The Huntsman Winter's War

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NARRATOR:
What does

the Mirror show you?

What do you see?

An oft told tale.

(MEN SHOUTING)

That of Snow White,

how she vanquished

the evil Queen Ravenna

and took her rightful

place on the throne.

But there is another story,

one you have not yet seen.

One that comes long before

"happily ever after. "

A mere pawn?

A humble pawn

can bring down kingdoms.

(KING GRUNTS)

Stop distracting me.

(RAVENNA CHUCKLES)

Poor little pawn.

Mean old king.

So sad.

But the final say...

Well...

Queen will have that.

Queen takes king.

(CHOKING)

(EXHALES)

(WHISPERS) And you thought

this was just a game.

(THUDDING)

(BELLS TOLLING)

NARRATOR:
With the Mirror

at her command,

Ravenna was invincible.

She took her kingdom

as she had taken

others before it,

and as she would

take others again,

with her sister

Freya at her side.

RAVENNA:
IS if love?

Truly?

It is love, truly.

Your move.

Why should I bother?

You always win.

You always let me win.

(RAVENNA CHUCKLES)

I suppose

you are my weakness.

(CHUCKLING)

Very well.

Queen to rook five.

Checkmate in three.

(EXHALES)

Learn from loss, Freya,

and your day will come.

Your possibilities

will be endless

once the magic awakens

in your heart.

It won't.

We both know it won't.

I'm not like you.

All the women of our blood

are gifted, Freya.

And in time

you will find

the source of your power

as I found mine.

We'll see.

What?

You're carrying his child.

Oh.

You didn't know.

Well, he's promised

to another.

He does not love her.

Their engagement is sealed.

It cannot be broken.

He will deny you.

And he will deny

your daughter.

He will not.

Freya,

I'm not being cruel.

I simply wish

to protect you.

You may be surprised

how things turn out.

You know much, Ravenna.

But you do not know all.

I'm afraid I do.

NARRATOR:
Freya did not

believe her sister,

for love blinds

even the clearest eye.

And when her daughter

was but a few weeks old,

Freya's trusting heart

was rewarded at last.

(EXHALES)

Her lover had sent word.

He would defy his family

and marry Freya in secret,

in the Royal Garden.

They would

gather their child

and flee the kingdom

to begin a life of their own.

(DISTANT RUMBLING)

(PANTING)

Freya, don't!

(GRUNTING)

(BREATHING RAGGEDLY)

I had no choice.

I had no choice, Freya.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(SCREAMING)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

NARRATOR:
Consumed

by grief and anger,

Freya left her sister

to seek a kingdom of her own

in the land far to the north.

There, the people would

come to fear her very name.

SOLDIER:
Burn it down!

Kill them all!

NARRATOR:
For if she

could not raise a child,

then in its place

she would raise an army.

(HORSE NEIGHING)

(MEN SHOUTING)

Come on, boy!

(GRUNTING)

(GRUNTS) Eric!

Run!

(GROANS)

Come on.

(HORSE NEIGHING)

NARRATOR:
Freya turned

the once-green farmlands

of the north

into a frozen wasteland.

There she built her fortress,

and ruled as the Ice Queen.

MAN:
Wagons!

(RUMBLING)

(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)

(JINGLING)

How lucky you are.

You're with me now.

And you will never know

this suffering again.

(CHILDREN SNIFFLING)

You are scared?

No.

Is it your father

that you miss?

Your mother?

Yes.

Yes.

Tell me your name.

Tull.

Tull.

(WINCING)

Love is a lie.

It is a trick

played by the cruel

on the foolish

and the weak.

Cast it from your mind.

Never let it

render you frail of mind

or of will,

because in my kingdom,

there is but one law.

Do not love.

It's a sin,

and I'll not forgive it.

(GASPING)

Now, let's hear no more

of family and love.

Those illusions

are beneath you.

I have freed you from them.

And in exchange for

this precious gift,

I ask only one thing,

your loyalty.

You will train.

You will harden.

You will become my elite,

my Huntsmen.

And nothing will ever,

ever destroy you.

SOLDIER 1:
Take it!

SOLDIER 2:

One. Two. Three.

(GRUNTING)

(ALL CHEERING)

(BOTH GRUNTING)

SOLDIER 3:
Strike!

(ALL GRUNT)

(YELLS)

NARRATOR:
And so children

grew to be soldiers,

becoming one with

blade and arrow.

MAN:
Ready your bows!

Draw.

Release!

(EXHALES SOFTLY)

Guard?

The boy and the girl,

who are they?

What are their names?

Which?

The best ones.

Eric and Sara,

my queen.

(ERIC GRUNTING)

Did I scare you?

Do you not know?

I never miss.

MAN:
Wagons!

(HORSE WHINNYING)

The new children, sir.

It's about time.

You're home, kids.

Come on, hurry up.

Get out, come on.

That's it.

Come on.

Go, boy.

Out!

Come on.

Move, faster.

Psst.

What you doing in there?

I know who lives here.

She scares me.

Ah, right.

Yeah, she can be

a wee bit grumpy

from time to time.

Do you know what I do?

I just never let her

know what I'm thinking.

How do you do that?

Well, can you

make a mean face?

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

That's not bad.

What about like this?

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

ERIC:
That's better.

Now that's your war face.

If you wear that always

when the queen is near,

she'll never know

what you're thinking either.

You do that,

and you'll be fine.

Come on.

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

NARRATOR:
The queen sent

her army to wage war

against the great kings

of the north.

Battle after battle,

they returned victorious.

Those who were left alive.

You've done well,

my children.

Very well.

You forget to

walk in shadow.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

And you forget

your balance.

(MOANS SOFTLY)

What are you doing?

You cannae tell,

you daft boy?

I'm marrying you.

It was my mother's.

My only treasure.

I lived for her.

Now...

I live for you.

How do we

live for each other

in this place here?

Freya will take

one look at us,

and she'll know.

And what then?

It's almost day.

Gather your things.

Meet me in the courtyard.

She'll catch us

or she won't.

(WHISPERING)

But either way,

we shall be free.

You do love me,

don't you?

(CHUCKUNG)

Aye, I do.

I give you my life

and my death.

Stand or fall,

I'll never leave your side,

I swear it to you.

FREYA:
Yes,

I know this story.

The girl goes in secret

to meet her one true love.

I wonder

how it ends this time.

I gave you both everything.

And in return you betray me.

For love.

We fought your wars.

We've done enough.

Please, my queen,

let us go.

Do not beg me!

It is weak.

You are weak.

Do you want to leave?

Very well.

Go to each other.

If you can.

And I'll let you go.

Shouldn't be too hard.

Love conquers all.

So I've heard.

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTING)

(BOTH PANTING)

(GROANS)

(GRUNTING)

(YELLS)

Take him out of my sight.

NARRATOR:
Once upon a time

a man and woman fell in love.

But such things cannot last.

For the heart is

a treacherous thing.

And love...

Love is nothing more

than a fairy tale.

Days turned to years.

Freya's empire

continued to rise

while her sister

Ravenna's fell

at the hands of

the Huntsman and Snow White.

But some evil cannot

truly be vanquished.

Halt!

Who's there?

Show yourself!

RAVE N NA; Kill...

Kill for me.

(MOANING)

Don't just stand there,

do something!

(GRUNTING)

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