The Kingdom of Heaven Page #24

SALADIN:

We must discuss Jerusalem. It’s

King

(nods at Guy)

has surrendered it but there seems

to be a difficulty.

BALIAN:

You offered no quarter and we ask

one. What has changed?

SALADIN:

Will you yield the city?

BALIAN:

Before I lose it I will burn it to

the ground. Your holy places. Ours.

Every last thing in Jerusalem that

drives men mad.

SALADIN:

I wonder if it would not be better

if you did.

(looks reflectively at the

city)

You will destroy it?

BALIAN:

Every stone. And every Christian

knight you kill will take ten

Saracens with him. You will kill

your army here and never raise

another.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

120.

CONTINUED:

BALIAN (CONT'D)

I swear to God that to take this

city will be the end of you.

SALADIN:

You cannot stand another assault.

BALIAN:

Make one, and we will see.

GUY is watching, fascinated, what he might have been.

SALADIN:

Your city is full of women, and

children. There will be disease,

soon, from the dead. If my army

will die, and so will your city.

BALIAN:

(swallows, knowing that it

is true)

Do you offer terms? I ask none.

SALADIN walks apart. Long pause. Then he turns.

SALADIN:

I will give every soul safe-conduct

to Christian lands. Every soul. The

women, the children, the old, and

all your knights and soldiers. Your

Queen. Your King...

(GUY tenses)

I leave to what God will make of

him.

MULLAHS object. BALIAN staring at SALADIN stares at Balian

with hatred.

SALADIN (CONT’D)

No one will be robbed or harmed, I

swear to God.

BALIAN:

The Christians butchered every

Muslim within the walls when they

took this city.

SALADIN:

I am not those men. I am Saladin.

BALIAN:

Then on these terms I surrender

Jerusalem.

121.

EXT. THE GATE. DAY

BALIAN comes back in through the gate. SIBYLLA stands there

in her simple clothing.

BALIAN:

We surrender the city in the

morning, and will be safely

escorted to the sea.

SIBYLLA:

The nobles...

BALIAN:

Everyone is safe to go. I would not

have surrendered otherwise.

SIBYLLA looks distraught at Jerusalem.

BALIAN (CONT’D)

If this is God’s kingdom he can

dispose of it as he likes. Your

brother’s kingdom was here.

(he touches her heart)

That kingdom is not surrendered.

EXT. INSIDE THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM. LATER

In the square before the palace Christians with their goods

loaded are forming caravans. BALIAN, moving among them,

mounted, suddenly looks around as...GUY, fully armed, leaps a

destrier over some baggage and slams at a gallop into

Balian’s horse. BALIAN’S horse goes down screaming. BALIAN

rolls in the dust. Guy rides around him.

GUY:

They say now you are beloved by

God. How much of that am I to take?

There is already a song about

Jerusalem and its false and wicked

king.

GUY takes a battle axe from a retainer.

GUY (CONT’D)

They would have tried to marry her

to a bucket, or a Saracen if it

would have kept their world intact.

I don’t mind that you f***ed her,

for are we not all French...but...

(smiles)

I am not a bad man. I am only a man

making my way.

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

122.

CONTINUED:

GUY (CONT’D)

I am simply making my way. As all

men are...except for you. Do you

think you are a perfect knight? Do

you? Do you?

BALIAN:

I am not the man who lost the

Kingdom of Jerusalem.

As Balian walks away, GUY turns his horse to ride him down.

A CHORUS OF KNIGHTS dismount and fight him.

GUY realizes he must. He dismounts. He draws his sword.

BALIAN waits for him. GUY moves like lightning and cuts a

gash in Balian’s face.

BALIAN waits. In a quick passage, Guy disarms Balian, who

scrambles and picks up his sword again. There is no question:

Guy is state of the art. BALIAN stands waiting. GUY moves to

kill him. The Men collide, and GUY, spinning away, eludes a

backswing, catches the blade with his hand, drives it down

into the ground, and returns a blow that would have cut off

Balian’s head--except that Balian parries it, surprising GUY.

KNIGHTS and MUSLIMS crowd close, shouting. They know their

sport:
and out of nowhere they are at the World Cup. GUY

really lays in--state of the art--and Balian, clumsily, meets

every blow. The two men go at it for sixty seconds straight

in an exhausting high speed flurry which includes blows in

the face with gloved fists. GUY with a broken nose, breathing

hard (presumably seeing stars), takes a low guard, and

BALIAN, wounded twice, takes a high one. A SARACEN KNIGHT

makes a detailed bet with a CHRISTIAN ONE. GUY is still

surprised by the blood coming from his nose and is repelling

Balian almost idly. BALIAN missed a blow and crashes into a

wall. Guy’s sword striking where Balian’s head was a moment

before. BALIAN lunges and GUY, letting him pass, crashes the

pommel of his sword down on the back of hi head. BALIAN

sprawls on the cobbles. GUY goes after him, cuts, misses, is

wounded in the side by a thrust. GUY parries a second blow

and stabs BALIAN (we cannot tell where or how badly) and

attacks violently, relentlessly.

The crowd follows the exhausted fighters, who face each

other, bleeding, breathless, barely on their feet.

GUY:

Water.

It is given him in a skin by one of his knights. GUY goes

forward purposefully, to kill BALIAN. BALIAN, staggering,

waits. GUY cuts low, Balian, out of breath, barely parries.

GUY advances to kill him. BALIAN waits, at the high guard.

(CONTINUED)

123.

CONTINUED:
(2)

BALIAN is cut, badly, in the next pass. BALIAN takes the

“high guard” again. He watches Guy (which is to say his

death) advance.

GUY (CONT’D)

(advancing)

“Be brave and upright that God may

love thee. Be without fear in the

face of your enemies.” We’ve all

heard the words. How dare you

believe them. How dare you.

GUY goes for the kill in a move we’ve seen before. BALIAN

parries as he once did with GODFREY but instead of losing his

sword as he did long ago in the French wood he meets the next

blow and then cuts Guy across the throat.

GUY falls to his knees, trying to speak. He pitches forward.

BALIAN, holding Godfrey’s sword, stares down at him.

INT. THE PALACE. DAY

BALIAN, his wounds bound by MUSLIM PHYSICIANS, stands. The

PHYSICIANS back away respectfully. He moves into the

corridor. MUSLIMS are moving through the palace, taking

possession. BALIAN looks into TIBERIAS’ ROOM. The room is now

all MUSLIM CLERKS, going through papers. Balian looks around

and sees that SALADIN is standing beside him, alone.

SALADIN:

So.

BALIAN:

My lord.

SALADIN:

I admire the Franks for their

courage. It is said that I have

learned chivalry from them. Have

you heard this?

BALIAN laughs. Saladin smiles.

SALADIN (CONT’D)

“Chivalry”. It is like faith. When

it is true it is good.

(hands on Balian’s

shoulder)

I like nothing better than an

honorable man.

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