Mercy Seat

INT. PALACE CHAPEL. DAY

MOLAY: The Templars will come for me.

PHILLIP: They’re in no position to insist much.

MOLAY: What are you talking about?

PHILLIP: Your stronghold was stormed at dawn. All of your men are safely chained by now.

MOLAY: They’d cut your soldiers to pieces.

PHILLIP: Actually, on all our practice runs, they opened up without a question. They are like children running around with swords!

CLEMENT: The soldiers you left in Europe are no more dangerous than farmers.

PHILLIP: And no more difficult to burn.

MOLAY grabs for Phillip’s throat.

MOLAY: If you try...

CLEMENT gets between them and holds Molay back.

CLEMENT: Maybe Your Highness should look into accommodations for the prisoner?

CLEMENT and PHILLIP stare at each other a few seconds.

PHILLIP: Fine! We’ll have to make sure he’s comfortable.

Exit PHILLIP. MOLAY looks Clement over suspiciously.

MOLAY: Soldiers order Kings in France?

CLEMENT: I merely request.

MOLAY: And what kind of requests do Kings ask of Popes?

CLEMENT: His Holiness will never believe the charges against you, Sir Molay!

MOLAY: Some say the new Pope speaks with Phillip’s voice.

CLEMENT: Who'd say such a thing of His Holiness?

MOLAY: Tongues are loose in the East.

CLEMENT: They wouldn’t speak so freely if His Holiness were there with them.

MOLAY: None of us will see the day a Pope sets foot in Jerusalem.

CLEMENT: God wills it.

MOLAY: God will see you soon if you don’t get out of my way.

CLEMENT: It would pain me to strike down another Christian, Your Lordship.

MOLAY takes a threatening step toward Clement. CLEMENT draws his sword partially from its scabbard.

MOLAY: Bigger men than you have tried to cut me in half.

CLEMENT: (excited) The Saracens? You’ve slain many, haven’t you? Tell me, Sir Molay, what does it feel like to kill a Saracen?

MOLAY backs down.

MOLAY: (Pause) They die no different than the rest. Mostly a lot of screaming.

Continued tomorrow.