Uther and the Secret of the Dragon Read online

  enabled me to bring twenty more camels than last

  all laden with the finest woollen rugs for your stall.

  But I have also brought something else, one of my

  horses and a rider too, one who is going to win us the

  trunk of gold at this bull day races....

  ADRIUS

  Oh my friend, your hopefulness fills my heart

  with sunshine. You know the king’s man always wins

  the trunk of gold, if he didn’t there would never be another race.

  MEMET

  What you mean to say is that his man has never been

  beaten and there is always a first time, like death;

  change is inevitable.

  ADRIUS

  I will drink to your enthusiasm and raise my

  glass in your favour.

  He claps and the guests are each handed fine glass cups which UTHUR holds up to the light and peers through having never seen such beauty. The slave then fills it with blood red wine.

  To Memet and his horse.

  MEMET

  To my Queen of Arabia and UTHUR, who

  will be the greatest rider Babylon will ever know.

  ADRIUS

  Memet, your rider looks bored.

  UTHUR

  I’m okay; we’ve just had a long journey.

  MEMET

  The boy’s fine...

  MERLAIN

  He needs someone his own age to show him

  around the city while we elders get to know each other...

  ADRIUS

  And the wine, eh?

  They all laugh. Adrius claps

  I will get one of the Nubian slaves to take him

  around the local market, someone his own age...

  A tall black man enters the room and bows low.

  Jesu, bring Esuit here....

  UTHUR

  Seriously, I’m okay...

  A beautiful young brown skinned girl enters the room and bows low.

  ESUIT

  You wanted me master?

  ADRIUS

  Girl, this is my guest UTHUR, he is new to this city.

  ESUIT

  Really sir?

  ADRIUS

  Take him out and let him see the market, get some

  food and charge it to my house. Would you be

  favourable to this young UTHUR...?

  UTHUR smiles and the girl and is entranced by her beautiful smile.

  UTHUR

  Yes sir, I would like that very much.

  ADRIUS

  Make sure you get him back before the moon

  reaches its zenith, and don’t get into trouble...

  UTHUR looks towards Merlain and an awkward smirk crosses his face. Merlain smiles back and nods.

  MERLAIN

  You heard the man, don’t get into trouble.

  The girl sniggers as she reaches out and takes UTHUR’s hand; together they leave the room and go back to the front entrance.

  ESUIT

  Excuse me sir, but your cloak looks hot and heavy,

  can I suggest you wear what is fashionable for

  young men of your stature in Babylon, or would

  you think it rude for me to suggest such a thing?

  UTHUR

  I’m afraid this is all I have with me; it’s not dirty, is it?

  ESUIT

  Of course not sir, but the city is warm at night

  and you may be comfortable in a toga, let me

  get one for you from the master’s wardrobe.

  She goes off and returns with a soft cotton shirt hemmed with golden thred.

  Here, you pull it over your head like so and

  perhaps tie a belt here.

  UTHUR does and she instructs before admiring himself in the full length glass by the door.

  UTHUR

  Very fetching, are you sure the master will

  not mind me wearing his clothes, especially something

  so beautifully made.

  ESUIT

  He will be delighted sir.

  UTHUR

  Then take my arm and show me the city, if

  It is half as beautiful as my companion I shall

  have a very pleasant evening...+

  SCENE 8 EXT DUSK/NIGHT

  UTHUR and ESUIT stroll through a busy market place, where stallholders sell fast food, silk and cotton clothing, shoes and sandals. They see a magician in the town square creating thunder and lightning by waving a wand and watch in amazement. After a few hours she takes him to a tall tower where the city unfurls beneath them, in a gentle, twinkling candle and lamp light, the scent of hanging gardens in their noses. The sit among a backdrop of stars and examine each other.

  UTHUR

  How long have you been a slave?

  ESUIT

  I was taken from my village when I was a small child.

  UTHUR

  How terrible, don’t you want to escape, go back

  and find your family?

  ESUIT

  I did. Before I came to serve my present master

  I was the property of another family, they were

  cruel and wicked. The mistress beat me and the family

  fed me just corn soup; I was so unhappy.

  One day my present master found them

  beating me in the street and challenged them.

  He gave a bag of gold for me and since then I

  have served him and his mistress.

  They are very kind and treat me well, like one of

  their children.

  UTHUR

  I am glad. What is your country of birth like, can

  you remember it?

  ESUIT

  Tell me about yours first, we are both far from home

  and I would like to hear how others live. How many

  day’s ride is your home?

  UTHUR

  Its many days on horse and then a week on a boat.

  ESUIT

  That is far, what is your land like?

  UTHUR

  It’s cold in the winter and hot in the summer. We have

  lots of rain but it makes the crops fertile and the cow’s

  fat with milk. It is the greenest island you will ever

  see, now with thick fruit forests and clean and cool rivers; I

  miss it very much. Now, tell me about yours.

  ESUIT

  My homeland is hot all through the year, we have rain

  just for one season and the earth is red and dry. Our

  crops fail regularly and our cows are thin; we used to

  live on fish and roots from the dry earth.

  I had never tasted bread until I came here, or cheese

  or sweet cake. The people of this city have managed

  to get their god to love them very much.

  They hear the sound of heavy carts rolling through the street beneath them being pulled by oxen. The two children look over the parapet and examine the scene.

  UTHUR

  This city is vast.

  What is in those carts, the oxen are straining to pull

  Them, so it must be very heavy.

  ESUIT

  That is the green rock, they mine it just outside the

  city and they are taking it to feed the dragon.

  If they feed the green rock to him, he will allow them

  to take the red element.

  UTHUR

  Alum, er, gold?

  ESUIT

  No, silly. That comes from the stream; it gets washed

  down from the mountain when the gods rinse

  their hair. The red element is different, have you

  never seen it?

  UTHUR

  There is so much I have never seen here.

  Tell me, dragons? Do they really exist?

  ESUIT

  It’s true, you will see it from here. When the beast eats

  the green rock it sp
its fire and gasps great sparks that light

  the whole night sky.

  UTHUR

  There is so much in this strange place that is new to me, can

  we go see the dragon eat?

  ESUIT

  No, they protect him from the people but from here you

  can see and hear him eating the green rock.

  UTHUR

  Will he eat all those cart loads, there is so much?

  ESUIT

  The last cart is the white rock, when they feed him

  that he allows them to take the silver element.

  They then beat both into the bronze you are so

  interested in, you can see

  them doing that over at the forge;

  I will take you there tomorrow.

  Suddenly a loud screaming sound echoes out from the mountain and they both look up. From their vantage point they see smoke and flames and sparks emanating from the huts on the hill.

  There, you see. The dragon is being fed.

  SCENE 9 INT DAY

  UTHUR and MERLAIN are eating some breakfast with MEMET and ADRIUS. A woman dressed in soft chiffon robes enters and sits beside ADRIUS she is SARAH, his wife.

  SARAH

  Please introduce me to your friends Memet.

  MEMET

  Sarah, this is Merlain from a land far in the north

  and with him is his cupbearer, UTHUR; the boy

  who will win the races for us this coming event.

  SARAH (taking a glass of water and drinking)

  So you ride horses at home young UTHUR?

  UTHUR

  My father owns many horses and I have been a rider

  since I was a small child...

  SARAH

  Has your father not travelled with you for a reason or

  is it custom for your people to send their youth far

  across the sea with a mentor?

  ADRIUS

  Sarah, you ask too many questions, leave the boy

  alone, you see how uncomfortable you make him with

  your inquisition...

  MERLAIN

  Let me answer, we have no secrets here among

  friends. You see our land has been invaded by monsters.

  Men, against whom arrows have no effect and who are

  armed with swords made from bronze.

  UTHUR’s father has sent us away to find the secret

  of this substance so that we may defeat them and

  drive them from our land.

  UTHUR

  We may have to capture a dragon first...

  ADRIUS

  Ahh, dragons. Now there’s a story...

  MERLAIN

  So it’s true, it is just a story to keep inquisitive peasants

  away...

  Sarah and Adrius look at each other with sly smiles and just as he is about to answer Memet interrupts.

  MEMET

  Come friends, one quest at a time. Before you two

  divert your attention towards capturing a dragon let’s

  win the races first. With a trunk of King Minon’s gold

  in your cart you could buy all the swords in Babylon;

  there would be no need to search for a dragon to capture..

  MERLAIN

  That’s his name, Minon? I am sure I’ve heard that name

  before, but in another land...

  ADRIUS

  He has a brother on the island of Rhodes, it is the home

  of our god, the Minator or sacred Bull.

  MERLAIN

  Oh, hence the bronze bull in the market square. A truly

  magical sight; I was amazed when we saw it toss its

  head and breathe steam from its nostrils.

  Do you know how it works?

  SARAH

  It is controlled by the will of the gods. We give it gifts

  and it protects us.

  UTHUR

  All the way from Rhodes, it must be a powerful god to

  be in two places at once.

  SARAH

  The Minator is everywhere. If you erect an idol

  in its image he will breathe life into the idol.

  MEMET

  Enough talk of gods and dragons, Adrius my friend

  has you still access to that piece of land just outside

  the city wall?

  ADRIUS

  Of course, we use it to grow our fruits for the wine you

  are drinking. The vines are bare currently as we have

  just stripped them of their bounty.

  MEMET

  Good, so we have a place to prepare for the races.

  I think we need to place a wager with the king.

  SARAH

  I’ve seen the horse he will enter in this season’s race,

  a huge and strong black stallion. It is very fast Memet,

  you may lose your gold if you are not careful.

  MEMET

  Loose never, a horse is only as good as its rider

  and we are blessed with one of the best I have ever seen.

  ADRIUS

  That white stallion you arrived with last night,

  it looks sleek and healthy but is she fast.

  MEMET

  The Queen of Arabia will have the king’s nag

  chasing her rump on the day. That’s if it can see the

  queen’s rump through the cloud of sand she will

  throw up. UTHUR?

  UTHUR

  Yes Memet?

  MEMET

  Let’s take her among Adrius’ vines for a while as the

  sun is still low on the horizon, then after her exercise,

  if you do well, I will give you some gold to spend in

  the city this afternoon....

  UTHUR

  Would I be able to take Esuit out again, she was very

  good company last night?

  SARAH

  Last night, well, it didn’t take long for you to be

  captivated by our Nubian beauty.

  MEMET

  He’s a boy, a full blooded young man. Let’s try to

  capture that heat within his balls to burn our hooves

  into the racetrack.....

  UTHUR

  Memet, please....

  SCENE 10-EXT DAY

  Later that day Esuit and UTHUR are in the town and she takes him to a stall which sells glassware. He examines the glasses and bowls enchanted by their beauty.

  UTHUR

  These are so beautiful, where do you get them from?

  Stallholder.

  We make them here, would you like to see?

  UTHUR

  Can we?

  STALLHOLDER

  Please, come this way...

  She leads them into a wooden hut behind the market where they find a clay oven. It is being stoked by a man holding a long thin rod. He is putting charcoal in the bottom of the clay oven and a boy sits beside it with bellows.

  GLASSMAKER

  Hello young man, your lady...

  STALLHOLDER

  The boy wanted to see how we make the glass?

  GLASSMAKER

  Its easy making the glass, the boy there is blowing air

  into the oven to get the coals superhot, I have already

  laid it with sand and broken glass..

  UTHUR

  Sand?

  GLASSMAKER

  That’s right, when the coals are hot enough the sand

  melts into a thick syrup, it’s very hot so be careful as I

  draw it out the oven. Then the magic begins.

  He opens the oven door and places the thin rod into the oven. When he withdraws it a wad of molten glass is on the end which he begins to shape with a mat of damp reeds,.

  UTHUR

  That coal you are using, it looks like cinders from a

  fire that’s burned already.

  GLASSMAKER

  (As he man
ipulates the molten glass) Well spotted, we call it charcoal

  because actual coal will smoke too much and doesn’t

  get to the right temperature. The coal is heated until

  all that’s left is the carbon, that’s what we use, it’s the

  same process for forging metals.

  UTHUR

  Bronze and the like...

  GLASSMAKER

  That’s right, stand back and watch...

  He takes a deep breath and blows down the tube until the blob of glass becomes a balloon. Then he shapes it with the wet reeds and eventually cuts the end until he just has a glass rady7 made. This he knocks off the tube and leaves to cool down.

  With different elements added to the sand we get coloured

  glass, the systems always remains the same though,

  heat the sand enough to melt its heart and then blow it out.

  UTHUR

  Amazing. You mentioned metals, how does this equate

  with what comes from a dragon’s gut?

  GLASSMAKER

  We use an oven, they use a dragon, and charcoal is

  always needed to heat the basic element to draw out

  what you need. Not just heat but air as well, hence

  the bellows. Without them the fire would not burn

  hot enough. If I was melting metals I’d draw them

  from the oven the same way and then beat them with

  hammers rather than blow them with a pole. Metals

  are hard and can take the punishment whereas glass

  is like a woman, you have to treat it with kindness

  and respect but when you do, she looks beautiful...

  He clicks off a small drinking glass that looks like it was created from fine crystal. The boy takes it and looks at the light through the sides of the glass.

  That is for you...

  UTHUR

  I will remember this day for my whole life and when