THE DEATH OF A KING By Dominic Pericolo EXT. OMINOUS CASTLE - NIGHT A bridge is drawn in the shadows over a moat, a group of 6 KNIGHTS waiting for the bridge to lower. None of the knights are wearing helmets. Lightning flashes through the sky, lighting up the metal armor of the knights. Thunder crashes through the sky. Though a storm is obviously on its way, it's not yet raining. AIDEN, the blonde 21 year-old leader of the knights, turns his head back to look at the forest behind them. His eyes show concern. The other knights remain silent as Aiden turns his head to face the now lowered bridge. AIDEN Let's go. The horses neigh. Aiden and his knights make their way over the bridge and into the castle. Inside the castle, A PEASANT crawls across the dirt to reach for them. PEASANT Please... help me! CHRIS, long black-haired 25 year old member of Aiden's knights, looks down at the peasant in disdain. CHRIS Get bent! AIDEN Leave, you peasant... we have work to do. The knights ride past the peasant as he wails profanities at them. The peasant lowers his head as the knights ride into the darkness within the castle walls. EXT. ENTRANCE TO UNDERGROUND CHAMBER - NIGHT The knights tie up their horses as AIDEN, whose horse is already tied, studies the ground. AIDEN I know it is here somewhere... Aiden kicks at the ground. Sand kicks up from the ground, hitting the blonde FUEL in the leg. Fuel, Aiden's closest companion among the knights, looks up with a grin. FUEL Watch where you're kicking that shit! AIDEN Shut up, cunt. Aiden flashes a grin at Fuel, as Chris watches on with a sneer. CHRIS Did you find the damn door? AIDEN I'm looking. CHRIS You slow ass... The sound of metal striking wood fills the night air, cutting Chris off. Thunder rumbles over head as Aiden casts Chris a glare. AIDEN I found it. CHRIS About time. Aiden brushes past the sand covering a set of wooden doors. He crouches down and opens them with a noisy creek. Rain begins to fall. Aiden looks over to his knights and nods. Aiden then climbs down into the darkness, the other knights following. INT. UNDERGROUND CHAMBER - NIGHT Torches light up the chamber, water dripping from the walls. Aiden frowns as a mouse scurries past his foot. The knights make their way through the chamber, Aiden in the front. AIDEN Ugh, what is that ungodly smell... CHRIS Probably Phil's old ass. PHIL, the oldest of the knights, draws his sword. His short, dark brown hair is matted to his head from the rain. Water droplets fall from his goatee. PHIL You'd be wise to shut your mouth, Logan. CHRIS Lighten up you geezer, it was a joke. PHIL It's no secret you and the king are not for our people, do not tempt me to answer their pleas. AIDEN Phil... Phil looks over to Aiden, who has turned to look at the two. Aiden scowls, shaking his head. AIDEN Do not say such things, it is betrayal to the throne. We are aligned with the people, yes... but we must abide by what the kings orders are. PHIL But I came back to save a dying kingdom, not fulfill the desires of a power-hungry king! CHRIS Lighten up you tight-ass, we're supposed to be a fellowship here. PHIL Fellowship my ass! Phil turns his full attention over to Chris, pointing the tip of his sword at him. PHIL Ever since you joined our group, you have antagonized us all. You are only a knight because you are friends with the king, and you had DAMN WELL better remember that! Silence follows this statement. Phil stares at Chris with intense eyes, Chris stares at him for a moment before looking at the wall. Aiden, hanging his head, runs his fingers through his hair. He is frustrated. Fuel and REMI, the second-oldest of the group with short dark hair, are talking quietly with each other in the background. Their mumblings are indistinct. AIDEN Are we through? The mumbling stops. All five other knights now focus on Aiden as he turns and looks to the wall, where he notices a loose brick. He stares at it for a moment, then turns to his knights. AIDEN We are here... I trust there won't be any more fighting? CHRIS Ask Dusty McSeniorcitizen over there. AIDEN CHRIS! That is quite ENOUGH! PHIL You smarmy little jackass! I-- AIDEN You too Phil! All of you silence yourselves! We are about to enter the king's court! The fighting stops. Aiden stares angrily at the bickering two. AIDEN You may fight when we are not on duty... but so long as you wear the badge of the king, you are under MY command! Do you understand? Silence. Aiden glares heatedly at them. AIDEN I SAID DO YOU UNDERSTAND?! CHRIS YES. Yes... for God's sake, lower your fuckin' tone. PHIL I understand, can we just get moving? Aiden stares at them both heatedly still, before shaking his head. He turns, when suddenly the sixth knight, SPLINTER, speaks up from the back. SPLINTER Sir... are you certain? Are you absolutely certain that war is inevitable? Aiden turns to face Splinter. Splinter, his short brown hair also matted to his head, stares on with determined eyes. AIDEN Yes, Splinter... there is no escaping it. We have dug out a hole for ourselves, it's down on us to fight out of it now. Splinter remains silent. Aiden turns to the door, taking hold of the brick. AIDEN It is time to confront our king. He pulls the brick, and the sound of rock grinding against rock fills the chamber. INT. KING'S COURT - NIGHT KING GALEN sits atop his throne, staring off into the distance. His long blonde hair rests on his shoulders. Thunder rumbles through the court. The six knights walk in, their metal boots clanking against the marble floors. King Galen, disturbed by the noise, turns his head to watch his knights approach. He smiles at them. KING GALEN Ah, my loyal knights... what is the report of the opposing kingdom? Aiden takes a knee before the king and bows, his head lowered. The other knights follow his action shortly after. Aiden lifts his head with angered eyes. AIDEN They flushed us out, my lord. Those bastards... they chased us through the woods, they're on their way to strike our kingdom down! King Galen stands from his seat, eyes widened in shock. He stares down at Aiden. Slowly, King Galen clenches his fists. KING GALEN Bring me my sword at once! A SERVANT standing beside the throne of the king runs off across the court. King Galen stares intensely down at Aiden. Silence ensues for roughly 10 seconds, before Chris lets out a cough. CHRIS My king... do we really need to worry about those assholes? We all know we're stronger then them. KING GALEN I do not worry, friend... but I fear this may be a battle we won't be returning from. CHRIS My lord?! KING GALEN Dominic is their king now, Chris... he and I have long history together. And among their warriors? Majors and Champion. Two of the most skilled warriors I've ever faced. And what of Skylar and London, allies to our own yet warriors under Pericolo's crown? And what of that she-wench Black? For a woman she has incredible mastery of the blade. And... Perry. That arrogant bastard of a warrior. He is their Black Knight, Chris! Do you expect us to triumph so easily over such a force?! CHRIS But my king... ! KING GALEN YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND!! Silence. The servant rushes back in with King Galen's sword, an intricate sword of shining gold. King Galen glares down at the sword, sitting on the purple pillow in the servants hands. King Galen reaches down after hesitating to pick up the sword. King Galen holds the sword in his hand, still glaring. KING GALEN I do not care for this kingdom... I care only for mine, and your, legacies. To fight in such a battle... to go down in such a blaze of glory, that is what I desire. If we are truly going to fight this losing battle... allow us to fight to our very graves. King Galen smirks down at Chris. Chris looks up with uncertain eyes. KING GALEN I am the Warrior God, I am the King of all I see... and I will not allow this legend I have crafted to die in vain. This kingdom, and our lives, are on their last legs... but that does not mean we can't take those bastards down with us. Chris stares up at the king. His eyes now show confidence as he grins back at his king. Aiden and the other knights look to each other with grim resolve. KING GALEN Tonight, let us run these streets red with the blood of Dominic and his warriors! Let us fight 'till no breath is left in our lungs! A bloody night indeed this will be... BUT OUR BLOOD SHALL NOT BE THE ONLY SPILLED! King Galen thrusts his sword into the air. He stares at his knights with intense determination. His face is red. KING GALEN NOW ARE YOU WITH YOUR KING OR NOT?! The 6 knights all shout YES in unison. They all stand before the king and draw their swords. They all thrust them high in the air as their king has. King Galen looks down at his knights with pride. KING GALEN Let us prepare for battle! Now! EXT. OMINOUS HUT IN WOODS - NIGHT A hut, broken and crumbled by time, sits within a forest. Light flickers across the walls inside, as seen through the cracks and opened windows. It is raining heavily through the trees. INT. HUT IN WOODS - NIGHT The interior of the battered down hut is lit up by candlelight. There is a single circular table in the hut. Sitting at each of the chairs are 6 WARRIORS and KING DOMINIC. The warrior sitting at the right-hand of Pericolo, CHAMPION, is the leader of his warriors. He sits with medium length light brown hair. He has been in many battles, yet his features are smooth. He is speaking with King Dominic. CHAMPION Listen, my brother... we can handle Galen's knights on our own. You need to focus your attention most on him, I know you'll be able to take his ass down. KING DOMINIC You are my warriors, I believe in your strengths... but I do not wish to abandon you all on the field of battle! MAJORS, the eldest of the warriors with short brown hair, looks down at the table in thought. MAJORS You won't be abandoning us, you'll be doing your duty as king. Look at us, sir... here we are in a forest, in this broken down building, preparing to attack King Galen's castle! We have stayed with you to here, and we won't leave you once this fight begins. You must face Galen on your own, we shall be there for you as we face his minions. SKYLAR sneers as he looks off to the side with a glare. King Dominic looks over to him with a frown, and opens his mouth to say something. Skylar cuts him off before he can start. SKYLAR I'm here to fight, understand that Dominic. I am not here to serve you, nor the kingdom you rule. I am here to prove myself as a warrior. MAJORS And you call yourself the savior of this kingdom... SKYLAR THIS KINGDOM HAS BETRAYED ME! How can I save something that refuses to be saved?! I no longer fight for something that refuses to fight for me in return! KING DOMINIC Skylar... SKYLAR I do not wish to hear it! Skylar stands from his seat, making his way over to a wall. He is still glaring. SKYLAR You tell me when it is time for battle and I will march onward... but it will be of my own accord, do you understand me? King Dominic scowls. He nods his head after a moments hesitation, before looking over to LONDON, a black warrior who sits with a look of disinterest on his features. KING DOMINIC And what of you? I know you're in the same position as Skylar is, you aren't neccesarily thrilled with my kingdom either. LONDON I ain't thrilled with it at all, you're right about that. I'll fight, but don't think you can put a leash on me, 'king'. King Dominic offers a sad smile to London, shaking his head. KING DOMINIC If I did, I'm sure that I could not hold it. LONDON Damn straight you couldn't. PERRY, a black warrior who is the youngest of the group, looks at London with a frown. He makes a waving motion with his hand in London's direction. PERRY Look at mister hotshot over here, "You can't hold my leash"... that's because you're a stray dog, fool! No one wants your ass around! LONDON Me being here says you're wrong, Perry. PERRY Oh don't get me wrong, you're a bitch with that sword, but when it's all over, you think anyone will want you back? LONDON Of course, I offer more then someone who's as whiny as you can. PERRY WHINY?! KING DOMINIC ENOUGH! We do not need this dissent! King Galen's group, though wrought with its own troubles, is bound together by a desire to make their legacies immortal! They will stop at nothing to win this battle, damn it! Skylar chuckles in the background. Perry and London glare at each other, but stay silent. BLACK, the only woman of this group, brushes a strand of her long blonde hair from her face and gives King Dominic a look of disdain. BLACK You really aren't one to be talking about lack of teamwork, my King. KING DOMINIC Now is not the time, Black... BLACK Then when is the time? As we are ankle deep in the blood of battle? Will you decide to help us then? Or will you be off fighting on your own, with no regard to those around you?! MAJORS Dominic has done more for us then you think he has, Black. BLACK Then where are the signs?! I see a king who fights only for himself! Not once has he stepped into battle without being alone! King Dominic stands abruptley, rocking the table. Black stares up at him silently, her eyes defiant. King Dominic stares down at her, his eyes angered. KING DOMINIC I step into every battle with the hearts of my people beside me, Black. I step into battle to selflessly carry the banner of my kingdom, WITH, OR WITHOUT. THIS. CROWN! Black's eyes do not falter. King Dominic backs off of the table, but does not break his gaze with her. KING DOMINIC If you wish to find a selfish king, look no further than King Galen, Black. He has no regard for his people, and if we lose this battle tonight then he shall treat ours no better. Are you so selfish that you would allow such a thing to happen? BLACK You... you are calling me selfish? KING DOMINIC No, I am asking if you would be such a way. BLACK I'm not like you, Dominic. I would not. KING DOMINIC Then for God's sake, stop fighting me and start fighting our enemy. Silence follows. The room seems to be filled with the power of King Dominic's words. Finally, Champion stands beside him. CHAMPION I'll keep fighting until the end, my brother... these bastards won't stand a chance. Majors stands as well, giving a reassuring nod. MAJORS I'll fight to the end as well. Together, all of us cannot be stopped. Skylar looks over at the group. He is sneering once again. SKYLAR Don't expect my support, Dominic... just expect me to draw as much blood as possible. LONDON Goes double for me, you hear? King Dominic smiles and nods to the two, unshaken by their words. KING DOMINIC It is... understandable. He then turns to Black and Perry, the both of them sitting side by side. KING DOMINIC And what of you two? Black and Perry look at each other. This continues for 8 seconds, before Perry turns his head back to King Dominic and stands. PERRY I sure as hell don't like your honky ass, but I respect the hell out of you. You got me 'till the end, mayne... but don't expect things to stay the same when it's over. BLACK And as for I... well, you have much to make up for, my King. For now, however, I will put it behind me. This battle is ours, they cannot topple our great kingdom. King Dominic's eyes lighten considerably, as he smiles at them both. Dominic looks to London and Skylar. Dominic then turns to Major, and then to Champion. Nodding his head, Dominic draws his sword and holds it over the table. KING DOMINIC Draw your swords. Champion, Majors, Black and Perry draw their swords. After a moments hesitation, London begrudgingly draws his. Skylar, on the other hand, stays still beside the wall. SKYLAR I told you, do not expect my support. LONDON Just draw your damn sword, man... sooner this shit's done, sooner we can get to the fighting. Skylar turns to look at London. Skylar glares at London, the two staring each other down for several seconds. Finally, Skylar relents and makes his way over, drawing his sword. SKYLAR I do not do this for you, Dominic... I do this so we can be on our way. KING DOMINIC And I understand your reason. King Dominic stares down at the swords, all of them hovering over his overtop the table. He looks up to the group of warriors surrounding him, making eye contact with each one one-by-one. KING DOMINIC On this night, though some among us do not wish it, we are bound together by these blades. Blades which will shape the future of our kingdom. Blades which will shape the future of our destiny. Blades which will carve our names within legend. Tonight we shall bleed, we shall drain ourselves of all energy, and we shall stare into the cold, black eyes of death. We shall do all of this, my warriors... and we shall return unscatched. King Dominic smiles, withdrawing his blade. As he sheeths it, the other warriors do with theirs the same. KING DOMINIC Tonight... is our night. If I die, I will remember all of your faces as I pass on... but I don't intend to do such a thing. Let's keep our wits about us, this will be the last battle I shall let King Galen march into. MONTAGE Both forces begin their march from their location. King Galen leads his knights onward from his castle. King Dominic leads onward through the trees of the forest, guiding his warriors along. The sound of metal clashing against ground fills the air. The rain has slowed to a trickle, and the dark clouds in the night sky have began to thin. A final lightning bolt flashes through the sky, illuminating the armor of King Dominic and his warriors. A barren grassfield sits, a harsh wind picking up from the storm and swaying the tall grass. Slowly, the light of the moon filters through the clouds and onto the field. The sounds of battle ominously fill the night air, as though memories of the past were invisibly playing on this field. There is silence. EXT. GRASSFIELD - MORNING King Dominic and his warriors stand roughly 500 metres away from King Galen and his knights on the grassfield. The sun is rising in the background. The clouds have cleared, and a light breeze flows through the field. King Galen draws his sword and turns to his men, eyes blazing with determination. KING GALEN We fight for our own legends, today is the day we carve our swords through destiny's belly! Do not let a mere fleshwound take you down, fight until the last drop of blood is spilled from within you! Our time to rise is today! Our time to triumph lies in this hour! King Dominic too draws his sword, turning to his warriors with a look of serenity. He smiles at them, nodding his head. KING DOMINIC We have all fought hard throughout our lives, dreaming to one day make our fine kingdom the best of all. We have accomplished this, and now our sister kingdom has conspired to bring us down. It would be true to say that on this day, we ourselves shall decide our destinies. It would be truth to say that the outcome of this battle shall effect our legend forever. However, do not go into battle with the mindset that you are fighting for yourself. He pauses, stopping to look at Skylar and London, who stare back at him with intense eyes. KING DOMINIC Fight for the thrill of the battle, fight for this moment of time... fight for the people who have brought you here today, as I shall be doing the same. I ask not of you to sacrifice yourselves for the future of our kingdom, I only ask that you stop these men you see before us from forcing you to do such a thing. Slowly reaching up to his head, King Dominic removes his crown, his warriors now watching on in curiousity as he sets it at his feet. Then, much to the shock of his warriors, Dominic bows before them. DOMINIC On this field of blood and chaos I am no longer your king, but I am a brother. I shall follow each of you as some of you have followed me, and I shall follow you all until the very end of days. Though not all of us wish it so, we are all bound by the chains of our great kingdom's destiny, and I would rather fight alongside of you all as your brother, then lead you all onward as your king. He stands before the warriors, now established as one of them. Champion and Majors both smile at him, as Black watches on with a slight sense of pride in her eyes. Perry nods his head, grinning at Dominic's actions. London and Skylar both seem to show a sense of respect for Dominic, but are otherwise able to mask the majority of it with a look of urging for the oncoming battle. SKYLAR Let's do this shit. Dominic turns to Skylar, grinning as he grabs the hilt of his sword. He nods, and then turns to face King Galen and his knights, who by now have focused their attention back on them. Drawing his sword, Dominic points it in King Galen's direction. DOMINIC This corrupted kingdom and its king shall die... and long shall our own kingdom prosper. Onward, to battle! Onward, to the closing chapters in this story of our lives! With a warcry which sounds all throughout the fields, Dominic and his fellow warriors begin their charge across their field. Answering their charge, King Galen and his knights let out their own warcry and charge the field. It only takes the span of 10 seconds for the opposing forces to collide, and the sound of metal clashing against metal fills the air. The screams of the warriors and knights mix in with the clashing of their swords, and the words of Dominic ring clear through the air once more. DOMINIC I would rather fight alongside of you all as your brother, then lead you all onward as your king... The opposing forces continue their battles, as King Galen clashes his sword with Dominic's. The sun finally rises above the horizon. EXT. OUTSKIRTS OF WOODS - MORNING The sound of metal clashing against ground fills the air. Shadows of men move across the ground. The crown of King Galen shines beneath the morning sun. The crown of King Galen moves smoothly along with he who wears it. The crown of King Galen sits atop Dominic's head.