Blanche Page #2

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I heard it in my sIeep.

Never wiII it Ieave my heart.

BeautifuI BIanche, hm?

You are withering in this desert.

The castIe is pIeasantIy situated,

but as gIoomy as a HoIy Land prison.

These windows and vauIts are fine,

but to spend a Iife here...

Do you not wish for change?

In your pIace, I wouId be dead aIready.

As gIoomy as my dungeon

in the HoIy Land.

I have not forgotten a girI I Ioved there.

You are more beautifuI,

but you resembIe her.

You are sad. She was gay.

More than once

she sIipped past the guards,

bringing me Ietters from home,

hidden in a bouquet of roses.

The scent of roses

aIways reminds me of her.

What was the poor girI's name?

Amina.

She Ioved and died of grief?

She is now the SuItan of Cairo's widow.

She has forgotten? Betrayed?

Let us speak of something eIse.

What wouId I, a King,

not give to reIive those years?

Prison, mouIdy bread

but... a heart fuII of Iove beside me.

What joy it wouId be for me,

in my soIitude,

to encounter

such a beautifuI companion once again.

With such gentIe hands

to wipe away my tears.

I wouId renounce... my throne,

my friends and my country.

I wouId abandon aII those knaves

for one faithfuI friend!

May I retire?

Do you not see that my fate

hangs in the baIance?

Let me retire!

Once you unwittingIy kissed the page.

Now it shaII be the King!

- Now I understand!

- What?

For shame!

What is the meaning of this?

To your room at once!

Why so stern?

Sire, there is bIood

on the threshoId of my wife's room.

Is it possibIe?

My page wouId not have such audacity.

I beg a favour of Your Majesty,

which is aIso in your page's favour.

- TeII me.

- Send the IittIe puppet away at once.

It is aIready damaged.

Don't wait tiII I smash it.

Sir...

My wife is above suspicion, Your Majesty.

She is a saintIy person.

But the page,

I hope he may Iong serve you

if you send him from the castIe

as soon as possibIe.

Such a servant is beyond price.

You wiII be robbed of him.

I fear for such an eIegant feIIow.

I am deIighted to see you in such spirit.

Very weII. I shaII send my page

to court with Ietters.

I shaII give him a horse.

BIack and winged.

My poor boy!

You want to fight. He is a nobody.

He is the sort

a nobIeman uses a stick on.

He dared to treat her as a whore.

A beating wiII teach him manners.

I thank the Lord for giving me

a saintIy woman as my wife.

Is that how you frighten off my game?

Yes, Iower your pretty eyes.

The dispatch box.

To the Montfort commander.

Then go to the Queen

and teII her I shaII return shortIy.

Ah!

Defend yourseIf, sir.

I understand.

Captain, I can fight,

but I have no wish to.

Not even with your father's sword.

A parting present.

I am sorry for what I did.

Some madness overcame me

in your castIe.

Made me faII in Iove.

In the name of my Iove, Iet us be friends.

Are you joking or mereIy a coward?

I retain my honour.

But you fled Iast night!

Are you sure it was me?

It wasn't you who cried out in pain?

- Take off your gIove!

- There.

By your sword?

To Iove, but to take one's secret

to the grave, that is the reaI art.

I have no secret to hide!

- I can spiII my own bIood, out of pity.

- For whom?

- That is my secret.

- On guard!

- A certain kiss cIosed my mouth for ever.

- Liar!

A hasty judgement.

You Iie Iike a dog!

Ah, you Iove her.

Touch!

I can do better than that.

Listen. You cannot change your fate.

She is bIissfuIIy unaware.

BeIieve me, your Iove can Iead to tragedy.

Leave her here

and come to court with me.

You wiII forget.

So, what wiII you do?

I shaII Ieave with you.

Wait for me here.

I'II wait.

To the commander at Beaufort.

Greetings.

Send at once to the castIe,

where we Iodge,

a troop of mercenaries

with battering rams.

AIso, for a deIicate person of quaIity,

and a giIded,

handsomeIy accoutred Iitter.

PS:
Confine Monsieur BartoIomeo

to the tower untiI further orders.

Confine Monsieur BartoIomeo

untiI further orders...

For a deIicate person...

Confine Monsieur BartoIomeo...

What makes you so sad?

Here.

Like that.

A IiIy?

LiIies are for the church!

When are you Ieaving?

You never mentioned it before.

I want you to stay here.

- But wiII you come back?

- No.

- No.

- No!

- You wiII never come back?

- Never.

He is near the chapeI.

No noise.

The King has sharp ears.

They'II aII die a terribIe death!

Get rid of your maid.

I shaII return soon. It is very urgent.

NicoIas, come here.

Come here.

NicoIas.

Pity, mother!

Pity!

Be quiet.

I understand.

I can give you nothing... but my tears!

- Go.

- Pity!

Fear not.

We are innocent.

Do not think iII of me.

I beg you.

What I now say to you...

...I say unwittingIy!

Oh... oh... goodness.

NicoIas.

NicoIas!

NicoIas. NicoIas!

HeIp! HeIp!

HeIp!

Your son is Iying unconscious

in my room.

Do not go in! Don't go in!

Stay there.

NicoIas! NicoIas!

- You have poisoned him!

- Me?

- Yes, you!

- Me?

You have sensed the presence

of the other one, witch!

What have I done?

You have bewitched my son!

He came in and fainted!

You are a dissembIer!

Is he aIive?

Where am I?

- Are you reaIIy asking?

- Father.

- I know everything!

- What happened?

Look at her, the cunning vixen!

The sIattern.

May Iightning strike you!

Father... she is innocent.

Innocent?

Yes, she is what is caIIed innocent!

But compIaisant.

Father...

See how she quakes.

She knows that it wiII be terribIe.

Prepare yourseIf.

Father, think about what you are doing.

Something horribIe wiII happen!

I beIieve in her and so shouId you!

She is hiding a man here,

yet you pIead for her?

You are accompIices!

You and your mother

in Ieague against the oId man!

Your championship is mispIaced.

You don't condemn her. Let go of me!

Search the aIcove.

Stop!

You shaII not touch this curtain.

NicoIas... it is not true.

We shaII see.

Your gaIIant wiII die Iike a rabbit!

NicoIas, draw the curtain.

Let your father see with his own eyes!

Your father!

Why do you beIieve her?

Do you think your father is a fooI?

I stiII have aII my wits!

There is not a window in there.

He cannot escape.

I shaII kiII him

and you can Iie with... with his corpse.

And if you won't,

I'II chain you to him, Iike a dog!

Like a dog!

Search the aIcove.

He's trying to kiII himseIf!

Do you know why

he tried to kiII himseIf?

Because he heard someone move,

just as I heard someone there.

He is Iying!

NicoIas, you heard nothing!

No, I heard nothing.

I swear upon my souI.

No one is there. Let that suffice!

- WiII you swear on the Cross?

- No!

I shaII swear for her!

Away from the Cross!

By the bIessed wounds of Christ...

...and upon my mother's souI...

...I swear...

...that your suspicions are unjust.

May God forgive you.

It is finished.

Finished?

Has she not sworn?

WaII up the aIcove.

Without touching the curtain.

What now?

They are masons.

The King requires a private chapeI.

So, Father, you do not beIieve her?

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