One Night with the King Page #3

---

The very doctrine to which

all Persia is opposed.

- I followed orders!

- Come. Come, come, come.

(CHUCKLES)

We trouble ourselves with foolish things.

The King asked me to speak. I did.

I obeyed. As you obeyed.

MORDECAI:
With suspicion and mistrust

creeping into palace halls,

Haman the Agagite

found the opportunity

he had been waiting for.

He began to strike out more openly

at the Jews living in the outlying land,

painting them

as the true Greek sympathizers,

setting the stage

for his ultimate act of vengeance.

Look.

I am curious

to whether you frustrate me

out of sincerity

or to ensure

that you're never chosen queen.

You assume I actually care about

being chosen queen.

I am serious.

Serious of what?

Finding a real queen?

Is that why you subject us

to these beauty treatments,

these classes?

You do not like our fine instructors?

They simply neglect to

teach us some things.

- Such as?

- Well, seemingly

anything to do with actually being queen:

the thought well thought,

the word well spoken

and the deed well done.

As it is said in the great books.

You read?

Many tongues.

(LAUGHS)

Before I received your "invitation",

I was reading of

Gilgamesh the Babylonian.

ESTHER:
And Utanapishtim

spoke to Gilgamesh, saying,

"Gilgamesh, you look worn out

and exhausted.

"What can I do

so that you can return to your land?

"I will tell you a thing that is hidden.

"There is a plant whose thorns

"will prick your hand like a rose.

"If your hands reach this plant,

"you will become a young man again."

Gilgamesh in the original.

I read translation,

never the original.

You read?

There are few pleasures left

to one such as I.

You offer us Hagai's position, my lord,

if we grant you the privilege

of picking a queen?

- Misgath of Persepolis.

- Misgath?

Of unusual beauty.

But up here,

- empty as a beggar's bowl.

- Consider her family.

Daughter of a rug merchant?

Will they not

also shower you with wealth?

MORDECAI:
While there were

certainly worse ways

for the candidates to have spent their days

than myrrh baths and beauty treatments,

none of the rumors of riches and glory

stirred more excitement

than the thought of gaining entry

to the royal treasury itself.

Whatever you chose

for your one night with the King

will be yours for the keeping.

Candidates, choose wisely.

(ALL GIGGLING EXCITEDLY)

You stand not impressed?

It matters not what impresses me.

How is one to choose when

they know not what impresses the King?

Will you teach me?

I will do far more than that. Come.

A recent acquisition.

One, I believe,

the King will find most pleasing.

Esther of Susa,

come.

Seat yourself on the stool

and read the scroll.

It is the chronicles of the King,

the royal diary.

Through these doors

you are no longer a candidate.

You are a servant.

Remember the protocol.

To approach uninvited

is death.

I read for the King,

alone?

Like this?

"Daily entry 23.

"Egyptian wheat reserves were reported

"at half the normal levels

due to a recent drought."

"Admiral Xtes was honored

"for serving twenty years

in the Royal Fleet.

"After a lengthy speech,

he promptly keeled over and died."

(CHUCKLES)

"Twenty-five. Three herd of sheep

were stolen from Dirmalmirah,

"Satrap of Midea.

"He requests that the crown send out

the proper authority."

And so Jacob,

also a shepherd by trade,

was sent off into the far, far-off land

where he came across the fair Rachel

tending her father's sheep.

He was smitten,

and went and rolled the stone

from the well,

and watered her flock for her.

Then Jacob kissed Rachel

and lifted up his voice and wept with joy.

When Laban, Rachel's father, heard of this,

he said to Jacob,

"Should you serve me for nothing?

"Tell me, what shall your wages be?"

Jacob said, "I will serve you seven years

for your daughter Rachel."

So Jacob served seven years

tending Laban's sheep.

And they only seemed but a few days,

for the love he had for her.

Then Jacob said to Laban,

"Give me my wife,

for my days are fulfilled."

So Laban threw a great wedding feast,

but in the dark of the evening

Laban brought

his older daughter in to Jacob.

And, behold, in the morning

it was Leah, not Rachel.

Jacob was shocked. He said to Laban,

"What is this thou hast done unto me?

"Did I not serve with thee for Rachel?

"Why, then, have you beguiled me?"

XERXES:
Why, then, have you beguiled me?

I must admit that never before

has such a tale been found

in the pages of a royal diary.

Here I expect to be lulled to sleep

by tedious reports,

instead I'm beguiled by a love story.

And how ends your tale?

This Jacob, he's able to have his bride?

He's able to have her?

Only after serving

seven more years for her, my lord King.

Believeth you in such?

Love?

Is it not the greatest commandment?

No matter what God one serves.

- How do they call you?

- Esther of Susa.

Susa? No.

Nothing good ever comes out of Susa.

Look at me.

Come. Come, if you wish to see what I do.

The Greeks, they have a god

of similar form.

His arms will hold the bow,

whose arrows they say are

tipped with love.

Some archers' arrows are tipped

with poison, my lord.

Sometimes

it's hard to tell the difference.

The symptoms are the same.

Perhaps in another time. Some

other place.

You will read to me again.

You must tell no one of this night.

(GASPS)

(TRUMPETS)

(ALL CHEERING)

- XERXES:
My Captain.

- Blame me not for this, my lord,

but the princes have ordered us

to begin bringing you candidates

- by the end of the week.

- You jest.

- I am in the middle of...

- At least you'll get it over with.

Besides, these men might enjoy

seeing some ladies around. No?

(ALL LAUGHING)

They tell me you're called Esther now.

Oh, Jesse.

Hatach.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

were pagan names, too.

We're in good company.

Their names were Hananiah, Mishael

and Azariah.

They were thrown into the furnace.

But then what happened?

Come on, I found a way out.

And there's a caravan

leaving for Jerusalem tonight.

So we can get out of this place.

Escape?

Jesse, I... I can't leave.

What if...

- What if I'm chosen?

- What if you're chosen what?

What if you're chosen queen?

Look what they've done to us.

What good could come out of any of this?

Perhaps, instead of

asking questions of our trials...

Trials are meant to ask questions

of ourselves.

They cut me!

I know

we can't be what I hoped,

- but...

- Jesse.

I can't leave. I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

HAGAI:
Today it begins.

Each of you will be given

one night with the King.

We gather first to honor

Misgath of Persepolis.

You enter as a peasant

and leave a princess.

Here we go.

(WHINNYING)

Steady her.

I'm so sorry...

- Oh!

- Almost there.

XERXES:
By the looks of it,

I must be allowing the candidates

to keep their jewelry.

Perhaps a horseback ride

is not the best idea, my lord.

(GRUNTS)

(EX CLAIMS)

You weep not for the candidates

Rate this script:5.0 / 1 vote