Braveheart Page #32

PRINCESS:

No one! Hurry!

He reaches her, throws the window open, and sees a clear

path down the wall to safety. He stops and looks at her, and

touches her face in gratitude. She has to ask...

PRINCESS:

When we... did you think of her?

Pausing to look straight into her eyes, he kisses her --

her, not Marion -- and climbs out. She watches him go.

EXT. GROVE OF TREES - NIGHT

Wallace stands alone in the grove where Marion lies.

MONTAGE:

-- Wallace and fifty men gallop through a village on the way

to an English fortress; the villagers drop what they're doing

and run to follow them; we see Wallace's face, relentless,

as he hacks men down in the attack; with the fortress sacked

and smoking in the background, we see Wallace lead his men

away, the people cheering him...

EXT. FOREST ENCAMPMENT - NIGHT

Once again, Wallace stares at the fire, beside his friends.

HAMISH:

Rest, William.

WALLACE:

I rest.

HAMISH:

Your rest is making me exhausted.

Stephen offers the jug; Wallace declines.

STEPHEN:

Come, it'll help you sleep.

WALLACE:

Aye. But it won't let me dream.

Pulling a tattered tartan around himself, he lies down.

LONGSHANKS, INT. HIS PALACE - NIGHT

He sits by a palace hearth, where a huge blaze burns; still

he's huddled beneath a blanket, and coughing blood. But he

ignores the ice in his lungs; his mind is plotting.

THE PRINCESS, EXT. THE WALLS OF HER CASTLE - NIGHT

she walks the parapets alone, lost in her own thoughts.

ROBERT THE BRUCE, IN A STONE ROOM OF HIS CASTLE

sits staring at... the stone coffin of his father. The coffin

is closed; on its top is a lifesize stone carving of his

father as a knight in final repose. Ranks of candles light

the scene, and Robert's face, cold as the stone. A SHUFFLE...

Robert looks up to see old Craig.

CRAIG:

May he rest in peace... You have

already sealed the coffin?

ROBERT:

He was a modest man.

CRAIG:

It will not be long before Longshanks

too is encased in stone, and his

crowns divided for others to wear.

Craig sits next to Robert, and keeps his voice low.

CRAIG:

Our nobles are frightened and

confused... Wallace has the commoners

stirred up again, from the Highland

clans to the lowland villages. In

another six months Christ and the

Apostles could not govern this

country.

Robert only stares at his father's stone coffin.

CRAIG:

Longshanks knows his son will scarcely

be able to rule England, much less

half of France. He needs Scotland

settled, and he trusts you, after

Falkirk. If you pay him homage, he

will recognize you as king of

Scotland. Our nobles have agreed to

this as well.

He shows Robert a parchment bearing the noblest names in

Scotland. The Bruce barely glances at it.

ROBERT:

If I pay homage to another's throne,

then how am I a king?

CRAIG:

Homage is nothing. It is the crown

that matters!

ROBERT:

The crown is that of Scotland. And

Scotland is William Wallace.

CRAIG:

That is another matter. There is a

price to all this, required both by

Longshanks and our nobles. Pay it,

and you will be our king. And we

will have peace.

Robert turns from his father's coffin, to look at Craig.

EXT. FOREST ENCAMPMENT - NIGHT

A commotion; the nobles, their heads hooded, are led in on

horseback by guerrillas from the village. The nobles stop,

feel their hoods pulled off, and see Wallace.

CRAIG:

Sir William. We come to seek a

meeting.

WALLACE:

You've all sworn to Longshanks.

CRAIG:

An oath to a liar is no oath at all.

An oath to a patriot is a vow indeed.

Every man of us is ready to swear

loyalty to you.

WALLACE:

So let the council swear publicly.

CRAIG:

We cannot. Some scarcely believe you

are alive. Other think you'll pay

them Mornay's wages. We bid you to

Edinburgh. Meet us at the city gates,

two days from now, at sunset. Pledge

us your pardon and we will unite

behind you. Scotland will be one.

Wallace glances at Hamish and Stephen, who can barely hide

their contempt. Wallace looks at the nobles.

WALLACE:

I will meet you, but only one way --

if Robert the Bruce is there, and

puts his hand on my Bible, and swears

his loyalty to Scotland.

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