a spring?
Enter BRIGTHWINA, opposite CORNELIUS.
Brig. Who comes? Surely not anoth'r paladin of yonder chantry?
Corn. The very one. What cometh of the oth'r knights of the banner?
Brig. They hath each abandoned their oath upon the sight of me. Is that what thou would wish to test of thyself?
CORNELIUS nods his head, then ventures through the fog.
Corn. Show thyself, vile witch! I am the purest servant of Ignis Synnove!
BRIGTHWINA appears, holding her stave. CORNELIUS swings his sword to meet it.
Brig. Anoth'r brute; same as all oth'rs preceding. Art thou all so blind'd by thy faith in light?
Corn. I shalt smite thee for thine words alone, witch!
Brig. Look me in mine eyes, brute. Tell me what thou see.
BRIGTHWINA casts a spell, parting the fog.
Corn. The fog! Thou hath part'd it!
Brig. Now look upon me, o knight. What doth thou see?
Corn. Nay, it cannot be so! Thou'rt much too beauteous to be a witch! Surely a glamour!
Brig. And art thou the sort to be fooled by glamours?
Corn. Nay! Tis not so. Thou must truly be as mine eyes behold, then. How art thou able to sway so many a knight?
Brig. Tis not with magicks; I wert once a priestess of Lady Synnove, until the mummer father banish'd me for tempting him. Now he seeks to purge me in his shame; all oth'r knights sent this way have seen their folly and head'd back in a vengeance.
Corn. And yet the father stands to send more. Why then, witch? Would he not be deposed?
Brig. I know not what comes of them, only that he lives.
Corn. Then come with me, rath'r than live thy days in fear. We shalt find these knights and ask of them.
Brig. Tis not something I hath consid'r'd prior.
BRIGTHWINA ponders, then leads him back the way he came. Both exeunt.
Scene III
Enter BERTRAM.
Bert. It hath been days; long'r than the norm for the knight to slay or be charm'd.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. Alas, thou'rt finish'd waiting. I hath return'd.
Bert. Long didst thou take. Whyfor?
Corn. I wert given sight of truth; I amn't the first thou hath sent, and there wert nary a body on the road to the fens!
Bert. Charm'd, no doubt. The witch o' wiles is crafty. Didst thou encounter her?
Corn. Alas, I found no witch in the fens; merely the guidance of Ignis Synnove.
Bert. Blast! Perhaps she hath turn'd tail and fled. Thou must pursue!
Corn. Nay, I shannot. The guidance hath led me to the true charmer: thou.
Bert. Tis blasphemy to accuseth me of such!
From offstage, BRIGTHWINA calls.
Brig. Tis blasphemy to pose as a priest of Synnove, heathen!
Bert. Nay! I am the truth of the Lady Light.
Corn. I hath seen the truth! Tis not thou! She hath shown me miracles that only a true bless'd of Ignis Synnove may!
BERTRAM flees, CORNELIUS pursues. Both exeunt.
SCENE IV
The fleeing BERTRAM runs into the onstage BRIGTHWINA.
Bert. There thou art! The wretched witch!
Brig. Nay; thine gossips shall not persist. I am the priestess thou slander, and thou'rt but a knave!
A light shines upon BERTRAM.
Bert. Alas! Mine lies hath been confront'd by truth! Attack her, spirits of mine once-loyal knights!
Shadow falls over BRIGTHWINA.
Brig. Ack! The men I had once sent back without scruples; their souls hath been made weapons to haunt me!
Bert. Ahahaha!
BERTRAM begins to die as BRIGTHWINA is dragged away.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. I hath been witness to thine vile acts; a priest of Skraag that masqueradeth as Light. Such a fool I and the oth'r knights hath been to fall for this pantomime. But I shalt free them from thine hold.
Bert. Death is unnecessary; they serveth me from great beyond.
CORNELIUS runs through BERTRAM, now stabbed and burnt. The villain perishes.
SCENE V
Enter CORNELIUS, who finds the dying BRIGTHWINA.
Brig. Alas, I am dying.
Corn. Nay! It cannot be so!
Brig. I thank thee, noble knight, for helping me administer justice where I wert once exercising lackadaisy. Mine sloth hath been vanquish'd with his pestilence.
BRIGTHWINA perishes in CORNELIUS' arms.
Corn. No! No! Oh, tragedy!
Then, in another beam of light, BRIGTHWINA is returned to life by a phoenix.
Corn. Ah, a phoenix! An angeli of Lady Ignis Synnove saves her devoted!
Brig. A kind sight to be return'd to, by deus ex flamma!
Fin.
Scene I
Within the chantry grounds.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. I have come, Father Bertram, at thine summons. Thou hath ask'd for aide, and mine hand shalt lend it.
Enter BERTRAM.
Bert. Heroism thine shalt save mine church; the witch of wiles enchants our congregation. Lureth them to her vile rites!
Corn. Verily, mine oath to Ignis leaveth me immune to such charms. I shalt venture to the fens to seeketh her for thee, and bring her to justice.
Bert. Thou'rt a pure heart, Sir Cornelius. Thou'rt pure and good.
Exeunt CORNELIUS.
Bert. Such a fool, he! Such a witch confronts congregation mine with dark truths. Mine white lies shalt see us return to prosperity soonly enough.
Exeunt BERTRAM.
Scene II
Deep in the wilds.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. Hark, such heavy fogs art o'erpow'ring mine eyes. Tis hot vapours; perchance a spring?
Enter BRIGTHWINA, opposite CORNELIUS.
Brig. Who comes? Surely not anoth'r paladin of yonder chantry?
Corn. The very one. What cometh of the oth'r knights of the banner?
Brig. They hath each abandoned their oath upon the sight of me. Is that what thou would wish to test of thyself?
CORNELIUS nods his head, then ventures through the fog.
Corn. Show thyself, vile witch! I am the purest servant of Ignis Synnove!
BRIGTHWINA appears, holding her stave. CORNELIUS swings his sword to meet it.
Brig. Anoth'r brute; same as all oth'rs preceding. Art thou all so blind'd by thy faith in light?
Corn. I shalt smite thee for thine words alone, witch!
Brig. Look me in mine eyes, brute. Tell me what thou see.
BRIGTHWINA casts a spell, parting the fog.
Corn. The fog! Thou hath part'd it!
Brig. Now look upon me, o knight. What doth thou see?
Corn. Nay, it cannot be so! Thou'rt much too beauteous to be a witch! Surely a glamour!
Brig. And art thou the sort to be fooled by glamours?
Corn. Nay! Tis not so. Thou must truly be as mine eyes behold, then. How art thou able to sway so many a knight?
Brig. Tis not with magicks; I wert once a priestess of Lady Synnove, until the mummer father banish'd me for tempting him. Now he seeks to purge me in his shame; all oth'r knights sent this way have seen their folly and head'd back in a vengeance.
Corn. And yet the father stands to send more. Why then, witch? Would he not be deposed?
Brig. I know not what comes of them, only that he lives.
Corn. Then come with me, rath'r than live thy days in fear. We shalt find these knights and ask of them.
Brig. Tis not something I hath consid'r'd prior.
BRIGTHWINA ponders, then leads him back the way he came. Both exeunt.
Scene III
Enter BERTRAM.
Bert. It hath been days; long'r than the norm for the knight to slay or be charm'd.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. Alas, thou'rt finish'd waiting. I hath return'd.
Bert. Long didst thou take. Whyfor?
Corn. I wert given sight of truth; I amn't the first thou hath sent, and there wert nary a body on the road to the fens!
Bert. Charm'd, no doubt. The witch o' wiles is crafty. Didst thou encounter her?
Corn. Alas, I found no witch in the fens; merely the guidance of Ignis Synnove.
Bert. Blast! Perhaps she hath turn'd tail and fled. Thou must pursue!
Corn. Nay, I shannot. The guidance hath led me to the true charmer: thou.
Bert. Tis blasphemy to accuseth me of such!
From offstage, BRIGTHWINA calls.
Brig. Tis blasphemy to pose as a priest of Synnove, heathen!
Bert. Nay! I am the truth of the Lady Light.
Corn. I hath seen the truth! Tis not thou! She hath shown me miracles that only a true bless'd of Ignis Synnove may!
BERTRAM flees, CORNELIUS pursues. Both exeunt.
SCENE IV
The fleeing BERTRAM runs into the onstage BRIGTHWINA.
Bert. There thou art! The wretched witch!
Brig. Nay; thine gossips shall not persist. I am the priestess thou slander, and thou'rt but a knave!
A light shines upon BERTRAM.
Bert. Alas! Mine lies hath been confront'd by truth! Attack her, spirits of mine once-loyal knights!
Shadow falls over BRIGTHWINA.
Brig. Ack! The men I had once sent back without scruples; their souls hath been made weapons to haunt me!
Bert. Ahahaha!
BERTRAM begins to die as BRIGTHWINA is dragged away.
Enter CORNELIUS.
Corn. I hath been witness to thine vile acts; a priest of Skraag that masqueradeth as Light. Such a fool I and the oth'r knights hath been to fall for this pantomime. But I shalt free them from thine hold.
Bert. Death is unnecessary; they serveth me from great beyond.
CORNELIUS runs through BERTRAM, now stabbed and burnt. The villain perishes.
SCENE V
Enter CORNELIUS, who finds the dying BRIGTHWINA.
Brig. Alas, I am dying.
Corn. Nay! It cannot be so!
Brig. I thank thee, noble knight, for helping me administer justice where I wert once exercising lackadaisy. Mine sloth hath been vanquish'd with his pestilence.
BRIGTHWINA perishes in CORNELIUS' arms.
Corn. No! No! Oh, tragedy!
Then, in another beam of light, BRIGTHWINA is returned to life by a phoenix.
Corn. Ah, a phoenix! An angeli of Lady Ignis Synnove saves her devoted!
Brig. A kind sight to be return'd to, by deus ex flamma!
Fin.
