Three Act Play about King St. Fernando III
By Fred Martinez
The boy Fernando's eyes shined as he listened to the warrior Archbishop tell what happened that day when his grandfather King Alfonso saved Spain from total destruction.
Archbishop:
Remember what your grandfather faced, the Moors trophy beheadings and crucifixions were continual. They cut off the knights head dead or alive and send them to the theirs principle towns of the Muslim empire. Sometimes the skulls and corpses were to huge piles of bloody mass as if it were a "height of mimaret" for a call for horrible macabre Islamic prayer.
With this in mind, what you grandfather with his small Christian army proposed to do was courageous sheer madness when he readied to charge down into a Muslim combined army of over a hundred thousand as his troops seemed ready to crumble. With the battle seemingly almost lost, your grandfather shouted, "Archbishop, let you and me die here!" I roared back, "Here you shall defeat the enemy! He burst into into the battle-lines where we were about to be defeated and the whole battle turned. Seeing your fearless grandfather, the other three kings rallied their knights, with the Christian of Santiago and Our Lady banners, and broke through the line and the Moors huge army fled or were killed. Spain miraculously by Our Lord and Our Lady was saved (page 42-43)
At that moment, Fernando's mother Queen Berenguera walked in smiling at the Archbishop.
Berenguera:
Your grandfather and the archbishop saved Spain, but Our Lady saved you when you were 10 years old covered with layers of sores of disease and corruption. My face was buried in on your pillow as I cried and kissed you as you were dying. Then it came to me to you to the feet of Our Lady at Santa Maria de Ona for a miracle before it was too late. (pg. 17)
Curtains close.
Fernando now a young man of 16 looks at his mother:
I'm sorry, my mother and queen, I was thinking of how you and Our Lady saved me when I was 10 years old. I rushed here because I know you will be queen with the death of uncle Enrique. I'm here to defend you against the approaching traitor Count Alvaro and his army who wants to steal your crown.
Fernando kneeling at her feet:
I want nothing more than to defend your honor, my queen.
Berenguera raising Fernando:
You must be very tired, but it's not the time for rest. Kings must not live for themselves. We must be on our way to the city of Palencia to crown you king.
page 66
For later in play:
What our good Archbishop forgets to say is not only how he saved Spain that day, but how he saved you and I from the treasonous of Alavaro Nunez de Lara... (St. Ferdinand III, page 49)
Comments