Covington Cross

[first lines]

Sir Thomas Grey:
Friar! Friar!

Friar:
My lord?

Sir Thomas Grey:
I need a prayer.

Friar:
A prayer?

Sir Thomas Grey:
Yes, a prayer. You pray, don't you, Friar?

Friar:
Of course, my lord. Any particular sort of prayer?

Sir Thomas Grey:
My family is off to Sussex. The Duke of Arondale, the depositor of the king's taxes, is there.

Friar:
Oh, good.

Sir Thomas Grey:
It's taxes, Friar. What could be good about it? Everybody comes from around the county, sips spiced wine, pretends to like each other and then leaves large sums of money they can ill afford.

Friar:
I see what you mean.

Sir Thomas Grey:
A traveling prayer would be in order, you know the usual thing - good weather, safe journey - whatever else you can think of.

Friar:
Of course.

Sir Thomas Grey:
And, ah, Friar, perhaps you could say another as well for my sons Armus and William. They're off to war. I worry for them. I miss them.

Friar:
I'll pray the best prayer I can pray for them, Sir Thomas.

Sir Thomas Grey:
No doubt you will, Friar, and while you're at it, might as well mention something about the damned taxes!

[speaking of Eleanor's huge brother]

Eleanor Grey:
I wonder what Armus would enjoy for dinner.

Lady Elizabeth:
I wonder what Armus wouldn't enjoy for dinner.

Richard Grey:
They are serving food in the Great Hall, you know.

Armus Grey:
It may be something one ingests by mouth, brother, but it's certainly not food. Besides which I couldn't bear to spend another moment in the same room with John Mullens. His disposition hasn't improved over the years.

Eleanor Grey:
You don't know the half of it.

Armus Grey:
[referring to the lovely Alexandra Mullens] And who, by the way, is that creature with him? And more importantly, why?

Lady Elizabeth:
Have we remained a decent amount of time?

Sir Thomas Grey:
No, but we shall leave anyway. If we remain much longer we run the risk of death by extreme boredom.

[to the assembled nobles gathered at the Duke of Arondale's castle to pay their taxes]

Bandit Leader:
I may not kill anyone; then I might kill all of ya. I don't know. Now you know what they say - two things you can't avoid in life - death and taxes.

Bandit #1:
We have it all.

Bandit Leader:
Do we? I don't see the good duke's contribution. I'm sure it was an oversight. You've a lot on your mind right now. Oh yes, the rate has risen this year, unfortunately. I'm afraid we'll be taking, well, just about everything you own, actually.

Duke of Arondale:
A shilling is more than you'll get from this house.

Bandit Leader:
A man of principle. I admire that. Kill him.

Sir Thomas Grey:
It's not worth your life, your grace.

Duke of Arondale:
Yes, you're right, of course.

Bandit Leader:
Let him go. Isn't tax season just hell?

[the bandit leader discovers his avenue of escape has been cut off by the king's men]

Bandit Leader:
[to the Duke] The escape tunnel - where is it? I'll rip out your gullet with my fingers, I swear!

Sir Thomas Grey:
Problem?

Lieutenant:
I'll have them bring up the battering ram, Captain.

Captain:
No. There are other nobles in there, as well as the Duke. I'll not make a foolish decision in haste to spill blood.

Lieutenant:
These men are in possession of the King's gold, Captain. If the king does not get it, then the only blood that's shed might be ours.

Bandit Leader:
It seems we have a dilemma. The only thing keeping you alive is me. The only thing keeping me alive is the threat of killing you.

Alexandra Mullens:
We shouldn't even be talking.

Cedric Grey:
Why not?

Alexandra Mullens:
You're a Grey.

Cedric Grey:
You know, I can always change my name.

John Mullens:
Do we have a deal or not?

Bandit Leader:
We have the beginning of a negotiation.

[the bandit leader has sent out a list of demands to the king's men]

John Mullens:
You missed an opportunity there. I could have delivered that list.

Bandit Leader:
Perhaps you're right.

[shoots his messenger in the back]

Bandit Leader:
Has the brain trust had time to gather its thoughts?

Captain:
Your demands are unreasonable.

Bandit Leader:
A painful death, by definition, is always unreasonable.

John Mullens:
Your son has violated my daughter!

Sir Thomas Grey:
Leave my son alone.

John Mullens:
And watch him ruin her? Not in this lifetime.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Your lifetime may have become quite short.

Richard Grey:
Why didn't you shoot?

Armus Grey:
I couldn't.

Richard Grey:
What do you mean "you couldn't"?

Armus Grey:
I'm not the kind of knight you think I am, Richard.

Armus Grey:
During the crusades, I didn't fight - I was a cook. I trained so hard for the right to do battle for my king - to take my rightful place as father's son. I looked forward to the day I would lift a sword in combat. When that day came... I didn't see him at first. A knight to my rear warned me. I swung 'round, my broadsword wielded. The blade thrust into his belly... the life drained so quickly from his face. He was a boy like me. He watched me watching him die. It was as though it was happening to someone else.

Eleanor Grey:
You killed in self-defense.

Armus Grey:
The kill came so easily. I'll never forget the feeling of power it gave me - a feeling I had no wish to acquire a taste for.

[Richard and Eleanor gather arms for their counterattack against the bandits]

Richard Grey:
Help if you want to, brother, and if you don't - stay in the kitchen. Just don't get in the way.

Bandit Leader:
Now you do want to help your family, don't you?

Cedric Grey:
Are you going to kill me or talk me to death?

[to Alexandra Mullens as his brother and sister battle the entire gang of brigands]

Cedric Grey:
I don't think I can change my name after all.

Duke of Arondale:
It's so difficult to find good bandits these days.

Bandit Leader:
Cut me free!

John Mullens:
Fascinating life, isn't it? Just when you think you've got it all worked out, it takes the most unexpected twist.

[the bandit leader spots Cedric Grey and Alexandra Mullens kissing passionately]

Bandit Leader:
Yesss.

Richard Grey:
I went to bed every night wanting to be just like you. I dreamt I was you.

Armus Grey:
I dreamt I was you.

Richard Grey:
Me?

Armus Grey:
There's nothing I would rather have been than a second son.

Richard Grey:
But that's the worst thing to be.

Armus Grey:
You're the lucky one. You can be whatever's in your heart. I had to be what was in father's heart - just as he had to be what was in his father's.

Lucas:
Kidnapping! Yes, that has to be it.

Eleanor Grey:
You're daft.

Lucas:
You must believe me. Your life depends on it!

Eleanor Grey:
My life depends on picking up my brothers in the village. I've kept them waiting far too long already.

Richard Grey:
Isn't it just like a woman to be late.

Armus Grey:
Eleanor's rarely late.

Richard Grey:
That's only because she's not like an ordinary woman.

Armus Grey:
You're perception of the female gender is really profound, brother.

John Mullens:
I have spent the better part of a year waiting for an opportunity to repay Sir Thomas for the death of my son. I'm certainly not going to stop now!

Tilden:
It would be easier to kill her.

John Mullens:
Not as emotionally satisfying to me. If you've gone to all the bother to knife someone in the back, you might as well twist the dagger.

Kilburn:
My oath charges me to protect Lord Hazlemere and his guests, Baron Mullens.

John Mullens:
I think this is a fair price for your oath, Kilburn. You choose whether to take it or leave it. If you take it, we'll continue our discussion. If you leave it, we'll be on our way - after I gut you.

Lady Elizabeth:
Why are men so desperate to hang onto their youth. It's a futile quest.

Eleanor Grey:
Futility lies in questing after a woman's heart they can never own.

Lady Elizabeth:
Or the heart of one who no longer exists.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I have hurt one whom I care about so deeply and yet I can't seem to stop certain feelings that come so intensely. I don't know quite what to do, Friar. What do I do?

Friar:
Not that I would know much about the situation you find yourself in; not that I would know what the situation is you find yourself in - because I don't - and you certainly haven't said and I certainly haven't presumed to... These things, Sir Thomas, have a way of working themselves out in the most mysterious fashion. You must follow your heart for it will eventually show you the way. That heart which has been so unruly up to now will eventually agree to a meeting of the mind which will, in the most surprising way, give you an answer so true you'll be astonished you hadn't seen it before.

[having sworn to be Eleanor's protector, Lucas has learned that becoming a knight isn't as easy as he thought]

Armus Grey:
It's up to you now.

Lucas:
I don't know if it's enough. I don't know if I can do it.

Armus Grey:
You can do it, Lucas. Maybe this will help.

[unveils a small suit of armor]

Armus Grey:
My first set.

Lucas:
I don't know what to say.

Armus Grey:
Say you won't get any holes in it!

[last lines]

Sir Thomas Grey:
Where are you going?

Lady Elizabeth:
Boating. I've never been. I think it's time.

Sir Thomas Grey:
It was one of my greatest pleasures.

Lady Elizabeth:
Yes, I know.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Will you be going alone?

Lady Elizabeth:
That depends.

Sir Thomas Grey:
On what?

Lady Elizabeth:
On whether you're coming with me or not.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Eleanor! Eleanor, are you ready yet? Eleanor, the Duke was sighted 15 minutes ago. He'll be here any second.

[Eleanor gestures to her silk dress]

Eleanor Grey:
I would have been ready an hour ago if I didn't have to wear this.

Sir Thomas Grey:
You look wonderful in it.

Eleanor Grey:
Oh, Father, if you're going to lie to me, at least do it convincingly.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I'll try to remember that.

Sir Thomas Grey:
You remember Eleanor, my lord.

Duke of Worringer:
How much better you look in silk, my dear, then leather. And this skinny lump of dough is my son, Lord Uther.

Eleanor Grey:
A pleasure, my lord.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Well, answer her, boy. She's a beautiful young lady.

Lord Uther:
I hope the pleasure will be all mine after dinner, Lady Eleanor.

Duke of Worringer:
[sighs] I think perhaps I ought to throw this one back and catch something better. What do you say, Thomas?

Richard Grey:
I don't know what father is so worried about. As soon as Cedric comes back, the Duke is bound to give us the contract.

Armus Grey:
Assuming Cedric is coming back...

[Cedric's horse appears outside the castle]

Armus Grey:
...which seems unlikely without his horse.

Richard Grey:
I'll saddle the horses.

Armus Grey:
I'll get the swords.

Lady Elizabeth:
You know where my heart lies.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Next to your pocketbook apparently.

[Armus and Richard have just rescued Cedric from a lynch mob]

Cedric Grey:
I swear to you this will never happen again.

Armus Grey:
That's for certain. After this, you'll be lucky if Father sends you out for a glass of water.

Armus Grey:
Don't tell me the contract is still in the town.

Cedric Grey:
I never got it. It was stolen from me. That's why I'm in these clothes. Somebody hit me on the head and took everything.

Richard Grey:
Someone rode up to you and you let them hit you on the head?

Cedric Grey:
Well, no, but I was at this inn and...

Armus Grey:
Here it comes...

Cedric Grey:
...there was this...

Armus Grey:
Girl.

Cedric Grey:
Yes, but...

Richard Grey:
So we have to find this girl...

Armus Grey:
...and her accomplice, hopefully...

Richard Grey:
...who still has the contract.

Armus Grey:
Where is she?

Cedric Grey:
That way.

Richard Grey:
Finally.

Cedric Grey:
I'd like to have my clothes back, please - minus the lice, of course.

Lady Elizabeth:
If it's any conciliation, I don't think I'm a better man than you.

Sir Thomas Grey:
That is encouraging. What exactly are you, then?

Lady Elizabeth:
Just better.

[last lines]

Sir Thomas Grey:
What are we going to do about this?

Lady Elizabeth:
Talk about it... tomorrow.

Sir Thomas Grey:
That's the first intelligent thing you've said in a long while.

[blows out the candle]

[first lines]

Daniel O'Shea:
You'll be late for the mass. You looked so much like an angel, I thought it a sin to wake you.

[Daniel and Angelica's kiss is interrupted by a nun pounding at the door]

Daniel O'Shea:
Last night was but one golden moment to be kept hidden in your heart and revisited whenever life is cruel.

[Daniel flees out of Angelica's window]

[holding Angelica's golden pendant and chain]

Daniel O'Shea:
Lord, I humbly thank you for the wealthy and may they continue to send their daughters to convents.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Why does everyone think being a knight is so damned splendid? Most die in their first battle.

Sir Thomas Grey:
You're going with the bishop to his monastery in Scotland.

Cedric Grey:
No.

Armus Grey:
The clergy can be a wonderful life of spirituality and peace.

Cedric Grey:
Good. Then you can go in my place.

Armus Grey:
Well, I would gladly, but for that celibacy problem.

Sir Thomas Grey:
You're not helping, you know.

[drawing his sword to fight an adversary]

Daniel O'Shea:
I had hoped to avoid exercise today.

Eleanor Grey:
Isn't that John Mullens' coach?

Richard Grey:
Yes and I do believe that's Mullens about to receive the sharp end of a highwayman's sword.

Eleanor Grey:
So we've come just in time.

Richard Grey:
Yes, we did.

Eleanor Grey:
Maybe we should...

Richard Grey:
Intervene?

Eleanor Grey:
Well, it would be the noble thing to do.

Richard Grey:
...Very well - but let's not push the horses.

John Mullens:
I'll see you hanged.

Daniel O'Shea:
I'll see you in hell.

John Mullens:
I was about to overpower him when you appeared.

Daniel O'Shea:
It's true. He had my sword expertly blocked... with his throat.

Bishop:
[to Cedric] You're dressed more like a knight than a cleric.

Sir Thomas Grey:
He's young, your grace. He has a romanticized view of combat.

Bishop:
Well, there can be no greater battle than the war over men's souls.

Daniel O'Shea:
Don't go. Come and have a good look at your caged animal... or were you coming to have a look at yourself?

Eleanor Grey:
Myself?

Daniel O'Shea:
We're both the same under the skin.

Eleanor Grey:
I'm no outlaw.

Daniel O'Shea:
No? You running around in pants shooting a crossbow as well as any man? Your noble father couldn't approve of that.

Daniel O'Shea:
[to Eleanor] Oh, you're an outlaw, all right - against noble behavior and the rules that restrict women like a girdle.

John Mullens:
It would be wise for you to teach your children some manners, Sir Thomas.

Sir Thomas Grey:
You're quite right. Richard, the next time you shove John Mullens over a table, say "Excuse me."

[Eleanor has helped Daniel to escape from the dungeon]

Sir Thomas Grey:
You're to stay in your room.

Eleanor Grey:
Like a child.

Sir Thomas Grey:
For doing a childish thing.

Eleanor Grey:
And what if I refuse to stay?

Sir Thomas Grey:
You seem fond of the dungeon lately. Perhaps you'll be more comfortable there.

Armus Grey:
If you do well in the tournament, I assume you'll be heading for the crusades straight away.

Cedric Grey:
I hadn't really thought about that.

Armus Grey:
You've campaigned so hard I think Father would insist on it. Besides, you'll have at least six months travel just to find the front.

Cedric Grey:
Six months?

Armus Grey:
Ah, but it's worth it once you get there. You'll see.

Cedric Grey:
Exciting is it?

Armus Grey:
I'll say. Nothing gets the heart pounding like the constant fear of having your head sliced off. And just wait until you taste the food.

Cedric Grey:
It's good, is it?

Armus Grey:
Excellent - when we had some. 'Course, we had some lean days. I got to picking grubs and such right up off the ground. Some of those little beasts can be pretty tasty cooked in oil and swamp grass.

Daniel O'Shea:
Have you any plans for the evenin'? The moon is ripe for a ride.

Eleanor Grey:
I'm confined to my room like a child.

Daniel O'Shea:
Then I'll release you, as you did me. Vines can be a handy way of avoiding fathers.

Eleanor Grey:
It would be in total defiance of his orders. He'd be infuriated to the point of raving. I'll just need a moment to change.

Eleanor Grey:
I can't rob a coach.

Daniel O'Shea:
Of course you can. You have all the necessary skills and I can promise you, it's most entertaining.

Eleanor Grey:
I'm not a thief.

Daniel O'Shea:
You're the lover of a thief - that proves you have poor judgment. Why not step completely off the cliff.

Eleanor Grey:
I was wrong and stupid. You were right about everything.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I was?

Eleanor Grey:
I should yield more to your experience.

Sir Thomas Grey:
And I to your heart, which is that what makes me love you so.

Lady Elizabeth:
Cedric is certainly putting his heart into this.

Bishop:
Then his heart is misplaced. He will find it again in the church.

Lady Elizabeth:
Not if he wins.

Bishop:
I see you believe in miracles.

Lady Elizabeth:
Well, don't you?

[to Armus and Richard]

Cedric Grey:
I wanted to win this - not to go to war, but to prove I was worthy of going... to Father, perhaps to myself - but you never showed me the respect of asking.

[during their swordfight]

Daniel O'Shea:
You're good.

Eleanor Grey:
I'm better!

[last lines]

Bishop:
Well, Cedric, I daresay the Church will survive without you.

Friar:
[under his breath] As will this castle without you.

Bishop:
Did you say something, Friar?

Friar:
I said, "It's wonderful having you."

[first lines]

[Sir Thomas enters his banquet room after two armored knights have destroyed its furniture and dishes during their furious swordfight]

Sir Thomas Grey:
How many times have I told you? NOT... IN... THE CASTLE!

Sir Thomas Grey:
Friar! Friar!

Friar:
My lord?

Sir Thomas Grey:
Where's my son?

Friar:
Which one?

Sir Thomas Grey:
The only one you tutor. You are still tutoring him?

Friar:
Yes. Of course.

Sir Thomas Grey:
How he is progressing with his studies?

Friar:
We're... making progress.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Does he have an aptitude for the church?

Friar:
He's working on his Latin now.

[Sir Thomas walks into the study and finds his son hiding behind a huge book while cuddling a beautiful servant girl]

Sir Thomas Grey:
Latin has changed.

Cedric Grey:
Latin isn't working out for me.

Sir Thomas Grey:
It seems to be working out quite nicely.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Where's Eleanor?

Cedric Grey:
In the solar - but I wouldn't go in there?

Sir Thomas Grey:
Not go in there? I'll go wherever I like. Whether anyone realizes it or not, this is still my castle. While I'm still lord of this castle, my God, I will go anywhere I like!

[Sir Thomas opens the door to the solar and is immediately greeted by a crossbow bolt that barely misses his head]

Sir Thomas Grey:
You could have killed me!

Eleanor Grey:
You could have knocked.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Lady Elizabeth has offered you music lessons.

Eleanor Grey:
I don't want music lessons.

Sir Thomas Grey:
You're going to take them nonetheless.

Eleanor Grey:
But why?

Sir Thomas Grey:
Because ladies study music, not the crossbow.

Cedric Grey:
Why can't I be a knight?

Sir Thomas Grey:
Because you're going to become a cleric.

Cedric Grey:
I wasn't meant for the church.

Sir Thomas Grey:
When Almus left, I swore an oath for your mother, Cedric, that since she was losing her eldest son to the Crusades, at least her youngest would be spared the horrors of war. A cleric's blood is not spilled on the battlefield. We have enough knights. Now, leave it.

William Grey:
To be a knight is not what it's always thought to be, brother.

Richard Grey:
To be a knight is to be most honored.

William Grey:
To be the first son and a knight is to be most honored. To be anything else is to watch the first son get most of the honors.

Eleanor Grey:
At least you get to be something. Women get to be nothing!

Richard Grey:
Women are not supposed to be anything - they're women.

Eleanor Grey:
How can you say that?

Richard Grey:
Name me one thing you can do better than me?

Cedric Grey:
She rides better than you.

Lady Elizabeth:
You don't like me very much, do you?

Eleanor Grey:
It doesn't matter what I like, does it?

Lady Elizabeth:
What do you like, Eleanor?

Eleanor Grey:
The crossbow. It kills quickly, cleanly, and with great effect. Does that shock you, Lady Elizabeth?

Lady Elizabeth:
Do you wish that it would?

Eleanor Grey:
Why do you want my father? Aren't three dead husbands enough?

[Lady Elizabeth slaps Eleanor and Eleanor slaps Lady Elizabeth in return]

Lady Elizabeth:
It's always good when women understand each other.

King Edward:
Thomas - a word. Mullens has an intriguing notion.

Sir Thomas Grey:
So your message said.

King Edward:
It's time to put this feud to rest, Thomas. I'm being threatened by the Scots, the French are making noises, your own land is being robbed and pillaged by bandits. This is not the time for Englishmen to be divided. I want peace, Thomas! Listen to what he offers.

[after furiously berating Jasper, Eleanor sends the servant girls from the room, then kisses the painter passionately]

Jasper:
You weren't very nice.

Eleanor Grey:
I had to be convincing.

Jasper:
You outdid yourself.

[Cedric, angry at being left behind, is informed that the coach transporting the awaited French emissary has arrived]

Cedric Grey:
[speaking to himself] I'm not sure what would be worse - the friar or the Frenchman.

[a beautiful woman descends from the carriage]

Cedric Grey:
The friar. Definitely the friar.

Genevieve De La Croix:
[introducing herself] Genevieve De La Croix.

Cedric Grey:
Are you alone? You are alone. You're very alone.

Genevieve De La Croix:
Are you feeling well?

Cedric Grey:
Most well... very well...

[eyeing the beautiful woman]

Cedric Grey:
Well, well.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Since when did love have anything to do with a marriage contract?

Eleanor Grey:
Well it should. And it will for me!

Sir Thomas Grey:
I've indulged you too much, Eleanor. Your days are spent in fantasy! Crossbows and whimsical notions that have nothing to do with the world.

Eleanor Grey:
The world can be anything we make it.

Sir Thomas Grey:
The world as you know it has been made by me! This place, everything about you, the food you eat, the safety you enjoy - where do you think it came from? From the commerce I've sought, from the compromises I've made. From the thing not perfect and at times damn unpleasant.

Eleanor Grey:
What was mother like?

Cedric Grey:
Yes, what was she like?

William Grey:
Well, she liked to sing.

Richard Grey:
Politics bored her, but she loved a good story.

William Grey:
Especially comedies.

Richard Grey:
I never heard her complain about anything.

Eleanor Grey:
Then she wouldn't have liked me.

Richard Grey:
She would have liked you more than anyone. It was courage she admired most in people because she thought she had so little herself. You were the woman she wanted to be, Eleanor.

Lady Elizabeth:
Thomas, we're not perfect. Not father, not daughter, not friends who love you.

Eleanor Grey:
Why should you help me?

Lady Elizabeth:
Because I've know what it is to have love keep missing my grasp - and because I'm a woman.

Lady Elizabeth:
Rant and wail until these old walls shake - it won't change the truth. You're sending your daughter into bondage.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I gave my word.

Lady Elizabeth:
And how I hope that word comforts you when you see in the hatred in the eyes that once worshipped you.

[Henry practices sword strokes for the trial by combat with Sir Thomas]

Henry of Gault:
I'm looking forward to it.

John Mullens:
You don't really think you're going to fight him, do you?

Henry of Gault:
Not fight?

John Mullens:
Knightly honor means nothing to me. I simply want him dead! Besides he could get lucky. He was considered a great swordsman in his day.

Henry of Gault:
His day has passed.

Sir Thomas Grey:
[to his sons] In my dying breath, these faces will give me such comfort.

[seeing that they are distressed]

Sir Thomas Grey:
I have done this before. Try not to destroy the place while I'm gone.

Genevieve De La Croix:
What is it? Why are we stopping?

Eleanor Grey:
We really haven't had a chance to get to know each other have we? I have an idea.

[Eleanor points her crossbow at Genevieve's throat]

Eleanor Grey:
Let's start with everything you know about everything.

[Elizabeth saves her father's life with a well-aimed shot from her crossbow]

Sir Thomas Grey:
This doesn't mean you get to give up your music lessons.

Eleanor Grey:
Your precious Genevieve is a spy. [signals for her brothers to look inside the carriage]

[a suit of armor collapses when Sir Thomas walks by]

Lady Elizabeth:
If you were going to wear armor to dinner, you should have asked me to help you.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I-I was just passing and suddenly it just fell apart. That's strange.

Lady Elizabeth:
Not really. Didn't you know - there's a full moon tonight

Sir Thomas Grey:
Moonlight is responsible for many things, my dear, but causing accidents is not among them.

[a battle axe falls next to Sir Thomas' foot]

Antonia:
I'm the new serving girl.

Cedric Grey:
What do they call you?

Antonia:
Antonia.

Cedric Grey:
Antonia? I'm Cedric, the youngest and most gifted.

Armus Grey:
And I'm Armus, the oldest and most experienced.

Richard Grey:
And I'm Richard - need I say more?

[Evan dictates a love letter for the inarticulate Cedric]

Cedric Grey:
You're a genius Evan. Where did you learn it?

Evan:
I had older sisters.

[holding Armus sword that lay across the foot of his bed]

Sir Thomas Grey:
This won't protect you from what goes on in your head, Armus

[Armus has rescued his would-be assassin from a severe beating]

Salim:
Where...?

Armus Grey:
Covington Cross. They call me Armus. Do you have a name?

Salim:
Salim.

Armus Grey:
Salim? That means "peace" doesn't it?

Salim:
Why did you save me, feed me, shelter me? You don't know me.

Armus Grey:
Because I've been away from home, away from my family and scared for my life. We're different but we're the same.

Salim:
No.

Armus Grey:
Well, perhaps you're right. Compared with you, the English are barbarians. Four men against you? Where you come from, that would be a disgrace.

Salim:
You know the teachings of Islam.

Armus Grey:
I know you believe it is more honorable to forgive than attack a weaker enemy.

[the friar is tending to Richard's wound]

Richard Grey:
Ow! Friar, gently!

Cedric Grey:
It's only a scratch. It hardly broke the skin.

Friar:
You're not doing as I said. Pray for relief from pain.

Richard Grey:
Heavenly Father, I pray for relief from heavy-handed friars.

Armus Grey:
We cannot change the past.

Salim:
No - but we can redeem it.

Armus Grey:
Revenge can never be complete. There aren't enough brothers in the world to satisfy the insatiability of revenge!

Lady Elizabeth:
It seems to me that a war is never over until a man makes peace with those who tried to harm him. If not, one is a casualty forever. The heart cannot bear the burden of hate.

[last lines]

[the sound of loud snoring reverberates through the castle]

Friar:
Good heaven, Sir Thomas, who would have left the barn door open at this time of night? We'll never get any sleep if we don't put the poor animal out of his misery.

[Sir Thomas opens a door and discovers Armus snoring loudly]

Sir Thomas Grey:
Friar, I think he is out of his misery.

Armus Grey:
We have to return eventually.

Eleanor Grey:
And meet Lady Elizabeth's children? My heart races with anticipation.

Richard Grey:
You know how important it is to father to make a good impression.

Eleanor Grey:
He wants us to be one happy family... no matter how miserable it is. You can't put on a good face to that.

Richard Grey:
Not everything in life is elective, you know, Eleanor. Sometimes you have to do things just because you have to, that's all.

Eleanor Grey:
I'll try to remember that, Richard. It's very profound.

Richard Grey:
Haven't we met somewhere?

Waitress:
No, I don't think so.

Richard Grey:
Why not?

Waitress:
I don't know. Maybe you're like the other knights - you only have eyes for your horse.

Richard Grey:
Actually, my horse is very broad-minded. It doesn't mind my wandering eye.

Waitress:
[to Eleanor] I'll be back with your food and a bucket of cold water to cool down your friend.

[Humphrey, a known teller of tall tales, tells the Greys of a plot to assassinate the king]

Eleanor Grey:
What if he is telling the truth?

Richard Grey:
What if it rains emeralds? There are certain things in life you need not question, dear sister.

Eleanor Grey:
Perhaps, but we're talking about the king's life. We can at least consider the possibility.

Richard Grey:
And do what? Journey to Arondale and warn the king on the word of the village idiot?

Eleanor Grey:
The truth is the truth, even if it does come from the village idiot. I suppose we can go home and meet Lady Elizabeth's children, but bear in mind two words - lute recital.

Humphrey:
Eleanor, if I should die, know this - I've always loved you.

Eleanor Grey:
Loved me? We just met this morning.

Humphrey:
Ah, but time is irrelevant when love is eternal.

Eleanor Grey:
That's sweet, Humphrey... far-fetched, but sweet.

Mother Superior:
[to Cedric] The men who send their daughters to the Lady of the Green do so because they trust we will educate them and protect their virtue and they have empowered me to go to any lengths - any lengths at all - to uphold that trust and I do so... ruthlessly. It would be in your best interest to get well soon, young man.

Cedric Grey:
You're late. I was worried you were having doubt. Come here.

[Cedric turns and sees, not one of the young convent girls, but Mother Superior]

Mother Superior:
Don't be alarmed, dear boy. I haven't come here to harm you.

Cedric Grey:
I was just, ah...

Mother Superior:
Shh. Shh. Please, sit down. I've wanted you from the very moment I first laid eyes on you.

Cedric Grey:
You have?

Mother Superior:
Yes! I want to devour you. Hours of delicious love-making. Not just a night, but every night!

Cedric Grey:
Now when you say "every night", does that include King's holidays?

Mother Superior:
Oh, take me, Cedric!

[Cedric bolts through the second-floor window and crashes to the convent's grounds below]

Robin:
Mother Mary Catherine!

Mother Superior:
Are you lost, dear?

Robin:
No. I came to check on the sick boy to see if he needed anything.

Mother Superior:
He's gone, my dear. Seems he had the most amazing recovery.

[Humphrey points out the man he was told would assassinate the king]

Armus Grey:
The Duke of Arondale - brother to the King.

Humphrey:
And my brother thinks *I'm* a disappointment.

Richard Grey:
What's the matter?

Humphrey:
What if I fail? What if I'm a coward? The king could die.

Richard Grey:
When the crucial moment comes, you'll make your decision without thinking. Only then will you know if you're a coward... or a hero.

[last lines]

[Humphrey was mortally wounded while saving the King from assassination]

Armus Grey:
Perhaps you could knight him now.

King Edward:
But... the boy is dying.

Armus Grey:
Please, your majesty. Let this poor unfortunate soul face God as a knight.

[King Edward nods and draws his sword]

King Edward:
I, Edward, King of England, hereby do dub thee Sir Humphrey of... of...

Armus Grey:
...Turnbull...

King Edward:
...Humphrey of Turnbull - Knight of the Realm and into the most illustrious Order of the Garter.

[after rescuing Rachel from rock-throwing villagers, Richard tends to her bruises and hurts her still more]

Richard Grey:
Sorry.

Rachel:
It is I who should be sorry. You were nearly killed because of me.

Richard Grey:
Hardly. My head is much too thick for a mere stone.

Thin Scullery Maid:
He's not your type.

Fat Scullery Maid:
Don't be so sure. He's a man and he's alive!

[Richard puts his hands over Rachel's eyes]

Richard Grey:
Guess who? And for every wrong answer, I want a kiss.

Rachel:
King Edward?

Richard Grey:
Wrong - that's one kiss.

Rachel:
Ah, the Pope?

Richard Grey:
That's two.

Rachel:
The bravest, most handsome man in all of England.

Richard Grey:
You peaked!

[the Abbot has demanded Sir Thomas turn Rachel over for trial as a witch]

John Mullens:
Some friendly advice from a concerned neighbor, Sir Thomas... I wouldn't consider too long. The Abbot really does have quite a nasty side.

Armus Grey:
Tell me about Rachel.

Richard Grey:
What about her?

Armus Grey:
Where did you meet?

Richard Grey:
In a small village half a day's ride from here.

Armus Grey:
What were the circumstances of your meeting?

Richard Grey:
She needed help. She was being attacked by villagers. Why are you asking me these questions?

Armus Grey:
She's been accused of witchcraft.

Armus Grey:
You must admit some pretty strange, bizarre things have happened since she arrived here.

Richard Grey:
Every one can be explained by coincidence.

Armus Grey:
And the coincidences continue to multiply!

Richard Grey:
Intelligent Armus; learned Armus - is it possible you've allowed ignorance and superstition to cloud your judgment?

Armus Grey:
More likely you've been blinded by love.

Richard Grey:
You're condemning a young girl you barely even know.

Armus Grey:
I have not condemned, I've questioned.

Richard Grey:
It is the asking of the question itself that indicts, brother!

Richard Grey:
[speaking to Sir Thomas] My father taught me to believe in the goodness of mankind, not ignorance and superstition; to defend the weak and those unable to defend themselves, to judge people not by what others might say about them, but by their own deeds. My father would have chosen the valiant part, no matter how difficult the journey.

[the Abbot and the villagers prepare to burn Rachel at the stake for witchcraft]

Sir Thomas Grey:
Stop! Her death will not bring back the life of the cook or my son's health or your crops.

Abbott:
If she lives, all blights and plagues will be cast upon us!

Sir Thomas Grey:
We suffered blights and plagues before this woman came to our land and there'll be others after she's gone. I, more than anyone, have the most to lose if this woman is a witch... and I say she is not.

Abbott:
She has been charged by Holy Mother Church and found guilty! Who amongst you here challenge the authority of the church?

Friar:
I do!

Abbott:
Do you dare to challenge me - a mere friar?

Friar:
A friar I may be, with one eye crossed as it is, but it sees most clearly what is before me - an imposter in the clothes of the Lord!

[the Greys and the friar surround the stake to which Rachel is bound and dare the Abbot to set the kindling ablaze]

John Mullens:
Light it!

[the Abbot throws down his torch]

John Mullens:
What a waste of an opportunity.

John Mullens:
The spread of this God-forsaken disease must stop. Make certain everything is burned... and everyone exterminated.

Cedric Grey:
I bagged three peasants in less than an hour. They were the largest, most succulent birds you've ever seen.

Richard Grey:
So?

Cedric Grey:
So what?

Armus Grey:
So, where are they?

Cedric Grey:
I gave them to a beautiful girl... The most beautiful girl you've ever seen.

Eleanor Grey:
Cedric, every girl you meet is the most beautiful girl you've ever met.

John Mullens:
You bring good news I hope.

Lead Henchman:
We've not found them tonight, me Lord, but tomorrow at first light...

John Mullens:
Tomorrow? You'll keep searching tonight.

Lead Henchman:
We can't find them in the dark.

John Mullens:
You can't seem to find them in the light!

John Mullens:
Your son happened to help some peasants escape from my land. He's given them refuge on yours.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Have they done something wrong?

John Mullens:
Not exactly.

Sir Thomas Grey:
If they're no longer on your property, what does it matter to you where they go?

John Mullens:
In ordinary circumstances, it wouldn't, but these particular peasants happen to carry... the plague. I'm concerned about it spreading and infecting every peasant in the land.

Sir Thomas Grey:
What concerns you is that if your villagers die, you'll have no one to work your fields and bring in your crops.

Cedric Grey:
Don't you dare touch them or...

John Mullens:
Or what?

Sir Thomas Grey:
Or you risk being infected yourself.

John Mullens:
Me? Catch the plague? I can't - I'm a nobleman. Only the poor and retched die from it.

Sir Thomas Grey:
My wife died from it.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Do you know the danger?

Cedric Grey:
I was careful not to get too close.

Sir Thomas Grey:
No one knows how close too close is!

Lady Elizabeth:
Thomas?

Sir Thomas Grey:
What are you doing up?

Lady Elizabeth:
I was about to ask you the same question.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I didn't want to wake you.

Lady Elizabeth:
That wasn't the question.

Sir Thomas Grey:
What was the question?

Lady Elizabeth:
Please don't go. It's much too much of a risk.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I would risk battle against 100 swords for any of my children - I must risk this for my son.

Lady Elizabeth:
I couldn't bear to lose you.

Sir Thomas Grey:
Nor I him.

Lady Elizabeth:
He's only been gone for a few hours and already I miss him. You must miss him, too... You know, it's all right to say you miss him if you do.

Richard Grey:
The display of emotion is afforded only to women.

Lady Elizabeth:
Oh, I don't know. Men readily display anger and that's an emotion.

Richard Grey:
Don't tell me what to feel!

Lady Elizabeth:
I wouldn't presume to do that. All I'm saying is that it's all right to show what you do feel.

[last lines]

Eleanor Grey:
Today is your birthday.

Armus Grey:
We wanted to surprise you with a special gift.

Richard Grey:
We have nothing for you.

Sir Thomas Grey:
I have a special gift. We are all here together and that is worth more to me than anything in the whole world. Let us give thanks.