This script is part of the Someday My Princess Will Come series.
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[annoyed] That fool!
He is going to destroy our dynasty.
[pause]
[calming down] It’s all right, girls, I’m fine.
[calm, stately, firm] I’m just angry about my father’s meeting with his imperial counselors.
Here, help me out of this headdress . . . and these robes.
[pause]
No, no bath tonight, girls.
Just let me dress for bed.
[pause]
[sigh]
It’s that awful Chi-Fu.
[pause]
Yes, him again!
Is there a disaster or a disgrace in this palace that he is not the cause of?
[bitter] If the groundskeeper discovered that Chi-Fu was somehow the reason why the roof of the pagoda in the palace courtyard leaks on rainy days . . . I would not be surprised.
[long breath in and out]
Really, you don’t want to know.
Just put my things away and then go back to your rooms.
Get some rest.
You’re better off.
[pause]
Are you sure?
[pause]
Very well. But remember, this was your idea.
Shan Yu and his army have crossed the northern border.
[calm, firm] Control yourselves, girls.
We are women of the imperial palace.
We will face whatever comes . . . with courage and virtue.
General Li [“Lee”] is begging my father to reinforce the defenses . . . while there’s still time.
But that worthless Chi-Fu has convinced my father it isn’t necessary.
[angry] Simpering, scheming, lecherous fool!
[furious] By the time he gets his nose out of his serving girls’ robes . . . he will find Shan Yu sitting on my father’s throne!
[pause]
[calming herself] My apologies, girls. That was unworthy of me.
[pause]
No, no, of course it’s all true about Chi-Fu.
And that isn’t even the worst of it.
But it was unworthy of me to lose control of myself.
If Chi-Fu chooses to be a scoundrel . . . we, at least, should choose to be better than he.
I apologize.
[pause]
I know my father wants to do the right thing for his people.
For all of us.
He will see the need before it is too late.
[pause]
[gently] No, no . . . thank you, but I am quite sure I do not want a bath.
[tenderly] I’m grateful for your concern.
Please return to your rooms now.
[pause]
Oh! You there!
[pause]
Yes, you. Remain just a few more minutes to brush my hair.
The rest of you, go. I will see you in the morning.
[door closing]
[very gently] It’s all right.
You’re safe.
You’re not in any trouble.
Quite the opposite, actually.
[warmly, admiring] I want to honor you.
[pause]
Don’t be alarmed. It’s all right.
Come here.
[pause]
[gently] There’s no need to be afraid.
I don’t bite!
I may be a princess, but . . . I’m just a person, like you.
Here. Brush my hair and I’ll explain.
[pause]
[sound of brushing begins]
As I said, I want to honor you.
You serve China with great virtue.
[pause]
You do!
No one in this whole palace . . . has served China more than you.
With great respect, not even my father.
[pause]
What do you think is the strength of our nation?
Is it armies? Wealth, to buy weapons?
No.
It is the honor of the household.
People . . . doing what is right . . . doing their duty . . . and taking good care of each other.
Especially taking care of their own families.
Protecting one another.
Instead of caring only about themselves.
[pause]
Without honor in the household . . . armies and weapons have no power.
Chi-Fu has been demonstrating that.
[pause]
But . . . you already know all about . . . Chi-Fu’s dishonor.
[sound of brushing stops]
[very gently] Don’t be alarmed.
You are completely safe.
[solemn] I swear it . . . by my ancestors.
[pause]
I only wish to honor you.
For your heroic service . . . to protect your family.
[gently] Here, stand in front of the mirror.
[pause]
That’s right, just like that.
Look at your reflection.
Tell me, what do you see?
[long pause]
[concerned] Mmmmm.
I understand.
That is . . . what the other women see . . . when they look at you.
[gently] They see a girl . . . with a face they consider . . . ugly.
[very gently] They are hard on you. They look down on you.
Because they are blinded by their foolishness.
But when I look at you . . . I do not see what they see.
And . . . I do not think that is what you truly see, either.
[pause]
I will tell you what I have seen in you.
I have seen a person of real beauty.
Loyal.
Devoted.
Kind.
Compassionate.
And brave! Indeed, daring beyond my father’s most intrepid heroes on the battlefield.
And . . . unbreakable.
The strength of a dragon.
Or of a sword . . . in the hand of a mighty man.
And I also saw . . . that you looked away when I changed my robe.
Not for the first time, either.
[pause]
That caught my attention the first time I saw you do it.
Since then, I have been watching you.
I recognize you.
[gently] I met you . . . before you came to the palace.
[pause]
Shhh . . . it’s all right.
You are safe!
I will protect you.
I will do whatever it takes to protect you.
Just as you have given up everything . . . to protect . . .
Your sister.
[pause]
You see . . . I met you . . . two years ago . . . when the house of Fa visited my father.
You are the youngest child of the Fa family.
[quietly] The youngest . . . son.
[pause]
Chi-Fu saw your sister . . . that day you visited.
He has had . . . designs . . . on her . . . ever since.
Dishonorable designs.
[pause]
You knew.
You saw the way he looked at her.
How he spoke to her.
And you saw how he treated the other serving girls in the palace.
You saw what he was capable of.
[pause]
And when the order went out . . . requiring households to send female servants to the palace . . . Chi-Fu went out in person.
To see the girls for himself.
To try to . . . get his hands on the ones he liked.
When he arrived at your house . . . that must have been terrifying.
Especially for your sister.
[long pause]
[shocked] He WHAT?
[pause]
[choking on her own anger] He actually –
[furious] The audacity!
The shamelessness!
Your sister must have been mortified.
[pause]
The shame of it!
[cold, bitter] I could kill that man.
I could absolutely murder him in cold blood.
When my father finally sees –
[takes a moment to get hold of herself]
[calm] I apologize.
[pause]
At any rate, that does explain . . . why you went to such drastic lengths.
When Chi-Fu came back from the Fa household, he was angry.
More than that.
He was furious.
No one could talk to him for a week without . . . provoking a tantrum.
[pause]
It turned out . . . the Fa family had a younger daughter . . . he hadn’t known about.
One . . . who didn’t catch Chi-Fu’s fancy.
Who wasn’t feminine enough for him.
[softly] Who didn’t have the type of beauty . . . that blind fools like him care about.
[pause]
I must say, your disguise is outstanding.
If I hadn’t met you before . . . I would never have seen through it.
Of course, Chi-Fu had also met you . . . but you were beneath his notice.
[pause]
Still . . . you took your life into your hands coming here.
Offering yourself as a serving girl to save your sister.
To protect her.
And you’re still at risk of discovery.
Every day!
[pause]
Not only that, you didn’t just risk death.
You gave up your life.
Your life as a man.
Your life of freedom . . . and the honor of the world.
And your very identity.
You gave up the person you are.
For her.
[pause]
[anxious] Would . . . would it be asking too much . . .
[awkward] Would you . . . that is . . .
[more awkward] Would you honor me . . . by showing me . . . your true self?
[pause]
[extremely awkward] No! No! I didn’t mean . . .
I – I have a man’s robe here!
I snuck it out of the laundry.
I just . . . wanted to see you wear it.
[anxious] Please . . . I want to see you as you truly are.
[pause]
[glad] Thank you.
I’ll go over here while you . . .
Yes. Right.
[pause]
[quiet but intense] I want you to know . . . no one can ever honor you enough . . . for what you’ve done for your sister.
And not just for her.
By honoring her, you honor China.
By protecting her, you protect all our people.
[intensity building] I swear to you, I will protect you.
Just as you have protected her.
[pause]
Can I . . . can I turn around?
[pause]
[gasp]
[awestruck] By all the ancestors.
By the glory of the heavens.
[serious] You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on.
[pause]
No, no, you are!
Don’t . . . don’t feel ashamed because the women made fun of you.
And don’t . . . don’t feel ashamed because you . . . dressed as a woman.
To save your sister . . . from that awful man!
[pause]
Come back over here.
Over to the mirror.
[pause]
No, I insist.
[coaxing warmly] Come on, now!
[pause]
See your reflection.
You deserve to wear that robe.
You are more truly a man . . . than anyone in this palace.
The person in that mirror is not just a man.
He is not just a beautiful man.
He is a great man.
A man of courage, loyalty, virtue and tremendous honor.
A royal man.
[teasingly] In fact, you know whom you look like?
[delighted] You look like my father.
[pause]
You do! You have his air about you.
And his love.
[suddenly embarrassed] I mean . . . I mean . . . You love your sister . . . the way my father loves me.
[pause]
You know what I think?
I think . . . the love is in the man.
What I mean is . . . a man’s love is an expression . . . of the kind of man he is.
People like Chi-Fu . . . and my serving girls . . . think that . . . it is a woman’s job to be beautiful.
Beautiful with the kind of beauty they care about.
To kindle the man’s love.
I think a real man loves because of who he is.
Not because he’s a puppet . . . controlled by feminine wiles.
[pause]
[awkward] I believe . . . if you loved a woman that way . . .
[quietly] If a woman were . . . blessed by fortune . . . to be noticed by you . . . in that way . . .
That your love for her would be . . . as noble and great as your heart.
[pause]
[scoffing] To think! If Chi-Fu discovered you, he would call what you have done an “ultimate dishonor.”
It is what he does to the palace serving girls that is the real ultimate dishonor.
[quietly] I call what you have done . . . ultimate honor.
And I honor you for it.
[pause]
No, no, don’t stop me.
I have a right to bow to you.
[pause]
I don’t care that you’re a servant. It is my right.
[pause]
[playfully] Well, if it really comes to that, I am your mistress!
[teasingly] By royal authority, I command you to stand still!
[pause]
There. That’s not so hard, is it?
Sir . . . I bow to honor your virtue.
[long pause]
Now . . . I’m afraid it’s not safe for you to stay here much longer.
We don’t want the others getting suspicious.
If only there were some way to expose Chi-Fu!
[pause]
[gasp]
[shocked] You . . . you what?
[long pause]
[admiring] You’re even braver than I thought!
So . . . this means Chi-Fu . . . has been hiding military intelligence from my father.
[anxious] Did you find any . . . hard evidence?
Something we could use to disgrace him?
[pause]
Mm-hmm.
[pause]
Yes. And?
[pause]
I see. What about –
[pause]
Are you sure?
[pause]
No, that’s okay. You don’t need to get the documents.
I can take care of that.
My father will listen to me.
He loves me. And he loves his people.
If we know the evidence is there . . . I only have to tell my father where to look for it.
Let’s go to him now!
This moment!
[pause]
[anxious] No, no, every hour we wait is a chance you may be discovered.
We have to act boldly . . . to save you.
And your sister.
And China.
And . . . my heart.
[pause]
[suddenly confessing] Please . . . please . . . I couldn’t bear it if they found you!
[upset] If they . . . I can’t say it.
You know what they would do!
[pause]
No, don’t change clothes.
Stay dressed as a man.
We have to go to my father . . . with . . . the whole truth.
You have to stand before him . . . as . . . the man you truly are.
[pause]
Don’t worry. He loves me.
We can tell him the truth.
We’ll be safe.
And . . . once he knows you’ve saved China . . .
[anxious] There’s something else . . . that I hope . . . you might want to ask him.
Something very special.
A blessing.
[playful] And for that . . . you would definitely need to be dressed as a man!