| SCRIPTS |
| Early Script - Meeting Cherlindrea to Escape From the Tavern |
| "WILLOW" * Story by George Lucas * Screenplay by Bob Dolman * First Draft Third Revision November 14, 1986 * (c) LFL 1986 Lucasfilm LTD. |
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EXT. FAIRY KINGDOM - NIGHT Willow comes to a halt. His mouth drops open. The forest is a luminous Milky Way of dancing, flying FAIRIES, like fireflies. The brownies tug at his pant-legs and whisper. TEEMO: Come on. This is a privilege. Nobody ever gets called before Her Majesty. Wonder-struck, Willow walks into a clearing where colorful night-flowers bloom. He lowers himself onto an enormous toadstool, testing it with his hand. Other BROWNIES stand watching, like courtiers. The tiny fairies fly up to Willow's face and giggle: they look like five-year-old girls, full of mischief and fun. Suddenly a strange LIGHT begins to throb behind the trees, piercing the forest with helter-skelter beams. Willow throws up his arms as the bright light stings his eyes. ROOL: Stand up! It's the queen! CHERLINDREA, the Fairy Queen, materializes out of fragments of moving light, diaphanous, sylph-like, beautiful. CHERLINDREA: Willow Ufgood. WILLOW: (blinded) Yes...? CHERLINDREA: I hope you are comfortable here, inside my kingdom... Willow says nothing, still battling the bright light. TEEMO: Talk! Say something! WILLOW: I can't see anything--she's too bright! CHERLINDREA: I'm sorry... The light diminishes, enabling Willow to see the queen. She is a beautiful vision, with flowing hair and luminous eyes. Her magical presence both stuns and impresses Willow. She turns to the brownies. CHERLINDREA: Broke-heart of nightingale for our honored guest. All the courtier brownies snap to attention and go into action, bustling about, going to work, some even tripping over one another. They bring Willow a drink in a delicate cup-shaped leaf, and he takes a sip. The queen dissolves and reappears near Willow. She leans down and opens the baby's swaddling and looks at the mark on the baby's arm. CHERLINDREA: It is Elora Danan! The prophecy has come true. The tiny fairies and the brownies stop work and sigh with respect and amazement. Cherlindrea seems to levitate the baby out of Willow's arms, floating her magically onto a special cradle of straw and sticks. The brownies and fairies crowd around, with great reverence. WILLOW: You mean, you know who this baby belongs to? CHERLINDREA: She belongs to all of us. She is the future queen and ruler of all kingdoms on earth. Willow starts to get up. WILLOW: What a relief. Now I can go home. The queen fragments and reappears right in front of Willow. CHERLINDREA: No, Willow. Your journey has just begun. It has been foretold that this child shall bring about the downfall of Queen Bavmorda, whose evil powers have darkened our world. Upon you depends this princess's life. WILLOW: Me? The Fairy Queen flashes and vanishes. Willow lowers himself back down again. She reappears behind him. CHERLINDREA: You are the guardian, Willow. You must take her to Tir Asleen. WILLOW: What is Tir Asleen? Willow can't keep track of her. She keeps changing her shape. The brownies and fairies snicker at Willow's confusion. CHERLINDREA: It is a distant castle, where a great king and queen will look after Elora Danan and keep her safe until she is old enough to rule. She is gone again. Willow looks everywhere, frusturated by these riddles and mysteries. WILLOW: Where is Tir Asleen? How far is it? She reappears again. CHERLINDREA: The way has been lost in time. But there is one person, a druid sorceress, who might guide you there. She was exiled by Queen Bavmorda many years ago. Her name is Fin Raziel. WILLOW: You need a warrior for this job. I'm nobody. CHERLINDREA: You are very important, Willow. WILLOW: No I'm not. Have you really looked at me? (jumps to his feet) I'm short! Even for a Nelwyn! From down at his feet, Rool and Teemo stare up, insulted. WILLOW: (continuing) Why can't you do it? You have magical powers. CHERLINDREA: My presence cannot extend beyond this forest. But I can give you these... Cherlindrea drops three small objects in Willow's hand. CHERLINDREA: They will protect you. Use them wisely. Willow looks at them for quite a while. WILLOW: They look like acorns. CHERLINDREA: Anything you hurl them at will turn to stone. Willow looks closely at the acorns, then up at the queen. WILLOW: They're magic? Are you serious? The forest light grows brighter. The queen looms over Willow and he again has to shield himself from the brightness. CHERLINDREA: (sternly) I am very serious, Willow. There is no time to lose. Now she intensifies her light so that Willow backs away, completely covering his face. WILLOW: But I've got a family to think about! They need me! The queen swirls around him like a solar wind, blowing the forest trees, scaring even the brownies. And then all of a sudden: silence. And total darkness. ALL WE SEE, in dim moonlight, is Willow's face, peeking out from between his fingers. WILLOW: Hello...? The queen's voice echoes the forest. CHERLINDREA: Bavmorda's powers are growing like an evil plague. Soon she will control the lives of your children, your wife, your village...everyone. Very gradually and beautifully the fiery fairies begin to flicker, restoring light to the forest. More light gently brightens, bathing the woods, and the Fairy Queen reappears. She is holding Elora Danan in her arms. The brownies creep out from behind the trees. All eyes are upon Willow. CHERLINDREA: The choice is yours. Willow takes the baby and looks at her for a moment. He struggles with his conscience. The fairies and brownies wait in anticipation. At last Willow looks up at them, resolved and determined. WILLOW: I'll do it. Yes, I will, I'll do it! The fairy kingdom sends up a great cheer and applause. Fairies giggle playfully around Willow's face, and brownies hug his ankles. WILLOW: But I only have one shoe. EXT. WOODED HILL - DAY WE SEE Willow's feet as he walks along. He has himself a brand-new shoe. Spirits high, he treks in the sunshine, papoose strapped to his back. Teemo rides in his pocket, while Rool straddles the papoose, tickling the giggling baby. WILLOW: Wait till I tell my children. Stuff like this never happens in my village. He digs a magic acorn out of his pocket and tosses it high in the air. The brownies gasp. TEEMO: Hey, careful there! WILLOW: How do these work I wonder? I gotta save one to show the High Aldwin. ROOL: Look! Death below! Rool points through the trees. Willow hurries down the hill to the tree-line. In the valley below, 200 NOCKMAAR SOLDIERS and CAVALRYMEN battle a hundred ragtag REBEL TROOPS. From this safe position high on the hillside, Willow watches in disgust. Weapons clash and men fall to their deaths. WILLOW: Daikinis... They hear a CLANK behind them. Willow slowly turns around. There is movement in the trees. The hillside woods are full of Nockmaar HORSEMEN moving right up next to him. In the valley, the outpowered rebels are being forced up the hill toward them. Willow is suddenly standing under several large horses and black-armored minions. He is frozen in fear. HORSEMEN: Hyaaaaahh!! Swords flash and the horsemen charge! The brownies jump and run for their lives. Willow stumbles and spins as horse after horse thunders past him, nearly trampling him and the baby to death. The Nockmaar reinforcements descend upon the remaining rebels and crush them. Willow falls and quickly digs the baby out of the papoose. She is shrieking in terror. He holds her tight and runs along the tree-line, following the brownies, while the bloody battle rages below. WILLOW: Let's get out of here. Shhh, don't cry, Elora. Things can't get any worse than this... EXT. ROADSIDE TAVERN - DAY Bleak rain dribbles down Willow's miserable face. Protecting the baby, he hurries toward a tavern. The bottom of the building is an open stable with several horses. Two burly IRON-WORKERS clank a red-hot wagon rim, fixing a nearby wagon hitched to a horse. It's a rough place. Rool and Teemo peek out of Willow's pockets. Upstairs PEOPLE drink and shout. TEEMO: I'm not going in there. ROOL: Me neither! WILLOW: Don't worry--I'm a sorcerer. What could possibly happen? Suddenly there's a CRASH up above and two PICTS burst through a balcony and land in the mud, fighting viciously. Rool and Teemo duck inside Willow's pockets. Willow steps around the Picts, dashes through the stable and up the stairs. INT. TAVERN - MAIN ROOM - DAY The place is packed with tattooed PICTS, nomadic FAMILIES, MOTHERS with BABIES, THIEVES and CUTTHROATS. Willow enters with the crying baby. WILLOW: Could you spare some milk for this poor hungry baby? Everyone looks up. Mopping a table is an ugly BARMAID as big as a wrestler. BARMAID: Get outta here, Peck! PATRONS: A Peck! Get him out! Beat it, Peck! They hurl stuff at him and threaten him with their weapons. Willow runs along the wall and takes cover under some stairs. He pulls open his pocket and peers down inside. WILLOW: I could use your help, boys. Instantly his pocket whips shut and trembles. Willow cautiously looks out under the stairs. He sees a pail of milk very near some ROUGHNECKS. Willow puts his little finger in the baby's mouth, silencing her. He creeps out. And bravely reaches for the milk. TEEMO'S VOICE: Willow? Willow slaps his pocket. Then stretches his arm out very, very slowly. And gets the pail and zips back under the stairs. WILLOW: This is not fun. He soaks a rag with milk and feeds the baby. Catching his breath, he backs up and leans agains a woodplank wall. WILLOW: Whoa! The plank gives way and Willow falls through the wall. INT. TAVERN - DAY Willow somersaults into a bedroom near an unmade bed. Peeking up he sees two women getting dressed in a panic. One is a plump-chested WENCH with a pretty face. WENCH: Hurry! Hurry! Very frightened, she looks out the window. The other woman, who wears a kerchief over her hair, packs thick powder and make-up paint on her face. THE OTHER WOMAN: (in a gruff voice) How do I look? It's Madmartigan! Willow pops up like a jack-in-the-box. WILLOW: You!! MADMARTIGAN: Where the hell did you come from? Willow strides toward Madmartigan, holding the baby like a machine gun. WILLOW: I trusted you... The brownies peek out. ROOL: Who's he? MADMARTIGAN: You're crawling with rodents. The bedroom door explodes open. In storms a big, mean, half-drunk raging lug named LLUG. LLUG: Where is he!! Madmartigan wraps a muffler around his throat. The wench innocently curtsies. WENCH: There's nobody here except me and my, um, cousin. Llug knocks his wife out of the way and glares suspiciously at Madmartigan, who bats his heavily made-up eyelashes. He speaks in a high feminine voice. MADMARTIGAN: How do you do. Llug sniffs at Madmartigan then fixes his gaze on Madmartigan's flat chest. He goes to squeeze him there, but Madmartigan ducks out of the way and snatches the baby from Willow. WILLOW: Hey! Give me that baby! MADMARTIGAN: (high voice) These Pecks make terrible nursemaids. WILLOW: Nursemaid?! Willow angrily jumps up and down, swiping at the baby. MADMARTIGAN: (high voice) They get too excited. With a swing of the hip, Madmartigan butts Willow aside and maternally puts the baby against his chest. Llug hound-dogs him around the room, finally cornering him and staring lecherously into his eyes. LLUG: Wanna breeeeeeed? Madmartigan protects himself by holding the baby up in front of his face. Then he smells the baby. He winces and groans. WILLOW: (mischievously) Time to change her diaper. MADMARTIGAN: Time to leave. Madmartigan throws open the door and dashes out. But he doesn't get very far. Several NOCKMAAR SOLDIERS push him back in. Then they grab Madmartigan and Willow, and Llug and his wife, and haul them all outside. INT. TAVERN - HALLWAY - DAY Madmartigan is slammed against a wall. Then Willow. Then Llug and his wife. In the b.g. Nockmaar troops are rousting the tavern, taking babies away from frightened mothers and inspecting them. Heavy bootsteps thud toward them. Willow looks out and recognizes Sorsha, the black-helmeted knight from the bridge. SORSHA: You! Are you the mother of that child? MADMARTIGAN: No. (looks at Llug; in a high voice) I mean yes. Sorsha strides over to Madmartigan, her sword drawn. SORSHA: Let me see it. Madmartigan looks at Willow then back at Sorsha. MADMARTIGAN: (high voice) I can't. SORSHA: Let me see it. WILLOW: No! You can't! Madmartigan looks at Willow then back at Sorsha. MADMARTIGAN: (high voice) I can't. SORSHA: Why not? MADMARTIGAN: (to Willow) Why not? WILLOW: Because she's sick. MADMARTIGAN: (to Sorsha) Because she's sick. SORSHA: Give it to me! Sorsha stabs her sword into the floor like a spike. She grabs for the baby. Instinctively, Madmartigan elbows her away, whacking her hard and knocking her off-balance against a nearby bench. The soldiers tense up, pointing their swords and spears. Sorsha regains her balance. She rips off her black helmet. Long wild red hair tumbles over her shoulders. She is a young woman, and Madmartigan's eyes pop open. He does his best to keep up his female facade. MADMARTIGAN: (high voice) Gawd...you're...beautiful... SORSHA: You're not a woman. Sorsha comes right up to Madmartigan, squinting into his eyes. The she rips away his kerchief and muffler. LLUG: Not a woman??!! All hell breaks loose. Llug charges for Madmartigan's throat. Madmartigan tucks the baby under his arm and dashes right out the window. Llug bulldozes Sorsha and her Lieutenant, and the tavern patrons take advantage of the chaos and stampede for the stairs. Willow dives out the window after Madmartigan. SORSHA: After them!! She grabs her sword and waves it at her soldiers who clatter toward the stairs, flinging people out of their way. EXT. ROADSIDE TAVERN - DAY Madmartigan jumps off the upstairs balcony and lands in the wagon below. The two iron-workers look up with concern. Then they react with surprise as Madmartigan rips away his disguise. WILLOW: Madmartigan! Wait! Up above, Willow charges along the balcony. Madmartigan juggles the baby and whips the reins. The wagon pulls away, iron-workers scrambling after it. Willow flings himself off the balcony. The brownies tumble out of his pocket. They all land in the back of the wagon as it takes off. It has stopped raining. In the stable under the tavern, horses smash together and people fall in the mud, and the Nockmaar soldiers get tangled up in the traffic jam. |