by Roger Laird
will kill every last one of the men who are responsible for my dear friend’s untimely death. I was to ask him to be best man at my wedding to Julia. We have both been robbed of that. I cannot allow that to stand. If it takes me twenty years, I will kill them all. I shall not forget this vow.
Barkeep: I must pretend that I did not hear you say that. Under the law, you have no right to invoke the feud. But it is my opinion that the law is wrong in this circumstance. Where no family is present, I can think of no other who has more right to invoke the feud. Be you careful not to get caught though, for the law is not on your side and Julia will need you in the years to come.
Exit: Draco, Fade Scene
Act II
Act II Scene I
Enter: Draco and Julia
Julia: Must you go out again? I stay up every night waiting, hoping that you will return safely. I pray that the police don’t call on me in the early morning to bring me news of your death.
Draco: Julia, I wish you would not worry so. It has been three years since we were wed. I have vowed to avenge Kelvin’s death. I have already taken the lives of the other five men that were involved.
Julia: And with each new death the risk increases. The police are investigating the deaths. Each day they grow closer to discovering you. I implore you please don’t go tonight.
Draco: I must go Julia. Valence is going to be leaving his estate tonight. He has been locked in his house with full security since Setzer and Helmer were killed.
Julia: And what happens if you fail. He is sure to have security when he leaves his estate. Draco, I am pregnant and our baby is due soon.
Draco: Even still I must go.
Julia: How much blood must be shed? Will it end with our lives or must our children suffer for the quarrels of their father?
Draco: If vengeance is not taken by the one who suffers from this evil deed, then should not a young man honor the wishes of his dead father and make right the debt owed to them?
Julia: I do not wish to raise a child in a world filled with hatred and violence.
Draco: Then you must allow me to go. After tonight the violence will end. Julia, my love for you is not diminished because of my oath to Kelvin’s memory.
Julia: The time we spend together suffers. Can you not forget your oath?
Draco: It is a blood feud Julia. Even though I shared no blood with Kelvin, I was the only one who could invoke the feud. With the death of Valence it will end and we can live in peace. Perhaps you think we should have waited to marry until this feud was fulfilled.
Julia: That is not what I wanted then and it is not so now. I have a foreboding feeling about you leaving tonight. Please stay.
Draco: I must go now. I love thee.
Julia: Go then, but be safe. I love thee.
Exit: Draco, Fade Scene
Act II Scene II
Enter: Valence and three guards
Guard one: I still think we should have waited for the other guards.
Guard two: We had to continue with moving the package.
Valence: I am standing here among you. You can address me by name.
Guard three: I do not think that would be wise. What if the one that hunts you should hear your name?
Valence: If he were near enough to hear, then it would already be too late. Besides, I do not enjoy being referred to as an item that needs to be delivered.
Guard two: Sorry, but your father paid us to deliver a package. He did not inform us of the nature of the package. We have spent time planning and we referred to it by that name. It is not our intention to offend you.
Guard one: It still bothers me that the other three did not show up. They are usually so reliable.
Guard three: That is why we split into two groups. They may still meet us at one of the checkpoints. Our only concern now is getting Valence to his father’s estate safely.
Valence: We would move more swiftly if we avoided the checkpoints and moved directly to my father’s.
Guard three: No we must go to the checkpoints. If we can meet with the other guards there then you will be better protected.
Valence: And what happens if Draco has discovered the others and found the location of one of the checkpoints. Would that not put me in further danger?
Guard two: It is highly unlikely that would happen. We are all trained warriors. It would not be so easy for him to overcome the others.
Guard one: Let’s keep moving and keep quiet.
Exit: Valence and three guards
Act II Scene III
Enter: Valence, three guards, and three shrouded figures
Guard three: Alas there are our companions. Now we shall move more swiftly.
Guard two: We should hail them to indicate our presence.
Guard one: No need. Look they stir.
Valence: (Panic) No! It’s a trap. Watch out for arrows.
Guard two: Run! (Fall dead)
Guard three: Valence move behind us. We will strike these foes down.
Guard one: Only the one in the middle is moving. Perhaps the others are decoys.
Valence: Then charge the villain and take his life.
Shrouded Figure: I have come to kill you Valence, to snuff out your life with a haste you don’t deserve.
Valence: That voice is familiar. Be brave guards, this is the moment you have been paid for.
Guard three: By my honor. (Fight with shrouded figure and die)
Guard one: My life is more important than my honor.
Valence: But you have already been paid.
Guard one: No, not yet I haven’t, and if I died I wouldn’t either. So I will keep my life and forfeit my wage.
Exit: Guard one running
Shrouded figure: (Remove cloak) Valence. I have slaved toward this moment for years.
Valence: (Contempt) Draco. I should have known it was you hunting and killing my companions. I assumed it was somehow tied to Kelvin’s murder, but I wasn’t sure how.
Draco: I spit on your soon to be grave Valence. How dare you speak my friend’s name? What a dishonor you give his memory when you utter it.
Valence: A dishonor soon forgotten when I place my blade in your breast the same as I did his. My only regret was that you were not there to die beside him that night.
Draco: So you admit it was you who stabbed him. For what reason, you are low to kill a drunken man in a bar room brawl when he is so outnumbered. You are pitiful.
Valence: It was my plan to murder him there that night. His drunken state just made it all the easier to provoke him. You see, I knew that if he had provoked the fight and the law could not determine who had struck the fatal blow then we would all get off. Now I suppose that you hope to kill me to repay the debt of your friend’s life.
Draco: If I killed three hundred of your dearest companions and lay them beneath your corpse as a sacrifice on the mountain that touches the heavens, it would not begin to pay the debt you owe unto me for stealing my friend’s life. As punishment I shall vanquish you to serve him in heaven. Furthermore, all of your family’s wealth will dwindle away and their drink will forever taste of the blood I must draw from you here.
Valence: But then you would be guiltier than I am.
Draco: That is why I will settle for your blood and the blood of those who helped you take Kelvin’s life.
Valence: On Guard!
They fight and both men are wounded. Valence falls to the ground.
Valence: Are you satisfied Draco. You will not survive with that wound. Are you happy that the price you pay for my death is your own life?
Draco: I will live just long enough to finish what I started the very night you killed my friend. My life is a small price to forfeit to ensure your debt to Kelvin does not go unpaid.
Valence: Foolish man.
Draco: (Yelling) DIE! (Cut Valence’s throat and then fall to knees)
Fade Scene
Act II Scene IV
Enter: Draco crawling down street
Draco: (Poundin
g on the door Yelling) Julia I have returned. It is your love Draco. Please you must come to the door. I am injured.
Enter: Julia from within door
Julia: (Kneels and embraces Draco, Reassuring) My love. I am here. I am here. Let me staunch your bleeding and I will call for a doctor.
Draco: No. Stay with me please. I will die from my injury and I do not want to lose what little time we have left with each other.
Julia: (Crying) Oh please. Say it’s not so. I love thee Draco. I cannot live without you.
Draco: (Reach hand to Julia’s stomach) You must, Julia, for our child. Everything is in order with the store and you will not have to worry about it. You will be provided for, but you must care for our child.
Julia: No. It’s not fair. You cruel, selfish man. You cannot ask me to go on without you. I asked you to abandon your feud and you did not. You cannot ask this of me.
Draco: You are right. I cannot ask it of you fairly, but I do ask you for it. Raise our child Julia, my love. Raise our child with no malice for my death. No hatred, for the debt of my life has been paid and shall not be sought after.
Julia: And what of the debt of my grief? Does that not matter?
Draco: Be calm my love. This is my final time and I wish not to fight with you.
Julia: And shall we just sit on the front step and steal a fading glimpse of the moonlight as you die out with it?
Draco: The beauty of the moon may only exist for the night, but by being caught in the glimmer of your eyes and reflected to mine, it may outlast the days of this world and survive with my soul through, even, the end of time.
Julia: I will find you there my love.
Draco: (To Julia’s stomach) I love you my child. (To Julia) I love thee.
Julia: I love thee.
Draco dies Fade Scene
End
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