The Black Rose Page #7

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it's beautiful.

The most beautiful place

in the world.

It smells good.

The forest,

the English soil.

It's clean.

The rain washes it that way, I suppose.

It's so clean,

it's fragrant with it.

I think it's the most

beautiful country in the world.

Why, Tris!

Well, I wish I was there,

that's all.

Bayan was right about

that poet business.

And a homesick poet too.

Oh, it must be very beautiful

if he feels so about it.

He only remembers the good part.

I like him

for feeling like that.

Don't you ever feel

like that about it?

That's the way

my father felt about it.

Oh, I think you feel so too,

only you don't want to say so.

Tell her about

the Normans, Tris.

I don't like you

to feel like that, Walter.

I think to feel like that,

you must have loved it very much...

and- and been hurt...

by something.

- I don't like her.

- Who?

The girl in England

you loved that hurt you.

There wasn't any girl.

Oh, you'll be glad-

You'll be glad to go back

in England, won't you, Walter?

That's one thing I won't have to worry about.

I won't be going back.

But where will you go then?

You'd better ask

Bayan general about that.

I'll be with him, with the victor,

if our luck holds out.

What's the matter, Mahomet?

Mahomet, what's the matter?

It hurts to think of England

if you will not be there.

It's not the way

the miracle said.

Oh, I-

I'm sorry, Maryam.

I forgot about that miracle.

But it'll be all right,

you know.

You'll find yourself a hill and another

Englishman to come riding over it.

He'll be a Norman probably,

but that won't make any difference.

We'll make as much of your miracle

come true as we can.

- It'll be all right.

- I wish you didn't feel so.

I will be Mahomet again

if it will make you feel not like that.

I don't mind the stain.

It-

Well, why don't you

say something?

You're the one that started all this,

you and that poetry.

You're the one

that's in the miracle...

and you look

very beautiful there too.

We've come a long way

to see that, scholar.

Cathay.

There it lies.

Play the real game with me, scholar,

and the best game.

Play as you've never played.

Think. I have a new plan for war.

Find a flaw in it if you can.

It's a plan for China.

Many men have tried to conquer China,

but she swallowed them all.

Strike a blow into

a great, soft pillow.

The pillow gives with the blow,

and the force is spent.

You can't conquer

geography.

Occupy a country,

and what happens?

Your soldiers become jailers, and you're

that much weaker. What do we do?

Think, scholar.

We don't occupy at all.

We strike and strike on.

Destroy.

Strike at the very heart

of China- Kinsai.

Destroy the government.

Destroy the will to resist.

- But suppose they get behind you, my lord?

- Let them.

It's for that I have made

a new weapon of speed.

- But your lines of supply-

- We won't use any.

We'll live off the country.

Think deep, scholar.

There's supposed to be a weakness

in every plan. Find this one.

My lord has spoken often

about winning battles and losing wars.

Even if you win,

each battle will weaken you.

We'll only fight one battle here

when the Khan's army arrives.

Then we'll wait for the news

of our victory to spread.

If we lose, well, we'll be

very little men as history is written.

But, scholar,

if we gain China...

gain its strength

and wisdom-

They have an iron tube there that shoots fire.

It's just a toy now...

but someday it may help us

to crumble the walls of Rome.

- Rome?

- Mmm.

- Rome is a long way, my lord.

- So is England.

Not too long. How would you like

to visit your island again, Englishman?

This time as a conqueror to do

what you like with those that conquer you.

Think deep, scholar.

We may win the greatest game

in the world.

What's the matter, bowman?

Can't you sleep?

I was thinking of-

Do you think he can do it?

I don't know.

I think maybe he can.

I was thinking,

the way he talked...

maybe we were fighting

on the wrong side.

- Tris?

- Yeah?

- Do you wanna turn back?

- Well, what do you want to do?

Well, I'll tell you one thing.

I'm sick of lost causes.

If he conquers the world, at least

we'll be on the winning side for a change.

What's wrong with

going back with him?

It's the only way you'll ever see that England

of yours that smells so good to you.

- Yes, I know.

- We'd better get some sleep, bowman.

Tris, you haven't got

yourself hurt, have you?

- No, I'm all right, I suppose.

- I saw you at the beginning.

You and your bowmen

against those fire tubes.

They sounded like

the anger of God.

I think perhaps

they were.

They're killing every man,

woman and child in the district.

Like harvesters going

through a field of grain.

They'd pull their heads forward

by the hair for the ax.

Not one left alive,

like harvesters cutting wheat.

What's the matter, Englishman?

We won today.

But you have no joy in the victory.

Why?

It's the business ofbattle.

It's very simple.

Kill the enemy.

A soldier must like to kill.

No man can follow me

who hasn't the belly for that.

Go back to your tent now

and think about it.

Think hard.

You have a choice to make.

That's right. We'd better

go to our tents.

It was a victory,

wasn't it?

The bows did well.

The general was pleased.

Let's go to our tents

and think about it, Walter.

I was afraid for you.

I was very afraid for both of you.

Nothing could happen

to us.

It isn't the way it went

in the miracle, don't you remember?

- I know, but-

- Isn't that so, Tris?

Yes, that's so.

- I will be glad when-

- That's right, Maryam.

You mustn't forget

the miracle.

A tall, young Englishman

came riding over a hill, didn't he?

A knight.

A knight in shining armor.

You should have seen him today, Maryam.

He looked almost like a knight.

An English knight.

A sword and shining armor.

You'd have been proud of him.

He looked more beautiful than ever.

Except those knightly vows. You didn't think

to say those over, did you, Walter?

- What's the matter with you?

- Your father would have been proud of you.

Your grandfather too.

He was a credit to them.

The way you looked anyway.

Why don't you ever wear your father's boots?

You'd look well in them.

Where are they?

I'll get them for you,

and you can put them on.

There was a letter too.

You'd better read it again. What did it say?

- Something about honor.

- Tris!

Keep your hands off-

Tris!

- Walt, I'm sorry. I-

- What's the matter with you?

I don't know you anymore, quarreling,

short-tempered all the time.

You're not the Tris

I used to know.

- Let's get away from here, away from all-

- For what?

- I can't help them anymore.

- Well, if you don't like it, you don't have to stay here.

What do you want to do?

March with them on England?

I don't owe England anything.

I think it's very foolish

to speak of that anymore.

I think you'd better

go back to England.

I don't think you have what he was

talking about- the belly for it.

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