Legend of Darkness SCRIPT

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LEGEND OF DARKNESS by William Hjortsberg TITLES ROLL: CLOSE ON a finely-worked Medieval tapestry. In the background, beyond the intricate foliage, stands a moated castle where a troop of mounted hunters set out for the chase with dogs and lances. In the foreground, a lovely young maiden heads for the forest, carrying an armful of flowers. The forest, stylistically rendered by the weaver's art, has numbers of small animals cunningly worked into the warp and woof. A Green Man, clad only in leaves and vines, hides behind a tree, watching a stately pair of unicorns grazing on the greensward. TITLES END: DISSOLVE TO: EXT. FOREST GLADE - DAY The woven image on the tapestry gives way to a pair of white unicorns browsing in a sun-dappled glade. A male and female, these animals are of surpassing beauty, their tapered, spiraling horns glowing like precious metal. Their movements are so graceful that every other living creature seems clumsy by comparison. The SOUND of a distant hunting horn makes them pause. A second NOTE is heard. The unicorns drift, silent and languid, into the farther reaches of the forest. EXT. HILLSIDE OVERLOOKING CASTLE - DAY The hunting horn SOUNDS a third time. A young woman still close to childhood, fifteen at most, turns back to look at the castle in the distance. A troop of armed men rides out hunting, accompanied by braying hounds and the blare of horns. One of the company is masked and dressed all in black. The girl's name is LILI. She is a princess of the distant castle and dressed in splendid brocades and silk. In her arms, she carries a bouquet of wildflowers wrapped in a lace napkin. Like these blossoms, she herself is young and fresh and innocent. She sings a simple country air as she runs through the waving grass toward the deep woods. EXT. DEEP WOODS - DAY On an emerald patch of moss in the shade beneath the spreading limbs of chestnuts and oaks, numbers of small animals gambol. Squirrels and rabbits, hedgehogs and foxes, all manner of creatures leap and frolic about the feet of a curious young man. This is JACK O' THE GREEN. His hair is long and unshorn and he wears a costume woven from ivy leaves, skins and vines. On his feet are bark sandals. His features are tanned berry-brown and woven into his tangled locks is a wreath of flowers. He is a legendary "Green Man" or "Wild Man" who lives the free life of a hermit alone in the deep woods. Jack, the "Green Man," feeds morsels of bread and fruit to the animals dancing around his feet. He is a friend to all the beasts of the forest and carries food for them in a split-willow basket. Birds fly down and land on his head and shoulders, taking seeds and nuts from his lips. The musical sound of someone approaching alerts him. His eyes have an animal quickness and his instincts are as finely tuned as any creature of the wild. The birds fly from his shoulders to the treetops. His furred companions dart for cover. In three quick bounds, Jack is himself up a nearby tree, clinging to a high branch like a cat. The Princess Lili comes singing down the path. She spots the fallen willow basket and looks around for the Green Man. LILI (calling) Jack... Hello, Jack... There is no answer. Puzzled, Lili sits on the moss, puts aside her flowers, and rummages through the contents of the basket. The dried apples, walnuts and sunflowers don't occupy her for long. She is annoyed. A princess is not someone to trifle with. LILI (calling) Jack-o'-the-Green...? Green Jack? Oh bother, I know you're here. Why are you so cruel? Unseen, high in his tree, Jack-o'-the-Green watches the young princess. He is amused by her anger but there is nothing malicious about his smile. He climbs quietly to a lower branch, hangs suspended for a moment, then drops. Jack lands close to the unsuspecting girl. Startled, she screams in surprise. Jack laughs at her unwarranted terror. JACK Greetings, my lady, the green wood is honored. LILI Oh, Jack, you are a wild man to use me so. Jack spies the bouquet of wildflowers and reaches for it. JACK These for me? LILI If you like. Jack gathers up the bouquet, bowing low as he jumps to his feet. A bluebird flies out of the greenery and lands on his shoulder. JACK (to the bird) She brings a gift as fair as herself. EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST - DAY The Green Man and the Princess wander together down a meandering path. Birds circle about them and numbers of small animals scamper shyly at their heels. LILI You promised! JACK Never. LILI But you did... you did! JACK I may have said perhaps... LILI Liar! JACK Or perchance... The distant BLARE of a hunting horn interrupts them. The animals freeze, wild-eyed. LILI It's my father, gone a-hunting. The Baron Couer de Noir is his guest and must be provided with some sport. JACK (bitterly) Sport, indeed. LILI The Baron is a frightful man. They say he's an ogre. He wears a mask so none may see his face. JACK Blackheart. Aptly named. LILI Oh, fie. What about the unicorn? JACK Unicorn? LILI A promise is a sacred oath. JACK All right. I'll show you something sacred. EXT. A CLEARING BY A STREAM - DAY A small meadow: a sun-gilded amphitheater within the darker confines of the forest. At its edge flows a gentle stream. An evil-looking viper moves sinuously along the grassy back as Jack and Lili step from the concealing shrubbery nearby. LILI Let's rest a minute. I'm so thirsty. JACK Stop complaining. LILI A gentleman would offer water. JACK Only were he a fool to boot. (pointing) See yon viper? LILI (shuddering) I detest serpents. JACK That viper has envenomed the water. No animal will drink here now. LILI What shall we do? JACK Be patient. They crouch together behind the shrubbery. LILI Oh, dear. JACK What's the matter? LILI I've lost my napkin. It was all elf-work and lace... I must have dropped it when you startled me so. JACK (rising) I'll go search for it. LILI Don't leave me now. I fear the unicorn won't show himself without you. JACK I'm not its master. LILI (touching his arm) The napkin will keep. I'd rather not be alone. JACK (with a smile) Your command is my wish, Princess Lili. EXT. DEEP WOODS - DAY A pair of ferocious hounds bray under the tree in which Jack was hiding. Another sniffs at a few scattered blossoms and Lili's lace napkin lying forgotten on the moss. The hunting party rides up at a gallop. At the head of the troops are Lili's father, KING GODWIN, pink-cheeked and white-bearded; a kind-hearted, elfish man, though weak and ineffectual; and BARON COUER DE NOIR, a powerful knight on a black charger. His greaves and breastplate are black as midnight as is the heavy cloak which envelops him. His hands are covered with black gauntlets and a horned black hood with a wolf's lupine features masks his face. His voice rumbles with dread authority as the party reins to a stop. BARON What spoor have the hounds for us? A lance-bearer dismounts and takes the lace kerchief from the dog's foaming mouth. KING GODWIN My daughter's napkin. That's certain. The Baron unstraps a crossbow from his saddle leathers. BARON We proceed. Have three men restrain the dogs. Don't come until you hear the horns. The hunters ride on, leaving the dog handlers to control the straining hounds. EXT. CLEARING - DAY Lili and Jack wait behind the bushes, watching the stream. LILI How much longer? JACK Shhh! LILI (whispering) I am a princess. You have no right to order me about. JACK In these woods you are a commoner. Now be quiet. True royalty approaches. THE STREAM - LILI AND JACK'S POV The pair of radiant white unicorns pushes through the undergrowth to the edge of the stream. LILI (O.S.) Ohhhh... they're so beautiful... The male unicorn bends his head and dips his golden horn into the stream. Soon after, the female begins to drink and numbers of small animals, rabbits, mice, and squirrels, creep from under cover to drink as well. JACK (O.S.) The alicorn purifies the water, purging it of all poison. JACK AND LILI The princess is entranced. A look of utter rapture illuminates her features. LILI Such grace... and their smell; it's ambrosia. JACK They rival the angels of paradise. LILI Oh Jack, mightn't I touch one? It would thrill me so. JACK Are you honest? LILI Jack! JACK Tis a fair question. If you be a virtuous maid the unicorn will lay his head in your lap. LILI He'll not flee if I show myself? JACK Not if you be chaste. Tis an awesome test of virginity. LILI I've no fear of failure. Your implications are most unbecoming. JACK I'm not your judge... nor have I any desire to witness the trial. Jack turns to leave. LILI Where are you going? JACK To fetch your napkin. Jack pushes through the underbrush and is lost from sight. For a moment, the princess is confused and nervous at being left alone in such circumstances, but she peers out at the unicorns and the sight of such beauty rekindles her resolve. Princess Lili steps out of the concealing underbrush and walks slowly to the center of the clearing. Her bearing is noble and proud, her carriage utterly dignified. The unicorns lift their heads from the stream and watch the girl's progress. The other smaller animals cease drinking and scatter into hiding. Lili sits on the grass in the center of the clearing, spreading her gown around her. She smiles at the staring unicorns. The male unicorn grows agitated. His nostrils flare; the strong neck arches. Sunlight gleams on the shaft of his golden horn as he prances across the stream to the meadow, sending multi-hued clouds of butterflies aloft from the flowers underfoot. Lili smiles at the nimble dancing of the unicorn, seemingly drawn to her by an invisible lead. He rears up, whinnying in protest, but the lure is too strong, something unspoken compels him toward the smiling girl. EXT. ANOTHER PART OF THE FOREST - DAY Jack hurries along the overgrown path, running as numbly as a wild stag. The SOUND of approaching HOOFBEATS brings him up short. With the instincts of an animal, Jack darts into concealment. After a moment, the hunting party rides past, sunlight glinting on the steel lance-tips. The Baron holds his crossbow at the ready, as black and grim as Death himself. When the hunters are gone from sight, Jack hurries form his hiding-place. He realizes something is terribly wrong and runs back through the woods, leaping rocks and deadfall logs in a desperate attempt to reach the clearing before them. EXT. CLEARING - DAY The princess makes no move as the trembling unicorn stands before her, the tip of his rapier-sharp horn pressed against her breast. At this moment, he could kill her in an instant, yet she does not resist or show any fear. Instead, she smiles with joy. Slowly, the unicorn kneels; first folding his forelegs, then settling his hindquarters onto the grass. His limpid eye meets Lili's adoring gaze. Without a sound, he settles his great head in the virgin's lap, his long white mane spreading over her like a shawl. CLOSE ON LILI AND THE UNICORN The girl strokes the unicorn's head, running her hand lovingly down the spiraling horn. The animal seems totally in her power. He closes his eyes and nuzzles her bodice. Almost without thinking, Princess Lili unbuttons the top of her gown, exposing her pale breasts. The entranced unicorn immediately begins to suckle like a newborn creature. Lili hugs the white head to her bosom, consumed by ecstasy and bliss. EXT. EDGE OF THE CLEARING - DAY King Godwin, the Baron and his cohorts ride silently up to the edge of the clearing, screened from view by the surrounding trees. The Baron holds up his gloved hand and hisses a whispered command: BARON Hold! The other riders rein to a stop. The Baron guides his horse closer to the edge of the clearing, parting the branches which conceal him. BARON'S POV Through a fringe of leaves the Baron sees the Princess nursing the reclining unicorn, a tableaux at once reminiscent of the Madonna and the Infant Jesus. THE BARON As he inserts a bolt in his crossbow and cranks back the string until it is taut. Placing the weapon to his shoulder, the Baron takes careful aim. EXT. CENTER OF THE CLEARING - DAY Lili croons to the unicorn resting on her breast, a primitive melody born of joy. All at once, the sibilant SOUND of an arrow's slicing passage rends the still air. The crossbow bolt strikes the unicorn in the neck. The startled outcry of the wounded beast is far more scream than whinny. The unicorn bounds to his feet, spraying the Princess with his bright blood. She is torn from her happy reverie by the violence of the act. Her own outcry merges with the animal's wail of pain. The wounded unicorn, followed by his mate, gallops for freedom across the clearing. The black Baron bursts from the far side of the meadow and thunders after the fleeing unicorns. King Godwin is right behind, followed by his retinue of lance-bearing hunters. LILI (screaming) No! God! Father, no! The horsemen gallop out of sight, accompanied by the call of the hunting horn and much eager shouting. Jack crashes through the underbrush surrounding the clearing and rushes to the side of the anguished Lili, who cowers, replacing her blood-soaked bodice. JACK (furious) What happened? LILI I don't know. They've hurt the unicorn. JACK Who? LILI My father and the Baron. JACK Damned hunters. It was a trap, and you were the bait! LILI I didn't know... I didn't... (sobbing) It was so lovely... he was in my lap like... like a baby... and... I... JACK They tricked you. LILI My own father... JACK How bad was the unicorn's wound? LILI It happened so fast. He was hurt and ran away. JACK He did run? LILI Oh, yes, and the mare with him. JACK Good. They'll never catch him. There's not a mount in the kingdom can outrun a unicorn. EXT. DEEP IN THE FOREST - DAY Flecked with froth and blood, the male unicorn bursts from a thicket in full flight. Wild-eyed, the female is right behind. They pause for a moment, sides heaving as they gasp for air. In the distance, the SOUNDS of braying hounds and the musical NOTE of the hunting horn start them running again. EXT. FOREST - DAY Led by the Baron and the red-eyed hounds, the hunting party thunders through the woods in full pursuit of the unicorns. One of the riders has a hunting horn coiled around his shoulder. He blows a single, sustained NOTE as he gallops past. EXT. POND IN THE FOREST - DAY The pool is a crystalline jewel, surrounded by moss- covered stones, the tranquil water reflecting the overhanging trees. Lili kneels by the edge, washing the blood from her embroidered dress. Jack watches her, reclining on a gnarled tree-root nearby. JACK There are many would pay a king's ransom for a few drops of unicorn blood. LILI I don't want it on me. JACK Its powers are strong. LILI I don't want to be reminded of what happened. JACK Do you think memory can be washed away like a few spots of blood? EXT. FOREST STREAM - DAY The war-like SOUNDS of the hunting party grow nearer as the two unicorns pause in their flight to drink from the stream. Tenderly, the mare nuzzles the stallion's neck near where the dart cruelly rends his flesh. The two animals exchange a look of understanding. The situation is desperate, their pursuers very near. The stallion motions upstream with his head and his mate sadly comprehends. She starts slowly up stream, looking back over her shoulder. The hunting horn BLARES, nearer still. The stallion whinnies at the mare and she replies before plunging up the stream to safety while her mate remains behind awaiting his destiny. EXT. NEAR FOREST STREAM - DAY The hounds are frantic now, the scent very strong. They lope ahead of the riders, baying like demons from hell. The Baron is right behind, leading the hunters in a daredevil chase through the woods. In their helmets and chain mail, with steel-tipped lances glinting on high, they are as fearsome as an army of fiends. HUNTER'S POV Ahead, through the trees, the wounded male unicorn is glimpsed standing alone by the stream. The dogs' howling grows furious. The hunters SHOUT and BELLOW. EXT. FOREST STREAM - DAY The dogs break from the forest and hurl themselves at the unicorn. With a swift jab, the stallion impales the first hound on his horn and sends him flying. Just as the pack of hunters emerges from the woods, the unicorn takes off, leaping over the heads of the snarling hounds, darting away between the trees. The hunters and their dogs are in close pursuit, eager now for the kill. EXT. POND IN THE FOREST - DAY Lili and Jack sit among the roots and mossy rocks bordering the still ponds. A shaft of golden light angles down through the cathedral arching of tree limbs above them. Lili's dress is cleansed of blood and she reclines against a tree trunk, sadly singing a simple ballad in a clear, soprano voice. Jack is entranced. His teasing look has transformed into a gaze of utter adoration. LILI (singing) Once there was a lady fair, Rode out on her milk-white steed; Roses and dewdrops woven in her hair And in her heart: the devil's seed. Sweet William did a-hunting go, All in the deep wood where faeries dwell. From dawn til dark roamed he to and fro Lost, O lost, all under their spell. Came he at last to where bluebells grow, And he heard them ring, tis true to tell. And he lay him down and did not know The flower's sound was his own death knell. For while he slept came the lady fair, And gathered him up behind her saddle. Now, all ye young hunters, of bluebells beware; For Sweet William rode straight through the gates of Hell. EXT. RIVER ESTUARY - DAY A broad river flows toward the sea, divided into multi- branched channels across acres and mud flats. The surf curls and crashes in the distance. Shore birds probe the muck with their curved bills. The wounded unicorn breaks from the green line of trees along the edge of the estuary. The SOUNDS of dogs and hunting horns can be heard close behind. Without pausing, the stallion gallops frantically out onto the mud flats. The unicorn's sides are streaked with blood and sweat. A bright-red froth bubbles on his nostrils. His eyes are wide with panic. The thick mud underfoot sucks at the unicorn's galloping hooves. All at once, the unicorn stumbles and falls, cartwheeling in the muck. He struggles to regain his feet, but slips again, floundering. The hunters ride out of the trees and rein-in at the edge of the estuary. The howling dogs struggle across the mud toward the fallen unicorn. EXT. POND - DAY Lili and Jack under the tree. The princess smiles at the adoring boy, toying with her golden ring, which she pulls on and off her finger. JACK Not even the birds sing sweet as you. LILI (laughing) Jack... Green Jack, you mustn't flatter me so. JACK Tis the truth. LILI A maid must beware of flattery... Methinks you want to kiss me. JACK There's no happier thought under heaven. LILI If I were your bride, would the kissing ever stop...? Do you wish to marry me, Jack? JACK My lady mocks me. LILI Nay, Jack, I'm but wary of your intentions. JACK My heart intends no more than that you love me as I do you. LILI Oh, la... EXT. ESTUARY - DAY The unicorn struggles in the mud, hopelessly mired, when the dog packs converges upon it. Baying and snarling, the dogs surround the stallion, nipping and harrying. The unicorn fights back, thrusting his terrible horn, impaling an unwary hound that ventured too close. The hunters watch from the bank, awaiting their leader's command to close in for the kill. The Baron dismounts, holding his crossbow. He hands his reins to King Godwin. BARON The quarry is at bay. Attend me here while I make the kill. Black cloak whipping in the wind, the masked Baron strides out onto the mud flats, relentless as the specter of Death. The sky above darkens. Black storm clouds gather and the ominous RUMBLE of thunder troubles the grim landscape. EXT. POND - DAY The light has changed. It is darker now. A distant peal of thunder is HEARD. JACK I'm afraid it may storm. LILI Let it. Haven't you a cozy bower we might hide in? JACK Tis not fit for a princess. LILI Be it fit for your wife, Green Jack? JACK I have no wife. LILI Then, perchance you'll me. JACK If wishes were horses even beggars would ride. LILI Do you wish it, Jack? (showing him her ring) Wish you this our wedding band? JACK What if I answer yes? Will my wish come true? Laughing, Lili throws her ring high over their heads. Tracing a golden arc through the air, the ring lands with a splash in the center of the pond. LILI Fetch my ring and you may take me for your wife. It is obvious from her mocking attitude that Lili is teasing, but Jack is serious. He strips off his leaf-and- fur vestments and dives headlong into the pond. EXT. ESTUARY - DAY The Baron's heavy black boots splash across the shallow water of the estuary as he bears down on the harried unicorn. The frantic trapped stallion is within range now and the Baron lifts his crossbow to his shoulder, the wolf mask leering and demonic as he takes aim. The Baron fires. The bolt strikes the unicorn's flank, piercing his ribs. A froth of lung-blood foams into the mud. The stallion screams. His frightened eye is bright and staring. EXT. BENEATH THE SURFACE OF THE POND - DAY Slowly, the golden ring drifts downward, tumbling end- over-end in a lazy spiral to the dark and muddy bottom. Jack's pale, near-naked form stabs through the crystal water, a trail of silver bubbles streaming in his wake like a comet's tail. He strokes down into the murk, tendrils of water-weed swirling about him. In the distance, the tantalizing glint of the drifting ring lures him on. The ring settles into the mud on the bottom, concealed by waving weeds and algae. Jack searches blindly for it, groping with his hands as billowing clouds of silt rise about him. EXT. SKY - DAY The black clouds boil and crash, thunderheads mounting one upon another in a dark maelstrom. Jagged lightning splits the sky. The heavens are in a tumult. EXT. ESTUARY - DAY The Baron's dark figure looms over the fallen unicorn. His gloved hand reaches out and grasps the ivory horn, wrenching back the animal's head. The Baron's glove smolders and burns as if the horn was a white-hot poker. The stallion's shrill whinny is cut short when the Baron lops off his head with a single, brutal stroke of his broadsword. The ROAR of thunder seems to crack the sky apart. For a long moment, the Baron stands holding his grisly, dripping trophy by the single horn, staring up at the raging dark sky as his black cloak whips about him in the ferocious wind. EXT. BENEATH THE POND - DAY His lungs about to burst, Jack can no longer continue the search for the ring. He turns and looks up at the surface which has grown quite dark. With frantic strokes, he races upward only to bump his head into something solid at the top. Terribly frightened, he finds the surface covered by a sheet of ice. Jack pounds his fist against the obstructing ice and succeeds in punching through it, thrusting his gasping head out into the air. EXT. POND - DAY Bewildered, Jack crashes through the ice towards shore. The woods have changed utterly. In place of the bountiful foliage of midsummer, the trees are stripped bare. The wind howls, driving a fine stinging snow through the naked branches. Overhead, the sky is dark and ominous. Jack stands, confused and shivering, realizing in his bewilderment that the girl is gone. JACK (calling out) Lili...! Princess Lili... Where are you...? There is no answer other than the hollow echo of his words lost on the wind. It is bitterly cold. Jack's wet hair freezes into strands of icicles. He finds his clothing, wrapping himself in his fur vest. His leafy cloak is inadequate for this weather and he hurries off, calling for the girl as he searches for shelter. JACK Lili... answer me... Lili... EXT. DEEPER IN THE FOREST - EVENING The snowstorm has built-up into a full-scale blizzard. Jack staggers into the wind. A large rock overhang provides shelter and Jack scrambles underneath. Jack scrapes together a small pile of twigs and leaves. Taking a flint and steel from his shoulder pouch, he starts busily striking sparks. A small fire burns vigorously under the overhang. Jack warms himself and feeds sticks into the flames. It grows darker. EXT. A TREE NOT FAR AWAY - EVENING Princess Lili hides shivering behind the tree, watching Jack and his fire. Her hands are out of sight, tucked in the folds of her gown for warmth. Although she is cold and frightened she makes no move to expose herself or to join the Green Man under the overhand. CLOSE ON LILI Lili's lovely face contorts with sorrow. A single tear starts in her eye and drops to her cheek, where it freezes like a diamond beauty-spot. Lili reaches up to wipe away the frozen tear. Her hand is horribly transformed. Coarse black hairs sprout along her wrist and down her slender fingers. In place of delicately tapered nails grow wickedly curved claws. It is a hand more animal than human. Lili regards it with disgust. EXT. FOREST - EVENING With Jack's small fire flickering faintly in the distance, Princess Lili slinks away into the deep forest, eager to hide herself and her shame. EXT. OVERHANG - NIGHT Jack is sleeping. He leans back against the rock wall, wrapped in his cloak. The fire crackles brightly before him, casting animated shadows in all directions. A high-pitched, cackling LAUGH causes Jack to sit bolt- upright; wide-eyed and completely awake. JACK What...? Who's there? JACK'S POV Glowing like foxfire in the darkness, a semi-circle of luminous green eyes surrounds Jack's campfire. JACK (O.S.) Who is it? Speak up. A second odd LAUGH is his only answer. JACK is afraid. He reaches into the folds of his cloak for his knife, a small practical affair, hardly a weapon at all. JACK Who are you...? Answer me! Laughing still, a small man, an elf no more than knee-high steps into the firelight. He carries a tiny harp and a pair of pointed ears sprout from the wild tangle of his hair. His bright clothing is everywhere tasseled and embroidered with flowers. At first glance, it is hard to tell whether his face resembles a new-born babe or a wizened old man. His name is HONEYTHORN GUMP. GUMP So, Jack... think you be a Green Man and not know Gump. JACK Gump, is it? GUMP Aye, Honeythorn Gump, come to serenade you, Jack... come to make you dance. JACK I'm in no mood for dancing. GUMP Oh, but you will be, Jack... Think you to sleep in a faerie ring and not spend the night a-dancing? JACK Faerie ring? GUMP To be sure. Gump steps back and sweeps away the snow with his cap like an over-zealous house porter. A ring of red toadstools is revealed. GUMP A lively reel twill warm your bones. Gump throws a handful of herbs onto the fire and the flames leap high, revealing the watchers whose eyes glowed in the dark. Sitting in a semi-circle just outside the faerie ring are a number of foxes, wild goats, hares, weasels and badgers. GUMP Here be your partners, Jack. Gump begins to strum a wild, haunting melody on his harp. The animals leap into the faerie ring, and linking paws, start a frantic circular dance around the bewildered Jack. JACK No! Tis not the time! I want no part of your frolic. GUMP Dance, Jack! The night's but begun. Jack cannot resist. He is drawn into the wild dance. Grabbing hold of a fox's paw, he joins the circle, leaping and cavorting to the maddening music. The tempo increases; the music growing ever-more manic as the crazed dancers whirl and caper. Jack seems in a panic, dancing against his will, a prisoner of the frenzied harp-strumming. JACK (screaming) Stop it...! No more... Gump pays no attention to his pleas, jumping wildly up and down as he flails at his harp. GUMP Round and round and round and round, Before you're lost ye most be found... Jack's face is a mask of agony; the dance pure hell. With a supreme effort of will, he wrenches free from the fox's grasp and hurls himself to the ground by the fire. The rhythm disrupted, the other animal dancers continue awkwardly as the music stops. Gump is furious. JACK Enough! GUMP And how is it a mortal dare dictate to the faerie folk? Is me music not to your liking? Mayhap the dance of death by more your pleasure. JACK No... I... I need to rest. GUMP You'll have a long, long rest in the tomb, me lad. JACK (gasping) I meant no disrespect. GUMP Didn't you now? Well then, answer me this riddle and all be forgiven. JACK And if I cannot? GUMP Why, Jack, then tis your death song I'll be strumming. The animal dancers have stopped their frolic and stand solemnly watching the bewildered Green Man. JACK Ask away, and pray God my answer pleases thee. Gump grins maliciously and strums a melancholy chord on his harp. GUMP What is a bell that does not ring, Yet, its knell makes the angels sing? Gump laughs, knowing full-well Jack can't solve his riddle. Jack frowns in concentration, then breaks into a broad grin as the memory of Lili's song rushes back to him. JACK It's bluebells! GUMP What! JACK The flower. Bluebells. To hear them ringing means your life's at an end. Gump hurls his harp to the ground and stomps on it. GUMP Damnation! Codfish and cockles! Gammon and trotters! You've bested me, Jack. JACK A riddle without an answer is but an empty cup when you're thirsty for wine. GUMP (pleased with this) Well spoke. True to the mark. And if it's wine you're wanting, it's wine we shall have. Honeythorn Gump strides to the rear of the overhang, and brushing away the concealing cobwebs, ferns and moss, reveals a small wooden door built into the rock itself. Gump throws open the door and bows low for Jack to enter. GUMP You be our guest, Jack. JACK (returning the bow) I'm honored, Honeythorn Gump... but no more tricks. GUMP You have me word, lad. To answer a faerie riddle deserves as much. JACK Twas the Princess Lili gave me the answer... have you seen her, by chance? GUMP I've laid eyes on no mortal but you this day, Jack. JACK I fear she's lost. GUMP Mayhap you be the one what's lost, and she safe by the castle hearth... but, come Jack, we'll warm your bones. Gump moves to the fire and pulls a burning brand from the flames. As he does so, the animal dancers subtly shift and change, their forms dissolving like mist in the morning sun, transforming into faerie creatures. The fox becomes a lithe, winged female wood nymph; the badger a squat goblin. The other animals change into a variety of pixies, gnomes and brownies, all chattering and singing in an ancient, musical tongue. Gump leads the way through the door in the rock, followed by Jack and the teasing faeries. GUMP (singing) There was a wee faerie lived under the hill, Hey, riddle-diddle and nickety-noo; And if he's nae gone he's living there still, Nickety, nackety, noo-noo-noo... INT. TUNNEL - NIGHT A narrow tunnel winds under the hill, twisting down between gnarled tree-roots and projecting splinters of ancient bone. A rickety set of wooden steps has been built in this tunnel and Gump leads the precarious way down into the earth, holding his torch on high and singing for all his worth. The other faeries tease Jack, jabbering and twitting and they pull his hair and tug at his clothing. Jack does his best to ignore them, and at the same time, maintain a brave demeanor as he struggles for balance on the creaking stairs. GUMP (singing) The name of this faerie was Honeythorn Gump, Hey, riddle-diddle and nickety-noo; The sound of his harp made the mortals all jump, Nickety, nackety, noo-noo-noo. At the stroke of midnight, in the light of the moon, Hey, riddle-diddle and nickety-noo; All the faeries dance to Honeythorn's tune, Nickety-nackety, noo-noo-noo... INT. SUBTERRANEAN HALL - NIGHT Gump guides the procession in to a vast underground hall, hung with fine tapestries and filled with all manner of odd and ancient wonders: Roman armor, bits of mosaics and marble statuary, etc. A long wooden trestle table stretches down the center of the hall, set with burning candles, bowls of fruit and nuts, golden goblets of every shape and size. Gump tosses his torch into an open, glowing fire-pit, the smoke drifting up to the shrouded tree-roots above. GUMP Here we be. And fit for a king if I say so meself. Jack is properly awed. JACK Tis splendid. I feel I must be dreaming. This delights the faeries, who twitter with laughter as they buzz around Jack, guiding him to the carved High Seat at the head of the table. GUMP Indeed, me lad. And if life is a dream, better you dread the waking. Several rows of wine casks are ranked against one wall. Gump seizes a large flagon from the table and fills it with sparkling elderberry wine. Jack sits somewhat uncomfortably in the High Seat with its ornately carved dragons and basalisks entwined about him. The beautiful wood nymph hovers by his side, smiling and whispering in his ear. Gump fills Jack's goblet from the flagon and sets about filling the others in turn down the table. Jack is embarrassed by the wood nymph's obvious attentions. JACK Make her stop it, will you Gump... please! Gump snorts. GUMP Why, Jack-lad, she likes you, is all. And what hot-blooded hero wouldn't welcome the affections of a fair nymph like Oona here...? If your blood runs so cold, boy, you be a corpse before your time. JACK What does she want from me? OONA, the wood-nymph giggles wildly and covers Jack's cheek with kisses as she hovers at his side. GUMP Fool question, lad. Drink up and warm your blood. You'll find the answer at the bottom of your cup. Gump motions with his flagon for Jack to drink, but the Green Man merely lifts his goblet and stares dolefully at the contents. GUMP Elderberry wine. No finer drink under heaven. JACK It looks... er, delicious... (sniffing his cup) Such a fine bouquet... very aromatic... GUMP Are ye afraid of me wine? Did your momma tell ye never to take food nor drink from the Wee Folk? Think if ye sup with the faeries you'll be enchanted? JACK Well... I... I don't want to be rude, but... it's generally known that -- GUMP Generally known! What general ever knew more than to lace up his boots? JACK Please don't misunderstand. I am grateful for your hospitality and -- GUMP He is afraid of enchantment! Will you listen to the fool prattle on. All the faeries and goblins burst into raucous laughter. GUMP Here the world is turned upside- down; precious summertime frozen into a wintry memory; the underworld unleashed and all spirits walk the earth at will... this be the state of things and the blamed fool won't take a sip of wine for fear of enchantment! Jack swallows his fear. He stares heard into his cup and in a single decisive moment, drains it to the bottom. The faeries all clap and cheer. Oona gives him a big hug. JACK But... but, why? GUMP Big question that, lad. Why what? JACK Why has this happened to the world? Why is it winter now, and dark? GUMP Aye. Honeythorn Gump'd be a powerful wizard indeed could he answer. JACK Don't you know? GUMP If you're looking for enchantment, Jack, that I can give thee... Gump screws up his face with concentration and gestures with his emerald ring. All at once, the carved dragons and serpents on Jack's chair seem to come alive. They writhe out of the woodwork, sinuous and evil. Jack is terrified as they wrap about him, pinning his arms and chest to the chair as Oona and the other faeries laugh with malicious glee. JACK No...! Stop it now... please! Gump snaps his fingers and the chair is but a chair again, the carved snakes mere decorations. GUMP That much magic I can offer ye, a small measure of entertainment at best. Making the world a frozen hell is beyond me modest powers. JACK Then, what's gone wrong? Why did it happen? GUMP If ye want more tricks, I'm your man, but for big questions ye must go elsewhere. JACK Don't you care about what's happened? GUMP Course we care. What good's the world locked in a season of death. Frozen up, no folks to scare out of their wits on a summer's night; no babies to tickle; no more spells to cast... Think that's an enjoyable prospect? JACK There must be an answer somewhere. GUMP True... But it won't come easy or free. If ye want to ask, ask Jenny Greenteeth. JACK Jenny Greenteeth? Who's she? At the mention of the feared name, all the faeries jabber and chatter frantically. GUMP Someone worthy of respect, lad. She be a water spirit, lives in a bog down at sea-side. Hideous creature to look at, even by my doubtful standards; devours little children, she does, when she can catch them. JACK How is it this hag knows the truth? GUMP Think there be truth only in beauty, lad? If you've the courage to ask and take care to avoid her terrible claws, Jenny Greenteeth has the answers you seek. JACK Will you lead me to her? GUMP Aye. On the morrow we go, but tonight... (he lifts his flagon high) ... tonight is for making merry. Gump drinks the flagon down. The other faeries and Jack join in the festivities, lifting their goblets in a single, raucous toast. EXT. FROZEN STREAM - DAY It is shortly after dawn, but the feeble winter sun provides little warmth or light. The gray day has the appearance of perpetual twilight. From the rear, we easily recognize Princess Lili as she moves toward the frozen stream. Her fine embroidered dress is soiled and torn, her long, unbound hair matted and stuck with burrs and twigs. She's had a rough night in the open. At the stream's edge she kneels, her back still to the CAMERA. CLOSE ON THE FROZEN STREAM Lili's furred, claw-like hand reaches out and wipes a covering of snow from the ice. The frozen surface of the stream provides an uneven mirror which makes the reflection of Lili's face appear even more monstrous. LILI The distant SOUND of LAUGHTER and SINGING, causes Lili to look up from the ice. Her face is hideously transformed. Sharp fangs jut out over her lower lip. Her nostrils are wide and flaring. Patches of hair sprout on her cheeks. Her ears are pointed. She reacts to the strange sound like an animal, sniffing the air. And, like an animal, she stealthily creeps off, ducking between the frozen trees like a carnivore stalking her prey. EXT. WOODS BY ESTUARY - DAY The SOUNDS of SINGING grow nearer as Lili creeps through the woods, hiding herself behind the trees. LILI'S POV Out of the marsh, the troop of elves and faeries is led by Gump and Jack. The procession shimmers and sparkles, and Lili shrinks back from the joyous proceedings, hiding herself in shame. EXT. ESTUARY - DAY (C.U. UNICORN'S HEAD) The severed head of the stallion unicorn lies, half- buried, in the muck. A croaking raven perches on the small stump of horn remaining, probing his beak into the hollow eye-socket. At the sound of the faeries' MUSICAL approach, the bird spreads his wings and flies off. THE FAERIES Jack and the faeries hurry to the spot where the dead unicorn lies. They body is stretched out several yards away from the severed head. No one speaks. The awesome spectacle silences the procession's glad singing. Even some of the magic sparkle seems to have left the faeries as they stand, grouped like mourners, around the dead unicorn. GUMP (sadly) Mortals at their foolish pleasure, Rob the Earth of all her treasure... Jack kneels beside the dead unicorn, dumb with sorrow. He runs has hand along the hollow flank of the fallen animal. One of the evil Baron's barbed bolts stands straight out of the unicorn's neck and Jack yanks it free with a sudden pull. He is about to hurl the weapon far out into the swamp when he thinks better of it and pushes the bolt into his belt. Gump silently motions with his head and starts away from the unicorn's body. The other faeries follow dejectedly. Jack is the last to leave, staring down at the mutilated animal as the anger inside builds to a fury. EXT. JENNY GREENTEETH'S BOG HOLE - DAY A fearful slimy place. The roots of a rotted oak twist down into the murky water like dead men's fingers. A foul green slime floats on the surface. Several splintered bones protrude from the mud at the water's edge. Gump and the faeries stop a good ways off. They can feel the potent evil of the spot and dread it. Any semblance of joy has left them. Gump's demeanor is as dour and severe as a schoolmaster's. JACK Are we here? GUMP Aye. (pointing) That foul wallow be where Jenny Greenteeth dwells. Oona... lure her out. Play the part of a girl-child. JACK What do I do? GUMP Don't get caught, that's what! She'll suck your bones like honey- comb. Gump reaches into his jerkin and produces a small ivory- mounted hand-mirror. He gives this to Jack. GUMP Here now. Toss her this when you've the chance. Jenny Greenteeth can't resist the sight of herself in a glass. She's terribly vain. Praise her beauty and you'll lull her sweet as a babe in a cradle. JACK (not so sure) And if she thinks me a liar? GUMP Fie on what she thinks! You mind her claws and teeth... Cast your spell, Oona. At Gump's command, the faerie Oona begins to spin. She twirls into an iridescent blur, surrounding herself with a cocoon of light, and when she slows, she has metamorphosed into the image of a four-year old girl with pink cheeks and golden ringlets. Skipping and singing, the transformed Oona makes her way around the edge of the bog. Jack follows, somewhat unsurely, at a safe distance. The apparition of the little girl kneels by the bank. There is a slight disturbance on the scummy surface of the water, as if a sudden, localized wind had sprung up. All at once, like a serpent rising from the depths, a bony, mottled-green arm thrusts up through the slime, the clawed fingers clutching for the child. Even as the fierce talons close on their prey, the "child" is gone in a dazzle of light and the winged, laughing Oona hovers high above the bog, looking down on the fearsome and outraged JENNY GREENTEETH. The water hag is the color of a decomposing corpse. And like a corpse, her ragged flesh and hair seem to be peeling in tatters from the emaciated body. Her nose has caved in, and her rotted lips betray a mouthful of fearsome fangs. She is furious at having been tricked and rails at Oona. JENNY (raging) Rat-spittle and toad-breath! Damned, accursed cross twixt a she- bat and a bullfrog! How dare you use Jenny Greenteeth so? Jack takes advantage of the hag's distracted fury to rush up and toss the hand mirror in front of her. JACK Forgive us... er, fair one, we wanted only to bring a gift. Jenny seizes the mirror as eagerly as if it were food. JENNY What's this now? JACK I bring you the only treasure worthy of your loveliness... for naught else in the universe rivals the reflected glory of your beauty. JENNY Well spoke, boy. You have discerning taste for one so young... Just who might you be? JACK They call me Green Jack, ma'am. JENNY Come closer then, Jack, that I might give you proper thanks. JACK Your fair smile be thanks enough. Better I stand afar to admire your beauty complete. Jenny Greenteeth cannot resist the mirror and preens before it in a hideous parody of a young woman at her toilette. JENNY Think me fair, do you, Jack? JACK The moon herself would hide behind a cloud rather than dare comparison with you... JENNY The moon is too round of face, methinks. JACK The sight of you makes flowers seem like dross. All the heavenly angels must envy your grace. JENNY I like well your conceit, Jack. Tis rare to find an honest lad in this troubled world. JACK Aye. And it is the trouble befallen us that brings me here. I entreat you to tell me the cause of our surrounding sorrow, most lovely of the lovely. JACK Dear lad, what does winter bespeak but death? It is a time of mourning. This calamity is a curse. Something wondrous and beautiful has been taken from the world. JACK A unicorn's been slain. The last stallion in all the country. JENNY Why then, there thou hast. We be lucky worse has not befallen us. Jack pulls the Baron's crossbow bolt from his belt to show to Jenny. JACK Here be the death weapon; the unicorn's blood dry upon it. JENNY Couer de Noir! A demon if the Devil ever made one. JACK He chopped off the horn and left the rest to rot. JENNY That would be the Baron's way. There'll be no light or life in the world until the alicorn is taken from him and he vanquished. JACK How do I get the horn back? JENNY You'll need the fastest steed alive, for Couer de Noir's castle rests at the very edge of the earth. Only the sharpest sword and the golden armor of Achilles will protect you from his fury. JACK Where do I find the Baron's castle? JENNY Follow the raven in her flight, Follow old black wing to the edge of night... JACK Not very precise directions. JENNY Come sit beside me, sweet boy, and I'll draw you a map. JACK Nay. Tempting as your invitation be. Tell me one thing more. JENNY Ask away, sweet man. JACK What became of the princess? JENNY (miffed) Princess? I know of no princess. JACK Princess Lili, Godwin's daughter. She was with me when calamity struck, but after I could find no trace of her. JENNY Is she fair, this princess? JACK Exceeding fair. JENNY (angry and jealous) As fair as me? JACK Twould be to compare one star with another in the summer sky. JENNY She's dead! JACK No! JENNY Dead, dead, dead. JACK I don't believe you. JENNY Far as you're concerned she's dead, believe it or not. Jack is deeply struck by this disclosure even though he doubts it. JACK This is sad news, be it true. JENNY Don't be sad, Jack, not with me here to give you cheer. JACK Tis not the time to speak of cheer. JENNY You'll visit again? JACK (sadly) As a hummingbird returns to the fairest blossom. JENNY (with a sigh) What a fine meal you'd make, be the rest of you sweet as your tongue. Jenny Greenteeth slips abruptly under the foul surface of her bog hole. Jack returns to Gump and the other faeries. JACK The princess is dead. GUMP Lamentable news, Jack... but tis the fate of the living concerns us now. JACK Did you hear? Twas the killing of the unicorn caused it. GUMP Aye. Black Baron's mischief. JACK If the horn be restored the curse is ended. GUMP Time for a champion. Can you do more than pick acorns and rob bird's nests, Jack? JACK I'll do what I have to do, for Princess Lili's sake! GUMP (clapping Jack on the back) Bravely spoke. You've the heart of a champion, true enough. JACK Twill take more than heart. Where do we find the armor of Achilles, for a start? GUMP I know where to find it. Taking possession be another matter. EXT. LINDFARNE MOUND - DAY The Lindfarne Mound, an ancient tumulus, covers almost an acre and rises, domed and treeless under a sullen sky. Wispy smoke curls from the top of the mound. A pair of black ravens circles overhead. The rag-tag procession of elves and faeries appears cautiously from out of the frozen forest and stands gazing, somewhat apprehensively, at the distant tumulus. GUMP There it be, lad. The Lindfarne Mound. Kings long forgotten lie there, lost in their final sleep. JACK Have we turned grave-robber, then? GUMP A tomb it once was, boy, and a tomb it may yet be... There's another in residence at Lindfarne now. JACK And who might that be? GUMP No less a creature than the Lindfarne Worm. At the mention of the dread name, Oona and the other faeries cringe and chatter fearfully. JACK So I'm to be a dragon-slayer, is that it? GUMP Now, Jack-lad, no one's asking ye to skewer the worm. Even St. Michael'd have a job on his hands for all that. But the serpent hoards a pile of booty, Achilles' armor among his treasures... if we find our way within the mound and him asleep... JACK Knaves and robbers... EXT. TOP OF MOUND - DAY The faeries gather around a circular opening atop the tumulus. Quantities of smoke issue from the interior. Gump ties one end of a coiled rope to a large stone. The other end is lowered into the mound. GUMP Better pray the worm's a sound sleeper, Jack. JACK You do the praying. I've work ahead. GUMP There's the spirit, lad. If ye run into trouble, give a yank here and we'll haul ye up. JACK What's left of me... How do I recognize the armor of Achilles? GUMP You'll know it when you see it... tis a splendid sight, all covered with gold... Don't fear making noise. Dragons be deaf as tree stumps. Jack takes hold of the rope and lowers himself into the smoking hole. Oona flutters over and kisses him on the cheek. OONA Courage, Jack. JACK (blushing) I pray God grants it me. GUMP No need. There be no more potent charm than a faerie's love. Embarrassed, Jack slides from sight into the hole. INT. MOUND - DAY The tomb is vast, like the arched dome of a cathedral. The curving sides are built from exquisitely fitted blocks of stone, moss-covered and dripping moisture. Suspended like a dangling spider on his filament, Jack slides down the rope into the drifting smoke. JACK'S POV Far below, the floor of the tomb is everywhere heaped with treasure. Great stacks of gold plate gleam in the half- light; mounds of gem-stones sparkle. The treasure of the faeries is a trash-pile compared with this hoard. In the midst of the splendor, the DRAGON lies sleeping, surrounded by clouds of smoke. With its horned, whiskered head and reversed, golden scales, the beast greatly resembles the symbol used in the Chinese zodiac. INT. MOUND FLOOR - DAY Jack comes to the end of his rope and drops into the treasure with a loud CRASH. The CLATTER is alarming and Jack dives for cover behind a chest brimming with rubies. The dragon has not heard a thing and continues to snore, belching smoke like a miniature volcano. Cautiously, Jack begins his search. It's a bit bewildering as there is such a quantity of wealth. Everywhere he looks more remarkable treasure is revealed. Casks of jewels, weapons worked in gold and silver, golden plates and goblets, ropes of pearls in snake-like coils. There is armor of all description, from the breastplates of ancient Rome to the winged helmets of Viking marauders. Jack is puzzled by mysterious Japanese samurai armor and amazed by the heft and weight of a huge Arabian scimitar. Search as he will, Jack can find no sign of the armor of Achilles. He burrows under mounds of gems and opens a sequence of treasure chests, discovering only more gems and yet again more treasure. The dragon MOANS unexpectedly in his sleep, causing Jack to make a terrifying discovery. JACK'S POV The sleeping dragon looms larger than a house. Smoke coils above his massive head. One scaled forelimb is extended, gleaming talons hooked like scythe blades. Gripped in the evil claw something extraordinary glitters. Wrought from pure gold and embossed with ancient and beautiful designs: it is the breastplate of Achilles. JACK approaches the sleeping monster, like a mouse creeping up on a snoring cat. But, the beauty of the golden breastplate calms him. The legendary armor is so wondrously made that Jack can only gaze upon it with awe. A fiery snort from the dragon brings him back to his senses. There's work to be done. With all the delicacy he can muster, Jack takes hold of the breastplate and tries to pry it from the dragon's grip. It's not easy. The giant serpent is fitful and groans in his sleep, grasping the armor all the tighter. Jack tugs at the breastplate with all his might and suddenly, it comes free, sending Jack tumbling over backwards. The NOISE is deafening, but it is not the sound that wakes the dragon. The mighty talons clench, disturbed by the missing armor. A single green eye, large as a dinner-plate, slides open. The whiskered mouth widens, belching fire and smoke. Enraged, the dragon rears up, venting its spleen in a torrent of unrecognizable words. The mysterious language sounds somehow Oriental, perhaps Japanese or Chinese. Jack cowers in terror, trying to dig himself into the heap of jewels like a mole scratching for cover. The dragon spots him instantly. Addressing Jack in English, he sounds like a sing-song Confucius, a Grade-B Fu Manchu. DRAGON What you do, boy? You be velly solly, come here intellupt my sleep. JACK (terrified) I didn't know... I -- DRAGON What? Speakee loud! No hear velly good. JACK (yelling) I said, I mean no harm... I thought this as empty tomb. DRAGON You come stealee tleasoo? JACK Oh, no, never... nothing like that... never crossed my mind. DRAGON No need lie, boy. I no hurt you. Do I look like I wanna hurt you? JACK Well, er... no. I mean, you don't look like dragons I've heard of. DRAGON Course not. I no flum here. I come flum Cathay. JACK Cathay? DRAGON Country fa' fa' away. To the East, beyond the lising sun... JACK East of Mercia? DRAGON You got no idee. People there lookee diffelent; speakee diffelent. Nothing the same. In my countlee I bling good luck. Makee lain and thunder. JACK You don't ravage the countryside, devouring maidens and burning the crops? DRAGON Dlagon not like that. Dlagon is spilit of life... spilit of stlength and goodness. JACK Then you'll understand my quest. An ogre named Blackheart has killed the last stag unicorn and stolen his horn. The world outside is cursed, plunged into eternal winter. Unless I return the alicorn, the earth will be frozen forever. DRAGON Flozen foleva not good. JACK It's terrible. DRAGON An' how you do it? How you rift cuss? JACK I need your help. In order to fight Blackheart, I must wear the armor of Achilles. I -- DRAGON (roaring) You come stealee tleasoo? JACK Oh no... Don't you understand? The dragon roars and swells. Flames issue from his gaping mouth and an iridescent light shimmers along his scales as his form suddenly alters and shifts, transforming from the benevolent Eastern dragon to the more familiar winged monster of Western folklore. When he speaks now, all trace of accent is gone. DRAGON Stupid, puny mortal! Do you think I suffer pilfering gladly? The dragon belches a sheet of flame straight at Jack, who rolls aside just in time, but not quickly enough to keep his clothing from being singed. JACK No, wait... please... listen... DRAGON No more listening! Your time is at an end, insignificant whelp! The dragon slashes at Jack with his fearsome claws, batting away the breastplate held before him as protection. Jack jumps back, hurling a helmet at the dragon. It bounces harmlessly off the gleaming scales. DRAGON Pray to whatever worthless god you revere! You're no more than meat to me now. Jack scrambles frantically through the piles of loot, ducking behind chests of gold as the dragon stalks him in the shadows. In his frenzied flight, his groping hand chances upon an ivory bow and a quiver of silver arrows. The dragon rears up on his hind-quarters, lashing his terrible tail, towering above Jack. Quickly, the Green Man notches an arrow and lets it fly at the dragon's throat. It bounces harmlessly off the glistening scales. Jack fires a second, and a third. Both arrows are easily deflected and fall clattering back into the treasure. DRAGON Are those gnats come to trouble me? Methinks this pesky gadfly needs swatting. The dragon leaps for Jack like a tiger pouncing on his prey, but somehow the nimble boy eludes his pursuer, diving headlong under a golden chariot. Furious, the dragon crashes about, flipping over anything in his path as he searches for Jack. THE ROPE FROM ABOVE Honeythorn Gump hangs from the dangling rope like a monkey, observing the mayhem below. Oona hovers at his side, her transparent dragonfly wings a-blur. GUMP (calling) Mind them claws, Jack. Stay out of his way. OONA Oh dear... oh dear... GUMP'S POV From above, the dragon's search for Jack resembles a raccoon flipping over rocks in a streambed hunt for crayfish. A large pile of silver and gold shields is stacked like roof-tiles and the dragon tosses them aside looking for Jack. GUMP (O.S.) (calling) Keep one jump ahead, lad. Don't waste time looking back. JACK AND THE DRAGON The dragon wrenches away a suit of jeweled armor and discovers Jack cowering underneath. A lungfull of fire sets Jack's clothing aflame as he scurries out of the way. There is no other place to hide. Jack is trapped, his back up against a massive shield. Enraged, the dragon rears above him, poised for the kill. The dark shadow of doom falls across Jack as he cowers helplessly. GUMP Running with the rope, Gump pendulums into the air, swinging back and forth across the interior of the mound. Snatching up a jeweled war-club, he swings past the dragon's head, belaboring him with the mace as he passes. GUMP Filthy worm! Have a taste o' that! Furious and distracted, the raging dragon turns his attentions to this new annoyance, swatting out with his talons as Gump swings by him. Oona buzzes round and round his smoking, fearsome head, staying just out of reach as the dragon slashes at her. GUMP Leg it, Jack! Move lad, while there's time. JACK As his companions occupy the dragon's attention, Jack crawls away on his hands and knees, searching for a new hiding place. Sticking straight out of the heaped treasure before him, a splendid sword-hilt catches his eye. It seems to glow with some inner force. The golden pommel gleams. Jack grasps the sword with both hands, rising to his feet as he draws it from the pile of jewels. The blade is near long as he is, awesome and shining with its own special light. Jack holds it in front of him like a crucifier in a religious procession. The light from the blade shines on his face, imbuing his spirit with courage and resolution. Gump and Oona continue to annoy the dragon, swinging around his head and taunting him with the insignificant blows. The dragon lashes out at them, ignoring Jack. Jack swings the mighty, shining sword back over his shoulder and rushes forward, a fierce WAR-CRY issuing from his snarling mouth. With one mighty swing, like a woodsman chopping an oak, he strikes at the dragon's hind leg, severing it at the joint. The dragon's WAIL of pain is abrupt and piercing. Blood fountains from the amputated limb as the giant serpent sways for balance. The dragon falls forward, toppling like a felled tree directly toward Jack. The Green Man stands his ground, holding his gleaming sword above his head with both hands. The dragon impales himself on the tip, driving the keen blade deep into his breast as he crashes to the ground. The sword is wrenched from Jack's hand and he jumps clear, the dragon writhing on his back in his death throes. The mighty tail continues to lash about, wreaking havoc among the treasure. Jack nimbly avoids the random slashing and leaps up onto the dragon's scaled stomach. With a mighty tug, he draws his sword from the beast's chest. A geyser of steaming blood follows the blade. The talons on the dragon's forelegs grasp and clench spasmodically but Jack ducks between them, avoiding the terrible claws. With a single backhand swing, he lops the dragon's snarling head from his neck. Copious quantities of boiling blood flush across the spread jewels. Jack lifts his sword above his head and lets out an exultant victory CRY. Above him, Gump and Oona CHEER, shouting "Bravo" and "hooray!" The dragon's head lies in a pool of blood, the forked tongue still probing the air. The great green eye slides closed. EXT. FROZEN FOREST (C.U. RABBIT) A young hare sits timidly in the sear grass, ears twitching, his large frightened eyes blink. LILI Several yards from the crouching rabbit, the Princess Lili stalks through the tall grass. We do not SEE her face, but her embroidered gown hangs in tattered rags about her. She moves with great stealth, like an animal, drawing ever-closer to the rabbit. Her limbs are completely covered by a shaggy fleece of dark hair. The rabbit is very close now. Lili's movements are like a cat's as she creeps closer and closer. All at once, in a sudden, wild movement, the girl leaps from the concealing grass and pounces on the unsuspecting hare, killing it in an instant. C.U. LILI We SEE the Princess's face for the first time now as she tears at the dead rabbit with her teeth. Fangs actually, for Lili's features are now far more animal than human. Her eyes gleam ferociously and blood smears her whiskered mouth as she eagerly devours her kill. PULL BACK to SEE Lili's hunkering form, totally bestial in its spread-leg attitude. The tattered dress seems merely a ludicrous refinement on so savage a creature. Her nails have lengthened into claws and she makes small animal noises as she tears at the rabbit's flesh. The SHADOW of a mounted rider falls across her form and she looks up, cat eyes widening in terror at what she sees. BARON The Black Baron sits on his dark charger, staring down at the cowering girl. He laughs dryly under his horned wolf mask, the black cloak whipping about him in the wind. At his side is a deadly rapier fashioned from the long twisting ivory length of the alicorn. BARON A child of nature... How delightful. LILI'S FLIGHT Terrified, Lili drops what's left of the rabbit and sprints for the woods. She is very agile, running freely like a feral cat. The Baron watches for a moment, then digs his spurs into his horse's flank and is after her. Lili runs for all she's worth, darting and zig-zagging in a frantic effort to avoid capture. For all her speed and agility she can't outrun a horse, and in moments the Baron bears down upon her, reaching low to catch the back of her torn dress and swing her up in front of him on the saddle. BARON AND LILI Lili claws and scratches, ripping at the Baron as she fights to be free. Her efforts only elicit laughter from her captor as he easily pins her struggling arms. BARON I like your spirit. I like things wild and free. More of a challenge... Don't worry, my pet, I'll soon have you housebroke. Laughing his evil laugh, the Baron clutches the struggling animal/girl tightly to his chest and gallops away into the frozen woods. INT. LINDFARNE MOUND - DAY All the faeries have gathered for a great feast. The dragon's severed head is set upright on a pike. Haunches of spitted dragon meat turn slowly over a bed of coals. Much of the treasure has been gathered into sacks and stands by the rope like harvest grain awaiting transport. Several gnomes and elves are busy hoisting the sacks up out of the mound. Jack and the other faeries sit on the dragon's carcass, feasting and swilling wine from golden goblets. Jack wears the armor of Achilles and in it he is transformed from a wild hermit to a valiant knight. The others wear bits and pieces of bejeweled armor plucked from the treasure hoard. Gump has on a horned Viking helmet which fits him badly. Another imp, a monkey-faced elf named SCREWBALL, wears the helm of a Roman legionnaire. Everyone is singing. FAERIES (ALL TOGETHER) (singing) The dragon's breath is made of fire, His heart be black with sin, sin, sin. But, his meat's as sweet as any desire, After you've lifted his skin, skin, skin... The faeries laugh and cavort. Gump waves a sizzling lump of dragon meat in the air. GUMP There be no finer victuals than worm flesh, lad. JACK Better we eat him than the other way round. SCREWBALL Keep me belly full, Jack. Kill us another worm. GUMP Hush up, Screwball. Do your own worm-sticking if you like the taste so well. SCREWBALL Nay. Jack's the dragon-slayer, ain't you, Jack. JACK By the grace of God. GUMP No false modesty, lad. You're a proper champion. Achilles' armor sits on you like it was forged to fit. OONA And the sword... surely that was providence. SCREWBALL They don't come no sharper. Jack lifts the incredible sword, studying its length before laying it against the fallen dragon. JACK I believe this is a sword such as the archangels wield. Surely St. Michael had so fine a blade when he drove the serpent from heaven. GUMP Well then, you've got the sword and you've got the armor; all's lacking is the steed. SCREWBALL The fastest in the world. JACK I know where to find him... He lies out on the marsh, raven-fodder; his horn torn from his head. GUMP True, lad, the stallion's gone, but the mare still lives. Jack smiles: this is a happy truth. SCREWBALL She be fastest now. OONA Can you find her, Jack? JACK I know where to look. EXT. GLADE IN FOREST - DAY An isolated glade deep in the frozen forest. Icicles hang like frozen daggers from the surrounding trees. A light dusting of snow powders the ground. No birds sing. All is silent and still. Jack, Gump, Screwball and Oona creep through the ice- coated underbrush. Screwball is clumsy and crashes over several gelid ferns which break like shattering crystal. JACK Shhhh! GUMP Screwball! You dolt! I've a mind to change you into a toad. SCREWBALL Sorry. OONA He's already half toad, if you ask me. JACK This is not the time for squabbling. OONA Sorry. The foursome, all clad in armor, continue silently to the edge of the glade. They conceal themselves behind the trunk of a huge, gnarled oak. The glade is empty. SCREWBALL What do we do now? JACK We wait. Disgruntled, the faeries settle down to wait. Jack removes his helmet and rests against the treetrunk. Oona nestles by his side, tittering softly and tickling his neck. Jack does his best to ignore her. Oona grows more playful, whispering and giggling at Jack's annoyance. GUMP Shhhh! OONA You shush. JACK What is it? GUMP Something's coming. Indeed, an animal can clearly be heard approaching the glade; a crunch of footfalls on the frozen ground and the icy crack of branches snapping. Jack and his companions peer around the tree trunk. JACK'S POV A shaft of pale sunlight pierces through the cloud-cover and angles down into the glade at the moment the mare unicorn steps out of the underbrush. The light glows on her milk-white hide and her rounded, swollen flanks. Slowly, with modesty and a certain dignified stride, the mare moves to the center of the glade and settles herself down, drawing her legs beneath her. SCREWBALL (O.S.) What's she doing? JACK (O.S.) I think she's about to foal. JACK AND THE FAERIES as they stare in awe at the resting unicorn. Even the demented Screwball has a silly smile on his face. GUMP Pregnant, is she? JACK It would appear so. OONA How wonderful. They are suddenly interrupted by the LOUD HOWLING of wolves. The plaintive WAIL stabs through the cold air like a cry from Hell. GUMP Wolves! OONA No! SCREWBALL They want the mare. Jack draws his gleaming sword. JACK Damn them! GUMP Careful, lad. The wolves' HOWLING grows LOUDER. JACK Evil brutes. Shant work their mischief here. GLADE Sword in hand, Jack steps out into the clearing. The mare unicorn is startled by his sudden appearance but makes no effort to rise. JACK It's all right, girl. I won't hurt you. The unicorn is soothed by Jack's words and seems to recognize him. Jack places the tip of his sword on the ground and stands waiting, hands folded on the pommel, patient as a statue. Ghostlike in their silent stealth, the wolves materialize along the edge of the glade. Large and gray, their amber eyes glowing, the wolves begin to circle, moving closer to their prey. Jack readies himself, holding his sword in both hands. With his tail curled high, the leader of the pack snarls and rushes for the mare. Jack cuts him off, sending him flying with a swift sword stroke. The leader's charge provokes an all-out attack. The wolves close in HOWLING from all sides. Jack wields his great sword like a berserk, chopping and slashing, driving the furious wolves away from the mare. Busy fighting three of the brutes, he doesn't notice the wounded leader creeping behind him. The leader springs, jumping on Jack's back, tearing at his neck with his fangs. SCREWBALL IN TREETOP Screwball has climbed one of the surrounding trees, bringing his bow and arrows with him. He SEES the wolf attacking Jack. SCREWBALL (calling out) Steady, Jack. Screwball draws his bow, aims quickly, and shoots. JACK is powerless against the huge wolf mauling him from behind. Only the golden armor he wears protects him from the terrible claws. Screwball's arrow finds its mark, straight between the animal's shoulder blades. The wolf cries out once and drops lifeless from Jack's back. Jack waves gratefully at the faerie. JACK (calling) I'm in your debt, Screwball. SCREWBALL (O.S.) (calling back) Watch behind or I'll never collect on it! Jack spins about in time to see the leader's mate charge savagely. The wolf leaps, a high, acrobatic arc whose trajectory moves from a blur of gray fur to the precise delineation of cold yellow eyes, lolling tongue and wicked, gleaming fangs. Jack lifts his sword as the wolf lands on his shoulders and chest. Falling backwards, Jack thrusts up and the tip on his blade impales the wolf as they drop to the ground. Tossing the squirming animal as a farmer would a fork-load of hay, Jack flips the wolf over his head. Scrambling to his knees, he delivers the death-stroke with swift efficiency. Standing over the dead wolves, sword in hand, his breastplate drenched in their blood, Jack is terrible to behold. The others in the pack sense they have been beaten and slink whimpering back into the woods, tails abjectly hooked between their legs. Gump, Screwball and Oona dart from their hiding places. They jump and leap about Jack, chattering happily. GUMP Well done, lad. Stout heart. SCREWBALL Wolf-slayer, worm-sticker... give a cheer for the champion! OONA Were I a mortal girl, Jack, methinks I'd be in love with you. JACK Then I'd kiss you without turning my garments inside-out and sewing bells all over. OONA No need for bells, Jack. I'll nay enchant ye. Oona stops her teasing and points to the unicorn, a look of utter wonder replacing the mischief on her face. OONA Oh, look! THE UNICORN - OONA'S POV A baby unicorn has been born; coal black with the first stump of a horn showing on his forehead. The foal lies beside his mother, who licks the blood from his shining, moist coat. OONA (O.S.) Isn't he beautiful. FAERIES AND UNICORN Jack and the faeries move closer to the unicorn. There is something holy about the scene, like an Adoration. GUMP A wee stallion. Jack drops to his knees before the mare. JACK Praise be to God. SCREWBALL Small miracles better than no miracles... OONA Such a sad world, be there no unicorns to brighten it. JACK No fear of that now. GUMP Aye. This wee stud'll beget a line of champions. The faeries kneel with Jack before the unicorn and her foal. The mare regards them without fear, recognizing friends. Stretching out her neck to Jack, she allows him to pet her and scratch behind her ears. JACK You're shy and pretty, little mother... You deserve a pretty name... I'll call you Sapphire, for your eyes shine so... EXT. FAERIES' CAMP - DAY The SOUND of swords clashing and the SHOUTING of tiny voices CARRIES OVER to the faeries' make-shift military camp. Colorful tents stand under frozen trees, pennants snapping in the icy wind. A small army of elves, imps, goblins, gnomes and faeries has gathered, all decked out in various odd bits of armor recovered from the dragon's lair. Groups of these tiny folk are engaged in martial training, practicing with swords, lances and bows. As we MOVE through the camp amid this mock mayhem, certain isolated incidents attract our attention: Two goblins duel furiously, sweating and panting under the weight of their ill-matched armor. They are clearly exhausted. As the other elves continue slashing at one another, these two take time out; one leaning against a tree trunk while the other folds his arms in repose. But, their swords CONTINUE to duel, alone in mid-air, the blades crashing together MAGICALLY like iron birds. Another group practices archery, aiming their tiny arrows at a straw scarecrow some distance away. They are extremely accurate, puncturing the dummy in a dozen vital spots. When the last arrow strikes, instead of retrieving them, the faeries stand their ground. One-by-one, the arrows PULL FREE from the scarecrow and FLY back unaided through the air to land safely in their owner's quivers. Two huge knights, each over seven feet, slug it out in full armor with battle axes. They bash away at one- another, until a fearsome blow literally cuts one in half. The upper portion of the bisected knight topples to the ground with a LOUD CLANG. The two armored legs remain erect, swaying slightly like trees in the wind. Suddenly, a tiny head appears above the left cuisse. It is an elf. He is LAUGHING. Another elf pops his head out of the right-hand cuisse and the two "legs" hop off in opposite directions. The fallen armor also comes apart: one gnome in the breastplate; another lifting the helm from the gorget. The victorious "knight" likewise begins to disassemble, revealing a number of LAUGHING elves within, like clowns performing a carnival prank. EXT. HILL ABOVE CAMP - DAY Jack surveys his elfin army from the crest of the hill. He is mounted bareback on Sapphire, the mare unicorn, and rides easily without reins or bridle. The tiny black foal trots alongside his mother, and beside it pants an angry Gump. GUMP Don't see why I can't ride, too! I'm second in command, damn it! JACK The colt's still too small. GUMP I'm small... and I can make myself smaller still... Small as a bee! Small as dust...! Want to see me do it? JACK We've no time for tricks this day, Honeythorn Gump. GUMP Tricks, is it? Why I'll trick ye! Ungrateful whelp! I'll sour your milk and bird droppings'll fall from the sky wherever ye walk. JACK Save your mischief for the Black Baron. GUMP Aye! That too. JACK You'll need more than bird droppings for Blackheart. GUMP I'll drop a cow on the knave! JACK Drop a mountain on him and we won't need our troops. They laugh together, feeling confident. GUMP Fine-looking army. JACK We march on Castle Couer de Noir within the hour. GUMP How do you plan on finding this here castle, if ye don't mind me asking? JACK A true and troubling question, Gump... We'll start from where the unicorn was killed. The Baron must have left a trail. GUMP Track the demon to his lair. JACK Aye. And hang his foul hide up like dirty laundry for the drying. EXT. THE FROZEN WOODS - DAY The rag-tag army of faeries on the march. Jack rides at the head of the column on Sapphire. Gump has had his way and is mounted on the colt, who trots obediently by his mother's side. The other elves and faeries are either on foot or mounted on an odd array of wild animals. Deer, foxes, rabbits, each serves as a steed for a tiny warrior. Bright banners undulate from numbers of lance tips. A variety of armor glistens in the pale wintry sun. Overhead, Oona and several other small nymphs ride on flying songbirds. As they march and ride, all the faerie folk are singing, their voices high and clear, shimmering like wind over a moonlit lake; precise as birdsong; haunting as an echo. FAERIE TROOP (ALL TOGETHER) (singing) The sky is high, the world is wide, Beneath the flowers faeries hide. The ocean's deep, the moon's asleep; In Oberon's care our souls will keep. The stars are cold, the Gods are old, Our heroes all be brave and bold. The Devil's sly, the end is nigh, Wicked ogres too must die. EXT. ESTUARY - DAY The SINGING CARRIES OVER as the faeries move out of the woods onto the frozen estuary. Jack urges the mare unicorn ahead of the procession. FAERIE TROOP (ALL TOGETHER) (singing) The trees are green; spirits unseen, The world we know is but a dream... THE DEAD UNICORN Jack rides Sapphire near where the body of her mate lies decomposing. As before, a black raven perches on the stallion's skull. The bird emits a vile CROAK as Jack approaches. Alarmed by the raven and the sight of her dead mate, the unicorn rears on her hind legs. Jack clings to the animal's mane. The raven CROAKS. C.U. RAVEN The large bird spreads his wings, RASPING and CROAKING at the rearing unicorn and rider. For a single, horrifying moment, the raven appears to alter and change, transmuting into a HARPY. In place of the bird's head and bill is a visage resembling both skull and snake. Talons appear to be gnarled feet and a pair of distinctly human breasts sprout from between the sooty feathers. HARPY Beware... beware... The harpy takes wing, CROAKING. JACK struggles to control the frantic unicorn. Gump and the other faeries ride up as Jack quiets the animal. GUMP Trouble, Jack? Jack points at the raven flying high over the treetops. JACK We must follow that bird. GUMP Whatever for? JACK Jenny Greenteeth said: "Follow the raven in her flight..." GUMP Aye. Said to follow it to the edge of night. But is this the right bird? JACK I'm sure. It spoke to me. GUMP Birds speak to me all the time. What did it say? JACK Beware. GUMP Sounds like the bird we want. (calling to troops) All right lads, follow yon raven! The troop of faeries shout and laugh, eagerly pursing the raven. EXT. EDGE OF THE FOREST - DAY The faerie troop rides to the edge of the wintry forest. Their spirits are still high, but something about the mood of the place takes hold. The singing stops. Bright laughter fades. Screwball, a WORRIED ELF and a NERVOUS GOBLIN ride side- by-side into the frightening forest. They make an odd trio, mounted as they are upon a fox, a hare and a badger. Arthritic tree branches twist grotesquely above them in the gloom. WORRIED ELF Something I don't like about this place. SCREWBALL Me too. No babies to pinch. Haven't pinched a baby in so long, probably lost my touch. NERVOUS GOBLIN Everything's a joke, Screwball? Laugh your life away. SCREWBALL Laugh's better'n stubbing your toe. NERVOUS GOBLIN Go on. Joke it up while evil magic weaves a spell about you. SCREWBALL What's the matter? Fraid of the big, dark woods? WORRIED ELF (pointing) Look! The elf points to a gnarled tree trunk. At a second glance, it appears to be the body of a man, twisted in petrified pain, his mouth open and howling a silent scream. The three riders draw up short, staring in amazement at the curious shapes of the trees surrounding them. NERVOUS GOBLIN Over there! Another! WORRIED ELF This is sorcerer's work! All the trees bear an uncanny resemblance to human figures contorted by severe pain. These are not the curious deformities of nature but actual, living beings transformed into trees. Terrified, Screwball gallops his fox frantically back to the rear of the column. SCREWBALL Help! Jack! Gump! Preserve poor me! The other two faeries are quick to follow. NERVOUS GOBLIN Wait! REAR OF COLUMN Jack and Gump ride at the rear of the column, threading single-file along the narrow trail through the dark, forbidding woods. GUMP How do we follow a raven we can't even see? JACK Send Oona up above the tree tops. She be our eyes. GUMP Good plan that. All at once. Screwball and his two frightened companions come charging down the trail, causing the other faeries to scramble out of their way. This precipitates a certain grumbling: "Watch out! Be careful! Mind where you're going, etc." SCREWBALL Master Jack! Master Jack! These woods are alive! They're alive! JACK Of course they're alive. All nature is living. GUMP Barely living, from the looks of it. SCREWBALL No, no, no... this is different! NERVOUS GOBLIN This is evil! Black magic! WORRIED ELF Sorcery! JACK Where? SCREWBALL Up ahead! JACK Come on, Gump, let's have a look at this witchcraft. Jack nudges the mare unicorn and she sprints ahead in a gallop. Gump is right behind, trotting on the colt. The other three follow, less enthusiastically, on their animal mounts. Once again, the other faeries have to make way on the trail. This time there is fist shaking and outright epithets as they charge through. OTHER FAERIES Swine...! Toad eaters...! Maggots...! Vermin...! etc. etc... EXT. DEFORMED TREES - DAY Jack pulls the mare to a stop in the grove of malformed trees. He jumps to the ground and has a closer look at these curiosities. Gump and the others ride up behind. SCREWBALL You see! You see! GUMP These chaps'll need a woodpecker to pick their teeth. Jack pauses before a familiar tree, studying the grieved features molded into the bark. JACK Why, this is King Godwin, Princess Lili's father. King Godwin and all his mounting party... even the hounds. See the lymers and alaunts! Jack points to several tree stumps shaped like frantic hounds. SCREWBALL Never cared much for dogs. Always chasing the wee folk, they are... Think I'll lift my leg on one; see how he likes the tables turned. Screwball saunters over to a dog-shaped root, untying his cod-piece as threatened. Jack draws his gleaming sword. JACK This is ogre's magic. GUMP Blackheart? JACK Aye. He's enchanted the lot of them. His reward for delivering the unicorn. GUMP Foul fellow, this Couer de Noir. JACK The foulest. Mayhap I can cut them free. GUMP (shouting) Jack, don't! Gump's warning comes too late. Jack swings his mighty sword, driving the blade deep into a tree trunk resembling one of the hunters. The air is rent by a piercing SCREAM. Bright red blood gushes from where the sword cut the bark, flowing in a crimson stream down the trunk. JACK Dear God, forgive me. The sight of the rushing blood unnerves even the boldest faerie. Screwball fumbles with his cod-piece, full of embarrassment and fear. SCREWBALL Oh dear... oh dear... I hope dogs have shorter memories than trees. Jack scrambles on the ground, grabbing up handfuls of moss and mud. JACK Hurry! Gump, lend a hand. Gump rushes to assist him and they press gobs of moss into the flowing wound. At first it is like attempting to stem the flood of a leaking dam, the blood continues to ooze through their fingers and pour down the tree. The contorted expression of the hunter imprisoned within the bark looks evermore tormented. GUMP (grunting) Worse than the battlefield. JACK What know you of fields of war? GUMP Ofttimes, the wee folk come out to tend the wounded... staunch bleeding with cobwebs... give a parched mouth a sip of dew... cool a fevered brow... The applications of mud and moss begin to work. The bleeding from the bark abates. JACK There... it seems to quit... I'll wager that war held other attractions quite apart from nursing. GUMP Well... if the knight be already dead; what harm is there in... borrowing a thing or two? JACK Stealing his arms? SCREWBALL What can you steal from a man already lost his life? JACK His honor, I suppose... seeing he no longer can defend it. Jack is disgusted with the faeries. He picks up his sword and stalks away, leaving Gump and Screwball perplexed by his piety. EXT. SKY - EVENING The feeble sun is setting, like the pale-yellow yolk of a diseased egg. A small, swift bird, perhaps a swallow, clips along erratically through the cloudless, pearl-gray sky. C.U. BIRD Oona clings to the back of the darting bird. Her own gossamer wings, still and half-folded now, resemble those of an exotic butterfly. She rides the bird as one would a flying horse, hanging on to the neck feathers and shading her eyes with her free hand as she strains to observe something moving in the distance. OONA'S POV She is watching the raven, which no longer resembles a harpy, but is now simply a large, black bird. It flies with determined wing-beats, straight for a sharply pointed stone pinnacle rising above the treetops. The raven circles this monument once, then lands on the uppermost crag, folding his wings for the night. OONA AND THE BIRD Holding tight with both hands, Oona urges the bird into a sharp dive. It swoops like a falling arrow straight into the tangle of tree branches below. EXT. FOREST TRAIL - EVENING Jack rides silently at the head of the procession. He seems locked deep within himself. Gump and Screwball trot alongside, obviously uncomfortable with Jack's somber brooding. Neither of the faeries has the heart to break the oppressive silence. All at once, the bird darts down out of the trees above, circles twittering, and glides in for a perfect landing on Jack's shoulder. Oona dismounts; rather, she herself flutters delicately into the air and flies over to Jack's other shoulder. She caresses his cheek and whispers softly into his ear. GUMP (impatiently) What's she say...? What's she say? Oona makes a disagreeable face at Gump. Jack reaches up and she hops into his hand with a smile. JACK Oona tells me the raven has roosted for the night on a sharp stone spire some half a mile distance. GUMP That would be Devil's Needle. Last landmark I know in these woods. SCREWBALL Ogg lives there...! And Thurgis! GUMP Screwball! Be quiet...! We have friends live 'neath the Needle. They'll no doubt provide safe refuge for the night. JACK Good. GUMP Beyond Devil's Needle, all is unknown. EXT. CAVE MOUTH AT BASE OF NEEDLE - EVENING The Needle towers up above the trees straight and smooth, a curiosity of nature resembling a man-made structure. At the base of the rock is the opening to a cave. With its yawning shape and sharp overhanging row of teeth-like stalactites, it has the appearance of a gigantic, devouring mouth. The faerie troop rides up and dismounts. A number of human skulls litter the ground, grinning through the curved spokes of several bleached ribcages. JACK Twould appear other travelers precede us. GUMP Nay, Jack, tis not what you're thinking. JACK I trust our own welcome will be more hospitable. GUMP Jack, Jack, it's dwarves live here. Hard-working chaps. Hammering in the forge all the live-long day. Make the most wondrous things, they do. Jack stoops, picking a skull off the ground. JACK And this? Some of their handiwork? GUMP Nay. That's but to distract the casual visitor. A dwarf is too busy to suffer fools gladly. JACK Better to kill than be disturbed. GUMP Your imagination runs away with you, Jack... Those bones be but battlefield gleanings, like I mentioned. A wee bit of carrion to frighten off the uninvited. JACK Here is a bold champion's reward; to serve as a dwarf's doorstop. Jack tosses the skull back to the ground, his face flushed with anger. SCREWBALL What care the bones when the soul is free? JACK (scornfully) Bah! You faeries have the morals of ferrets. GUMP You do the ferrets grave injustice, Jack. (staring into the cave) But come... best settled 'fore dark. This is inhospitable country at night. All manner of spriggen and banshee and bogies walk these woods after sunset. Gump leads the way into the cave. Jack and the others follow. INT. CAVE - EVENING Stalactites twist down like fangs from above as Gump leads the way through the underground labyrinth. Screwball walks at his side, a flaming candle-stub stuck to the top of his outlandish Roman helmet. Jack is right behind and the other faeries are strung out in the rear, some carrying torches, some candle-lanterns, others merely lighting the way with their own mysterious foxfire glow. Turning a final corner, the procession comes to a huge golden gong hanging on the cave wall, a wooden mallet beside it. GUMP We wait here. Those that come this far be considered guests. The others... well, many false twists and turns lure them astray. Gump delivers the gong a smart mallet blow. A surprisingly musical note echoes and re-echoes down maze- like passages. JACK Nice piece of work. GUMP Pure gold it is... plays a different note every time. Gump strikes the gong again. The pure, musical sound is indeed different as it reverberates among the stalactites. GUMP See? Gump strikes it a third time. Another note, even more beautiful, echoes with the sound, forming a melodic chord within the cave. From around the bend a dwarf suddenly appears. This is OGG. He is short, muscular fellow with a gray, waist- length beard covering his naked chest. His leather blacksmith's apron reaches all the way to the ground, concealing his feet. OGG Enough... enough... Do you mean to deafen us with your infernal hammering? Gump steps forward and takes the dwarf fondly by the hand. GUMP Friend Ogg. Excuse our enthusiasm, occasioned as it was by a fondness for you. OGG Honeythorn Gump, is it? I've not seen your ugly face since you sold me a jug of cow piss claiming it was dragon's tears. GUMP Well, bygones're bygones, I always say. OGG Or was it the time you and Jimmy Squarefoot stole the golden apples I'd forged. GUMP Twas Jimmy done that, I merely stood for the blame unfairly... but, here now, Ogg, this be no time to rehash old differences, I've friends along in need of safe haven for the night. OGG Who might these friends be? GUMP Screwball you know, and many other of the wee folk. We serve as escort for our grand champion, Jack o' the Green. Gump nods at Jack who bows politely. JACK Honored to make your acquaintance. OGG Grand champion, is it? And what great cause leads you to me? JACK We seek the ogre, Baron Couer de Noir. He slew a unicorn and plunged the world into eternal winter. OGG Thought the weather terrible of late. GUMP We seek to undo the curse. SCREWBALL Gonna make ogre-stew! OGG Any enemy of Blackheart's a friend of mine... Come on then, there's a bit of soup left and clean straw to lie in. Ogg vanishes, abruptly as he came. Gump motions for the others to follow, leading them around the corner. INT. FURTHER ALONG THE CAVE - NIGHT Ogg is far in the distance. Although his looks are deceptive, he is very agile and makes much better time underground than the other faeries. Suddenly, Jack stops short. He grabs Gump's arm and points to the sandy cave floor. JACK My God! Look! GUMP Something the matter? JACK (pointing) Ogg's footprints! C.U. FOOTPRINTS Etched cleanly in the sand are Ogg's peculiar footprints, leading forward into the depths of the cave. They are quite obviously the three-pronged prints of a large bird, such as a goose. GUMP (O.S.) Shhh! Not so loud, mayhap he'll hear ye. JACK AND GUMP GUMP Dwarves be very sensitive about their feet. JACK Certainly understandable. GUMP Very secretive, they are. Keep their feet covered up. Best if you don't mention it. Far down the passage, Ogg waves his arm impatiently. OGG (calling) Step lively now! JACK His feet shall never cross my lips. GUMP I should hope not! JACK Gump, you're putting words in my mouth. The two hurry along the passageway to catch up with Ogg and the others. GUMP Words be a far sight better than a dwarf's foot. INT. DWARVES WORKSHOP - NIGHT An underground Medieval factory. A row of glowing open hearth furnaces cast a vivid molten light across a dozen forges. Everywhere, dwarves are at work, hammering on anvils, heating metal with tongs, pumping bellows and trip-hammers; all wearing beards and floor-length leather aprons. The ROAR and CLANG of industry fills the air. The faerie troops recline in shadowy niches along the back wall, eating and getting ready for sleep. Candles flicker, contrasting with the occasional will-o-the-wisp dazzle of faerie light. Ogg guides Jack and Gump on a tour of the workshop, past bellows and furnaces without a word. Jack has a bowl of gruel and a wooden spoon. He eats with relish. Gump slurps at a dripping honeycomb. INT. THURGIS' FORGE - NIGHT Ogg leads Jack and Gump to a forge set somewhat apart from the others. THURGIS is a hunch-backed dwarf busy shaping a white-hot sword blade on his anvil. A barely perceptible nod is his only greeting to the visitors. Rows of impeccably finished weapons, spears, swords and axes, stand stacked along the wall. Hanging above are magnificent golden shields and helmets. Jack puts down his bowl and examines the weapons as Thurgis plunges his glowing blade into a vat of blood. The HISS of steam is like a cry of pain. OGG (to Jack) Can't beat dragon's blood for curing a blade... Cousin Thurgis be co- master here. Thurgis studies the newly-tempered sword-blade, then arches an eyebrow as he regards Jack inspecting the finished goods. THURGIS Each fit for a hero... My uncle fashioned a hammer for Thor. Twas he named it Mjolnir. Grandfather forged Excalibur... You won't ever see finer craftsmanship. JACK Oh, but I have. Smiling, Jack draws his sword and hands it, pommel first, to Thurgis. The dwarf examines the weapon, admiring the keen edge. THURGIS How came you by this blade? JACK I slew the Lindfarne Worm with it. GUMP Jack's a grand champion. THURGIS He wields a champion's sword, true. I know the work... fine work... Stagnar's work. This is the sword called "The Avatar." Thurgis hands Jack back the sword. He regards it with wonder. JACK The Avatar. I like the sound of it. THURGIS Sigurd the Volsung slew Fafnir with that blade... See the line where Regin welded the break? Jack runs his thumb over the weld. JACK (in awe) Sigurd's sword... OGG Another hero's hand-me-down... Thurgis, note the armor; tis Greek work. Thurgis runs his hands over the decorative bas-relief hammered into Jack's breastplate. THURGIS Uhm... fine work. JACK Achilles wore it before the gates of Troy. THURGIS You're well equipped, I'd say. Legendary arms... OGG Takes more than a good sword to make a hero. Jack slides the sword back in its scabbard. JACK I pray always to be worthy of it. GUMP Stoutly spoke, lad. These dwarves be sore grouches... Pay no heed to their spiteful grumbling. Gump grabs Jack by the arm and leads him away from the forge. JACK (calling back) I do thank you for your hospitality. The dwarves make no reply, but stand solemnly watching as Gump and Jack leave the workshop. INT. JACK'S SLEEPING NICHE - NIGHT Jack sits on the straw-pile unbuckling his breastplate. Gump helps him to remove his greaves. The fabled sword leans an arm-length away. GUMP Don't let this talk of heroes upset you, Jack. Sigurd's sword is no great thing. The Volsung killed Fafnir. You killed Lindfarne. That's one worm apiece... I'd say you and Sigurd were neck-and-neck. JACK We're not in a tournament, Gump. (lying back in the straw) Ah, but a sword twice tempered in the blood of living dragons... GUMP Tis not the sword that counts, but the man what swings it. (Gump rises to leave) Rest easy, Jack. JACK God protect you, Honeythorn Gump. GUMP Your strong right arm's all the protection I'll need this night. Gump wonders off. Jack arranges his bedding so it suits him. He places his sword close by the pillow and turns to blow out the candle. He is distracted by the glow of faerie light and a musical presence. This is Oona. OONA Do you always sleep with your sword, Jack? Oona kneels beside his bedside. JACK Never even had a sword in my hand until yesterday. OONA Then, tis not for chastity? Methought you kept a naked blade twixt you and any maiden chanced spend the night. JACK I live in an abandoned fox den neath the roots of a thousand-year-old oak. My bed is pine boughs and rabbit skins. There's no need of weaponry to keep the maids away. OONA I'm partial to oaks, as are all faerie folk. Mayn't I come visit sometime? JACK I'd be honored. OONA Only that? JACK And charmed, of course. OONA Fie! Don't speak of charms. I should charm you for being so dull- witted. JACK I had no thought of offending you, Oona. OONA Do I not please you, Jack? JACK In every way. OONA And am I not fair? JACK Wondrously so. OONA Then why do you speak sweeter words to Jenny Greenteeth? JACK That was in jest. OONA Jest with me then. JACK How so? OONA Tell me I'm fair, as you did the hag. JACK You are fair as the first new flower of spring... OONA And sweet? JACK Sweeter than bee pollen on a summer wind. OONA Pray you be sweet as your words, dear Jack. Oona moves close to Jack, kissing his lips as a soft cocoon of faerie light engulfs them. Nearly enchanted, Jack pushes away. JACK Nay, Oona, tis not possible. OONA A faerie's love makes anything possible. JACK I'm promised to another! OONA What shape I take matters not. Long you for another? I'll give you your heart's desire. The faerie light burns brightly around Oona, surrounding her like a chrysalis as she alters and shifts, transforming into a grown woman. When she steps forward, parting the curtain of light like a niade stepping through a waterfall, it is the Princess Lili who appears. JACK Lili! OONA/LILI Come then, Green Jack, you've promises to keep... Oona/Lili moves closer to Jack, running her hand behind his neck, embracing him. JACK No... this isn't real... OONA/LILI Oh, but it is... I'm warm and alive and happy to be in your arms. Furiously, Jack thrusts her aside. JACK I'll not be enchanted! This is foul magic...! What an abhorrent creature would I be to dally with faeries guised as my beloved when the Princess herself has suffered God knows what fate. C.U. OONA/LILI OONA/LILI (harsh and spiteful) I wish I could show you that fate... Your precious princess! I wish you could see her now! CUT TO: INT. BARON'S CASTLE - NIGHT (C.U. LILI) Lili has completely transformed into a savage beast. Fur covers her face, her ears are pointed. Sharp fangs punctuate her lips. Only her eyes still seem human and afraid. LILI (very frightened) Please... kill me if you must... It would be a gift. PULL BACK to show the dark room, windows shrouded by heavy black drapes. Thousands of candles drip and sputter, casting a flickering light across the clammy stone walls. The Baron stands before the cowering Lili, wearing his mask and wrapped in his cloak. In his gloved right hand he holds a whip. BARON My generosity is not so large as that. LILI What do you want with me? BARON Your love. LILI Your words sting more sharply than your whip. BARON I speak of love, and you think only of the lash. LILI You are cruel! Your heartless jesting worse than torture! How can you speak of love when you see what I am! BARON I like well what I see. It pleases me. LILI But I'm hideous! BARON You're magnificent. LILI Grotesque... monstrous... BARON On the contrary! The puling, pallid creature you were before was truly something disgusting. Now you are splendid... a fierce goddess... the embodiment of all that is strong and beautiful. LILI You lie! You wish to humiliate me, as if the form I'm forced to bear were not punishment enough! BARON You should glory in your animal nature. It is your triumph! None know that better than I! The Baron rips off his mask. Beneath is a savage face, half-wolf, half-goat, with a pair of curling horns poised above. Lili SCREAMS. LILI God protect me. BARON Not from me, surely... LILI You... you're a beast! BARON We're all of us beasts, my dear. Only most are afraid to show it. LILI And you... are you not also afraid? BARON I am afraid of nothing. LILI Then why hide behind a mask? You are ashamed! BARON (laughing) I know no more of shame than I do of fear. I wear this mask not for concealment but protection. LILI Protection? BARON I am a creature of darkness. I require the shadow's solace and the black of night... Sunlight is abhorrent to me... I cover myself completely whenever I venture forth in daylight... Sunshine is my destroyer. LILI Like some vile toadstool. BARON I prefer to think, more like the sagacious owl. LILI Do you feed on mice and rats? BARON I prefer a plump capon, but will happily serve you rats if they're to your liking. LILI Why have you brought me here? BARON To be my bride, of course. LILI I'd soon die. The Baron uncoils his sinister whip. BARON That is your choice, my dear. A wedding will be far more swift, I assure you. The Baron strikes out at Lili with his whip. It cracks in the air close by her and she leaps back. LILI Damn you! BARON We're both of us damned, my beauty. Lili rushes to the window and pulls apart the heavy black drapes. A shaft of sunlight knifes across the shadowy room and strikes the Baron like a bolt from Heaven. He reels from the force, grimacing in pain. There is a note of triumph is Lili's shrill laughter. LILI (laughing) Toadstool! The Baron cringes in the light. He lifts his thick cloak to shield himself and quickly pulls on his mask. This done, he retrieves his whip and advances on the cowering princess. BARON Bold and plucky. I admire your spirit, Princess, almost as much as I lust for your savage, feline beauty. Princess Lili jumps up onto the window ledge, glancing down at the rocks far below. LILI I'm not afraid to jump. I'd prefer that to being with you! The Baron makes no reply, but strikes unexpectedly with his whip. The lash coils around Lili's neck and pulls her off balance, yanking her back into the room. She falls on her knees at the Baron's feet. BARON When the time's come, you won't need to jump, I'll throw you out myself! LILI Do it now! BARON No. Now is the time for discipline. Some lessons in obedience for the future Baroness. The Baron slashes Lili cruelly with the whip. She CRIES OUT in pain. BARON Not as sweet as my caress. The Baron strikes her again. LILI Jack... Oh, Jack... Help me... BARON Too bad your precious Jack can't hear you... the damsel in distress... A rescue attempt would be most amusing... We could flay sweet Jack alive as an after-dinner entertainment... The Baron punctuates each bitter phrase with a stroke of the lash. Lili lies bleeding on the floor, WEEPING helplessly. DISSOLVE TO: INT. JACK'S SLEEPING NICHE - NIGHT The SOUND of Lili's weeping CARRIES OVER as we SEE Oona, huddled in the corner of Jack's niche, crying softly to herself. She has resumed her faerie shape and the light which emanates from her fragile wings and body is of a tender, delicate hue. Jack kneels solicitously before her. JACK Oona... don't cry... please, you mustn't... OONA (weeping) You... you... you mortal you! JACK Please... OONA (sobbing) Why should I feel such pain? Should be the other way round... I could vex you... make you dance your life away... JACK Threats won't make me love you. Tis not the way of the human heart. Oona rises in a rage. OONA What care I for the human heart! Such a soft, spiritless thing it is. I prefer the hearts of hawks and wolves; fierce and free and keen as steel! JACK And as barren of love as stone. OONA I would build a wall around me with such stone, so the likes of you might never enter. JACK Be fair, Oona. OONA You beware, Jack! You and your porridge-pot heart! There is a bright whirlwind of faerie light, and in a brilliant, pyrotechnic moment, Oona is gone. JACK Oona...? Oona, are you still here? Blast! Jack arranges his cloak as a bed-cover and settles down for the night, drawing his sword and resting it beside him. JACK Hard enough to fathom a women's mind, what chance has one with a faerie? Jack blows out his candle. Blackness. INT. CAVE MOUTH - DAY It is the next morning. The faerie army is preparing for the march, donning armo