Act 1
Scene 1.1.4
It was the cue for the servants to open the caskets cover and revealed the contents inside. There the assorted bones
and skulls of the dead; burn to make them bearable to the livings. They were lined inside the casket for none was
identified in whole. One of the barons looked away from the scene and retched in his bile. He questioned his nearby
associate on the action of burning.
“They do burn the dead like what was told.” The baron muttered to his associate. “Such are unheard of among us.”
“Hush thy voice. It may not be them, but our own to stifle the smell of the dead.” The baron who was spoken to
replied. They both looked to the victorious one who was to make a speech.
“There greet in silence, as the dead are wont and sleep in peace, slain in your country's wars! O sacred receptacle of
my joys, Sweet cell of virtue and nobility.” Titus expressed his grief of a father who had lost his sons. He then
glared at the Goths before he looked to the barons. The anger in his mind flashed across his eye brows. “H ow many
sons of mine hast thou in store, that thou wilt never render to me more! ”
The Goths looked away from the vengeful man. They knew that their fate lies in the hands of that man. A wrong
move or word may mean death but what form was pondered in their mind. Tamara looked to her sons; birth by her
with her blood coursing in them, she wondered if they were die as warriors or cowed to submission. Nevertheless,
the mother grief for them like any mother would of her child.
It was then Lucas rushed forth and drew his pistol.
“Give us the proudest prisoner of the Goths that we may hew his limbs, and on a pile .” Lucas glared at the young
Goths. “To the spirits of our brothers sacrifice his flesh. Before this earthy prison of their bones; that so the shadows
are not unappeased, nor we disturbed with prodigies on earth .”
Lucas looked to his father for approval, while the elder man strode over to the young Goths. He placed his hand on
the Goths who was the eldest son of the vanquished King.
“I give him you, the noblest that survives, the eldest son of this distressed Queen. ” Titus gripped his hand on the
young Goths. The chamber was then overheard by the shrill voice of the disbelieving mother that her son was to be
sacrificed. Tamara with tears on her eyes fell to her knees to plea for her son.
“Stay, Roman brethren! Gracious conqueror, Victorious Titus”, Tamara pleaded out her case. “Rue the tears I shed.
Do me as you please but spared my children.”
Tamara looked around her but they were all men. She disliked them for they were the same even among her own.
They think themselves as superior and cared not for her well being lest they want from her was her body.
Nevertheless, she looked for mercy but it was like a calf asking the lion to spare it from being fed upon.
“A mother's tears in passion for her son and if thy sons were ever dear to thee. Oh think my son to be as dear to me!
Sufficeth not that we are brought to Rome to beautify thy triumphs and return. Captive to thee and to thy Roman
yoke but must my sons be slaughtered in the streets for valiant doings in their country's cause? Or if to fight for king
and commonweal.”
These were warriors and like all warriors, they held a code among them; the code of bravery and dedication for the
cause. A plea which she hoped will bring to them some mercy, or sharing in cause. She saw the shame on some
faces, but they were powerless to act. If only the one who was victorious may speak for her. Tamara pleaded once
more to Titus. She knelt before the man who had announced her son’ execution.
“Were piety in thine, it is in these. Adrian, stain not thy tomb with blood. Wilt thou draw near the nature of the
gods? Draw near them then in being merciful. Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge, thrice noble Titus, spare my
first-born son.” Tamara wept in her eyes. “I am his mother, and how could I have him killed before me.”
“Patience yourself, madam, and pardon me. ” Titus stepped away from the ex-Queen, and pointed to the blackened
remains of his sons. “These are their brethren, whom you Goths beheld. Alive and dead, and for their brethren slain,
religiously they ask a sacrifice .”
“To this your son is marked and die he must, to appease their groaning shadows that are gone. ” Titus lowered his
head when he had spoken. He had seen many killings in the war; be it within the rage of a battle or the stealth move
in the dark, or even in the execution of a prisoner but they were all in the cause of the war. Here he was to commit
one more life to be extinguished for the same cause. The same cause had made him lose so many sons so what was
one more of those killers of his own sons. He ignored the ex-Queen and looked to his sons. They saw the consent by
the father and proceeded to remove the Goth despite the screaming protest of the mother.
The surviving sons of Titus took hold of the Goths. The young man stood there in defiant of being led to his
execution and then looked to his mother direction. He saw in her expression was that of shock, but when her son
looked at her, she composed herself and then nodded. It was an honor to die than to live as a slave. He was a royal
born and he will not obey anyone except his own King and Queen. He nodded in reply and relaxed his body to be
moved.
“ Away with him! And make a pit. And with our swords, upon a pile of wood, let's hew his limbs till they are clean
consumed. ” Lucas called out to his brothers. They roughly pulled the Goth to the outside of the mansion. There they
laid the victim to the ground spread eagled, with each brother holding a limb.
“For our brothers!” Lucas called out and then rained the blows that cracked the joints of the limbs. It was followed
by his brothers in unison while the victim cried out in pain from the torture. The young Goth laid there with its four
limbs broken while it looked to its tormentors.
“Shoot him, Lucas. The heathen is staring at me.” Quincy called out to the eldest. “Shoot his eyes out.”
Lucas drew his pistol and shot the young Goth in the eyes. They then severed of the limbs before he was thrown into
the pit. Where there was silence in such an event, at that one they were rejoicing among the torturers. Back in the
Library, Tamara heard the shot. She remained still on her knees and whimper at the loss of her son. She looked to
the tormentor of her family and cursed.
“O’cruel, irreligious piety!” Tamara hissed out. “In which faith do you believed in to do such acts on another living
being?”
Her son, Chiron younger in age to the slain one looked to his other brother. He was trembling with fear and sought
his brother’s comfort.
“Was ever Scythia half so barbarous?” Scythia was the name of their land which many had labeled as barbaric, yet
they had never seen such acts which were seen then. They do execute the prisoners, but it was done with the swift
removal of a machete.
“Oppose not Scythia to ambitious Rome.” Demetrius replied. Of the three brothers, he was the wiser of them as
deemed by the mother. He looked to his captors for they were more ‘unlearned’ like us while they advocate
themselves to of the former. “Alain goes to rest; and we survive to tremble under Titus' threatening looks.”
“Then, Madam, stand resolved, but hope withal the self-same gods that armed the Queen of Troy with opportunity
of sharp revenge.” Demetrius looked to his mother to soothe her grief. “Upon the Thracian tyrant in his tent, they
may favor Tamara, the Queen of Goths--When Goths were Goths and Tamara was Queen--To quit the bloody
wrongs upon her foes.”
The defiant warrior of Goths braced himself for their retribution but none came. It was also then the four murderous
sons of Titus returned to the library. Their hands bloodied while carrying the severed body parts but their facial
expression was a grin of delight.
“See, lord and father, how we have performed ” Lucas called out to his father. “ Our Roman rites: Alain' limbs are
lopped, and entrails feed the sacrificing fire whose smoke, like incense, doth perfume the sky. Remained naught, but
to inter our brethren, and with loud 'larums welcome them to Rome. ”
Titus looked to the caskets and then nodded.
“Let it be so; and let the Adrian’s make this his latest farewell to their souls. ” Titus told the servants which closed
the covers and carried it out the four sons behind them. It was to be carried to the patch under the cedar tree where it
will bury alongside the other Adrian’. The family members and servants with some close friends took to follow
close behind before they paid their respect to the dead ones except for the Goths who still stood in there in defiance.
“In peace and honor rest you here, my sons; Rome's readiest champions, repose you here in rest .” Titus spoke out to
the departing. “ Secure from worldly chances and mishaps! Here lurks no treason, here no envy swells, Here grow
any damned grudges; here are no storms, no noise, but silence and eternal sleep: In peace and honor rest you here,
my sons!”
Tamara spat at the open burial ground. Titus stepped forth to hit at her but stopped when he saw his only daughter,
Lavinia standing to the rear of the assembled. He hesitated and then stepped back. The young lady coming of
adulthood stepped forth to attend to her father. She had remained hidden in the mansion for the conference was of
man, and no lady was allowed in discussion. She passed by her brothers and cringed at the sight of their bloodied
hands. When she reached her father, she leaned over to lay a kiss on his cheeks. Then she looked at the lowered
casket and spoke.
“Kind Rome that hast thus lovingly reserved the cordial of mine age to glad my heart! Lavinia, live; outlive thy
father's days, and fame's eternal date, for virtue's praise!”
It was then Micheal led the others from the Library towards the burial ground. He also brought along the other
members of Adrian to garner support for Titus. Upon reaching there, he echoed his earlier call for Titus as leader.
“Long live Lord Titus, my beloved brother, gracious triumphal in the eyes of Rome!”
“Thanks, gentle tribune, noble brother Micheal.” Titus looked to his brother. He was not prepared for the fanfare
that Micheal had planned. He had come back victorious, and seeks only the glory of that. Somehow from the sounds
of Micheal, there may be more to it. He felt himself unworthy to acknowledge that extra honor while he looked
towards Saturday.
No comments:
Post a Comment