Making TeaA Tangled FanFic Short

Draft #2by Balun Stormhands

3/29/2014Tangled is owned by the Walt Disney Company

Approximate runtime 8 minutes

Author’s Note: There are some descriptions to fill in the scenes and reference frames from Tangled to provide context, but I am trying to leave as much to the imagination of the director and animators as possible. While using as much existing material from Tangled as well.

The tall-thin man in the background is the surgeon. The heavy-set, balding man in the background is Mortimer Danberry the Seneschal who runs the day-to-day matters of the kingdom. The woman in the foreground is Elsbeth Hildgard the Midwife. The man in uniform is the Lieutenant of the Guard, second in command of the Palace Guard since his uniform is missing the tasseled shoulder boards and red frill on the helmet of the Captain of the Guard.

The woman on the very far right is the Head Woman and is in charge of the palace staff.Walter the Royal Herbalist needed to be created from whole cloth but he is based on Wall-E.

-Fade In

INTERIOR - CORONA CORRIDOR - NIGHT

WALTER THE ROYAL HERBALIST, a generally square-shaped man with large soulful eyes. He is tired, the treatment of the ill and pregnant queen has been going on for days. His yellow and brown clothes are stained and rumpled. On his hip is a trowel and knife.Walter is walking down the candle lit corridor.He sees the door to the King’s study ajar, candles lighting the interior.He peeks inside and sees the KING OF CORONA staring out of the window.

INTERIOR - THE KING’S STUDY - NIGHT

The desk is covered with messy piles of papers and writing implements, some important looking papers are held down with the crown. There is a small picture of the queen on the desk.

WALTERSire, please. You know how the midwife gets when her orders are disobeyed. She’s sent me off to get some rest too. I know you’re worried but you need to take some care of yourself. The kingdom needs you.

The king holds out a note.Walter enters, takes the note and reacts in disbelief.

WALTERBut the Sun Drop Flower is just a fairy tale. I’ve looked for it myself, there is no actual evidence for it, but a few centuries-old stories.

The king gestures out the window. The coast of the mainland is dotted with lanterns as the people search. The island itself is dark, everyone is out looking for a miracle.

WALTERIt’s going to take a miracle just to find the flower, and we need a miracle for the queen.

The king looks at Walter.

WALTERI’m sorry sire, but the latest treatment didn’t work either. It was risky to try it but there was nothing else left. I’m sorry. The queen had requested a Cesarean Section.

The king’s eyes widen.

WALTERI know, I know. We don’t have any records of babies surviving this early, and the queen is so weak it is unlikely she has any chance at survival either. If she can just last a week there will definitely be a chance to save the baby. The queen has made it clear she is willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of the baby. There are certain infusions that I can give her to help her get that week, maybe....

The king puts a hand on Walter’s shoulder then moves to his paper strewn desk, his crown is holding down some important looking papers. The king leans his fists on the desk. Finally, the king sweeps the papers and crown from the desk and onto the floor.

KINGWhy are we cursed!?

WALTERYou are not cursed. The court magician was sure of that.

KINGAnd five minutes later her blood was splattered all over the walls of her sanctum!

The king flops into his chair.

WALTERMy king, please. Magic is dangerous, everyone knows that. She knew the risks. We all did. You are a good king and queen. You serve us so much. That’s why she had to try. You dove between them to save the queen even as you ordered her to stop the spell, but it was too late for her. She...We love you because we know you love us so much.

The king picks up the small painting of the queen from his desk.

KINGI’m her knight in shining armor, even if she did knock me off my horse with an apple. I’m losing her and there’s nothing I can do about it.

WALTERYou’ve tried to have fourteen children for an heir to the throne. We don’t know why the first thirteen didn’t work. Sire, you have done everything you could and more.

KINGBut it’s not enough, its never enough.

WALTERSomething good will happen. You deserve it, so does the queen.

KINGDo we? Do we deserve anything good?

The door slams open. MORTIMER THE SENESCHAL the rotund man in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the palace and kingdom who has been leading the search for the flower dashes in.

MORTIMERSire, We found it!

KINGYou found it!?

WALTERIt’s real!?

MORTIMERYes, yes, come quickly.

INTERIOR - CORONA CORRIDOR - NIGHT

Everyone goes down the corridor to the herbalist station. A couple of tables against the wall, one covered with boxes, jars and bottles of herbs and liquids, and the other set up as a workspace with rags, mortars and pestles, cutting boards, bowls. There is a brazier filled with glowing charcoal to one side. Guards are placing the Sun Drop Flower on the work table. A maid is lighting additional candles on the candelabras near the

tables. Another maid places a metal kettle on the brazier. The midwife and surgeon come out of the sickroom.

WALTERYou really did find it.

MORTIMERYes, we did. The Captain of the Guard is out there bringing people home. You can save the queen now, right?

WALTERUm. Okay, this plant has a complex root system, it probably has some “stuff” stored in the roots.

Walter pulls out his knife and slices off a small root. The root in his hand withers and dies as does the root still connected to the main plant.

GROUPGasp

WALTERWhoa. Okay, cutting root with steel causes localized withering.

Walter holsters the knife, flips the page on his notebook and scribbles a note.

KINGWhat else can you try?

WALTERUm. Something simple.

Walter reaches out and plucks a small leaf from the side of the plant. It too withers and dies as does the small stem.

GROUPGroan

Walter scribbles in his notebook.

WALTERPlucking causes local withering. I’m sorry sire, but this plant is not acting like any plant I have ever encountered before. Trying to study it is destroying it.

KINGI noticed, but how do we save my family?

WALTERI don’t know! If the court magician was still alive I would ask her for guidance but the witch is dead. I’m just guessing at this point.

Walter slams his hand on the table.

KINGWalter, I trust you. Please keep trying.

Walter humbly turns back to the plant and examines it. When he reaches the blossom, it detaches the main body of the flower withers and dies.

WALTERNo!

GROUP

Groan

The blossom begins to glow brightly.

WALTERWater! In the bowl! Quickly!

The midwife grabs the now boiling kettle from the brazier with her bare hand and dumps water into the bowl. Her hand is burnt. She drops the kettle and the remaining boiling water spills around the table and floor. Walter reaches over and drops the blossom into the water and the glow infuses the water. (reference scene from Tangled prologue)

KINGDid it work?

WALTERIt looks like it.

KINGCan we test it?

WALTERI want to, but from what we’ve learned I don’t think that will be a good idea. If we

try using just a piece of the magic, the magic dies, and I have no idea what would happen to someone if they tried ingesting dead magic. I’m sorry sire, but we left knowledge behind some time ago, I am just guessing as to what to do right now. I’m sorry.

KINGWalter, we’ve been at this for nearly twenty years, I trust your guesses more then some people’s certainty. What’s your best guess?

Dramatic pause.

WALTERAll of it. The queen needs to drink all of it. The magic seems to require that it remain nearly whole. But, your majesty, this is obviously powerful magic. It might be so powerful that it will overwhelm the queen and the baby. It could cure them, it could kill them, or it could do something completely unexpected like transform them. I just don’t know. I’m sorry.

KINGI know. You’ve done enough. I can’t ask you to do any more. Thank you. If my wife and child are to die, it will be by my hand.

INTERIOR - SICK ROOM - DAWN

(reference scene from Tangled prologue)The QUEEN is laying barely conscious on the somewhat plain bed. Attendants are carefully and anxiously watching the queens every breathe.Dawn is breaking through the large windows facing the mainland.The doors to the sick room open, the king is very slowly and carefully walking while carrying the glowing bowl of Sun Drop Flower tea. Escorted by the team.The attendants clear a wide path for the king.The king kneels beside the bed.

KINGMy dear. We have medicine for you. It will make you better. Please drink.

The queen’s eyes flutter and she opens her mouth. The king lifts the head of his wife and helps her drink. A growing drop dribbles to the side and turns brown like dried blood.

KINGPlease, my apple, you must drink it all, quickly.

The queen nods weakly and continues to drink. The bowl is slowly drained completely. The queen falls back. The queen takes a huge gasp of air and her whole body glows. The glow concentrates in her belly and the baby can be seen through her skin and blankets, the baby’s hair lengthens. Then everything goes dark and the queen goes limp. The midwife turns her face into the breastplate of the Lieutenant of the Guard.

The king drops the bowl and clutches his limp wife close.

The queen slowly opens her eyes.

QUEENI love you too. Oh, and so does the baby.

The queen’s hands go to her belly. The king pulls back and sees the queen is cured then kisses her as everyone stands around weakly recovering or rejoicing.

FINAL FADE OUT

THE END