Harin and Ylasia: A Dance of Gods and Monsters

A classical and post modern hybrid love story spanning three thousand years and defined by personal change. A mild commentary on love, war and religion.

Harin and Ylasia:

A Dance of Gods and Monsters

*translated throughout to the Common Tongue

by

Trystin S. Bailey

 

CHARACTERS

Harin

Ylasia

Chorus (including all other characters)

            Harin (during monologues)

            Ylasia (during monologues)

            Brogonus

            Rosalia

            Renato

            Davide

            Adele

            Villager (Olphus)

            Villagers

            Demons

            etc...

 

READ

The first act of this piece, though easily called a 'play' due to its adherence to numerous dramatic (and even classically dramatic) conventions, should appear to the audience as more of a sensual and psychological showcase, a collaborative effort, incorporating creative and original set design, music and dance (or not), all made to convey the message and vision Harin and Ylasia inspires in you. It is meant to be a skeleton of a piece to be executed, 'fleshed out' if you will, in a way that tests the limits of the imaginations of us all. As for the subsequent acts...surprise me.

 

~ACT ONE~

 

The chorus stands on a mostly empty stage. As the chorus speaks, they also act out the story they are telling, specifically when particular characters are mentioned. This is also to be done whenever Harin or Ylasia tell a story from their past

 

Chorus:

Lost deep in man's chronology lie countless tales forgotten

Of num'rous ilk and for their reasons deemed quite misbegotten

Abandoned in our histories, suppressed into despair

T'is one such tale we've priv'leged found and for you we are pleased to share

 

Millenia ago the earth was much unlike this one he know

Our ancestors' mortality entrapped by those immortal souls

The gods, they were, alive and real with mankind nestled 'neath their gazes

Cursed, kind or chaos-prone as mortals showered them with praises

 

This story never shared til now with any save for those involved

Involves a pair of star-crossed loves unraveled by their firm resolve

Harin, eyes ablaze with ire, served faithfully as god of war

His blade had taken many souls, his temper promised many more

 

Ylasia was the loveliest of all celestial deities

Compassionate to mortals and the goddess of fertility

There lived none more ill-suited for the other than these two

And yet from Passion's chaos kiss did these gods' romance ensue

 

She shed a tear for every human life her love made bloodied fail

As he did scoff and shout when she would raise the crops that made them well

T'was deeper though the level on which Harin and Ylasia bound

The balance linking life to death, this understanding true love found

 

Reception of this union'd be unanimous if not

For the foul and brutish villain of this hastily unraveling plot

Brogonus, father of Ylasia, heavenly and full of life,

In his daughter saw the beast a woman he would have his wife

 

A widower of fifteen years, he saw in her her mother so

Incestuously he met her then to ask her if his touch she'd know

Ylasia, struck with grief and angst, fell crying into Harin's arms

The god of war then raised his sword and swore to her she'd not be harmed

 

Brogonus, a mischief-god of mystical heredity

With knowledge of his spawn's rejection acted on his jealousy

“If this whelp will not submit to taking me to wed,

Then none shall know the pleasures of her healing touch,” the monster said

 

And making certain his decree was not to be denied

The lovelorn villain cast a spell, one he had on his own devised

He banished her to underworld, where loudest screams no one could hear

And Harin was turned mortal, forced to live 'mongst those he'd taught to fear

 

The spell would last three thousand years...

 

Three millenia since that moment hath on this day truly passed

A spell unbroken means an ancient spark is free to fly at last

So now we watch with eager eyes, impatient and excited

As Harin and Ylasia find themselves at long last reunited...

 

Harin, technically immortal but looking anywhere between 20 and 35, dressed nicely, simply, sits at a park bench, gazing intently into nothingness. A few people walk by. A bird chirps and he is drawn to the sound. It moves him to smile, but only for a moment. And then, from deep inside himself, he feels something. Something terrifying at first, almost more than he can handle, but slowly becoming familiar, then welcomed.

 

Harin: My god... Oh my god! (grabs a passerby) It's... I'm... (releases passerby and is struck with a total realization of what this actually means)

 

The bench disappears and a new scene emerges...

 

Upon metallic wings, the peak of modern transportation

Our Harin traverses the sea, fueled by his ancient heart's elation

When once again his feet touch earth doth he then taking to roaring wheels

To the border of the forest from whence his past was swiftly killed

 

Where nature was too thick for man's invention to traverse

The god of war on flighty foot did seek the place he'd once been cursed

A clearing in the wood was marked for Harin's destination

Through him a biting chill did surge as wait he did for revelation

 

Harin: Amazing. I think I've found the only inch of this planet that has remained unchanged after all these years.

 

A rustle in the bushes is heard offstage.

 

Harin: What's that, I wonder?

 

Ylasia enters, a woman similar in age to Harin, beautiful but untamed. Her clothing and long flowing hair are dark and elegant as they are ravaged and wild. The two notice one another, each one so lost in the moment that they are speechless.

 

Harin: Ylasia. It...it's really you...

 

Ylasia: Harin... After so long...

 

Harin: Amazing...

 

Ylasia: I would almost fail to recognize you if not for your eyes. What manner of clothing is this? You're so thin. Fragile. Your hair cropped so short.

 

Harin: I am not who I was, my dear. The times are not what once they were. And you, though as beautiful as I remember you... Your journey could not have been an easy one.

 

Ylasia: No.

 

Harin: Well, please. Sit down. Sit. Tell me. I want to know of every moment of your life that we did not share together...if you don't mind. (sits) Join me.

 

Ylasia: On...on the grass?

 

Harin: Yes, like you loved to do. I remember when we would picnic in the valley- you know, the one betwixt the mountains -and you would plant yourself on the grass and dirt and I would say, “Ylasia! What do you think you are doing?! This filthy earth is no place for a god to lie! Remain standing whilst I summon a minion to bring us a proper resting place!” Those times... But enough rambling on my part. Tell me! Tell me of your life!

 

Ylasia: Are you sure this is the safest place? I mean, my father has to know that...

 

Harin: He is dead.

 

Ylasia: What's that?

 

Harin: (rises) Dead, Ylasia. They all are. Kresseus and Mir. Delanor. Kronk. Even Beric, the greatest of us all.

 

Ylasia: But...how?

 

Harin: War, my love lost. War on a global scale between the gods and monsters of every corner of the world. As the humans expanded and solidified their claims on new and oft occupied lands, as they came into contact with strange new cultures, so did the gods of these men and women. As wars would brew below, battles the like the universe had never seen raged on above. As with the humans, our kind were infested with thoughts of imperialism. A sort of manifest destiny emerged and many of the greater families of gods sought to seize the skies and enslave their prisoners. Occasionally the battles would spill unto the earth, where I, having been banished to humanity and stripped of all godliness save for my immortality, was able to watch these behemoths brawl to the death, taking hundreds of human casualties with them all the while. Our noble but comparably minuscule collection of deities were swallowed up almost as fast as our humans. Your father, he...he fought bravely, I remember. He fell at the hands of one of the Grecian gods. Hephaestus, I believe. To this day their battle was one of the most spectacular things I have ever witnessed.

 

Ylasia: Dead. All of them...

 

Harin: Yes. And I watched on, helpless to save them. Me. A former god of war. The irony.

 

Ylasia: And we...

 

Harin: The last of our kind. Yes. Now that I am fully immortal again.

 

Ylasia: Then we are without competition. You and I can foster a new era of gods on this planet, unchallenged completely! The humans will build us shrines and temples once again. Throw festivals in our honor. Worship us. Fear us!

 

Harin: (pause) I don't know what to say.

 

Ylasia: Why is that-?

 

Ylasia: These words sound so strange coming from the lips of my dear Ylasia.

 

Ylasia: I am hungry. Where are the farms? Where are the livestock kept?

 

Harin: Ha, there will be no livestock for us, milady. At least not in the way you are accustomed. Today there are places designed for a comfortable and pleasureful dining experience. Hundreds of foods and flavors from all over the world within miles of just about wherever you are!

 

Ylasia: Yes. This sounds suitable. Escort me to this place and we will have the mortals fix us their finest feast.

 

Harin: (pause) Are you certain you are my Ylasia?

 

Ylasia: I am if you are my Harin.

 

Harin: I am. It's just that...nevermind.

 

Ylasia: No. Speak. I demand it.

 

Harin: There, yes, there it is again. You demand it. This is...those are not the words of the fair flower that once stole my heart away.

 

Ylasia: (pause) I am sorry that I am not what you expected me to be. You must understand what it is I have been through in these millennia.

 

Harin: You need only tell me and I will understand...

 

Ylasia: I was banished to the underworld, as you know. The horrors held within those endless caverns were far more terrifying than anything you could possibly imagine. There was no fire. All was black and made of rock. A gentle blue light from no natural place makes certain places visible while most remained drenched in a darkness that had festered there since time's conception. It was no home for the dead as we had been taught, but a land void of all things good and just. The birthing ground of evil and the things that called it home knew only that. I sat, grief-stricken, atop an onyx stone, weeping and shouting your name only to be answered by my own echoes when first I laid eyes upon them. Gnarled, twisted creatures of grays and browns, leather-skinned and wiry, baring their dagger-sharp teeth and lapping at the air as if savoring the taste of my grief. Yellow eyes, big like saucers, always watching, always eager to rape or kill or maim. They communicated in a screeching howling sort of sound. The language was foreign to me, but the message clear as crystal: they had united to kill me, to feast on my fear... But I was a goddess. I was the daughter of Brogonus, one of the mightiest of our kind. I would not be denied my right to live.

 

Harin: Ylasia...

 

Ylasia: I fought to survive. I killed to survive. At first they hated me. Then feared me. And I found my strength in their heartache as they had in my own. It became my sustenance and I their immortal queen. None raised a clawed hand without my royal decree. When you say I am not Ylasia you are partly correct. Ylasia was ravaged and beaten, devoured by the hordes. In her place I rose, a weakling no more. A warrior, a survivor born.

 

Harin: I can't imagine... I- But you're here, we're here now. Together. For the next three thousand, three million years we are here. Uncontested. The rest of eternity shall be spent on this earth with its people, living in peace. I have accrued a hefty sum of money over the years and-

 

Ylasia: Money? Since when do gods deal in coins? You have been human for far too long. We are deities. It is our duty to rise to the clouds. To govern these primitive creatures who without us would be lost.

 

Harin: (laughs in spite of himself) That is what we were so pompous to believe, wasn't it? Me more than most, I suppose. But we were wrong. We gods weren't creating some manner of utopia for the humans. We were merely feeding our own egos, convincing ourselves that we were bettering their lives when really we only succeeded in stunting their growth as imaginative and free individuals. They prayed for rain and we would give it to them or we wouldn't. The same went for fire or fertile fields and wombs. We spoiled them at times, punished them at others, but always did we make certain they were dependent on us completely. No thought or desire did we allow them unless it first went through us. The death of our kind was the best thing that could have happened to this world...

 

Ylasia: Harin!

 

Harin: It's true, Ylasia! You weren't there. You didn't see! Without our ever-watchful eye they could truly make a home of their world and experience it as nature intended. Creativity and philosophy flourished. An era of ingenuity and prowess unlike anything any of us could have conceived came to be all over the world. Granted, many continued to give praise to the gods. The festivals and sacrifices remained (and still do in some uncivilized corners of the earth), but the gods, having gone entirely invisible, had not a hold as strong as once they did. And the deified families faded away as myth for the most part.

 

Ylasia: So these humans believe in nothing now but their own existence?

 

Harin: No. New invisible gods have come and gone. The monotheism of the desert people from our time has taken great hold and tends to be as unifying and destructive as ever it was. So long as there is fear and things unknown will humanity turn to the invisible gods, intangible tools used by priests and politicians alike to enforce their own moralities and mayhem. The deadly fruits of our lifestyle.

 

Ylasia: There was much good we did for them as well!

 

Harin: Right you are, my dear, and few did more good than you. But the best thing we ever did do was to die off and allow them to discover how to create their own good. (thinks on what to say next, then points to a tree) Look, Ylasia! Tell me. What do you see?!

 

Ylasia: Is this some sort of trick?

 

Harin: No. Not at all. What do you see?

 

Ylasia: A tree.

 

Harin: Precisely. Bark, tough and sturdy. Leaves, frail and bright.

 

Ylasia: Yes. I missed them a great deal. They are beautiful.

 

Harin: Beautiful indeed, but this is merely the surface of something far more impressive. What if I were to tell you that this tree was made up of trillions of tiny pieces called cells? And each cell is made up of  even smaller pieces that govern its very specific duties. For instance, the cells that make up the bark serve as protection from the elements. Those in the roots are specially made to absorb water to nourish this tree. And, most fantastical of them all, the cells in the leaves engage in a process called photosynthesis that absorbs the light of the sun in order to convert unhealthy air to create sugar for the tree and, get this, give off the oxygen that animals need to survive! These cells come in all shapes and sizes and all living things are made up of them, even you and I! Is that not incredible?!

 

Ylasia: It is a tree. It matters not how it works only that it exists.

 

Harin: Science, Ylasia. Science discovers how so that the knowledge can pave the way for invention. Oh, the inventions! Even within the past century you wouldn't believe. Humans can travel at speeds faster than any animal. They can survive for months under water. They have walked on the moon!

 

Ylasia: No.

 

Harin: Yes! Come...come, I must show you the wonders of technology! (he pulls at her wrist)

 

Ylasia: (she resists) This- this is all too much. If what you say is true then humans, they are gods now.

 

Harin: They will never be gods, just as you will never be human.

 

Ylasia: That sounded almost like an insult.

 

Harin: I didn't mean it to be.

 

Ylasia: You are a god now.

 

Harin: I am.

 

Ylasia: You should start acting like it.

 

Harin: What does-? I know...the years were not good to you...

 

Ylasia: And to you? It seems they could not have gone better.

 

Harin: It was difficult at first. I was a god of war. Rage and bloodshed was all I knew other than the warmth and kindness of your heart...and that had been taken from me. I fought many a battle on earth for centuries. It was who I was. It was what defined me before you and would again after. When the gods first began their celestial warring I shouted and cursed until my human lungs burned that I might join their ranks...but I was a human. I was unheard. I traveled the planet, seeking out martial masters from every corner, learning combat techniques and becoming a mercenary of sorts, lending my expertise to whomever paid the highest price. And then...after hundreds of years...I realized the futility of it all. The emptiness. I laid down my swords and I never looked back. Humanity is a word that encompasses all that is terrible and wonderful in the world. They are capable of an entire spectrum of moral activity and are unique because of it. There is no limit to their imagination, their thirst for power or capacity to love. I traveled, living amongst them, wanting to be wanted. And I was. I was a part of human history. So much change...

 

Ylasia: (takes his hand in hers) Your hands are so soft.

 

Harin: And yours, dry and rough. I-

 

Ylasia: While you lived amongst the humans...did you ever love them?

 

Harin: Of course I did.

 

Ylasia: Did you ever...?

 

Long pause

 

Harin: Yes.

 

Pause.

 

Ylasia: Who was she?

 

Harin: Rosalia was her name. It was the year 674. I had been fighting the Arabian forces along the Mediterranean when a surprise attack resulted in the death of my fellow soldiers. I fought courageously as only one of my training and lineage could, achieving vengeance of my fallen comrades at the expense of a broken leg, a sensation I had never felt in my life. Exhausted and dehydrated, I dragged myself into the thick forests of Sicily. I startled her, coming out of the bushes as I did while she was washing her clothes at a stream. My pale skin and light eyes made it clear I was not the Arab enemy. She took me to her quaint cottage and nursed me back to life. She reminded me of you in so many ways. So gentle and caring, wanting nothing in return. The feelings I felt for her as I remained there, helping her with the chores her older brother, now a casualty of war, once handled, were mixed with the guilt that arose with the memories of you. It had been nearing two thousand years since last our eyes met and I confess it was easy to convince myself that your father's spell was everlasting- I did try countless times to reach you at first -and that I would never see you again; that the intelligent thing for me to do was to move forward. So I did. We fell into a deep love, she and I. We had children. Two boys and a girl. And as the years passed and she aged gracefully only to realize that I looked exactly as I did the afternoon when first we met, I shared with her my history. I remained by her side until her death. I saw two of my children become adults...and then I abandoned them. The superstition that would rise from the man who did not age, the attachments to witchcraft and devilry, would have ruined the lives of my children and grandchildren in those times. It broke my heart, but it was the right thing to do. For them. I never did return to that place. (pause) I'm sorry.

 

Ylasia: You forgot me.

 

Harin: No! No, Ylasia! Not at all! In fact, the opposite is true. It was because of my memory of you, my love for you, that I existed this long in my human form. The wars, the fighting, nonstop for centuries, would have taken the life of any human. When I laid down my weapons that day it was because I wanted something more and would not have ever known such a thing existed without your showing me.

 

Ylasia: You are nothing like you were.

 

Harin: A fact I had hoped would please you.

 

Ylasia: You hoped to please me by soiling our love betwixt the legs of a mere mortal.

 

Pause.

 

Harin: We have an eternity, Ylasia. We have time to make sense of all of this, including the irony of this situation. The true villainy of your father's act. I have become you.

 

Ylasia: (losing faith) And I, you.

 

Harin: We made it work before!

 

Ylasia: That was different.

 

Harin: How so? The path of love is strewn with strife but always is a path well worth it. Not illness or loss, nor even life or death can stand between love when both hearts are true. Destiny, Ylasia. Fate. Three thousand years past and here we are... (Pause) What are you thinking?

 

Ylasia: That if half you have told me of this world is true, it has most certainly outgrown me.

 

~ACT TWO~

 

Scene One. A simple village over a millennium BC. A few villagers go about their business until one Villager, a terrified man in his thirties let's say, runs for his life with Harin, god of war, right on his heels, massive sword raised. He is dressed in whichever way you would imagine a god of his caliber from an unnamed locale to be dressed. The other villagers clear out of their way as the scene unfolds...

 

Harin: (filled to the brim with rage) Halt, you insolent vermin! Answer for your sins! (Harin out-maneuvers the Villager, resulting in the man's falling to the ground, chest being crushed beneath Harin's feet) You have shamed your bloodline, human. You have incurred the wrath of the gods of which there is no wrath greater!

 

Villager: (in tears) P-please, almighty one! Great guardian of warriors and protector of us all! P-please have mercy! Let me explain...!

 

Harin: (spits) Explain to Dondarris when she cultivates your mortal soul. I have not the patience for excuses, only the capacity for justice, vindication, punishment. Yours is nigh, villager! (raises his sword to strike) I will revel at the sight of your spilled blood. (to the other villagers) Take,heed, lookers on! This is the fate of all who betray my cause! (strikes)

 

Ylasia: (enters) STOP THIS!

 

Harin: (his sword stops a foot or so from the Villager's head) You dare interrupt me, woman?

 

Ylasia: (stern) I do, Harin. What is the meaning of this vicious display?!

 

Harin: It is none of your concern...

 

Ylasia: Then perhaps I shall call upon my father and see whether it concerns him.

 

Harin: (takes an emasculating breath) If you must know, th-

 

Ylasia: (lifts her finger to her mouth) Ah. Ah. I want to hear it from him. (takes the Villager by his hand and helps him to his feet)

 

Villager: Bless ya, gracious Ylasia! Bless ya!

 

Ylasia: Tell me, kind sir, what is your name?

 

Villager: I'm Olphus.

 

Ylasia: And, gentle Olphus, why is this brutish mongrel attempting to take your life?

 

Villager: B'cause... (looks to Harin)

 

Ylasia: Go on. You are safe now.

 

Villager: B'cause I deserted the war!

 

Harin: Do you see?! Cowardice! Treason! The laws are clear and he must die!

 

Ylasia: And why, Olphus, would you perform such an act? Surely you knew the punishment.

 

Villager: That I did, perfect one. That I did. And you c'n be sure I wouldn't a' done it if not fer my childrens.

 

Ylasia: Your children?

 

Villager: S'right, hallowed one. My childrens. My wife went n' got sick n' died while I was off ta war. They's too young to take care o' themselves and wit everybody strugglin' as it is ta survive durin' these times...and it ain't right ta have childrens bein' raised by strangers if they got a parent can do it...I had to be there for 'em.

 

Ylasia: How noble of you. You are free to go.

 

Harin: You have no right-!

 

Ylasia: Harin, if I were to make the statement, “A man's duty to his country consists mostly of said country's preservation,” would you find that statement agreeable?

 

Harin: Of course, but-

 

Ylasia: Then why attempt to punish this courageous man if he intended to do just that? Wars are fought, the unfortunate necessities, but they mean nothing if not for the preservation of a country's most natural treasure, the children who shall one day be our soldiers, our politicians, our artists and farmers some day. This man Olphus is no more a traitor than you or I, risking the wrath of the gods for the continuation of his bloodline, the health and fortitude of our land. He is a hero.

 

Harin: Your mouth spews ignorance.

 

Ylasia: (to the villagers) Now run off, all of you, to the center of town at my statue's feet and prepare a feast for great Olphus. I shall supply you with all the meat and honey you could want.

 

Villagers: Praise be to Ylasia, goddess of the fields and womb, protector of humanity. (all but Harin and Ylasia exit)

 

Harin: Your father will not be able to protect you forever, woman.

 

Ylasia: My name is Ylasia, man, and I am fully capable of taking care of myself. Besides, were I to have summoned Brogonus he would have most certainly sided with you.

 

Harin: You cannot protect them all, you know. Not every god would have allowed you interfere so easily regardless of your parentage.

 

Ylasia: Believe me, I know indeed. Then, if I might ask, why did you allow me such freedom? (he gives no answer. She glides past him and whispers) You are more than you give yourself credit for. (exits in the same direction of the villagers. Harin exits in the opposite direction)

 

Scene Two. A dining room. There is a table and chairs. At one end of the table sits Harin, dressed in the simple clothing of a peasant in the late seventh century. At the other end sits Rosalia, she is a young 35, beautiful in her simplicity. Also at the table are Davide, 12, spry and youthful, Adele, 8, quiet and demure, and Renato, 16, fiery and handsome like his father. While the meal progresses Renato becomes more and more uncomfortable until the moment of his revelation.

 

Harin: This lamb is cooked to perfection, Rosalia.

 

Rosalia: Thank you, dear.

 

Harin: Doesn't your mother cook a fine lamb, Adele?

 

Adele: Mmhm!

 

Harin: And Davide here has a mouth too full to give his praises. Ha! (Davide nods in joyous agreement) And you, Renato? Is not this lamb the most tender and flavorful you have ever-

 

Rosalia: Oh stop pestering the children. If you think your compliments are going to get you out of wood cutting you've got another thing coming.

 

Harin: I would never think such a thing, my love! What sort of vile trickster do you take me for?

 

Rosalia: The sort that I have called 'husband' for eighteen years now.

 

Harin: (jokingly) Your words hurt like spears piercing my heart!

 

Rosalia: Oh Harin...

 

Davide: Can I have seconds, please?

 

Harin: Ha, you sure can! Dig in!

 

Rosalia: Harin, it looks like it's going to start raining before nightfall.

 

Harin: I guess I had better put the animals in the barn then. Renato, would you help me? (no response)

 

Rosalia: Renny, your father asked you a question.

 

Harin: Son, what vexes you? You've said not a word for the whole of this meal.

 

Renato: Nothing.

 

Harin: Surely something bothers you.

 

Renato: Don't worry about it...

 

Rosalia: Renny...

 

Renato: I'm warning you. You won't like it.

 

Harin: We are your family. If something bothers you who better to turn to than-

 

Renato: I'm joining the war. (there is a long spell of silence)

 

Davide: (to Adele) Come on, Adele. I think I saw some of those stripy lizards behind the barn earlier. Let's see if they're still there. (takes Adele by the hand and the two exit)

 

Harin: Pardon me?

 

Renato: I am joining Constantine's men to protect the Empire.

 

Harin: Like hell you are...

 

Renato: The Arabs are gaining more and more footing each day. They have our island in their clutches. They've built shipyards and bases on our soil! You may not care what becomes of these people because you are no native but I am. I do!

 

Rosalia: Renato...

 

Renato: Sorry, mother. It is high time my father knows how I feel. You have raised us to be godless heathens in a land that fears the Lord. You have separated us from the culture of our ancestors, who held it so near and dear to their hearts. You might be fine with letting the enemy slide into your window and slit your throat, mother's throat, Adele and Davide's, but I am not. There needs to be a real man in this house and since you have chosen to live the life of a coward that man will have to be me.

 

Rosalia: How DARE you speak to your father that way?!

 

Harin: (fighting a failing battle to remain calm) I forbid you to take up arms in this war.

 

Renato: Your word means nothing to me, father. In the eyes of the empire I am a man and free to do as I choose.

 

Harin: A man? A MAN?! You are sixteen years old! The hair of a beard is something your face has yet to know! You are but a child driven by senseless rebellion and gods knows what else!

 

Renato: You can't stop me.

 

Harin: There is no limit to the things I can do, boy.

 

Renato: I-

 

Harin: (deep with ire) Your father was not yet finished speaking. (clears his throat) You think your father a coward when I have engaged in more battles, won more wars than you have the time in your life to count. I have brought a swift end to millions, billions of earthly lives and understand the strategic mechanics of confrontation in the same way you understand breathing or blinking. To call me a coward was once to sign your own death warrant. You think me separate from war? You think me feeble?! I WAS WAR, BOY! I AM WAR!!!

 

Rosalia: Harin...?

 

Harin: Silence, Rosalia! You think I do not understand the thoughts pulsating through your young body right now? It seems such a glamorous thing, the battle, does it not? The opportunity to have purpose, to belong to a higher greater cause, to gather riches and wealth and love beyond your wildest dreams. It resembles religion in this way. But the truth is a different animal entirely. Once one takes up the sword never again does one truly release it. It is a parasite in honor's form, demanding each breath you take, every ounce of your being, until all that you crave, all that moves you to live is that next great kill. If not for your mother that fate would have been mine and you nor your brother and sister would exist. When the war reaches these walls you can rest assured that the enemy will meet a force like none they have had the displeasure of rousing, but until then please...remain here. Remain free. Remain innocent. (Renato stands there for a while, then exits. Rosalia goes to her husband and they join in an embrace)

 

Rosalia: It's in his blood, Harin.

 

Harin: My blood, my love. My blood.

 

Scene Three. A valley surrounded by mountains. Harin, god of war, and Ylasia, fertility goddess, enter, Ylasia holding the items for a picnic. The two couldn't seem any more the other's opposite.

 

Ylasia: Here we are.

 

Harin: Hmph.

 

Ylasia: Oh, save your grumpiness for your men, war god.

 

Harin: Keep your flowery fields to the imbecilic humans that flutter about your dress, womb goddess.

 

Ylasia: I shall opt to ignore that. Though I pride my ability to exist on many levels, I plan to stand quite clear of the childish one you call home. (sits) Join me.

 

Harin: Ylasia! What do you think you are doing?! This filthy earth is no place for a god to lie! Remain standing whilst I summon a minion to bring us a proper resting place!

 

Ylasia: You are unbelievable!

 

Harin: Says this one!

 

Ylasia: Sit, you oaf! Do not tell me you are afraid of getting grass stains in your-

 

Harin: I fear nothing.

 

Ylasia: Save for grass...

 

Harin: Woman!

 

Ylasia: (leaps to her feet) WHAT?! What is it, Harin? Is this where you draw your sword and vanquish me for seeing the world in a way that differs from your own?!

 

Harin: Do not tempt me...

 

Ylasia: Ha.

 

Harin: You laugh?!

 

Ylasia: I yawn! Your bravado is tiresome and impresses none here! We are in an area most secluded from the eyes of man and immortal alike! In this moment only you and I exist. I pray you, join me on the earth. Please. (after much quiet tension, they sit) There. It feels good, does it not?

 

Harin: Hmph.

 

Ylasia: Tell me something, Harin.

 

Harin: Hm.

 

Ylasia: Tell me that these rolling hills, the brilliant flowers all around, the gray blue mountains that surround us beneath the clear blue sky...tell me it is not beautiful.

 

Harin: Excuse me?

 

Ylasia: Look me in the eye and tell me it is not beautiful.

 

Harin: (masks his discomfort) It...I could see how it is pleasing to look upon, yes.

 

Ylasia: Yes, but beautiful? I want to hear the word spring from your mouth.

 

Harin: Why did you ask me here?

 

Ylasia: To see if you would come.

 

Harin: Hmph.

 

Ylasia: And come you did. (pause) Why?

 

Harin: Hm?

 

Ylasia: You heard me. (pause) I can wait here forever. Immortality allows me that pleasure.

 

Harin: I...was hoping we might reach an agreement so that I might go about my business without your constant interruption.

 

Ylasia: Doubtful. Why else?

 

Harin: Doubtf- Ugh, woman you drive me insane like no other creature can!

 

Ylasia: And it intrigues you, does it not? How easily I slip under your skin.

 

Harin: It-

 

Ylasia: I am a beautiful woman, Harin. The most beautiful of all the gods, some say. Where I tread the hearts of men leap from their chests. They forget to breath, to think, to mind their wives. Were I to announce my desire to be courted, three dozen young godly bachelors and hundreds of misguided mortals would line up at my feet in an instant.

 

Harin: Why bring all of this to my attention?

 

Ylasia: Because, soldier, I think you are more smitten with me than the rest.

 

Harin: What?! Ha! Me?! I might add 'insanity' to your list of characteristics, woman! Why on earth would one such as I ever wish to squander my feelings on one such as-

 

Ylasia: I am the only one worthy of your heart, war god. As you are to my own. We are rife with stubbornness, unafraid to fight for what we believe, filled to the brim with a passionate fire that none can douse! Now...look me in the eye and tell me I am not beautiful.

 

Harin: There is no denying that you are, but that is not-

 

Ylasia: Tell me.

 

Harin: (they gaze for a while into each other's eyes) You are beautiful.

 

Ylasia: (gently touches her hand to his face) I will teach you love, brave Harin.

 

Harin: And I will teach you that without war, love can never be.

 

Scene 4. The underworld. A dark, damp desolate place. Ylasia is there alone and exhausted, her head buried in her knees. As she sits, a number of demons creep onto the stage. They are evil, twisted things of your own gruesome invention, encircling the goddess, growing closer and closer until she is blocked entirely from few.

 

Ylasia: (as if waking up) Wh-wha? Huh? What is going... AWAY, MONSTERS! (the demons shriek and exit in all different directions. She continues to speak to them) Sneaky fools think you have the wits to overcome one such as I?! Think again, for I am Ylasia! I am a wise and powerful goddess and you are the filth of the universe! Remain in your caves and caverns. Keep out of my sight lest you want to awaken my true wrath! (she collapses under her own exhaustion) How long have I been held prisoner here? How many years? Or maybe it has been only months... Time means nothing in this land of forgotten. Only pain. I know not how much longer I can go on like this. Every day a fight for survival. No one with whom I can trust or call friend. So alone am I...

 

Brogonus: (a ghoulish god, massive with a long flowing black cloak) There you are, my dear.

 

Ylasia: Brogonus, father, what brings you here?

 

Brogonus: Why you, of course. I thought that I should personally inquire as to the well-being of my only child.

 

Ylasia: Lies.

 

Brogonus: Such language, daughter. Especially toward the man who has the power to set you free.

 

Ylasia: I am not interested in your brand of freedom.

 

Brogonus: You will marry me or you will die here.

 

Ylasia: Death has never seemed such a pleasing alternative.

 

Brogonus: Hm. (seductively) You are far too precious for this place. Your hair, so soft. Your eyes sparkle like the sea beneath a starry sky. Your skin is as smooth to the touch as marble and warm as the sun. Your body, flawless. My greatest creation. I want you. Ylasia. I want you to be mine.

 

Ylasia: You will never have me! You are perverse and malevolent and any creature in this hell is ten times the man you are!

 

Brogonus: Marry me.

 

Ylasia: Never.

 

Brogonus: Marry me!

 

Ylasia: Leave this place.

 

Brogonus: Be my wife or your Harin dies!

 

Ylasia: You lie!

 

Brogonus: Dare you test that accusation?

 

Ylasia: For all his faults involving humankind, Harin is beloved amongst them and his godly brethren alike! I am certain word of your stripping him of his godly powers has spread to even the most reclusive of our people and the blood of thousands boils at your actions. You would not dare test Beric, your brother, and your king by slaying his favorite?

 

Brogonus: My actions are the least of Beric's concerns, daughter. There is war amongst the gods of the north, south, east, and all over. Our stronghold on this country collapses as I speak.

 

Ylasia: You lie!

 

Brogonus: Were only your words true, my love.

 

Ylasia: They could use Harin up there. To lead the heavenly ranks!

 

Brogonus: Unfortunate.

 

Ylasia: You are a cruel, cruel creature...

 

Brogonus: Only when I do not get my way. Marry me.

 

Ylasia: (almost whispering) No.

 

Brogonus: So be it. I will come to you once more and if your answer remains the same you shall rot and Harin will be dead, no matter my punishment. Nearly three millennia you must endure, but, truth be told, in the state you are in, I would be truly amazed if you were to see the end of another year. Farewell. (exits)

 

Ylasia: I will survive, father! You will see! So long as I have my memory of Harin near to my breast I will persevere!

 

~ACT THREE~

 

The same clearing in the forest as in Act One. Harin sits on the grass while Ylasia paces anxiously before him. There is a long pause before anyone speaks.

 

Ylasia: (clears her throat)

 

Harin: What's that?

 

Ylasia: Nothing.

 

Harin: Oh...

 

Long pause.

 

Ylasia: You said that it was the memory of me that allowed you such a successful transition into the human world, correct?

 

Harin: Yes. Oh yes. In more ways than there are stars to count.

 

Ylasia: Without your words and actions in my heart I could not have survived my imprisonment. Your infinite bravery and terrible temper fueled my transformation to something far more suitable to my true environment.

 

Harin: Oh. I... I do not know what to say.

 

Ylasia: Then say nothing, Harin. I have become everything I once hated so. I no longer care for anything. Not humanity nor the gloriousness of nature...nor you.

 

Harin: Ylasia, you don't mean-

 

Ylasia: I would if I could, but I have grown incapable.

 

Harin: Ylasia...

 

Ylasia: (a thought aloud) I should have married him.

 

Harin: What?

 

Ylasia: Nothing. Nevermind. It's over now. It's all over!

 

Harin: Ylasia...

 

Ylasia: I am leaving you. I am going to learn and discover in this new land just as you did. (pause, Harin is speechless) In three thousand years you finally became the man I deserved. Perhaps in three thousand more I shall be the same for you... (starts to exit)

 

Harin: Ylasia no! We can make this work! Together! I can teach you to love me just as you-

 

Ylasia: Stop it. This is what I must do. I am more shattered than ever you were. A few kind words and picnics aren't going to- (gathers herself) And do not chase after me. We both know that I am by far the quicker of we two. I will love you again no matter how long it takes, but until then... I am still the goddess of field and womb, of birth and renewal and unto you I will always provide. Farewell. (exits)

 

Harin starts after her. Looks up as if she was ascending into heaven...then disappearing. He is defeated then sits, head buried in hands. There is a long pause and Rosalia enters, looking younger and more vibrant than before.

 

Rosalia: Harin? Harin, is it really you?

 

Harin: (in complete disbelief) Rosalia? Is that... How can it be...?

 

Rosalia: I-I don't know. There was a light, a bright light, and a woman, I think, tragic but beautiful. And then I'm here. And you're there.

 

Harin: (approaches her) I missed you so...

 

Rosalia: And I, you, my love.

 

They embrace.

 

~PLAY END~