(The stage is bathed in a cold, majestic purple. Two Dwarf Guards march with heavy, rhythmic boots. They meet at center stage with a resonant thud.)
Left Guard (Belting with power):
"The sun has set, the moon is high!
A brand-new Lord beneath the sky!
Unbar the stone, fling wide the gate,
For guests of honor, do not wait!
From every path and distant shore,
Step through the Grnnstjarna door!"
Right Guard (In a counter-melody):
"From the North—warriors bold in crimson plate!
From the West—the Wise in blue, they congregate!
From the South—Inventors dressed in matte-black night!
From the East—on dragon-wing, in snowy white!"
(The procession of Dwarves enters, splitting into lines based on their colors and directions. At the very end of the Eastern line, Mikilllfr appears in his brilliant white suit, waving with a wide, toothy grin.)
Left Guard:
"Red Armor, march! To the left, proceed!
Lord Varrin Afbarahants has the wine you need!
Succulent meats and a table grand,
Move your feet to the beat of the band!"
[Choreography Note]: The Red-clad dwarves march toward the Left Guard and file off-stage to the left. The ensemble sings: “The Lord awaits on the left, a feast grand and vast!”
Right Guard:
"Robes of Blue—hark to the call!
Lady Livita waits in the eastern hall!
The drinks are poured, the candles bright,
Step to the right, into the light!"
[Choreography Note]: The Blue-clad dwarves march toward the Right Guard and file off-stage to the right. The ensemble sings: “The Lady stays on the right, a party warm and bright!”
Left Guard (Leading the Black-clad inventors):
"Inventors in Black! The Lord demands your skill!
Stay close to me, and keep your voices still!
To the left, to the left—be quick, be fast!
A feast like this is built to last!"
[Choreography Note]: The Black-clad dwarves file off-stage left. This time, the Left Guard follows behind them, leaving the stage. The ensemble sings: “The Lord awaits on the left, a feast grand and vast!”
Right Guard (Urging the White-clad dwarves):
"Dwarves in White—the Lady’s side is yours!
Step lively now, through the open doors!
If you linger long, if you’re late to the gate,
You’ll find no entry—such is your fate!"
[Choreography Note]: The Right Guard hurries off-stage right. The White-clad dwarves break into a run to catch up. Mikilllfr remains, walking slowly, smiling and waving—the very last person to leave the stage as the ensemble sings: “The Lady stays on the right, a party warm and bright!”
ACT II: THE HALL OF THE PURPLE CASTLE
(The Feast Hall. A swivel throne sits center stage, facing away. The Right Guard enters leading the Blue dwarves.)
Right Guard: "The Wise Ones from the South have arrived!" (He bows and exits. The Blue dwarves scatter across the stage.)
Right Guard (Returns with the White dwarves): "The Agile Ones from the West have arrived!" (He bows but stays on stage. The White dwarves scatter, leaving Mikilllfr standing dead center.)
(Mikilllfr, who was facing the back, spins around with a massive grin and waves to the audience.)
(Music: A stomping Folk Dance begins. The dwarves grab shoulders, kicking their boots in unison.)
Ensemble (Chanting/Singing):
"A feast for the brave in the Purple Stone Hall!
The scent of the boar-roast enchants us all!
The ale is green, the bubbles are high,
'Who are you, friend?' is the common cry!"
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Fimbul (Stepping out, Blue robes swirling):
"I am Fimbul, Sage of the Southern sand!
The master of maps for all the land!
Left or Right, I know the way!"
Ensemble: "Fimbul draws maps... Right-Left-Right!"
(The dance repeats. The lines shuffle. Mikilllfr is now in the Front-Right row.)
Vitinn (Stepping out, White suit gleaming):
"I am Vitinn, from the Western gale!
Upon my dragon, I never fail!
Fast as the wind, I soar through the night!"
Ensemble: "Vitinn the wind... Right-Left-Right!"
(The dance repeats. The lines shuffle. Mikilllfr is back in the Front-Left row. The Right Guard is now hidden in the Front-Right row.)
Ensemble: (Repeat Chorus: "A feast in the hall...")
(The music pauses.) Right Guard (Steps out from the Front-Right row): "I am Rathsvid—"
Ensemble: "EH?!!" (Everyone stops in shock. The Guard looks around, panics, and runs off-stage.)
Mikilllfr (Stepping out confidently)
"I am Mikilllfr! From the Sleep-Dragon Woods!
I’ve got the strength and the hero’s goods!
I slew the Great Wolf, that monster of dread,
The one who feasted on dragons’ heads!"
Livita (A voice like a blade): "Mikilllfr!"
(The throne spins. Livita is revealed in stunning, voluminous pink. The music turns dark and operatic.)
Chorus:
"Behold the Lady of the Purple Stone!
Livita Afbarahants on her throne!
A smile that cuts like a serrated knife,
A gaze that steals the spirit from a wife!
The mistress of truth, the queen of the air,
The woman of the... voluminous hair!"
Livita (Circling him like a predator):
"Stop your spinning, Warrior of the Wild!
Why are your eyes as cold as a child?
Do you forget the man who fought ten...
Just to see this face again?"
Mikilllfr (A cold, stiff bow):
"Forgive me, Lady of the High-Born Grace,
But I’ve fought a hundred wars in every place!
One against ten? I’ve done it a lot.
I don’t recall you—I’ve simply forgot!
Many men copy my walk and my style,
You’ve mistaken me for another, by a mile!"
Chorus (Whispering):
"He’s forgotten the girl... forgotten the flame...
The lady with ten brothers to her name...
Every night he watched her smile..."
Livita:
"42nd Street... the 6th split in the road!
The 2nd corner where the moonlight glowed!
Cold in the dark, and warm in the day,
You drank my liquor and you ran away!
You still owe my tavern twelve silver coins!"
Mikilllfr (Stung):
"I’m the Hero of Litrfagrbyr!
I touch no ladies, I drink no beer!
I have no debts, my pockets are bold—
My axe alone is worth two hundred gold!"
Chorus (Whispering):
"He’s forgotten the girl of the Fire-Bear Inn...
Where he’d whisper of love and the life they’d begin..."
Livita (Grabbing him, nose to nose):
"Look at me! I am Liv! Daughter of the Eldbj?rn Tavern!"
Mikilllfr (Freezing. He turns away, wiping a tear with his forearm before exploding in song):
"So you are Liv! With a family of ten!
Ten brothers who beat me again and again!
I made bird-calls to wake you at dawn’s first light,
I hauled all your crates through the heat of the night!
You rejected me daily, you laughed at my pants,
Then you lied and you married an Afbarahants!"
Livita:
"No! No! I married a clerk! A man who was poor!
But the bombs of the war came a-knocking at the door!
A great explosion—the bloodline was spent!
Through death and through fire, my husband went!
Promoted seven ranks! Skipped eleven more!
The clerk of the past is the Lord you’re before!"
Mikilllfr (Mocking):
"Skipped eleven ranks? Seven steps in a day?
No such luck exists, no matter what you say!
Is it fate? Or a trick of the light?"
Livita (Fierce):
"The clan was erased in the heat of the fight!
Of the Afbarahants, the world was drained,
Till only seven heirs remained!"
Mikilllfr:
"Seven here, seven there—Lucky 777!
A clerk becomes a Lord? Did he fall out of heaven?
Where is this man of such 'miracle' luck?"
(Heavy thuds. Varrin emerges from the shadows. The music turns jagged and dissonant.)
Varrin: "Who calls me 'Lucky'?"
Varrin (Solo):
"I was counted past seven, I fell on eleven,
A survivor pulled from a hell—not a heaven!
My brothers are corpses, my kin are all ghosts,
Is this the 'luck' that your village-tongue boasts?
I’d rather be a clerk with my family near,
Than a Lord of a tomb, standing right here!"
Chorus: "Varrin is here... the Clerk of the Dead... Number eleven, with blood on his head!"
Mikilllfr (Kneeling with grace):
"Lord Varrin... I come to your hall!
Mikilllfr of the Dragon Woods stands tall!
I bring you friendship, I bring you peace."
Varrin (Snapping away):
"Who asked to see you? You savage, you beast!
How dare you bring your filth to my sight?
I can smell the mud of your woods in the night!"
Mikilllfr:
"I am no savage, despite what you claim!
I am a protector, a warrior of name!
The brother of the Chief of Litrfagrbyr!"
Varrin (Laughing cruelly):
"Litrfagrbyr? What a ridiculous sound!
A name for a place that should be in the ground!
I don't know it, I don't want to—Never! Never!"
Livita (Pleading):
"My husband, be calm! Your rage is too bright!
It burns through our honor, it poisons the night!
Be kind to this man, this golden-haired knight...
He is an... old friend... of mine."
Varrin (Turning slowly, eyes like daggers):
"Your words are the oil that feeds my desire!
'Old friend'? 'Golden-hair'? You add to the fire!
How close were you two? How deep does this go?
A debt-ridden coward! A shameless low!"
Mikilllfr (Standing up slow, the stage turning bright white):
"You point your finger, you spit on my name!
You insult me in public, you offer me shame!
I came here with mercy, I came here as friend,
But your vulgar tongue brings that peace to an end!"
(Mikilllfr stamps—BANG!)
"If you move one step closer, if you dare to be bold,
You’ll find my 'mercy' has turned bitter and cold!"
Varrin (Trembling with fury):
"You arrogant dog! You barbarian soul!
Thirteen days from now, I will take total control!
Your village—Litrfagrbyr—will vanish from sight!
Go tell your brothers to prepare for the night!
Dig your holes in the dirt! Dig them deep, dig them wide!
And add two more for the men inside!"
Varrin (Whispering in Mikilllfr's ear):
"Two holes for two heads... separated from bone!
You and your brother, left all alone!
I’ll wash your name from the dirt with your blood!"
Chorus: "Thirteen days... it won't be long... the scent of blood is thick and strong... a whole village buried in the mud!"
Mikilllfr (Stopping at the exit, turning back):
"Thirteen days... at the village gate!
I’ll dig those two holes and I’ll leave it to fate!
But they aren't for my brother, and they aren't for me...
They're for your body and your head, Lord—wait and see!
See you then!"
Chorus: "Thirteen days... it won't be long... the scent of blood is thick and strong..."
Livita (To Varrin, with pity and terror):
"Are you a fool? To attack where he dwells?
Withdraw your words before the death-knell!
Forget your jealousy! Let the anger depart!"
Varrin (Shoving her away):
"You’re scared for your 'Blondie', the man of your heart!
In thirteen days, his luck will be spent!
I won't take back a word, or a single intent!
On the Fourteenth Day, when the battle is won,
I’ll bring you his head as a gift, and we're done!"
Livita (A cold, final sigh):
"No clerk ever wins against a warrior's blade.
You’ve chosen your grave in the trap you have laid.
Since you won't take it back... since you're seeking the sun...
I fear for us, Varrin... Day Fourteen will not come."
(Livita exits. Varrin stands alone. The orchestra swells to a terrifying climax.)
Chorus:
"Lady of the Purple Castle... Livita Afbarahants!
A smile that slashes men's hearts... Eyes that tame a woman's soul!
Her words become reality... The lady with the voluminous hair!"
(A harsh spotlight hits Varrin. BLACKOUT.)