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Act II Scene II
Enter the THANES of INVERURIE and AUCHTERMUCHTY
Paddy: Well met cousin. Have ye any news from
our estates? I am troubled by the
lack of messengers, and begin to fear
the worst.
James: Aye, I too have found my thoughts
straying beyond the mighty walls of rah’s
stronghold, and back to our bonnie lands thick
with heather and all the other maidens.
Paddy: Ha! Yer a wit me lad, and no mistake.
But be careful lest ye make one good joke
too many, and the king chooses ye as
his new jester. The wits at this court do
have not had long careers of late.
James: Too true.
I am so homesick that I have thought of
bashing down these mighty walls, and making
my return to Scotland.
Paddy: Ye’ve a brave heart
good cousin, and it hath served ye well in
battle. Aye, terrible in the field of
valour, and nigh as terrible for the
night of carousing thereafter. God be
just, then we shalt soon be far from this court
and the dangers it holds.
James: Well might an end
be brought to this debacle, and quickly.
Have ye thought of which noble has been
murdering his fellows in this court? We
cannae be too careful here, for I feel
the English courtiers will soon revert
to type, and cast their vengeful eyes t’ward
us, who have been marked as strangers in
their midst.
Paddy: ’Twould be wise not to air yer ideas
too freely – I feel these thick walls may have
ears of their own, and loose talk might well do
us no favours. Besides, the Prince of the
Danes and the ambassador of Rome are
also in attendance, and so they could
well be regarded suspiciously
by the Englishmen who must vote. But I
know that rah will see right by us, as we
have by him in his troubles with our ill-
mannerèd countrymen. But here he comes.
Enter KING RAH, and the rest of the court
rah: Good morrow my noble allies! I trust
that thee hath taken what rest ye might, and
that thy sleep were not so troubled as mine own
hath been of late.
James: Welcome, your majesty. I must confess
that our sleep has not come easily, for
we are both afeared of what might befall
our families while we are so far away,
for we have made many enemies both
in your service, and of our own accord.
rah: I know well that your aid hath served me
and my kingdom most nobly for years now,
and I also know that if I have need
of the strongest of arms and the stoutest
of hearts, then I can rest assured that my
Scottish allies will serve me well. My lords!
Have you all given due consideration
to the weighty matters of yesterday,
and drawn your conclusions as to the man
who dares to disrupt the peace of my court
by laying waste to my courtiers and
my friends? I would thou hast, for if not then
thou will have to decide now! I suppose
I owe the second murderer some thanks
for having rid us of the villainous
Westmoreland, but I doubt our thanks will be
repaid by an end to the murders, and
so we must again vote for the man
responsible, and let the Captain of
the Guard perform his service, as he has
been so admirably and efficiently.
civman2000: I feel that the killer is an able
horseman, but since that could be any of us,
then I propose that Buckingham is the
man you seek o king.
Spaced: Fie Warwick! Thou art
the murderer, and would seek to transfer
the suspicion to mine own blameless
person. ‘Tis a wicked plot that bringeth
doom to our nobility, and thou art
in a position to profit thereby!
James: Aye, king rah – I agree with Buckingham
that he seems to be the victim of a
plot most nefarious by the hand of
Warwick. He is your guilty man!
rah: Aye, you
share my thoughts good Thane. ‘Tis sad to note
that for whomever I doth cast my vote,
my kingdom will undoubtedly suffer,
but Warwick appears to be the rougher-
up of the flower of English birthright.
civman2000: But my liege – I have served you faithfully
for many a year, and ‘tis scant payment
for my years of service to have this ill-
considered vote cast upon me. My lord.
rah: Aye, the house of Warwick has long been a
stalwart supporter of this throne, but I
have spoken, and my vote is worth but the
same as all of the others.
Sparrowhawk: The Thane of
Oggtermuggtee, or whatever might be his
name, is a seasoned warrior, and ‘twould
be naught for him to slaughter innocent
men in their beds.
Paddy: Ha! I am a warrior,
as you rightly said, but ‘tis not the mind
of a fighter to attack a man by stealth,
as these murders have had the form. It seems
to me more the work of a soft courtier,
who has spent his life in feather sheets and
never had to sleep in the rain on the
battlefield beside his sword and his mount.
One like ye, Prince!
Sparrowhawk: Thou brute! I shall have thee
whipped by the guards if thou should so much as
look in my direction without the due
deference! Wearing woman’s garb, thou hast
the folly to call thyself a man, and
to suspect me of the murder of my
dear brothers.
James: Cousin, leave him be. There are
still others who would have their vote, and it
might be better for all if you let go
of the Prince’s neck so he might respond
to any others who might share these
suspicions ye have brought against him.
Paddy: Aye.
Kassi: Though I would rather we could discuss less
weighty matters, circumstances force me
to cast my vote for the Prince too.
Spike: My lord,
I know that he is thy first, and last, son,
but his comportment hath shown him to be
the murderer of his brother, and for
this, he too must be put to death. I know
that this will o’erburden thine already
embattled heart, but for the safety of
thine own self, then he must suffer, lest his
ambition o’erreach and draw him to
the promise of thy throne.
Skanky: My liege, your son
has shown his dread ambition all too clearly
in this court, and for the sake of the realm
and for your sake, so must he suffer the
punishment for his crimes.
Geomodder: Rochester has
fine words, but is this not all with the aim
of covering up his own ill purpose?
Jonny: No good brother, I know that thou can not
have prayed for guidance in coming to your
conclusion, for the Lord hath told me that
the Prince is indeed the guilty party.
Rubychaser: Aye, wise words churchman. ‘Twere the Prince, and now
there can be no doubt whatsoever that his
hand hath been behind these cowardly crimes.
Adagio: Rah, my friend, I am most deeply sorry
that my vote consigneth thy heir to his
doom, but it must be so. His guilt shineth
all too clear, and so I had no choice but
to vote for him.
rah: Much as it paineth me
then I must bow to the wishes of my
court on this matter only, and so consign
my heir to his death. If he be behind
these murders, then mine hand shall be led
by God, but I still believe that Warwick
is behind these deaths! My son, I weep to
see thee executed today, but I
have no other choice. To whom now can I
leave my crown?
Kassi: Well, if no-one else wants it…
rah: Ha! Captain, wilt thou perform this gloomy
deed on behalf of the court?
Rubychaser: Aye, my lord.
Exit the PRINCE OF WALES and the CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD
rah: Gentlemen, now might you leave me in peace
for the collection of my thoughts and the
grievance this decision hath cast on me?
Spike: My lord, ask what thou wilt, save the return
of thy son, for we cannot bear to see
thee in thy misery.
rah: ‘Tis for the good of
the kingdom, and so must be done, much as
I would rather ‘twere not. Let us take what
rest we can now, in the hope that there will
not be another such decision to
be taken tomorrow morning.
Spike: My lord.
Exit all but the THANES of INVERURIE and AUCHTERMUCHTY
Paddy: The Prince is dead now. Luckily for the
king, he was condemned to death by the court,
for I was on the point of killing him
myself for his ill-considered words.
James: Cousin, these are dangerous times, and we
must stick together. I fear the court will
turn on one of us and deny us our
rightful voice, but we must stay strong, for our
swordarms have seen us both through many a
more difficult situation, yet I
fear they will be of little use here. I
am still drawn toward Scotland, and dream of
being able to leave this court with my
head held high, although circumstances may
still conspire against me.
Paddy: Come, let us go
back to our quarters, and salvage what sleep
may come.
Exit the THANES of INVERURIE and AUCHTERMUCHTY
Enter the CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD
Rubychaser: I have done this terrible deed
and my heart is most heavy, for the Prince
hath always favoured me with kindnesses,
though the orders of the court are mine to
follow, and follow them I must. ‘Tis a
weight on my conscience to perform this role,
yet my years as a squire and knight hath brought
me thus far, for I am no longer of
the constitution to take the field of
war, or to enjoy the spoils of victory.
Enter the PAPAL EMISSARY
Geomodder: Captain! Where is the king? I have more
bad tidings for him. It seems that the Prince
was innocent, and so we have killed
the heir to the throne for naught. I have found
the body of the Earl of Warwick in
his bedchamber, dead with great damage to
his skull.
Rubychaser: Hast thou found anything that might
give us a good idea of the killer?
Geomodder: As I entered the room, it sounded as
if a horse was being ridden away.
I know not what bearing this might have on
the murder, for there can be no horses
within the palace, nor can any of
us leave.
Rubychaser: Mayhap ‘tis naught, but we should still
inform his majesty, so that he be
prepared for the council of tomorrow.
Exeunt
Enter the THANES of INVERURIE and AUCHTERMUCHTY
Paddy: Well met cousin. Have ye any news from
our estates? I am troubled by the
lack of messengers, and begin to fear
the worst.
James: Aye, I too have found my thoughts
straying beyond the mighty walls of rah’s
stronghold, and back to our bonnie lands thick
with heather and all the other maidens.
Paddy: Ha! Yer a wit me lad, and no mistake.
But be careful lest ye make one good joke
too many, and the king chooses ye as
his new jester. The wits at this court do
have not had long careers of late.
James: Too true.
I am so homesick that I have thought of
bashing down these mighty walls, and making
my return to Scotland.
Paddy: Ye’ve a brave heart
good cousin, and it hath served ye well in
battle. Aye, terrible in the field of
valour, and nigh as terrible for the
night of carousing thereafter. God be
just, then we shalt soon be far from this court
and the dangers it holds.
James: Well might an end
be brought to this debacle, and quickly.
Have ye thought of which noble has been
murdering his fellows in this court? We
cannae be too careful here, for I feel
the English courtiers will soon revert
to type, and cast their vengeful eyes t’ward
us, who have been marked as strangers in
their midst.
Paddy: ’Twould be wise not to air yer ideas
too freely – I feel these thick walls may have
ears of their own, and loose talk might well do
us no favours. Besides, the Prince of the
Danes and the ambassador of Rome are
also in attendance, and so they could
well be regarded suspiciously
by the Englishmen who must vote. But I
know that rah will see right by us, as we
have by him in his troubles with our ill-
mannerèd countrymen. But here he comes.
Enter KING RAH, and the rest of the court
rah: Good morrow my noble allies! I trust
that thee hath taken what rest ye might, and
that thy sleep were not so troubled as mine own
hath been of late.
James: Welcome, your majesty. I must confess
that our sleep has not come easily, for
we are both afeared of what might befall
our families while we are so far away,
for we have made many enemies both
in your service, and of our own accord.
rah: I know well that your aid hath served me
and my kingdom most nobly for years now,
and I also know that if I have need
of the strongest of arms and the stoutest
of hearts, then I can rest assured that my
Scottish allies will serve me well. My lords!
Have you all given due consideration
to the weighty matters of yesterday,
and drawn your conclusions as to the man
who dares to disrupt the peace of my court
by laying waste to my courtiers and
my friends? I would thou hast, for if not then
thou will have to decide now! I suppose
I owe the second murderer some thanks
for having rid us of the villainous
Westmoreland, but I doubt our thanks will be
repaid by an end to the murders, and
so we must again vote for the man
responsible, and let the Captain of
the Guard perform his service, as he has
been so admirably and efficiently.
civman2000: I feel that the killer is an able
horseman, but since that could be any of us,
then I propose that Buckingham is the
man you seek o king.
Spaced: Fie Warwick! Thou art
the murderer, and would seek to transfer
the suspicion to mine own blameless
person. ‘Tis a wicked plot that bringeth
doom to our nobility, and thou art
in a position to profit thereby!
James: Aye, king rah – I agree with Buckingham
that he seems to be the victim of a
plot most nefarious by the hand of
Warwick. He is your guilty man!
rah: Aye, you
share my thoughts good Thane. ‘Tis sad to note
that for whomever I doth cast my vote,
my kingdom will undoubtedly suffer,
but Warwick appears to be the rougher-
up of the flower of English birthright.
civman2000: But my liege – I have served you faithfully
for many a year, and ‘tis scant payment
for my years of service to have this ill-
considered vote cast upon me. My lord.
rah: Aye, the house of Warwick has long been a
stalwart supporter of this throne, but I
have spoken, and my vote is worth but the
same as all of the others.
Sparrowhawk: The Thane of
Oggtermuggtee, or whatever might be his
name, is a seasoned warrior, and ‘twould
be naught for him to slaughter innocent
men in their beds.
Paddy: Ha! I am a warrior,
as you rightly said, but ‘tis not the mind
of a fighter to attack a man by stealth,
as these murders have had the form. It seems
to me more the work of a soft courtier,
who has spent his life in feather sheets and
never had to sleep in the rain on the
battlefield beside his sword and his mount.
One like ye, Prince!
Sparrowhawk: Thou brute! I shall have thee
whipped by the guards if thou should so much as
look in my direction without the due
deference! Wearing woman’s garb, thou hast
the folly to call thyself a man, and
to suspect me of the murder of my
dear brothers.
James: Cousin, leave him be. There are
still others who would have their vote, and it
might be better for all if you let go
of the Prince’s neck so he might respond
to any others who might share these
suspicions ye have brought against him.
Paddy: Aye.
Kassi: Though I would rather we could discuss less
weighty matters, circumstances force me
to cast my vote for the Prince too.
Spike: My lord,
I know that he is thy first, and last, son,
but his comportment hath shown him to be
the murderer of his brother, and for
this, he too must be put to death. I know
that this will o’erburden thine already
embattled heart, but for the safety of
thine own self, then he must suffer, lest his
ambition o’erreach and draw him to
the promise of thy throne.
Skanky: My liege, your son
has shown his dread ambition all too clearly
in this court, and for the sake of the realm
and for your sake, so must he suffer the
punishment for his crimes.
Geomodder: Rochester has
fine words, but is this not all with the aim
of covering up his own ill purpose?
Jonny: No good brother, I know that thou can not
have prayed for guidance in coming to your
conclusion, for the Lord hath told me that
the Prince is indeed the guilty party.
Rubychaser: Aye, wise words churchman. ‘Twere the Prince, and now
there can be no doubt whatsoever that his
hand hath been behind these cowardly crimes.
Adagio: Rah, my friend, I am most deeply sorry
that my vote consigneth thy heir to his
doom, but it must be so. His guilt shineth
all too clear, and so I had no choice but
to vote for him.
rah: Much as it paineth me
then I must bow to the wishes of my
court on this matter only, and so consign
my heir to his death. If he be behind
these murders, then mine hand shall be led
by God, but I still believe that Warwick
is behind these deaths! My son, I weep to
see thee executed today, but I
have no other choice. To whom now can I
leave my crown?
Kassi: Well, if no-one else wants it…
rah: Ha! Captain, wilt thou perform this gloomy
deed on behalf of the court?
Rubychaser: Aye, my lord.
Exit the PRINCE OF WALES and the CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD
rah: Gentlemen, now might you leave me in peace
for the collection of my thoughts and the
grievance this decision hath cast on me?
Spike: My lord, ask what thou wilt, save the return
of thy son, for we cannot bear to see
thee in thy misery.
rah: ‘Tis for the good of
the kingdom, and so must be done, much as
I would rather ‘twere not. Let us take what
rest we can now, in the hope that there will
not be another such decision to
be taken tomorrow morning.
Spike: My lord.
Exit all but the THANES of INVERURIE and AUCHTERMUCHTY
Paddy: The Prince is dead now. Luckily for the
king, he was condemned to death by the court,
for I was on the point of killing him
myself for his ill-considered words.
James: Cousin, these are dangerous times, and we
must stick together. I fear the court will
turn on one of us and deny us our
rightful voice, but we must stay strong, for our
swordarms have seen us both through many a
more difficult situation, yet I
fear they will be of little use here. I
am still drawn toward Scotland, and dream of
being able to leave this court with my
head held high, although circumstances may
still conspire against me.
Paddy: Come, let us go
back to our quarters, and salvage what sleep
may come.
Exit the THANES of INVERURIE and AUCHTERMUCHTY
Enter the CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD
Rubychaser: I have done this terrible deed
and my heart is most heavy, for the Prince
hath always favoured me with kindnesses,
though the orders of the court are mine to
follow, and follow them I must. ‘Tis a
weight on my conscience to perform this role,
yet my years as a squire and knight hath brought
me thus far, for I am no longer of
the constitution to take the field of
war, or to enjoy the spoils of victory.
Enter the PAPAL EMISSARY
Geomodder: Captain! Where is the king? I have more
bad tidings for him. It seems that the Prince
was innocent, and so we have killed
the heir to the throne for naught. I have found
the body of the Earl of Warwick in
his bedchamber, dead with great damage to
his skull.
Rubychaser: Hast thou found anything that might
give us a good idea of the killer?
Geomodder: As I entered the room, it sounded as
if a horse was being ridden away.
I know not what bearing this might have on
the murder, for there can be no horses
within the palace, nor can any of
us leave.
Rubychaser: Mayhap ‘tis naught, but we should still
inform his majesty, so that he be
prepared for the council of tomorrow.
Exeunt
gets a thumbs up from me, I have had trouble remembering all the forum games i am in while I have been ogaming 
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