Only dalliances
Will become my concern. My mother has secured,
Enough unions. Those that exist must be nurtured.
I no longer serve an ulterior purpose,
I am to roam free and chance on my platypus
(‘Tis the term for a man exotic and unique
Who has sundry qualities, is a romantic).
SWASHBUCKLER
Nothing would make a happier man out of me.
This unexpected turn of event, unlikely…
I don’t –
(Enter John)
JOHN
Your Ladyship, your Mother sent for you.
MARIA CAROLINA
Thank you, Mister Morgan.
(To Swashbuckler)
Our exchange is long due,
Armand, but I fear we will have to reconvene.
Meanwhile, please enjoy yourself.
SWASHBUCKLER
I will stay serene,
Your Ladyship.
(Exit Maria Carolina)
Scene 2
JOHN
I was meaning to talk to you,
Swashbuckler.
SWASHBUCKLER
Here I am. ‘Tis about the rescue?
JOHN
Most definitely. Where do you have the papers?
SWASHBUCKLER
Right here with me, why?
JOHN
Perfect, that makes things simple.
(He draws his sword and threatens Swashbuckler with it)
Hand them over!
SWASHBUCKLER
You?! The traitor?! Of all people…
JOHN
Me.
SWASHBUCKLER
‘Tis all clear now. I thought you a laggard,
What with you always late ; I thought you a coward,
What with you shirking fights. It turns out I was off,
Way off. It seems I haven’t sold you short enough.
Oh, I see now…Clever…We made your job easy.
You had them all along, we ensured your safety!
We were escorting you to Prague with haste,
Good, good…
JOHN
I see your mind is not a complete waste.
SWASHBUCKLER
‘Tis why we found nothing in Strasbourg or Stuttgart…
There was no messenger.
JOHN
You’re easy to outsmart.
SWASHBUCKLER
Your blunder was to think we wouldn’t find your lair.
JOHN
I underestimated Patrick and his flair.
No matter, ‘twill all be fixed.
SWASHBUCKLER
Very good acting…
I missed the obvious clues, I was unsuspecting.
JOHN
You were always too trusting. A stupid mistake.
Now, the papers. I have little time.
SWASHBUCKLER
Will that slake
Your thirst for power?
(He draws his sword and fights back)
JOHN
Mine, my friends’…It will indeed.
But it is not just power. It is wrath and greed,
The establishment of our superiority,
Our genius.
(Enter two guards. They fight Swashbuckler while John stands back a little)
SWASHBUCKLER
Don’t you rather mean your vanity?
JOHN
Soon, many royalties will be gathered in here.
They have the same vile flaws underneath a veneer.
Your allegiance, Armand, is no better than mine,
Only…different.
SWASHBUCKLER
I don’t try to undermine
The well-being of the entire population.
(Enter two more guards. While Swashbuckler is distracted, one of his opponents pierces his shoulder)
Fie, scum!
JOHN
Only because you have no ambition.
The French and the English will be clearly exposed
For what they are : wretches! Your kings will be deposed.
(Enter Henry)
The security has clearly been overlooked…
Anyone can enter in here!
HENRY
(He fights two of the guards)
Whale. Oil. Beef. Hooked!
JOHN
You are a poet whose art should be commended.
SWASHBUCKLER
Henry, ‘tis high time for wrongs to be amended
HENRY
I live you five minutes to get myself a drink,
You jump at the chance to unmask the missing link!
SWASHBUCKLER
You know me, I can’t go a day without a fight.
JOHN
One you will lose.
HENRY
This is a scuffle, not a plight.
SWASHBUCKLER
John? Your Butler, was he intent on betraying
His beloved country?
JOHN
Did he hurt your feeling?
HENRY
Answer him, fiend!
JOHN
He was merely drowning in debt.
To be settled, a condition had to be met.
We asked a small favor, he complied out of fear.
He was too proud, too vain, keen on staying a peer.
SWASHBUCKLER
(The second guard stabs Swashbuckler’s leg. He manages to knock out one of the two and kicks the other after slashing his face. He turns to John)
Knave!
(He disarms John and hurls him towards the door. Enter Maria Carolina)
MARIA CAROLINA
Armand, I forgot –
(John pulls a dagger up from his sleeve and grabs Maria Carolina. He stands behind her, approaching his blade from her neck)
SWASHBUCKLER
Felon! Coward!
MARIA CAROLINA
What is –
JOHN
Now you know what to do if you want to appease
The whole situation.
SWASHBUCKLER
Even you…you wouldn’t!
JOHN
I wouldn’t fail, surely no.
MARIA CAROLINA
Armand, you needn’t –
JOHN
Silence! Let us finish!
SWASHBUCKLER
Maria do not move!
Do not try anything your heart would disapprove.
(He gets the papers out of his coat, throws them to John)
I hope they are worth it, now you can release her.
JOHN
With pleasure!
(He pushes Maria towards Swashbuckler, grabs the document, shovels them in his coat and runs to the door)
SWASHBUCKLER
Coward! Just wait…
(He collapses on the floor)
MARIA CAROLINA
You need a doctor!
HENRY
Worry not, Swashbuckler. In a minute I’ll root
Him out of this seat. I will soon be in pursuit.
(He manages to wound one of the guards, the second runs away)
This is far from an ideal place to makes arrests,
The castle has many rooms and many more guests.
(Exit Henry)
MARIA CAROLINA
Armand, please. You cannot possibly pursue him.
Be reasonable.
SWASHBUCKLER
I cannot be a victim,
Not just yet. Tell Colin the traitor has just left.
MARIA CAROLINA
We’re not yet together, I’m already bereft!
(She helps him to get up. Exeunt Swashbuckler, Maria Carolina)
Scene 3
(Charles Bridge. Enter Moineau, Tew, who is drunk, Avery)
MOINEAU
I own no magic formula, only me head.
Indeed there was a curse, for the two thieves be dead.
It is a real setback, it is unfortunate,
But I will not yield, give up or succumb to fate.
&nb
sp; The restoration of our dream community –
Rebuilding utopia – ‘tis my destiny.
My plans will be postponed until further notice.
There must be something…El Dorado? Atlantis?
I have to ponder quickly an alternative,
That would make our failure ever so relative.
AVERY
He really had too much of that rum. He’s rambling…
On and on…female dogs be naught but…gardening…
tools…and cereals? Don’t look at me, I don’t know!
I don’t envy where he’s gone, looks full of…sorrow.
TEW
…And the second nutter shouts to the first nutter :
‘Pray hang on to that brush, I remove the ladder.’
MOINEAU
(To Avery)
Let him be. He’ll feel better when we be on a ship.
Maudlin be most easily cured…by oarsmanship.
(Enter John. He passes by the three pirates who are idle, on the bridge. He opens the letters and sees they are the wrong ones)
JOHN
Fie! The villain! The filthy scoundrel! I will kick –
In my eagerness and rush I fell for his trick.
I recovered the wrong one, I look like a fool!
I am going back there repay in kind that mule.
(He throws them to the ground in anger. Exit John. Moineau approaches the spot where Dee’s papers were discarded, he picks them up)
MOINEAU
Shiver me timbers! Be this…Fata Morgana?
Am I holding the answer to Libertalia?
Me eyes do not deceive me – it’d be regretful –
Those are John Dee’s papers! Good tidings, delightful!
Dear scallywags…
AVERY
We be back to being bad eggs?
MOINEAU
Nay, we be not. A society which has no dregs,
‘Tis what we are going to imagine and build.
We’ll have trades, each one entitled to its own guild.
We’ll have women, some of them be promiscuous,
Other will be wives and bear children.
TEW
Congruous…
MOINEAU
We will heed or acknowledge no authority
Other than ours. Our motto? “Freedom, Liberty…”
TEW & AVERY
“Everything in between!”
MOINEAU
If they try to stop us,
We will conjure John Dee, summon hocus-pocus,
Threaten their empires plagued with their feet of clay.
We will mint many coins they won’t fail to assay ;
They will be genuine, which will destabilize
Their monetary system.
AVERY
It would compromise –
MOINEAU
We will buy their soldiers, their corsairs, their traders.
They will find us to be the mighty gatekeepers.
Any of their attempts made to retaliate
Will fail miserably. They will capitulate.
TEW
It’s beautiful…
AVERY
Damn right, it is!
TEW
It is foolproof.
AVERY
For the good of the community, its behoof,
We’ll bring this plan to fruition.
MOINEAU
Within our reach,
That’s what’s important, gents!
TEW
Quick, let us find a beach!
(Exeunt Moineau, Tew, Avery)
Scene 4
(Back in the castle. John, walking decidedly, hoping to stumble upon his opponents)
JOHN
This chevau-léger will pay for his trickery.
He cannot defeat us with such impunity.
(Enter Patrick)
PATRICK
The truth has been revealed, you are a damn traitor!
You must die!
(They fight)
JOHN
He was called John the Revelator
For a reason. I have one myself you would not
Grasp, Patrick.
PATRICK
You deserve no prison where to rot.
JOHN
You should know I have rich and powerful allies,
We could find an accord.
PATRICK
I will not trust your lies.
(They throw themselves at each other and are both wounded. Enter Swashbuckler. John turns to him)
You think yourself clever, handing me the wrong draft?
SWASHBUCKLER
(Swashbuckler is surprised to see him and puzzled by the fact that he didn’t give away the treaty as he thought. He plays along)
I thought you wouldn’t notice – because you are daft!
Patrick, lad, I’ll cover you. Go get help.
PATRICK
I will.
(Exit Patrick)
SWASHBUCKLER
Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Trampling a huge dunghill!
JOHN
That was my last mistake.
SWASHBUCKLER
On account of your death,
It surely is.
(They fight)
JOHN
Swashbuckler, do not hold your breath.
SWASHBUCKLER
You won’t go very far whirling like a dervish.
JOHN
You’re getting cocky.
SWASHBUCKLER
Just eager to finish.
I was wondering, how ever were you planning
On unveiling the draft? Would they be listening?
You are, after all, John, merely a colonial.
JOHN
My credibility is far from adverbial,
‘Tis true. But my friends’ is not : they are connected.
I have mighty allies ; interests are vested
In our little mission. It is not about me,
It is about power, it is about money.
We are politicians, officials or premiers,
We are directors, diplomats or financiers.
You won’t stop all of us, it is impossible.
We are too committed, indefatigable.
(Enter Joseph II)
Ah, he is arrived, my liege, teacher and mentor.
JOSEPH II
I thought you were to take care of him.
SWASHBUCKLER
You, traitor!
(He links together several moves and stabs John)
Here is for you, knave!
JOHN
Help me, Lord, I am dying.
(John falls to the floor and dies. Joseph II meanwhile sneaks close to Swashbuckler and stabs him in the wound he already had. The latter drops his sword)
JOSEPH II
And here is for you!
SWASHBUCKLER
No honor among princeling.
JOSEPH