Uther and the Secret of the Dragon
enabled me to bring twenty more camels than last
all laden with the finest woollen rugs for your stall.
But I have also brought something else, one of my
horses and a rider too, one who is going to win us the
trunk of gold at this bull day races....
ADRIUS
Oh my friend, your hopefulness fills my heart
with sunshine. You know the king’s man always wins
the trunk of gold, if he didn’t there would never be another race.
MEMET
What you mean to say is that his man has never been
beaten and there is always a first time, like death;
change is inevitable.
ADRIUS
I will drink to your enthusiasm and raise my
glass in your favour.
He claps and the guests are each handed fine glass cups which UTHUR holds up to the light and peers through having never seen such beauty. The slave then fills it with blood red wine.
To Memet and his horse.
MEMET
To my Queen of Arabia and UTHUR, who
will be the greatest rider Babylon will ever know.
ADRIUS
Memet, your rider looks bored.
UTHUR
I’m okay; we’ve just had a long journey.
MEMET
The boy’s fine...
MERLAIN
He needs someone his own age to show him
around the city while we elders get to know each other...
ADRIUS
And the wine, eh?
They all laugh. Adrius claps
I will get one of the Nubian slaves to take him
around the local market, someone his own age...
A tall black man enters the room and bows low.
Jesu, bring Esuit here....
UTHUR
Seriously, I’m okay...
A beautiful young brown skinned girl enters the room and bows low.
ESUIT
You wanted me master?
ADRIUS
Girl, this is my guest UTHUR, he is new to this city.
ESUIT
Really sir?
ADRIUS
Take him out and let him see the market, get some
food and charge it to my house. Would you be
favourable to this young UTHUR...?
UTHUR smiles and the girl and is entranced by her beautiful smile.
UTHUR
Yes sir, I would like that very much.
ADRIUS
Make sure you get him back before the moon
reaches its zenith, and don’t get into trouble...
UTHUR looks towards Merlain and an awkward smirk crosses his face. Merlain smiles back and nods.
MERLAIN
You heard the man, don’t get into trouble.
The girl sniggers as she reaches out and takes UTHUR’s hand; together they leave the room and go back to the front entrance.
ESUIT
Excuse me sir, but your cloak looks hot and heavy,
can I suggest you wear what is fashionable for
young men of your stature in Babylon, or would
you think it rude for me to suggest such a thing?
UTHUR
I’m afraid this is all I have with me; it’s not dirty, is it?
ESUIT
Of course not sir, but the city is warm at night
and you may be comfortable in a toga, let me
get one for you from the master’s wardrobe.
She goes off and returns with a soft cotton shirt hemmed with golden thred.
Here, you pull it over your head like so and
perhaps tie a belt here.
UTHUR does and she instructs before admiring himself in the full length glass by the door.
UTHUR
Very fetching, are you sure the master will
not mind me wearing his clothes, especially something
so beautifully made.
ESUIT
He will be delighted sir.
UTHUR
Then take my arm and show me the city, if
It is half as beautiful as my companion I shall
have a very pleasant evening...+
SCENE 8 EXT DUSK/NIGHT
UTHUR and ESUIT stroll through a busy market place, where stallholders sell fast food, silk and cotton clothing, shoes and sandals. They see a magician in the town square creating thunder and lightning by waving a wand and watch in amazement. After a few hours she takes him to a tall tower where the city unfurls beneath them, in a gentle, twinkling candle and lamp light, the scent of hanging gardens in their noses. The sit among a backdrop of stars and examine each other.
UTHUR
How long have you been a slave?
ESUIT
I was taken from my village when I was a small child.
UTHUR
How terrible, don’t you want to escape, go back
and find your family?
ESUIT
I did. Before I came to serve my present master
I was the property of another family, they were
cruel and wicked. The mistress beat me and the family
fed me just corn soup; I was so unhappy.
One day my present master found them
beating me in the street and challenged them.
He gave a bag of gold for me and since then I
have served him and his mistress.
They are very kind and treat me well, like one of
their children.
UTHUR
I am glad. What is your country of birth like, can
you remember it?
ESUIT
Tell me about yours first, we are both far from home
and I would like to hear how others live. How many
day’s ride is your home?
UTHUR
Its many days on horse and then a week on a boat.
ESUIT
That is far, what is your land like?
UTHUR
It’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer. We have
lots of rain but it makes the crops fertile and the cow’s
fat with milk. It is the greenest island you will ever
see, now with thick fruit forests and clean and cool rivers; I
miss it very much. Now, tell me about yours.
ESUIT
My homeland is hot all through the year, we have rain
just for one season and the earth is red and dry. Our
crops fail regularly and our cows are thin; we used to
live on fish and roots from the dry earth.
I had never tasted bread until I came here, or cheese
or sweet cake. The people of this city have managed
to get their god to love them very much.
They hear the sound of heavy carts rolling through the street beneath them being pulled by oxen. The two children look over the parapet and examine the scene.
UTHUR
This city is vast.
What is in those carts, the oxen are straining to pull
Them, so it must be very heavy.
ESUIT
That is the green rock, they mine it just outside the
city and they are taking it to feed the dragon.
If they feed the green rock to him, he will allow them
to take the red element.
UTHUR
Alum, er, gold?
ESUIT
No, silly. That comes from the stream; it gets washed
down from the mountain when the gods rinse
their hair. The red element is different, have you
never seen it?
UTHUR
There is so much I have never seen here.
Tell me, dragons? Do they really exist?
ESUIT
It’s true, you will see it from here. When the beast eats
the green rock it sp
its fire and gasps great sparks that light
the whole night sky.
UTHUR
There is so much in this strange place that is new to me, can
we go see the dragon eat?
ESUIT
No, they protect him from the people but from here you
can see and hear him eating the green rock.
UTHUR
Will he eat all those cart loads, there is so much?
ESUIT
The last cart is the white rock, when they feed him
that he allows them to take the silver element.
They then beat both into the bronze you are so
interested in, you can see
them doing that over at the forge;
I will take you there tomorrow.
Suddenly a loud screaming sound echoes out from the mountain and they both look up. From their vantage point they see smoke and flames and sparks emanating from the huts on the hill.
There, you see. The dragon is being fed.
SCENE 9 INT DAY
UTHUR and MERLAIN are eating some breakfast with MEMET and ADRIUS. A woman dressed in soft chiffon robes enters and sits beside ADRIUS she is SARAH, his wife.
SARAH
Please introduce me to your friends Memet.
MEMET
Sarah, this is Merlain from a land far in the north
and with him is his cupbearer, UTHUR; the boy
who will win the races for us this coming event.
SARAH (taking a glass of water and drinking)
So you ride horses at home young UTHUR?
UTHUR
My father owns many horses and I have been a rider
since I was a small child...
SARAH
Has your father not travelled with you for a reason or
is it custom for your people to send their youth far
across the sea with a mentor?
ADRIUS
Sarah, you ask too many questions, leave the boy
alone, you see how uncomfortable you make him with
your inquisition...
MERLAIN
Let me answer, we have no secrets here among
friends. You see our land has been invaded by monsters.
Men, against whom arrows have no effect and who are
armed with swords made from bronze.
UTHUR’s father has sent us away to find the secret
of this substance so that we may defeat them and
drive them from our land.
UTHUR
We may have to capture a dragon first...
ADRIUS
Ahh, dragons. Now there’s a story...
MERLAIN
So it’s true, it is just a story to keep inquisitive peasants
away...
Sarah and Adrius look at each other with sly smiles and just as he is about to answer Memet interrupts.
MEMET
Come friends, one quest at a time. Before you two
divert your attention towards capturing a dragon let’s
win the races first. With a trunk of King Minon’s gold
in your cart you could buy all the swords in Babylon;
there would be no need to search for a dragon to capture..
MERLAIN
That’s his name, Minon? I am sure I’ve heard that name
before, but in another land...
ADRIUS
He has a brother on the island of Rhodes, it is the home
of our god, the Minator or sacred Bull.
MERLAIN
Oh, hence the bronze bull in the market square. A truly
magical sight; I was amazed when we saw it toss its
head and breathe steam from its nostrils.
Do you know how it works?
SARAH
It is controlled by the will of the gods. We give it gifts
and it protects us.
UTHUR
All the way from Rhodes, it must be a powerful god to
be in two places at once.
SARAH
The Minator is everywhere. If you erect an idol
in its image he will breathe life into the idol.
MEMET
Enough talk of gods and dragons, Adrius my friend
has you still access to that piece of land just outside
the city wall?
ADRIUS
Of course, we use it to grow our fruits for the wine you
are drinking. The vines are bare currently as we have
just stripped them of their bounty.
MEMET
Good, so we have a place to prepare for the races.
I think we need to place a wager with the king.
SARAH
I’ve seen the horse he will enter in this season’s race,
a huge and strong black stallion. It is very fast Memet,
you may lose your gold if you are not careful.
MEMET
Loose never, a horse is only as good as its rider
and we are blessed with one of the best I have ever seen.
ADRIUS
That white stallion you arrived with last night,
it looks sleek and healthy but is she fast.
MEMET
The Queen of Arabia will have the king’s nag
chasing her rump on the day. That’s if it can see the
queen’s rump through the cloud of sand she will
throw up. UTHUR?
UTHUR
Yes Memet?
MEMET
Let’s take her among Adrius’ vines for a while as the
sun is still low on the horizon, then after her exercise,
if you do well, I will give you some gold to spend in
the city this afternoon....
UTHUR
Would I be able to take Esuit out again, she was very
good company last night?
SARAH
Last night, well, it didn’t take long for you to be
captivated by our Nubian beauty.
MEMET
He’s a boy, a full blooded young man. Let’s try to
capture that heat within his balls to burn our hooves
into the racetrack.....
UTHUR
Memet, please....
SCENE 10-EXT DAY
Later that day Esuit and UTHUR are in the town and she takes him to a stall which sells glassware. He examines the glasses and bowls enchanted by their beauty.
UTHUR
These are so beautiful, where do you get them from?
Stallholder.
We make them here, would you like to see?
UTHUR
Can we?
STALLHOLDER
Please, come this way...
She leads them into a wooden hut behind the market where they find a clay oven. It is being stoked by a man holding a long thin rod. He is putting charcoal in the bottom of the clay oven and a boy sits beside it with bellows.
GLASSMAKER
Hello young man, your lady...
STALLHOLDER
The boy wanted to see how we make the glass?
GLASSMAKER
Its easy making the glass, the boy there is blowing air
into the oven to get the coals superhot, I have already
laid it with sand and broken glass..
UTHUR
Sand?
GLASSMAKER
That’s right, when the coals are hot enough the sand
melts into a thick syrup, it’s very hot so be careful as I
draw it out the oven. Then the magic begins.
He opens the oven door and places the thin rod into the oven. When he withdraws it a wad of molten glass is on the end which he begins to shape with a mat of damp reeds,.
UTHUR
That coal you are using, it looks like cinders from a
fire that’s burned already.
GLASSMAKER
(As he man
ipulates the molten glass) Well spotted, we call it charcoal
because actual coal will smoke too much and doesn’t
get to the right temperature. The coal is heated until
all that’s left is the carbon, that’s what we use, it’s the
same process for forging metals.
UTHUR
Bronze and the like...
GLASSMAKER
That’s right, stand back and watch...
He takes a deep breath and blows down the tube until the blob of glass becomes a balloon. Then he shapes it with the wet reeds and eventually cuts the end until he just has a glass rady7 made. This he knocks off the tube and leaves to cool down.
With different elements added to the sand we get coloured
glass, the systems always remains the same though,
heat the sand enough to melt its heart and then blow it out.
UTHUR
Amazing. You mentioned metals, how does this equate
with what comes from a dragon’s gut?
GLASSMAKER
We use an oven, they use a dragon, and charcoal is
always needed to heat the basic element to draw out
what you need. Not just heat but air as well, hence
the bellows. Without them the fire would not burn
hot enough. If I was melting metals I’d draw them
from the oven the same way and then beat them with
hammers rather than blow them with a pole. Metals
are hard and can take the punishment whereas glass
is like a woman, you have to treat it with kindness
and respect but when you do, she looks beautiful...
He clicks off a small drinking glass that looks like it was created from fine crystal. The boy takes it and looks at the light through the sides of the glass.
That is for you...
UTHUR
I will remember this day for my whole life and when