"Is. any. body." "watch. ing?" "Doesn't look like it." "They were supposed to signal half an hour ago." "Do you think they made it to the signal point?" "I see them." " Well what are they saying?" " Take this down... dot dot dash ah no, dash dash dot" "It's a comfort to know anytime I want to call home all I have to do is climb a tree." "Quiet Marguerite." "dot dot" "Sorry, didn't know I was funding an expedition of Boy Scouts." "Do you do smoke signals too?" "Only if I don't have my drums handy." " Is that it?" " That's it." " These mirrors are going to be a life saver." " Absolutely." "What's the message say?" "Haven't got a clue" " ... ask them to repeat." " Roger." "Raptors?" "Malone, see anything from up there?" "No why?" "There's something in the bushes." "A horse." " A horse?" " My kingdom for a horse." " Where's his rider?" " Right here." "He's come to take me home." "Come here my big beautiful boy." "Whoa, whoa, it's all right." "Whoa there big fella." "Whoa there.whoa there." "You know this horse?" "Never seen him before." "Now what's your name huh?" "Where is your master?" "Ahhhh he wants you to get on." "Oh you understand horse I suppose?" "Well it's a fairly direct language." "Okay here we are easy does it." "He did it." "Easy." "Roxton come back." "Whoo hoo!" "Whoa.whoa." "now let's go back." "What the hell?" "At the dawn of the last century" "A band of explorers searched for a prehistoric world" "Driven by ambition" "Secret desires" "A thirst for adventure" "And seeking the ultimate story" "They are befriended by an untamed beauty" "Stranded in a strange and savage land" "Each day is a desperate search for a way out of the Lost World" "Easy boy." "whoa.whoa there big fella, now where are you taking me?" "The sulfur mines or the gates of hell?" "Well you'll have to be a bit clearer than that." "Open the gates!" "Friends of yours?" "Nice work." "I guess we're here;" "wherever here is." "Not what is. what can be." " I beg your pardon?" " Answer the fire." "Question the dragon." "Fire, dragons... whatever you say old man." "I guess you'd be the man in charge." " Who are you?" " John Roxton" "Lord, John Roxton." "You have returned the king's horse." "Where did you find him?" "He found me actually." "You've come to claim the throne?" "The throne?" "No, there must be some mistake." "Grendel allows no one to ride him but the king." "Well I think he made an exception this time." "There are no exceptions unless you're an imposter and you ride the king's horse through some dark enchantment." "Excuse me?" "If you're not the king then Grendel has brought you to your death." "Well let's not get too carried away." "Obviously you and the horse know what you're talking about." "I'm the king." "Is that your final answer?" "Yes, yes it is." "I am the king!" "Welcome sire, I am Balar royal advisor to the king." "You must be weary from your long journey." "Make sure the king's horse is well taken care of." "Where were you?" "We were worried." "You could have signaled to let us know you were all right." "Where's Roxton I want a word with him." "But he's with you." "You mean he's not here?" "Well I guess he's still out playing with his horse." "Horse?" "What are you talking about?" "Ask Malone, I'm starved and I'm having a bath a long one." "But do we need to go and look for him?" "I'm not going anywhere." "Roxton's a big boy and he's got a horse." "Drink!" "What happened to the last king?" "King Sigurd and the royal escort went to hunt the dragon." "Dragon?" "We hoped that the gods might have spared the king." "When Grendel returned with you, we knew we had to except the inevitable and plan for a new beginning." "And the horse really understands all this?" "Grendel understood every word that King Sigurd said." "Well, sounds a little too fantastic for me." "Not in our kingdom; we have always lived with magic." "King Sigurd's disappearance was espe- cially hard on Klaire; they were to wed." "I'm sorry for your loss." "The king is dead;" "long live the king!" "Long live King John!" "Congratulations sire," "Klaire now belongs to you for bride and queen." "What?" "Everything that belonged to King Sigurd now belongs to you." "Impressive." " Thank you." " It is our history." "And our destiny." "You know with all that's happened, maybe it's not such a good idea to rush into this wedding." "There has been much sadness in the kingdom." "A wedding would raise the spirits of the people." "Well a celebration would indeed be fine." "But, does there have to be a wedding?" "Oh, you are they king." "If you do not find Klaire suitable, say so, a dishonorable rejection is nothing compared to losing the man she loved." "Well if she loved the last king so much," " how can she marry me?" " It is our custom and customs keep us strong." "Sleep well my lord." "Keep watch over him." "I don't understand sire." "Why don't you just use your magic to become king?" "Without the will of the kingdom my magic is wasted." "Magic can only set in motion what the people themselves must finish." "I see." "It will be so much more satisfying when they beg me to be their king." "Hmmm.but?" "If you'd had killed the horse when you ambushed King Sigurd we wouldn't have this problem." "Roxton wouldn't be here." "Sorry sire." "How will we dispose of Roxton?" "You leave that to me... you dispose of the horse." "Yes sire." "I don't suppose you can take me back to where you found me?" "I didn't think so." "You know, I'm not sure what you want from me... but whatever it is;" "I think I'm going to need some help." "So, how about a message to my friends hmmm... you think you can do that?" "You do understand the kings English, don't you?" "What is it?" "The horse is gone." "Who left the gate open?" "Find that horse." "Roxton?" "Roxton, where are you, come out?" "Whoa, whoa there big fella, whoa, whoa." "He's trying to tell us something." "Marguerite, it's a simple language isn't it?" "Roxton quit fooling around." "Come here." "come on.hello." "Ah so you have come for me this time." "Well it's better late than never." "Whoa." " He's a one man horse hmm." " How very old fashioned of him." "I think he wants us to follow him." "What has Roxton got himself mixed up in this time?" "They are here to honor you and celebrate your great victory." "And what great victory are we talking about?" "Your triumph in defending your throne from him." "Another of your customs I suppose?" "Your custom too, sire." "Oh what a smell this better be a short cut." "It's only swamp gas Marguerite." "Methane and hydrocarbons." "Highly flammable but they won't poison us." "You are skilled with a quarter staff?" "Little rusty actually, since I left Sherwood Forest." "The true king has the gods on his side." "Tell that to King Sigurd." "The king's horse, to the gates." "Open them." "What have you done with the king's horse?" "King?" "Last time I saw that horse he'd only let Roxton ride him." "Roxton?" "How do you know King John?" " King?" " Is he okay?" "I would think so." "He has a kingdom, loyal subjects and a beautiful bride." "Yes, I'd say he's okay." "Who's he marrying?" " Who are you?" " Friends of mine," "...release them." " But they're armed." "Only the king's guards may carry arms within the village wall." "Your friends will have to surrender their weapons until they leave it is our custom." "Fine, they will leave their weapons outside the gates." "Is this part of the wedding celebration?" "A challenge to the throne." "The king almost never loses." " Almost?" " Quarter staffs Roxton?" "How medieval." "I always thought of you as a thoroughly modern warrior." "When in Rome." "Let's do it." "He doesn't stand a chance against that brute." "Come on" "We've gotta help him." "It is forbidden to interfere under penalty of death." "But he's your king he could be killed." "If he is the true king he will prevail." "Don't stop him." "No." "Come on, come on" "My lord, command me as you will." "My life belongs to you." "Then I shall not waste it." "A noble gesture, but it is not our custom to spare the vanquished." "Then some of our customs should be revised." "As you wish sire." "You have given your subjects a reason to celebrate." "The king is victorious and compassionate all is well." "Our home is your home, the king's best men are at your service." "What a lovely robe my lord." "What fine handiwork." "Thank you yes this robe has been worn by the king's advisors for many years." "And what does this say?" " Struggle?" " The battle" "The battle can only be won by the hand of man." " Fascinating." " But what does it mean?" "Since the time before man walked the earth good and evil have been locked in battle." "It's all around us neither can triumph without the help of man." "Sounds like a solid basis for any religion." "It's what we believe." "Why exactly do they think you're their king?" "Because of the horse." "The last king died trying to slay a dragon." "And only his true successor can ride his horse." "There's a headline." "Horse crowns king." "Story on page two, king says no thanks and rides out of town with his friends." "Let's not be too quick to abdicate; royalty has its rewards." "Well I may be king but Balar is running the show." "How's that?" "Well you may not believe this Challenger but everyone around here says there's some magic." "You're not falling for that battle of good and evil since before the dawn of time?" "Once you know the details, magic can always be explained by science." "Good because I'd love to know how that horses reins magically tied me on to him." "You know Balar didn't tell the whole truth about the ruins on his robe." "You could read them couldn't you?" "Ruins aren't complicated." "These described several battles between dragons and kings." "Now all the kings were named:" "Edward;" "Stanton;" "Dunston." "Like it was real history not some fairytale?" "Yeah but the dragon was always the same." "So the dragon lives forever." "Or no king was able to defeat him." "And since no one could defeat it, every king had an advisor whose primary task was to keep the dragon in check." "Maybe you shouldn't have pretended to be king in the first place." "Well I had no choice." "It was either king or imposter." "and imposters are killed." "Is that your intended?" "Does she know what she's getting into?" "Could I see this dragon?" "The dragon reigns." "Nice day." "You've seen this dragon?" "Fire of the dragon cleanse us." "I mean seen him, seen him yourself?" "Fire of the dragon renews us." "Thank you." "Any idea where this dragon is?" "Seek the answer in daylight not in darkness." "Good advise it's hard to find things in the dark." "Written on the walls." "written on the walls." "the words of the prophecy are written on the walls." "What happened to the horse after it brought you here?" "Balar's guards shouted at it and it took off." "I told you he was smart." "I sent him to find you." "Klaire's very sweet." " And still in love with the last king." " She probably always will be you know." "Fine by me." "You're not attracted to her at all?" "Oh she's beautiful." "More beautiful than anybody I've seen... from this village." "It might not be so bad being king for a while." "I thought you were the one who said kings don't last very long around here." "Ah but if we got rid of Balar I could be your new advisor." "Ah now there's your battle between good and evil." "Fire of the dragon cleanse us." "Fire of the dragon renew us." "Everybody knows it, not just the beggar." "Sounds like a prayer." "No it's an incantation used to ward off what they fear the most." "Did he say anything else?" "Who cares he's completely batty." "Seek the answer in daylight it's written on the wall." "And is there anything else written on the wall?" "Not that I could read." "Give these people an F in penmanship." "Perfect." "Wait a minute." "What if he didn't mean that wall out there?" "What if he meant the wall in here?" "Which brings us back to the dragon." "Look at the background." "I think I know that place." "Don't be ridiculous." "No really." "Well just possibly." "You see," "Balar called this mural their destiny." "Pragor said it was their history." "If they think the dragons real then why not the background." " I can get there." " You can't go alone." "What good would that do?" "I don't know yet." "But seek the answer in daylight." "Veronica take Malone with you, see what you can find." "We'll create a diversion." "Hey, you're not really afraid of this dragon are you;" "big strong man like you?" "You laugh but the dragon is nothing to be trifled with." " No." "What was that?" "Oh your poor mind playing tricks on you." "You know I'm off duty in an hour or so." "Really?" "I could show you." "A good time?" "You know, if anybody could I'm sure it would be you but," "I'm really not fun." "Who goes?" "Two of our guests have escaped, the blonde and the young man." "Shall I find them and bring them back?" "No let them go." "This will serve our purpose better." "Come on." "Let the dragon awake." "The dragon!" "The sanctity of the night has been violated." "The dragon has been awoken." "And how can you know that?" "The swamp burns with the dragon's fire." "He awaits our offering." "That's not dragon fire it's methane gas from the swamp." "The flight of your young friends has angered the dragon now the dragon must be appeased." "There must be a sacrifice;" "so that the village may survive." "The dragon is our protector." "So we obey the dragon." "The fire of the dragon we are cleansed." "And so we praise the dragon." "The fire of the dragon we are renewed." "The dragon praised." "Now show us who must shed their blood so the rest of us may live." "What kind of chicanery is this?" "This is barbaric Balar and as your king I won't allow it." "The dragon must be appeased or we will all be destroyed." "There are no dragons;" "just fears and superstitions that you've created." "The dragon is as real as you or I." "And if you don't obey the smoke, the people will rise up against you." "And if I take the princess as my wife won't she then be safe from the dragon?" "What?" "If you marry Princess Klaire she will be safe, but someone else must be selected." "It's just smoke and mirrors." "No different than any other magic lantern trick we've all seen a hundred times before." "But the villagers don't think it's a trick." "Well then... maybe we should show them that it is." "Well even if you do manage to convince my loyal subjects;" "what good will it do?" "Balar still intends to make a sacrifice." "Yes and thanks to your heroics it could be one of us." "You wanted me to marry the girl." "If we show these people that Balar's magic is a sham then maybe they'll rise up against him." "Well surely it would be a step in the right direction." "Well I hope you're right." "What do we need to do it?" "Well, the signal mirrors for starters." "Such a good Boy Scout." "There, doesn't that look just like the ridge in the mural?" "Okay so what if it is, what do we do now?" "Wait and watch." "There that's where we're going." "Here?" "Doesn't look like much." "It wouldn't if they wanted to keep it hidden." "It all fits, the mural the beggar's words;" "the sunlight." "Now, just move to your right Marguerite." "There that's good." "See it's not the smoke." "I was doing it and I can do the same for any of you." "Volunteers?" "What black magic is this?" "What kind of wizard are you?" "He is no wizard he's a man of science." "I'm no different than you are." "You have no magic powers." "Let us ask the smoke." "Reveal to us the charlatan." "And who will satisfy the dragon's wrath?" "Stop right there." "As king I decree there will be no more sacrifices." "King John is right." "Once more your compassion has moved the crowd majesty." "But you'll have to convince the dragon in single combat." "What?" "I guess you got me where you wanted me all along." "I don't understand sire;" "where would that be?" "Out of the way." "Oh not at all, you can still sacrifice your friend." "No, this is between you and me." "As you wish my lord." "Malone." "Coffins." "This must be the royal crypt." "These must be the old kings like on the mural in Roxton's quarters." "Edward, Stanton," "Dunstan." "What a great place to hide a secret." "Yeah, where do we start?" "It's gotta be here somewhere." "Well this looks promising." "Copy it down." "Let's hope it's more than the ninth century version of 'Spike was here'." "Marguerite will know." "It is time to fight the dragon." " Where is it?" " Approaching the village." "What the hell is going on?" "Should you fail your friends will be sacrificed to appease it." "I thought one sacrifice was enough?" "Confrontation annoys the dragon." "His rage won't be so easily calmed now." "You will find King Sigurd's sword at the edge of the village and I will offer up incantations... for your victory." "I bet Sir George got a bigger one." "We cleanse ourselves, we are renewed." "You best get out of here." "The dragon breath..." "dragon fire... nothing can survive dragon fire." "I wish you could make some sense." "We are all much more than we appear to be." "I hope you're right old man." "Written on the wall..." "written on the wall." "Well I'll be damned." "Oh terrific." "What am I going to do with this?" "Where's Balar?" "Shouldn't the king's advisor be trying to save him?" "That's not your problem;" "nor mine." "That was definitely not a T-Rex." "How do you kill a dragon?" "Veronica?" "You should find a dentist." "Grendel, easy boy about time you showed up." "What was that?" "I didn't hear anything." "What are you doing?" "Don't touch that." "I was just wondering how old it was." "It doesn't matter to you now put it down." "Whatever you say." "Let go of me." "You heard the lady." "Quick tie them up." "What did you find out?" " The legend is all true." " We found the royal crypt." "Can you make any sense out of this?" "This we know through centuries of battling the dragon." "So purely evil is the dragon that nothing can withstand the dragon fire." "That's it?" "Even they say that nothing can beat the dragon?" "I didn't make it up;" "I just translate." "No that's not quite what they said Malone." "What they're saying is the dragon can defeat everything." "I'm sorry what's the difference?" "Well it's a small difference but it's very important." "I think if we're clever enough we can get the dragon to defeat itself." "Even if he is magic." "It's our only hope;" "after all we've seen." "I think we have to accept that, for now, there's magic afoot." "Now Malone you take one of these mirrors." "Find a spot near the edge of the swamp where you can see the sun and wait for my signal." "Veronica, Marguerite you must find Roxton get him to lure the dragon to where Malone is waiting by the edge of the swamp." "What are you gonna do?" "I'll meet you there;" "just a few final adjustments I have to make." "I think we can cook up a real surprise for this dragon." "Hurry!" "I can't believe I'm trying to find a fire breathing dragon." "Try fighting one with a sword." "Oh thank God you're all right." "How did you get away?" "Grendel here knows a short cut." "Where's Challenger and Malone?" "Challenger's got a plan." "A good one I hope." "Ahhh you have to go back and find the dragon." "You looking for me?" "Come on!" "Come on!" "This way fire-bag!" "Hurry up Challenger." "Balar." "He was the dragon." "Yes of course, as the runes foretold." "His evil magic turned against himself." "Best trick I've seen all day." "Here comes the bride." "My lord, it would be my life long honor to serve as your queen." "Just how are you gonna get out of this one Roxton." "You did more or less commit yourself." "I was hoping you'd have a few words of wisdom to save me." "Yes, you make a lovely couple." "Would you excuse me a minute; thanks." "He understands you." "Clear as writing on the wall." "May I help you sire?" "Sigurd!" "How did you know?" "He tried to tell me but I didn't get it." "We are all much more than we appear to be." "Roxton, you could have had it all." "You happy now?" "*"