Troy Page #4

HECTOR:

Paris. You're my brother, and I

love you. But if you do anything

to endanger Troy I'll rip your

pretty face from your pretty skull.

He kisses Paris on the forehead.

HECTOR:

Get some sleep. We sail in the

morning.

Paris, a bit shocked by the encounter, stumbles away.

13 EXT. IONIAN SEA - DAY 13

The TROJAN SHIP sails over the waves.

14 EXT. SHIP'S DECK - DAY 14

The winds are strong. Nobody needs to row. SAILORS tend

the sails or play dice.

Hector stands in the bow, leaning against the rail,

whittling a WOODEN LION. Paris joins him.

PARIS:

A beautiful morning. Poseidon has

blessed our voyage.

Hector looks at the blue sky for a moment.

(CONTINUED)

18.

14 CONTINUED:
14

HECTOR:

Sometimes the gods bless you in the

morning and curse you in the

afternoon.

Paris watches his brother work the wood. When Paris

speaks again his tone is more sober than we've heard it

before.

PARIS:

Do you love me, brother?

Hector rests his knife on the deck and smiles.

HECTOR:

What have you done now?

PARIS:

I need to show you something.

Paris walks toward the staircase leading inside the ship.

Hector watches him for a few seconds and then follows.

15 INT. TROJAN SHIP 15

Paris pauses in front of his cabin door.

PARIS:

Before you get angry with me -

HECTOR:

Open the door.

Paris opens the door. Helen, wearing a hooded robe, sits

on the edge of a hammock, swinging slightly. She stands.

Hector stares at her in disbelief. He turns and glares at

Paris.

HECTOR:

If you weren't my brother I'd kill

you where you stand.

PARIS:

Hector -

Hector is already out the door. Helen looks at Paris.

HELEN:

We'll never have peace.

PARIS:

I don't want peace. I want you.

(CONTINUED)

19.

15 CONTINUED:
15

He kisses her -- a desperate, hungry kiss, the two of them

against the world -- then turns and follows his brother.

16 INT. PALACE OF SPARTA - HELEN'S BEDCHAMBER - DAY 16

Menelaus, followed by ten SOLDIERS, storms into Helen's

room.

17 INT. HELEN'S BEDCHAMBER 17

He finds Polydora polishing the queen's jewelry. Menelaus

grabs her arm roughly. She's terrified.

MENELAUS:

Where is she?

POLYDORA:

Who, my king?

Menelaus draws his sword.

MENELAUS:

I swear by the father of the gods

I'll gut you here if you don't tell

me.

The handmaiden tries to speak but no words come out.

Fortunately for her, HIPPASUS, (50), a royal advisor,

enters the room at that moment followed by an old

FISHERMAN (65).

HIPPASUS:

She left with the Trojans, my king.

Menelaus stares at Hippasus, who swallows and gestures at

the fisherman. The fisherman looks as if he'd rather be

fishing.

HIPPASUS:

The old man saw her board their

ship.

Menelaus releases the handmaiden and stares at the

fisherman.

MENELAUS:

The Trojans?

(CONTINUED)

20.

17 CONTINUED:
17

FISHERMAN:

With the young prince. Paris.

She -

Menelaus holds up his hand. The fisherman shuts up.

Everyone watches the king, waiting for an explosion, but

the news -- strangely -- seems to focus him.

MENELAUS:

Get my ship ready.

18 EXT. TROJAN SHIP 18

Hector walks quickly toward the stern, Paris right behind

him. The PILOT mans the rudder.

HECTOR:

(to pilot)

Turn us around. Back to Sparta.

PARIS:

Wait, wait.

Hector spins on his brother.

HECTOR:

You fool.

PARIS:

Listen to me -

Hector shoves his brother backwards. The older brother's

physical power is obvious. SAILORS watch in awed silence.

HECTOR:

Do you know what you've done? Do

you know how many years our father

worked for peace? How many

brothers and cousins he lost on the

battlefield?

PARIS:

I love her.

The muscles in Hector's jaw bulge against his cheeks.

HECTOR:

Say another word and I'll break

your arm. This is all a game for

you, isn't it?

(MORE)

(CONTINUED)

21.

18 CONTINUED:
18

HECTOR (CONT'D)

You roam from town to town, bedding

merchants' wives and temple maids

-you think you know something

about love? What about your

father's love? You spat on him

when you brought her on this ship.

What about love of your country?

You'd let Troy burn for this woman.

Paris starts to speak but Hector raises a warning finger.

HECTOR:

I won't let you start a war for

her.

PARIS:

May I speak?

(beat)

What you say is true. I've wronged

you. I've wronged our father. If

you want to bring Helen back to

Sparta, so be it. But I go with

her.

HECTOR:

To Sparta? They'll kill you.

PARIS:

Then I'll die fighting.

Hector laughs bitterly. He grabs the collar of Paris's

tunic.

HECTOR:

That sounds heroic to you, doesn't

it? To die fighting. Tell me,

little brother, have you ever

killed a man?

PARIS:

No.

HECTOR:

Have you ever even seen a man die

in combat?

PARIS:

No.

Hector's face is flushed with anger. Paris tries to look

away but Hector won't let him.

(CONTINUED)

22.

18 CONTINUED:
(2) 18

HECTOR:

I've killed men, brother. I've

watched them dying, I've heard them

dying, I've smelled them dying.

(beat)

There's nothing glorious about it,

nothing poetic. You think you want

to die for love, but you know

nothing about dying. You know

nothing about love.

PARIS:

All the same, I go with her.

Hector releases his brother. He stares at the sea.

PARIS:

I won't ask you to fight my war.

Hector shakes his head, still staring into the waves.

HECTOR:

You already have.

For a long time Hector is silent. Finally he turns to the

pilot, who awaits the prince's command.

HECTOR:

To Troy.

Hector walks away from his brother.

19 EXT. MYCENAE HARBOR - DAY 19

Three WARSHIPS are anchored in the harbor.

Menelaus, followed by Hippasus and a retinue of SOLDIERS,

climbs the long stone staircase that leads to the walled

city of Mycenae, a citadel hewn from the hilltop rock.

20 INT. MYCENAE CITADEL - THRONE ROOM - DAY 20

Menelaus and his followers enter the throne room.

Treasures from various conquests fill the room: statuary

and urns and intricate gold work. Armed GUARDS stand at

their posts.

(CONTINUED)

23.

20 CONTINUED:
20

Only Agamemnon is seated, on a beautiful throne carved

from solid oak. Two robed NOBLES are addressing him when

Menelaus enters -- they move away as the Spartans

approach.

Agamemnon stands. The two kings embrace.

AGAMEMNON:

Your messenger came two days ago.

I know what happened.

Menelaus's face darkens, his rage barely submerged.

MENELAUS:

I want her back.

AGAMEMNON:

Of course you do. She's a

beautiful woman.

MENELAUS:

I want her back so I can kill her

with my own two hands. I won't

rest until I've burned Troy to the

ground.

AGAMEMNON:

(smiling)

I thought you wanted peace with

Troy.

MENELAUS:

I should have listened to you.

AGAMEMNON:

Peace is for the women and the

weak. Empires are forged by war.

MENELAUS:

All my life I've stood by your

side, fought your enemies. You're

the eldest, you reap the glory -this

is the way of the world. But

have I ever complained, brother?

Have I ever asked you for anything?

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