| ACT TWO A bare loft in the tower. The sound of hammering and wood assembling outside. Alis enters. |
|
| Alis |
Have you woken ma dame? |
| Siwan |
No. Because I haven't slept. |
| Alis |
All night long? Not slept at all? |
| Siwan |
I'm not used to an iron clamp and chains Around my leg. Or being tied to a wall Like a fairground bear. The chain's heavy Alis. Feel its weight – the weight of a Prince's anger. |
| Alis |
The weight of his disappointment, ma dame. His disappointment far outweighs his anger. Does it hurt your leg? |
| Siwan |
It hurts my dignity so much That I hardly feel the pain in my leg. Before now I've ordered men to be manacled And chained without even guessing At the indignity of it. |
| Alis |
The Prince says you're only to stay in chains Until today is out. |
| Siwan |
Why today and not tomorrow? What will change today? |
| Alis |
I can try to ease your discomfort. I've brought some wine. |
| Siwan |
Did he send you here? |
| Alis |
Yes. To attend to you, and do your bidding. I'm free To come and go – the guard's been told. |
| Siwan |
That guard's a mute. All day yesterday I didn't see a soul. Only that mute beyond the door. |
| Alis |
A mute carries no tales. |
| Siwan |
And can't act as a go between. That's why the mute was chosen. So why are they allowing you to come to me now? Has he changed his attitude towards me? |
| Alis |
Will you have some wine? |
| Siwan |
This wine's sharp. But it'll quench my thirst. Today's the third of May. Isn't it? |
| Alis |
The third, yes. |
| Siwan |
Two days, two nights. This cell's deathly silence Makes May Day eve seems years away. Did you ever sleep alone in a bare room Alis? |
| Alis |
No, ma dame. I'm not a princess. I've never even had a room of my own. |
| Siwan |
The solitude of this cell is different. It's a world Where silence reigns. Where speech is redundant. That dumb guard … These dumb stones. |
| Alis |
But you never were a talkative one, ma dame. |
| Siwan |
I know. But it drives me to distraction, Not knowing what's happening Beyond the silence of this cell. What time of morning is it Alis? |
| Alis |
The sixth hour. |
| Siwan |
The sixth since midnight. Add twenty four to that And another twenty four. I've been in this tower Almost sixty hours. I once listened to a learned monk Explaining that time doesn't exist In eternity. I hope he's right. Counting each hour's passing is as maddening To the mind as the sound of that hammering outside. It started sometime before dawn. |
| Alis |
You haven't slept for three days, ma dame. You haven't eaten any of the food that's been sent To you. No wonder your mind's agitated. |
| Siwan |
So, why were you sent here Alis? |
| Alis |
I told you, ma dame. To see if you needed anything. |
| Siwan |
And the Prince himself sent you? |
| Alis |
Yes ma dame. He did. Otherwise The guard wouldn't have let me pass. |
| Siwan |
There's some mystery here. He told you To see to my needs. Are you allowed To carry messages for me? |
| Alis |
I don't know. He mentioned nothing about that. |
| Siwan |
That's my only need. The only service You could render me. What is that incessant hammering Out on the green? |
| Alis |
Some military construction – I'm not sure … |
| Siwan |
You must have seen them working As you crossed the yard to come here. |
| Alis |
I didn't pause to get a proper look. A little more wine, ma dame? |
| Siwan |
Go to the window and look out. This chain Stops me short of seeing outside. If my father the king had known I'd be tethered Like some animal for baiting … So what are they building? |
| Alis |
It's hard to see properly from this window. |
| Siwan |
Don't lie to me girl. You can see perfectly well From there. I've looked through that window myself Countless times. So tell me. |
| Alis |
Ma dame – don't ask me. Please. I beg of you, let me leave you now. |
| Siwan |
What's wrong with you. You're shaking. Calm down – and tell me what's happening out there. |
| Alis |
A gallows, ma dame. A gallows. |
| Siwan |
Gallows? (She laughs.) Well done, Llywelyn. That's my punishment. Your rage is greater than I imagined. Alis, don't cry – if that's to be my fate … |
| Alis |
Not you ma dame. It's not for you. |
| Siwan |
What? |
| Alis |
The gibbet … is for Gwilym Brewys. |
| Siwan falls in a faint. |
|
| Alis |
Ma dame? Ma dame? Oh Ma dame. |
| Alis raises the goblet of wine to Siwan's lips |
|
| Alis |
Take a little more wine. There we are. You frightened me, my lady. |
| Siwan |
I'm ashamed of myself. |
| Alis |
It's not surprising. What with not having slept or eaten. And the shock of … |
| Siwan |
Was I in a faint for long? |
| Alis |
A few seconds. Why? |
| Siwan |
The hammering's stopped. Has anything happened out there? |
| Alis |
Nothing ma dame. It only stopped a moment ago. |
| Siwan |
That's good. Whatever happens, I want to be aware of it. Have the soldiers finished? Go and look. |
| Alis |
Yes. It's finished. |
| Siwan |
How was he sentenced Alis? By the Court of Law? Or by the Prince himself? |
| Alis |
Yesterday. At about mid-day. The Court was alive with rumours all morning. Bishop Cadwgan had been summoned by the Prince, And he'd suggested that the young Lord Had come into your rooms through witchcraft. |
| Siwan |
No doubt the Bishop was trying to placate Llywelyn With a comforting explanation. And who knows. Witchcraft it may have been. There's something other worldly in such frantic longing. That's why real passion is such a rare visitor to our lives. |
| Alis |
Your temple's bleeding, ma dame. |
| Siwan |
A little loss of blood might cool me down. After the Bishop's visit? |
| Alis |
The Royal Court was assembled. |
| Siwan |
Was my son Dafydd there? |
| Alis |
No. He'd been sent away to Cardigan. That same morning. |
| Siwan |
I'm glad. And what was resolved by the Court? |
| Alis |
It's said that Ednyfed Fychan Did plead for the young Lord's life, So as not to antagonise England And the Marcher lords. That plea failed. The Prince Wouldn't listen. Not even to a plea For a beheading rather than a hanging. He wanted a common thief's execution for Gwilym In front of a crowd of ghouls, rather than A death more fitting to a nobleman. Ednyfed Fychan was shocked by the sentence. Even when the courtiers filed out He still sat there, ashen, and silent. |
| Siwan |
And when was the verdict announced? |
| Alis |
Yesterday afternoon, ma dame. The hanging's set for early morning, now, Before the hour of mass. A crowd's been gathering for two hours or more Outside the fortress gates. |
| Siwan |
Does he know? |
| Alis |
Yes. |
| Siwan |
When was he told? |
| Alis |
Bishop Cadwgan was with him for an hour Last night. He's with him again now. |
| Siwan |
And have you heard any news about him? How is he? |
| Alis |
No one's allowed near his cell. Not even Near the dungeon sentries. The knights Who rode up here with him are also imprisoned. But last night, ma dame, after the Bishop left his cell, I walked quietly past the dungeon tower. I heard him singing. |
| Siwan |
What was he singing Alis? |
| Alis |
Marie de France. "La roi Marc était corracié Vers Tristran, son neveu …" |
| Siwan |
Have you ever seen a hanging? |
| Alis |
Of course, ma dame. Many times. Brigands and robbers. Have you? |
| Siwan |
No. Never. Strangely enough. |
| Alis |
With robbers, it's a big show Which attracts more people than do fairground fools. It's best when the man is petrified And has to be pushed to the top of the ladder. His hood's pulled down. The priest recites the Ave, Offers to hear his confession. After that The hooting and the shouting of the crowd takes over. I saw a pirate once, in Borth, joking As he climbed the ladder And toasting the cheering crowd Then doing a jig as he dropped And the rope sprang taut. |
| Siwan |
How long do they take to die? |
| Alis |
Some a long time. Others quickly. Some still twitch after hanging for a full half hour But it depends how the ladder's thrown And on how the noose has been knotted. |
| Siwan |
Who throws the ladder? |
| Alis |
The soldiers or the executioner. I've heard it said, if the rope is tied very tightly And the man jumps, he'll kill himself In a couple of seconds. I never saw that happen. A girl I knew did. She said the leap Pushed the tongue back into the throat And up behind the nostrils. Before the feet stop kicking The backbone's snapped in two. But usually you see these robbers swinging wildly In the noose, and the life's squeezed out of them Slowly, and the face turns blue. |
| Siwan |
Holy Mary – let him leap like Gelert. |
| Drum. |
|
| Siwan |
Go to the window Alis. Tell me what's happening. |
| Alis |
Oh - Ma dame. Your lover's there now … I never thought I'd see a lord go to the gallows. He'd come here to give away his daughter's hand And he's so young, so much living left … More than once he made me laugh out loud, chucked me under the chin, flirted with a courtly kiss … In Gwynedd's Court there are many who'll mourn after him. |
| Drum. |
|
| Siwan |
Stay at the window girl – or I'll break this chain. |
| Alis |
I don't know if I can … |
| Siwan |
I'm not going to swoon a second time. I won't even shed a tear Alis. I want to go through these minutes with him And be brave for him. Take up your place. |
| Drum. |
|
| Alis |
The soldiers have formed a guard around the gibbet. Crowds are no better than herds, or packs Of mindless animal. Look at those faces. How the human face changes when demons distort the mind. The choir and church procession Are going past now. |
| Siwan |
Saint Francis, let him keep his hands free So that he can leap. Saint Francis, you loved the wild wolves, Please help my little wolf. |
| Drum. |
|
| Alis |
There are so many in now, it's a crush. Right back to the fortress walls. The soldiers are pushing them back, to keep the gallows clear. |
| Drum. |
|
| Alis |
The Court Officers of Gwynedd are arriving. Ednyfed Fychan leading them out. |
| Siwan |
Is he there? |
| Alis |
The Prince? The great chair's not out on the green And I can't see him with them. He can watch it all from his rooms Up there, out of the rabble's way. Ednyfed is arranging the ranks of noblemen. He's taking charge, preparing the stage for the show. That's why the crowd's quieter now. |
| Drum. |
|
| Alis |
The soldiers are making a passage, flanking The condemned man's path. Each with his spear and shield Keeping a clear space for the last slow walk. |
| Siwan |
I can't pray. I don't know how to pray. I'd willingly strike a bargain With any saint who'd listen. I'd spend a life in prison, if only He be allowed to leap! |
| Alis |
The six French knights who came here With Gwilym Brewys have been led out Still manacled. I imagine they'll be allowed To take the body back to Brecon. And the Bishop of Bangor is reading the last rites. Now he – Gwilym Brewys – turns towards the crowd … |
| Siwan |
How does he look? |
| Alis |
He's in breeches, a shirt. He's barefoot … The noose is around his neck … One of the Prince's stewards is holding the other end … Like some animal on a tether. But his arms and hands are free. |
| Siwan |
Free? He can leap? He'll be able to do that … Does he look frightened? |
| Alis |
No … He looks Strangely untroubled. The crowd are fascinated by him. The last minute now … The time's come. |
| Drum. |
|
| Siwan |
All the saints, if you can pray, pray for him. |
| Alis |
He's shaking hands with Ednyfed Fychan and Gwynedd's Council, One by one – like a lord greeting his guests At a banquet. He's got a word For each one, and they're laughing … Now he's kneeling in front of the Bishop. The crowd's silent. Astonished. Even the Court dignitaries are staring in disbelief. |
| Siwan |
Yes? |
| Alis |
No one's moving now – except Gwilym. He's testing the ladder. Even feeling the noose … Easing it around his neck. He's bowing – a farewell bow. And … Now he's ascending the ladder, like a ship's Captain to the prow. He's standing Confident and unbowed … |
| Siwan |
This hour … The hour of his dying – Amen. |
| Alis |
The executioner's not moving, not laying A hand on that ladder … |
| Suddenly a shout from Gwilym. |
|
| Gwilym |
Siwan! |
| A second's silence. |
|
| Siwan |
(Quietly.) Is that the end? |
| Alis |
But the leap he made, that leap! The rope whipped taut like a fishing line. The ladder was knocked sideways Scattering the councillors … Now his body's stock still, Still and limp, hanging there. The crowd's moving away. Starting to disperse. For them the show's over. It's been a let down. What do they care about a widow down in Brecon? Or a Princess imprisoned here, Distraught and eaten up by anguish. Pain's a leprosy. It cuts off the sufferer from the rest of the tribe. It's the one dark corner In their bright and babbling world. You lot, yes, go dance, go laugh, Go seek some further entertainment. Go crowing your Welsh bravado … |
| Sounds from outside the loft room. |
|
| Alis |
Ma dame! |
| Llywelyn and soldiers enter. |
|
| Llywelyn |
Take that chain and fetter from her leg. Her degradation's done. Over. (To Siwan.) I wouldn't dare, would I? I wouldn't dare? |
| Siwan |
From the depth of this hell in my heart, I curse you Llywelyn. |