A Royal Scandal Page #11

I don't like it. See what you can find out.

- Go ahead, do a little spying.

- Yes, Your Excellency.

Your Excellency!

Anna, what happened?

I failed, failed miserably.

Made it even worse.

I'll never see Alexei again.

She banished me

all the way to the Crimean Peninsula.

Poor little Anna.

Just a moment.

- She banished you to the Crimea?

- Yes. For life.

But we don't own the Crimea. Not yet.

What can you expect from her?

A woman who takes away someone else's

fianc won't respect anybody's peninsula.

Alexei!

Look, I'm not inuman,

but I have to get back to the east gate.

Give them a minute. Two minutes.

Anna, sweetheart, can you ever forgive me?

Forgive you? Because you were silly?

You were always silly.

You were the silliest boy I ever met.

That's why I fell in love with you.

- Look, Her Majesty is waiting.

- Give them a minute. Don't be so afraid.

Please understand, Your Excellency,

I don't mind risking my life,

but I don't want to risk my pension.

Anna, this is probably the last time...

Anna, what are you doing here?

- Did you come here to beg for me?

- I failed, Alexei.

Why did you do it? Havert I caused you

enough pain, enough humiliation?

I wish I hadrt done.

His Excellency moved heaven and earth

to get me an audience.

He wrote a three-page speech for me.

I studied it for days. I knew it by heart.

I knew exactly at which moment

to touch the hem of her robe with my lips.

There was nothing I wasrt prepared to do.

I even wanted to kiss the dust from her shoes.

Oh, Anna.

But the moment I came face to face with her,

I forgot everything.

I didn't remember one word.

When I saw that woman,

who caused all the trouble between us,

I suddenly wished that some supernatural power

would give me strength and courage

to do what she has done to so many others.

- To throw something at her.

- Anna, you didn't!

All I remember...

is that my mind seemed to leave my head,

and suddenly, everything went dark.

Then a terrific crash.

And when it became light again,

I realised that someone must have

thrown something at Her Majesty.

And with only the two of us in the room,

naturally, the suspicion fell on me.

Naturally.

Oh, Alexei!

- Your Majesty.

- What is it?

Private Chernoff.

Bring him in.

Wait outside, Lieutenant.

Come here.

"It's the decision of the court martial

that the defendant is guilty of treason

and to be put to death

at the pleasure of Her Majesty. "

- It's your death warrant. A hard decision.

- But a just one.

I lived here at court at Your Majesty's pleasure,

and now I'll die at Your Majesty's pleasure.

Nothing could be fairer.

I suppose not.

I'm glad you feel that way.

It makes things so much easier.

- And there's not much I can do about it.

- Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

No, it's hopeless. Even if I should entertain

the thought of pardoning you...

- Oh, that's impossible.

- You're right.

- It would set a precedent.

- A terrible example.

- It would undermine the army.

- Shatter the morale of the country.

I'm responsible to the people.

You can't set yourself up against

an entire nation.

- Oh, can't I?

- No, you can't afford to.

Who says what I can afford

and what I cannot afford?

Are you by any chance

starting to advise me again?

No, I have no desire to end up again

in a waste basket.

All I want to do is to get in front of a firing squad.

- I want to die, that's all.

- Shut up.

You'll die soon enough.

Well, there's nothing left for me to do

but to put my name to this paper.

Or perhaps you could tell me one single reason

why I shouldn't.

- Now see here, Catherine.

- Yes, Alexei?

Now see here, Your Majesty,

I started the whole uprising.

If anybody's guilty, it's I.

When I seized the palace, I gave the signal

for the troops to march. I shook the throne.

I didn't turn it over, but you try to sit down on it.

You'll find out it squeaks.

All right, Alexei, if it makes you happy,

my throne squeaks.

If the revolution had succeeded,

I would have taken all the glory.

But since it failed, I'm entitled to the blame.

I have to die.

All right, Alexei, all right. Don't excite yourself.

I'm going to sign this paper

and we won't have any more arguments.

- Oh, yes. What's your last request?

- Last request?

It's granted the worst criminals.

I wouldn't dream of depriving you of it.

- You know my last wish. I want to die.

- Oh, stop dying! Stop being so heroic.

You're making things very difficult for me.

Alexei, why do you think I ordered you here?

Can't you at least make one gesture?

After all, you committed treason,

the greatest crime in the world.

Is it to much to ask

that you get down on your knees?

On my knees? To beg?

I never did it in my life.

Well, there's always a first time for everything.

I found that out.

I'll never forget the humiliation and the shame.

And yet, a strange thing happened.

In the midst of all my terror and all the horror,

when I looked up at you and saw treason

just dripping out of your eyes,

those big, brown eyes,

I couldn't help saying to myself,

"Yes, a traitor, but what an attractive traitor. "

Please, Alexei.

- Get down on your knees.

- Never.

Just for a moment.

Get down on one knee.

At least bow!

Not even deep, just a little bow.

For heavers sakes, don't stand there

like a frozen statue, say something!

Say you're sorry.

I'm very grateful for Your Majesty's efforts

to save me,

but I'm a doomed man,

and there's nothing Your Majesty can do.

Don't be a child.

I doomed you, I can undoom you.

I'm the empress. I make the law.

I am the law.

I break the law sometimes.

I can do anything I want.

- Except one thing.

- What?

Make me get back in that white uniform.

You hate me, Alexei, don't you?

Oh, no, Your Majesty, not at all.

You've been very kind to me.

From your point of view.

But, you see, during the long hours in prison,

I had time to take care of something

that I had always neglected to do.

I grew up.

I'm not a little fool any more.

I'm convinced of that.

I'm afraid now you're a big fool.

Maybe I am, but at least I know what I want

and what I don't want.

This is my last speech, my last wish,

my last will and testament.

This is final, Your Majesty.

It's hard to believe this is going to be the end.

I still hope it won't be.

Don't answer me now, please.

Go out and think it over.

You have one hour's time.

And nothing would make me happier

than if you make it possible for me

to tear up this paper.

I won't say goodbye... just dismissed.

Oh, Nicolai.

- Nicolai.

- What is it, Your Majesty?

Please open your heart. You can always deny it.

A little nobody, whom I raised to the heights,

preferred to die rather than...

Oh, it's unthinkable.

What's worse,

I didn't even throw anything at him.

Oh, Nicolai,

the only thing that's broken is my spirit.

- I'm getting old.

- Your Majesty getting old?

Why, you're only going to be 33.

No, I have to confess, Nicolai, I lied.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes