Uther and the Secret of the Dragon
be armed but they remain peasants under their armour.
I have been brewing a plan that will terrify them and
hopefully most of them will turn and run before a
single arrow is shot.
ULAN
Is that the contraption I have seen you building, the silver
drum with the funnels that make it spin? I wondered what
it was, when the steam comes from those funnels that thing
turns so fast my eyes get dizzy. What is its purpose?
MERLAIN
You’ll see, tonight you’ll see.
ULAN
Well all I need is my sword, lance and horse. With these
three things I feel invincible,
ESUIT
I’ve seen you on that horse, you are very good and
you like to use that lance a lot.
UTHUR
That’s what I will call you from now on my friend.
ULAN
What, Sir Invincible?
UTHUR
No, not Sir Invincible, but Sir Lancelot.
ULAN
Oh, very funny.
MERLAIN
Let’s put our jest aside, we have a fight to start.
UTHUR
And to win; you, my friend, shall set the scene.
MERLAN
I will need my engine under a small fire close to the
enemies camp, the copper leads I have fashioned are
only five hundred metres long and that’s the furthest
I can be from my engine.
ULAN
And what pray is an engine?
UTHUR
More science. But those Germanic barbarians will think
lightening has fallen from the sky. They will run for the sea...
ESUIT
Let’s hope so...
UTHUR
Esuit? Why you are dressed for battle, I thought....
ESUIT
You thought I’d stay back with the women and children,
huddle in terror while the you and the men, men I have
trained; go and die! You have known me long enough
to know that I will lead from the front, by your side.
UTHUR
But I will spend the whole time looking out for you,
I would not be able to concentrate on the deed at
hand knowing that somewhere in the fray you may
need my hand.
ESUIT
I can look after myself; just worry about your
own skin husband.
MERLAIN
She’s right, you know she is.
The others leave the two alone and ESUIT steps to her husband and passes him his sword.
ESUIT
Brothers in arms?
UTHUR
Brothers in arms.
SCENE 53 NIGHT, ERICKS CAMP
The so called Duke of Cornwall has left his wooden fort and gathered his men in a clearing near to where his spies have told him UTHUR’s army awaits. He is being attended to by his servants when a strange droning sound fills the night air. Suddenly a guard calls out to him.
GUARD
Master, come, see this.
ERICK
What is that infernal noise?
GUARD
Quickly master. An apparition in the trees.
ERICK follows the guard and together with a group of his soldiers they look towards a small hill where the noise is coming from. Suddenly bright lights illuminate the hill top and the men gasp at its beauty.
ERICK
What is this?
They see a shrouded figure dressed in long white robes and a deep hood appear in the lights. The figure points down towards ERICK and a voice booms out across the land.
MERLAIN
I call here those who serve the devil named Erick; let
you hear these words and know the truth.
GUARD
It’s the sorcerer Merlin, I’ve heard He’s very powerful.
ERICK
Rubbish.
MERLAIN
The gods of this place have sworn to protect
the rightful heir to this land. Land you now invade.
I am here to give just one warning to those of you
who are righteous and of blessed virtue.
Turn away from the devil and go back home,
only death awaits tonight;
to greet the vein, the greedy and the weak.
Go, go now and save yourself.
ERICK
You men, quickly. Go up that hill and kill that man.
GUARD
Who, us?
ERICK
Stop shaking and go, you there
(he points at a group of four others)
....go with this man and help him.
The five grab their swords and start to climb the hill. On the other side, UTHUR and a couple of others hold shiny tin mirrors behind the engine as it spins casting the light from the flickering fire up the hill and illuminating MERLAIN. A long leather strap is being turned against a copper tube and wires lead from this up towards the illuminated figure.
UTHUR
What’s happening?
MERLAIN (in a whisper)
Quiet, they’re coming.
The five swords men approach and as ERICKs army looks on from the valley below the first points his sword towards Merlain. The old man gestures towards the swordsman and the hidden copper wire secreted under his long sleeve lets out a burst of static electricity that fires across the hill and contacts the man’s bronze sword. He screams and the sword goes flying into the darkness. The man drops, stunned by the charge.
ERICKs men gasp in horror seeing the second swordsman approach, his weapon held tightly in front. |Again MERLAIN gestures and a bolt of blue static electricity shoots from his fingers and into the man’s sword, this time the man sparks and shakes and begins to scream before throwing his sword and running from the hill
ERICK
What is this sorcery?
Another swordsman approaches and he too is shocked into throwing his sword before turning and running away. The two others turn in terror and follow him.
ERICK
What are you doing, don’t run. Go back.
The terrified men run past him and away through the camp, closely followed by many more.
Come back you cowards.
MERLAIN
The gods of this land are angry, go or only death
awaits.
ERICK
Yes, your death.
Suddenly a hail of arrows fall on ERICKs camp and many others fall fatally injured.
ERICK calls to another guard.
Quick, bring my armour, the fight is on.
As these words leave his lips an arrow strikes the guard and he falls dead.
Bahhh.
ERICK goes and dresses himself before calling for a horse. As one is led to him he hears the sound of thunder coming from the trees.
What now.
They look towards the sound and suddenly a hundred men on horseback appear from the trees riding through the crowd and slicing down anyone who moves. Hundreds of ERICKS men scream and run away. ULAN, w ho is leading the horsemen throws his lance at ERICK and it pierces the ground near his feet. Attached to the lance is UTHURS crest.
As ERICKs men armour up the see a thick line of armed me coming towards them from either end of their encampment. The men carry long shields adorned with UTHUR’s crest and between each shield a long a long barbed lance protrudes which spear ERICKs men as they try to form their fighting units.
ERICK can see his men falling like blossom from a spring tree and as he peers through the darkness notices Uthur, resplendent in gold coloured armour, plumbed helmet and raised sword directing the battle from the hill Merlain had announced the fight from.
Who is this warr
ior king? This isn’t the stone age
savage I have come to expect in this land, who IS HE!
ERIC K rides among his men and screams
A thousand gold coins to the man who brings
me that warrior’s head.
Hearing this a group of men mount their horses and break away, they approach the hill towards UTHUR who stands his ground, As they approach the crest they see a line of archers which a second line behind and yet a third line behind them. As the horsemen approach
UTHUR breaks through a gap in his men and the lower line of archers fire, as they start to set their bows the second row fire and as they reset the third row fire by which time the first row fire aging and the pattern is repeated causing an impenetrable wall or arrows to cut the riders down. The archers then move forwards and begin firing down onto ERICKs camp.
as his line of men gets thinner and thinner and UTHURs men start to trample the bodies of the dead underfoot ERICK sees the battle lost
Back to the fort men, fall back to the fort.
A trumpet sounds and ERIC KS men start to retreat
The rest of ERICKs men follow his horse through the night towards the fort. They are cut down on the way by UTHURs horsemen and eventually the fort’s doors are closed against a hail of arrows,
GUARD
Master, we have lost the supplies and water. If it is
a siege they want we will only last for a week.
ERICK
That’s not what I want to hear, get the walls protected
and tell my generals to come to my quarters.
SCENE 54 INT NIGHT
UTHURs camp,
UTHUR
The plan went exactly to the letter.
ULAN
Now we have this rat where we want him it only
remains to put part two of our plan into action.
SCENE 55 EXT DAY
As the sun rises across the sea and waves crash over the rocks below the wooden fort ERICKs remaining men look over the parapet nervously. Beside a crow singing loudly above their heads the scene is eerily quiet. They do not see ESUIT and another of UTHURs men stealthily climbing the rocks from the shore towards the rear of the fort.
They carry bags of small bronze balls filled with black powder and a flint to light their fuses. Once just under the forts external wall they hunker down and use the ferns and bushes to hide until the time was right.
ERICKs men see a dust cloud rising up in the distance and strain their eyes to make out a heavy cart being pulled by eight oxen On the cart stands MERLAIN and behind him a large wooden box. When the cart is close enough for those in the fort to hear MERLAIN shout the cart grinds to a halt.
One of ERICKs men uses a long bow to fire an arrow towards the cart but it falls short MERLAIN had previously worked out the geometry between the fort and the distance and where the cart stopped. MERLAIN un-tethered the cart and the oxen strolled away in the direction from which they came.
MERLAIN
You there, with the bow. Tell your fat master to stop
quivering from fear and come to speak to me.
The archer looks behind and ERICK pushes him to one side.
ERICK
I live in fear of no man, sorcerer. What do you want?
MERLAIN
I have been sent by the true and only King of this
realm with a message.
ERICK
Oh yes?
MERLAIN
He offers you your life under the condition you leave
this realm before the end of this day.
ERICK
He does, does he?
MERLAIN
Yes, and to make this offer business-like
he will allow you to take this with you.
MERLAIN opens the top of the box and ERICK sees it is filled to the top with gold coins.
This gold will enable you to go back to your land a
victor, rich enough to build your own castle and live
the rest of your life at ease with the world.
ERICK
The mines of this land earn gold every day of the week.
MERLAIN
True, but to accumulate this much gold how many
backs have to be broken under the whip; how many
lives enslaved? Here is the offer, what you say?
ERICK
Look here sorcerer. I am comfortable where I am,
I have food and water and could stay here in
this place for many months without
venturing outside these walls.
I shall have to think about this for a while.
I will give you my answer tomorrow.
MERLAIN
Tomorrow the offer will be gone; it’s today or death.
ERICK
Death? You can’t touch me here. Not even your magic
can scale these walls; go and tell your master that
I will give him an answer tomorrow.
MERLAIN
You are wrong.
He reaches down and pulls a horn from beneath his cloak.
I have already told you; the true and rightful king
of this realm is protected by the spirits of the land.
They are powerful devils and you are not safe anywhere
from their touch; not even behind these walls.
ERICK
Lies! I don’t believe in your magic and I don’t believe in you.
MERLAIN
I only have to blow this horn to bring thunder from the
clouds and the finger of death will strike your men;
wherever they hide.
ERICK
LIES!
ARCHER
Don’t provoke him master. You have seen how
powerful he is.
ERICK
Bahh! Lies, all lies.
MERLAIN places the horn to his lips and a long low note echoes through the hills. ESUIT upon hearing this ignites one of the grenade fuses and throws it high above the walls and it explodes with a thundering bang level with one of the guard towers. The men in the tower fall dead with deep wounds caused by the grenade’s shrapnel.
ARCHER
Look sire, they have been struck dead by the spirits.
ERICK
How does he do that?
MERLAIN
Shall I kill more of your men or will you take this
generous offer?
He places the horn to his lips again and blows another long low note. ESUIT again throws a grenade and it explodes beside another tower killing those men inside.
ERICK
Stop!
MERLAIN
Is your answer yes?
ERICK
I have another offer sorcerer.
MERLAIN
I am not here to negotiate, what are you going
to do,
leave or die here like insects in a trap?
ERICK
Tell your master that I will leave, with his gold, but with
a condition of my own.
MERLAIN
Oh, what you say?
ERICK
Tell him to come fight me, like a man. With any weapon
he chooses and in any nearby place.
Whoever lives will be
the rightful ruler of this land and the owner of that crate
of gold; what you say to that?
MERLAIN
Why should he fight you when I could kill you all without
even moving from this place?
ERICK
A cowards choice; no, tell him to come and fight me
like a man. Or do the spirits of this place not go that far to
protect him?
A horse approaches and Uthur stops beside his friend before removing his bronze helmet.
Is this your master, this thin boy. Is this the so called
rightful King we have all heard about?
U
THUR
You can laugh, but I have heard your challenge and
come to meet it, here, now. Come down and fight me
if that is your wish. I shall be happy to sever your head
this day.
MERLAIN
Uthur, there’s no need for this. We have him already.
UTHUR
Quiet friend. I can take him.
He looks up to where ERICK stands
I have my weapon, this sword is all I need .
He takes the sword AMBER had given them and holds it up in the sunlight.
ERICK smirks and leaves the top of the wall. In a few moments the gates of the fort are opened and he steps into the sunlit area between the fort and the cart.
ERICK
Call your sorcerer dog off; this fight is between you
and I boy.
MERLAIN
Uthur, please.
UTHUR
It’s okay, I have to do this. For the sake of my people, my
land and for the sake of my father.
He turns to face ERICK and dismounts throwing his helmet to MERLAIN.
I have waited a long time for this moment.
ERICK
So Have I.
The sound of horses alerts them and both look back to see ULAN coming upon them. He stops his horse by MERLAIN and looks towards UTHUR
ULAN
Shall I kill him now?
UTHUR
Stop where you are. I am going to do this myself.
Suddenly a scream rings out and they all look towards the fort to see Gwen being held by a guard.
GWEN
Father, help me.
ULAN