Activity 2.18 - Bernice

Ok, this week we have to create a change in our characters, either moral, political, emotional or psychological. We can drift away from the storyline of Little Red Riding Hood now, the characters are in place so we can experiment with their functions.
Here's some ideas:

1. WOLFF is an assassin. He has been sent to kill QUEEN. He is not a likely character for the assassination as he is foppish and a ladies man. He has been made to do it to clear a large gambling debt, he has been given an ultimatum of QUEEN's life versus his own.

2. MAUD is working as a double agent for both the QUEEN and WOLFF's employer. Basic greed drove her to accept payments from both sides, but she now finds herself in an awkward position, both the QUEEN and WOLFF's employer are dangerous people, and is she slips up, she might end up dead.

3. ROSIE is blissfully ignorant of any palace politics, which makes her the ideal runner to carry messages and notes around. She is hopelessly romantic and dreamy and never gets suspicious. Although MAUD takes advantage of this for her dodgy dealings, she cares a lot for ROSIE and is frightened for her safety.

4. The DUKE is WOLFF's employer, unknown to WOLFF. He is a relative of the QUEEN and will be in the running for the monarchy providing there are no direct heirs. DUKE's parents died when he was young, they should have held the monarchy. He sees it as his right to be king and thinks he was robbed of the role by the QUEEN. He is a bit wet behind the ears and knows very little about the assassination, except that he has paid a large sum of money for it to take place. He is secretly hoping it will happen while he is elsewhere.

5. The QUEEN is not entirely unaware of her present danger. She runs a large network of spies and has figured out that there is a rat in her palace staff. She is very paranoid at present and has stepped up her personal security but is not revealing anything of her plans to her staff.


Scene 1: QUEEN in her office with the Captain of the Guards. QUEEN tells the captain of her suspicions about the rat in the palace. The Guard agrees with QUEEN and they arrange tight security for the following evening, when there will be a huge annual ball. The QUEEN must go ahead as normal until the rat is rooted out.

Scene 2: WOLFF alone travelling towards the palace. WOLFF's monologue about how he ended up in his predicament (gambling debts, loan sharks etc)

Scene 3: ROSIE and MAUD in the kitchens. MAUD gives ROSIE some errands to run, which she does unquestioningly. One is that she has to take a note to the DUKE and it's VERY important that she doesn't stop anywhere or give it to anyone else. While ROSIE is out and about, MAUD goes to make contact with WOLFF. She approaches WOLFF and some coded conversation takes place. MAUD overdoes it a bit as she is very frightened. WOLFF just about realises that MAUD is his contact within the palace but is still not aware of who his employer is.

Scene 4:ROSIE and the DUKE. ROSIE is delivering her message. The DUKE realises that ROSIE is not part of his 'staff' in the Palace and is unaware of what she is delivering. DUKE is rather impressed by MAUD's ingenuity and decides that he quite fancies ROSIE.

not sure what happens in the meantime...

Later: The ball is in full swing and WOLFF sneaks off to locate the QUEEN. He bumps into ROSIE who is running another errand for MAUD and she tells him where she is going. WOLFF watches where ROSIE goes, waits for a while then climbs in through the window.

WOLFF emerges from behind the curtains to find, not QUEEN but ROSIE sat in the QUEEN's chambers. The QUEEN was elsewhere and ROSIE was waiting to deliver her message. She sees WOLFF's gun and figures out what is going on. WOLFF panics and ties ROSIE up to prevent her from raising the alarm.

MAUD is fretting about ROSIE. She should have returned from the QUEEN's chambers by now, she knows WOLFF was on his way and the note was supposed to stall QUEEN. DUKE steams in and reports that the assassination has been a failure - QUEEN has turned up in the main ballroom, alive. MAUD tells DUKE about ROSIE not returning from the QUEEN's chambers and they set off to find out what happened.

ROSIE and WOLFF in the QUEEN's chambers. ROSIE is tied to a chair. WOLFF is clearly unnerved and is pacing up and down. He starts to stuff precious jewels and coins into his pockets. ROSIE is gagged and WOLFF has a monologue about his plans just to steal enough to repay his debtors and escape.

DUKE and MAUD rush in and see ROSIE. They untie her. WOLFF shouts at them. The three conspirators talk aboutt he absence of the QUEEN and what could have gone wrong. ROSIE looks horrified and is unable to speak. WOLFF jujmps out of the window. As a last minute decision, ROSIE decides to take her chances with WOLFF as opposed to staying in the palace with so much deception and plotting and goes with him. They make their escape just as QUEEN appears with an armed guard to arrest MAUD and DUKE.