Damsel Page #7

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BRAUN:

If it is not your infatuation with

the prince, then it is yet another

opportunity to seek out your gypsy-

boy, no doubt.

She eyes him viciously.

ELISE:

This has nothing to do with him.

Or any boy, for that matter.

BRAUN:

It just so happens that his caravan

travels in the South during these

months. I am not dense Elise.

ELISE:

I may be the only person who knows

the prince’s destination. If that

gives me the upper hand in getting

him home safely and collecting this

prize, why should I not go?

BRAUN:

It is dangerous, for one. Forget

the animals, what about the wild

folk? The King’s Guard have horses

and armor. They can move in

numbers.

ELISE:

Numbers are a hinderance in the

wilderness, Braun. I am small, I

can travel light. I can feed

myself and protect myself.

BRAUN:

These are probably the last of

father’s days with us.

Her frustration boils over.

ELISE:

Have I not sacrificed enough for

him?

It hits Braun in the gut.

38.

BRAUN:

Have I not?

She reaches for her brother’s hand. He pulls away.

ELISE:

I am sorry. I did not mean it. We

have both sacrificed.

BRAUN:

This is just another way for you to

escape, Elise.

ELISE:

That is not true.

Braun’s emotions have taken over.

BRAUN:

I am left to take care of father.

Who else to catch the slack in your

absence? You decide to leave and I

am left without a choice. If you

were really doing it to help us,

maybe. But this, like everything

else, is for you.

ELISE:

What does my motivation matter when

the outcome is the same?

It’s a dramatic moment between them, but Elise is stern

against Braun’s fit.

ELISE (CONT’D)

I will set out in the morning.

On that, Braun turns toward their cottage. Slamming the door

behind him as he enters.

Elise is lost.

CUT TO:

INT. CASTLE THESSIA - KING’S CHAMBER - DAY

King Edward’s black ravens sit atop their perch at the corner

of the room.

A FEMALE HANDLER, bearing sheers, unfolds their wings and

trims them.

39.

Queen Marie stands at the massive window, overlooking the

rolling hills of green that meet the pine forest in the

distance.

QUEEN MARIE:

I hate that he keeps those birds.

The queen turns, addressing the handler.

QUEEN MARIE (CONT’D)

Does it hurt them?

HANDLER:

No, your highness.

QUEEN MARIE:

It is just so that they cannot fly.

The queen’s face is sad as she turns back to the massive

window.

The handler finishes her business and scoops a pile of

trimmed feathers from the floor.

She shoves them into her pocket on the front of her apron and

addresses Marie, out of turn.

HANDLER:

Your highness, if I may-

The queen turns, kindly.

HANDLER (CONT’D)

I lost a son. In birth. It is not

the same, I understand. I never

knew him as a man.

QUEEN MARIE:

I am sorry to hear.

HANDLER:

The people of Thessia love Cavill.

We pray for his return.

Marie sheds a soft smile in thanks.

HANDLER (CONT’D)

I suffered desperately when I lost

my son. I was guided to a woman of

the wilderness, by a friend.

The nervous woman attempts to calculate the correct approach.

40.

HANDLER (CONT’D)

The woman revived me from anguish.

QUEEN MARIE:

How?

HANDLER:

At the time, “how” was of no

consequence, you understand? I

believe the way was dark. But, the

pain subsided nonetheless.

Marie considers.

QUEEN MARIE:

I do not wish to forget my son.

HANDLER:

Why forget him? He is likely still

alive.

QUEEN MARIE:

You believe that she can help find

my son.

HANDLER:

It seemed that her power was of

such a magnitude.

CUT TO:

INT. ELISE AND BRAUN’S HOME - BEDROOM - DAWN

All is still.

Elise moves to her father’s bedside and says her silent

goodbye as he sleeps peacefully.

She sets the wooden figurine she’d whittled on his bedside

table. An angel.

It’s become hopeless to her, but she loves him the same.

INT. ELISE AND BRAUN’S HOME - CONTINUOUS

Braun’s eyes open when the front door rattles. Elise exits.

He tosses in the top-bunk. Stares at the ceiling above him.

Abandoned.

CUT TO:

41.

EXT. PINE FOREST - DAY

The forest is in full swing. Birds chirp and flutter in the

pines. The orange sun burns.

Sweat beads across Elise’s brow.

She moves briskly through the pines.

Her bag and quiver are strapped to her body.

over her shoulder.

Her bow slung

The free spirit is at home in the wild.

CUT TO:

EXT. SWAMP LAND - AFTERNOON

The sky is a haze of grey.

Twisted trees of black, darker than the night. Their roots,

a maze of wood weaving through the muddy swamp land.

Grim.

Bull frogs moan. Raven’s cackle. A snake writhes into the

hole of a rotting log.

A cloaked figure, travels atop a valiant steed.

As the stranger moves further, the land becomes darker and

more unseemly.

Bones, human skulls, goat heads mounted on spikes, filthy

animal pelts, loose entrails and feathers matted in blood.

Crude trinkets and jewelry hang on Pagan alters.

The remanence of a fire pit. A spit with animal remains

hanging from it.

The traveler approaches a mossy slope of earth in the

darkness.

A heavy wood and iron door stands at the entrance of a home

burrowed into the side of a hill.

The cloaked figure dismounts and removes her hood.

Queen Marie ties her horse’s rein to the twisted limb of a

tree.

She approaches the dense wooden door and knocks.

42.

A hunched woman of an indistinguishably elder age opens it.

A black ribbon, tied over her eyes.

She leans heavily on a wooden staff before returning inward,

leaving the door open for Marie to enter.

INT. WITCH OF THE WILDERNESS’ HOME - CONTINUOUS

The living space is framed by massive wooden beams, which

hold large boulders at bay.

Earth creeps between the cracks in the rock. Moss hangs

downward into the dimly lit shelter.

Shelves are built into the flatter walls.

Countless apothecary jars are full of various specimen both

living and dead. Butterflies, feathers, newts, frogs, eyes,

toes, clumps of hair, mushrooms and so on.

A massive wooden table. A large iron scale. An unmade bed

at the corner of the room. Soiled sheets and blankets.

Queen Marie covers her mouth as she enters. The stench is

overwhelming.

The Witch of the Wilderness rummages through her apothecary

collection, tossing various plants and feathers into a stone

bowl.

WITCH OF THE WILDERNESS

You have come to learn where she

holds your son.

Marie keeps her space. Sets a bag of gold near the large

iron scale atop the wooden table.

The witch pauses when she hears the gold clink.

WITCH OF THE WILDERNESS (CONT’D)

I can show you where your son is

held. Sit.

The queen scans the room, finding a high stool against the

wall to her right.

The Witch of the Wilderness moves to the bag of gold and

dumps it on the table. She counts out 5 pieces and returns

the rest.

The witch moves back to her jars, rummaging. She holds them

in front of her blindfolded face and then returns them to the

shelf.

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