THE PELTED KINGDOM

Written by

Mia Nieves

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Phone Number
FADE IN:

EXT. CASTLE GARDEN / FOREST - DAY

8 year old SERENA and her family play in the garden. KOLEC
and King EVEREN use slingshots to shoot rocks at a tree,
while Queen ARIANNA tends to her flowers.

The silhouette of a wolf appears in the forest behind the

garden.

Serena squints at the silhouette. She walks toward it. Serena

steps on a twig, and the wolf runs away. Serena runs after
it.

She runs through the trees, but she loses sight of the wolf.
She slows down and stops. All the trees look the same. Leaves
RUSTLE around her. She tucks her arms close to her body, and
breathes heavily.

A pack of wolves surround her. The wolves approach slowly,

and one pounces.

Serena SCREAMS.

Arianna’s head darts up. She starts running toward the sound
of the scream.

ARIANNA
Serena!

Arianna runs through the forest. She hears Serena SCREAM

again. She spots her in the distance on the ground. Serena is
bloody. Arianna runs to her, kicks a wolf in the muzzle, and
grabs Serena. Arianna runs as fast as she can back to the
garden. Serena’s golden bracelet JINGLES as she’s carried
away.

EXT. KINGDOM BORDER - DAY

22 year old Serena rides on horseback with a dozen guards on

foot with her. Her golden bracelet JINGLES gently with the
swaying of the horse. She stops her horse, and throws her
fist in the air all the sudden. The guards stop. She squints
into the distance. A deep GROAN comes from the forest. She
extends her hand in the direction of the sound, and redirects
her men to follow her. They approach an old man laying face
down on the ground. He GROANS again.

Serena dismounts her horse, and a guard hands her her

crutches. She takes them, and walks over to the old man. She
kneels beside him.
 2.

SERENA
Sir? Are you alright?

Serena grabs him by the shoulders and turns him around. The
old man’s eyes are gouged out, and he is shaking.

Serena’s men flinch and cover their mouths at the sight of

him. Serena remains calm.

OLD MAN
(Stutters)
Get away! I’m a monster!

He turns himself around and crawls away. As he crawls, he

touches his wolf pelt for a moment, and he SCREAMS. He falls
onto his side, and throws his arms in the air. The guards
grab him.

SERENA
Take him to the hospital
immediately.

INT. HOSPITAL - LATER

Serena walks with her crutches through the hospital. A NURSE

walks with her.

NURSE
He appears to be crazy. He keeps
shouting that he’s a monster.

The two approach the old man’s hospital bed. The old man is
asleep with bandaids over his eyes.

NURSE (CONT'D)
He demanded that we destroy this.

She hands Serena the wolf pelt.

NURSE (CONT'D)
Only after we took it away form
him, did he calm down.

Serena looks at the old man and SIGHS.

SERENA
Thank you. Please take care of him.

INT. CASTLE - LATER

Serena walks through the castle hallways and arrives at her

room. She walks in, and throws the wolf pelt onto her bed.
 3.

She adjusts her crutches and leaves her room, but she bumps
into her brother Kolec. His arms are crossed.

KOLEC
Where have you been?

SERENA
I think you already know the answer
to that.

KOLEC
Let the patrol do their job. It’s
dangerous out there!

Serena rolls her eyes at him.

SERENA
Maybe if you got out once in a
while, you’d see it’s not so scary.

KOLEC
You’re one to talk. Look at you!
You can barely use your legs
anymore. You can’t keep going out
there!

SERENA
Watch me!

LILITH walks into the hallway

LILITH
Serena! Kolec!

Lilith quickly walks down the hall toward them.

SERENA
Lilith? What is it?

LILITH
your father requests an audience
with you immediately.

INT. MEETING ROOM - LATER

Serena and Kolec sit across from each other, while Everen
sits between them at the end of the table.

EVEREN
Children, my time on this Earth is
fading. An heir must be chosen.
(MORE)
 4.

EVEREN (CONT'D)
Traditionally the heir is coronated
after the death of the king, but I
would like to change that. I’d like
to guide you through the hardships
of the crown. In three months I
will renounce my position as king,
and Kolec… You will be the one to
take the thrown.

Serena leans in to interject.

SERENA
(Scoffs)
Father! Are you serious? I’ve
worked my whole life to prepare for
the position of queen, and now the
time comes, and you choose him?
He’s an idiot! And, he doesn’t even
leave the castle! Is it because my
legs don’t work?

EVEREN
Enough Serena!

SERENA
Is it because I’m a woman?

EVEREN
SERENA!

SERENA
THIS ISN’T FAIR!

EVEREN
THE CHOICE HAS BEEN MADE! Now, you
will respect my decision, and you
will show respect to your brother!

SERENA
This is ridiculous.

Serena grabs her crutches and storms out of the meeting room.

INT. SERENA’S BEDROOM - AFTERNOON

Serena lays on her bed face down.

Lilith knocks on the door, and lets herself in.

LILITH
Sooooo… What happened?
 5.

Serena turns her head to talk.

SERENA
My idiot father chose my idiot
brother to be the heir to the
stupid throne. Dumb knows dumber I
suppose.

LILITH
Oh no. I’m so sorry.

Lilith places a hand on Serena’s back.

LILITH (CONT'D)
But hey, maybe it’s for the better.
Without the thrown, you get to have
all the freedom of being the
princess without any of the
responsibility of the crown.

Serena sits up. She takes a pillow from her bed and slams it
into the side of Lilith’s head, knocking her off the bed.
Lilith takes the second pillow and fights back. The two
laugh.

EXT. CASTLE GARDEN - NIGHT

Serena sits on a stone bench. She holds the wolf pelt in her
hands and admires her mother’s statue.

SERENA
I bet you could talk some sense
into those two numbskulls if you
were here.

Serena looks back down at her lap and SIGHS. She gets up,
grabs her crutches, puts the pelt over her shoulders, and
walks around the garden. She looks into the forest beyond the
castle. She scowls and puts the hood of the pelt over her
head. She suddenly drops to the floor. She tries to stand on
her two feet again, but she can’t seem to find her balance.
Her hands and legs turn to paws, and her body is covered in
hair. She is forced to walk on all fours.

A guard nearby sees a strange silhouette in the garden. He

walks toward it.

Serena Puts her head between her legs then turns herself
around to get a good look at her tail.

The guard sees the silhouette of a wolf in the garden, and

clutches his spear tighter.
 6.

Serena stares at her feet, and backs away, but she can’t run
away from herself.

GUARD
Hey!

The guard runs toward the wolf.

Serena spots the guard coming at her. She tries to run, but
she keeps fumbling. With shaky and wobbly steps, she runs
away.

The guard chases Serena, and Serena is forced into the woods.
Once inside the woods, she blends in with the darkness, and
the Guard stops chasing her.

GUARD (CONT'D)
Yeah, run! Don’t show your ugly
muzzle here again unless you want a
spear in your eye!

Serena keeps running until she collapses. She tries to

control her breath again. She moves her toes. She continues
to dig her back paws into the dirt. She slowly stands back
up. She walks, then trots, then runs. She breaths out of
control again. She keeps running.

She jumps across a small creek. She gets tripped by a root,

and fumbles onto her back. She rolls around in the grass.

She rolls over onto her stomach and looks at the moon. She
catches her breath. She uses her back leg to scratch at her
neck, until a little flap is made in her fur. She uses her
front paws to widen the gap, and Serena squeezes her (human)
head through. She transforms back into her human self. She
continues to look at the moon and grips the pelt on her
shoulders. She smiles. She leans up against a tree, and uses
it to prop herself back onto her feet. Serena walks without
her crutches. She laughs. She starts walking faster and
faster until she jogs. She trips again, but she gets back up
and goes right back to frolicking through the forest.

EXT. CASTLE GARDEN - LATER

Serena walks back to the garden. She bends over and grabs her
crutches. She looks at her mother’s statue, and puts the
crutches back under her arms. She smiles at her mother’s
statue, and walks back into the castle.

INT. MEETING ROOM - AFTERNOON

Kolec and Everen sit across from each other.

 7.

KOLEC
Father, as much as I appreciate the
crown, I’m not sure I’m ready to -

EVEREN
You have to be. I know you must
feel underprepared as the younger
sibling, but you have to be ready.
Your sister… as much as I love her…
She physically isn’t capable of
doing the things a proper queen
should. And, besides, with her
disability nobody will respect her.
You can’t imagine what it’s like
seeing her with her crutches, and
knowing that the only way to
prevent her from more pain is to
deny her the thing she wants most.

Lilith walks in with her tray of tea and biscuits. She

approaches the meeting table and places down her tray. She
walks out, but hides behind the door frame.

KOLEC
I understand, but… (whispers) I
don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t
know what a proper king is supposed
to do or act or anything. And -

EVEREN
Kolec, relax. I’m going to walk you
through it. I’ll teach you
everything you need to know.

Lilith finally walks away. She makes her way to Serena’s

room, but Serena isn’t there.

EXT. FOREST - CONTINUED

Serena runs through the forest barefoot.

The sun goes down.

Serena puts the hood over her head and turns into the beast.

She stalks the kingdom’s rural town. People shut their doors,
and begin to blow out their lanterns.

A man kicks a cat off his front porch. The cat MEOWS loudly.

MAN
Get - you little pest!
 8.

The man goes inside his house and blows out the lantern on
his windowsill.

The cat claws at the door and MEOWS louder.

MAN (CONT'D)
Damn cat! Shut it!

The cat MEOWS again

Serena’s eyes reflect bright red in the moonlight.

The cat HISSES at Serena.

The cat lets out a piercing SCREAM.

The cat goes silent.

INT. CASTLE MEETING ROOM - DAY

Kolec is approached by a man from the town, and they give him
a drawing of a large black wolf.

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT

Serena stalks the town.

She puts on the pelt hood.

The people of the town blow out their lanterns.

Serena runs through the farmland. She rips vegetables from

out of the ground, and rolls around in the fresh dirt.

INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY

Kolec and several men from the town show King Everen the
drawing of the wolf.

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT

Serena stalks the town.

She puts on the pelt hood.

The people of the town blow out their lanterns.

Serena creeps up on a herd of sheep. She pounces.

 9.

INT. SERENA’S BEDROOM - NIGHT

Serena (in her beast form) comes into her room through the
window. She scratches at her neck, until she can get her head
out of the pelt. Her face is smeared with sheep’s blood from
the pelt. She transforms back and she smiles. She looks up.
Lilith stands there with Serena’s clothes in her hands, half
way into putting them into her closet. Lilith's mouth hangs
open. Serena lunges toward her, pins her to the wardrobe, and
covers Lilith’s mouth with her hand.

SERENA
(Whispering)
You have seen nothing, you
understand? Not a word of this
leaves this room, or you will be
SEVERELY punished. And - AUGH

Serena yanks her hand away from Lilith’s mouth.

SERENA (CONT'D)
Did you just lick my hand?

Lilith grabs Serena’s hand while it’s still up.

LILITH
(Whispers)
You can walk?!

SERENA
Yeah, it’s something new I’ve been
trying out.

LILITH
(Whispers)
This changes everything.

Lilith drags Serena by the hand she licked

LILITH (CONT'D)
Come with me.

INT. CASTLE BATHHOUSE - LATER

Serena is in a bathtub full of bubbles, while Lilith scrubs

Serena’s hair.

SERENA
You could’ve just told me I stank.
 10.

LILITH
Don’t change the subject. You’ve
been the beast terrorizing the
kingdom this whole time?

SERENA
Yes.

LILITH
You’ve got this entire kingdom
looking for you. Your father is
making plans to send out patrols to
hunt the beast and kill any wolves
they find in the area. What if they
catch you?

Serena turns around to face Lilith.

SERENA
Patrols? I didn’t hear about any
new patrols. How do you know about
this?

Lilith goes around the tub to face Serena.

LILITH
I’m the maid. I get invited to
every meeting as long as I can hold
a tea pot. I’m not allowed to open
my mouth, but they never said I had
to shut my ears.

SERENA
(Smirks)
You could get fired for that.

LILITH
And, you could be killed for that.

Lilith points at Serena’s pelt that hangs on the wall.

LILITH (CONT'D)
We all have our secrets. You keep
mine. I keep yours.

Lilith gets up, grabs one of the pelt’s paws, and smiles.

LILITH (CONT'D)
You still want to inherit the
throne, right?

SERENA
Of course I do!
 11.

LILITH
Perfect, because a great
opportunity has presented itself.

SERENA
What do you mean?

LILITH
There is a meeting happening
tomorrow at 9 in the morning in the
meeting room, the large one.

SERENA
I’m not invited.

LILITH
I know, but you’re the princess.
The guards have to let you in
regardless. Once, you’re in, you’ll
get more information on the new
patrol. By day, you can join the
patrol and hunt for the beast, and
by night, you can keep causing
trouble as the beast.

Lilith turns around to face Serena.

LILITH (CONT'D)
In one of your father’s meetings,
he said the reason he didn’t choose
you was because you were physically
unfit and nobody would respect you
with your disability.

Serena leans forward fast, splashing water.

SERENA
But, I can walk now! At least when
I’m wearing that.

Serena points at the pelt.

Lilith kneels down in from of the tub again. She gets close
to Serena’s face.

LILITH
Exactly! So, show them.

SERENA
I can’t show them I can walk
without my crutches all the sudden.
They’ll know something’s up.
 12.

LILITH
Then, show them without showing
them. Prove that you’re not
physically unfit. You’re not slowed
down by your crutches. Don’t just
earn your people’s respect, demand
it.

Serena looks at her and chuckles.

SERENA
It’s a little scary how smart you
are.

LILITH
(Smirks)
No one ever suspects the maid.

INT. MEETING ROOM - DAY

Kolec and Everen enter the meeting room together. Everen is

being supported by a servant. The two arrive to the table
only to find Serena already there.

SERENA
Good morning gentlemen.

EVEREN
Morning.

The three wait until all the men of the town are in
attendance.

The meeting begins.

KOLEC
Thank you all for coming. We’ve
been informed of the recent beast
attacks, and as of the last
meeting, we have proposed the idea
of a daily patrol to hunt and kill
the beast and any other dangerous
creatures we find in the area.
We’ve invited the men of the town
to gather here to discuss your
positions as part of that patrol.
We will find -

SERENA
I volunteer to lead the patrol.

The meeting room goes quiet.

 13.

EVEREN
Serena, you cannot lead the patrol.

SERENA
Why not?

EVEREN
You know why.

SERENA
Because, I’m not physically fit for
the position? Or, because nobody
will respect me for - OW!

Lilith pours a little bit of hot tea over Serena’s hand.

LILITH
Forgive me princess.

Lilith cleans up the tea.

EVEREN
You would only slow the patrol
down. And, what if you got hurt?

Serena lets out a deep sigh.

SERENA
You have no idea how much I hate it
when you say things like that. I am
not fragile, father, and I wish you
could see it. Mother saw it, and -

EVEREN
Don’t bring your mother into this.
She died at the hands of those
wolves, and I will not let you
suffer the same fate!

SERENA
At least she died honorably!

Everen stands from his chair.

EVEREN
You’re right! She died protecting,
you and all I got out of it was a
hot headed, cripple daughter who
doesn’t fucking listen - augh

Everen grips at his chest, and sits back down. He breathes

slowly.
 14.

KOLEC
Father, what’s wrong?

EVEREN
Nothing, I’m fine.

Everen waves Kolec away. He relaxes his hand over his chest,
and lets out a deep exhale.

EVEREN (CONT'D)
You are forbidden from joining this
and any other patrol. If you are
caught disobeying me, you will be
locked in your room with no food.
Do you understand?

Serena scowls.

SERENA
Yes, sir.

EVEREN
Good. Now, let’s finish this damn
meeting.

EXT. THE CASTLE COURTYARD - DAY

The men of the town dress themselves in armor.

One of the men from the meeting tries to mount a horse, when
Serena’s leg comes around the horse from the other side. The
man steps away.

MAN
Princess? What are you doing?

SERENA
Leading the patrol.

MAN
You were forbidden from joining the
patrol.

SERENA
And, you’re forbidden from telling
my father.

MAN
But, I’m supposed to lead this
patrol.

SERENA
Not anymore.
 15.

Patrol man crosses his arms.

MAN
I’m not comfortable with you
leading us.

SERENA
Ok, then leave. You will be
forbidden from joining any other
military endeavors, and you will
die of old age dishonorably and
alone.

Serena addresses the rest of the men in the courtyard.

SERENA (CONT'D)
Is anyone else uncomfortable with
me leading this patrol?

The men murmur. None answer her.

SERENA (CONT'D)
Good. Then let’s head out.

Serena holds out a leather helmet to the man.

SERENA (CONT'D)
You’re choice.

The man groans and grabs the leather helmet.

EXT. FOREST - DAY

Serena leads the patrol through the forest. She raises her
hand in a fist, and the patrol comes to a halt. She puts her
pointer finger over her lips. She points into the forest. Men
with crossbows aim in the direction she points, and fire.

The men hang a fox carcass on Serena’s horse’s saddle. They

hang a wolverine, then a mole.

A guard puts his crossbow up. He aims at a wolf in the

distance. Serena kicks the crossbow gently as it fires. The
guard misses his shot. The guard looks at Serena, but she
doesn’t acknowledge him.

EXT. TOWN - SUNSET

Serena and her men march proudly through the town. People of
the town stop what they’re doing and look at them. Children
smile. A little girl comes up to Serena’s horse, and tries to
give Serena a flower crown.
 16.

Serena smiles, grabs the flower crown, and puts it on her

head. The little girl giggles and runs back to her mother.

INT. CASTLE HALLWAY/ EVEREN’S ROOM - LATER

Lilith waits for Serena in the hallway. Serena finally

arrives, and the two hug.

LILITH
I think I can guess where you’ve
been all day.

Lilith pulls away from the hug, and touches Serena’s flower
crown.

LILITH (CONT'D)
Where’d you get this?

SERENA
A little girl gave it to me on my
way back.

Lilith smiles.

LILITH
Someone finally sees you as the
queen you are.

The two laugh, but their laughs are interrupted by the

strange sound of cries. Serena grabs Lilith’s hand, and walks
with her down the hall to investigate the sound. Serena turns
the corner to see her father in his room. He exhales sharply
and sniffs back his tears.

LILITH (CONT'D)
(Whispers)
I’ll wait out here.

Lilith leans against the wall. Serena enters her father’s

room.

SERENA
Father?

Everen inhales sharply.

EVEREN
Serena. What brings you here?

Everen quickly puts a framed portrait of queen Arianna face

down on the windowsill. Everen doesn’t turn around.
 17.

SERENA
I just heard you crying. Is
everything alright?

EVEREN
Yes, I’m fine. Just… reminiscing.

SERENA
Is there anything I can do to lift
your spirits?

EVEREN
I don’t think so, child.

Serena goes over to her father’s dresser and wipes some dust
off his things.

SERENA
Well, I have good news. The patrol
today went well. We didn’t catch
any wolves, but we caught some
pests.

EVEREN
Why am I not surprised you
disobeyed me?

SERENA
(Smirks)
I don’t know. You’d think after
having to deal with me for so long,
you’d start to figure me out.

Everen and Serena chuckle.

SERENA (CONT'D)
Father… I’m not fragile or weak or
deven scared. I know I probably
should be, but I’m not. I know this
kingdom and I know my people. So,
why did you choose him?

EVEREN
I was scared the people wouldn’t
respect you. I just wanted to
protect you from anymore pain.

SERENA
Well… I’m not hurting anymore.

Serena drops her crutches and stands tall. Everen quickly

turns around at the sound of the crutches on the floor. His
jaw hangs open.
 18.

EVEREN
Serena?

Serena smiles.

Everen slowly gets up form his chair and approaches Serena.

EVEREN (CONT'D)
Your not in pain?

Serena shakes her head.

Everen grabs Serena by her shoulders and looks at her legs.

He brings her in for a big hug, and a tear runs down his
cheek. Serena pulls away.

SERENA
Is there any chance you could
change your mind?

Everen begins to smile, when suddenly he grabs at his chest.

He tries to hold onto Serena, but she can’t support his
weight. They both end up on the floor.

SERENA (CONT'D)
Father? Father, are you alright?
What’s wrong?

Lilith sees the king collapse form the door, and comes into
the room. She kneels in front of him and grabs one of the
king’s arms.

LILITH
Did he change his mind?

Serena shoots Lilith a nasty look.

SERENA
Lilith! Don’t ask me that right
now! Go get help!

Lilith obeys, and runs out of the room.

Serena holds her father on the ground, while he struggles to

breath.

INT. CHURCH - DAY

Every one in attendance wears black. Somber music plays. A

large portrait of king Everen hangs at the front of the
church for everyone to see. A casket lays at the front of the
church beneath the portrait.
 19.

Serena stands in the front row, while Kolec cries in the

back. He tries to hide his face. Lilith stands next to
Serena.

LILITH
I’m so sorry for your loss.

Serena doesn’t answer.

LILITH (CONT'D)
The coronation is only 7 days away
now. What are we going to do?

SERENA
Can we not talk about this right
now? We’re at a funeral. We’ll talk
after.

INT. SERENA’S BEDROOM - LATER

Lilith sits at Serena’s desk and fidgets with some paper, and
Serena lays on her bed.

SERENA
I don’t think I can do anything
now. My father he - That was my
last chance. The coronation is in a
week.

Lilith stops fidgeting with Serena’s papers.

LILITH
I did have one last Idea.

SERENA
Before you tell me, let me check up
on Kolec. He’s having a hard time
right now.

INT. HALLWAY/ KOLEC’S BEDROOM - LATER

Kolec looks out his window, facing away from the door. His
eyes are still puffy from crying.

Serena knocks and walks in.

SERENA
Kolec? Are you doing ok?

KOLEC
Yes, I’m fine.
 20.

SERENA
Ok. Just making sure. Do you have
plans today? It might be good to
finally get out of the castle.

KOLEC
(Stern)
Yeah, I’m getting out of the
castle. Tonight I’m leading the
patrol, and we will not return
until that beast dead.

SERENA
Ok, well… that sounds like a bit
much. Are you sure -

Serena places a hand on Kolec’s shoulder, and he turns around

quickly to look her dead in the eyes.

KOLEC
It’s the last thing father told me
to do. It’s the only thing I’m sure
about. I’m the man of the castle
now, and you are forbidden from
intervening in this patrol.

SERENA
What?

Kolec turn back around to face the window again.

KOLEC
I’m going to kill this monster.

Serena looks at him concerned. She turns around, and leaves

the room.

SERENA
(Whispers)
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

Serena bumps into Lilith in the hallway.

SERENA (CONT'D)
What’s your plan?

EXT. FOREST - NIGHT

Kolec leads the patrol on horseback, while the rest of the

armed guard follows closely behind.
 21.

LILITH (V.O.)
First we need to separate him from
the pack.

A large black silhouette darts across Kolec’s path. Kolec

lifts up his fist, and the guard stops. The dark Silhouette
darts across Kolec’s path again, and scratches his horse. The
horse gets scared, kicks at some of the men behind it, and
runs. The guards don’t follow as Kolec is separated. Kolec
tries to get control of his horse again, but it knocks him
off. Kolec props himself up, and wipes mud off his face. The
dark Silhouette reveals itself to be the beast in the
moonlight. Kolec draws his sword.

LILITH (V.O.)
Then all we have to do is scare him
into submission.

KOLEC
Stay back!

Kolec swings his sword like a mad man. He jumps up to his

feet, and keeps swinging. Serena backs away, but gets tripped
by a tree root. Lilith jumps in front of her. Lilith’s arm
falls to the floor. Kolec realizes what he’s done. Serena
quickly takes the pelt hood off, and holds Lilith. She
applies pressure to her wound. Kolec is taken aback. His
sword shakes in his hands. He drops the sword.

Kolec runs, and tries to get back on his horse, but FOOTSTEPS
are approaching him fast. Serena tackles Kolec to the ground
and swings her fists into his face. Kolec puts his hands up
to his face. Serena sees his hands shake, and she stops
hurting him. Kolec’s face is bloody. She catches her breath.

KOLEC (CONT'D)
(A blubbering mess)
Please… please.

Serena stands up. She realizes what she’s done. Kolec keeps
his hands up.

SERENA
(Sincerely)
I never wanted things to get
violent… I just wanted to scare
you.

KOLEC
Why? The throne?

SERENA
(disappointed in herself)
Yeah.
 22.

KOLEC
It’s yours.

SERENA
What?

KOLEC
I don’t know what I’m doing, and
father isn’t around to help me
anymore. You’ve worked your whole
life for the throne, so it only
makes sense for you to have it.

SERENA
Are you sure?

Serena helps Kolec up off the ground.

KOLEC
You’d make an amazing queen.

Lilith appears behind Serena.

LILITH
Serena, what are you doing?

SERENA
Lilith.

Lilith comes up to Serena and yanks her away from Kolec.

LILITH
He’s in our way. Nobody will
respect you as long as he’s around.

SERENA
What are you talking about? We got
what we wanted. We’re done. There’s
no need for anymore senseless
violence.

LILITH
Look at my arm!

KOLEC
Lilith, I’m so -

LILITH
Stay out of this! (To Serena) Even
if the crown is on your head, the
eyes and hearts of your people will
always be on him. If you’re too
scared to do what must be done, I
will!
 23.

Lilith pulls Serena’s hood over her head, and she turns into
the beast. Serena tries to get her head back out of the hood,
while Lilith grabs Kolec’s sword. Lilith swings at Kolec.

KOLEC
Lilith! Where is this coming from?
Lilith!

Serena finally gets her head out of the hood. Lilith Stabs
Kolec, draws the bloody sword out of his chest and throws it
on the ground. Kolec tries to stumble toward Serena. He falls
into her arms. She slowly brings him to the ground. Kolec
grabs at Serena’s wrist. He struggles to breath. Serena’s
golden bracelet JINGLES as Kolec breaks it. Kolec’s eyes stay
open, but his body goes lifeless. Her broken bracelet
entangles in his fingers. Serena stares at her brother’s body
in horror.

LILITH
There. We’ll say the beast got to
him and it ran off before anyone
could catch it. Nobody should
suspect us.

Serena doesn’t take her eyes off her brother’s body.

SERENA
No one ever suspects the maid.

LILITH
What?

SERENA
You should run.

Serena stands back up.

Lilith realizes she’s in trouble. She runs.

Serena sprints in Lilith’s direction. She catches up to her

fast. She tackles her to the ground, and takes off her pelt,
and throws it aside.

SERENA (CONT'D)
I’m not going to need this.

Serena beats Lilith’s face until Serena’s knuckles are bare

and bloody. Serena struggles to get back up so she props
herself up on a tree, and uses a long stick as a make-shift
cane. She wobbly walks out of the forest.
 24.

EXT. CASTLE BALCONY - DAY

The balcony faces the town, where everyone waits to see

Serena.

Serena finally comes out with her scepter and orb in hand
with a jeweled crown on her head.

The people of the town cheer at the sight of her.

A single tear runs down Serena’s face.

FADE OUT: