The Prince's Bellow| Final Act, Part II

Script revised for Vocal's format. Since I can't fully save the edits for the second part, there is one last part.

Characters if any one of you want to act: Quaive, Haelophes, Kander, Eris, Fiera, Royal Knight, Elf Lady Citizen, Maelilere, Vampire Citizen, Male Citizen, Old Mage Woman, and Teenage Elf Boy.

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FADE TO:

INT. THE THRONE ROOM- NIGHT

A few nights have passed since Kander and Haelo became rulers of the castle. Kander and Haelo are sitting on their thrones. The throne room has been cleaned out.

Haelo gets up from her seat.

HAELO: I need to get into the shower. (Places a hand against Kander's cheek.)

KANDER: Alright. I will do that soon. Go ahead and take a break.

Haelo walks away, leaving Kander alone.

A couple of minutes go by. Quaive peeks into the throne room to see his brother reading a book. Quaive turns on his aura reading. He sighs in relief that the aura he felt days ago wasn't Kander's. He feels relaxed and the magical radiance of his brother.

Kander looks up and spots Quaive. He puts his book down on a shelf next to him.

KANDER (CONT'D): Quaive, what are you doing here?

QUAIVE: Just reading your aura. Nothing major.

KANDER: Why?

QUAIVE: Just practicing?

KANDER: You were never keen on doing it during your free time. Why now?

[Beat.]

QUAIVE: I-I saw the globe turn gray.

KANDER: (Sighs, looks down.) I did too. I'm afraid I'll be a bad king.

QUAIVE: That is not what it means, Kander.

KANDER: Then, what does it mean? War?

QUAIVE: You'll be in pain while king. I had a feeling someone would hurt you at the ball. I'm trying to find who has this intent in their auras. I have to find out who will do this to you.

KANDER: (Utters to himself.) Not even a week in. (Recomposes.) Try to find the ones with dangers within their auras, Quaive, and report them to me.

QUAIVE: (Hurriedly.) Yes, Your Majesty!

He quickly walks away.

He aura-reads every guard, servant, or guest. They give their salutations. He doesn't pick up the bad aura. Maybe the arrogant ones from the guards, but not concerning.

Quaive doesn't pick it up while roaming the entire castle. He peeks into every unlocked room and reads any living auras there. He either finds no one or picks up no evil aura.

QUAIVE (CONT'D): (Running around.) Dang it! I see why my mom emphasizes how important aura reading is. They could've killed him on the very first night. I gave them that chance, and now, they are set free. (Pause.) They better be gone for now, but I will catch them later. It still doesn't hurt to check now.

He passes by Kander's room. He then stops, sensing a vengeful aura there. He barges into his room and searches it, trying to find the culprit. He keeps his aura-reading senses on as he looks around. He is heavily breathing, panicking. He feels the aura vanishing. He stops moving.

QUAIVE (CONT'D): Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhoot. They already left the room.

He runs out.

QUAIVE (CONT'D): (Shouting.) Kander!

BACK TO:

INT. THE THRONE ROOM

KANDER (V.O.): Who will hurt me? (Pause.) An assassin from Maradon? Quaive and Mother did go to Groatia to negotiate to let in refugees from Maradon. One could've been spying. (Pause.) But what if it is-

[Beat.]

KANDER (CONT'D): (Talking to himself.) Haelophes? The full moon has passed, but there is something wrong with her... I can't figure it out. (Pause.) Maybe-

A woman enters with long, straight white hair, no horns, and white skin with metallic orange veins. She is dressed in copper-like wires. Her palms are closed. She looks down. Still, Kander puts on a smile for her.

KANDER (CONT'D): Hello, lady. It's quite odd to see visitors at this hour, but I will allow it.

The woman doesn't bow or curtsey to the new king, confusing Kander. She never speaks.

KANDER (CONT'D): Ma'am, why are you seeing me?

Kander looks closely. He knows she is a demon, but he is not worried about that, wondering why the woman isn't talking.

The woman opens her palm with a glowing sigil engraved in it.

[Beat.]

KANDER (V.O.) (CONT'D): Uh, oh.

KANDER (CONT'D): Uh, ma'am?

She finally looks up. Kander instantly sees her orange and green eyes. His confusion changes into shock.

KANDER (CONT'D): Haelo?!

KANDER (V.O.) (CONT'D): That's why research failed me.

The sigil from her hand flashes, creating a small burst effect. Instantly, Kander falls to the ground in pain. His body sizzles and his veins look like fire.

KANDER (CONT'D): Haelo, what are you doing?! (Squints and groans while in agony.) Stop that!

HAELO: (Coldly.) I can't stop the process.

KANDER: Why are you doing this to me?!

HAELO: It's nothing personal against you.

KANDER: Personal? All I did was love you! (Tries to get up but falls on his knees.) Do you think I deserve this, Haelophes? I wouldn't mind if you were a demon, but why did you pose as a siren?

[Beat.]

HAELO: I do pity you.

KANDER: Why did you pretend to be a siren all along?

HAELO: The siren facade wasn't to charm you over, Kander. It was more to create a new identity to work around the former queen.

KANDER: My mother? (Pause.) Why are you after my mother?!

HAELO: She ended my mother long ago. An eternal angel remembers who they met forever, and so do demons.

Kander finally gets up, expressing his pain and hurt.

KANDER: (Seething.) I had nothing to do with what happened to your mother! I don't even know your mother, so I hold nothing against her.

HAELO: (Angrily.) Everyone sees your mother as a hero, while my mother was painted as a savage! You don't know how it feels to see your mother dead and have multiple people thinking she was a brute. Being a demon doesn't help. Perhaps, I turned into a siren to know what it's like to be free of prejudgment from the other races, except for humans.

KANDER: I still would've accepted you who you were, but now, you condemn yourself as a liar!

Kander's hands charge with lightning. Thunder can be heard.

HAELO: (Chuckles and turns away.) You don't have to accept me anymore, Kander. I had already gotten what I wanted. I do admit that you are a pretty great guy. You will be a great king. It was fun pretending to love you. I may have convinced myself that I did love you. You made it hard for me to do this, along with your light-hearted family.

It is hard to remain calm for him. He summons a bolt at Haelo. It hits her directly. She gets stunned and knees to the ground. She gets up, chuckling. Lightning is surging through her body like a lightning rod. Kander becomes scared.

HAELO (CONT'D): My mother would've loved you, Kander, if things went differently. My job isn't to kill you.

KANDER: Then, what is your intention?!

HAELO: (Carelessly shrugs her shoulders.) To see how it feels to be me, to make Fiera feel what it is like to be one of us, but you were easy to get to. A family member for a family member. So calm, yet still kind enough to soften your heart. She will feel the pain of what you are about to become, Kander.

KANDER: (Holding himself in pain.) Mother doesn't mind demons!

HAELO: I know, (Grins.) but I know who won't.

Haelo winks before walking out of the throne room.

KANDER: HAELOOOOPHESSSS!

BACK TO:

INT. CASTLE CORRIDOR

Quaive is still running.

KANDER (O.S.): HAELOOOOPHESSSS!

QUAIVE: (Freaking out; starts running faster.) KANDER!

His wings sprout from his back. The feathers match the ones on his suit until they become slightly translucent. He yanks a feather off his wing. Quaive looks at it as it changes into a khopesh.

He sees guards running from another corridor. He stops at him. They immediately see his urgent expression. They also heard Kander's scream too. In fact, they still hear him.

QUAIVE (CONT'D): Summon all forces to the throne room! Kander is being attacked! Inform the Elders of Tremis--Fiera and Eris!

ROYAL KNIGHT: Yes, Your Majesty! (Pulls out a pager and speaks into it.) All units report to the throne room urgently! Code Gray! King Kander isbeing attacked! I repeat, King Kander is being attacked!

QUAIVE (V.O.): Why isn't he fighting back? Why is he still screaming? I hate the fact that he is.

BACK TO:

INT. THE THRONE ROOM

Kander's screams get cut off as the pain intensifies. He falls down, convulsing, and he passes out, paralyzed. Quaive forcefully enters the room with other guards. He sees no attacker but Kander on the ground, not moving. He sees his skin having an orange glow beneath it.

QUAIVE: (Runs to him.) Kander!

Quaive checks his brother's pulse. Kander's body becomes paler by a second as Haelophes’ spell courses through him every second. He shakes his brother.

QUAIVE (CONT'D): Brother, please, wake up!

No response.

Eris and Fiera rush into the room not too long after. Fiera is in her armor from the Zyphyr rebellion, ready to cause damage. She looks angry. At this point, Quaive becomes emotional, wondering if his brother will live.

FIERA: What is happening?

QUAIVE: Mother! (Signals her to come here.)

Mother and father see Kander unconscious. Fiera gasps and runs to him, knowing what is going on.

QUAIVE (CONT'D): (Tearing up.) He screamed Haelo's name. She might have done this to him!

Fiera picks it up and examines him closely. It is confirmed. He is turning into a demon, and that process is painful. She holds him dearly, trying not to cry.

FIERA: Oh, Kander, I'm sorry this happened.

FADE OUT.

INT. KANDER'S ROOM- MORNING

Kander is lying unconscious on his bed. Fiera, Quaive, and Eris are around his bed. Fiera is upset while Quaive looks terrible that he didn't catch who had done this in time. The number of guards increased since the incident last night.

ERIS: Cameras around the castle malfunctioned during the event. We noticed cameras malfunctioning while Haelophes went into the gallery late at night. We thought there was a short circuit or connection issue, but the cameras acted weird when Haelophes attacked Kander. We couldn’t catch the footage, but we could link it to her. I almost fired the guards for not saying anything on camera, yet they did report the cameras malfunctioning again… They turned on right when Haelophes was leaving the castle. She didn’t care if she got caught after doing it, but her distorting the cameras borrowed her more time.

Kander looks different. His hair is now a reddish-orange with golden highlights and black ends. He has black makhor horns. A veiny-like structure starts from the upper right side of his head, moving diagonally across his face. Their glow has a ripple effect- the same color as the sigil from Haelo's sigil.

QUAIVE: It was Haelophes all along...

FIERA: (Stops crying and goes stern.) Don't say her name.

[Beat.]

FIERA (CONT'D): (Gets angry.) Her name is not worth being called Haelo. It was three hundred years since the Battle of Zyphyr. I did what I had to do to end the battle that would kill more innocents than the actual problem– that’s what I’ve been told. (Pause.) All she could've done was to try to get help to focus on her life. (Pause.) She decided to make it personal and waited 300-freaking years to hurt and fool my son!

Fiera's wings sharpen up, sounding like tens of swords clashing. Quaive stands back while Eris stays in place.

FIERA (CONT'D): Two can play that game.

ERIS: (Places his hand on Fiera's shoulder.) Honey, please. I know you want to go after her, but our son is a priority.

Fiera exhales with her mouth shut, fuming like a bull. She closes her eyes and meditates to relax.

FIERA: You're right, but if I see her anywhere at any time, I'll stomp her down and rip out her spi-

Kander groans as he wakes up and sits, rubbing his head from a headache.

QUAIVE: Kander!

He rushes to him and hugs him. Kander squints his eyes.

KANDER: Don't be so loud…

ERIS: How are you feeling, Kander?

KANDER: (Melancholic.) I don't know... Lost... Betrayed… Angry... Hurt…

QUAIVE: (Trying not to cry.) I'm sorry I couldn't catch her, Kander!

KANDER: Haelophes…

ERIS: We know. She disappeared after your scream last night. Cameras malfunctioned. She has the power to cover her tracks most of the time. It happened nights before the wedding too.

FIERA: Turns out she was a demon.

KANDER: (Snaps.) I know that. (Realizes what he did.) Sorry, Mom. Didn't mean to bite your head off.

FIERA: She is an eternal demon. She is a turner and shifter.

KANDER: She also seems metallic and has some electrical attributes thanks to Wingia, her mother...

FIERA: She turned you without touching you. With that ability, she had to wait while you were alone.

Kander rubs his forehead, but this time higher. He feels the horns sticking out of his head, feeling broken and frightened simultaneously.

KANDER: What do I look like to you?

Eris leaves and brings back a small mirror. He gives it to Kander. He sees what he looks like. His iris and pupils are switched in color. They shake in rage and tears. He drops the mirror to sob.

KANDER (CONT'D): ...She got what she wanted. She never wanted me; she wanted to make you suffer by turning me into someone like her.

ERIS: You may have your DNA analyzed to see what level of demon you are, and we need to find out your newfound powers.

KANDER: (Mumbles.) I don't want to hear it.

Kander clenches his fist, which turns into flames. The veins on his face ripple like fire. It spreads into his arms. He sees that, so he stops.

FIERA: He could still have a mage strand within him. (Pause.) He will still be king without his queen.

KANDER: (Hurt.) My queen? (Lowers head.) ...I don't know what it feels like to have someone truly by my side anymore.

CUT TO:

KANDER (V.O.) (CONT'D): It was like a curse that didn't end.

SHOTS OF TREMIS PROTESTING AGAINST THE NEW KING AROUND THE EMPIRE.

KANDER (V.O.) (CONT'D): Only those working and my family knew what had happened.

CUT TO:

EXT. TREMIS PROTEST- AFTERNOON

Angry voices can be heard in a Tremis protest. So many people, so many signs.

ELF LADY CITIZEN: ABUSER! Down with the abusive king!

KANDER (V.O.): Lies squashed the truth. The story that blazed around the world was that I struck my wife, and she fled. As a result, I turned into a demon. (Pause.) Am I sure they aren't bad?

VAMPIRE CITIZEN: Why would they allow an evil demon behind the throne?! We saw the artifact he was holding turned gray on TV!

KANDER (V.O.): ‘When the glass globe turns gray, the king will be in pain.’ (Pause.) That came true… I wish it didn’t.

CUT TO:

INT. MEETING ROOM- EVENING

Kander sits among other kings and queens, discussing Maradon refugees again. They are all looking dangerously at him. They don't say anything to him. Eris was in the room, looking concerned about his son and Tremis. Kander looks down, feeling like he is a failure at being king.

CUT TO:

INT. THE THRONE ROOM- DAY

Media coverage is there. Eris and Fiera are standing beside Kander.

ERIS: The hysteria must stop. Haelophes pretended to be someone else and tricked him.

MALE CITIZEN: Where's the footage?

[Beat.]

ERIS: She sabotaged them. We can release the footage to prove that she used her power to stop cameras from seeing things.

FIERA: Haelophes is a turner and a shifter. She can be anyone at any time. She can also turn you.

KANDER: (Somber.) ...She lied to me. She lied to everyone else. She hurt me. The turning hurt and burned. (Tries not to cry, but a tear falls.) That pain of betrayal hurt me worse than that. Haelophes is now banished from the empire. If spotted, she will be arrested immediately.

CUT TO:

INT. CASTLE LIVING ROOM- EVENING

A week has passed since Eris showed the recording. Eris watches the news switch about Kander being a demon.

OLD MAGE WOMAN: (Speaking into the microphone.) He’s a demon now. There has never been a demon; only angels rule the empires because they know demons will turn them into anarchy. Tremis might fall into madness.

The grandma has a boy standing beside her.

TEENAGE ELF BOY: A demon pretended to be my friend before hurting my sister. Suppose the story about Haelophes turning King Kander into a demon is true. It’s only a matter of time before he falls into corruption.

Eris rubs his hands frustratedly.

ERIS: Like you and your sister, he was fooled and hurt.

Maelilere visits him.

MAELILERE: Your Majesty?

ERIS: Yes, Maelilere?

MAELILERE: There are people outside the gates protesting. We can't leave. We were harassed into telling them everything. We told the truth. It's horrible, sir. They are under this delusion, skeptical and worried that we are being coerced to say things.

[Moment of silence.]

Eris regretfully exhales before getting off the couch.

ERIS: Thank you, Maelilere. I will talk to Fiera about this. Some things must be done, even though I would hate to do this to him.

MAELILERE: Want me to come with?

ERIS: No. You are dismissed. Return back to your duties. Your work is much appreciated, Mael. If you can't return home, inform your mom, and you're free to spend the night.

MAELILERE: Yes, Your Majesty!

She curtsies before walking out.

CUT TO:

INT. THE THRONE ROOM- LATER

Eris enters the throne room, where Kander is located. Both of them are uneasy. Kander gets up from his seat.

KANDER: Father, what's wrong?

[Beat.]

ERIS: Your mother and I talked about this. The recordings we've sent out did make a change, but it is not getting any better. Maelilere had reported protestors harassing workers at the doors.

KANDER: I'm aware, Dad…

ERIS: Things are not letting up, Kander.

KANDER: Just give it some time.

ERIS: We gave it a few weeks.

Quaive bursts into the throne room in a panic.

QUAIVE: Brother, a riot has happened in the north of Tremis! It's like people are getting divided about the situation.

Quaive notices his father here, wondering if he said it at the wrong time.

ERIS: As much we know you will be a good king, we are concerned for the future of Tremis. I am afraid if we continue, Tremis will face destruction.

KANDER: (Panics.) I will still show them, Dad! Does the gray mean the kingdom falls too?!

QUAIVE: No. That color is much darker than gray: black.

KANDER: The kingdom won't fail because of me! I won't crush Gvo's legacy.

ERIS: You won't destroy it, but Tremisians will. The globe only pertains to you, not the people. That's why Fiera is trying to talk to the gods to cure your demonization or find a way. To maintain the peace, I must take back in change, Kander.

KANDER: No! Dad, please! No!

ERIS: If you return as a pureblooded mage, you will be king again. If not, your brother is next in line.

[Beat.]

QUAIVE: Dad, don't! I don't want to be the next king!

ERIS: (Turns to Quaive.) Things sometimes don't go to plan, Quaive.

QUAIVE: I still don't want to be king! Can't you just keep it?

ERIS: (Not faltering.) You still have time, Quaive. I will train you.

[Beat.]

Kander turns angry.

KANDER: Are all those years worth nothing, Father? You taught me my whole life to be your heir, but when I was turned by the demon that fooled me as her lover, you are revoking it. I was never going to forsake my throne. I want to show the people that I can do it. It hurts, but a good king fights through it and demonstrates their good intentions with their actions. Was I trained for nothing-

ERIS: It's not completely hopeless, Kander. We will find a way, but you have to be patient. In the meantime, work on your observation skills; therefore, another Haelophes incident won't happen again.

[Beat.]

KANDER: Sounds like you are blaming me for this mess... I thought Haelophes went through medical issues, but it is all lies. Everyone is capable of mistakes. I don't want to flee my duties as-

ERIS: (Raises hand.) Kander, enough. Nothing will change my mind.

QUAIVE: Dad, don't fully blame Kander for this... I didn't use my aura- reading right when we first met Haelophes. I would’ve spotted it directly when she was alone. Mom told me how vital my powers can be–

ERIS: It's not your fault, Quaive. Kander must be more observant of warning signs that Haelophes is not a siren. He can't always rely on you to find the suspect.

KANDER'S FLASHBACKS HITS FROM THE LIBRARY, TRYING TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HAELOPHES.

KANDER: (Breathing thickens.) She pretended to be unwell and created a false backstory. She always had an explanation for everything.

The anger rises within Kander that his hands spark into flames, along with his veins, scaring Quaive.

ERIS: Stop it, Kander. You are now acting like a demon, someone you don't want to be.

Kander sees Quaive getting scared. That immediately smothers the fire.

KANDER: (Snapping.) I’m neutral with demons! (Pause.) I can't see that anymore. (Growls in anger.) My mom always warned us about demons who shouldn't be messed with or the ones that are. Haelophes only went after me because our mother took her mom's life during a war. War is ugly, but she was worse.

ERIS: I view them with neutrality too, Kander, yet you are showing what the 'portrayal' of demons should be.

KANDER: (Mumbles to self.) Painting another's image. Didn’t I hear that from someone before? I don’t want to hear her to be ri-

ERIS: (Raises voice.) If people recorded you right now, you would heighten up the mob. Consider that. Step down now.

KANDER: Am I not allowed to express emotion?

ERIS: Yes, Kander, but not explosively!

KANDER: Sorry, I don't know how to control it! It's like my powers tenfold. (Sarcastically.) I bet this is what Haelo felt during the full moon two nights before the wed-

Kander stops, and his eyes widen. He figured out that she was transforming while he was asleep, but she got caught.

KANDER (CONT'D): She was trying to turn me while I was asleep...

The flames pick back up, but his vein turns white. The wind picks up in the throne room. Quaive backs away, getting scared.

KANDER (CONT'D): (Shouting.) She was trying to do this before our wedding when I was vulnerable! This hurts worse when it all finally clicks!

He slams the throne seat with his fist. A puff of wind erupts from Kander, along with some electricity. Quaive's wings immediately materialize, and he shields himself. He instantly gets shoved back. He falls to his knees. His body is shaking. With Eris, he gets knocked down onto his back, twitching too.

Then, the torches go out.