Sword 2

Act 1 Scene 5

The Isle of Man (1)

RHIANNON (2)

How fairs it dear sister? You keep your tress well tended. The elm and silver pine, birch, oak, white poplar and aspen, ivy, white thorn, yew
for strong bow, rowan and mountain ash, vine full of sweet grapes to
partake

ARGENTE

Cousin Mermaid, you did not come here to admire the horticulture of
the land of apples, which by the many trees set here in the
dreaming received this name. (1)

MANAWYDDAN (3)

To keep you company dear lady of all the waters fro whom all
the lochs and rivers do obey.

RHIANNON

[aside]

Ha! My husband, that Manawyddan, having many children seeks her to his bed forgetting me like the wasterial waters tossed out the window. The waste to
fall on the lady while the good gentlemen stepest in the street away
from this drenching. (4)

[Enter FALCON in disguise of a hawk]

How honorable is that for a man, my foul lir-ed husband. (3)

ARGENTE

Your poetry bores me, Lord Manawyddan, it is of no interest to me.
Come bird, perch here.

[holds out her arm, FALCON lands on her fist]

Just as a trained hawk should... Manawyddan take that as example for like the wolf and the bird of pray mate for life. I will not be your secondary
wife. (5)

FALCON

[in guise of a hawk, aside]

I shiver as she pets me, for I fear this lady will be the death of me. That

this argent elf will do with we as she pleases, then do away with
me setting me in stone, a tree, or a tomb of ice. (6)

ARGENTE

Since you are here, friends. You should be welcomed. While I called Argente

the Elf after I wooed Alexander the Great teaching him the arts of
war,

under the guise of Sibille the Lake Fairy, will teach my new pet
the use of a lure (7).

FALCON

[disguised as a hawk, aside]

Nay, mermaid sprite, you are quite mistaken. I am no pet of yours.

[Flies up and grabs the lure and flies off distant with it]

For I shall take your kite and lure a new pray here to the Isle of
Man.

RHIANNON

Looks like you lost another toy. Stay away from my lord husband.

ARGENTE

I have no desire for him. Look here, the hawk has tied the kite line round the mast head of a passing ship! By great-grandfather Neptune, that hawk is
bringing in that ship like a salmon on a fishing line!

FALCON

[lands, transforms back into a human]

I suggest you welcome your guests; it would be quite rude if you did
not. Before you all speak the words "impossible" nothing is really real
when the mind is put at it.

So with equal parts fire, water, earth, and air I could make the fifth element so to transmute lead into gold or able one to live eternally.
(8)

MANAWYDDAN

Who is you scion of dung?

FALCON

I am the child of Destiny.

[bows kisses ARGENTE's hand]

Simple Falcon as it is plain to see, I make fortune turn her
wheel. Watch now, Manawyddan, here come the High King and his retinue
fished by me out of the sea.

RHAINNON

[strikes him]

Why bring these living souls here, they have no right. Only the
dead can come here.

ARGENTE

You forget yourself, Rhainnon, this is my island all and my loch.
I will see these living souls, for this impish boy amuses me.

[Enter KING BRAN and retinue]

Entreat me mischievous falcon, who are these faces I do not know
yet. I suspect the worried man with the new beard growing in and the
silver around his brow is the newly- made king. The one closely flowing
him, sprightly like a wings insect must be his wife.

FALCON

Yea, the man is king. My disagree, please forgive. She is not his wife for

her brother Alan is close behind keeping them apart like a mazdan
wall. For that woman is a nun currently.

AILILL

You surprised us, druid, what are you doing here?

KENT

[aside]

I suspect he has something to so with the capture of our ship.

FALCON

I did, Kent. For I know tyrant Matholwych has the spear of Longanis, and if

Bran is to face him, he needs a weapon of divine temperament rather

than an actor's painted cloak and a wooden sword. He needs a

helmet, a shield, and a sword.

RHAINNON

Then you erred, fairy-lad, there are no weapons here - only the
bliss that rivals the Elysian Fields.

ARGENTE

There is one weapon here.

[aside to FALCON]

What are you planning with that grin? I shall not hand over Tyr's blade to anyone! For watery tart lobbing scimitars at people is no way to
run a government.

FALCON

[aside]

Nay, nay, good lady fair. All I suggest is a loan; provided Bran
passes your test. The sword shall be returned, you have my word.

ARGENTE

If you say, Falcon.

[ to KING BRAN]

Step forward king, no harm will come to thee. You stand on trial,
put to the test.

King BRAN

Why was my ship un-truly plucked? To this land of shadow? Now I am
told that I am tried? What for I have done wrong, though I can give an
account of my sins for I am a man.

ARGENTE

Sins? Sins indeed.

[waves her hand]

See you living what can be yours.

[aside to Falcon]

As I cast this spell do something for me - set these two lovers
together, for it will amuse me.

FALCON

Annon, Lady Argente

[bows]

Come Terdelshoye, the tree fairy, make you the lover of Alan and he of you

so that king and dragonfly can wed.

[enter SPIRITS to torment them]

NISSYEN

[tormented by spirit, PRIDE]

By the gods I see the honors of an emperor, triumphant marches,
statues all dedicated.

AILILL

[tormented by spirit, GLUTTONY]

Mountains of pork, fresh venison, the finest ale...

KENT

[tormented by ENVY and HATRED]

That druid and Albany's head on a platter served by Bran's sister,
Branwen, in lack of dress.

BRANWEN

[tormented by SLOTH]

The quiet countryside, the sound of the harp,

sleeping in the noon day's sun.

ALBANY

[tormented by VANITY]

My face in the glass as I was when I was young.

DRAGONFLY

[tormented by LUST]

My nuptial bed tied to the four posts fast like to be drawn-and-quartered as kind Bran comes to me with a thorn branch in hand to teach me discipline
he can.

ALAN

[entranced by TERDELSHOYE, the tree fairy or REGRET]

A beautiful lady of supreme quality, for seeing her I lament
asserts unto God and

taking them. She loves me so and I her.

King BRAN

[tormented by SPIRITS]

Arrogance, excess, jealousy, indolence, narcissism, covetousness, and pang

of guilt plague us so. I must resist these eight mortal sins! (9)
For Christ did when exhorted the same in the desert constantly without
water, food, and drink for forty days.

MANAWYDDAN

On hearing of this Lord Christ, I am now Bran's brother this night.
He will never lack for aid.

ARGENTE

Good, the first test is over.

[She dismisses the SPIRITS, except for

TERDELSHOYE in the arms of ALAN]

King, you may have the sword when you give me a new name. For hence I can no longer be Sibelle, as the Macedonian before called me a name, nor
I can be Argente.

KING BRAN

I do not understand, miss nymph, but I will give a name that suits this unlikely place. Viviane you will be called (10). "Viv" for the ocean and the water you dwell. "Iane" for Diana and the various flora and fauna on this island of dreams where the souls of heroes are sent to dwell (10).

ARGENTE

[NOW VIVIANE]

Then as Vivianne, I hand you the sword of power

[hands him a sword that gives off an unnatural hue]

In due time it will be recollected, for if it is not returned to me any mortal wound you may receive you will suffer with unable to die or live.

KING BRAN

Then, Viviane and Falcon, the sword will be returned. Why for you
all stand there? Ireland waits ahead of us. We must see out the tyrant and free this land from war. Then in the lasting peace I make a new order. So that we do not forget this act of making a king less it is in the privy of men to do. We all shall gather in a hall and speak of glories and honors and doing good there-in. Above that hall I will construct a wooden fortress
named after the pagan name I had, Camaalis.

[takes DRAGONFLY's hand as they cheer]

Then I shall have an heir, if thee will have me, Grail maiden. Dear
sister of the saints, would you have me?

VIVIANE

[to FALCON]

You have done well, Falcon. They speak of victory, castles, and
kings. Teacher Falcon, I know strategy when I see it, so pray tell
sorcerer, what ticks in your brain now?

FALCON

Nothing that concerns you, my Lady Viviane of the Lake, not just yet. For your godson Llwch Lleminawc, who the Welsh call Lawnslodt, has not been born yet. He will the son of Ban of Benwick, he will be the nephew of Ivoire and Bors of Gannes, grandson of Lancelo and an Éire princes of M`il and Mong`an's brood will be adopted by you. He and others will the Grail
spirit away. (11)

VIVIANE

[to FALCON]

Ho ho! You make me laugh so, please do return and amuse me some
more.



Extent

Cliff notes

One:

Isle of Man, probable location of Avalon, the land of apples in
the dreaming, the land of death, the last resting place of King Arthur.

Two:

RHIANNON, Celtic goddess of the Sea wife of Manawyddan. Origin for the

name Nimue?

Three:

Manawyddan-ap-Lir, Celtic God of the Sea. Son of Lir or Lear.

Four:

Origin of why gentlemen walk on the outside of the street, so not to have
the emptied toilet water land on them rather letting it land on the

woman

Five:

Wolves and hawks mate for life, unlike the fish or mermaid - as does Manyddan prove, though that does bring up some problem with the Lady of the Lake = Merylin question, did they actually love each other, or where they using each other. I suspect that they were using each other to make destiny
run its course.

Six:

Falcon, or Merylin, fears for his life for good reason for he knows that in one of these ways he is going to die. Even still, he is the gentleman
towards his possible killer, the Lady of the Lake.

Seven:

Alexander the Great wooed Sibille, the Lady of the Lake or a lake fairy,
giving her the name Argente the Elf, which is close to the name of a

Celtic Goddess Aronrhod

Eight:

Fire, Water, Earth, and Air the four known elements of the universe and in equal portions of Lead, Mercury, Sulfur, and other materials one can make
the philosopher's stone, a stone blessed with the properties to give

one the ability to change lead into gold and live forever

Nine:

The deadly sins - Pride, Envy or Hatred, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, Vanity, and
Lust. The Eighth sin, Regret is not on the list, but should be

Ten:

Viviane, the Lady of the Lake and Mistress over Avalon, the last

resting place of King Arthur and his heroic Knights whose castle in
life was Camelot, which was built out of the ruins of Bran's fortress.

Eleven:

Reference to Lancelot du Lake, godson of the Lady of the Lake, one of the
knights that find the Holy Grail, which was in possession of the Grail
Kings