Braveheart Page #6

Behind MacClannough are his wife and two daughters; his

youngest is barely four, not half William's age; she's a

beautiful girl with long auburn hair, and she clings to her

own mother's hand, as if the open graves are the mouths of

death and might suck her parents in too.

PRIEST:

...Restare in pacem eternis, Amen.

With the final Amen, the neighbors drift from the graveside,

pulling their Children along, to give William a last moment

of private grief before the grave diggers cover the bodies.

The boy stands alone over the open graves, his heart so

shattered that he can scarcely cry; a single tear makes its

way down his face. And the tiny girl feels for William in a

way that the adults cannot. From the ground she pulls a

Scottish thistle, moves to the softly weeping William and

places the beautiful wild blossom in his hand.

William looks up and their young eyes meet; her sad blue

eyes hold William's as the grave diggers cover the bodies.

Then a lone, mounted figure appears at the crest of the hill

above them. Tall, thin and angular, in black clerical garb,

he looks like the grim reaper.

The girl hurries back to her mother's side; everyone watches

in silence as the figure rides down to them. He is ARGYLE

WALLACE. He looks like a human buzzard, his face craggy,

permanently furious.

PRIEST:

You must be the relative of the

deceased... William, this is your

Uncle Argyle.

Argyle glowers at the man, dismounts, and glares at William.

William stares up at this frightening figure. They are

interrupted by the ominous sound of approaching horses; a

dozen mounted English soldiers, armed with lances, are

approaching. Argyle rattles to the priest...

ARGYLE:

You were wise to hurry.

The soldiers ride right in among the mourners and stare down

from their saddles, haughty, menacing, their LEADER brusque.

LEADER:

Someone dead from this household?

ARGYLE:

We just had a funeral, isn't that

what it means in England as well?

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