Transcript #2: A Knight's Tale

Part 2 of 2

Continued from Part 1

KATE. And one, and two, three, four, five, six, seven - change partners, and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven - polonaise, and one.... You're not going to wear your hair like that, are you?
WILLIAM. Is there another way?

 

 

 

THE BANQUET

SCENE - THE BANQUETING HALL, ROUEN
WILLIAM ENTERS, LED BY A PAGE. JOCELYN SMILES AT HIM AND THEY SIT DOWN TOGETHER.

JOCELYN. Sir Ulrich. You look fantastic.
WILLIAM. Jocelyn, you look.... oh, you.... You remind me of the Bible. When God stopped the sun in the sky at Gibeon to give Joshua more time to defeat the Amorites.
JOCELYN. I don't understand!
WILLIAM. If I could ask God one thing, it would be to stop the moon, stop the moon and make this night .....and your beauty ....last forever.

DANCING MASTER. So what dance will you have? A coranto, or a basse-danse?
ADHEMAR. Sir Ulrich! Why don't you show us all a dance of your country? Show us a dance of Gelderland.
CROWD. Gelderland, ooh, yes, Gelderland.
DANCING MASTER. Yes, Gelderland!
WILLIAM. Well, it's a lot like the farandole. But with some differences. Well, you should bow.... ..... and..... um hum ..... and.....
[JOCELYN HELPS HIM]
DANCING MASTER. Places! Places!

[MEDIEVAL MUSIC, WHICH THEN BECOMES DAVID BOWIE'S “GOLDEN YEARS”.]

SCENE - AN ARMOURER'S WORKSHOP AT NIGHT. KATE IS MAKING A NEW PIECE OF ARMOUR.

SCENE - THE SAME WORKSHOP NEXT MORNING. WILLIAM IS WEARING THE NEW ARMOUR. KATE, ROLAND AND WAT ARE WATCHING. GEOFFREY IS WRITING. WILLIAM DOES NOT LOOK HAPPY.

KATE. What?
WILLIAM. I don't know.... it's too small, it's too light.
WAT. He'll be crushed, killed.
KATE. No, I've found a new way to heat the steel. It's thinner, smaller, but just as strong.
ROLAND. What are these?
KATE. The marks of my trade, should another knight admire the armour.
[THE MEN LAUGH]
KATE. Twist. Bend. Feel the movement.
WILLIAM. Well.... I.... but eventually I will be struck.
WAT. And then, death.
KATE. Do you at least have the courage to test it?

[THEY RUN AT HIM WITH A WOODEN BEAM, AND WILLIAM. IS KNOCKED BACKWARDS ONTO A PILE OF SACKS]

ROLAND. Are you alright, Will?
WILLIAM. I didn't feel a thing!

IN LAGNY-SUR-MARNE

SCENE - THE TOURNAMENT GROUNDS, LAGNY-SUR-MARNE
A KNIGHT IS HAVING PROBLEMS GETTING ONTO HIS HORSE WITH THE HELP OF TWO SQUIRES. WILLIAM WALKS UP IN HIS NEW ARMOUR. EVERYBODY LAUGHS, BUT THEY STOP LAUGHING WHEN HE STEPS EASILY ONTO HIS HORSE.

WILLIAM. What's the name of that knight?
ROLAND. Piers Courtenay. He's raised the taxes on his land three times this year to pay for tournaments.
WAT. His people starve while he sits at banquet.
WAT (QUIETLY TO ROLAND) It's probably true!

[THEY JOUST. WILLIAM'S LANCE HITS THE OTHER KNIGHT AND BREAKS; THE OTHER KNIGHT'S HORSE FALLS OVER AND BREAKS THE CENTRAL BARRIER OF THE LISTS.]

CROWD. Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich
JOCELYN. (TO CHRISTIANA) Ulrich von Liechtenstein!

JOUSTING WITH THE PRINCE

SCENE - THE TOURNAMENT GROUNDS, LAGNY-SUR-MARNE. KATE, GEOFFREY, WILLIAM, ROLAND AND WAT ARE IN THE AUDIENCE, WAITING FOR THE NEXT JOUST.

ADHEMAR'S SQUIRE. My lord, the Count Adhemar, son of Philippe de Vitry, son of Gilles......
[GEOFFREY, WITH A MIRROR, USES THE REFLECTION OF THE SUN TO DISTRACT HIM]
...... master of the Free Companies, defender of his enormous manhood [LAUGHTER], a shining example of chivalry and champagne.
GEOFFREY. Nice work!
COLVILLE'S SQUIRE. My lords.....
ROLAND. Watch every move Adhemar makes. If there's a weakness, we'll find it.
WILLIAM. And Colville looks fit. This should be good.
COLVILLE'S SQUIRE ..... second son of Sir Wallace Percival. It is my deepest honour....[ADHEMAR'S SQUIRE SENDS A SARACEN PAGE RUNNING TO ADHEMAR] ... my deepest honour to present to you ....
PAGE (TO ADHEMAR) It's Edward, my lord. They're sure of it.

[ADHEMAR NODS TO HIS SQUIRE]]

COLVILLE'S SQUIRE ....of the third Earl of Warwick, I give you the noble, the illustrious Sir Thomas Colville!

[ADHEMAR'S SQUIRE PLACES A WHITE FLAG ACROSS ADHEMAR'S DISPLAY SHIELD. COLVILLE LOOKS SHOCKED AND DISAPPOINTED.]

WILLIAM. Adhemar withdrew!
ROLAND. A withdrawal like that can mean only one thing... WAT. Royalty!
[THEY ALL TURN AND LOOK AT "SIR THOMAS COLVILLE"]
GEOFFREY. I'll see what I can find out.
[ADHEMAR'S DISPLAY SHIELD IS REPLACED WITH SIR ULRICH'S]
KING OF ARMS Prepare to drop the flag!
GEOFFREY. No, no, no, not yet.
KING OF ARMS. Musicians, announce!
GEOFFREY. Wait, wait, I must speak with my lord.
KING OF ARMS. Then go. And see if you can beat the Second Coming, eh?
[GEOFFREY RUNS TO WILLIAM, WHO IS NOW IN ARMOUR, ON HIS HORSE AND HOLDING A LANCE.]
GEOFFREY. Colville is Edward, the Black Prince of Wales, and future King of England.
WILLIAM. Well, he's in disguise like me, so he can compete.
GEOFFREY. He has never met an enemy without victory, he has never attacked a town he could not defeat.
WAT. We're English, Geoff, we know who he is!
ROLAND. You must withdraw, Will. Go tell them, Geoff, they're about to drop the flag!
GEOFFREY. Absolutely!
WAT. Here, give me the lance.
[GEOFFREY PLACES A WHITE FLAG OVER SIR ULRICH'S DISPLAY SHIELD.]
WAT. Give me the lance, give me the lance!

[WILLIAM IS WATCHING "COLVILLE". THEN HE KICKS HIS HORSE FORWARD AND BRINGS THE LANCE DOWN TO JOUSTING POSITION. THE BLACK PRINCE SEES HIM COMING AND SMILES.]

THE PRINCE. Lance!

[THEY JOUST. BOTH OF THEM BREAK A LANCE.]

GEOFFREY. Oh, my giddy aunt!
[HE THROWS THE WHITE FLAG ONTO THE GROUND.]

KING OF ARMS. The match is a draw!
GEOFFREY. (TO WILLIAM, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LISTS) Are you mad? You knowingly endangered a member of the royal family!
WILLIAM. He knowingly endangers himself.
THE PRINCE. Well fought, Sir Ulrich, as it was in Rouen.
WILLIAM. And you also, Prince Edward.
THE PRINCE. You knew me, and still you rode?
WILLIAM. It's not in me to withdraw.
THE PRINCE. No, nor me. Well, it happens.
WILLIAM. Yes it does.
THE PRINCE. Good luck with the tournament.
WILLIAM. And you also.

SCENE - THE PRIZE-GIVING CEREMONY AT LAGNY-SUR-MARNE

KING OF ARMS. The winner of the mounted joust, and tournament champion, Ulrich von Liechtenstein.
[WILLIAM IMMEDIATELY WALKS OFF, THROWING THE PRIZE TO ROLAND]
WILLIAM. Here, melt it down, sell it, do whatever you do.
ROLAND. Yes, your majesty.
WAT. William, you're tournament champion!
WILLIAM. I'm not champion until I defeat Adhemar. Adhemar withdrew.
JOCELYN. Sir Ulrich!
WILLIAM. Euuh.
JOCELYN. I've come to see what you will wear to banquet tonight.
WILLIAM. Nothing.
JOCELYN. Well, then, we'll cause a sensation for I'll dress to match.
WILLIAM. Don't you ever get tired of putting on clothes?
GEOFFREY. I believe she's talking about taking them off, my lord.
JOCELYN. A flower is only as good as its petals, don't you think?
WILLIAM. A flower is good for nothing.
[HE WALKS OFF. JOCELYN TURNS AND LOOKS AT HIM.]
JOCELYN. Really.
WILLIAM. You can't eat a flower. A flower doesn't keep you warm.
JOCELYN. And a rose never knocked a man off a horse, either, did it.
WILLIAM. Oh, you're just a silly girl!
JOCELYN. Better a silly girl with a flower, than a silly boy with a horse and a stick!
[SHE WALKS AWAY]
WAT. It's called a lance! Hello!

 

IN BORDEAUX

SCENE - THE TOURNAMENT GROUNDS AT BORDEAUX
WILLIAM KNOCKS A KNIGHT OFF HIS HORSE

GEOFFREY. I have word!
WILLIAM. What?
GEOFFREY. Adhemar's been called back to the Free Companies. The Black Prince commanded it. He could be gone all season.
WAT. First Jocelyn, and now Adhemar.
[WILLIAM THROWS HIS HELMET ON THE GROUND AND WALKS OFF.]
KATE. Well done!
GEOFFREY. Yeah, well done!
WAT. What?? I....

SCENE - THE SOUTHERN FRONT. THE BATTLE OF POITIERS. ADHEMAR IS OUTSIDE HIS CAMPAIGN TENT. HIS SQUIRE BRINGS HIM A BUNDLE OF PAPERS.

SQUIRE The, er, the tournament results, my lord.
ADHEMAR. Ulrich.... Ulrich.... Ulrich.... Ulrich.... Ulrich.... Ulrich....
[HE DRAWS A PONIARD AND STABS IT THROUGH THE RESULTS.]

SCENE - A BARN NEAR THE TOURNAMENT GROUNDS OF BORDEAUX. WILLIAM, ROLAND, WAT, GEOFFREY, KATE. THEY ARE ALL SITTING DOWN EXCEPT FOR WILLIAM WHO IS STANDING UP, HOLDING A SINGLE RED ROSE.

WILLIAM. Geoff.
GEOFFREY. William!
WILLIAM. I need to write a letter. “Dear Jocelyn”. No, “my dearest Jocelyn”.
GEOFFREY. Better!
WILLIAM. “I miss you”.
GEOFFREY TAKES A SHARP BREATH
WILLIAM. Hold! Was that wrong?
GEOFFREY. Well, it's, it's, it's up to you, really, it's your funeral, I mean, um, letter.
WAT. Say something about her breasts.
ROLAND. Yeah, you missed her breasts.
WILLIAM. Her breasts?
GEOFFREY. Er, yes, you could, but I would tend to look above her breasts, William.
WILLIAM. I miss her throat?
GEOFFREY. Still higher, really, towards the heavens?
KATE. The moon, at least. Her breasts were not that impressive.
WILLIAM. The moon? The moon..... “It is strange to think, I haven't seen you since a month. [Note - in modern English “I haven't seen you for a month”]. I have seen the new moon, but not you. I have seen sunsets and sunrises, but nothing of your beautiful face.”
GEOFFREY. That's very good, William.
ROLAND. I used to know this girl once who.... well, she broke my heart but I used to say that the pieces of my broken heart are so small.....

SCENE - JOCELYN'S CHAMBER IN A CASTLE. SHE IS READING THE LETTER WHICH HAS BEEN DELIVERED BY WAT. WAT IS WAITING SILENTLY

JOCELYN “.......heart are so small that they could be passed through the eye of a needle”. He writes as though I had died.
WAT. Yes, madam. He dies as well.

____________________________________________________________________________________-

SCENE - BACK IN THE BARN WHERE THE LETTER IS NOT YET FINISHED

WAT. She used to cook for the Duke of York. I miss her like the sun misses the flower.

SCENE - IN JOCELYN'S CHAMBER AGAIN. SHE IS STILL READING THE LETTER.

JOCELYN. “I miss you like the sun misses the flower.... like the sun misses the flower in the depths of winter. Instead of beauty to direct its light to, the heart hardens like the frozen world your absence has banished me to.”

____________________________________________________________________________________-

SCENE - BACK IN THE BARN

WILLIAM. “I next compete in the city of Paris. I will find it empty and in the winter if you are not there.”
GEOFFREY. I like it. And now, to finish it.
KATE. With hope. Love should end with hope. My husband, God rest him, told me something I'll never forget. Hope guides me, it is what gets me through the day and especially.....

SCENE - IN JOCELYN'S CHAMBER AGAIN.

JOCELYN “.... it is what gets me through the day and especially the night. The hope that after you're gone from my sight it will not be the last time I look upon you.”

____________________________________________________________________________________-

SCENE - BACK IN THE BARN

WILLIAM ....and finish it with, "with all the love that I possess, William".
GEOFFREY. You mean "Ulrich".

SCENE - IN JOCELYN'S CHAMBER AGAIN.

JOCELYN “....with all the love that I possess. I remain yours, the knight of your heart.“

WAT. My master hoped that you might have something to send him in return.
[JOCELYN THINKS AND THEN SMILES]

THEY ARRIVE IN PARIS

SCENE - A FIELD BY THE RIVER SEINE OUTSIDE PARIS

A TRAVELLING PREACHER. Cock-a-doodle once. “I shall not deny him!”. Cock-a-doodle twice. “I shall not deny him!”.
Cock-a-doodle thrice. “I deny him!”. Thrice he denied him! Thrice.... (Note : this is the Bible story of the apostle Peter at the time of the Crucifixion of Christ. In modern English we don't say thrice. It's once, twice, three times, four times, etc)

SCENE - INSIDE THE TOURNAMENT GROUNDS, PARIS
AT THE ADMINISTRATOR'S STAND.

GEOFFREY. No Adhemar
WILLIAM. No Adhemar.
[WAT ARRIVES ON A HORSE]
WILLIAM. Wat! Wat, tell me, did you see her, did she read the letter?
WAT. Yes, and yes.
WILLIAM. And?
[WAT LOOKS EMBARRASSED]
WAT. She's..... coming to Paris!
WILLIAM. Did she give you anything for me in return? Did she give you a letter, or a token?
[WAT LOOKS EMBARRASSED AGAIN]
WILLIAM. Did she give me a token? She did...
WAT. Yeah, yeah, I mean, um....
WILLIAM. Well, what it is it, Wat? Come on, give it to me!
[WAT KISSES HIM ON THE MOUTH, THEN TURNS AWAY, WIPES HIS MOUTH AND SPITS]
WILLIAM ..... yes!! Hell, yes!! She kiss.... she kissed.... That means she ..... yes! Yes, yes!!

SCENE - EVENING IN A NOISY TAVERN IN PARIS. GEOFFREY IS TALKING TO SOME FRENCH MEN.

GEOFFREY. Cinquante? It's a nice round number. Excusez-moi.
HE GOES BACK TO A TABLE AND JOINS KATE, ROLAND AND WAT.
GEOFFREY. All right. The wager that they wish to make is that a French man and not Sir Ulrich will win the tournament. However, the amount is fifty florins.
KATE. Well that's all we've got!
GEOFFREY. Yes, and if we had sixty, the bet would be sixty.
ROLAND. Even money, but Ulrich against every Frenchman here?
GEOFFREY. Come on, he's won four tournaments in a row, and once again Adhemar is not here!
ROLAND. I check shields too. Jean Beaumont's here, Count Theobald of Chartres, Philippe of Burgundy, all three French champions.
FRENCH MAN. An Englishman will not win this French tournament! English legs are unsteady on French soil!
WAT. Shut your mouth, alright? Come on, Roland, it's a good bet. Win, and I can buy my own tavern.
GEOFFREY. I could write full-time.
KATE. And a forge for me.
FRENCH MAN. Yes, and because French wine is too much for English bellies!
WAT. Alright, I'm about this fonging close, mate, I swear to God, Quasimodo....
ROLAND. Listen, listen, all I want is to go home, and I already have enough to make that trip a hundred times.
FRENCH MAN. And most importantly, because the Pope himself is French!
ROLAND. Well, the Pope may be French but Jesus is English. You're on! He won't lose, not with the princess here watching him.
THEY SING: He's blunt, he's pissed, he'll see you in the lists, Liechtenstein, Liechtenstein. He's blond, he's tanned, he comes from Gelderland, he comes from Gelderland!
Gelderland, Gelderland, Gelderland, Gelderland, Gelderland, Gelderland, Gelderland

IN NOTRE DAME

SCENE - WILLIAM GOES INTO NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL, PARIS, TO MEET JOCELYN, WHO IS THERE WITH HER MAID CHRISTIANA.

JOCELYN. Do you think he will come?
CHRISTIANA As sure as the sun will rise.
WILLIAM. You favour cathedrals.
JOCELYN. I come for confession. And the glass - a riot of colour in a dreary grey world. Don't you think?
WILLIAM. Oh, it's beautiful.
JOCELYN. I feel the same way about the letter you sent. Speak to me. Speak those words.
WILLIAM. I'm going to win this tournament for you.
JOCELYN. Excuse me?
WILLIAM. This tournament. I'll win it in your name. Every knight I defeat, I defeat for you. Your beauty will be reflected in the power of my arm, the flanks of my horse.
JOCELYN. Wow. Really.
WILLIAM. Yes.
JOCELYN. Really. Its flanks.
WILLIAM. Yes.
JOCELYN. I wish to hear poetry, Ulrich.
WILLIAM. Oh, well, I'm not ready.
JOCELYN. But I am. And why must everything for a woman be run on a man's schedule?
WILLIAM. Well, um, a man's day is fuller, and, well, you see a man, he has more demands on his time.
JOCELYN. Is that so?
WILLIAM. Yes. Maybe. No?
JOCELYN. I demand poetry, and when I want it. And I want it now.
WILLIAM. Your breasts. They're below your throat. They're....
[JOCELYN WALKS AWAY]
WILLIAM. Jocelyn, how may I prove my love to you? How?
JOCELYN. Do you ask in earnest?
WILLIAM. Yes.
JOCELYN. If you would prove your love, you should do your worst.
WILLIAM. My worst. What do you mean?
JOCELYN. Instead of winning, to honour me with your high reputation, I want you to act against your normal character and do badly.
WILLIAM. Do badly.
JOCELYN. Lose!
WILLIAM. No, losing proves nothing, except that I'm a loser!
JOCELYN. Wrong! Losing is a much keener test of your love. Losing would contradict your self-love, and losing would show your obedience to your lover and not to yourself!
WILLIAM. Really!
A DEACON. Shhhh, woman! Shhhh!
JOCELYN. Do not shush me and spare him! Now begone! Go!
[THE DEACON WALKS AWAY LOOKING ALARMED]
JOCELYN. What is your answer?
WILLIAM. I will not lose.
JOCELYN. Then you do not love me.

JOUSTING IN PARIS

SCENE - THE PARIS TOURNAMENT GROUNDS. GEOFFREY CHAUCER IS ANNOUNCING WILLIAM.

GEOFFREY. ....the protector of Italian virginity, the lance that thrilled France, the harasser of Parassa, he gave them hell at La Rochelle, the enforcer of our Lord God, the one, the only, Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein!
[THE CROWD CHEERS]
GEOFFREY. God, I'm good!
JOCELYN AND CHRISTIANA ARE IN THE STANDS, WATCHING AS WILLIAM GETS READY TO JOUST.
JOCELYN. Urgh, his horse's flanks.
CHRISTIANA. Maybe, where he comes from, it means love.
[THE FLAG GOES UP. BOTH KNIGHTS KICK THEIR HORSES FORWARD BUT WILLIAM STOPS AFTER A FEW METRES, AND WAITS THERE.]
ROLAND. What are you doing?
WILLIAM. Losing.
ROLAND. I don't understand!
WILLIAM. Neither do I.
[THE OTHER KNIGHT HITS HIM AND BREAKS A LANCE. THE CROWD STARTS TO BOO]
JOCELYN. Oh, he loves me!
GEOFFREY. Are you blind? Didn't you see the flag?
WILLIAM. Geoff, I saw it, OK?
WAT. I know, I know, you want to drop behind for a more dramatic victory!
WILLIAM. Look, Jocelyn told me I should lose to prove my love.
GEOFFREY. Oh God, I'd rather you were blind.
ROLAND. Don't be foolish, Will, each woman wants proof, that's all.
WILLIAM. Proof of what?
ROLAND. That their legs have not been uncrossed for nothing.
WILLIAM. Roland, I haven't uncrossed her legs.
WAT. Well then why in the name of Saint Swithin are we doing this?
WILLIAM. Because.....
[KATE, WAT AND ROLAND RUN AS ANOTHER KNIGHT HITS WILLIAM]
WILLIAM. ......because I love her.
WAT. I'm going to lose everything!
GEOFFREY. That's why it's called gambling.
[WAT HITS GEOFFREY]
KATE. It's very romantic, though.
ROLAND. Are you a woman or a blacksmith?
KATE. Sometimes I'm both.
ROLAND [TO WAT] Put him down.

SCENE - BEHIND THE LISTS. WAT IS HELPING WILLIAM, WHO HAS AN ARM INJURY.

GEOFFREY. No one knight has distanced himself with victories yet. If you win all your remaining matches, and some of your opponents take key losses, who knows? You could make the semis, even the finals.
KATE. Well, at least the armour's proven itself.
WAT. And your love, have you proven that yet?
WILLIAM. Oh, Wat, you remember church as a boy, the fear, the passion. That's what she makes me feel. And for that, I say my rosary to Jocelyn and no-one else.
WAT. William, that's blasphemous.
WILLIAM. Oh, then may I burn in Hell.
ROLAND. Withdraw. Lose that way. Just don't take any more punishment.
WILLIAM. Oh, Roland.
[CHRISTIANA ARRIVES]
CHRISTIANA. My lady sends this message. She says that if you love her....
WILLIAM. Look, I know, I know, I must lose. Is she not watching, huh?
CHRISTIANA. She says that if you love her, you will not lose another match. She says that if you love her, you will win this tournament.

SCENE - WILLIAM IS BACK ON HIS HORSE, ABOUT TO JOUST

GEOFFREY. There she is, the embodiment of love, your Venus.
WILLIAM. Oh, and how I hate her!

[HE BREAKS A LANCE ON THE OTHER KNIGHT]

WAT. I don't understand women.
GEOFFREY. Nor do I, but they understand us. Well, maybe not you....

[WILLIAM KNOCKS ANOTHER KNIGHT OFF HIS HORSE]

ROLAND. Yes! Women, eh.
[KATE GLARES AT HIM]

SCENE - THE TAVERN AGAIN. GEOFFREY IS COLLECTING THE BET MONEY FROM THE FRENCH GAMBLERS.

GEOFFREY. Forty-eight, forty-nine and fifty. Thank you very much, gentlemen, it's been excellent doing business with you. Do look us up if you're ever in London. The world championships, maybe. Oh, come on, don't look too sad. Here, have a drink on me.
[HE SINGS] He's quick, he's funny, he makes me loads of money, Liechtenstein.

____________________________________________________________________________________

SCENE - GEOFFREY IS WALKING BACK TO HIS TENT WHEN HE SEES JOCELYN GOING INTO WILLIAM'S TENT

GEOFFREY. Guinevere comes to Launcelot. Bed him well, my lady, bed him well.

INSIDE WILLIAM'S TENT

JOCELYN. We missed you at banquet, Sir Ulrich.
WILLIAM. “We”?
JOCELYN. I, Jocelyn, your prize.
WILLIAM. My prize. I'm not worthy of a prize.
JOCELYN. Then who is? My maid tells me that sometimes your varlets... that they call you William. Is this so, Sir Ulrich?
WILLIAM. Yes, it is so.
[SHE CLIMBS ONTO HIS BED AND KISSES HIM]
JOCELYN. Your name makes no matter to me, just so long as I can call you my own.
WILLIAM. Oh, but Jocelyn, I am your own. Ow, damn, girl.
JOCELYN. You need a surgeon!
WILLIAM. Well, he's been. He says I'll live, although it doesn't feel that way.
JOCELYN. Oh, William, this pain is my doing.
WILLIAM. Yes, it is [LAUGHS], although my father, he taught me to take the bad with the good.
JOCELYN. Well, this good you speak of, it will be my doing as well.

IN LONDON FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

SCENE - A CHAIN FERRY CROSSING A RIVER IN THE FOG AND DARK.

GEOFFREY. How long since any of you have been back? I've only been gone six months.
KATE. Two years for me.
WAT. Three years for my eyes.
ROLAND. Five. Five long years.
GEOFFREY. William?
WILLIAM. Twelve. Twelve years.

FLASHBACK TO WILLIAM'S CHILDHOOD: SCENE - THE SAME FERRY, TWELVE YEARS EARLIER. WILLIAM AS A YOUNG BOY, HIS FATHER AND THE FERRYMAN:

FERRYMAN He's to be an apprentice then. How long for?
FATHER Seven years.

[THEY ARRIVE ON THE OTHER SIDE, WHERE SIR ECTOR IS WAITING WITH HIS HORSES]

FATHER. Sir Ector? I'm the thatcher. I spoke to you outside London stadium.
SIR ECTOR. Oh yes, I remember. Is this the boy? Well, step forward, sir, let me have a look at you.
Careful with that, Roland! Are you afraid of me, boy? [WILLIAM SHAKES HIS HEAD]. No? Have you got most of your teeth? Show me your arm. Have you got a strong arm? Well, he's a half-starved little scarecrow but he's got spirit. [TO WILLIAM AGAIN:] I can show you a great, wide world, full of adventure, and marvels that you do not yet dream of. Can you pack my horse, and lead it? Hmm? Well, come on, say goodbye to your father, let's get started.
FATHER. He's a real knight, William. Watch and learn all you can. It's all I can do for you, son. Now go, change your stars and live a better life than I have.
SIR ECTOR. Roland, show the boy his duties.
WILLIAM. Father, I'm afraid!
FATHER. Of what?
WILLIAM. I won't know the way back home!
FATHER. Don't be foolish, William. You just follow your feet!

SCENE - BACK ON TODAY'S FERRY. THE MIST CLEARS AND THE OTHER BANK BECOMES VISIBLE IN THE DAWN.

ROLAND. London.

THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

SCENE - THE COMPETITORS RIDE ACROSS OLD LONDON BRIDGE AND THEN ALONG A BUSY LONDON STREET. MUSIC - “THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN” BY THIN LIZZY.

CROWD. Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich
GEOFFREY. I have news. Adhemar's here. He's entered.
ROLAND. He must have grown bored with whatever war they're fighting.
GEOFFREY. No, no, the Black Prince commanded it. He was forced to disband his army. They were revelling in the night, pillaging town after town, robbing and murdering and ransacking churches.
ADHEMAR. Committing the oldest sins in the newest ways. At last we'll have a chance to face each other again, Sir Ulrich. And at the world championship.
WILLIAM. As I promised you before, Adhemar, you will look up at me from the flat of your back.

[THEY ARE IN FRONT OF THE STANDS. JOCELYN AND WILLIAM SMILE AT EACH OTHER.]

ADHEMAR. Let the past die. You've done well, in my absence, on the field and off, so I'm told, winning trophies, horses, women.
WILLIAM. Do you put them in that order?
ADHEMAR. Generally, with a few exceptions. [HE NOTICES JOCELYN SMILE AT WILLIAM]. Beautiful, isn't she. A real thoroughbred trophy, don't you think.
WILLIAM. You speak of Jocelyn like she is a target.
ADHEMAR. Isn't she?
WILLIAM. No. She is the arrow.
ADHEMAR. I've entered into negotiations with her father. I'm to make her my bride. She'll be saddled, and placed on my mantel. Target or arrow makes no difference. I will have her.

SCENE - IN THE LISTS. WILLIAM IS JOUSTING

CROWD. Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich, Ulrich

[WILLIAM KNOCKS THE OTHER KNIGHT UNCONSCIOUS, AND HIS HORSE CARRIES HIM PAST ADHEMAR, WHO IS WATCHING WITH A RETIRED KNIGHT]

ADHEMAR. How would you beat him?
OLD KNIGHT. With a stick, while he slept. But on a horse? With a lance? That man is unbeatable.

THE SPY

SCENE - A BACK-STREET IN LONDON. WILLIAM IS RIDING HIS HORSE SLOWLY ALONG THE STREET, ENJOYING THE RAIN. A MYSTERIOUS WOMAN IS FOLLOWING HIM ON FOOT.

WILLIAM. Hello there!
LITTLE GIRL. You're ....you're Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein!
WILLIAM. Yes!
LITTLE GIRL. You're my favourite knight! When we joust, I always say I'm you! What are you doing here in Cheapside? There's no parade today.
WILLIAM. Can you keep a secret?
LITTLE GIRL [NODS]
WILLIAM. I was born in Cheapside, just around the corner there.
LITTLE GIRL. Truly, Sir Ulrich?
WILLIAM. Truly.
LITTLE GIRL. I only live just there.
WILLIAM. Well, how old are you?
LITTLE GIRL. Nine and one half.
WILLIAM. Nine and one half. I wonder if you remember a man, although he may have died before you were born. He was as tall as a knight. His name was John Thatcher.
LITTLE GIRL. Of course I remember him.
WILLIAM. You do?
LITTLE GIRL. Well, yes, he lives there still. Sometimes we see him sitting at the window, but no-one knows why.
WILLIAM. What do you mean?
LITTLE GIRL. He's blind, sir.

WILLIAM'S FATHER

SCENE - A FEW MINUTES LATER. WILLIAM IS GOING UPSTAIRS IN HIS FATHER'S HOUSE. HIS FATHER IS REPAIRING A FISHING NET.

FATHER. Is someone there? If you're here for the net, I haven't finished yet. Come back tomorrow. Who are you?
WILLIAM. A knight. My name is Ulrich.
FATHER. Ulrich? I hear that name being chanted from the stadium. What business have you here?
WILLIAM. I have word, master thatcher. Word of your son.
FATHER. Of my William? Come in, sir. What word? Does he live?
WILLIAM. Ay, he lives. He is very well. He wanted you to know that he changed his stars after all.
FATHER. And has he followed his feet? Has he found his way home at last?
WILLIAM. Yes. Father!
FATHER. Oh William, oh, my boy!

SCENE - THE SAME PLACE SOME TIME LATER. IT IS STILL RAINING, AND NOW NEARLY DARK

FATHER. I should like to meet this Wat, and Roland as well.
WILLIAM. You will, father, you will.
FATHER. And what of women? Is there a certain one, or many?
WILLIAM. There is a certain one.
FATHER. I should like to meet her as well.
WILLIAM. Oh, but this leak won't do, father. Not in the chamber of a thatcher.
FATHER. For a blind thatcher it's quite fitting.
WILLIAM. Well, a Thatcher I am. I'll fix it for you.

[ADHEMAR AND THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN ARE WATCHING THE HOUSE. THEY SEE WILLIAM CLIMB OUT OF THE WINDOW, ONTO THE ROOF IN THE RAIN.]

WILLIAM IS UNMASKED

SCENE - THE NEXT MORNING IN LONDON STADIUM. KATE IS FITTING WILLIAM'S ARMOUR. ROLAND AND WAT ARE WORKING TOO. THEN GEOFFREY AND JOCELYN ARRIVE

WILLIAM. Alive! Can you imagine! And I always thought he was dead. Which is mad, because he was always so strong. Very strong. I remember..... Geoff! Jocelyn! This day just gets better and better!
ROLAND. Did somebody die?
GEOFFREY. [NODS] Sir Ulrich von Liechtenstein.
WILLIAM. What?

JOCELYN. Adhemar followed you last night. To Cheapside. And he says he saw your father.
GEOFFREY. Will, they asked me for your patents. They're waiting for you in the lists. They're going to arrest you. A dozen royal guards. They'll put you in the stocks.
WILLIAM. Oh, but I face Adhemar in five minutes.
GEOFFREY. No, you forfeit. They've already marked it down.
ROLAND. Saddle the horses. They can arrest your baggage, not you.
WILLIAM. Halt. [TO JOCELYN] So, what do you think? Now that you know what I am?
JOCELYN. To know what you are, William, would take a lifetime, one I am most willing to give, but right now you've got to run. There is nothing else to do. Run, and I will run with you.
WILLIAM. Jocelyn, I cannot run. I am a knight, and I will put myself to the hazard.
ROLAND. A knight in your heart, but not on paper, and paper's all that matters to them.
JOCELYN. William, I love you. I love you. You. And I'm sorry, but I won't see you led away bound for the stocks.
WILLIAM. Oh, but you will see me run? No!
JOCELYN. Damn your pride, William. It is you and only you that will not see you run.
WILLIAM. My pride is the only thing they can't take from me.
JOCELYN. But they can take it from you! They can, and they will. Oh, they will. But love they cannot take.
WILLIAM. Then where will we live? In my hovel, with the pigs inside in winter so they won't freeze?
JOCELYN. Yes, William, with the pigs, with the pigs. The poor can marry for love.
WILLIAM. Oh, Jocelyn, you speak of what you do not know.
JOCELYN. William, I beg you, please. Run. Do it for love.
WILLIAM. Roland, you would see me run?
ROLAND. [NODS]
WILLIAM. And you, Geoff?
GEOFFREY. Yes, I wish it too, with all the pieces of my heart.
WILLIAM. Wat, you and I, we aren't runners.
WAT. Yes, William, today we are.
KATE. Run, William.
WILLIAM. No! I will not run! I am a knight.
ROLAND. Well, boys, all good things must come to an end. Let's end them together.

SCENE - THEY ENTER THE STADIUM TOGETHER (WILLIAM, ROLAND, WAT, GEOFFREY AND KATE)

MASTER OF ARMS. You will remove yourself from this position of honour.
WILLIAM. I am here to compete.
MASTER OF ARMS. You are here to be arrested.
[HE SIGNALS TO THE GUARDS, WHO RUN FORWARDS AND SEIZE WILLIAM]

SCENE - A CASTLE DUNGEON. WILLIAM IS A PRISONER, WITH HIS HANDS TIED TO A WOODEN BEAM. ADHEMAR UNLOCKS THE DOOR AND COMES IN.

ADHEMAR. He that strives to touch a star oft stumbles at a simple straw. You have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting. It's one loss or another, William. In what world could you ever have beaten me?

WILLIAM & THE BLACK PRINCE

SCENE - THE STOCKS IN A PUBLIC SQUARE. WILLIAM'S HEAD AND ARMS ARE LOCKED IN THE STOCKS. THERE ARE SOLDIERS AND A CROWD, WHICH IS GETTING NOISY. ROLAND, KATE AND WAT COME TO STAND AROUND WILLIAM TO PROTECT HIM FROM THE CROWD.

WILLIAM. Leave, Roland. Let them have me.
ROLAND. God love you, William, so do I.
WAT. Go! Disperse! Or I will fong you! As Jesus Christ the Nazarene and his most holy mother the Virgin Mary are my witnesses, I will fong you! I will rip you... fist and pain.... stick my fist ...break you! Pain! Lots of pain!

THE CROWD REACTS AGGRESSIVELY

ROLAND. We're in trouble.
GEOFFREY. Listen to me! Listen to me!

[THREE MEN IN HOODS TAKE OFF THEIR CLOAKS, AND REVEAL THEMSELVES AS THE BLACK PRINCE AND TWO OF HIS KNIGHTS]

THE PRINCE [TO WILLIAM]. What a pair we make, uh? Both trying to hide who we are, both unable to do so. Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough. But you also tilt when you should withdraw. And that is knightly too. [TO THE GUARD] Release him!
[THE PRINCE ADDRESSES THE CROWD]
He may appear to be of humble origins, but my personal historians have discovered that he is descended from an ancient royal line. This is my word, and as such, is beyond contestation. Now, if I may repay the kindness you once showed me. Take a knee. [WILLIAM. KNEELS; THE PRINCE DRAWS HIS SWORD]. By the power vested in me by my father King Edward, and by all the witnesses here, I dub thee Sir William. Arise, Sir William. Can you joust?
WILLIAM. What?
THE PRINCE. Is my tournament to finish? Now, are you fit to compete or shall the forfeit stand?
WILLIAM. No, I'm fit.
THE PRINCE. I shall have your opponent informed of it. You looked for his shield on the lists, once.
WILLIAM. Thank you, my lord.

SCENE - THE LISTS. THE PRINCE TAKES HIS SEAT IN THE STANDS. CHRISTIANA IS SITTING NEAR HIM, BUT THERE'S NO SIGN OF JOCELYN.

HERALD. All hail, Prince Edward!
ADHEMAR'S HERALD, GERMAINE: My lords, my ladies and all you other people! I give you the son of Philippe de Vitry, son of Gilles de Champagne, master of the Free Companies....

MORE DIRTY BUSINESS

SCENE - BEHIND THE LISTS. ADHEMAR IS TALKING TO THE MYSTERIOUS WOMAN, WHO HANDS HIM THE TIP OF A LANCE, WHICH HAS A "CORONAL" FOR SAFETY.

ADHEMAR. Are you sure?
WOMAN. Yes, it's nothing but spun sugar and bootblack.
[HE CRUSHES THE CORONAL WITH ONE HAND. IT BREAKS LIKE GLASS, REVEALING A SHARP POINT ON THE TIP OF THE LANCE]

GEOFFREY. It's a small target, Will, but aim for his heart.
[WILLIAM LOOKS AT CHRISTIANA, WHO SHAKES HER HEAD AND SHRUGS HER SHOULDERS]
GERMAINE ....doer of daring deeds, conqueror of countless kingdoms, count of Anjou, Adhemar!

THE FINALS

THEY JOUST. THE TIP OF ADHEMAR'S LANCE MAKES A HOLE IN THE FRONT OF WILLIAM'S ARMOUR AND BREAKS OFF.

ROLAND. Oh God, I'll fetch the surgeon, Will.
WILLIAM. Roland, you're the surgeon now. Come on.
[ROLAND PULLS OUT THE END OF THE LANCE]
KATE. He's tipped it.
WILLIAM. Kate, get me back to one, back to one or we forfeit.
WAT. Dirty son of a b**ch!

[THEY JOUST AGAIN. WILLIAM DROPS HIS LANCE BEFORE IMPACT. ADHEMAR BREAKS HIS LANCE ON WILLIAM, ALMOST KNOCKING HIM OFF HIS HORSE]

WILLIAM. Kate, I can't breathe, I can't breathe.
ADHEMAR. As I said, thatcher, in what world could you have ever beaten me? Such a place does not exist.
GEOFFREY. She's here, William, and so is your father.
WILLIAM. Change your stars...... [TO ADHEMAR] Let's dance, you and I.
ROLAND. It's two lances to none. You must unhorse him or kill him. It's the only way to win.
KATE [TAKING OFF HIS BREASTPLATE] You need more padding.
WILLIAM. No, leave it off. I can't breathe with it on.
[KATE LOOKS AT ROLAND, WHO NODS]
WILLIAM [TO WAT] Lance! Ah, no.... I can barely grip it. Damn. Lash it to my arm. Wat, lash it to my arm.
[WAT LOOKS AT ROLAND]
ROLAND. Do as he says.

[THE HERALD IS ABOUT TO RAISE THE FLAG. GEOFFREY RUNS UP INTO THE STANDS, AND CLIMBS ONTO THE RAILING, AND THEN ONTO THE ARM OF THE BLACK PRINCE'S CHAIR]

GEOFFREY. Good people! I missed my introduction! But please, please I pray you, hear it now. For I would lay to rest the grace in my tongue, and speak plain. Days like these are far too rare to cheapen with heavy-handed words. And so, I'm afraid without any ado whatsoever (excuse me, my lord), here he is, one of your own, born a stone's throw from this very stadium, and here before you now, the son of John Thatcher, Sir William Thatcher!
WAT. That's your name, Will. Sir William Thatcher. Your father heard that.
GEOFFREY. Godspeed, William.

[THE THIRD AND FINAL ROUND OF THE JOUST COMMENCES]

WILLIAM. Williaaaaam!!

[HIS LANCE BREAKS HALFWAY DOWN, BUT KNOCKS ADHEMAR BACKWARDS OFF HIS HORSE]

WAT. You have been weighed.
ROLAND. You have been measured.
KATE. And you absolutely....
GEOFFREY. .... have been found wanting.
WILLIAM. Welcome to the new world! And God save you, if it is right that he should do so.

THE BLACK PRINCE. Yes! Yes!! [KISSES HIS WIFE]
JOCELYN. He's won, he's won!

GEOFFREY. I'm going to have to write some of this story down.
WAT. The part about the Prince, and the knights?
GEOFFREY. No, no, no, all of it. All human activity lies within the artist's scope. Well, maybe not yours...
WAT [LAUGHS AND PUTS AN ARM AROUND GEOFFREY'S SHOULDERS]

MUSIC - “WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS” BY QUEEN.

 

THE END