Braveheart Page #19

He glances at his friends: Campbell, Hamish, Stephen.

They've got no suggestions, they're just as awed as he is.

SCOTTISH VETERAN

We didn't come to fight for them!

SHOUTS FROM MOB:

Home! The English are too many!

Wallace raises his hand, and the army falls silent.

WALLACE:

Sons of Scotland!... I am William

Wallace!

SOLDIER:

William Wallace is seven feet tall!

WALLACE:

Yes, I have heard! He kills men by

the hundreds! And if he were here,

he would consume the English with

fireballs from his eyes, and bolts

of lightning from his ass!

Many laugh -- all get the point.

WALLACE:

I am William Wallace. And my enemies

do not go away. I saw our good nobles

hanged. My wife... I am William

Wallace. And I see a whole army of

my countrymen, here in defiance of

tyranny. You have come to fight as

free men. And free men you are! What

will you do with freedom? Will you

fight?

VETERAN:

Two thousand, against ten? We will

run -- and live!

WALLACE:

Yes. Fight and you may die. Run and

you will live, at least awhile. And

dying in your bed many years from

now, would you be willing to trade

all the days from this day to that,

for one chance to come back here as

young men, and tell our enemies that

they make take our lives, but they

will never take our freedom?

Down on the plain, English emissaries in all their regal

finery gallop over the bridge, under a banner of truce.

VETERAN:

Look! The English comes to barter

with our nobles for castles and

titles. And our nobles will not be

in the front of the battle!

WALLACE:

No! They will not!

He dismounts, and draws his sword.

WALLACE:

And I will.

Slowly, the chant begins, and builds...

SCOTS:

Wal-lace! Wal-lace! WAL-LACE!

BAGPIPERS play, pulling the mob back into companies. But

through the lifting mists they see the overwhelming enemy

army. Hamish, Campbell and Stephen move up beside William.

STEPHEN:

Fine speech. Now what do we do?

WALLACE:

Bring out our spearmen and set them

in the field.

Campbell, Hamish and Stephen ride off. Mornay reins his horse

over, lifts the reins of Wallace's horse, and extends them

to him:
an invitation to join the pre-battle talks.

Wallace mounts up and rides out with the Scottish nobles to

meet the English contingent.

OUT ON THE FIELD, THE TWO GROUPS OF RIDERS

meet like the captains of football teams before the kickoff.

CHELTHAM, head of the English contingent, glares at Wallace.

CHELTHAM:

Mornay. Lochlan. Inverness.

MORNAY:

Cheltham. This is William Wallace

CHELTHAM:

Here are the King's terms. Lead this

army off the field, and he will give

you each estates in Yorkshire,

including hereditary title, from

which you will pay him an annual --

WALLACE:

I have an offer for you.

CHELTHAM:

...From which you will pay the King

an annual duty...

Wallace pulls his broadsword and snaps it at Cheltham, whose

eyes flash in disbelief at the bad manners.

LOCHLAN:

You disrespect a banner of truce?!

WALLACE:

From his king? Absolutely. Here are

Scotland's terms. Lower your flags

and march straight to England,

stopping at every Scottish home you

pass to beg forgiveness for a hundred

years of theft, rape, and murder. Do

that, and your men shall live. Do it

not, and every one of you will die

today.

Cheltham barks at the Scottish nobles...

CHELTHAM:

You are outmatched! You haven't even

any cavalry! In two centuries no

army has won without it!

WALLACE:

I'm not finished. Before we let you

leave, your commander must cross

that bridge, stand before this army,

put his head between his legs, and

kiss his own ass.

The outraged Englishman gallops back to his lines.

MORNAY:

I'd say that was rather less cordial

that he was used to.

WALLACE:

Be ready, and do exactly as I say.

They return to the Scottish lines. Wallace dismounts where

his men are breaking out new 14-foot spears. Hamish, eyebrows

raised, looks expectantly at Wallace; Wallace nods.

Rate this script:4.3 / 6 votes