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Summary: You knew you should never have let Rowan go into town alone. Now, your stepparent has invited you to the castle, supposedly to “negotiate the thief’s release.” You know that, if you return to the castle, there's little likelihood of you leaving again...but to save your hunter, there’s nothing you wouldn’t do.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: All characters are written as gender-neutral. Wherever there is a pronoun in bolded brackets [like this], the VAs can insert the pronouns suitable to their rendition of the script. For example, if Rowan is played by a male, you can insert “him” instead of “them” where appropriate; if the queen is played by a female, you can substitute "queen" and "her" where appropriate, etc.

CW: threats, taunting, manipulation, coercion, blackmail, poisoning, terms of “endangerment”/pet names, fairy-tale-villain tropes galore

Characters:

• Monarch (any gender): The equivalent of the evil queen. Proud, cunning, manipulative, and cruel. Wants power—made the Listener, their stepchild, into a servant, in an effort to keep the throne for themselves. Has captured Rowan, and is planning to use them as bait to trap the Listener.

Usage:

• OK to record & monetize, as long as you give me credit in the video/audio description as the scriptwriter! I would also love to listen to the recording when it’s done–please send me the link on Reddit! Paywalling is okay; however, if you paywall, you must make it possible for me to listen to the finished product.
• Gender-flipping and small tweaks are okay (e.g., changing pronouns, leaving out/changing curse words), but no large edits are permitted. You may not adapt my scripts.
• Feel free to use music or insert sound effects if you’d like. Any sound effects given are suggestions–use at your discretion. *Sound effects in bold, set apart by asterisks\*
• Any dialogue or reactions given by the Listener are purely for the benefit of the VA, to help them feel like they have something to respond to while they’re acting. Listener reactions in italics.
• Please let me know if you have any questions!

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\knocking\**

Come in.

\door creaks open\**

\armored feet marching in\**

(mock politeness/concern) Ah, there you are, my dear. I’m glad to see you finally made it. I hope my guards didn’t cause you too much of a delay. (to the guards) What on earth are you doing, treating [them] like some common criminal? Release [them] at once. After all, [they] are my guest.

The guards release the Listener.

Good. Leave us.

\armored feet marching out; door creaks closed\**

My…it’s been awhile, hasn’t it, my pet? Why, it seems like only yesterday that you were scrubbing the floors by my feet. If only—

The Listener demands to know where Rowan is.

—Hmm? “Rowan”? Oh, you mean the thief? Ah, yes…that miserable little traitor. If only [they’d] simply done as [they] were told. Oh, well…no matter. Hopefully [they’ve] had time to reflect on their actions down in the dungeon.

[...]

\chuckle** All in good time, my pet. First things first…have a seat. May I offer you a cup of tea?

The Listener shakes their head.

Very well. I assume you won’t mind if I have one.

\clinking of china; pouring sounds\**

I trust you came alone, like I asked?

The Listener nods.

Good. Not that I would have expected you to put your precious thief in danger by disobeying the terms of my letter, but you never know. Love has a way of making us into fools. But be warned: if any members of your so-called “family” try to interrupt us, I won’t hesitate to strike them down. Is that clear?

“Where’s Rowan!? Are they okay!?”

I see you won’t be placated. Very well. You can stop worrying—your dear Rowan is alive, and in one piece…at least for now. Whether [they] remain that way, however, will be entirely up to you.

“What do you mean?”

You see, I find myself with quite the dilemma. You are the only thing left standing between me and the throne. But thanks to that damned mother of yours making deals beyond her understanding, you are nearly untouchable.

[...]

\chuckle** Oh, yes, my pet. I know everything. Did you really think you could keep secrets from me? I admit, it threw me for a loop. I hope you know just how lucky you are. Without your mother’s meddling, my plague would surely have sent both of you to the grave.

[...]

That’s right. My plague. How do you think it came about in the first place? Quite a coincidence, too, that you and your mother were affected, yet somehow, your father was spared...at least, until after our wedding. (fake sympathy) Oh, the poor child...losing two parents, in such a short time! Thank goodness they would have their new [stepmother/stepfather/stepparent] to look after them. \evil chuckle** It was absolutely brilliant. It should have been a foolproof plan, if it hadn’t been for (mocking) a mother’s love.

[...]

Watch your tone, pet. Your precious thief still clings to life, for now, but I could easily change that. All it would take is a snap of my fingers.

[...]

That’s better. (sly; knowing) My, my…you’ve grown quite fond of [them], haven’t you? Perhaps a mother’s love isn’t the only kind we should be talking about.

[...]

\chuckle** How precious. You were always a terrible liar…that pure heart of yours just can’t stand to be dishonest.

[...]

[They’re] nothing to you, hmm? Very well. If you’re telling the truth, then I don’t suppose we have anything more to talk about. I’ll just call the guards, and tell them to proceed with the execution at once.

[...]

\dark chuckle** …Just as I thought. So, if there was a way for [them] to be spared, I take it you would be interested?

[...]

It’s really quite simple. Have a look.

[...]

That’s right—an apple. The simplest, most common of fruits…but looks can be deceiving.

[...]

Kill you? \laughs** Of course not. Do you really think I’d let you off that easy? No…on the contrary, it will be much, much worse. One bite, and you’ll be sent plunging into an endless sleep. An eternity of nightmares, with no hope of escape.

[...]

I see you’re starting to put the pieces together. The choice is yours: either you surrender yourself to me, or your precious Rowan dies.

[...]

True; you don’t know if I’m telling the truth. But there’d be no point in killing the thief once you’re gone. In fact, I’d much rather see [their] misery, once [they] see you lying still and cold.

[...]

Mmm…yes. Can’t see a way out, can you? You won’t be able to worm your way out of this one, pet. You’ve escaped me too many times. Now…make your choice. Either refuse, and seal [their] fate…or take a bite.

Making their choice, the Listener takes the apple, biting into it.

\crunch of a bite\**

Pause.

\slow heartbeat, high-pitched keening noise\**

\echo/reverb effect to the following lines\**

\triumphant laugh, growing louder** Finally! (mocking) Oh, my dear…are you alright? You’re looking a bit unsteady. What’s wrong? Ah, of course. Don’t tell me…are your eyes growing heavy? Yes...you can feel it, can't you? Feel the darkness surrounding you, dragging you under. You can't resist—all you can do is surrender. Yes, that's it. Surrender to my spell. Oh, my poor little pet...are you afraid? \evil chuckle** Good...you should be. Sweet dreams, my dear. I'll see you in your nightmares.