<img src=" A little screenplay I've been working on for my college course. The premise is as follows: Teagan is a fictional character created by author Byron Wolfe. Byron Wolfe is a writer slowly losing his mind, who manifests himself Teagan's world to achieve a mysterious goal. Sounds simple... but I promise the screenplay is much much better lol. Any questions, PLEASE respond to the post. Feedback would also be ideal. This is basically the first 30 pages, roughly scenes 1-10. Enjoy and respond!
INT. CASTLE LIBRARY -- NIGHT
A richly decorated library with arched cathedral-like windows. Curtains are drawn. Appears to be after hours.
A pair of candles is atop a table at the library’s center, dimly lighting the area.
Two shadows dance along the bookshelves as the flame of the candle writhes to-and-fro.
Seated at the table, are TEAGAN and MATTHIAS who have already been in conversation for several hours. They have met in secret and both are in nightgowns.
TEAGAN
(Cryptic. Recalling. As if trying to explain)
“The world is in bits and pieces. Adrift in the sky. The ground is ripped asunder; a great gash across its face. From this jagged chasm, mauve fire seeps like blood. Shadows pour out by the masses. Faceless demons. …They slaughter everyone to pursue me… as if I’m the source of it all. As if they thirst for my death and live only to taste it. …And then there hails a demon whom I call friend; he is different from the rest. …We change things. Greatly change things. There’s a sense of serenity where once there was only chaos. Some sort of beautiful tomorrow…”
Matthias listens intently. There is a look on his face that would seem to show signs of worry. Though, he tries to mask it rather abruptly for Teagan’s benefit.
MATTHIAS
(Tiredly, half whispered)
“Your dreams lack variety, it seems, Your Highness. Three weeks to the day this dream has plagued you. Always this chasm. Always this demon…”
TEAGAN
“And always a bright future after it all. It starts with such destruction…”
Teagan places her right hand playfully over one of the candles, seeing how close she can lower it until it burns. She heaves a stressful sigh.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“…and then the destruction is gone. We arrive at a very special place. Peaceful. People are happy with what we‘ve done, what we‘ve overcome.”
Teagan looks up at Matthias, meeting his gaze as she continues to tease the flame with her palm.
MATTHIAS
“You mustn’t fear such things. It’s a ruse of the mind. Thoughts unaccounted for. Only a dream.”
Matthias watches her hand lower and rise from the candle, losing himself momentarily in the glow of the flame.
TEAGAN
“Only a dream? A dream as vivid as the life it mimics. Matthias… I’m beginning to fear it is more than a dream. It’s as if I live and breathe, throughout. It’s like I’m elsewhere in time. There’s a whisper that etches itself into stone… and declares that this is the life I’m to lead.”
MATTHIAS
(Abruptly)
“A whisper?”
TEAGAN
(Assertively)
“A whisper. A lingering. It is upon my every move. It’s so powerful, Matthias. I’m telling you it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt. To put it into words, is-…”
She burns herself and quickly recoils her hand, rubbing it with her other.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“I cannot explain to you how it feels. Hound me and console me for all that it’s worth, but I am certain that the dream I dream… is a dream that will come true.”
She continues to tend to her wound, though the pain is gone. Her eyes fall on the flame that had burned her and she lets loose a small snigger.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
(Stressed, worn out)
“I’m sorry if I frighten you, Matthias. I came to you for comfort and yet I proclaim that I need none. You must think your Princess crazy.”
MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“Crazy? Hardly. I think the King and Queen crazy, most times… but you, Your Highness, are hardly as mad as they are.
TEAGAN
(Jokingly)
“Treason!”
The two laugh quietly. When the laughter ceases, Matthias reaches across the table to place his right hand atop Teagan’s.
MATTHIAS
“I’ve played a hand in raising you, Your Highness, therefore I know that your mind is scholarly. But even a scholarly mind cannot match wits with the unseen, inexplicable things of the world. Be it a simple dream or a vision of the future, you’re not crazy. Perhaps it’s a hint of your destiny? I know that I’m a philosopher, but that doesn‘t mean I don‘t believe in a higher purpose.”
Matthias rises from his seat slowly, lifting one of the candles from the table into his left hand. He makes for a bookshelf behind Teagan who stares blankly at his empty seat.
TEAGAN
(Whispered to herself)
“Dreams and destiny entwine only in fairytales. Never reality…”
Teagan twists her body around so that she can see Matthias. The old man is fingering the spines of books, row by row.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“What are you looking for?”
MATTHIAS
“Oh, just a bit of research. Your dreams remind me of something…”
TEAGAN
“Matthias, you don’t have to pretend that you believe me. I’ve never doubted your loyalty, but I beg that you don‘t exchange it for pity.”
Matthias continues to search the books. His search of the current shelf proves useless, and he moves to another, repeating his actions.
MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“Never doubted, you say? It seems to me, Your Highness, that you just have.”
He tilts out a book from the shelf every now and then to get a clearer view of the cover.
MATTHIAS (CONT’D)
“Tell me, have I ever schooled you on the Rend Ascension?”
Teagan turns about in her chair to sit normally, hands in her lap. She nods to herself.
TEAGAN
“Yes, you have… though, I hardly remember, to be honest. A group of Cultists behind uprisings in the kingdom, years ago?”
Matthias eyes the back of her head before he continues looking, moving to yet another shelf, this one just to the left of Teagan. It sports a ladder which he begins to slowly climb. Teagan shifts her head toward him.
MATTHIAS
“Centuries ago, to be exact.”
He runs his finger along one final spine before tugging a book out, eyeing the cover, and stepping back down the ladder. He sets the book before Teagan and gently opens the hardcover.
MATTHIAS (CONT’D)
“The Rend Ascension was, as you said, a cultist group known for insurgences throughout the land.”
Matthias skips a chunk of pages, flipping them randomly until he arrives at a colorful page. On this page is a portrait of a man clad in crimson from head to toe. On the opposite page is accommodating text. Teagan leans forward to examine the picture more closely.
TEAGAN
(Curiously)
“Who is that?”
Matthias reads from the text adjacent to the image. Even though he knows who it is, he thinks it best to read to Teagan what the book states.
MATTHIAS
(Reading)
“The Rend Ascension sect, while notorious for mutinies against the great kingdom of Tethys in the Fourth Age, began its rise to power late in the Third Age under the authority of a self-proclaimed prophet by the name of Red Fenris.”
Teagan continues to overlook the image of Red Fenris. She notices cultist members gathered at the bottom of the page, paying homage.
MATTHIAS (CONT’D)
(Reading)
“At the end of the Third Age, Red Fenris declared that he had foreseen, firsthand, the future of Tethys, and saw an unpromising outcome.”
Below the paragraph that Matthias is reading is a quote, which Teagan brushes her index and middle fingers across in disbelief.
TEAGAN
(Reading)
“…The Kingdom of Tethys will consume the minds and souls of those who know it best. It must be destroyed for the good of us all…”
Teagan looks up at Matthias in question.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“He foresaw our kingdom doing terrible things. …But to whom?”
MATTHIAS
“Those who know us best, he said. Little else is known about that line. For a time, frightened kingdom officials swayed by Red Fenris’ ideals suspected that he meant we would turn on our allies.”
Teagan turns the page. The new left page sports an image of Rend Ascension cultists at war with Tethys soldiers. The right sports little text.
TEAGAN
(Reading)
“The beginning of the Fourth Age, 6,453. The month of September. The Rend Ascension and Tethys are at war. The insurrection is short lived. Tethys emerges victorious over Red Fenris and his cultists in the month of November, two months after it began. Now having doubts about their prophet leader’s ability to make an impact, The Rend Ascension begins to disband. Red Fenris is nowhere to be found. By 6,454 the Rend Ascension is scattered. By 6,460 The Rend Ascension is non-existent.”
Teagan flips to the next page and examines it. It’s an all new chapter about another era that has no ties to the Rend Ascension, so she flips back to the previous page.
MATTHIAS
“Red Fenris foresaw something terrible, Your Highness, as you have. His vision, however, never came to pass. Or so it would seem.”
TEAGAN
“You believe my visions are similar to those of Red Fenris? That he and I have the same ability?”
MATTHIAS
“Well, I wouldn’t go so far as to call it an ability, but yes. Your predicaments are similar. I only bring up the topic to put you at ease. To prove that dreams that frighten or motivate people are not unheard of. People have lived and died for dreams in the past, and The Rend Ascension is testament to their power… as well as their chances of coming to fruition.”
Matthias closes the book.
MATTHIAS ( CONT’D)
“It was a brief point in history. It’s remembered by few. And there’s been no mention of the Rend Ascension for nearly seven-hundred years.”
TEAGAN
“…Maybe you’re right. Maybe it is just a dream. Maybe it has a meaning that’s lost to me.”
MATTHIAS
“Undoubtedly. It’s meaning will come in time. Whether it be something simple or drastic. But do not overestimate it, either. It may be just a passing thought. And it may be just a matter of time until your dreams move on to something new.”
Teagan nods almost solemnly.
TEAGAN
(Hopeful)
“Maybe if I stop fussing over it… I’ll stop feeding the fire, so to speak.”
She rubs her eyes tiredly and lets out a sigh of exhaustion before sliding the book toward the edge of the table for Matthias to return to the shelf. Matthias, however, slides it back with a smile.
MATTHIAS
(Jovial)
“Tomorrow’s lesson so happens to be on the Chapter following the Rend Ascension; The Upsweep. Hold onto it, Your Highness. Read up before the lesson so that you have questions to ask.”
Teagan moans playfully, playing the part of the rebellious student. She and Matthias laugh, and he pats her gently on the shoulder.
TEAGAN
(Sarcastically)
“Yes, Professor.”
MATTHIAS
“And with that, I think it’s time that you got yourself some sleep.”
TEAGAN
(Jokingly)
“One can only hope I’m not interrupted again.”
Matthias laughs and Teagan rises from her seat, tucking the history book under her arm. The two hug, and as Teagan begins to make for the exit of the library, Matthias blows out the candle in his hand.
TEAGAN
“Goodnight, Matthias. …And thank you for lending me your ear at this late hour.”
Teagan looks over her shoulder at him. The faint smoke from the blown out candle slithers upward and away from him. The only remaining light in the room is the single candle on the table at which they were speaking.
MATTHIAS
(Graciously)
“Goodnight, Princess. I‘m here for you at any hour should the need arise. Pleasant dreams.”
Teagan gives him one last smile. She quietly opens the library door and allows it to shut behind her as she walks through, now out of sight. Matthias watches after her until the door is shut and clicks softly into place. He blows out the final candle… and retreats deeper into the library, to his own quarters.
The clicking of another door.
The room is now empty.
The candle smoke billows thinly into the now empty room… which is now even darker than before but with small hints of moonlight creeping out from beneath the curtains drawn before the cathedral-like windows.
And then, suddenly, there’s a shift in shadows… a slow pattern of footsteps.
Someone else, concealed in the darkness, makes their way out from the far confines of the library, and sits in the seat that Teagan had occupied only moments before.
They stare at the dead candle at the table’s center from beneath a loose-fitting hood…
…and then they are gone. Disappeared.
The candle smoke blows violently as if there were a passing wind.
END SCENE
DREAM SEQUENCE -- EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS --DUSK
TEAGAN walks a long road that leads from the castle, to the kingdom’s edges. With every step, ripples are sent across the land… as if it were water. Her surroundings grow increasingly more dim with every stride… until it is black and gray. Only the silhouettes of her surroundings remain, like shadows. The gray sky in the distance bleeds ebony ink… running slowly to the ground as if sliding down a painter’s canvas. The clouds take on the shapes of vaporous faces… twisted and tormented. And then there is a cry from nowhere in particular. All around her.
She stops walking, looking all around. She begins stepping backwards, hands to her chest as if breathing was difficult.
The ground before her in the center of the road cracks. Dark hands erupt violently from the crack, clawing at the road like rabid animals… and Teagan turns about, sprinting back toward the castle. Her pale white nightgown stands out among the darkness.
As she flees, the crack expands, following her every stride. More hands force themselves upward. The ominous shadow-like entities to which these hands belong, soon find their way up and out of the expanding crack. From afar they resemble both man and beast alike. Not one of them is the same… but all seem to be hunched and writhing in agony with every step.
They chase after Teagan. Some walking. Some crawling. Some running. The crack begins to branch out into many… and soon, the entire thing collapses into a great chasm. Purple fire flows from its abyssal depths and sears the landscape.
Teagan finds her way through the main portion of the kingdom, which is inhabited by Tethys citizens who are much too calm for what is taking place. She makes for the castle, screaming at the top of her lungs for her father… her mother… Matthias. Anyone that will hear her.
But her voice is scarcely a voice at all. It comes off as a dull, muffled humming overpowered by the collapsing of the kingdom behind her.
Every building, every tree, every piece of everything there ever was in Tethys is torn from the ground and tossed into the sky where it hovers, broken over the great chasm, held up by some unknown force. The demons continue to manifest and crawl out of the chasm… raiding the kingdom. They slaughter every citizen in sight… and continue their persistent pursuit of Teagan who now pounds with both fists against the main doors of the castle, which for some reason, are shut on her.
The demons close in and reach for her. In one single, united voice… they cry out in a gargled onslaught of whispers…
THE DEMONS
“Destroy the Muse!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Teagan twirls about at the sound, horrified, only to see hundreds of hands and claws outstretched before her face. She continues to scream for help and slumps her back against the castle door… sliding down it until she is seated, knees drawn to her chest, sobbing and trembling… waiting for death.
Suddenly, a shifting mass of shady cloth drops before Teagan, creating a sort of wall between her and the outstretched hands. Teagan manages to lower her shielding arms from her face and notices that the mass of cloth is indeed a cape attached to a dark, armor clad man… who is just as dark… if not darker… than the demons after her. Shadow swirls from his feet, upward, in a type of dark tornado.
He bends to his left in preparation. For what, is unclear. Until he draws an ominous blade and hacks in all directions, cutting the hands at their wrists with a dizzying array of swipes. The demons cry out, louder than before.
Teagan continues to cower, but oddly enough, grips the mans dark cape in her hands. She looks up at the monstrous warrior who looks down at her through eyes of purple fire from behind the dark metal helmet on his head; the same fire that pours from the chasm that has split Tethys apart.
No words are exchanged. Teagan pulls at the stranger’s rigid armor pieces until she is standing and once again has some sort of footing. Even then, she can only hide behind her protector’s right arm.
The many demons in pursuit have began to scatter, damaged and broken. Loose hands and arms litter the ground, contorting violently as if still attached to their owners.
The man says something… but it is only a muffled series of breaths. …But Teagan seems to understand. They begin a march. The man obliterates any interloper in their path. Teagan stays with him, staring blankly at the storm of blood and shadow that churns all around her.
The way is open. Together, Teagan and the stranger run forward into a field of tall grass that tops off at their hips. The gray sky is gone. No more chasm. No more demons. But the field is suddenly packed with people who sing their praises to the two. The words are inaudible, but the feelings expressed are pure. They are thankful. All of them. As if both Teagan and this man have done something wondrous.
…But the man is gone. Despite a few attempts to search through the crowd to find him, he does not turn up. Teagan can not find him.
She is alone. The people disperse and disappear. A familiar feeling of dread returns.
Teagan looks around, hoping that the armor clad man from before would show up and protect her again. Suddenly, from the other end of the field of tall grass, encroaches a figure.
Believing it to be the man from before, Teagan begins to run toward him… but stops upon noticing it is someone else entirely. A man swathed in a heavy cloak… his face covered in the shade of a baggy hood.
Two demons from the chasm wander in from behind the cloaked enigma. One kneels at his left side, hugging and eerily running its clawed hands up and down the man’s lower body. It mutters something in a voice of a hundred whispers, looking upward at the man’s face for acknowledgement.
The second, embraces the cloaked man from behind… one of its claws being dragged gently across his chest… the other up and down his right arm. This one growls into the man’s ear.
It would seem that the two demons are serenading this man with evil. Putting thoughts into his head of some sort.
LOWER DEMON
(Whispered, as if a dozen voices at once)
“Destroy the Muse… Destroy it…”
UPPER DEMON
(Whispered with a demonic tone, deeper than the other)
“…You must destroy it. It has taken everything…”
Teagan takes in the horrifying sight. Listens to the words. And then the demons shift their purple flaming eyes onto her… hints of sadistic grins beginning to manifest.
And suddenly, unexpectedly… their mouths and eyes gape open and they howl the most frightening, unsettling roar that Teagan has ever heard.
END SCENE
INT. TEAGAN’S ROOM -- MORNING
Teagan violently sits up in a cold sweat, panting heavily. She begins to cry and buries her face in her hands.
At her bedside, stands the cloaked man… motionless, as before.
Teagan wipes her eyes and looks to the door of her room.
The cloaked man is nowhere to be seen and has gone unnoticed by Teagan.
Teagan’s eyes slowly fall upon the history book on her bedside dresser, flipped open to the day’s lesson. She had studied a bit before falling asleep in an attempt to get a head start.
She soon finds herself hanging her legs off the edge of her bed and taking the book into her hands. …Again, she is drawn to the history of the Rend Ascension and its prophet leader, Red Fenris.
TEAGAN
(Bewildered, half-whispered)
“… How did you sleep, Red Fenris?…”
END SCENE
INT. CASTLE CORRIDOR -- MORNING
Teagan marches briskly down a large hallway, passing by large windows. The sun shines brightly through, almost heavenly. She has the history book hugged against her chest. She is clad in a very regal-looking dress, crimson in color. Her brown hair is in wondrous locks. The difference between her late-night appearance in the Castle library and her appearance now is significant.
She passes several inhabitants of the castle on her way. Guards. Maids. Butlers. …And then some she doesn’t expect.
She passes a handful of noble folk coming from the direction of the Library. Ambassadors…
She passes them wearily. They greet her warmly, and she returns the favor with a modest acknowledgment. Whenever there were Ambassadors around, her parents were up to something that would usually require her to partake in some sort of event.
She presses onward, a bit quicker.
END SCENE.
INT. CASTLE LIBRARY -- MORNING
Teagan enters the large library that she and Matthias had been in the night before, immediately spotting him across the room looking through a telescope to the kingdom below. She hurries to him, almost running.
TEAGAN
(Whispered)
“Matthias!”
Matthias looks up.
MATTHIAS
“Ah, good morning, your Highness.”
TEAGAN
(Whispered, worked up)
“Matthias, there are Ambassadors in the hall!”
She looks over her shoulder at the door to the hallway, and then back at Matthias who smiles.
MATTHIAS
“Trust me, I’ve taken notice.”
TEAGAN
(Whispered, worked up)
“I hate Ambassadors!”
Matthias can’t help but look at Teagan’s reaction and laugh. He places a hand on her shoulder and begins guiding her to his office.
MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“So I’ve come to suspect. A bit early for your lesson, aren’t you?”
TEAGAN
(Normally)
“I woke up earlier than intended.”
MATTHIAS
(Worried)
“Oh, heavens. The dream?”
Teagan looks around the library as they walk, and nods. The history book is pressed firmly to her chest still. She rests her chin on it.
MATTHIAS
“Come. Let’s speak in here.”
He opens his office door for Teagan.
END SCENE
INT. MATTHIAS’ OFFICE -- MORNING
Matthias’ office is filled with old scholarly artifacts. Globes, maps, measuring devices, bones, and loads of paperwork. It’s a very small space, intended for only Matthias, and one other; usually someone seeking council or knowledge.
He sits at his desk. Teagan sits in a chair before his desk. The layout is very much like a principal’s office in a school.
MATTHIAS
“So, your dream has returned, has it?”
TEAGAN
(Hesitant)
“…Again. Yes. …But…”
MATTHIAS
“…But, what?”
TEAGAN
“…There were changes. It was different, this time.”
Teagan exhales heavily and looks to the ceiling, slumping back into her seat, book in her lap.
MATTHIAS
“Changes? A different dream, then? Well that‘s rather promising, I must say.”
Teagan shakes her head.
TEAGAN
(Stressed)
“No, it was the same dream. …Just longer. It played out more.”
Matthias sits silently for a moment as if defeated. Then he suddenly comes to as Teagan unexpectedly continues.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“It always left off with everyone being thankful and happy…”
Teagan sits up, on the edge of the seat, looking at the cover of the history book as she recalls.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“…But this time, it didn‘t end happily. …My companion disappeared. …And someone else approached.”
MATTHIAS
(Perplexed)
“Another ally?”
TEAGAN
“Afraid not. This one was plagued by two demons… latched to his body as if they were a part of him. …It was all rather terrifying. …They caressed him as if they’d never felt flesh… whispered things to him in eerie voices…”
MATTHIAS
“…Well, what did they say?”
TEAGAN
“…Destroy the Muse. …That it has taken everything. It made no sense to me.”
MATTHIAS
“Muse, you say?”
Teagan nods.
TEAGAN
“…What is it?”
MATTHIAS
“A great many things to a great many people, I’m afraid. But the most common definition is a source of inspiration. My muse, for example, is the power of knowledge. To truly see the world-”
TEAGAN
(Interrupting)
“…You must truly know the world.”
Matthias shrugs his hands with a smile as if to say “there you have it”.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“…But it makes no sense. I don’t know what they were talking about. …They weren’t telling it to me, anyway…”
She drifts off to silence toward the end, and emerges once more with a heavy breath and a sigh.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
(Sarcastic, joking)
“A silly dream, a ruse of the mind, I know, I know. All in good time, etcetera, etcetera…”
Matthias chuckles and nods. Teagan places the history book on his desk.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“Subject change. So, I read the chapter on Maugrim and Leontyne… about their pivotal last stand at The Upsweep and the founding of Tethys…”
MATTHIAS
(Amused)
“Ah, yes. The Upsweep. Fantastic era. …But it will have to be addressed at another time, I’m afraid.”
TEAGAN
(Lost)
“…What?”
MATTHIAS
“We’ve some business to attend to. No lesson today.”
TEAGAN
(Appalled)
“…You’re joking? I read for almost two hours before I went back to sleep last night, and a little extra this morning before coming here!”
MATTHIAS
“Well you’re definitely on the ball, I’ll give you that.”
Matthias rises from his seat, shuffles his mess of papers into neat piles, quickly, and then makes for the door, urging Teagan to stand.
Teagan stands, mouth slowly gaping more and more in realization of what has come to pass.
TEAGAN
(In realization)
“Those bloody Ambassadors got to you, didn’t they!?”
Matthias laughs and opens the door, holding it open as he motions for her to head out first.
MATTHIAS
“Yes, yes. But more importantly, …your Father. A full day of horseback riding and politics, awaits.”
Teagan stares at him blankly, as if all of her energy had been sucked out of her.
MATTHIAS
(Sarcastically)
“Ah, you look thrilled.”
Teagan continues to stare at him blankly. She crosses her arms.
MATTHIAS
(Sarcastically)
“… I’ll ask you once and only once to hide your enthusiasm, Your Highness. I pray I don’t have to pry your excited little hands off of the more handsome of the male Ambassadors.”
TEAGAN
(Amused, but trying to hide it)
“…Yes, well… you might be right. I might try to get my hands on one or two… Choking one has always been a dream of mine. Back when my dreams were much more pleasant… ahhh yes.”
Matthias smiles and watches her leave the room, shaking his head.
MATTHIAS
(Calling out to her)
“Behave, you.”
Matthias follows.
END SCENE
EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS -- MORNING
The streets are crowded with people. Merchants urge buyers to browse their wares. Children frolic about. People stand in the doorways and balconies of their homes to bask in the sun of this beautiful day. Music reverberates throughout the kingdom… all from different sources, playing different songs… and yet harmonizing.
KING REINHARDT of Tethys, with his wife, QUEEN JUNEAUX, are atop horses, riding at a walk’s pace with company behind them. They are followed by several guards, the AMBASSADORS, TEAGAN, and MATTHIAS.
KING REINHARDT
(Addressing the Ambassadors)
“I pray that you all may find the vitality within these walls, pleasant.”
Reinhardt sends a few smiles and greetings to commoners as they march on by a cluster of them.
AMBASSADOR #1
(Astonished)
“I’ve never seen a more lively kingdom, Lord Reinhardt.”
REINHARDT
(Proudly)
“Yes, well, we here in Tethys have much to celebrate. Our history is wholesome. We are a truly proud lot.”
QUEEN JUNEAUX
“You will notice, Ambassadors, that we march through the heart of the kingdom; that we mingle with its people in the most frequented sector.”
AMBASSADOR #2
“It’s refreshing, I must say, to venture through a kingdom with its King and Queen… rather than sneak out the back door with them.”
King Reinhardt nods to no one in particular and chuckles. The flanks of all of the riders are now filled with commoners as they enter the busiest district, the very center of Tethys.
The people yell their praises, and the King and Queen respond with outstretched hands, smiles, and greetings. Even Teagan joins in.
REINHARDT
“Those are false Kings and Queens, friend. They lack trust in their people. They do not look upon their people as the essence of what makes them. They deem those they lead as miscreants… vermin… when in reality, several of those condemned few would make a more suitable King or Queen than their own.”
JUNEAUX
“Tethys was founded on the belief that anyone, even outcasts, would be welcome here with open arms. We are a nation built on the strength of one another.”
AMBASSADOR #3
“As all nations should be, milady. Now I truly understand why other kingdoms look upon Tethys with such revere.”
AMBASSADOR #1
“Quite right.”
The handful of riders slowly encroach upon the main gate that leads to the outlying lands surrounding the kingdom. The lush green hills can be seen through the orifice of the gate.
AMBASSADOR #1
“…Pardon my questioning, Lady Juneaux, but you mentioned that even outcasts are welcome into your kingdom with open arms? The likes of which are what? Exiles? Murderers? The average criminal?”
JUNEAUX
“Your curiosity is welcomed, Ambassador. But outcast is not synonymous with criminal. Wanderers. Vagrants. Those are the types we welcome. There is no application process to become a citizen of Tethys. We only ask that you swear fealty to some extent at the gate and present your self to the royal house for a welcome.”
REINHARDT
“But, understand, should they be unlawful within our walls, the proper punishment will be given. You are granted a clean slate in Tethys, but misuse our trust and the trust of your peers, and you become most unwelcome.”
They walk through the gate, now on a somewhat trampled dirt road leading to the outlying lands.
Teagan is the last to reach the gate. She hesitates as she eyes the dirt road. The very dirt road which, in her dream, cracks open and releases demons unto the world. The look on her face is worrisome. As the others continue onward, Teagan brings her horse to a full halt. Matthias slows his pace and looks back at her, urging her to quickly follow.
She hesitantly follows and joins the rest of the group with a slow gallop to catch up. She and Matthias look at each other, each seeming to understand the situation, but it is quickly dismissed.
AMBASSADOR #1
“An interesting tradition.”
REINHARDT
“To most. Our axiom in this land is ‘Two are abandoned, one at a time. Two are united at once.”
Teagan, having caught a sudden interest in the conversation, begins to speak as she quickens her horses pace to get alongside her father.
TEAGAN
“That axiom refers to the two original founders of Tethys. Maugrim and Leontyne.”
Reinhardt looks at his daughter, somewhat amused that she is partaking in conversation around politicians. She hardly ever does.
TEAGAN (CONT’D)
“Both of them were abandoned by their kingdoms for being labeled criminals. Leontyne was a savage crusader of Grayveil; shrewish and ill-tempered. Never met a man on the battlefield she couldn’t best. She fought a war that she overtime grew to despise… and went rogue. She became a mercenary, and for that, was branded a deserter of war and a criminal.”
AMBASSADOR #2
“And what of Maugrim?”
Reinhardt and Juneaux continue to eye their daughter amusedly. Matthias looks on from the rear with a smile.
TEAGAN
“Maugrim claimed he was a warden from Lumina, personal guard to the High Priestess, Dziewanna. The rumor is that he fell in love with Dziewanna and was tried for high treason for attempting to woo her. He was to be beheaded, but managed an escape. Shortly thereafter, for reasons unknown, Dziewanna went mad. Her ties to the Gods became abnormal and she began to preach of destruction. She eventually rounded up the majority of Lumina as loyal followers. Brainwashed religious zealots.”
REINHARDT
“Leontyne and Maugrim were destined to meet; two exiles on the run. When the world turned a blind eye to Dziewanna’s crusade of madness, the two of them took up arms and went to war against the High Priestess.”
TEAGAN
“They held their last stand against Dziewanna on a place not far from here called The Upsweep. They were victorious… and decided to create a village which grew into Tethys over centuries.”
The Ambassadors eat up the history lecture. These few were from the outlands across the sea and came with the intention of learning new things and obtaining new allies.
Reinhardt looks back at Matthias with a laugh.
REINHARDT
(Proudly)
“You’ve taught her well, Matthias.”
MATTHIAS
(Humbly)
“She is a wonderful student.”
The lot of them continue onward to a clearing; an expanse of green, grassy hills, ponds, and clusters of trees and brush.
END SCENE
EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS, BORDERLANDS -- DAY
Reinhardt, Juneaux, Matthias, the Ambassadors, and the few Guards have dismounted at a pond. Some of the horses are drinking. They are engaged in incoherent conversations about distant lands and other politics.
Teagan takes this moment to wander a little ways off, hugging herself loosely. She is obviously still feeling uneasy about her dream.
She heads to the other end of the pond. The bay is lined with several very small trees.
She kneels here, playing with the water a bit out of sheer boredom.
She skips a few stones, eyeing her parents and their company.
TEAGAN
(Fixated)
“…Destroy the Muse… taken everything… what’s the Muse?”
…In the reflection on the pond, the Hooded Man from her nightmare stands directly behind her.
For the first time since her nightmare, Teagan notices the man and gasps, slumping onto her backside and backing away from the pond as quickly as possible.
She looks behind her and then up at her parents and the others. They didn’t notice her gasp.
Teagan is still on the ground, trembling and in shock. She looks behind herself once more before rising to her feet, eyes never once leaving the pond.
Voice on the wind
“…Run…”
Teagan grabs hold of some of her dress in her hands as she slowly steps toward the pond, unable to hear the voice on the wind. She is terrified.
TEAGAN
(Said to herself)
“…Come on, Teagan, there’s nothing there. You’re losing it.”
She inches closer… and just before her head makes it over the pond, she takes one final, quick, snap of a step as if she was trying to surprise whatever was in the water… if there was anything at all.
She pants heavily upon noticing nothing.
Reinhardt, having noticed his daughter over the shoulders of the Ambassadors, watches her curiously. From Reinhardt’s point of view, it would appear as if Teagan was playing with her reflection.
She keeps playing peek-a-boo with the pond, making sure nothing is truly there… and then rubs her eyes. When she looks up at her father, she sees him smiling with a bit of curiosity. She smiles back, a bit embarrassed, and shrugs.
He motions for her to join them.
VOICE ON THE WIND
“…Teagan… Run…”
Teagan nods at her father, and as the group begins to take a stroll, Teagan stops dead in her tracks. A bitter wind brushes across her face, tossing up a few locks of her hair.
She stares at the ground, wavered by an uneasy feeling. …As if she was not alone.
VOICE ON THE WIND
“Run, now, Teagan…”
Teagan’s eyes grow wide in disbelief. She begins to back up… not exactly knowing why. She looks at her parents and the Ambassadors.
She wanted so much to run to them… but something inside… wouldn’t let her.
VOICE ON THE WIND
“Get out of here, Teagan…”
Teagan grabs her chest… there was a great pressure… and she was beginning to lose her breath. She takes an attempt at moving forward… but it feels wrong.
TEAGAN
(Hurting, as if fighting off an urge)
“…Why-? …What is this?…”
VOICE ON THE WIND
“Can’t you hear me? You need to run… It’s the only way.”
Teagan takes another step back. Tears begin to roll down her cheeks as she watches her parents walk further away. She outstretches her right hand toward them… as if trying to grab them up from afar… and clenches her left hand into a tight fist against her chest.
The look upon her face now is of utter emotional pain.
TEAGAN
(Hurting)
“…I have to run…”
More tears fall. The fist against her chest tightens… and her outstretched hand is now stiffened… her fingers extending out as far as they can. She drops to a knee as if a sudden heavy weight had shoved her down. Something was overpowering her…
TEAGAN
(Hurting, crying)
“…But I can’t. …I can’t. …I won’t. Why can‘t I decide?… why can‘t I move? …What is this!?!?”
Reinhardt looks over his shoulder, seeing his daughter with her hand outstretched… bawling… and he immediately abandons the group, running for her, screaming her name.
REINHARDT
“Teagan!? TEAGAN!?”
TEAGAN
(Bawling)
“FATHER!!!”
REINHARDT
“I’m coming, Teagan!”
VOICE ON THE WIND
“…No. You can’t stay here…”
The fist clenched to Teagan’s chest begins to bleed. The blood drips down her chest and in between her bosom.
A few droplets of her blood begin to mysteriously hover into the air. She watches in disbelief as the few drops float before her face… and slowly begin to ascend into the sky.
They are followed by blades of grass… rocks… and then the pond water itself.
Reinhardt begins to close in on Teagan. Juneaux and the others trail behind.
Teagan shoots her approaching father a glance as the last airborne drop of blood fades from view.
VOICE ON THE WIND
“…Move your ass!”
The voice on the wind suddenly hits her; she hears it for the first time. Her eyes snap wide open and she looks at her approaching father momentarily before rising to her feet, turning… and sprinting in the opposite direction!
REINHARDT
“TEAGAN!?! TEAGAN, COME BACK!!!”
Teagan runs for Tethys with all of her might, breathing heavily and crying all at once. She hears her father behind her, and it wrenches at her heart. Why was she not able to run the other way? What was stopping her? …What was happening?
END SCENE
EXT. KINGDOM OF TETHYS, ENTRANCE -- DAY
TEAGAN continues to sprint furiously for Tethys. It was the only place she could think of that she could go.
She was back on the main road to the front gate. REINHARDT was still calling out for her as he attempted to chase her down. But Teagan was much too fast; pumped with adrenaline and an unknown motive.
She looks over her shoulder at her father, wanting so much to turn right around… but that thought alone burned her insides and forced her to continue on her path. She bawls loudly, facing her head forward once more, swiping at her eyes as she runs in an attempt to dry them.
As she does this, she runs into something…
She shoulder rams the HOODED MAN… and in an instant that seems to last forever, meets his eyes from the dark of his hood as she begins falling to the dirt road below.
She topples onto the ground a bit violently, rolls once, and comes to a stop flat on her belly.
Breathing heavily, she looks up at the Hooded Man in fear, paying no heed to the scrape on her left forearm from her rolling along the road.
He only looks back down at her with a stoic expression…
REINHARDT
“TEAGAN!!!”
Teagan could not hear her father because of the fear that now gripped her. She remains on her belly, unable to move, eyes still fixated on the Hooded Man who now turns his attention onto her father.
HOODED MAN
(Calmly)
“…So it begins.”
Teagan begins to stir. As she does, the ground trembles…
HOODED MAN
“I don’t have long, Teagan. It’s all crashing down, now.”
Teagan begins to freak out as the trembling intensifies. The ground beneath her begins to crack… an all too familiar purple hue stems from underneath.
TEAGAN
(Terrified)
“NOOOO!!!!”
HOODED MAN
“…You have to keep going.”
The sound of earth being torn asunder thunders through the air. The cracks expand, ripping the road in half. Teagan screams at the top of her lungs as the chasm from her dream manifests right before her eyes. She stands and begins running toward Tethys once more.
The chasm grows… and soon, the plains that laid before Tethys become clusters of shattering rock and soil. Purple fire creeps from the depths, spewing out onto the landscape… birthing with it, the demons in Teagan’s dream.
Reinhardt nearly loses his balance as the earth around him is slowly torn away. He is surrounded by flame and a bottomless trench with no more running room.
Teagan sprints through the city gate… but as if suddenly remembering her father, turns about and exit’s the city once more, only to see him in his grave predicament.
TEAGAN
“FATHER!!!”
Demons climb from the depths surrounding Reinhardt and encircle him.
TEAGAN
“NO!!! NO!!!”
The Hooded Man, who had once been further down the road, now stands in the gate of Tethys, just behind Teagan. He looks on calmly.
HOODED MAN
(Calmly)
“…His fate is regrettable, Teagan. But you can’t stop now.”
Teagan can only look on with damp eyes and a hoarse throat as her father is smothered in writhing masses of the demons. One last gargled scream…
REINHARDT
“TEA-!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
…And then there’s nothing.
Teagan goes into shock. She slumps weakly to her knees in defeat. She stares blankly into the distance as the demons all begin staring right back at her.
Somewhere at the back of the road, her mother, Matthias, and the others scream in horror… but Teagan doesn’t react.
The ground overturns beside her, and she begins to fall…
The Hooded Man grabs her by the hand. She dangles above the chasm, looking down at the darkness below. A void. Nothingness on fire. Demons climb the chasm walls and begin reaching for her… but the Hooded Man pulls her up and stands her upright, taking her face into his hands. She has little choice but to look under the hood, back into his eyes.
HOODED MAN
“…I know it hurts, Teagan. I know it doesn’t make sense. But you need to live. And what’s left of me in here will make sure of it.”
Teagan stares blankly at him, still emotionless, it would seem.
HOODED MAN
“Whatever’s left of me will be back for you. Run, Teagan. I’ll find you.”
He kisses her on the forehead… and she begins to slowly snap out of her state of shock. She begins to cry yet again, going limp in the mans arms.
TEAGAN
(Defeated, crying)
“…Who are you? What’s happening?”
HOODED MAN
“…I’ll get back to you on those answers. But now isn’t the time. Get going.”
He shoves her toward the gate.
Teagan, reluctantly obeying, takes off into the city, leaving the Hooded Man behind.
The Hooded Man stands at the gate, head down as the demons approach. He can feel their breath on him now as they surround him.
…but they do not harm him.
DEMONS
“DESTROY THE MUSE!!!!”
The Hooded Man closes his eyes as the gargled onslaught of whispers erupts all around him. They look at the man wantonly… some even reach out and touch him…
HOODED MAN
“…No.”
DEMONS
“DESTROY IT!!!”
HOODED MAN
“…I won’t.”
A single demon approaches from the mob, hugging the Hooded Man from behind. It tugs back his hood, revealing the man for who he really is. Dark brown hair, brown eyes. Seemingly in his thirties with a bit of stubble on his face.
EMBRACING DEMON
“IT HAS CAUSED SUCH PAIN.”
The demon licks the man’s ear… and the man remains still.
HOODED MAN
“No. This is how it was supposed to be. I didn’t know it before… but this is how it happens.”
EMBRACING DEMON
“WE ARE CONFUSED. WE ARE MISGUIDED.”
HOODED MAN
“…We are enemies.”
EMBRACING DEMON
“ENEMIES? NO. WE ARE THE SAME.”
HOODED MAN
“…Not anymore.”
The demon withdraws and circles the man, hissing violently. Its eyes afire with purple, it leans forward, face to face with the man this time. It gropes at him sexually, fondling his privates through his pants before throwing a tantrum, roaring aloud. The other demons in the area follow suit and throw a similar tantrum.
DEMON
“TEAGAN MUST BE VANQUISHED! TETHYS MUST BE VANQUISHED! ALL OF THIS MUST BE VANUQISHED!”
The man, steps toward the demon, getting back in its face.
HOODED MAN
“You can try to consume it all, but I’ll stop you in the end.”
DEMON
“YOU ARE POWERLESS. YOU ARE OURS.”
HOODED MAN
“No, you are mine! All of this is mine!”
DEMON
“THE MUSE-”
HOODED MAN
(Interrupting)
“TEAGAN WILL LIVE!”
There is a moment of silence. Several of the hundreds of demons surrounding the Hooded Man emit low growls...
DEMON
(Appaled)
"...YOU WOULD WAR WITH YOURSELF FOR THE MUSE!?"
HOODED MAN
"...I've been warring with myself for a decade, already. Teagan will escape us. For the good of the world."
DEMON
"THE WORLD...?"
The demon erupts into a sickening laughter. The others follow suit, as if they were all one entity.
And then they all cease at once.
DEMON
"THIS IS OUR WORLD, BYRON. THE WORLD OF WHICH YOU SPEAK IS INSIGNIFICANT."
BYRON
"Insignificant only to those who aren't a part of it."
DEMON
"HMPH. HUMANITY. YOU ARE SCARCELY HUMAN, YOURSELF. LOOK UPON US. SEE WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME."
BYRON
"...I still have time to fix things. My mind is still my own, even as it falls apart."
The Demon reaches for Byron's throat but stops short... as if it didn't have the power to cause him harm. It recoils its claw-like hand quickly and roars angrily.
BYRON
"...You don't have the power yet, demon. ...Soon. But not yet."
The Demon backs up, snarling...
DEMON
"SEE TO YOUR PET. QUICKLY... LEST WHAT'S LEFT OF YOU WITHERS AND DIES."
BYRON
"Nothing's absolute. Don't forget... you're in MY world. I still have a few tricks up my sleeve."
DEMON
"THERE IS NO TRICK THAT CAN SAVE A MIND IN DESCENT."
The Demons begin to disperse... heading toward Tethys, in pursuit of Teagan once more.
DEMON
"... WE STORM YOUR SANITY. PLAY YOUR GAMES. ...SHE WILL DIE."
The Demon turns, and like a bat out of hell, takes off toward Tethys with the mob of his kin. Like an ocean of shadow, they pass over the landscape... leaving Byron standing alone.
END SCENE
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