Act 1
Scene 3
(The lights turn on in the throne room of Yaren. On up-left stage, there is a big painting of Durum. The painting is covered with punctures wounds. Beside Yaren's throne is a rack of spears and swords that are placed neatly in an interesting design. Yaren is sitting on the throne on stage right. He is watching the dancers and their streamers on center stage. Yaren's head servant comes in from stage left. He walks upstage to Yaren.)
Head servant: King Yaren, Hyra has returned.
Yaren: Iftie yun! (Yaren claps his hands and the dancers and the head servant leave through stage right. Hyra enters through stage left.) I trust that your mission of revenge on Durum is complete?
Hyra: Yes, father. I did it with much pleasure involved.
Yaren: I trust that you have not failed me in returning a prisoner?
Hyra: I never fail. For two important prisoners and three knights are joining your brother, Albert.
Yaren: Excellent! Who are the other prisoners?
Hyra: Princess Aurora and the Sir William, the head knight of Glyndufn.
Yaren: An unknown princess and a head knight? What about Durum?
Hyra: I killed him.
Yaren: YOU WHAT? (Yaren stands up.)
Hyra: His spirit is no longer on this earth, but his new wife, Princess Aurora, is currently going through emotional pain of losing the "only man who ever loved her."
Yaren: I gave you strict orders to bring him back alive so he can suffer with his father!
Hyra: No! You gave me strict orders to seek revenge on Durum! I killed him and now his father and wife will suffer for it! As well as his wife's family! If I did not kill him, only five people would suffer for a short period of time!
Yaren: A short period of time?
Hyra: Yes. For if Aurora was not captured, she would rise a pestering army against us to get Durum back.
Yaren: Another warrior princess?
Hyra: I was surprised too.
Yaren: Bring her to me! I want to see this unique princess for myself. Bring that Sir William as well!
Hyra: Yes, father. (She walks to stage left.) Suron! Korlieh! (Suron and Korlieh, the guards, walk on from stage left.) Shakoh nabooru nie! Yaru! Yaru! (Suron and Korlieh bow and exit and Hyra walks up the stairs and stands next to Yaren's chair. Aurora and Sir William are dragged in by a Korlieh and Suron and are dumped on the floor. Aurora is bruised and beat up with a cut on her bottom lip. She gets on her hands and knees and looks up at Yaren and Hyra. Sir William is dumped on the floor and barely conscious.) Apparently, she is not as tough as she sounds, but she obviously knows how to show respect.
Aurora: You killed him.
Hyra: She has been saying that ever since she woke up. I told her what happened to me and of course, she still believes that Durum could not do such a thing.
Yaren: Stubbornness is going to get you in trouble someday, child.
Aurora: It already has.
Yaren: And yet, you still refuse to join us?
Aurora: Yes.
Yaren: (Yaren looks at Hyra.) She has tremendous courage.
Aurora: Even when I will be beaten almost to death for the next week by your witch's minions. (Korlieh kicks her in the stomach.)
Yaren: What?
Hyra: To make her understand why I would want to kill Durum, I am putting her through the same pain as I did by the hands of Durum and Albert.
Yaren: I see. And Sir William?
Hyra: I have not decided what to do with him yet. (Yaren walks down to Sir William, lifts his head up by his hair, and studies his face. He is going in and out of consciousness and doesn't seem to know what's going on. Yaren drops him and sits on his throne.)
Yaren: Are the other knights like this?
Hyra: Yes.
Yaren: How did they get like this exactly?
Hyra: Well, you might say that Sir William is a first time flyer. (Hyra smiles.)
Yaren: And the others?
Hyra: Your army took care of them. (Yaren sits quietly for a while, thinking.)
Yaren: Send them home.
Hyra: What?
Yaren: Send the knights home.
Hyra: But eventually they will return to fight against us! Especially Aurora!
Yaren: Aurora is a leader, not a knight. We will keep her here and you may continue with what you were doing to her. As for the knights, they are useless, therefore, no threat.
Hyra: Yes, Father. (Hyra looks disappointed and turns away from him. Yaren walks to stage right. He stops and turns around.)
Yaren: Hyra? (Hyra faces him.) We will still have our revenge. (Hyra nods before Yaren walks offstage.)
Hyra: Korlieh! Suron! Ara mosa Aurora! Sieda kocha Glyndufn. Shoka! (Sir William, Aurora, Korlieh, and Suron exit through stage left. Hyra walks down the steps to center stage and faces the audience. She reaches around the back of her waist and pulls out the knife that killed Durum. It is still covered in his blood. She stares down at the knife.) Durum, Durum, Durum. I wish you were still alive. I wish that you could regenerate. (She turns to the painting.) If you think that I am feeling remorse, you are wrong. (She turns back to the audience.) It was over too quick is what I am trying to say. Way too quick for me. I desire so much that you could regenerate. So I could kill you again. And again. And again! And again! AND AGAIN!!! (Hyra turns and throws the knife into the forehead of Durum's painting. She walks up to it and yanks out the knife. She stares at the painting and starts stroking it.) It is too bad that you are dead; that the final incision has been made. (Hyra puts the knife up to the neck of the painting.) I wish that I could make it again! (She cuts the throat of the painting and pulls it to the floor with a slam and exits through stage right as the curtain closes.)
