QUEEN OF SWORDS SYNOPSIS
102 DEATH TO THE QUEEN

WRITTEN BY: Jocelyne Barque-Simmons
DIRECTED BY: Jon Cassar

Men of Santa Helena are being framed to be arrested and sent to work in a gold mine for Montoya.

GUEST CAST:
CRISTINA SEGOVIA as Louisa

This episode opens with men hard at work at the mines while guards hover over them. A sergeant and Grisham are on horseback on a cliff across the way. Montoya needs the gold and it isn't being brought out quickly enough for him. The Sergeant tells him that they need more men, and Grisham sees a wagon of men brought to the mine by soldiers.

GRISHAM: Well today's your lucky day. Here are more 'volunteers'.

One of the 'volunteers' tries to escape by running away and climbing up the cliff only to have Grisham at the top with his hand out.

GRISHAM: Need a hand? I'd take it if I were you.
The guy spits at it.
GUY: Go to hell.
GRISHAM: Your choice.

He falls to his death.

~~~~~

Marta and Tessa are going through supplies for something to buy. The pickings are slim as the supply ships haven't arrived for a while. Tessa needs some fruit, spices... spies a golden apple in a barrel. The lone one. She reaches for it only to have it snatched away at the last second by a dirty hand. The man hungrily munches down on it, famished.

TESSA: I beg your pardon. That was mine!
DR. HELM: Was it?

He's grungy and washes his hand on his chest and cuts the apple in half and holds half out to her.

HELM: We can share.
She only stares at him.
HELM: Didn't think so.
He keeps eating it.
TESSA: You could have at least have asked me first.
HELM: But then I'd have to introduce myself, exchange pleasantries. That would have taken far too long.
TESSA: So why not? Just grab it?
HELM: I was hungry. I still am, very hungry. And obviously being a woman of wealth and privilege, you wouldn't know what that feels like.
MONTOYA: Ah, Dr. Helm. You've arrived.
TESSA: You're a doctor?
HELM: I rode all the way from Texas just to steal your apple.
MONTOYA: I see you've met Senorita Alvarado.

He tips his scruffy hat to her and Montoya and he walk away.

~~~~~

All the way home, Tessa calls him every name in the book to Marta.

MARTA: ... broad shoulders, blue eyes...
TESSA: Green eyes.

A young woman runs up calling for Marta. She tells them that her husband Torrio was accused of stealing cotton. Tessa knows him and knows he's not a thief. Torrio hasn't come home after the soldiers at the jail told her that he was set free. He's disappeared.

~~~~~

Tessa goes to see Montoya, who feigns surprise.

TESSA: My workers are convinced that once they enter your jail, they're never heard from again.
MONTOYA: Disappearing husbands are nothing new. Senorita, many a man discovers, alas, too late, that he has made an error in his choice of life companion.

Grisham comes, making Montoya end the visit.

MONTOYA: Be careful, Maria Teresa. If one so beautiful as you were to disappear, it would break my heart.
TESSA: Don't worry Colonel. I have no intention of disappearing.

As soon as she leaves, Montoya lights into Grisham about falling behind in production at the mine. Grisham tells him that they are because the men are dropping like flies. Grisham worries about the Queen of Swords finding out and going to the mine. Montoya reveals that was the plan.

~~~~~

In the town square, Dr. Helm is shaving in front of a make shift wall holding a mirror and wash basin. Senora Hidalgo is an attentive audience, and who can really blame her?

VERA: You don't look married, Dr. Helm.
HELM: I wasn't aware marriage had a look.

Her husband arrives in a carriage and she gives the good Doctor a welcoming gift from her husband and herself, a bottle of wine.

DON HIDALGO: My wife is lovely, isn't she Doctor? Perhaps you will find one of your own.

~~~~~

From a distance, and seeing through a spyglass, The Queen sees mine workers being blindfolded and put onto a wagon and are on their way. The Queen rides to intercept them.

~~~~~

Back in town, Dr. Helm is at work tending to a soldier at the makeshift doctor's office in the square. Montoya comes by. He wants a word with the doctor, but he still has two more to see.

MONTOYA: Before you came, they had to lick their wounds clean. They wouldn't mind having to wait a minute or two.
They walk.
MONTOYA: Hypothetically speaking, Doctor, what if several confined men were to suddenly become ill, unable to work?
HELM: Why are they confined?
MONTOYA: That is unimportant. Their symptoms are all the same. Trouble breathing, fainting sometimes--.
HELM: Perhaps they are being worked to exhaustion.
MONTOYA: No, no. Hypothetically speaking, isn't there a medicine you can prescribe?
HELM: Well I would prescribe that you would take them out of the place they're working.
MONTOYA: And if that were not possible... surely there must be some medicine, no?
HELM: If these men are truly sick... hypothetically speaking... then I should see them. And sooner rather than later.

~~~~~

The Queen follows the wagon to the bottom of the canyon and realizes that she may have waltzed right into an ambush, which is what she had done. She's shot by one of Grisham's men and runs away on foot. On the top of a cliff by the shore, she's in a fight with a couple of the men and then jumps off the cliff, even though there are a lot of sharp looking rocks below in the surf.

~~~~~

Soldiers are still looking for her at the shore, but no luck, but one of them did find a piece of her black blouse. A very nice piece of silk. Grisham demands that his men keep looking, that he wants her corpse, and goes back to give Montoya the only evidence.

~~~~~

Montoya and Don Hidalgo are drinking, and Montoya had offered a share of the mines to him. The Don asks about the workers who are disappearing. Grisham rides up to where they are sitting and produces the silk.

~~~~~

In Montoya's office, he calls the black cloth "the skin of the fox". They try to figure out who she is by it. It's expensive and must be a Spaniard. They figure that since she was wounded, if not dead by the fall, they would know who she is by who didn't show up for the party for Helm that evening.

~~~~~

Vera goes to Marta, wanting to talk to Tessa, and tells Marta to give her a message, that the Queen of Swords was shot and is most likely dead. Marta is shook up and wants to leave, but Vera tells her that she loves Tessa's dresses and knows Marta makes them and has to have one of her own.

~~~~~

On the beach, a soldier finds her sword, then her body down the coastline. She's lying face down, lost her blouse but is wearing an undershirt that oddly enough wasn't visible earlier when she revealed extreme cleavage, and seems to be dead. He reaches for her and of course she comes to life and knocks him out. Another soldier comes riding up and she grabs the soldier's gun, but it doesn't work. She times it correctly and grabs the lance the riding soldier was going to use on her and she flips him off the horse and steals it to get away.

~~~~~

Marta goes home devastated that Tessa is dead, but Tessa emerges from the shadows. The wound from being shot in the side is just a scratch, or so Tessa says.

Later, they discuss her going to the party. Marta doesn't think she should go, but Tessa knows she has to, that Montoya would know she's the Queen if she doesn't show up. Gotta feel for Tessa as Marta tightens up the corset!

~~~~~

At the party at Montoya's for Dr. Helm's arrival in town, Montoya and Grisham stand as a receiving line for coming guests and once again talk about needing the gold from the mine for an artillery shipment. Grisham leaves as Helm shakes Montoya's hand.

MONTOYA: Dr. Helm. It is a boorish guest who arrives late to his own party.
HELM: And a poor host who points this out.

They join the party. Montoya paints the Queen of Swords as a backward Robin Hood who keeps the gold for herself. Tessa is clearly uncomfortable in her tight corset and dress and leans up against the wall to collect her breath. Marta goes to her and wraps a shawl around her because her wound is bleeding. They see the soldier from the beach talking to Montoya and they mosey over to the other side of the room.

~~~~~

Montoya is bawling out Grisham for leaving a fool to search for the Queen of Swords and sees a blood stain on the wall. The Queen is there.

MONTOYA: Close off all the exits. We have her. And this time, we shall keep her.

Montoya announces to his guests that there is someone injured, and should see a doctor.

MONTOYA: He will treat your wound in a gentle and gracious fashion.
HELM: What the hell is going on?
MONTOYA: The Queen of Swords is here. She's wounded and concealing it.

Since the victim hadn't come forward on their own, it could only mean it is a modest woman.

MONTOYA: Ladies, surely your husbands cannot object a man's hands being upon you, if he was a doctor.

The ladies gladly line up to be 'examined' by the good doctor while Tessa lingers at the back of the line. As she gets closer to the front, she and Marta are rightly worried. As soon as Doctor Helm's hand in on Tessa's, Marta comes forward with her fresh wound on her hand, because she broke a wine glass in it. She told Montoya that she was afraid to come forward sooner because servants aren't allowed to drink wine. Helm steps forward to care for her.

HELM: Come with me.
MONTOYA: I do not see the need.
HELM: As I said before, I am the doctor.

He escorts her off. Tessa is going to go with them, but Montoya stops her. Surely she can't be worried, she's only household staff.

TESSA: I'm not worried about her. I'm worried about me. Who will do my laundry?

~~~~~

Helm tends to Marta's hand and she gets a psychic vision of him in a great battle. Cannons going off, men slashing with swords, men dying. A closeup of Helm's cold eyes as he fires a rifle.

MARTA: These hands are not the hands of a doctor. So much blood. So much death.

Suddenly, Helm has lost his cool exterior and quickly stands. He gives fresh bandaging to Tessa, who had just entered and makes his hasty departure.

~~~~~

The next day, Marta has trouble using only one hand to do the wash, but is angry at the blood stain on Tessa's undershirt. They can't afford to ruin good clothes. Tessa wonders why she snapped at her, and Marta reveals that she's worried about losing her. Thinking that she was killed and almost losing her to Montoya the night before was too much.

Vera arrives to have a dress made by her as they had arranged and talk about workers being taken to work in the mine.

~~~~~

Montoya asks Helm, who's standing on the street in traveling clothes, to come with him. When Helm puts him off, that he's busy, Montoya tells him it's to treat the sick.

HELM: Are you telling me that the hypothetical sick have become real?
MONTOYA: It is a military manner and I'm sure you understand the need for discretion.
HELM: I'm beginning to understand many things, Colonel.

~~~~~

Tessa visits Don Hidalgo and makes small talk before getting into the subject of the location of abandoned mines. The man who died falling off the cliff in the beginning is brought into town and she gets up to leave.

DON HIDALGO: Maria Teresa. Here, curiosity is not a virtue.

~~~~~

At the mine, the men are kept busy working, the Queen arrives to watch from a distance, and Helm has checked some of the men.

HELM: The only way to save these men is to keep them out of the mine.
SERGEANT: Tell that to Colonel Montoya.
HELM: How can he possibly justify that?
SERGEANT: Because the Colonel says there is no mine. No gold. No men. That is how he justifies it.

The soldiers know the Queen is coming and Helm looks all over, asks who's coming. The Sergeant orders three men, no, make it six. They line up six workers.

SERGEANT: Any of you move, you're dead.
HELM: What the hell do you think you're doing?

The Sergeant points his gun at the head of the first man in line and calls for the Queen. She has ten seconds to show herself. When he gets to seven, Helm knocks his gun hand away.

HELM: This is barbaric. If you think--.
He's held back by other soldiers.
HELM: You're mad!

He gets down to one in the countdown and the Queen yells out stop.

SERGEANT: You waited long enough...
QUEEN: I wasn't sure you could count.

Helm smiles at that. She's brought to the mine entrance and tied to a post for Grisham to do with as he pleases. Helm gets them to give in and give the men water. The workers are excited that the Queen is there. A soldier wants to take off her mask. He's told Grisham would rip out his heart if he saw who she is before he does.

HELM: She's bleeding.
SERGEANT: She's a prisoner. You can't go near her.
HELM: You want her alive for Captain Grisham, don't you?

~~~~~

Marta is in the church and sees Montoya.

MONTOYA: Today is the anniversary of my father's death. I never let a special day pass without celebrating.

Grisham opens the door to tell Montoya they have the Queen. The widow of the man who fell off the cliff gasps. Montoya tells Marta,

MONTOYA: You see, Senora? You should never underestimate the power of prayer.

~~~~~

Helm is putting bandage on her wound.

QUEEN: Don't bother.
HELM: I have to stop the bleeding.
QUEEN: So Grisham and Montoya can kill me later?
He bends behind her and then slowly straightens up.
HELM: No. So that I can do this.
He cuts the rope.
HELM: The rest is up to you.

Montoya and Grisham arrive, she gets free and takes a soldier's gun and takes off into the mine. A soldier follows. She gets the better of him in the mine and punches a hole in a keg of gun powder and tells him to go back toward the entrance. She rolls the keg along with them.

HELM: If you're planning to commit murder today, you'll have to commit more than one.

MONTOYA: I may have to hold you to your word, Doctor.

He pushes him aside. The Sergeant and Queen come out of the entrance and she's holding a lantern. She wants to say a prayer, and tosses the lantern into the mine. As she goes to the ground, the mine explodes. In the smoke, she disappears, a tarot card of the Queen of Swords flutters down to Grisham. He takes it to Montoya, with Helm standing behind him.

HELM: I think she left that for you.

~~~~~

The next day or so, the supply shipment has arrived and the townfolk are happy.

MONTOYA: Everyone has what they wanted from the supply ship, but me.
GRISHAM: Looks like your empire will have to wait.
MONTOYA: You'll be waiting on me, Grisham, whatever happens.

Helm and Tessa reach for the same apple again, only this time, she gets it first and bites into it.

TESSA: I took your advice and didn't eat anything all morning to feel what hunger felt like.
HELM: And?
TESSA: Now I know.

As Tessa and Marta walk away, Helm smiles that she's once again talking about getting a new dress like a spoiled rich girl would.

THE END

Synopsis by:

JoLayne
EnyaJo@aol.com

Jo's Obsessions
http://www.oocities.org/enyajo

Manzana Core - Blatent Worship of Dr. Helm
http://www.oocities.org/manzanacore