To Kill a King Page #5

---

This is it, Tom.

This is our victory,

our chance

to set England free.

l am a reformer,

as l thought you were.

l will reform the king.

Anything less

is brutal cowardice.

Too late.

( doors slam )

Start the proceedings.

Charles Stuart,

King of England...

this parliament holds

that you have abused the power entrusted

to you by the law and--

Hold, Little.

l would know

by what power

l am called hither,

by what authority.

l am your king.

l have a trust

committed in me by God

by old and lawful descent.

l...

will not betray it

to answer a new,

- unlawful authority.

- Cromwell:
You have heard the charge.

Answer it in the name

of the people.

l do stand more for the liberty

of the people of England

than any here that come

to be my pretended judges.

l ask again--

Your way of answer is

to interrogate the court.

Every man here

has lost a friend

to your

butchering troops.

We are satisfied

with our authority.

lf power without law

may make laws,

may alter the fundamental

laws of this kingdom,

l do not know what

subject he is in England

that can be

sure of his life

or anything

he calls his own.

They sit here

by the authority

of the Commons

of England!

You and all your predecessors

are responsible to them!

Show me one precedent.

Cromwell:
l understood you had

read the Magna Carta.

There is a contract between people

and king which you have broken.

Charles:
The Commons of England

was never a court ofjudicature.

- l would know how they came to be so.

- ( doors open )

By choice, sound reasoning

and proven honesty,

which is a fairer

method than that

by which you became king.

( crowd murmuring )

l thought

we were fighting

for the same end at least,

but all this time--

Will you fetch the troops and return

with the king's friends?

...and destroy their pride

and hope in all that is sacred.

- Guilty.

- l'm speaking.

- Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

- Charles:
l will be heard.

Sir, did you not

hear me?

l am your king!

( shouting )

We should be

at home by now.

l'm taking you

to your father's.

The troops are

agitating, brother.

There is a danger they may

storm the king's cell.

- See they don't.

- Without the general?

We must surely seize the general

before he reaches his noble friend.

Or bring him back

to control the troops.

He's a traitor! He could raise

a troop to ride against us.

l shall be general now.

Man #1 :
Thomas has found

his way back to us.

He'll help us crush

this blasted rebellion.

- We've heard about your refusal to sign.

- Man #3:
We'll have the king

back on his throne and every courtier

returned to his rightful--

Thomas:
The king is dead.

His blood is written in the warrant.

lf you want to

renew the nation

and not merely

his privileges,

you will plot ways to forge

a new and better government

instead of condemning us all

to fresh slaughter and old corruption.

l'm the only one

who can tame him.

- You explained that.

- Annie, he is no good without me.

And are you

no good without him?

Annie, please,

l can make him see.

l must at least try...

for all of us.

( bell ringing )

l have a good cause

and a gracious god.

l will say no more.

l go from a corruptible

to an incorruptible crown

where no disturbance

can be, none at all.

Remember.

Await my sign.

( gasps )

- ( slices )

- ( crowd gasping )

Red.

This is red blood...

like our own.

He was God on earth!

He was your prisoner,

your enemy,

a man who killed

your brothers for gold.

Have you forgotten?

With this, you are

subjects no more...

but citizens, free men.

You do not have to

kneel to any other man!

You are your own masters

commanding your own fate.

- You're back.

- l need to talk to Oliver.

He's very busy.

Make an appointment.

l'll wait,

if that's all right

with you, Henry.

- ls it for me?

- No, madam.

James invites us all

to his estate...

so that we may

ride and talk together,

think how best

to help the prince,

console ourselves.

l shall stay and wait here.

For how long?

For how long will you continue

to suspend your life,

waste your

youth and health,

forget your loyalty

to your true friends

in the hope that that

traitor may remember his?

Word from Scotland.

lt's urgent.

Man:
The Scots have declared

Prince Charles their new king.

Cromwell:

Then we shall invade before they do.

Full weapons. All troops ready

three days hence.

Building nations

is not the glorious affair

one might suppose,

just short nights

and fools asking questions.

lf you've come to tell me

the people hate me,

you can save your breath.

l am not looking

for medals.

l brought them liberty.

They will learn to value it.

You will teach

them liberty?

Do not test me, Tom.

You've seen the traitors hanging

by their necks. You wish to join them?

You're not God, Oliver.

You cannot control the world.

No one has ever ruled

this country without a king.

l suggest you go

back to your wife!

Those holy fools

will never tell you the truth.

They dare not.

From this day on,

all you'll hear is lies.

The prince is

not even in Scotland!

The Scots are no threat

unless you make them so.

Do not provoke me, Tom.

Here's your choice, Oliver:

Listen to me,

or doom this republic

to an ill-planned,

brutal tyranny more hated

than the king's.

Tom...

l thought you'd

left me for sure.

( fire crackling )

You came back.

( chattering )

Portraits of the king.

Portraits of the king.

Here, madam. Only a shilling

for a lock of the king's own hair.

Oh, careful with that. That was

the last thing he ever touched.

- Arrest him.

- l've done no crime!

My trade, sir,

is an honest trade.

- Your trade makes children of grown men.

- Oliver, no!

( crowd screaming,

horses whinnying )

( screaming, moaning )

How can we expect

to build a nation of men

if they will ever

act like sheep?

- ( all screaming )

- ( gasping )

( man gagging )

l'm not armed, Thomas.

l merely come to offer

his majesty's greetings,

and to thank you

for sparing my life.

l told you to stay away.

And so l have.

The prince has been

good to us in exile.

He noted you refused to sign

his father's death warrant

and wonders at your role

in this republic.

How much is he

paying you to find out?

Yours is the only will

that can bend Cromwell's.

That's why you're here,

l warrant--

to reform him,

contain him

within the law.

But if that fails,

what then?

You've always been

the nation's warrior.

You raised your sword

against the last tyrant.

Get out.

Get out!

( door opens, closes )

Holles has been seen

in the city.

He's doubtless

visiting old friends.

Still not in

republican uniform, Tom?

l will wear it when you

sign the constitution.

You do remember.

After the investiture.

lnvestiture?

Some say you keep

your courtly locks

to welcome

the prince, Tom.

Some say you're

the messiah.

That does not

make it true.

Thomas:
Joyce.

l'm going to do

what's necessary.

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