THE LADY IN THE TOWER FADE IN EXT. FOREST CLEARING - DAY A STONE TOWER sits in a clearing, surrounded by trees. A young woman can be seen in the upper window, high above ground level. She is pretty and has long blonde hair, but not long enough to reach the ground, just normal length. She looks sad as she rests her chin in her hands. ABBY Fvck this. She leans out and looks down. AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER Two GOLEMS stand guard at the narrow door entry. Each is armed with a spear. A golem is a blocky creature of clay or stone, animated by magic. They need no sustenance, weather doesn't affect them, they exist until their creator decrees otherwise. The door is made of stout wood, in the lock sits a big iron key. A pebble, dropped from above, bounces off Left Golem's head. Then another bounces off Right Golem's head. Left Golem's neck creaks as his blocky head tilts up. LEFT GOLEM She's at it again. RIGHT GOLEM Don't let her bother you. LEFT GOLEM It's just, it makes me feel so demeaned, you know? RIGHT GOLEM (ignoring him) Now that's interesting. * Both golems stare ahead. A KNIGHT on a horse emerges out of the forest, some distance away. The Knight carries a jousting lance and shield, as knights often do. He seems to study the golems from afar. LEFT GOLEM 'E might 'ave taken a wrong turn. RIGHT GOLEM We can direct him, if he asks. UPPER WINDOW Abby becomes aware of the knight. THE CLEARING The knight starts forward, approaching the tower. AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER The golems watch, unmoving. The knight draws near, and stops. From this proximity we see he is a handsome, strapping young lad. KNIGHT I am Sir Vance. I require that you turn your prisoner over to me. The two golems creak a little as they look at each other. RIGHT GOLEM So you're not lost? KNIGHT What? No. RIGHT GOLEM You should really spare yourself some trouble and go back the way you came. KNIGHT My good sir, I am some trouble. You will make yourselves scarce, otherwise I shall have to deal with you. LEFT GOLEM Wot are you going to do, stab us? KNIGHT This is my final warning. Talk it over among yourselves, if you like. But don't take too long. ABBY (from above) Hey! The knight looks up. His smiling expression suggests he is pleased with what he sees. ABBY Are you here to rescue me? KNIGHT I have been tasked to free you from confinement and bring you back to Tintagel. ABBY Why would I want to go to Tintagel? KNIGHT I... those are my instructions, lady. ABBY I just want out of here. KNIGHT As my lady wishes. The knight regards the golems. KNIGHT Have you made your decision? RIGHT GOLEM The key is in the lock. If you turn it, the door will open and you may enter the tower. The knight sees the big iron key in the lock, waiting to be turned. He looks up at the window, trying to figure this out. Abby spreads her hands helplessly. ABBY I can't turn the key from the inside, now can I? The knight understands now. Anyone may enter, once they get past the golem guards. But the lady can't just let herself out. Hmmm. Just for a second, it looks as if the knight is about to dismount from his saddle. The golems shuffle their blocky feet just a little, as if ready to react to this. The knight remains in his saddle, thinking. He pulls on the reins and turns his horse around and gallops away. UPPER WINDOW Abby watches the knight ride away, back to the edge of the forest. He disappears among the trees. She turns from the window, bitterly disappointed. AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER LEFT GOLEM Some knight, 'e never even tried. RIGHT GOLEM A mummy's boy, if you ask me. EXT. FOREST - DAY The knight guides his horse into a tiny glade among the trees. He cautiously dismounts and looks around. A WOLF creeps out of the trees and stands staring at him with burning yellow eyes. The knight holds up his hand, palm outwards. KNIGHT Don't even start. You didn't warn me there would be golems! When the wolf speaks, it's a mix of animal growling and an angry human voice. WOLF You would not have believed me. I wanted you to see what protects the lady with your own eyes. KNIGHT I didn't even know that kind of magic still exists. WOLF Consider what you are talking to. Magic has not fled this land completely. How will you defeat them? KNIGHT I don't know! My lance would splinter against them, my sword would shatter. How do you fight creatures made of stone? The wolf turns about and moves among the trees. It returns moments later holding a sack in its mouth. It drops the sack on the ground, then retreats a few steps. Curious, the knight goes down on one knee and opens the sack. Inside are two bundles of wood kindling tied together. The knight picks a bundle up and weighs it in his hand. KNIGHT You want me to start a fire? WOLF Not in the way you imagine. You must be careful when handling these. Their nature is destructive. Here is what you must do. EXT. FOREST CLEARING - DAY The knight emerges from the forest again, and rides toward the tower. AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER The two golems see him. LEFT GOLEM 'E's coming back. RIGHT GOLEM So I see. THE KNIGHT Grim-faced, his lance tucked under his arm and extended, as if he's riding in a joust. One of the bundles the wolf gave him is stuck on the tip of his lance. UPPER WINDOW Abby is hardly able to believe her eyes. She claps her hands and bounces up and down with excitement. AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER The knight slows his horse, closes his visor, lines up on Left Golem, and digs in his spurs. His horse leaps forward. The two golems raise their spears. The knight's lance slides past Left Golem's spear and the bundle makes contact with the golem's torso. An EXPLOSION blows Left Golem to smithereens! The knight's horse is flung over onto its side and he goes with it, only just leaping free at the last second so his leg isn't broken. He gets to his feet, but keels over and falls back down, coughing as smoke chokes him. He's lost his helmet, it's somewhere. Right Golem steps forward, emerging from the smoke cloud. He sees the knight and advances with plodding steps. UPPER WINDOW Abby boggles, her mouth hangs open, she has never witnessed such a thing before. AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER The knight sees the second bundle sticking out of his saddlebag and crawls toward it. Right Golem gets closer and closer. RIGHT GOLEM You killed my brother. Now you must die. The knight snatches up the smoking half of his lance that still exists and rams the bundle onto the splintered end. Right Golem is almost upon him, the knight jams the butt of his lance into the ground and angles it so it's an improvised explosive device trap, he frantically rolls and scrambles away from it. Right Golem steps into the waiting lance, touching the bundle, and ANOTHER EXPLOSION blows it to pieces. Bits of stone shower the knight as he curls up and wraps his arms over his head to protect himself. He lies there stunned and panting for breath. When he opens his eyes again the smoke is thinning and he is alone with his horse. The brave beast pushes itself up and walks around a bit, shaking its head. The knight gets up and wanders to the horse. He claps its neck, the horse nuzzles him. The knight looks up and sees Abby at the window. She mouths the words, ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? but he can't hear anything. Wait, there's a high-pitched WHINE that makes him flinch. Suddenly he can hear again. Abby repeats herself, ABBY Are you all right? The knight waves to her. KNIGHT I'm fine. He sees his helmet and picks it up. It's dented and the visor is twisted out of shape. He tosses the helmet away. Abby ducks away from the window. The knight approaches the door. He takes hold of the iron key and twists it. The lock CLUNKS and the door opens an inch. He forces it all the way open, revealing a spiral stairway that leads up into the tower. Abby comes running down, holding onto the wall. She stops when she sees him, and grins. ABBY You did it! She descends the last steps and they exit the tower. Abby throws her arms around his neck and kisses him. ABBY Thank you, thank you. Did you bring a horse for me? KNIGHT I did not. But Thunder is strong enough to carry us both. ABBY Who sent you, sir knight? And what did they tell you? KNIGHT The king himself ordered me to bring you to him, in Tintagel. ABBY That doesn't work for me, sorry. I am betrothed to another. As well your king knows. The knight puzzles over this. ABBY It was your king who confined me to this wretched tower, so I would mellow and agree to be his bride. His dreadful wizard conjured these golems out of the earth. KNIGHT Lady, your words make little sense. If the king wanted you free, why would he not have ordered his wizard to dismiss the golems, so you could simply leave? ABBY You need to ask them about that. Perhaps your king and his wizard are not the friends they once were. I just don't know. They both turn as the knight's horse SCREAMS in pain. The wolf has brought the horse down and torn its neck open, the horse's hooves thrash, then become still. (No animals will be harmed in this scene, they are trained actors.) The knight whips out his sword and pushes Abby behind him. The wolf transforms into a man, with long white hair and beard, wearing an ankle-length brown robe. WIZARD You wonder why. I lost control of my earth magic and could no longer command the golems. This angered your king, who allowed his lust for this wench to get the better of him. The knight glances back at Abby, who shrugs. ABBY I was only a girl when he visited my father's house. I don't even know him. WIZARD Be that as it may. I have seen his future and you are not in it. The lady who must become his queen is on her way from France. ABBY That's fine by me. Good luck to her. WIZARD Will you stop talking? Until the king sees your corpse, mutilated by a wolf's fangs, he will not let go of his lustful thoughts and return to ruling the realm wisely. KNIGHT So you had me come here and defeat the golems for you, so you could...? WIZARD That is about the size of it. The knight has slid his toe behind his helmet and now he launches it at the wizard, the iron helm CLANGS into the wizard's face and he falls backward, his arms flailing. The knight is upon him quickly and silences him forever with a single thrust that pierces his throat. Abby comes to stand beside the knight. Instinctively they put their arms around each other. She looks up into his eyes. He looks down into hers. She smiles. KNIGHT We must not allow ourselves to get carried away, my lady. You are betrothed to another, you said? ABBY Aye, to Alvin, Earl of Westbury. KNIGHT I'm afraid I have some bad news. FADE OUT 10/2024
Scribbled for Halloween 2024 contest on the screenwritingforums.com message board.
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