THE EARL OF ORANGE AND THE MINE COUNCIL

FADE IN:

INT. AN UNDERGROUND MINE SHAFT — NIGHT

Oil lanterns hang along the walls casting a flickering yellow light. Precious stones sparkle in the rock and dirt. Shovels and picks lie on the floor by an excavation in a side wall.

ARTUR (an OGRE, eight feet tall, fat yet muscular, brownish in color, horned) sits, leaning against a dirt wall, picking his nose.

ARTUR
(deep, rough voiced and loud)
Alright, so what is it? You know I’m not supposed to be down here! Digging for diamonds for the boss man is not my area.

GORDO (a TROLL, four feet tall, light blue and chubby, wearing a red hat and wooden necklace) sits next to ARTUR holding a rusted metal box on his lap.

The box has been pried open and we see an old leather-bound book with yellowed pages.

GORDO
(high pitched sing-song voice)
Ssshhh! Keep it down! I don’t want anyone from your tribunal or my council to know about this! There could still be some council Trolls down here!

ARTUR
(rough whisper, impatient)
Okay…okay. What’s this all about?

GORDO
(excited, lifting the book gently)
One of my diggers found this in the wall there. He managed to bring it to me without anyone seeing it! It’s an old book of Troll magic spells!

ARTUR
I thought you trolls stopped with the magic stuff hundreds of years ago?
(He raises one bushy eyebrow)

ARTUR (CONT’D)
I never really believed in it anyway….

GORDO
(frowning - but still excited)
Oh, I think it’s real. I’ve heard stories from my great Grama. There are some hexes in here we can use!

ARTUR
(punches the wall sending rocks and dirt flying, shouting)
Not even magic can force out the Earl! He’s invulnerable! Ogres have tried, trolls have tried – even Unicorns! There’s no way.

GORDO
(whispering harshly)
Sssshhh! Remember when we made decisions together for the good of all? Remember when there was no wall between us and the unicorns and goblins? Now few of us trust each other and we even have doubts that the fairies will deal with our rules and any violations fairly! What else can we do?


ARTUR
(sighing and slumping down)
I remember. What do you need from me in the off chance you actually have real working magic here?

GORDO
(picks up the book and flips to a page gently)
I’ve been studying one spell in particular. It’s in the Articles of Enchantment section.

GORDO motions ARTUR to bend closer and whispers something in the Ogre’s tiny Ogre ear. ARTUR straightens and looks at GORDO with a skeptical frown.

GORDO (CONT’D)
I think it will work! and without violating our solemn oaths and making us part of the problem!
But I have to be outside to do the spell and I need blue diamonds!

ARTUR
How are you going to pull that off? You know we only meet with the EARL at his whim and always in the mine because, you know, you’re trolls. Do you want to be the first troll turned to stone by the sun since Spiragnew? And you know diamonds are scarce now, let alone the blue ones!

GORDO
(smiles grimly at ARTUR)
I’ve been hoarding blue diamonds for over a year. There’s a way! Hasn’t been used in centuries but neither have troll spells. The instructions are in the book. My wife is preparing a hex tent!


DISSOLVE TO:


EXT. THE EARL’S GARDEN VERANDA – DAY

The rear of the castle is a veranda facing toward the entrance of the Marvelugo Diamond mine.

There is bustling activity as servants set out a variety of delicacies on a buffet to the left of the EARLs large chair.
A crowd of Ogres and fairies and even a few unicorns stand to one side of the veranda, waving and cheering at the EARL.

The arched entrance to the mine is one hundred feet from the veranda.

The EARL OF ORANGE (not Ogre or Troll or Fairy but a mix of fairyland elements, large framed, Orange in hue) sits in his large chair on the veranda admiring his mine.

EARL OF ORANGE
(waves at the crowd)
Good to see you all here! The kingdom is doing better than it ever has! I’m smarter than any Earl before me! Diamond production is at an all-time high!
Fighting between ogres and trolls and fairies and unicorns is at an all-time low! Even the unicorns love me! Unicorns are great by the way. They’re fabulous creatures.

The crowd oohs and aahs. The EARL stands and points at the diamond mine entrance and the odd looking blue and red hexagonal tent standing directly outside the archway to the mine.

EARL OF ORANGE (CONT’D)
I’m told we have some entertainment coming from our good friends in the mine. Good trolls. Very good trolls. I’ve heard from many of them that they think I’m the greatest Earl we’ve ever had. Yes. It’s true! You know it is!



INT. THE HEX TENT IN FRONT OF THE MINE – DAY

GORDO stands over the low spell table and completes the mixing of powders and potions into a sand-like consistency. He places nine blue diamonds into the mix.

He flips to the incantation page and nods at ARTUR who pulls open and ties back the tent’s sorcery flap.

GORDO swirls the mix and diamonds glitter. He scoops up handfuls and diamonds flare. His blue hands continue to work the mix.

GORDO
(chanting loudly in high voice)
narcisso, narcisso, diamonds shine and diamonds glow. EARL OF ORANGE, know your need, know your soul, feel the heat, know your role!

The sand like material flares and glows, a popping and sizzling is heard, the diamonds rise up and float…glowing blue.

GORDO (CONT’D)
(louder)
narcisso, narcisso, diamonds shine and diamonds glow. EARL OF ORANGE, know your need, know your soul, feel the heat, know your role!

The glowing diamonds fly out through the spell flap and streak towards the EARL OF ORANGE as he watches in awe.



EXT. THE EARL’S GARDEN VERANDA – DAY

The glowing diamonds fly to equal positions around the veranda and begin to flare brighter as the EARL OF ORANGE looks on agape.

The servants retreat to the castle and the ogres and fairies run and flutter from the veranda. Slowly, everything on the veranda begins to fade away. The buffet, the big chair and the EARL OF ORANGE himself.

With a final POP! Everything is gone and only the rear entrance to the castle remains.


INT. THE EARL’S FAVORITE NEW ROOM – UNKNOWN

The EARL OF ORANGE admires himself in the mirrors surrounding him. He smiles as huge crowds of unicorns and fairies sing his praises.

He gives yet another rousing speech to a group of Ogres, emphasizing his marvelous achievements while listing the endless shortcomings of his enemies, wherever they are. He enjoys the gossip of goblins as they endlessly praise him. He has never been happier. He has a huge speech planned for Fairies later!


INT. THE HEX TENT IN FRONT OF THE MINE – DAY

GORDO and ARTUR watch from inside the tent as the crowd swarms the veranda in confusion and growing excitement. Unicorns tap horns and look optimistically at the fairies flitting about overhead.
ARTUR the OGRE has tears in his eyes.

GORDO the Troll takes hold of his friend’s giant brown hand with his own tiny blue one, looking up at ARTUR.

GORDO
(Smiling)
You see? The magic Articles of Enchantment still work! The EARL is HAPPY in his enchanted world. Now we can all be happy again too! In fact, I predict that we shall live happily ever after! Like the magic book taught me and like I told you that night in the mine… Diamonds are an EARLs hexed end!


FADE OUT: