This is the screenplay for a movie that never happened

Translations for the dialogue are listed directly after each statement

The language used is Oraniell (a conlang)

Scene 1: a village hamlet (not quite a city but a very large village) as seen from above with small figures carrying farm implements or wearing armor and bearing swords running to and fro preparing for battle. A large building near the center of the village a door of which opens and a person walks out. Angle shift to ground level – person is Quinna and she is joined by a man.

Quinna (looking into the distance): Aer fierna laevoka. (tell the men)

the man nods and walks out of the scene. Picture shift – inside the large building men are strewn about, standing, sitting, leaning against walls and all are preparing for battle. Some strapping on helmets or breastplates, others putting a final edge on their weapons, etc. The double doors burst open.

Man (calls out with authority): Aerla ilren arostak! (find your posts)

the men rush out, picking up their own various pieces of equipment as they go. Picture shift – segueing of men running up to their barricade posts, some (Vigilants and archers) swing into trees; all enter fortified places to protect the town. They wait. Segueing scenes of the men waiting, some looking apprehensive, other looking bored, fidgeting etc. The sun sets and everyone gets tense. Torches burning low fast-motion and being replaced. Picture shift – Quinna standing near one of the torches looking out into the darkness. The man from before (man1) approaches and stands behind and to the right.

Man1 (mutters quietly): Romaerri lait arostu? (where are they)

Quinna (puzzled and grimly worried): Arel ilren querin flur. (I do not know)

A sudden commotion is heard. Quinna and Man1 turn and see a man running from the edge of the darkness. He is bedraggled and appears exhausted. Burn marks and small wounds all over.

Survivor: Kaer teriano! . . . . Kaer teriano! (The village, the village)

Several men from the foremost ranks run forward to help the man and they bring him back behind the lines. Quinna strides in their direction (left) and coming up to the men who are arranged in a ragged circle, kneeling or standing around the messenger kneels by his side as he lies prone on the ground. One man in the circle is tending to his wounds.

Quinna (speaks quietly; stern and kind): Aer ondae norked verthakanu? (what dark tidings do you bring?)

Messenger (speaks with difficulty): Kaer teriamo, Káyrrisla teriamo, krin aelinka desant! Arel narvith alette. (the village, Káyrris' village falls in flames! I alone have escaped)

Quinna looks shocked and her eyes widen with realization. Standing quickly she puts her hand on one of the soldier's shoulders.

Quinna (shouting over her shoulder): Indraenka, vilrae arel! (Vigilants, to me)

She reaches her horse and begins to check its gear. Man 1 runs up to her side.

Man 1 (under his breath; hurriedly): Quinna, alerri saeth eliru thie? (Quinna, what good can we bring?)

Quinna (mounting, replies sternly): Aer laimor flur, Indraen. Vlirae alette tsion lenak. (You do not speak, Vigilant. Either join or remain)

Vigilant 1 lowers his head and gives a low, short sigh.

Vigilant 1 (nods head): Arel quon vilrae aer. (I will join you)

Quinna wheels her horse about.

Quinna: Aer ntharo lait. Alerri quon iemma flur arel kiet. (Then be you swift. We will not wait for you.)

Quinna urges her horse to a gallop and we see her from behind as she is joined by three others on horseback. They gallop out of the ring of torchlight, we see from slightly before them and to the right as they leave the village behind. They pass by quickly.

Scatter scenes wherein (1) we see a side close-up of Quinna and her horse as they gallop through the night; (2) zoomed out to the whole five horsemen and we see a faint hint of dawn on the Eastern horizon; (3) close up of Quinna from the front showing her face – her eyebrows are lowered and her eyes glint, she appears angry, grim and distressed.

The sun is just peeking over the horizon when (angle shift) we see from the riders' perspectives a low-rising hill before them. They crest the hill (angle shift as seen from the front, just on top of the hill's brow) and reign in their prancing horses. angle shift – we see over Quinna's shoulder down into a small valley. A fire-swept village and all within is still save smoke from the smoldering ruins and some low burning fires.

Angle shift – seen from behind Quinna's horse rears and neighs. She turns its head and leads her Vigilants down the hill, into the valley. Scene-shift – We see Quinna and Vigilants galloping up to within ten yards of the village as we stand beside a burnt building. They reign their horses in and dismount irregularly. angle-shift – We see from just behind Quinna as she dismounts and we follow her, looking over her shoulder as she jogs into the village. angle shift – back to beside the burnt building, Quinna comes to a stop in the village circle. angle shift – close-up of Quinna's face as her eyes scan back and forth. angle shift – camera pans the village scene from Quinna's perspective and then stops, focused on a stable, only half-burnt where there hangs the figure of a cloaked and masked man, transfixed to the farthest shed-post by a spear.

Quinna (exclamatory but under her breath): Káyrris!

Angle shift – we see from slightly below and beside the man as Quinna runs up to the stable and grasping the spear shaft pulls it out. Angle shift – seen from her perspective as the charred spear lays in her hands. Angle shift – from beside her she glances up at the bloody post. Angle shift – from her perspective again she looks down at the spear and closes her eyes. Scene shift – blurry and slow-motion with fire wreathing the midnight background we see the spear unstick itself from the post (no carcass), arch backwards through the air; angle shift and return to a hand, behind which we see a faint outline of a stone and brick wall.

Scene shift – Quinna opens her eyes and we see from her perspective as she looks up and across the village circle to the only stone building, a large bell-tower. Angle shift – we stand before the building facing Quinna as she runs towards the tower, angle shift – looking along the red-brick wall of the bell tower, slightly angled outwards Quinna enters the scene, stopping before the wall and laying her hand on it. She puts her ear to the wall and closes her eyes.

Quinna (breathless; pleading): Aerak fierna arel (speak to me)

Whispering voices seem to flow around us, sounding, not like rustling leaves or even wind but breathing with the nature of stones sliding on stones and heat blazing forth with the cold sigh of water dripping in caverns underground. Zoom-in to a close-up of Quinna as her eyes dart back and forth beneath their lids. The whispering grows more intense and Quinna's eyebrows scrunch together. Suddenly Quinna's eyes open, angle shift – as seen from the side but further out (showing mostly torso) and back Quinna steps back from the wall (all whispering ceases) and looks down quickly at her feet. Angle-shift as seen from ground level Quinna's shoes (not boots) she kneels and traces something on the ground with her hand.

Quinna (hopeful; whispers): Káyrris

Angle shift as seen from Quinna's perspective the ground is printed with many shoe-marks, the scene pans up to reveal similar marks leading away – two pair and out of the line of sight. Angle shift as seen from behind Quinna leaps to her feet and runs in the path left by the tracks. Angle shift, showing a blade of unburnt grass which trembles in the wind of Quinna's sprint and the little spur is stained with blood.

Scene shift – shows Quinna running (as seen from the side and going along with her) the background of smoking dawn-lit village blurs by. Angle shift and we see the main 'gate' (three posts set like a door and flanked by waist-high stone walls) Quinna runs past and vaults, angle shift from the side, the stone wall, angle shift, we see from her perspective the plains-land beyond with a forest rising in the further background, just ahead, lying in a patch of trampled grass is the lone figure of a black-garbed man. Angle shift-