QUEEN OF SWORDS SYNOPSIS
120 TAKES A THIEF

WRITER: Elizabeth Keyishian
DIRECTOR: Paolo Barzman

Montoya makes a deal with two conmen to kill the Queen of Swords. Too bad the Queen saved their lives and they refuse to follow through with the deal.

GUEST STARRING:
DARREN TIGHE as Fenner
RALF MOELLER as Roman

COUNTRY
Two men, one really tall, Roman, and one an Englishman, Fenner, are in the country talking about needing a blacksmith for one of their horse's shoe and robbing. They mention that Santa Helena is the next town, so they'll go there. Just then, a black clad woman rides with four guards chasing her.

ROMAN: Who is that?
Fenner: I'd stop her to ask but she looks a bit busy. Nice saddle.

SANTA HELENA
Montoya is having a fit. It's the second time this month that the Queen has taken the tax money sent to Monterrey. The poster for the capture of the Queen is now up to 1000 reales. Roman and Fenner think good idea. Fenner rips the poster off the board and walks on. Marta is by the Alvarado wagon as Vlad, the Russian blacksmith, is checking the axle. He's sweet on her. The wagon falls on top of him. Marta calls for help. She grabs a lever as men gather. Suddenly, the wagon is lifted by one man, the giant, Roman. Roman asks Marta out for dinner. She accepts. She offers to meet him at the cantina, but he says he will pick her up at home. Roman leaves as Marta swoons.

VLAD: Remember me? The man who almost died?

MONTOYA'S OFFICE
Fenner is playing chess with Montoya. He wants Montoya to hire him and Roman for a 1000 reales to capture the Queen. His 'large friend' outside can conquer 6 of Montoya's men. Montoya takes him up on the deal.

SQUARE
Guards fly from Roman and Fenner sword fights another soldier to prove their worth. Montoya tells a guard to pay them the 6 reales they had bet and they are hired to kill the Queen.

ALVARADO HACIENDA
Marta is making candles in the kitchen while Tessa talks about the shipment of gold that Montoya is going to be sending through. Marta isn't paying much attention and asks how late she'll be.

TESSA: That depends on how many men will try to kill me this time.

Marta asks if she should have supper waiting for her. She has a date. With who? No one Tessa knows. Tessa wants details. Marta is mum.

SANTA HELENA HOTEL
Fenner is very funny trying to figure out where the Queen will strike at Montoya's gold. 'This area is the safest, but the Queen would know that we know that that's the safest spot, so she'd pick the other area. So they'll go to the smarter area' type thing.

COUNTRY
Tessa rides Chico down the shoreline, then through the middle of a herd of sheep and ends up on a cliff above the Calypso Road waiting for the shipment. Fenner comes and she will fight him, backs into the moose of a man, Roman. She will pick the littler man. They sword fight precariously close to the cliff. She gets the better of Fenner.

QUEEN: And they say size doesn't matter?
Fenner: Oh, it does matter, but there are other ways to compensate.

She gets his sword from him.

Fenner: Where did you learn how to do that?
QUEEN: Finishing school.

He sics Roman on her. She loses one sword. She kicks him and he doesn't move. She's getting really close to the edge of the cliff. Roman attacks and she ducks and rolls, he goes over the cliff. He's just hanging on for deer life when Fenner grabs his sleeve.

Fenner: You're nothing but meat and potatoes. Would it kill you to eat a salad?

Fenner is about to fall over the edge when the Queen's whip goes around his feet. She's on Chico and Chico backs up, pulling them both to safety.

Roman tells Fenner to let her go, she saved his life, he can't kill her.

LATER
Fenner tells Roman the whole deal that he set up with Montoya, that they have to kill the Queen of Swords. Roman hadn't known about the killing part. Fenner says that it's not like she's going to go to Montoya willingly. Roman will not kill her and if Fenner goes after her, he'll have to kill him.

ALVARADO HACIENDA
Marta is primping her hair for her date as Tessa tells her about the fight. There's a knock on the door and Marta asks Tessa to get the door. Tessa is half dressed as the Queen, but puts on a robe and answers the kitchen door. Sees Roman and goes back to Marta. That's the man who tried to kill her! She can't go on that date. Marta doesn't believe it, she's seen into his heart. There must be a reason. She's going on the date to find out.

MONTOYA'S OFFICE
Fenner wants to break the deal, his conscious won't let him kill a woman who saved his life. He tells Montoya that his gold got through. Montoya scoffs. He wouldn't trust his gold to them. The strong boxes were filled with rocks.

Fenner is followed through the square. Lots of extras in this episode! Cool! He walks by Montoya leaning against a wall.

MONTOYA: You're just con men. Petty thieves.
Fenner: There's nothing petty about us.

He also tells Fenner that he knows that he and Roman are wanted by three Presidios. They will kill the Queen for him, or he will hang them. Fenner pulls out a little gun and holds it to Montoya's face. Many guards pull their rifles behind Fenner.

CANTINA
Marta asks Roman if he's a bounty hunter. He acknowledges that he is, among other things. She takes his hand to see. Three brothers and two sisters. She sees that his father died in prison and starts to mention his mother. He is surprised as he's never told anyone of his mother. He assures Marta that the Queen saved his life and she is safe. He will not harm her. Montoya comes and tells Roman that Fenner is in jail. Roman will have to kill the Queen or Montoya will hang Fenner. Roman gets up to go, Marta is worried. He can't let his friend die, sorry.

ALVARADO LAND
Marta is telling Tessa about the date. She wants the Queen to rescue Fenner so Roman doesn't have to kill her.

JAIL
Roman goes to see Fenner for another way to save him without killing the Queen. He asks the odds of breaking him out of there. 200-1. They reminisce about old times. Fenner had took a bullet for Roman in Tobago and in Malta had set them up with a set of twins... Siamese... Roman leaves, guards come to take Fenner away.

HOTEL
Roman is on the bed caressing his sword blade when the Queen comes.

QUEEN: You know what they say about a man's sword... the longer the blade the smaller the... brain.

She tells him that Montoya has moved Fenner from the jail and suggests that they steal Montoya's gold in exchange for Fenner.

SQUARE
Roman pushes the Queen with her hands tied behind her back through the crowd toward Montoya's headquarters. He pushes away guards.

ROMAN: I caught her. I'll bring her in.

MONTOYA'S OFFICE
Montoya is sitting behind his desk when they come in.

MONTOYA: What a genuine pleasure to see you both.

Roman knocks Montoya over the head, knocking him out. Guards come in. They fight. Because they incapacitated them, he nudges Tessa on the shoulder and she loses her footing for a second. She ties up Montoya as Roman goes into the secret room. He pulls the bars apart to get the bags of gold. They are going to leave just as guards enter. Roman lifts the first one and throws him at the others. Montoya comes to as one unties him. Queen and Roman ride off as peasants yell, "Viva the Queen!"

LATER
Fenner is being tied to four spread out stakes in the square, setting the perfect trap for Roman and the Queen.

ALVARADO HACIENDA
Tessa tells Marta that she's going to head off Roman to save him. Marta tells her not to go, Montoya's won. Tessa is confused. When push comes to shove, Marta chooses Tessa's life above anyone else's. Whenever she rides off as the Queen, she wants to ride with, but knows she can't, it's Tessa's destiny. So, she stays and waits and prays hoping that her father is with her as she rides and fights.

SQUARE
Montoya mentions that Grisham isn't there, but would love to have been. He tells a guard that Fenner needs water. The guard takes a bucket of water and splashes it in Fenner's face. Fenner will bet the 12 reales in his pocket that Roman will set him free. Montoya gladly takes that bet.

Roman and the Queen watch from a distance. Roman is going to go head long into it, but the Queen stops him. It's a trap. He knows that.

ROMAN: Fenner pretends to be a bigger man than he is.

She asks how good a rider he is.

ALVARADO HACIENDA
Roman takes four horses from the stables and talks to Marta.

SQUARE
Montoya instructs his men not to fire until they are certain that the Queen can not escape or they will be in the same predicament as "this pathetic specimen of a human being."

CANYON
Roman has the four horses with him and apologizes for trying to kill her before. He asks if this plan of hers will work.

QUEEN: I don't know. I've never tried it before.

SQUARE
No one is around, dusty. Montoya hears a herd of horses coming to them. He orders his guards to surround the prisoner. The herd of horses come into town, kicking up dust. The air is thick as the Queen starts fighting guards. Roman takes hold of two guards and slams their heads together. Montoya feels a rifle barrel in his back and turns. A guard! He takes the barrel and punches him. "Idiot!" Roman frees Fenner. Fenner holds a throat to Montoya's neck after coming up behind him.

Fenner: 24 reales. Double or nothing.

He mugs Montoya and leaves.

MONTOYA: Shoot them, you idiots!

The three ride away. Let's hope Montoya doesn't look at the brands of the horses to see that they belong to Maria Teresa Alvarado...

ALVARADO HACIENDA
Roman and Marta say goodbye and hold hands as they walk to his and Fenner's horses. He asks her to tell him his future.

MARTA: Your future is yours to discover, not mine.

Roman lifts Marta up and spins her around. Fenner and Tessa see them kiss and Fenner tries to do the same to Tessa.

TESSA: Don't even think about it.

Marta tells Roman:

MARTA: Go with God, my knight.

Roman and Fenner ride off.

THE END

Synopsis by:
JoLayne
EnyaJo@aol.com

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