a play
by Melissa Diane Hilliard
CHARACTERS
JAMES, 20
LIAM, 20
YARL, older than JAMES, muscular
ENGLISH YARL, same age as YARL or older, muscular
FREYA, mid twenties, athletic
DRAGON
ENGLISH VIKINGS, do not appear until ship arrives in England
VIKINGS, refers to everyone on stage unless otherwise indicated
TIME
The present
PLACE
The setting should be clear from scene to scene.
(The stage is empty apart from a table and chair on the far right and a door on the far left. The back wall of the stage is covered with two sided mirrors which have black cloths draped over both sides of them. The funhouse side of the mirror should face the audience while the proper mirror on the other side faces away. JAMES walks onstage carrying a backpack and approaches the table and chair. JAMES sinks into uncomfortable metal chair with a sigh of relief. JAMES closes his eyes and lets his body slide down in the chair until he feels the center support of the matching metal table press against his knee. His phone rings from inside his backpack. Reluctantly, he opens his phone and prepares to be civil.)
JAMES
Hello?
LIAM
Hey, watcha doin’?
JAMES
Nothing.
LIAM
Want to go cool off in the river by the hiking trail?
JAMES
(JAMES likes the idea and tries to convey this by smiling at his friend before he realizes she cannot see this.)
Sure.
LIAM
Cool, I’ll meet you by the gate in seven minutes.
JAMES
Alright, see ya.
(JAMES hangs up and lets his head loll against the back of the chair for a minute before heaving himself into a standing position. JAMES slings his bag over his shoulder and walks offstage via the door on the far left. Stagehands change the props exchanging the table and chair for a bed, a wooden chair and a window. No attempt should be made to hide this. JAMES reenters from the same door. JAMES pulls a pair of swimming trunks out of a drawer and moves to take off his pants but then looks out the window and refastens them. JAMES retrieves his phone from his bag and dials LIAM’S number dialing it wrong at first, cursing, and trying again.)
Hey Liam, it looks like there’s a storm coming in.
LIAM
Oh, that’s alright. I was starting to doubt the sense of the plan anyway.
(LIAM sighs.)
JAMES
Bad day?
LIAM
Lonely day.
JAMES
(JAMES closes his eyes for a moment resigning to the idea of inviting company where it was not particularly wanted.)
Why don’t you come over? I’ll make some tea and we can watch the rain.
LIAM
(In a lighter tone.)
That would help, thanks.
JAMES
No problem.
(JAMES hangs up the phone and moodily throws it onto his bed.)
I wonder how much time I have before Liam arrives. I can only guess that it will not be enough. It’s not that I don’t want to see her. If I have to see anyone tonight, I’m glad it’s her.
(JAMES paces the floor.)
I just have a lot on my mind and I know, for a fact that she will see that as soon as she walks in and I will have to explain that which I do not yet understand myself. And I will be unable to resist telling her.
(Thunder rolls outside the window. JAMES pauses to consider the sound.)
I am not a child and I am not afraid of the sky’s noise. And, furthermore, I am not afraid of talking to Liam.
(There is a knock at the door. JAMES jumps and throws a hand over his mouth to prevent his scream from being heard. JAMES is frozen for a moment but then straightens up and clears his throat. JAMES walks to the door and opens it. LIAM stands in the doorway. She is dripping wet.)
LIAM
It’s raining.
JAMES
Are you sure?
(JAMES stands aside to let LIAM in.)
LIAM
Yes.
(LIAM walks inside.)
JAMES
Here, I’ll get you a towel.
(JAMES retrieves towel and throws it at LIAM.)
LIAM
(LIAM catches the towel with her face.)
Thanks.
(LIAM dries off and tosses the towel back to JAMES.)
Something on your mind?
JAMES
(JAMES throws towel aside.)
I knew it.
LIAM
What?
JAMES
Nothing. I mean, not that nothing is the matter. Just that I didn’t say anything just there.
LIAM
So, say something.
JAMES
I’m too content.
LIAM
This is a problem?
JAMES
Yes, it’s so unsettling!
LIAM
Then do something.
JAMES
Like what?
LIAM
Join the circus.
JAMES
And offer what talent? I’m an English major.
LIAM
So study abroad.
JAMES
To what point and purpose? I’m an English major.
LIAM
Yes, you’ve said that.
JAMES
Studying abroad is a little bit difficulty when the only language you know is English.
LIAM
Not if you go to England. Come on, man, think!
JAMES
Going to England is such a cop out.
LIAM
Who do you think is judging you?
(JAMES shrugs.)
Look, there’s this Viking immersion group that operates out of England but they have a branch a few hours from here.
JAMES
Viking immersion, what does that mean?
LIAM
It means that you try to replicate the Viking way in your own lifestyle.
JAMES
And whatall does that entail?
LIAM
Sword craft, learning to make all your essentials by hand using only what the Vikings would have had available, things of that nature.
JAMES
Sounds a bit daft to me.
LIAM
And why is that?
JAMES
The Vikings were never the sort to ignore modern advantages. If they found a better way of doing something that’s the way they did it. So, you see, the whole thing about using only what they would have had seems to thwart that aspect of their culture.
LIAM
Yes but I’m afraid it would be rather less fun your way.
JAMES
How do you know that it’s fun in the first place?
LIAM
Well, I’ve had a lot of fun since I joined.
JAMES
You’re part of this?
LIAM
(nods)
Have been for the past month.
JAMES
So, what do you do? Do they let you fight?
LIAM
Everyone learns how to do everything. Gender is not an issue.
JAMES
And why do you think this is a good idea for me?
LIAM
Because, it has been known to affect people’s lifestyles in a very deep way. That seems to be what you need.
JAMES
Alright, when do we start?
(Scene shifts around them. The bed, chair and window are taken away and FREYA takes LIAM’S place two swords in hand. Both LIAM and JAMES put on Viking garb over their civilian clothes. Once the stage is clear of props, FREYA throws JAMES a sword. As soon as the sword is in the air, the black cloths are pulled from the mirrors the reveal their distorted surfaces. VIKINGS come on stage in pairs and begin sparring.)
FREYA
Jump up and land with your dominant foot forward.
(She demonstrates. JAMES imitates her and lands with his left foot forward.)
That’s good but I’m left handed so you will be the opposite way.
(JAMES corrects himself with another jump.)
Good, this is your stance. Keep both legs bent and ensure that you are maintaining maximum mobility.
(She demonstrates by twisting at the hips. JAMES imitates her once again and adjusts himself as necessary.)
Now, we need to work on striking. Remember that control is everything. When you spar, it will be against your clansmen. The goal is never to injure but to learn.
(FREYA leaves and a post takes her place. JAMES practices several strikes on this getting progressively better until the post is replaced by LIAM. JAMES and LIAM spar poorly at first but both improve. They change sparring partners. This happens several times. There are to be many sets of partners on stage but JAMES is always to be at the forefront so that the audience may see his progress. When JAMES faces his last opponent he is struck down. At the moment when JAMES hits the floor all sparring ceases. This scene is not to be sped through. Take the time to showcase a different talent in each of the fighters.)
YARL
Gather!
(VIKINGS gather in a circle with YARL at the head facing the audience. VIKINGS sit. YARL remains standing.)
You have all trained hard and the time for our efforts fruition is close at hand. Even our newest clansmen
(gestures to LIAM and JAMES.)
have progressed a great deal since they joined us only six months ago. Now, the time is nearing. The time of the Dragon Hunt!
(punches air with sword in hand. VIKINGS bang their swords against their shields in approval.)
In this last month, we must, all of us, prepare ourselves for the task ahead. Those of you who can take on extra training sessions should gather on Wednesday as well as on Saturday and Sunday. Those of you who cannot should double the time spent practicing on your own. As for today, I say you have earned a break. Tonight, we feast at my house!
(VIKINGS bang their shields again and stand. A table which is already set is brought out. Chairs may be brought out or the table may be made low enough to be sat around without chairs. VIKINGS take their places around the table and begin eating in a festively barbaric way. VIKINGS should be loud at first but diminish to a low murmur when the spotlight falls on LIAM and JAMES.)
JAMES
I just don’t know about this.
LIAM
About what?
JAMES
Going to England to hunt for a dragon that no one has ever found but that someone certainly would have found if it existed.
LIAM
Finding the dragon is not the point. It’s about joining the two branches of our clan in a time honored tradition. Plus, we get to go to England. Seriously, what is there to complain about?
JAMES
Well, if there were a dragon we’d all be dead.
LIAM
No way, we’ve trained too hard for anything short of victory.
JAMES
We’ve trained to fight against humans. The same techniques hardly apply to a dragon’s anatomy.
LIAM
That doesn’t matter. We have learned how to control our weapons and ourselves in combat. The true enemy is a lack of discipline.
JAMES
I just feel like a fool, that’s all.
LIAM
Who do you think is judging you?
JAMES
(Shrugs.)
Are these feasts a regular thing?
LIAM
No. I’m told they only happen around the time of the Dragon Hunt. We’ll have another the night before we leave.
(Stage resumes full lighting.)
YARL
(Stands with his goblet raised.)
Warriors, rest well tonight. We sail at dawn!
(VIKINGS cheer. The table is taken away and VIKINGS follow it off stage. VIKINGS come back on stage the same way they left but now they are in a Viking ship. Cutouts of waves can be used here or some such illusion. Sounds of the ocean may be played in the background. JAMES falls asleep and the ship sails on without him. He is left standing in the middle of the stage fast asleep. Fog machines obscure the mirrors from view and engulf most of the stage but JAMES must be visible. Glowing eyes or shadow play may be used to suggest the physical presence of DRAGON.)
DRAGON
Young Viking, you dare to insult me by presuming to approach me in your sleep?
JAMES
(started awake, looks around, sees DRAGON, starts to panic.)
What? You spoke?
DRAGON
(Roars.)
Not only do you approach me in your sleep but you do not even have the good manners to listen when you are spoken to!
JAMES
(Stammers.)
I am sorry. I do not remember coming here.
(Looks around perplexed.)
DRAGON
I am not surprised. With wits as dull as yours I am amazed you can find your feet to stand upon.
JAMES
Now, that’s a bit uncalled for.
DRAGON
You are in my home. It is not for you to decide what is or is not called for.
JAMES
You must excuse me, I did not know this was your home.
DRAGON
I must do no such thing! Did you not come to this land with the very intension of seeking me out?
JAMES
Well, yes but-
DRAGON
But what?
JAMES
I did not believe that I would find you. I didn’t think you were real.
DRAGON
You should be careful to check within yourself that belief that you know this world and all it has to hold. It does you more harm than good.
JAMES
I have read somewhere before that dragons sometimes keep their prey alive to provide conversation until they grow hungry enough and detest conversation.
DRAGON
(Laughs.)
If your life truly were dependant on your skills as a conversationalist, you should not last very long.
JAMES
Then why haven’t you killed me yet?
DRAGON
Perhaps I simply do not think that you will taste very good and that is assuming that I eat humans at all.
JAMES
Do you?
DRAGON
For someone who knows enough of the world to be bored with all that is in it, you ask a great many questions.
JAMES
How did you know I was bored?
DRAGON
It is in everything about you from the way you hold yourself to the way you speak to the way your eyes survey the world without seeing anything but what you suppose to be there. Tell me, what age are you?
JAMES
Twenty.
DRAGON
Twenty? Perhaps it is better that I kill you now. For a mind such as yours life can only be a burden.
JAMES
Now, hold on, I wouldn’t say that.
DRAGON
That is because you do not know that you are blind.
JAMES
How am I-?
DRAGON
The list of things you are blind to runs a mile long. You are blind to the fact that you are in love with the woman who brought you here. You are blind to the fact that your whole life is ahead of you. You are blind to the fact that you are holding the seeds of three masterpieces in your head. You are blind to the fact that you could be happy but are afraid to be. You are blind to yourself.
(The fog clears and JAMES resumes an appearance of sleep. The mirrors are flipped so that the still covered proper sides are facing the audience. The Viking ship reenters on the side of the stage opposite where it exited. The ship reclaims JAMES. The ship stops with a thunk.)
YARL
Disembark!
(VIKINGS jump out of the ship and ship rolls away. ENGLISH VIKINGS come onstage and greet their distant clansmen. Both clans spend time comparing battle skills and garb. There should be a great deal of talking among them resulting in a boisterous sound overall. YARL and ENGLISH YARL should be deep in conversation. After a time these two should speak in unison.)
YARL and ENGLISH YARL
Warriors, make camp!
(Tents should be pitched and a fire should be started in the middle of the stage. Stage lights dim so that the fire is the brighter light. When finished, VIKINGS should sit in a circle around the fire with YARL and ENGLISH YARL at the head facing the audience. A gap could be left on the audience side of the circle to create the illusion of audience inclusion.)
ENGLISH YARL
Many centuries ago, when dragons still roamed the land, there was a clan of Vikings so fierce that to speak their name was to invite trouble. When a village heard that the clan was coming, they left their homes and all that they owned so that they might escape with their lives. Few dared to challenge the clan. Those who did were invited to join if they survived the encounter. No one dared refuse the invitation. Rumor of the clan spread so far that it eventually reached the King of England. Now, poor King Arthur had a problem. The dragons in his land were growing so bold that they had begun to attack Camelot itself. King Arthur sent for the clan to come to Camelot. He promised that it would be worth the trouble so the clan obeyed. King Arthur begged the clan to vanquish the dragons and free his kingdom. In return he offered the clan a fleet of ships filled with riches. The clan refused and demanded rule of the kingdom as their prize. King Arthur had no choice. Either way his kingdom was lost. He agreed to the price in the hopes that the clan would be kinder to his people than the dragons would. So with the promise of a kingdom of their own, the clan set out. They fought and slew every single dragon save one. They called it Jormungandr for it stretched halfway across England. They gave chase to the creature and cornered it in a cave of enormous size. They though victory was assured but they had been fooled. They were the ones who had been cornered. Jormungandr turned and in one great bite swallowed half the clan. The other half he left to run back to Camelot and tell Arthur that they had met the true King of England and that he awaited Arthur’s challenge to the throne. Arthur died soon after and Jormungandr is still waiting for centuries pass like minutes for a dragon and he will wait some time more before he comes out to see why Arthur has not come. It is our task to see that he never gets that chance. We strike camp and move out before the sunrise!
(VIKINGS disappear into tents. LIAM and JAMES move closer to the fire.)
LIAM
Are you okay? You’ve barely spoken a word since we arrived.
JAMES
I’ve been thinking.
LIAM
About what?
JAMES
My life, my choices, my friends.
LIAM
Don’t tell me you are still upset about being content.
JAMES
Yes. No. I’m not sure.
LIAM
Get some sleep. We need to be wide awake when we meet the dragon.
JAMES
Yeah, They’re pretty touchy about sleep walking.
LIAM
What?
JAMES
Nothing.
LIAM
(gets up and heads towards tent.)
Goodnight.
JAMES
Hey, Liam.
LIAM
(stops walking and looks at JAMES.)
Yeah?
JAMES
When we get back home, do you want to go on a date?
LIAM
(laughs.)
We have to defeat Jormungandr first. Goodnight, James.
(enters tent.)
JAMES
Goodnight.
(JAMES lies down in front of the fire and falls asleep. A moment elapses before the fire goes out and the stage lights brighten. YARL and ENGLISH YARL rouse their respective VIKINGS and everyone helps break camp. VIKINGS go off stage making as much noise as possible. VIKINGS circle backstage making sure that their noise can be heard the whole time. While the stage is unoccupied a low fog should be applied to the stage. Make sure all the mirrors are still clearly visible.)
ENGLISH YARL
(from off stage.)
It’s time to split the clan. All new warriors with me.
YARL
Everyone else with me.
(The sounds from YARL’S group grow distant as ENGLISH YARL’S group, which consists of LIAM, JAMES and a few others, come on stage bearing torches.)
ENGLISH YARL
Stay very close. Jormungandr may be large but he is stealthy. In all likelihood you will see him before you hear him. So keep your eyes peeled, if he finds us he will take us all in one. big. bite.
(An enormous animatronic dragon shoots out from the far right of the stage with its jaws open making horrible roaring noises. VIKINGS drop their weapons and stumble over each other as they try to run the other direction except for JAMES who charges forward. JAMES runs up the jaw of the dragon and plunges his sword into the back of its throat. Just as his sword makes contact the cloth should be torn from the mirrors and VIKINGS should freeze and stare at JAMES. The dragon breaks down and closes its jaws with JAMES still inside. ENGLISH YARL runs over and pries the jaws apart. JAMES falls out. He is shaking all over.)
ENGLISH YARL
Well, that’s never happened before.
LIAM
What exactly was that?
ENGLISH YARL
Initiation. We do it every year but no one has ever actually attacked the dragon. I’m afraid you’ve done the poor beast in.
JAMES
Why not? We came here to fight a dragon.
ENGLISH YARL
Yes, but no one really expected to find one. Which is why I think no one has ever gotten as much out of the experience as you.
LIAM
Still feel content?
(JAMES shakes his head.)
Good. What do you want to do now Dragon Slayer?
JAMES
I wanna go home.
(JAMES leans on the dragon for support as he sinks down and sits on the floor. YARL enters with the rest of the VIKINGS.)
YARL
What the hell happened here?
ENGLISH YARL
You can tell King Arthur that the kingdom is ours. Your man has slain Jormungandr.
YARL
(thrusts his sword skyward.)
Hail to the new King of England! Long live the King!
VIKINGS
Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!
(lights out.)