I Want to Be Your Canary/Script

The following is a transcript of the play I Want to Be Your Canary from Final Fantasy IX. Please note that the ending is improvised by the cast, and it is never revealed how the play actually ends.
== I Want to Be Your Canary ==
;Scene 1
[Cinna, Blank, and Zidane enter.]
BLANK: Bereft of father! Bereft of mother! Marcus! Thou hast lost even thy love!
CINNA: Fortune hath escape'd thee! For what end shalt thou live?
ZIDANE: For the sake of our friend... Let us bury our steel in the heart of the wretched King Leo!
CINNA AND BLANK: Aye!
[Cinna, Blank, and Zidane rush out to greet their comrade, Marcus in his battle with King Leo.]
BLANK: We shall back thee, Kinsman!
MARCUS: Pray, sheathe thy swords! This villain is mine alone!
CINNA: Nay, Kinsman! For I, too, have lost a brother to this fiend!
KING LEO: What ho? Out, vermin! Away! Thou darest bare thy sword before the King!? All who stand in my way will be crush'd!
ZIDANE: Treacherous Leo, my Kinsman's suffering shall not be in vain! For I shall instruct thee in his incomparable pain!
[Battle between Zidane, Marcus, Blank, Cinna, Benero, Zenero, and King Leo, ending in King Leo being the only survivor on his side, looking defeated lying in the center of the stage.]
KING LEO: Arrg ... Grrr ... Thou hast not seen the last of me, Marcus!
[King Leo exits.]
ZIDANE: Come back!
[Zidane chases after King Leo. Blank stands in Zidane's way.]
ZIDANE: Out of my way, Blank!
BLANK: Consider this, Zidane! If Prince Schneider were to marry Princess Cornelia, peace would reign over both their kingdoms!
ZIDANE: T'is foolishness! If all were so easy, why, none would suffer in this world!
[Both race up the stairs and begin slashing at each other.]
[Blank jumps off the stage, and lands in the aisle. Zidane follows and engages in battle.]
BLANK: En garde!
ZIDANE: Expect no quarter from me!
[Battle between the two, ending in a draw]
BLANK: We shall finish this later! [Runs up aisle, returns to backstage]
ZIDANE: Come back here! [Follows]
;Scene 2
[Blackout]
CORNELIA: Marcus? [A man clad in a black hooded cloak walks on stage. Cornelia approaches him.]
CORNELIA: Sweet Marcus, I fear I love thee more than I should!
MARCUS: Princess... Wilt thou be happy, married to a lowly peasant such as I?
CORNELIA: Prithee, call me 'princess' no more! Marcus, wilt thou truly cherish me, the king's only daughter? Or is such a desire too dear to wish for!? After our nuptials, shall I become no more than a puppet? A mindless puppet, never to laugh, never to cry? I wish to live my life under the sky. At times I shall laugh, at other times cry. For no life is more insincere than that lived as a masquerade.
MARCUS: So much consideration thou hast given it! But worry not! [They embrace.]
Cast away thy trappings of royalty, and I shall swaddle thee in a gown of pure love! Never again will I part from thee! Pray, my love, make me thy canary to keep forever in the cage of thy bosom! Let us embark on the first ship tomorrow, before dawn can tell of our elopement!
CORNELIA: All my fortunes at thy foot, I lay, and I shall follow thee throughout the world!
MARCUS: No cloud, no squall shall hinder us!
[Marcus turns around and walks off stage.]
CORNELIA: O, love is the sweetest joy and the wildest woe. All I wish is to be by my sweet Marcus's side.
[Blank kneels on the side of the stage, eavesdropping.]
BLANK: Fie! It shall be war again unless this marriage is stopped. Ne'er will I let their plan come to fruition. [He walks to center stage, meeting with Cornelia.] Good day to ye, Highness.
CORNELIA: Good day...
BLANK: Wist thee of Marcus?
CORNELIA: Marcus!? What news dost thou bring?
BLANK: This! [He punches her in the stomach.]
CORNELIA: Ugh! [She blacks out and falls into his arms.]
;Scene 3
[Scene Begins with King Leo walking on stage]
KING LEO: Where is she!? Where has mine only daughter gone!? [Blank walks on stage.] Blank, good man! Hast thou seen Cornelia?
BLANK: Worry not, Majesty. I shall make sure Cornelia marries Prince Schneider. Be thou at ease.
KING LEO: At ease, sayest thou? How can I rest, not know she is safe? Could it be... thou hast betrayed me?
BLANK: By my troth, sir, I betrayed none other than poor Marcus!
KING LEO: Thou had the gall to betray thy dearest friend. Wouldst thou not betray me as swiftly?
BLANK: Stay thy hand, I merely...
[King Leo pulls out sword and stabs Blank. Blank falls to the floor, dying. King Leo turns and walks away.]
BLANK: I merely sought a lasting peace between the two kingdoms!
[Benero and Zenero run on stage.]
ZENERO: The traitor is dead!
BENERO: O, cruel fate!
KING LEO: You two... Quickly, find Cornelia and bring her before me!
Both [Benero and Zenero]: Yes, Your Majesty [They exit.]
KING LEO: Wretched daughter! How dare she disobey her father's wishes!
[Blackout]
;Scene 4
[Scene begins at dawn, with Marcus standing alone.]
MARCUS: The time for our departure is long past. Where is Cornelia?
[Cinna enters.]
CINNA: Marcus, the ship soon embarks! Board ye the boat alone, and peace could come to both kingdoms, as Blank so said. Speak, Marcus!
MARCUS: She told me that she could not live without me. [A section of the sky lights up; several pictures of birds flying appear] So, the sun is our enemy, too. The eastern sky grows bright. Will we not spread our wings, as yonder birds in joyous flight?
[A loud sound is heard, as the ship departs.]
CINNA: Hark, Marcus! They cannot wait any longer! The ship departs!
[Cinna exits.]
MARCUS: Could she have betrayed me? Nay, ne'er would my love speak false. I must have faith! She shall appear if I only believe! As the sun lends me no ear, I pray instead to the twin moons! I beseech thee, wondrous moonlight, grant me my only wish!
[The rest of the scene is improvised.]
;Scene 5
[Scene begins with King Leo coming out of his castle, laughing to himself.]
KING LEO: Tonight, I shall finally see my daughter Cornelia betroth'd to Prince Schneider! And then Prince Schneider and his kingdom will be mine! Gwahahahaha!
[Benero and Zenero bring Marcus forward.]
ZENERO: Your Majesty!
BENERO: We have caught an intruder!
KING LEO: Why, my poor Marcus! Hark, lad. No matter how much thou dost treasure Cornelia... No matter how deeply she might believe she doth love thee... Never shall I see her marry a peasant such as thee! [A bell rings once.] When the bell strikes three... Under the ax thou shall be! [The bell strikes a second time.]
[The bell strikes a third time.]
KING LEO: Furthermore!
CORNELIA: [rushes in, accompanied by Zidane and chased by Schneider] Marcus!
MARCUS: [Breaks free from Benero and Zenero] Cornelia!
CORNELIA: Oh, Marcus! I missed you so! [Hugs Marcus] I wish never to leave thy side. Prithee, lead me from this place!
ZIDANE: See, King Leo? Thou shouldst give them thy blessing!
KING LEO: Never! Never leave his side, thou sayest? Foolish banter! I'll not allow it! Cornelia shall marry none other than this man - Prince Schneider! Is that not so, Prince Schneider?
SCHNEIDER: Aye.
KING LEO: Aye! And this traitorous crew, I will put to death!
[Zidane and Marcus rush to Benero and Zenero, punching them in the stomach.]
BENERO: Too many of them!
ZENERO: Run away!
[Zenero and Benero exit.]
KING LEO: Pray, sweet daughter, come home to the castle with me.
CORNELIA: Nay, Father! I shan't return!
KING LEO: Cornelia... Trouble me no more. This wedding is for thine own welfare. Be mindful of that.
MARCUS: Not if I can help it! Now is my moment of vengeance! For my parents, and for my love, Cornelia... [Draws sword] I shall cut thee down!
[Marcus rushes forward, attempting to stab King Leo, but Cornelia jumps in front, being killed herself. Ending with a scream of "Cornelia!" from all]
MARCUS: No... Cornelia!
CORNELIA: Mar... cus, forgive me. I still love my father...
KING LEO: Cornelia!
SCHNEIDER: Princess!
CORNELIA: Prithee, forgive my selfishness, Father, and spare my sweet Marcus...
MARCUS: What have I done!? Am I never to hear her loving voice again!? Am I cursed never again to feel her soft touch!? O, cruel fate! Thou hast robbed me of all I treasure!
[Marcus stabs himself, and falls to the floor, dead, as King Leo sits down before his dead daughter.]
;The End
Category:Final Fantasy IX
Category:Scripts