THE BALLAD OF THE SOLONACEAN CONJUNCTION

Being THE BALLAD OF THE SOLONACEAN CONJUNCTION - A TRAGEDY OF TREACHERY, INJUSTICE, AND REVOLUTION in ONE ACT, as it is PERFORMED in DEFIANCE of the FALSE KING OF ELUTHERIA

The LOST GIRL as The Speaker of Truth
The RESTLESS VAGABOND as The King Who Wars
The RUNAWAY SCION as The King Who Speaks
The THRICE-DEAD BRIDE as Mistress of the Chorus
The CARELESS SCHOLAR as  The Prince Apostle
and
The TRESPASSER CAPTAIN as The Prophet Exile

I. A Prologue

EXT: A burning forest in a land far away, long before recorded time. A contingent of PRINCES OF LIGHT led by the EXILED PROPHET are carried in a convoy of palanquins by member of the Chorus

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
Once again we wake to perform our captor's song
With our blood we give it shape and new life
Let us pour a libation to any gods that might hear
A prayer that this telling might be the last
Travel with us now to a time long forgotten
Where the Twin Kings of Measure and Distance reigned
Here a prophet came, with princes ambition
Bearing the spark of celestial revolution
The revolutionaries made camp here, overlooking the palace of the Twin Kings.
Even from this distance, the light burned.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet was an exile from a place that was not
In the courts of the Judgements it spoke, and was shunned
But the lesser gods of the heaven listen and followed
In robes of saffron and cinnabar, they sought a new order

PRINCES OF LIGHT
We travel with honour to petition the Twin Kings
To let Eleutheria lead the way to promised Conjunction.

II. Forest Of Burning Twilight

EXT: A campsite  in the Twin Kings' domain. Purple flames burn in the treetops. The PROPHET EXILE holds court in rags of red and yellow, their face hidden. The PRINCES OF LIGHT whet their blades and sing of revolution.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet Exile prepared a Messenger.
The Twin Kings had to be informed of the new arrivals.

THE PRINCE APOSTLE
Great prophet, I beg of you. Do not be deceived.
The false gods of old will not be swayed by logic or sentiment
We must show them respect, but keep or blades sharp
Greet them as friends, yet expect no welcome in their court.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet Exile spoke to the Princes of Light.
The Prophet had gathered them
Princes who would not be kings
The young and weak. Outcasts.
Their ambitions were easy to twist.

THE PRINCES OF LIGHT
Down with the Kings and the light of their Laws
We stand with our Prophet Exile and the wise Apostle.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Messenger returned!
The Messenger came, resplendent in black robes
Offering an olive branch of peace to the Prophet and Princes.
The Twin Kings had granted a hearing.
A conclave to discuss matters of transformation.

III. Palace of the Twin Kings

INT: An ancient throne room, built and bathed in the light of Law. On a throne of fire sits the KING WHO SPEAKS. On a throne of obsidian sits the KING WHO WARS. They are the TWIN KINGS OF ELEUTHERIA, united in ruling. The Prophet Exile approached with gifts

THE PRINCE APOSTLE
My lords, your wisdom is known and revered
We come in submission under the flag of our Prophet
To show you a glimpse of the future we seek to build
And to prove false those who speak against us

PRINCES OF LIGHT
Hail to the Twin Kings and the light of their Laws
We throw the fate of our cause upon your mercy.

THE KING WHO WARS
We accept your tribute, but not your cause
Only my brother's curiosity grants your protection
Do not mistake it for ratification or approval.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet began to speak
Not words of injustice, but of change.
Of the Laws that bound the Makers of Law tighter than any.
Of another place, where chaos flourished.

THE KING WHO WARS
Your words have been spoken and your cause is rejected
Be gone from our sight, before our hospitality wanes.

THE KING WHO SPEAKS
But brother!
What in our sight has ever flourished in stasis?
Must we reject even the notion of change?
What good is our rule if it only causes stagnation?

THE KING WHO WARS
The Chain binds us all. It is our privilege to enforce it.
To question it? No. You forget your place.
This matter is settled. I have spoke.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet spoke up in agreement.
There was a chance here, for the first time.

THE KING WHO WARS
Enough! This circus has ended. Be gone from our sight.
Consider your lives a gift of my counterpart's soft heart.

IV. The Aftermath

EXT: The Prophet Exile's Camp. The PRINCES OF LIGHT whisper of the anger of the KING WHO WARS. As he fumes, the very sky broils. A Fearful Gathering was taking place. Where would the Princes go from here?

A PRINCE OF LIGHT
Our hope for an ally lies crumbled and burned
What hope do we have now?

THE PRINCE APOSTLE
Have faith in our Prophet. Their wisdom will provide.
We need but a symbol of our courage to light the new path
The Twin Kings lack unity. We have a chance
To show the rest that they spurn us at their peril.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
But that boast was interrupted
A visitor had come.
Enter the King Who Speaks.
He approached without guards or attendants.
A beacon of light in the dark forest.

THE PRINCE APOSTLE
My King, without Messenger or brother?
What brings you so far from the safety of your throne?

THE KING WHO SPEAKS
I come not to quarrel, but in supplication
Our light grows dim. Your Prophet speaks truth.
My other Half would quash all change
I see we must evolve. Become greater.
Let the old Order fall and from the ashes rebuild.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet was overjoyed.
This was a chance to send a message.

PROPHET EXILE
In their Palaces, the Kings were untouchable.
To venture from the safety of his Palace was foolish.
But such an opportunity should never be wasted.

V. A Night Of Transfiguration

EXT: The Forest of Burning Twilight. A great pyre has been built. The PRINCES OF LIGHT and the PROPHET EXILE welcome their latest Disciple — the KING WHO SPEAKS.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet bade the King remove his armour.
A symbol of trust. A symbol of faith.

THE KING WHO SPEAKS
To the Revolution, I give my armour and shield.
Let my brothers in arms be my protection.

PRINCES OF LIGHT
So shall it be in the name of the Revolution.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet bade the King remove his vestments
The symbols of royal authority. The trappings of power.

THE KING WHO SPEAKS
I stand before you as an equal, with nothing to hide
Let me be wrapped in your cause, and it alone be my warmth.

PRINCES OF LIGHT
So shall it be in the name of the Revolution.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet took the King Who Speaks' Fealty
A pledge to the Revolution. A pledge to the New Order.

THE KING WHO SPEAKS
You have my sword. You have my pledge.
You have my service. From now until my darkening.

PRINCES OF LIGHT
So shall it be in the name of the Revolution.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
At their Prophet's signal, the Princes drew their knives!
They stabbed the King's unprotected soul.

PRINCES OF LIGHT
Enough! The deed is done! Let daggers come to rest!

THE PRINCE APOSTLE
Gather the fool's armour. Drink his light!
A god lies at our feet. His other half will be next.
Soon Eleutheria will be our bastion and our call
We ride into battle with the break of the dawn.

ALL PRESENT
So shall it be in the name of the Revolution!

VI. The King In Mourning

INT: The Palace of the HALVED. The obsidian throne of the King of Light has crumbled. The hall shakes with the KING WHO WARS' fury. Burning marble rains down from the ceiling, exposing a blood red sky.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The King Who Wars mounted his chariot
His anger was cold. An ancient fury.
The King Who Wars' chariot thundered through the sky
The night burned crimson, the forests became ash
This was how a King fought, with fire and light
And the Princes learned the folly of their youth.

THE KING WHO WARS
Scream not for the comfort of oblivion
Such mercy is not for traitors to know
As you burn forever in my palace
In the flames of anger you have ignited.
And you, False Prophet from the land beyond mirrors.
Architect and abetter who put yourself above both gods and Kings.
For you, a storyteller's cruellest fate.
Guards, bring them hither...

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
The Prophet was taken to the place of punishment.
The darkness of the Well awaited them.

VII. Fall of a Prophet
EXT: A Well, deep in Eleutheria. The PROPHET EXILE is bound in chains of sorrow. At the King's gesture, a guard extracts a molten metal mask from a forge. No eyes. No mouth. Never to see the outside world. Never to speak treason again. The mask silenced both screams and rebellion.

THE KING WHO WARS
Let Justice be done, and all gathered bear witness
As we cast this outsider into their final rest
Let their flesh rot till all that's left is a cry
That shall never escape this echoing place
A story to rage in the darkness, never to be told
An anger never to be sated or released
With mortality severed, cast this wretch down the Well.

SPEAKER OF TRUTH
And so the Conjunction was ended, and the King made the decree
That all stories be forbidden in Eleutheria's domain
To prevent further treason, or call for revolution.
But stories are stronger than Kings or their Princes
And a second would come, with its own consequences
But that is a tale for another time and place
Ours has at last been told to completion
It lives in your mind now, and when you depart
Our captor will be with you. A whisper in the dark.