Description
Story from Source
Above, bow and arrows, so to speak.
Below the next installment of my bedtime story:
₪ "ιт'ѕ яσвιη нσσɗ ι ωαηт, уσυ ιdισт!" ₪
Act XXIX Scene X
[Two guards stand inside the entrance to the castle dungeon. They survey the courtyard and see someone they did not expect.]
First guard: “Look! The Original Serpent, the one called ‘Sir Hiss’ has been hurled back down to the vicinity of the earth.”
Second guard: “Then it means woe for the inhabitants of the land, for we hath discerned him from a long way off. The serpent doth not in habit reveal himself so easily for all to see, yet now he comes forth as a man condemned, as Christ holding a torture stake, staging a public spectacle for all to see.”
First guard: “It is an omen. The messenger of good news comes in dancing and singing unto his entourage. But the bearer of what is bad comes in alone with his garment ripped in grief.”
Second guard: “He comes forth. Shall no one come out to greet him?”
First guard: “Tis bad luck to intercept the bearer of a bad report.”
Second guard: “It may be so, but I shall go out to him nonetheless.”
*Second guard goes out to Sir Hiss.*
Second guard: “Sir Hiss! Where hast thou come in from?”
Hiss: “Sir, art thou master over me that thou may demand a report?”
Second guard: “No sir, but thy demeanor is telling. Thou hast returned alone, without men, prisoners, or gold to serve as a spoil. Are we to believe that you carry a favorable message? Tis better this lowly one receives you before you face the ire of the Prince.”
Hiss: “The Prince? What of him?”
Second guard: “The Prince has asked for you.”
Hiss: “Indeed?”
Second guard: “If ye have nothing for me, in surety Prince John will certainly demand a report from you.”
Hiss: “Have you seen him? What was his countenance?”
Second guard: “The Prince’s heart weighs heavily from the burdens of the day. He is anxious to find you.”
Hiss: “Is he?”
*Hiss turns to look about the courtyard. There is no sign of Prince John.*
Hiss: “He seems not anxious to me. Perhaps more pressing matters still occupy him… Take me to the dungeon.”
*Hiss and guard continue to speak as they head for the entrance to the dungeon.*
Hiss: “Thou art incorrect. I do not carry a bad report. Lo- it is true I have not returned with good news of the men or gold that hath perished from the auspices of the Prince, but I have recovered something much more important, my soul itself.”
Second guard: “Then the Prince shall be content that at least one thing of value was recovered tonight.”
Hiss: “Doth thou speak in jest with me?”
Second guard: “It matters not what I say, only how the Prince receives thee into his stead.”
Hiss: “Thou speaks in truth.”
*They reach the entrance of the dungeon.*
Hiss goes over to First guard: “Where is the fox?”
First guard: “Locked in the guard tower above.”
Hiss: “What? Why there?”
First guard: “I know not why; it was by the hand of the Sheriff himself. Both he and the Prince hath been up there since to interrogate the prisoner.”
Hiss: “Bring me.”
*Hiss heads up the stairs, then hesitates*
Hiss turns, calls back to Second guard: “I do have something for you, after all. A report Hiss doth have, yesss. Because of thy impudence, thy blood will be spilt today, but not in the heat of battle. Thou will be denied an honorable death. The feet of the condemned man, Robin Hood himself will tread upon it on his way to the noose. This I have seen.”
*Hiss and First guard head back up the steps of the guard tower.*
Scene XI
[Hiss and First guard have reached the top of the guard tower, guard fiddles with keys.]
Hiss: “Open the door.”
*The guard dutifully opens the door. Hiss and the guard enter the dark room. They see no one inside.*
First guard: “I… I am certain no one save Prince John and the Sheriff came down these stairs. The prisoner must be here!”
Hiss looks about: “Aye, rest assured we are not alone. Go back to your post, for I have work to do.”
Guard: “Aye, the Prince’s bidding. I’ll leave you to it.”
Hiss: “???”
*First guard closes door, leaving Hiss behind.*
Hiss carefully surveys the room: “One of the guards… met me in the courtyard just now. He seemed… surprised to see me in the open… I must have been out of place in his eyes… as if he only expected to find me lurking in the shadows, as befitting a serpent."
*Hiss slithers along the floor, looking for the hidden fox.*
Hiss: “It is true that I seek out the shadows, desiring to see before being seen… I am merely being cautious as also befitting a serpent, but circumstances as of late hath compelled me throw caution to the four winds, would you not agree?”
*Hiss listens for any movement.*
Hiss: “I have found… in the past… that having the element of surprise is… beneficial to my aims. But not today, fox. Hiding in the shadows takes up precious time, and time grows short for us, does it not? Therefore, ye have been granted the privilege of laying eyes upon Hiss first.”
*There is no reply.*
Hiss: “I had thought serpents to be the masters of concealment, but it would seem that ye have learned the art well from my tutelage, Robin. No doubt ye have practiced avoiding the ire of Prince John just as I have. You and your men. That is why the Prince had to go to such lengths to bring you to him. Be comforted, he would never go to such lengths for me.”
*Hiss stops.*
Hiss: “If ye wish to remain concealed, then do so. If ye wish to remain silent, then do not speak. But hear the word of Hiss, for Hiss has not come for your soul today. Nay, but to seek out peace with you. We are brothers, you and I... pressed into service to the same master… We are called unto him, and though we might wish to forsake him, to get the mastery over him, we belong to him and he belongs to us. It is said that many are called, but the chosen are few. Jesus called many to him, but only one disciple- Saint John- was referred to as the one Jesus loved. Our master, whether he knows it or not, hath forsaken me in his heart. Just as Isaac favored Esau over Jacob. Was it not the first-born, Esau, that Isaac sought to bless? Yet Jacob through subterfuge received the blessing instead. Our master also hath favored one son over the other. It is you that he loves, Robin. No subterfuge on my part will alter the course of this love. No weapon formed by me shall succeed against it. The blessing shall fall to thee. You must accept the truth of this just as I have… that we both may be set free. As for this lowly serpent, he will go to the master and beg… for his… portion...”
*Hiss sniffs the air.*
Hiss: “There is… something different here. I can smell you, I can almost… taste you. The aroma of pine needles from the forest brushed against your tunic- and… blood. But not… your blood, for I know the taste of your blood well. It is the blood of another mixed with- what is it? Chamomile from the castle garden, and lavender from Gaul, and something sweet like jasmine from…”
*Hiss gasps.*
Hiss: “There is not one, but two foxes here. Woman, I should have known you would collude with the likes of Robin Hood! The Prince’s charity was wasted upon thee. Is it not said: 'Foxes are thick as thieves'… Show yourselves.”
*Marion comes out from the shadows. She is wearing Robin’s clothes.*
Hiss: “There you are, Robin! I see thou hast recovered from my… tender expressions of love for you. Thou art more resilient than…”
*Hiss looks more closely.*
Hiss: “Deception! There is but one fox here, the feminine one. Surely I have been deceived just as Eve was deceived by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. But this time it is the serpent who is deceived by the woman. How have you done this? Where is he?"
*Marion does not answer.*
Hiss backs toward the door: “Guard! Robin has escaped! Guard!”
Marion: “Quiet yourself, serpent, for you well know that Robin has not escaped.”
Hiss: “And how would Hiss know this, woman?”
Marion: "Did you yourself not prophesy concerning this day?"
Hiss: "Aye. What do you know of it?"
Marion: “I know only what my captivity within these castle walls tells me. My lord, despite your protestations to be set free by the truth, you have your freedom.”
*Hiss considers her words.*
Hiss: “No indeed, my lady. In fact, I dare say neither of us is free- imprisoned by our own desires, but now the both of us know the truth, is that not so?”
Act XXX
Marion: “The truth is that you expected to find only one fox here, namely Maid Marion. It is not Robin you expected, as you hath given pretense. For you did not come to break up the evil works of your master, nor to make amends for what ye hath done. You have come to me to finish the works of your master for him.”
Hiss: “And what works are these, Marion?”
Marion: "Thy missive is two-fold: Thy first mission is the one you have selected for yourself: To deceive me with your clever words in order to turn me away from Robin."
Hiss: "Is it really so? And secondly?"
*Marion lifts her ring finger- covered by the bloody foreskin of the Sheriff.*
Marion: “To fulfill the order of the Prince, the one Sheriff hath failed to carry out.”
*Marion kisses the ‘ring’. Hiss has no idea what the Prince commanded. He plays along to gain information.*
Hiss: “Aye. Ye have seen through my deception as befitting a woman raised in a household of serpents. Thou possess not only the cunning of the serpent but also the slyness borne of foxes. Therefore, do you imagine Hiss will succeed where Sheriff failed?”
Marion: “It matters not, for thou hath already failed thy master.”
*Hiss recalls his conversation with the Churchmouse.*
Hiss: “Thou speaks in truth, Marion.”
*Hiss begins to discern that the flesh upon Marion’s finger must belong to Sheriff.*
Hiss: “Perhaps all of his disciples hath failed him this night.”
Marion: “Robin taunted the Prince mercilessly, but you would not come forward to give a reply, not even to defend the wickedness of your master. Nor didst thou appear when Sheriff presented me at the rack. Why hast thou failed to do the Prince’s bidding?”
Hiss: “Hiss could not come, even if thou wished it of me.”
Marion: "What could delay the outworking of the Devil's will?"
Hiss: "Such language. You know the answer in your heart, do you not?"
Marion: “Hath thou turned from the Prince?”
Hiss: “If I have turned from him, would that please you?”
Marion: “Thou hast not turned from him, for thou hast come to me.”
Hiss: “Then if I have not turned from him, would that also please you? For I have come at his command.”
*Marion looks about, searching her soul for a reply.*
Marion: “I knew you would come. But not out of obedience to the Prince didst thou come, only out of obedience to thy own desires.”
Hiss: “ It is... a fortunate happenstance that the Prince's will and the desire of Hiss should... collude in such a pleasant way. Is it another you wished to come unto thy waiting bosom?”
Marion: “Yes, I had wished for another, but he did not come for me.”
Hiss: “I see… He came for someone else, did he not?”
Marion: “…Aye.”
Hiss: “Has the way now been opened for another to possess Maid Marion?”
Marion: “Should I really forsake my dear one and make room in my heart for another? And who should prove worthy of this humble maiden?”
Hiss: “Do not toy with me. Didst thou not spirit me here? Enslaving my eyes to desire as ye have enslaved others, even the Prince himself. Each day at court, do you not feel our eyes as they pass over thy body? It is time to decide! Hath thou chosen the Original serpent, rather than a nest of vipers in the form of a fox, a wolf, and a lion?”
Marion: “Shall I choose as the free woman, Sarah? Or shall my fate be chosen for me as the slave woman belonging to her?”
Hiss: “Are not both outcomes the same? Can you not arrive at the same conclusion as I have, whether free or enslaved? For it is Hiss who has come in to you, for Hiss must possess you, as you possess him.”
Marion: “Gasp!”
*Hiss begins to move toward Marion.*
Hiss: “…You are right, woman. I refused to come at their command- I could not come… until I had thee all to myself. I would only come to you as I came to Robin- When he was alone and at his most… vulnerable.”
Marion: “So you have, wicked thing. Will you now take me… to the rack?”
Hiss: “Would you spirit yourself upon it willingly for the sake of your torturer?”
*Marion does not answer.*
Hiss: “Shall you sacrifice yourself to the scourging without complaint as did the Christ?”
*Hiss begins to circle Marion.*
Hiss: “Or would you put up a fight, unlike the docile Robin?”
Marion: “Should- should my… scourging be any different from that of my lord?”
Hiss: “Why should it be the same? Saint Peter requested to be hung upside-down upon his torture stake, lest he receive his death in the same manner as the Christ.”
Marion: “Yet he died by the crucifixion just the same. Am I not worthy to lie upon the same rack on which Robin lay?”
Hiss: “The same rack upon which I sodomized him? Is that where I shall also sodomize you? You of little faith? Hath thou chosen the same rack… or merely the same torturer? No, my child. Robin was not worthy of my rack. Therefore, I shall deny thee the same fate as thy lord.”
Marion: “Then thou would betray the Prince. For he would baptize me by fire as he has done to Robin. For the same baptism I shall receive, and the same death as well. Look! The Prince hath removed Robin’s clothing as a humiliation- just as the outer garment was removed from the Christ. He hath subsequently placed Robin’s garments upon me, just as Elijah placed the mantle upon Elisha."
Hiss: "The Prince hath done this himself, of his own originality?"
Marion: "It was he who guided the Sheriff's hand. They were only lacking Sir Hiss to goad them on."
Hiss: "For what reason would they do this to you? To satisfy their prurient desires?"
Marion: "The manifestation of their desires upon the flesh of this maiden is incidental. These garments hath been placed upon me as a symbol that I shall receive the same fate as my lord.”
*Hiss inspects the garment she wears.*
Hiss: “Is that why he hath placed them upon thee? Is it not to complete your humiliation at the hand of Robin Hood?”
Marion: “Does not Sir Hiss know all things? Surely you know of the Prince’s intent before even he knows of it.”
*Hiss, sensing nothing more is to be gained by hiding the truth, reveals his weakness to her.*
Hiss: “Tis true that the farsighted wisdom of Hiss has served as a protection, yet this night hath proven that in our haste to divine the future, we willingly overlook the things that we do not wish to see presently."
Marion: "He hath told Hiss nothing of his intentions in connection with me this night?"
Hiss: "No, woman. Nor doth he need to speak it.”
Marion is shocked: “The Prince- told you nothing of me?
*Marion begins to come to a realization.*
Marion: "He did not tell you I was locked in the tower?”
*Marion falls silent, realizing that Hiss did not come for her.*
Hiss resumes his inspection: “The seam on your- on Robin’s tunic has been repaired. My, such delicate needlework.”
Marion: “Thou were not feigning ignorance of my presence in order to deceive me. Thou were not expecting to find me here at all.”
Hiss: "It would seem that Hiss does not know all things, for I knew not that there were two foxes under guard."
Marion: "How could you not- I have given myself away in foolishness."
Hiss: "Forgive yourself, woman, for how could a female speak in any other way? Your mistrust in Hiss has blinded you to simple truth, just as, I suspect, your implicit trust in another once blinded thee before.”
Marion: “Am I the only one mistrustful of Sir Hiss? Does the Prince no longer share his confidence with thee?”
Hiss: “The Prince shares everything with me, including his lovers. But do not presume John has forsaken charity upon this lowly serpent. In fact, you yourself have explained the matter: The Prince could not confide in me because I did not come to him, just as I did not come to you- even though you both wished it.”
Marion: “You did not come to us- because you have betrayed both the Prince... and his maiden?”
Hiss: "The betrayal is my own. Because I too, have spoken in foolishness, revealing my own weakness to you. But look! The Prince in all his wisdom has overlooked the foolishness of Hiss. He hath placed my sins as far off from him as the sunset, smiling kindly upon me by offering a gift to surprise his faithful companion."
Marion: "Gift?"
Hiss: “Perhaps it is not by mere providence that I was led up these steps. It appears that the Prince hath gifted me with a riddle in the form of this maiden, one to test the wits of his faithful companion.”
*Hiss begins to coil around Marion’s feet.*
Marion: “Are thou bored, without entertainment, as an animal in a cage? Doth the Prince need to give you diversion, to let you outside and offer you a stick to fetch for him?”
Hiss: “We are not the animals, my dear, but merely the toys they play with. As I recall, Robin taught me that lesson as I made love to him upon the rack.”
Marion: “I have seen the effect of your tender kisses upon his flesh.”
Hiss: “Have you? Perhaps you shall taste of them… for yourself.”
*Hiss slowly moves up Marion’s body, coiling around her body.*
Hiss: “But first, let me unlock the riddle, that I might please my master. Tell me, what… tragic events have led thee to this room?”
*The sensation of the his coils is new to her. She tries to keep her composure even as these strange feelings overwhelm her.*
Marion: “I have- I have told thee enough, serpent.”
Hiss: “Perhaps you have. Shall I speculate using the available evidence that stands before me? Would you have me read your body as if it were a book- whose chapters were written accordingly upon thy flesh?”
Marion: “I must protest. Have thine eyes not had their fill?”
Hiss: “I shall send thy grievance to the Prince, as I did with Robin.”
Marion: “Where will you begin with me, serpent?"
Hiss: “We shall begin with thy garment, the one the Prince hath torn asunder from Robin Hood in their orgy of lust. He hath rent it in two just as God did with the curtain of the Most Holy in the Tabernacle. Yet I have seen that the garment hath been repaired as by loving hands. Dainty ones. Certainly it is your handiwork, yes?”
Marion: “Thou hath intuited correctly.”
Hiss: “After his tryst, he kept Robin’s clothing as a trophy. But look! Robin’s tunic was ruined. What to do? I know, Someone… no, the Prince himself took it to thee in the dead of night to repair.”
Marion: “Aye.”
Hiss: “Thou were only too happy to oblige him.”
*Hiss begins to tighten his coil around Marion, he feels the corresponding tension in her body.*
Hiss: “No, thou were devoid of good cheer, for thou knew what this meant. Thou read the story of Robin’s garment just as I do now.”
Marion: “I… I heard the Prince’s words…”
Hiss: “From the balcony. But you did not want to believe them.”
Marion: “No.”
Hiss: “But you were forced to believe them, just as I was forced to believe- just as Robin’s flesh bore witness to the truth.”
*Hiss begins to nuzzle Marion’s neck.*
Marion: “When Jesus was delivered before Pilate, he stated that if his kingdom were part of this world, his attendants would have fought to deliver him. But as it was, his kingdom was from another source. He spoke in truth, for Peter did raise a sword for him, even though his kingdom was not an earthly one. The blood upon Peter's sword testified that his attendants would fight. There was no... disputing the proof of his words, for it was written in blood.”
*Hiss whispers in her ear.*
Hiss: “But Jesus said unto Peter: 'It is enough.' Unable to fight for their master, look how quickly the disciples scattered. When the blood of this garment testified to the Prince’s words, what didst thou do?”
Marion: “I… I did as I was asked.”
Hiss: “You repaired the garment. But with each stitch, you grew more frustrated.”
Marion: “I became a conspirator, hiding the damage. Preserving them, protecting them by covering up the things done in darkness so that they may not be seen in the light.”
Hiss: “You did not end up here by heeding the Prince. You did not have the courage to refuse the Prince’s request, therefore it is Robin you confronted.”
Marion: “I went to the dungeon in anger, but upon seeing him in his plight, I could only feel pity.”
*Hiss begins untying the laces on Robin’s tunic.*
Hiss: “How kind of the Prince to allow me to experience the unlacing of Robin’s garment, just as he experienced it… only with a more enticing victim than Robin.”
Marion: “I attempted to help him.”
Hiss: “To help Robin? But you could not.”
*Hiss opens the top of Robin’s tunic, exposing Marion’s cleavage.*
Hiss: “There is blood upon thy bosom. Is this the blood of Robin Hood?"
*Hiss tastes the blood upon her cleavage.*
Hiss: "No. This is not Robin's blood at all. Your own life’s blood hath been spilt. Look! There are marks of penetration- Who hath done this to you?"
*Marion is silent.*
Hiss: "The sheriff? No. Surely the Sheriff’s claws are not the agent of thy scourging. Who then? The Prince?"
Marion: “It was he.”
Hiss: “He alone?”
Marion: “No.”
Hiss looks at her ring finger: "The Sheriff also?"
Marion: "Aye."
*Hiss sniffs her.*
Hiss: “And who else?”
Marion: “…One other.”
Hiss: “Thou speaks rightly that the Prince would baptize thee with the same baptism as Robin. For just as with Robin, others have opened this book before me.”
ℓσνє, Dяєαღωιηɗσω
[art= Dreamwindow]
[Robin Hood and company=Disney]
Baloo
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