SCENE VII
Curtain up. The lights should be on the setting for the silver forest. Here and there smaller fake trees should also be present. One, slightly larger than the others should be present center stage. The columns onstage should be making up the boles of the largest trees. Alusair and Aurora enter smoothly. Anastasia stumbles onstage after them. Looking behind her she exclaims
ANASTASIA: Something had hold of my dress! I nearly tripped off the last step! Someone was holding my dress!
ALUSAIR: Don’t be so silly! You must have just caught it on a snag or a hook! Now hurry up! We don’t want to miss the start of the ball.
The Princesses gather their skirts and make their way across the stage at slightly more than a walk. As the exit, Anastasia glances once more over her shoulder. Seeing nothing, she follows he sisters out. As soon as she exits, The Prince sneaks onstage, blending in as best he can with the black backdrop. Around halfway to center stage he throws back the hood of his cloak and moves further downstage, looking about in wonder.
PRINCE: What IS this place? I could have sworn we followed those stairs downwards for hundreds of feet! We should be deep underground! And yet, there is light, of a sort, and trees the same as any you would find in the greenwood.
He notices a glitter and walks over to inspect the tree at center stage.
PRINCE: What is this? Well. Well ,well ,well. These trees are made of silver! Not exactly the oaks and beeches of the greenwood then! Amazing! Who would ever have imagined such a thing could exist!? A forest of living silver… The King will never believe me! Perhaps I should take a piece of evidence.
The Prince reaches out to snap a twig from the trees, making sure to get a branch with leaves and snaps it off. There is a thunderous crack and the branch comes loose in his hand. The Prince looks about in fear, and pocketing the branch, whirls the cloak about himself once more and follows the Princesses offstage. As soon as he is out of sight, the Princesses walk back on, from the direction they originally entered. The loud crack is heard once again.
ANASTASIA: Something’s wrong! Didn’t you hear the noise?
AURORA: It came from behind us!
The Princesses all look behind them in confusion.
ALUSAIR: It was a burst of joy from the forest! It knows that soon we will be setting our princes free from their terrible curse! Hurry! We must reach them!
The Princesses rush offstage, lights fading as they do so. The lights fade back up with the gels set with amber, which should give the tinfoil trees the appearance of being gold, rather than silver. The Princesses enter again, progressing linearly as always, appearing Stage right and exiting stage left.
ALUSAIR: Oh, I cannot wait! Soon we will be dancing in the arms of our Princes!
As the Princesses near stage left and their exit, another crack is heard, exactly like the first.
ANASTASIA: There it is again! Something must be wrong!
AURORA: It’s like something is following us.
ALUSAIR: Nonsense! It is merely the forest expressing it’s joy because our Princes will soon be free. The trees must be bursting with it.
The Princesses shrug and, with one or two glances backwards, continue offstage. As soon as they move offstage, the Prince moves across the stage, following them. About midway past he throws back his hood and marvels at the trees around him. He is clearly clutching a golden branch as well as the silver one.
PRINCE: First silver, now gold! A lumberjack in this forest would be richer than any king! In this forest of dreams, what strange trees may come? As I wander along over this enchanted soil?
ALUSAIR: (from offstage) Anastasia! Quit looking back over your shoulder! Nothing is going to leap from the trees and grab you! You’re perfectly safe! The magic of our Princes will ward us from any harm!
The Prince hurriedly swirls his cloak about him once more and goes off in rapid pursuit. As he exits, the lights fade. They come up again as the Princesses enter. This time with the blue gels to give the effect of a forest of diamonds. As they cross the stage, the crack is heard once again.
ALUSAIR: Joy, Anastasia. It is joy!
The Princesses move offstage and the Prince appears.
PRINCE: Diamonds! Great clusters of diamonds like cherry blossoms! Diamond trunks, diamond leaves!
The Prince exits, curtain falls. Storytellers step out from behind the curtain to cover while scene change is made backstage.
STORYTELLER #1: And so they passed through the forests
STORYTELLER #2: Of silver, gold, and diamonds…
STORYTELLER #3: And the Prince took a branch from each of the woods as he passed through them.
STORYTELLER #1: Then the woods thinned…
STORYTELLER #2: And they arrived at a large lake where…
STORYTELLER #3: Three mysterious figures waited.
STORYTELLER #1: There were three figures…
STORYTELLER #2: There were three Princesses…
STORYTELLER #3: And on the shore were three boats…
Curtain rises. The trees are gone, and have been replaced with upright blue cutouts representing waves.
STORYTELLER #1: One by one…
STORYTELLER #2: Each Prince took his Princess…
STORYTELLER #3: In their own private boat…
STORYTELLERS (all): And rowed them across the lake to a beautiful palace.
STORYTELLER #1: The Prince followed close behind…
STORYTELLER #2: With his cloak wrapped tightly about him
STORYTELLER #3: He slipped into the boat carrying the youngest princess…
STORYTELLERS (all): and was carried along with them to the Palace of the Mysterious Princes of Under the Mountain.
Alusair and her Prince cross the stage in their boat first. It glides along smoothly. Then Aurora’s boat crosses. It also moves very smoothly. Finally, Anastasia’s boat begins to cross. Anastasia’s Prince is quite obviously having trouble poling the boat, and has to stop a few times before he makes it across the stage.
PRINCE #3: I don’t understand it, but the boat is much heavier today. I’ll have to row with all my might to get it moving.
ANASTASIA: It’s probably due to the warm weather. I feel quite hot too.
Eventually the finish the crossing over to the other side of the stage.
Curtain falls.
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