Outlander Page #12

Season #1 Episode #1 - 'Sassenach'

---

EXT. MOORS - NIGHT

The party is riding quietly, but quickly through the moors,

expertly avoiding the boggy areas of water and staying in the

heather. Claire is exhausted beyond caring as she bounces

along.

CLAIRE (V.O.)

I had no idea where we were going.

I’ve never had a sense of direction

in the dark, and had never learned

from Frank his trick of navigation

by the stars.

-- FLASHBACK

Claire and Frank walking together at night. They’re on the

street in the village, arm in arm. He points up to the stars

overhead, as he talks about navigating at night. She’s not

really listening, but smiles warmly at him.

RESUME:

Claire takes in a shuddering breath at the memory.

CLAIRE:

Thinking of Frank made me want to

cry, so I tried to distract myself

by trying to make sense of the

day’s events. I was still looking

for rational explanations, but

there were none.

(beat)

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

56.

CONTINUED:

CLAIRE (cont'd)

The truth was, as much as my

rational mind rebelled against the

very idea, I knew in my heart that

I was no longer in the 20th

century...

Behind her, Jamie’s eyes flutter and he begins slumping over

in the saddle. Claire awkwardly tries to grab him, but can’t

hold him.

CLAIRE (cont’d)

Stop! HELP! He’s going over!

They rein in and Murtagh and Rupert jump down just in time to

catch Jamie as he tumbles out of the saddle. They ease him

to the ground as Claire leaps down to quickly check his

vitals. Dougal and the other men gather around in concern.

CLAIRE (cont’d)

He has a pulse...

(puts ear to his chest)

He’s breathing... I think he’s just

fainted. Put a saddlebag under his

feet and if there’s water, bring me

some.

Murtagh and Neddie quickly carry out her instructions as

Dougal leans down for a better look at Jamie.

CLAIRE (cont’d)

(to Dougal)

The gunshot wound has been bleeding

again, and the idiot’s been stabbed

as well. I don’t think it’s

serious, but he’s lost a lot of

blood.

Dougal turns to the others, says a few brief words in Gaelic

and then they tend to the horses. Claire works with what

little she has -- essentially tearing more strips from her

dress to make a new dressing for his knife wound. Jamie

begins to stir, he opens his eyes -- his features pale and

drawn in the moonlight.

JAMIE:

I’m all right... just a wee bit

dizzy...

CLAIRE:

You are not all right. Couldn’t

you tell how badly you were

bleeding?

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

57.

CONTINUED:
(2)

CLAIRE (cont'd)

You’re lucky you’re not dead,

tearing around the countryside,

brawling and fighting and throwing

yourself off horses.

She tries to put the bandages in place, but the jury-rigged

dressings tend to slip away under her fingers.

CLAIRE (cont’d)

(re:
bandages)

No -- c’mon now YOU GODDAMNED

BLOODY BASTARD!

The other men literally stop and look at her in shock.

DOUGAL:

Ne’er heard a woman use such

language in all my life.

RUPERT:

(to Claire)

Your husband should tan ye, woman.

St. Paul says, ‘let a woman be

silent, and -

CLAIRE:

You can mind your own bloody

business and so can St. Paul!

(to Murtagh)

Turn him to the left.

(to Jamie)

And if you move so much as one

single muscle while I’m tying this

bandage, I’ll throttle you.

JAMIE:

Oh, threats is it? And after I

shared my drink with ye...

Dougal leans down with his own flask.

CLAIRE:

No more spirits. He needs tea, or

at worst, water. Not alcohol.

Dougal pours the whiskey down Jamie’s throat anyway.

DOUGAL:

Tend to your business, woman.

We’ve a good way to go yet tonight

and he’ll need whatever strength

the drink can give him.

(CONTINUED)

58.

CONTINUED:
(3)

CLAIRE:

He needs rest!

DOUGAL:

We’ve a good fifteen miles yet to

go. Five hours, at the least and

more likely seven. We’ll stay long

enough for ye to stop the bleeding

and dress the wound again -- no

much more than that.

Dougal moves off, ending the conversation. Claire’s eyes

flare and she starts to go after him, but Jamie stops her

with a word -

JAMIE:

Randall won’t give up so easily.

Randall. The name cuts through Claire and she gasps

slightly. She quickly tries to regain her composure.

JAMIE (cont’d)

He’ll have patrols out in every

direction by now. We canna stay

here.

CLAIRE:

You know Randall -- Black Jack

Randall, that is?

JAMIE:

(quiet)

Aye.

(beat)

I won’ risk you or anyone else

being taken prisoner by that man.

If ye canna fix me up well enough

to ride, then you’ll all be leaving

me here with a loaded pistol so I

may determine my own fate.

Claire takes a beat, then applies herself to his wounds.

CLAIRE:

You could’ve at least told me you

were stabbed before you fell off

the horse.

JAMIE:

It was a bayonet -- felt it go in,

but it dinna hurt at the time.

(CONTINUED)

59.

CONTINUED:
(4)

CLAIRE:

Does it hurt now?

JAMIE:

Aye.

CLAIRE:

Good.

Jamie’s chuckle turns to a grunt as she cinches up the wound.

CLAIRE (cont’d)

That’s all I can do right now. The

rest is up to you.

JAMIE:

Thank you, Sassenach. Truly.

She looks into his eyes and is caught for a moment by the

sincerity and strength she sees in the young highlander.

Then she gruffly covers her reaction.

CLAIRE:

On your feet, soldier.

She gives him a hand and he accepts her help.

EXT. HILL - DAWN

Dougal leads the tired party over a hill and down a road. A

HEAVY MIST hangs over the area. Jamie is still in the

saddle, if only barely. Claire isn’t in much better shape.

CLAIRE (V.O.)

The rest of the night passed in a

haze of half-sleep, verging on

delirium. Then, finally we neared

our destination.

A LARGE STRUCTURE of some sort rise up out of the thick

morning mists. Claire’s bleary eyes try to focus on the

shape. Finally she is able to make it out --

CLAIRE (V.O.)

Castle Leoch.

-- FLASHBACK

Claire getting out of the car with Frank and looking up at

the castle ruins from the same perspective.

(CONTINUED)

60.

CONTINUED:

RESUME:

The castle, now a thriving hub of activity, is directly

ahead. PEOPLE are on the road coming and going to the castle

entrance, few of them paying any attention to Claire’s party.

CLAIRE (V.O.)

I’d been here with Frank only

yesterday. Or was that in the

future? How could I remember

something that hadn’t happened yet?

Dougal leads the band across the BRIDGE and into the castle.

CLAIRE (V.O.)

So far, I’d been assaulted,

threatened, kidnapped and nearly

raped. And somehow, I knew that my

journey had only just begun.

FADE OUT.

END OF EPISODE:

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes