UTHUR
And The secret of the
Dragon
by
David William Kirby
Uthur and the Secret of the Dragon
©Copyright David William Kirby 2013
The Dogbreaths Publishing
2013
The dogbreaths publishing
UTHUR
and the secret of the
Dragon
in memory of Phillip.P, a good friend. 6th July 2013
Scene one. Ext. Day
Albion 25.00BC late Neolithic
The sound of crows.
The scene unfolds around a series of round houses set into a hill on a promontory. High above them a round stone tower within a wooden fort provides a backdrop. It is a fortress set upon the stony hill which falls down a steep incline to the sea which crashes upon either side of the place; the last of Albion’s land before the seas separate it from its nearest neighbour .
All around the roundhouses fires burn and people work. Some have skins in wooden frames and they are working the leather to make hides for clothing. Others are napping flints into arrow heads and axes. Children play as women cook animal remains over open fires, or boil herbs in clay pots. A young girl GWEN makes a necklace from seashells as her father, ULAN naps flint into a KNIFE.
UlAN
That’s very pretty, my child.
GWEN
I hope to wear it on my wedding day, if UTHUR remains true
and our two families are joined as arranged.
I am unsure if I want to bare his children and swear love to
no other; even if my oath brings peace to our land.
it’s a big commitment for someone of my age.
But if his word is true, if he can be trusted, my
Feelings may grow.
ULAN
You are both young, so there is time for love to blossom.
between you both. This union doesn’t have to be the product of
adults and our wishful thinking; in time you will understand.
Anyway, I think we can trust him and his family;
his commitment to you will be witnessed by the whole Royal Court.
Okay, UTHUR’s father may see
union with our clan through your marriage only as the last step our
people towards a lasting peace. But I know UTHUR has
feelings for you. I’ve seen it in his eyes and the way he
acts when you and he are together.; and I trust his
judgement too. You will not find a better mate in all Albion
and if we are to confine the clan battles of the past to history
only one family can lead us. Lead us out of the misery of warfare
and into a peaceful future. UTHUR’s father and I trust this union
will be the foundation for a great and prosperous nation.
It was foreseen, our clans will be joined.
GWEN
Why must we wait, surely if desire exists
in our hearts , why wait?
ULAN
Because you are both children, that is why. When your body
develops, develops enough to bear a child, the time for
union will come. Time will soon pass; you’ll see.
Before you know it you’ll take your place beside your
husband up there in the fortress. Till that time, help
your mother, make your wedding jewels; sing and be
happy. Time will soon slip by.
GWEN
So much can happen. Our tribes may be at peace at the
moment but there are stories of others who would come
to cause chaos in our green and pleasant land. I fear monsters
and sorcerers from across the seas.
Only the other day I heard of men
on horseback who attacked the village yonder, they had
the sun for heads and carried bolts of lightning in their
hands. Their magic killed people...
ULAN
Hush now, (giggles) Take no heed of the wild and
fanciful tales of old women.
Unless I see these men for myself I will not believe it.
I too hear stories, on moonless nights when we gather
around the campfire; but they are stories, nothing more.
I don’t believe them and neither
should you.
GWEN
The two look down the path that leads from the village and see the KING, (UTHUR’s father) approaching with outriders carrying his flags and colours. The horsemen come to a standstill kicking dust into the air as the King addressed the men.
KING
Quick! You women and children, drop what you are
Doing, and take refuge in the tower. Make hast, evil approaches.
The women gather up the small children and rush up the hill towards the safety of the tower. ULAN shoos GWEN away and she too follows the women.
Men, gather your spears and shields. We must
form and defensive line here cross the path.
Set these logs on fire. Make it
blaze well for we need a wall to keep the
demons back.
Quickly, we have little time.
ULAN
Who leads these evil ones Master, who are they?
KING
I’ve heard they serve a beast called Erick
the Boneless. They are not human I tell you; we must
work swiftly if we are to save the women and children.
The men erect a barricade of logs and faggots which they set fire. Then, setting up behind a wall of wooden shields they poke their spears through and a platoon of archers form another line of defence. They will provide a sky full of piercing death.
As they wait the unearthly sound comes from beyond the barricades. The clinking of metal upon metal and the stomping of armoured troops.
Suddenly the men see a group of helmeted men wearing bright bronze breastplates and carrying bright bronze swords. The sun reflects from their helmets, breastplates and swords into the eyes of the men behind the barricades making the oncoming troops shimmer in the distance.
The archers let of a volley of arrows which fill the sky with a black cloud. As it rains down on the oncoming troops the arrows appear to bounce off the troops armour.
ULAN
What are these demons?
KING
Steady men; let these beasts run themselves upon the
tips of your spears.
The troops approach and with one swipe the bronze swords cut through wooden spear poles. Someone tries to batter one of them with a stone axe only to lose his arm under the blade of the sword.
ULAN
The men are not human. We cannot win against them today,
Master save yourself and your son, go to the fortress
before it is too late.
KING
I am the King of this land and I’ll die defending
it. Where is my man, Merlain?
MERLAIN
Here master.
KING
Go to the fortress and find my son. Take him to the boat
and get away from here, keep him safe until we can defeat
these beasts.
Will you do that for me?
MERLAIN
I’d rather die here at your side Sire.
KING
I have no intention of dyeing today and your loyalty is
not in question either,. Go, save my s
on in case the
beasts over-run us, get to the boat now my friend.
MERLAIN
If that’s your wish Sire, I shall go, but we will return,
when the boy is a man and able to take back
his seat beside his father.
KING
Go, quickly, I put my trust in your hands; do not
fail me.
MERLAIN
Your trust is safe master, you will see us return
And, when we do, we shall rise up and
destroy these beasts......
SCENE 2. EXT DAY
On board the boat, manned by ten of his father best seamen, UTHUR and MERLAIN look back across the choppy waters and up the staircase the led to the top of the hill, at smoke rising around the stone fortress. The young boy, just ten years old grips the old man’s hand tightly as he sees flames lick the top of the stone structure. MERLAIN turns the boy away and shouts at the crew.
MERLAIN
Set sail around Gaul into the Southern Sea.
There we will head to the east and find a way to
defeat these monsters. When we return we must be
triumphant or all today’s sorrow will be for nothing...
SCENE 2a EXT DAY
We see Ulan and Gwen looking at the bodies of slain men on a battlefield. The find the body of the KING and wrap it carefully in his flag.
As the sun sets over the tower the build a funeral pyre and set it ablaze, standing with women and wounded villagers as the body is consumed by fire....
SCENE 3 EXT DAY
The boat sails through the Gibraltar straights and into the Med, onward until the Greek Islands rise up in the distance, eventually they pass a sailing boat and pull up beside it.
MERLAIN
Hello friend, tell me are these ports safe for
craft to moor?
FISHERMAN
of the past in these lands; you’ll be safe here providing
your manners are good and you have things to barter.
(He smiles a toothless grin)
MERLAIN
Thank you, good fishing to you.
(He turns and addresses the crew)
Let’s make for the port yonder and find our land legs
Perhaps we can stay for a while or get supplies
to travel further.
Sometime later MERLAIN and the boy are walking through a stone city in bright sunshine, there are stalls everywhere and sellers of fine fabrics and cloth, Others sell pots and earthenware urns while the smell of food cooking on small grills fill the air. They stop by a stall and examine small gold discs which MERLAIN picks up and examines.
What are these for?
STALLHOLDER
Hair... (She shakes her hair and Merlain sees the gold
discs have been folded around the girl’s dreadlocks,
they sparkle in the sunlight)
MERLAIN
They are very beautiful, like the delicate flower that
wears them. Tell me friend,
in my land we find this element in the rivers and
use it for barter. Is it so here?
STALLHOLDER
Yes Sire, it is greatly valued in this land.
MERLAIN
We call this material alum, what is it called here abouts?
STALLHOLDER
We call it Gold; some call it Alum too, but because it is the
colour of the sun, we also know it as Gold.
MERLAIN
And where does this material come from?
STALLHOLDER
They find it in the rivers, they say the gods of
the mountain wash their hair in brooks high in
the clouds and the alum washes out, to be carried
by the water down into local streams. There we collect
it as a dust and beat it into what you see. It also gets
mined out of the ground, in some places there are
deep seams of it, running through the rock. The people expend great
effort to collect this metal. That’s why it’s expensive
MERLAIN looks up and sees the boy wandering off through the crowds. He smiles at the stallholder and runs after the boy. Soon they find a small group of people in an open square being addressed by a man standing on a small Diaz. The boy is intrigued by what is going on.
MERLAIN
UTHUR, do not walk off like that; you had me worried.
UTHUR
Look at this, the man is asking the people if they
agree to a road being built yonder, the one there
dressed in the grey has just outlined reasons for not
building the road and this one is laying out reasons
for doing so. I find it interesting that decisions like this
should be discussed in public.
MERLAIN
This land must not have a king. Someone who decides these
Things for the people. If this is how they make decisions
it must take years for things to happen.
An elderly man from the crowd turns to hush the two.
MAN
Please keep your chatter down; I am frail and find it
hard to hear.
MERLAIN
Tell me friend, what you call these meetings?
MAN
You must be stranger to these parts if you have not
heard of our system of government.
MERLAIN
Oh, so this meeting is part of the land’s government;
how so pray tell me?
MAN
We call these meetings a Think! It’s part of our land’s
democratic process. We’re having a ‘Think’ today
to decide over the building of a new road.
You can see the speaker yonder; he is putting an
argument for a proposition and the fellow in the
gray is putting the argument against it.
When the people have heard both sides
we take a vote and whoever gets the
greatest show of hands is the side we take.
MERLAIN
It sounds a lengthy and fruitless way of making a
decision; isn’t there a king who decides for his people locally?
MAN
It is neither lengthy nor fruitless. We have a king
but even he regards our current system far superior
than the systems of the other lands hereabouts.
They still argue and fight, make war and kill to decide
who does what and where. But we, we hear all
sides and the people decide, in this system we
have put an end to bloodshed and tyranny.
Now say it is fruitless.
The man looks towards the speaker and hushes the strangers.
Be quiet, they are going to ask for a show
of hands
With that most of the crowd hold a hand above their head, including the old man. Someone goes through the crowd and counts the show of hands before an adjudicating officer speaks.
OFFICER
With a count of three hundred to twenty the eyes have
it and the proposition is carried.
MERLAIN
Now the vote is cast and the argument carried who makes
sure the proposition is taken through. I may not know this
democracy you speak of, but I do know men, and if they
are against something, they will oppose it unto death.
MAN (Laughing)
Perhaps in your land friend, but not here. You see the
officer there who announced the outcome of the vote?
Well he represents the king, so once he says something
has been carried, it must become law.
No man here is greater than our king and no king is
greater than our system.
UTHUR
It sounds so sensible and right I am amazed that we
have never seen a system of government like
this before in our land.
MERLAIN
True, but at home our kings IS the law; he can make it,
break it and decide how it should be implemented.
This system has served us well for hundreds of seasons...
UTHUR
But that doesn’t mean it cannot be bettered.
MERLAIN
True young friend. Change is as inevitable as the rising
of the sun...
MAN
You seem enlightened men, my friends; I am Memet
of Carthage; like you, I am a traveller far from home.
Come; let me buy you some food or drink.
They walk off together and after a few stalls MERLAIN sees something that catches his eye. He stops by the stall and picks up a shiny bronze dagger.
MERLAIN (addressing the stallholder)
What is this dagger made from?
STALLHOLDER
We call it a metal. It comes from across the sea of sand....
MEMET
Yes, do you like this, I can see in your interest. We call this
material Bronze, it is made of two distinct elements and
they are beaten together to bring this bright and hard
substance into being. A magical process...
MERLAIN
Metal? It is hard and sharp. Where can I obtain these elements
you speak of and find out more about this metal?
MEMET
The girl is right, you’d have to cross the sea of sand,
It’s a long and dangerous journey. Even at the journey’s
end you are not guaranteed success because the
elements themselves must be stolen from the
mouths of dragons.
UTHUR
Surely not? Dragons do not exist.
MEMET
Come with my camel train tomorrow to the city of
Babylon, three days journey across the sand and