This is Part Two of the Enchanted Mystery series.
If you perform one of my scripts, please let me know so I can add the video to my channel!
Okay, Triss.
Here we are.
[eager] Are you ready to see him?
[pause]
Don’t be nervous!
You’re just looking.
It doesn’t hurt.
Any more than it would hurt him . . . to look at you.
And you aren’t bound to him . . . like I am.
[pause]
Triss, our kind have been looking at men . . . for centuries.
Thistledown does it all the time.
And not just in the woods!
At night . . . she goes right into their cities.
She looks in their windows!
[pause]
This is my grove.
My place of power.
Do you trust me?
[pause]
All right, then.
Just be quiet.
He’s sleeping . . . and I don’t want to wake him.
He’s at peace.
Men . . .
Their hearts . . .
They don’t often get to be at peace.
I like to let him sleep . . . and give him that peace.
[sound of rustling branches and leaves]
[optional: sound of running water begins, at low volume, and continues in the background]
[pause]
[whispering, in awe] Isn’t he beautiful?
[whispering] Isn’t he the most beautiful creature you’ve ever seen?
[pause]
[softly] Look at his arms.
[softly] They’re so different from ours.
[softly] But when he touches me . . .
[softly] I feel the strength . . . and the gentleness . . . of the river.
[pause]
[softly] And his face.
[softly] Look at the contours of it.
[softly] So majestic!
[softly] Like a mountain in winter.
[pause]
[softly] Just look how peaceful he is . . . when he’s like this.
[pause]
[softly] I wish you could see his eyes.
[softly] His eyes, Triss!
[pause]
[softly] I could look in them forever.
[softly] Just sit there and do nothing but stare . . . forever.
[voice getting a little louder with joy] Except that I would want to kiss him!
[giggles, at first loud and then suddenly quieter]
[whispering] Okay, okay, let’s go.
[whispering] Come on.
[sound of rustling branches and leaves]
[sound of running water stops]
[eager] Well?
Isn’t he beautiful?
[pause]
[gently] Now, don’t be like that.
[pause]
Yes, I love him.
I love him so much, Triss.
[pause]
[playful] No! Are you joking?
[eye roll] Aeylwine?
With his endless, oh-so-clever jests?
And that satisfied smirk of his?
No, I don’t want Aeylwine.
[pause]
Well, if Trueleaf likes his capering so much, she can have him!
[pause]
Triss, please.
[pause]
No, I’m not interested in Lorefatch.
[pause]
[patiently] Yes, I am aware that he is very well-formed.
Yes, his arms are firm and comely [the “o” is long, like in “comb”].
But . . . the beauty below the shoulders . . . doesn’t make up for the emptiness above them.
[pause]
Triss!
Triss!
What is he . . . what are any of our males . . .
Compared to this beautiful man who’s already . . . lying in my grove?
[pause]
I’ve seen his heart, Triss.
His heart!
It’s . . . it’s . . .
It has a strength I can’t even describe.
[pause]
I know what this is about.
The elders.
They’re already moving to cast me out.
Because I’m destined to mate with a man.
And you’re trying to prevent it.
You’re trying to save me.
[pause]
I’m grateful that you care about me.
I truly am!
But Triss . . . I don’t care what the elders do.
As long as I can be with him.
[pause]
You are my spirit-sister.
And I love you.
I will always love you.
And I cherish your love for me.
I always will.
But Triss . . .
[pause]
[gently] You have to let me go.
You have to let me go . . . and be with him.
I’m sorry to hurt you.
I truly am.
But you have to.
[pause]
[gently] Because I have to go.
It’s my destiny.
You know that.
[pause]
No.
It isn’t like that.
This is different.
This isn’t like anything that our people feel.
This is . . . a different kind of love.
[pause]
Look, I’m sorry . . .
Don’t hate me for saying this, but . . .
You don’t understand.
You just don’t know . . . what this kind of love is like.
[pause]
Men are not like you think, Triss.
They’re not like the elders tell you.
[pause]
Yes . . . men are fools.
If you haven’t noticed, so are we!
Look at Aeylwine!
Look at Lorefatch!
Especially Lorefatch.
[pause]
And yes . . . men are cruel.
So are we!
Look at the elders.
[pause]
Yes . . . the bodies of men are weak.
But their spirits!
Their spirits are so strong.
[pause]
You haven’t felt their spirits, Triss.
You haven’t looked in their hearts.
None of you has.
[pause]
I have.
And I’m prepared to suffer whatever it takes . . .
Because he gave that amazing heart of his . . . to me.
And I want to give mine to him.
I will give him my heart . . . or die trying.
[pause]
I was wrong about one thing.
When we first met . . . I said to him . . .
That men don’t feel other people’s spirits.
That they don’t look into other people’s hearts.
[pause]
They do.
[pause]
They do.
[pause]
We’re the ones who don’t.
[pause]
Looking into the heart of a man . . . has made me realize . . .
It’s the first time I’ve really looked into anyone’s heart.
We talk about feeling each other’s spirits.
Seeing each other’s hearts.
But it’s all talk.
This man?
He actually showed me his heart.
[pause]
And I feel like I’m living in a different world now.
[pause]
Isn’t that strange?
He came here.
He left the domain of men . . . to live in ours.
So . . . on the outside . . . he’s the one who’s living in a whole different world.
But on the inside?
I’m the one who is.
Because of all that his heart has shown me.
[pause]
It’s made me realize . . .
Our world is so empty . . . compared to theirs.
We have so much.
And we take it all for granted.
They have so little.
But in their hearts?
They have so much desire.
They want so much.
They love so much.
[pause]
Since he showed me his heart . . . I’ve been going to their world.
Over and over.
Not to reveal myself to them.
Just to watch them.
I want to learn about men.
So I can understand . . . the one my fate has given me to.
[pause]
And I think . . .
With all that strong, powerful love in their hearts . . .
Most of them love so much that they can’t control it.
They squander their lives . . . trying to capture the beauty they love.
Trying to possess it.
Running from one beauty to the next.
It keeps slipping out of their hands.
They can’t hold it.
[compassionate] The poor things.
[pause]
But some of them?
They manage to get . . . control.
Their love becomes . . . devotion.
They love with their whole hearts.
[pause]
I want that.
I want to be dedicated.
I want to dedicate myself to something.
I want to be bonded . . . and not able to break free.
[pause]
Do you know what they say?
When they bond?
“For better or for worse.”
There’s nothing like that . . . anywhere in our world.
When was the last time anyone in our world . . . did something like that?
When was the last time Aeylwine . . . or Lorefatch . . . or the elders . . .
Did something . . . did anything . . .
Just out of pure love?
Love for something other than themselves!
Did something . . . not caring whether it would make them better off?
[pause]
That’s what I want.
[pause]
Yes.
It will change me.
[pause]
Yes, in ways I can’t predict.
And can’t control.
[pause]
I want to be changed.
[pause]
[gently] Yes, Triss.
I’ve heard the rumors.
About what happens . . . if one of us . . . mates with one of them.
[pause]
[calm, neutral] I don’t care.
[pause]
[gently] You still don’t understand.
To love with your whole heart . . . you have to be dedicated.
Devoted.
You have to be . . . given.
What I mean is . . .
You have to give up control.
You have to let yourself be changed.
In ways that you can’t predict.
And can’t control.
[pause]
He gave his heart to loving me.
He took that first step.
I wish you could have seen it.
Seen his face.
He was so bold!
[pause]
He surrendered himself.
Not knowing what would come.
[pause]
For better or for worse.
[pause]
And that daring . . . made me . . . his beloved.
[pause]
It changes him . . . and it changes me, too.
[pause]
And I give my heart to loving him back.
I make that choice.
I surrender myself.
Not knowing what will happen.
I become . . . dedicated.
[pause]
For better or for worse.
[pause]
[very gently] Do you know what you still don’t understand?
And . . . I still don’t understand?
It’s the unhappiness in their hearts.
[pause]
It’s . . .
How do I describe it?
[pause]
Imagine . . .
Imagine that you . . . lost all your beauty.
All your glamour.
You just became . . . plain.
And your spirit-sisters didn’t delight to look at you.
They way they always have . . . every day of your life . . . for all the centuries you’ve lived.
And you had to live that way.
All the time.
Among our people.
Who are beautiful.
All the time.
All of them.
Effortlessly.
And you were just . . . plain.
[pause]
Yes, I know.
It’s hard to think about.
[pause]
But now imagine that instead of your body . . .
It was your spirit that lost its beauty.
[pause]
Not because of anything you did.
Not for any fault of yours.
Just . . . something that happened to you.
Outside your control.
Your spirit became . . .
Plain.
Dull.
[pause]
And even if you knew that everyone else around you . . .
Also had this . . . plainness . . . in their spirits . . .
No one was showing it.
Everyone is walking around . . . acting like their spirits were beautiful.
All of them.
All the time.
Like they’re all beautiful inside.
Effortlessly.
[pause]
And if you try to talk to anyone about the plainness inside . . .
They’ll hate you for it.
Despise you.
Fear you.
Want to destroy you.
They’ll cast you out.
[pause]
Because you reminded them.
Because you made them think about it.
Made them feel it.
[pause]
Well, that’s not exactly what unhappiness is.
But it’s . . . like it.
Somewhat.
[pause]
They keep trying to get rid of it.
The unhappiness.
They’ll do anything to get rid of it.
They’re desperate.
[pause]
One of their poets said:
“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.”
And they do.
This is why.
[pause]
But they can’t get rid of their unhappiness.
Nothing they do can remove it.
Believe me!
I tried!
[pause]
Sharing it with others . . .
If they find someone who’s willing to share it . . .
Who won’t hate them . . . for showing their unhappiness . . .
It does make it hurt less.
[pause]
But not that much.
Not really.
[pause]
They get drunk on that sometimes.
On that precious moment when they finally get to share . . . with someone.
Drunk on romance.
Drunk on what they think is love.
But it wears off.
And what then?
[pause]
Neither they . . . nor we . . . nor any power in all of nature I know of . . .
Can really take their unhappiness away.
[pause]
No one knows why.
They seem to be just . . . born that way.
[pause]
And some of them . . . very few . . .
Realize it.
Those are the ones who get control over their love.
The men who realize that love won’t take their unhappiness away.
And those men?
They become strong.
Very . . . very strong.
[pause]
Triss, you have a lot of strength.
With your grove of indomitable [“in-DOM-it-ah-bull”] towers.
Unbreakable pillars that could hold up the sky.
You’re the strongest of us all.
But men?
The men who get control over their love?
They’re strong with a strength that’s beyond all that.
A strength that could knock down all your trees . . . and the sky along with them.
[pause]
And those men . . . who are strong in that way . . .
When they give themselves . . .
It means something.
Because they’re not trying to get rid of their unhappiness.
They’re not desperate any more.
They’re free.
[pause]
They can love you . . . just for the sake of loving you.
They can love you freely.
And . . .
I don’t know how to say this . . .
[pause]
The sharing . . .
Sharing unhappiness with someone.
It’s worth it.
Even if it doesn’t take it away.
It’s worth it for its own sake.
[pause]
I’m not explaining it very well.
I don’t know if I can.
[pause]
He gives me his heart.
I give him mine.
And when he gives me his heart . . .
I get mine back.
And when I give him my heart . . .
He gets his back.
And . . .
And when we get them back . . . they’re different.
They’re different because they’ve been given away.
[pause]
I don’t understand it.
It’s a mystery.
[pause]
But it’s real.
I’ve only felt it just a little bit.
[pause]
The truth is . . . I haven’t really given him my heart yet.
But I’m working on it.
I’m trying.
And even now . . . I can already feel it.
The mystery.
It’s real.
[pause]
And . . . what else is there?
Aeylwine?
Lorefatch?
The elders?
All that emptiness?
All our emptiness?
Eternal beauty . . . on the surface.
And nothing underneath.
No depth.
A world of appearances.
A world of lies.
[bitter] Endless, endless lies.
None of it means anything.
None of it matters.
[pause]
I’m done with all that.
I’m done with lies.
I’m done with surfaces.
I want to dive into depths that I can’t fathom.
[pause]
I will take him . . . and with him . . . no other promises.
No promises that there will be beauty.
Or happiness.
Not any.
Not ever.
Only a promise that we will give each other our hearts.
And take what comes.
[pause]
And that choice brings with it . . .
A new beauty.
A new happiness.
With meaning.
And purpose.
[pause]
Dedicated.
For better or for worse.