by
T. C. O'Neill
Scene Four
by
T. C. O'Neill
Scene Four
EXT. - MID MORNING
CHERUSCIAN TERRITORY - Mairkaburgaz - fortress steading of Seugastiz
WDIE ANGLE on the steading. It is a collection of thatched, wattle and daub buildings with whitewashed walls surrounded by a turf rampart and wooden pallisade. At its centre is the steading's great hall, the home of the chief Seugastiz/Segestes and his family. There is a wooden gate in the ramparts and a lone GUARD leans against the gatepost, his spear sloped against his shoulder.
CLOSE ON the guard. Behind him some children
are playing with a stuffed leather ball in the frosty enclosure and a dog
is barking and leaping as they throw it to each other. The warrior
on guard looks bored. Then his eyes narrow, looking out towards the
forest, and he stands straighter, gripping his spear.
WIDER ANGLE on the gate. The Warrior unslings his shield from behind his back while behind him the children run toward the great hall. Other warriors emerge from the hall and move towards the gate.GUARD:
(calling over his shoulder as he levels his spear)
Stranger!
DIFFERENT ANGLE from behind the warrior, looking across the snowy fields around the steading walls towards the forest. A lone rider is moving down a track from the forest towards the steading.
CLOSE ON the rider. It is ARMINUS, with his hair still close cropped Roman military-style, but now in the clothing of a Germanic noble - brightly dyed tunics of wool and linen edged with pattern-woven braid, a dark green fur-lined cloak of heavy twill-woven wool and a silve-hilted longsword by his side. He is bare-headed and a light golden stubble covers his chin and cheeks.
ANGLE ON the steading gate. The guard has now been joined by several other warriors.
WARRIOR:
Who is it?
GUARD:
Erminameraz, Sigimeriz's son.
WARRIOR:
Hmmm ... home from the Roman army to claim his
bride.
WARRIOR 2:
Maybe.
WIDER ANGLE from behind the warriors as Erminameraz approaches. He holds out both hands to show they are empty.
ARMINIUS
(to the warriors)
Where is Seugastiz? I'm here to speak to
your chief.
GUARD:
(shrugs)
Perhaps. Or perhaps our chief is busy,
Sigging.
ARMINIUS:
(looking at the guard)
I know you Rauda. Is there some reason
Seugastiz doesn't want to speak with me?
ANGLE ON the gate from behind Erminameraz. SEGESTES/SEUGASTIZ, his son SEGIMUNDUS/SIGIMUNDAZ and several of their chief warriors are approaching the gate from the great hall. His daughter, THURSNELDA/THURAZHILDA, is behind them. Segestes is a tall, broad shouldered man with a long swept-back mane of hair tinged with white at the temples and deep-set, dark eyes in an aristocratic face. Unlike his father, Segimundus is not dressed in the Germanic style, but wears the tunic and toga of a Roman, with his hair short and fashionably styled. Thusnelda is younger than her brother - about seventeen, though tall for her age with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes with a calm demeanour.
SEGESTES
(reaching the gate)
I'm always happy to welcome our Sigging neighbours,
Rauda.
Greetings Erminameraz - back from the Roman army
I see.
How is your father?
ANGLE ON Arminius dismounting. He moves towards the group standing in the gateway, bowing slightly to Segestes.
ARMINIUS:
My father Sigimeriz is well, Seugastiz, and sends
his regards.
I've come to your steading as we agreed - having
served the Roman war-leader Tiberius
in the wars of the Southmen.
CLOSE ON Segestes, pretending to look puzzled. Several more warriors have now joined the group at the gate.
SEGESTES:
I don't remember any "agreement", Erminameraz,
son of Sigimeriz, though I'm pleased
to hear you've served out Roman allies well in
their wars.
Is there something I owe you?
ANGLE ON Segestes and Arminius
ARMINIUS:
(levelly)
Three years ago, before I left to fight with
the Romans, I asked you for your daughter
as my wife ...
ANGLE ON Thusnelda briefly, her eyes on Arminius, and then on her father.
ARMINIUS:
... You said then that you could only give your
daughter to a warrior who has proven
himself in war. I've now fought with the
Roman war-chief Tiberius in Pannonia and Illyria - far to the east and
south of here. I'm a commander of cavalry, a Knight of Rome
and a Citizen of the Roman
Empire.
(He nods towards Segimundus)
I too wear the toga and stand with the most powerful
of the Romans as an equal.
My warriors have fought with me in many battles
-always victorious.
And now the new Roman governor Varus has asked
that I return to the lands of
my people - the Cherusci.
So I come back to you, as a proven warrior and leader of men, to claim my bride.
CLOSE ON Segestes
SEGESTES:
(laughing)
You are certainly your father's son, Erminameraz.
I'd forgotten how brash you
Siggings can be.
You aren't the only one who is a friend to the
Romans and held in esteem by
them. As you can see, my son Sigimundaz
also wears the toga and
presides as a priest of Augustus at the altar
of the Ubians. And, as I
recall, I refused you my daughter and your lack
of any reputation as a
warrior was only one of my reasons. I have
higher ambitions for Thurazhilda
than for her to merely marry the son of my old
rival.
CLOSE ON Arminius, jaw clenched
ARMINIUS:
And what are these ambitions?
ANGLE ON both men
SEGESTES:
There's a young chief of the Chatti that I would
prefer as a son-in-law.
A far better match than Erminameraz, son of Sigimeriz.
ARMINIUS:
Perhaps Erminameraz, son of Sigimeriz, has something
to say about this.
(he gives a long, piercing whistle)
WIDE ANGLE ON the steading gate and the fields around it. From the forest beyond the fields a column of mounted warriors emerges at the canter and quickly begins to gallop for the gate.
ANGLE ON the gate from behind Segestes and his men. They turn and shout into the yard behind them as the column of Sigging warriors quickly approaches. Arminius is smiling.
WIDER ANGLE ON the gate. More of Segestes' warriors are running down from the hall. The guard is levelling his spear at Arminius, but he quickly draws his sword and knocks it from the guard's hands.
DIFFERENT ANGLE. Segestes shouts in frustration drawing his sword.
SEGESTES:
(to his warriors)
The gate! Close the gate!
CLOSER ANGLE ON Segestes and Arminius. The other warriors rush to close the gates while Segestes swings a blow at Arminius' head. Arminius calmly blocks it, feints at Segestes' legs and then swings three slashes in rapid succession at the older man's head.
ANGLE ON the gate from outside. Thusnelda watches anxiously as her father and Arminius fight. Segestes tries a wild slash but Arminius cuts him across his right forearm, sending his sword spinning off into the churned mud of the gateway, and then brings his blade up against Segestes' throat.
WIDER ANGLE from outside the gates - the mounted warriors have now gained the gateway and surge around Arminius and Segestes, forcing their way into the courtyard and pushing the warriors within back. Both sides level spears at each other but hesitate as Segestes stands at Arminius' mercy.
CLOSE ON Hildirikaz, Arminius' warrior, as he raises his spear and looks down from his horse at the stand off. He is dressed Germanic-style now, with his long blonde hair pulled up into a top-knot and his beard closely trimmed.
HILDIRIKAZ
(laughs)
Well, this is the last time I go wooing women
with Erminameraz.
Fighting Illyrian rebels with the Romans was
safer.
(to Segestes)
So, does he get the girl or not?
CLOSE ON Segestes, with Arminius' sword still at his throat
SEGESTES:
Trust a Sigging to come asking for a bride armed
like a robber.
Is this how Sigimeriz's clan does these things?
CLOSE ON Arminius
ARMINIUS:
The
whole tribe knows the history of your hatred for my father, Seugastiz,
and they know you wouldn't give Thurazhilda to
me willingly.
CLOSE ON both
SEGESTES:
Ah, but what would the tribe think if you spilled
my blood here in the gate of
my courtyard and took my daughter by force?
How would the assembly take
it if your men killed mine here in my steading
and carried my daughter off like
a bandit?
(He puts his hand on Arminius's sword hand and
pushes the blade from
his throat)
They'd say, young Sigging, that once again Sigimeriz
and his son have over-reached
themselves. Once again the proud Sigging
clan has tried to put itself above tribal
law and simply take what it wants by force.
ARMINIUS:
There's no need for force here.
WIDE ON both groups of warriors in the gateway. One of Segestes warriors hands a sword to Segimundus, who thows back his toga and grips the weapon, looking at Arminius.
SEGIMUNDUS:
(grimly)
There's no need if you and your men leave our
gates and ride back to your
steading in peace. Otherwise I'll kill
you and as many of your warriors
as I can before this day's over.
CLOSE ON Arminius as he puts his sword back to Segestes' throat
ARMINIUS:
Perhaps, but you'll see your father's blood spilled
first.
WIDER ANGLE ON both sides - Hildirikaz raises his spear and shakes his head
HILDIRIKAZ:
(wryly)
I don't think I've seen more clumsy wooing in
all my life.
(to Thusnelda)
Lady, given that all this unpleasantness is over
you, perhaps you have something to say.
ANGLE ON Thusnelda. She steps forward to stand beside her father and her brother and their warriors stand back to let her pass. The faces around her are tense and Arminius' sword is still at her father's throat, but she seems calm and composed.
CLOSE ON Thusnelda, her father and Arminius.
THUSNELDA:
(quietly)
There will be no blood spilled here.
(turning to Segestes)
Father, amongst out people a father makes choices
for his daughter and you
have chosen a Chattian chieftain as my husband.
But amongst our people a woman can choose who
she will marry, and I have
loved Erminameraz, son of Sigimeriz since I was
very young.
(She steps up to Arminius, pushes his sword blade
from her father's throat
and then kisses him passionately on the mouth)
ANGLE ON Thusnelda and Arminius standing together by Arminius horse, facing Segestes.
ARMINIUS:
It seems your daughter has made her choice Segestes.
CLOSE ON Segestes
SEGESTES
(clearly angry)
It seems my daughter is to be carried off by
a Sigging bandit after all.
WIDE ON Arminius as he vaults into the saddle and swings Thusnelda up in front of him.
ARMINIUS:
(smiling - to Segestes)
I'll pass on your regards to my father.
SEGESTES:
(spits)
We'll see what the tribal assembly makes of this,
thief. The penalty for rape is death.
DIFFERENT ANGLE - Arminius' men swing their horses around and ride for the forest.
CLOSE ON Segestes - one of his men steps into shot with a bow, an arrow already nocked. He raises it to shoot, but Segestes reaches out and pushes his arm down.
SEGESTES:
(quietly)
Not that way.
CLOSE ON Arminius and Thusnelda as the horsemen reach the forest.
THUSNELDA:
I was beginning to think you were never coming
for me.
ARMINIUS:
I've thought of nothing else for three years.
HILDIRIKAZ:
(riding into shot)
Believe him - he's been extremely boring.
So, Erminameraz, now we've won all the battles
and you have the girl,
what happens next?
ARMINIUS:
This is the part of the story where everyone
lives happily ever after, Hildirikaz.
HILDIRIKAZ:
Hmmm - not if your new father-in-law has anything
to say in it.
WIDER ANGLE as the Siging warband gallops deeper into the winter forest.
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