Damsel Page #14

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RUNE:

Ain’t nothin’ good in here.

Vel turns his back to join Rune. Kicks through her

belongings, now on the floor.

Fishel approaches her and squats.

80.

FISHEL:

What are we going to do with you?

BEAR:

I’ve got some ideas.

The monsters snicker and toy with their prey.

Fishel reaches to pet Elise’s face.

ELISE:

Don’t touch me.

She slaps his hand away. He’s red with frustration.

RUNE:

Feisty one!

BEAR:

No trouble. We’ll smooth out the

edges, eh?

Fishel notices the dark jewel around Elise’s neck.

FISHEL:

Look at this boys. Girl’s got a

nice lookin’ stone on her neck.

He reaches for it. She grabs him by his wrist, pulls him in

and head-butts him in the face.

He buckles and stumbles backward onto the floor.

Fishel’s cohorts laugh.

VEL:

Well, well! Aren’t you the little

box of surprises.

ELISE:

Stay back!

Fishel makes it to his feet, his nose cracked and bloody.

FISHEL:

B*tch, broke my nose!

Vel draws his sword.

Elise turns to run but Rune gets her by the wrist and yanks

her backward onto the floor.

Vel puts a foot on her back.

81.

VEL:

You out lookin’ for the prince too?

Trying to secure yourself a piece

of that reward?

She cringes in pain.

VEL (CONT’D)

Bear, get that necklace.

BEAR:

You best behave now, girl.

Vel puts more weight on her, a crack. She cries out.

Bear reaches for the necklace. She flails, grabbing for

anything she can. Resisting.

It’s no use. Bear yanks the chain from her neck and dangles

it in the light before sliding the jewel into his pocket.

FISHEL:

Let me have her Vel. She broke my

damn nose.

VEL:

Sure thing.

He lifts his weight and Elise rolls to her back, struggling

for breath.

Fishel picks Elise up by her vest and slams her against a

tree, knocking the wind out of her.

She buckles.

Panting for breath, she slyly reaches to the knife-sheath in

her boot.

When Fishel approaches again, she buries the knife deep in

his chest.

Before Vel can catch buckling-Fishel, Elise is 30 paces away,

sprinting for her life.

VEL (CONT’D)

Rune!

Rune is already on it. An arrow drawn, he lets it fly.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - CONTINUOUS

The point buries deep into a tree over Elise’s shoulder.

82.

A second arrow comes for her, cuts over the top of her

shoulder and flies past.

She winces in pain, but continues. She’s fast.

There’s a commotion at Elise’s camp, a distance behind her.

She doesn’t look back.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - ELISE’S CAMP - CONTINUOUS

Gilbert palms a rock and bashes Vel in the temple, knocking

him to the ground.

Rune draws an arrow, aims it at Gilbert, 10 feet away.

Hard to miss.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - STEEP HILL - CONTINUOUS

Elise, still sprinting for life, tries to glance back but

loses her footing.

All at once she’s rolling. Buckling over herself, too fast

to catch an eye-line.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - ELISE’S CAMP - CONTINUOUS

Gilbert dives out of Rune’s aim and sweeps his legs out from

under him.

Rune comes hard into the ground. Gilbert picks up Vel’s

sword and buries it into the bowman’s chest.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - STEEP HILL - CONTINUOUS

Elise is tumbling down the steep hill.

Her shoulder hits hard against the earth, then her ankle.

Her head, her foot, her back, then her knees.

One end over the other.

Then, the earth falls out from under her. She plummets over

a cliff.

Elise experiences moments of weightlessness. Disoriented.

Falling backward. Unsure of what’s to come.

She closes her eyes. Accepts her end.

83.

With a splash she’s 8 feet under water. A river with heavy

rapids.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - ELISE’S CAMP - CONTINUOUS

Gilbert squares off with his final foe. Bear. They circle

one another.

Bear is 3 times Gilbert’s size, wielding a hammer. Gilbert

white-knuckles Vel’s sword.

EXT. RIVER - CONTINUOUS

Elise explodes upward, gasping for air, struggling to stay

afloat in the heavy rapid water.

EXT. SOUTHERN PINE FOREST - ELISE’S CAMP - CONTINUOUS

Bear swings at Gilbert, who barely makes it out of the

hammer’s path, then comes at him again, catching Gilbert’s

cheek.

The bruised boy fumbles into a tree. Blood streams down his

face.

BEAR:

Stupid boy, eh?

Bear puts all of his weight into his next swing.

EXT. RIVER - CONTINUOUS

Elise is pushed under for longer than she can manage, then

she’s up for air.

The cycle happens a few times before she experiences the

weightlessness again.

A waterfall. 200 feet. She plummets.

CUT TO:

INT. CASTLE THESSIA - KING’S CHAMBER - THAT NIGHT

King Edward stands near his roaring fireplace. He hasn’t

slept.

The fire’s rage reflects in his eyes. The orange glow dances

on his face.

84.

Queen Marie hasn’t slept either. She stands at a massive

chair, facing the fire as well.

QUEEN MARIE:

I don’t understand. Why, Edward?

Why is this cruel woman out for us?

He hides his transgression from his wife.

KING EDWARD:

People don’t need a reason to hate

the throne. They do it on their

own accord.

Their backs to the bed, still made. The king’s massive

window provides little light.

Vines of black ivy grow from a stone at the corner of the

room. The snake-like plant expands, unwinding until the wall

is consumed by it.

The ominous black garden casts a dark shadow within itself.

As a large gathering of the ivy opens, Rapunzel emerges,

rising.

The vines creep toward Queen Marie’s feet.

They slither up her leg.

Startled, the queen turns.

Before she can breath a word, Rapunzel rolls her fingers and

Marie is silenced.

The vines consume her, wrapping up her arms and around her

neck.

Edward turns to find Marie held at bay by Rapunzel’s ivy.

KING EDWARD (CONT’D)

Marie!

It tightens, like a snake on its prey.

Rapunzel steps behind Marie.

RAPUNZEL:

Once again, you keep me waiting

Edward. My patience has grown

thin.

10 feet separate the bitter enemies.

85.

Edward’s eyes shift toward Marie.

Rapunzel catches Edward’s cowardly glance to his wife. His

apology.

Rapunzel sees through it.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

She doesn’t know?

Rapunzel circles her, like a buzzard tracking wounded pray.

RAPUNZEL (CONT’D)

Sweet Marie. She doesn’t know.

She holds the queen in her spell, coming close behind her.

KING EDWARD:

What do you want? Name it and it

will be yours.

She mocks him.

RAPUNZEL:

Anything? Oh, the power you

posses!

KING EDWARD:

She isn’t part of this, Rapunzel.

Leave her!

A new vine of ivy unfurls. Leaves bloom outward as it rolls

up Marie’s arm, toward her neck.

She whispers, the reason for it all.

RAPUNZEL:

Your husband vowed his loyalty to

me and married you instead. Your

love was built on a bed of lies and

your king’s broken promises. He

left me to rot, for you. And now,

it will be your end.

A final leaf blooms from the end of the vine, unveiling a

lethal black spider. It walks down the unfurled leaf and

steps onto Marie’s neck.

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