~ A Keeper's Tale ~

Keeper - "A favor."

Morgan - "Ask."

The keeper stands and spins with her new blade, allowing it's weight to throw her jumps and spins ...

Keeper - Still spinning to jumps and thrusts, "I'm a natural with blades, they all comfort me.  But I'm young.  I am as you see me, while you are ancient."

She sheaths the blade and sits, setting it on the table, looking from it to Morgan with a smile.

Keeper - "I adore this blade.   But I know you.  You will find a way, or try to part me from my power, leave me as just a girl.  And you'll slay me if for no other reason than to get back your father's blade."

Morgan - Laughing, "I don't take it personally that you think that, but it's not true.   I think you may become the most worthy keeper I've ever seen."

Keeper - After a passing of touched, confusion, madness and surprise, "I suppose ... that only enhances the question."

Morgan - "Ask."

Keeper - "I care not for death, it will come to us all even you ... but the book is mine.   Always."

Morgan - "I'm going to burn it.  Ask."

The keeper - After staring in seething in confusion and cold, through rage teeth, "I want you to teach me to kill you."
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In Morgan's cabin on the airship ~

Andromeda - Slamming down her copy of 'Bulfinch', "I have questions."

Morgan - Polishing her gun-blade, "You know none of that's true."

Andromeda - Watching her polish, "She's going to kill you, you know."

Morgan - "No she won't."

Andromeda - "Okay.  Fine.  But who the hell are you ?"

Morgan puts down the weapon on her desk, then leans forward, clasping her hands comfortably, beginning to speak ...

Andromeda - "No.  Don't do that and don't get captainy with me either." Slamming her fist, "Who are you ?!"
____

The scene burns to Morgan walking down the path to a village surrounding the construction of a medieval fort, cloaked and geared as a traveling merchant, hunched with heavy wares.

Crows fly over ...

Miranda - "Is that it ?"

Prospero - "Hard to say ... kind of a dump really ..."

Miranda - "Father !  They're medieval !"

Gathering horsemen follow the greater paths toward, while she takes a lighter footpath from the woods.

Prospero - "Dear god the whole place must smell of dung."

Miranda - "Sh."
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Back on the airship ~

Andromeda - "No !  I already know all that.  You stabbed a merlin, I'm sure he was a dick.  But that wasn't You.  That's something you did."

Morgan slumps her shoulders in and cocks her head, starting to speak ...

Andromeda - Pointing sharply, "Don't !"

Morgan entirely recomposes herself to the original position, "I was born in Ethiopia in 998 BC.  Happy ?  And I love you."

Andromeda - Staring suspiciously ... "No ... I'm not ..."
________

Miranda and Prospero flying over Camelot

Miranda - "You're right.  It does smells like horse shit."

________

Morgan and the keeper strike swords in her palace.

Morgan - "How many times have you used a sword without the book ?"

Keeper - "Never.  Only with my attendants."

Morgan - Continuing the fight, "You are a natural.  Do you kill them ?"

Keeper - "Sometimes, but I do it without reason.  I choose no favorites, though sometimes a flash strikes them."

Morgan - "Like a storm."

Keeper - Spinning off and away back, "Yes."  She smiles, "Like a storm."
________

Lightning strikes outside Morgan's tent. The assorted wares and baubles are mixed with hidden useful tools and weapons. The modern Morgan enters the tent cloaked.

Modern - Handing her the gun-blade and a sack of ammunition, "This should solve that merlin problem you've got."

Historical - "So sometimes history does meets a myth."  She looks at the weapon, then sets it aside and hands her a satchel, "Found your book."
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Queen Elizabeth I - "Mister Raleigh. You've lost ... our colony ... ?"

Walter Raleigh - "Ehh ... I may have.  But I think they lost themselves actually ..."

Elizabeth - "And why are we speaking with you at all ?  Was it not your brother to whom we signed the order ?  You lost him too.  Did you lose him too ?"

Walter - "Ehh ..."

~ Walter drowns his brother in the river, Miranda watching unseen with furrowed brow of disapproval.

Walter - "There are many pirates my Gracious Highness ..."

Elizabeth - "Oh good. We Do love a pirate tale.   Shaxbard !"  She snaps her fingers repeatedly.   "! Shaxbard !"

Shakespeare walks out coughing smoke with a parchment and quill.

Elizabeth - "This man has a pirate tale.  Let's write it down, shall we ?"

They both lean forward staring at Walter.

Walter - "I ... really wish I did not have to tell you right now that there may have also been an angel involved."

They stare at him before starting slowly to laugh, she suddenly stops..

Elizabeth - Snapping her fingers, "! Dee !"

Shakespeare stares shaking his head at Walter while John Dee walks out coughing with parchment and quill.

Elizabeth - "This man says there may have been angels involved.  Do take this down."

They all three stare forward.
________________

The keeper sits in her throne, an attendant to left and right.

Left - "She's using you."

Right - "And you're using her ..."

The keeper's hair is parted and brushed, showing the red streak from her blood in the Sanctuary battle.

Keeper - "Yes.  That is a friend I think."  A giggle.

The attendants look at each other and back down to the keeper.

Left - "Do you think it wise ?"

Keeper - "Not at all.  Not even a little."  She smiles.

Right - "Can you still kill her ?"

Keeper - Smiling, then looking up at her, "I think I want to more."

Left - "And if she won't kill you ?"

Keeper - "Then she'll watch the world suffer."

Right - "Her crew ?"

The keeper looks sharply up at the attendant bursting to ashes.

The remaining attendant strokes her face as they break into giggling before she falls into the keeper's lap and a kiss.
________________

Two guys standing watch at the docks holding torches, rifles on back ~

first guy - Waving the torch around, "Did you ever notice holding these makes it harder to see at night ?"

second guy - "Just shut up and do your job."

('Dead Billy' by Big Black, Peel Session version)

A cloaked figure spins between them, slitting their throats while two more catch them and lower them gently into the water, tossing their rifles back to the canoes.

Cloaks climb towers and kill silently one by one in a flood over the land, some to and from from the canoes, others following across land, disposing and collecting.

Further up the river, more canoes glide toward the fort, The river forks around it as a small fleet of galleons and schooners approach, black and unlit, more cloaks covering the deck low.

The land-side gate of the fort explodes, and after a pause begins the alarm bells and shouting. Before the smoke clears muskets shower the field as colonist soldiers gather to meet them.

From the waters, the fleet splits at the fork in the river, cutting broad arcs to show their cannons and begin firing at the half manned turrets.

Inside the fort amid the explosions, the cloaks at the front fire through the gathered arms and pass them back for reload, keeping a smooth shower of fire at anything that moves, while the towers around them shatter and fall from the cannons fire.

All falls silent but for the execution of the wounded soldiers as the diplomat is thrown into the street in front of the row of shooters.

Morgan pulls off her hood showing a bear skull, drops the cloak, covered in bone and European scalps as a war-coat. Skulls armor her shoulders, signet rings hang from her hair and gear. The rest around her drop their cloaks, similarly attired.

She roars to the sky, followed by the rest in screams and victory cries, answered from all the woods and surrounding waters.

Morgan - Approaching the man on the ground, bones rattling quietly as she moves, "Looks like you're the witness." 

She crouches low over the terrified man laughing quietly while she injects him with a heavy syringe.  She takes his ring.  She pulls her sword and holds the tip a breath from his eye.

Morgan - "Tell it true."

He closes his eyes wincing away, they open and close as they're gone

Opened again as Miranda approaches him quietly, then she's crouched over him looking close into his eyes, then as she leaps over him into the air over him in a high arc, as he falls back watching her legs become a fin.

Eyes closed for sleep, a splash.
________

Elizabeth and an entire court of people holding parchment and quill pause staring at Walter, before all break out into laughter.

Elizabeth - "A mermaid ?"
____

Among asylum asylum the witness sits in a cell wrapped in chains, "! Mermaid !"
____

Elizabeth - "We've heard of the bear-shirts, but a mermaid is simply too much. Where's our Bacon at ?"  Snapping fingers, "... ! Francis !"

Germain walks out coughing with a parchment and quill.

Elizabeth - "Francis, this man says he saw a mermaid.  Didn't you mention them once before ?"

Germain - "Indeed I've known them well.  Let us see what this specimen before us claims to know about them."

The whole room leans forward staring.

Walter - "I ... did not say that I myself saw the mermaid ..."
____

Man in the asylum - "! Mermaid !"
____

Dee - "Yes and I thought you saw an angel as well.   Where is the angel ?"

They stare.

Walter - "Again ... I ... did not myself see ... that ... or those other things ..."

All sound angrily disappointed and calling for decapitation.

Elizabeth - "Well then I don't see why we're talking to you at all.  Who are you ?"

Dee - "Just get to the angel !"

The mob leans in more angrily.
________________

Morgan fights Arthur in the field with the flight of crows.  She shoots him in the leg, kneeling him held up by Excalibur.  She shatters it, he falls.

She kicks him over on his back, looking down, wearing her bear skull.

Morgan - Putting her father's blade to his eye, "Remember me."
________________

In the asylum ~

Germain is walked to the cell by two guards, the door opened and he crouches before the witness.

Witness - "... they were death."  He looks at him, "They were death !  And there was a ... there was a ..."

Germain - Slapping him hard, "Yes.  I know that part."

The man slowly starts looking up again, breathing hard and angry.

Germain has a thick yellow string wound between his fingers in the other hand, making varied shapes and patterns, weaving the loops between his fingers with perfect rhythm.

Germain - "But I need you to think clearly now.  I need you to breathe."

The man starts to relax, looking down and up again at the string, to Germain and back, then staring at it.

Germain - "There you go.  Tell me what you saw ?"