ARABIA'S FIRST MAIDEN RULER

      Swashbuckling Heartbreaking Story Of the Legendary Desert Princess

A young princess sheltering in a strange desert after her father is slain and throne taken by a rival kingdom, discovers her exiled genie mother who mentors her quest to exact revenge and vanquish the usurper, dooming her as Arabia’s first maiden ruler 

   Bilkis as 'Snow White' her mother as good 'Maleficent' with 'Mummy' theatrics 

PART 1 – PRELUDE

A golden papyrus MAP of ANCIENT ARABIA unfolds across the screen.

We PUSH IN towards the KINGDOM OF SHEBA on the west coast of YEMEN, SOUTH WESTERN ARABIA - written in Sabaic, below it in English.

We PUSH IN until the golden map blurs, turning into an expansive golden desert - we skim over waves of endless golden sand dunes, coming up in the far horizon, arrive and circle in slow motion a desolate, silent majestic RUINS of -

SUPERIMPOSED across the SCREEN – 2020 A.D. - RUINS - PALACE of QUEEN of SHEBA.

We PAN ruins with V.O. with subtitles – “Once the Temple of Power, a shimmering Palatial Paradise in the Ma’rib oasis, a Queens’s kingdom in Southern Arabia. Today stands lone the tall PILLARS OF HER THRONE Court, a silent empty square, once the bustling power brokers RECEPTION HALL of the frankincense Kings” 

V.O. - Sheba, once an enchanting kingdom in the midst of an ocean of sands, whose marvelous structures and mighty ruins still exist, owe its rise and greatness to a unique and extraordinary woman.

We PAN ruins with subtitles and BACK GROUND SOUNDS of places of the palace reminiscent of the ancient days where once stood - The Palace Reception Entrance - The Royal Court - Royal Throne Area - Royal Banquet Hall - Royal Horses and Camel Stables – sound of Chariots  - Royal Reception Guards - Banquet Festivities – horses - water fountains - gladiators and warriors. RUINS FADE AWAY  

PART 2 – 800 B.C.

LIVE ACTION as the ruins come ALIVE – SUPERIMPOSED on the SCREEN with V.O.  

SHEBA 800 B.C. –KINGDOM OF THE FRANKINCENSE KINGS -CROWN JEWEL OF THE ARABIAN LEGENDS.

WE VISIT LIVE ACTION SCENES, CUTTING AND FADING, FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER visiting bustling activities at –

PALACE ENTRANCE - 4 tall pillars draped with Royal Sheban Banners – Royal Chariots in waiting – 5 Royal Palace Guards - each at attention standing between the pillars – VIPs arrive and depart with adorned horse drawn chariots.

BUSY KINGS THRONE ROOM - Moving through the Kings Throne Room we pan the Throne and Guards at strategic positions - an opulent interior - VIPs and royalty seated on luxury couches chatting

BUSY ROYAL KINGS COURT - Courtiers with scrolls in discussion - as we pan away background sounds of Decrees being announced.

ROYAL BANQUET HALL - Lavish banquet with guests in attires of foreign nations from – China – India - Persians - Arabs – Romans - Greeks.

ROYAL HORSE STABLES - a selection of Arabian Stallions

CAMELS STABLES - in the back grounds of the palace.

BUSY SPICE BAZAAR - FRANKINCENSE MARKET - GOLD AND GEMS BAZAAR   

FALCONRY GROUND - colorful Desert Tents, Arabian prized falcons, hawks on stands with hoods on with their proud owners attending them, caging them, flying them - in the background dunes, a lone falcon swoops from the sky and does a mock kill attended by its handler. WE CUT AWAY –

PART 3 - THE OLD PATRIACH DIES – OPTIONAL

PAN A LARGE WALL FRESCO IN THE PALACE HALL of the old ruler Shush.

V.O. – “In the land of Sheba, the revered aged monarch Shush, one hundred and twenty nine years old, known as the Sick Old Man of Arabia.”

V.O. – “Fortunes in jewelry, rings and bracelets adorned him. Not a hair remained on his head, his white beard frail, yet was in control of his faculties and like his ancestors is laid to rest” – SHOT OF HIS TOMB.

Part 4 – CROWN PRINCE ASCENDS THRONE

V.O. - The old ruler's grandson, a handsome ageing Crown Prince in his late fifties becomes king.

THRONE COURT - Vizier escorted by guards, two on either side, armed with swords in gilded scabbards, enters the Throne Court and stands regally near the throne facing an audience of palace staff, military leaders and tribal elders. Vizier heralds ascension of and welcomes new king of Sheba, King Shirah"

AUDIENCE RISES as the new King follows in with his ageing but strong mother at his side, escorted with guards and stands in front of a Throne.

King is hailed with formalities by Vizier. Sheba Crown is placed on the king’s head by his mother who hands him the Sword of Sheba from the hands of a guard, an ancient battle heirloom of the Sheba Dynasty.

As the King sits on the Throne his mother takes her seat and audience settles into their couches and seats.

WE PAN the audience as the king reads from scroll appointing new Courtiers, Advisors, and Ministers - BUT SLOW MOTION clearly catching Viziers wry sly face as he has not been consulted about the new appointments - FADE AWAY

KINGS LEISURE DIWAN - NEWLY CROWNED KING reclines in an opulent setting, swathe in an embellished garment, turbaned, shod in silver slippers.

PART 5 – ATTACK BY A RIVAL KINGDOM

ANCIENT MAP OF YEMEN with scattered RIVAL KINGOMS – V.O. - ‘Outside Sheba’s borders, rival kingdoms wait to capture the Kingdom of Sheba when opportune. With the new king on the throne and SHEBA in festivity, its security a little relaxed, a rival kingdom tests the new kings’ control and readiness.”

Few shady enemy spies mingle in the streets, passing Intel to their mercenaries waiting out in the desert for the time to strike. An enemy spy horseman gallops out of town into the distant dunes. - FADE AWAY

LIVE SCENE – from the outskirts of the desert we trail about 50 mercenaries on horses tearing towards the kingdom, reaching the border entrance to the kingdom, swarm its sentries, briefly breaching and catching them off guard. A small band manages to enter the main avenue but alert guards on a watch tower glimpse the sudden approach, shout out an alert and get down to hastily join the defence.  

Intense hand to hand sword combats erupts, minutes later, the Kings commander with his cavalry arrives on  the scene, shouting orders, directing the defence, swinging and stabbing his sword about as the troops attacks the mercenaries who soon begin falling here, there and in the back ground. A few of the king’s warriors also fall. Along the avenue more mercenaries arrive but are brought down by arrows or busy swords. More of the king’s warriors arrive and battle more arriving mercenaries.

LATER - Tired warriors almost victorious as attack is contained – FADE AWAY.

KINGS COURT - king receives news of the attack. He paces worried, impatient, waiting for news. A messenger arrives on horse, rushes to king with news that the attack is under control, some mercenaries are captured, some escaped, the king relieved by news, walks out hastily arming himself with his sword etc. followed by guards, looked on by a worried mother from a balcony , as she says – Sheba, cannot rest? 

The King on horse-back dashes to the scene of the battle, followed by his security detail. He arrives to see mopping up of the battle scene, views with vengeful eyes the dead attackers sprawled on the scene, but shows concern as he walks attending his injured and counting with his eyes a few of his own dead warriors.

The king eyes with scorn the enemy lying dead and those captured in chains

TWO DAYS LATER - JUSTICE SQUARE - A scene of swift justice – in the public square – announcement of their crime to the kingdom – kneeling in a long row blind folded, the captured mercenaries are put to the sword one by one – FADE AWAY

PART 6 - KINGS DESERT EXCURSION

KINGS COURT – the king’s courtiers counsel king to take a royal consort as he is aging and needs an heir. The king listens and after hearing says, “No one from my kingdom is a worthy match for me, i will not marry, not outside my matching clan, and proposals from rival kingdoms I cannot trust."

MOTHERS PRIVATE LOUNGE - His mother, called MOTHER OF KINGS in her late 70’s, groomed al her sons who rival each other for the throne,  but only King Shirah the eldest was worthy for the throne. She advises him to seek a consort, he lovingly declines his mothers plea.

V. O. - It is the age when humans and djinns, fairies and demons crossed each other’s world. A great nature divides the human race and supernatural beings.

King Shirah so handsome that daughters of the Jinn transform themselves into gazelles and swans, trotting alongside him as he walks, gazing with wonder at his exquisite looks.

The king is out hunting with his entourage and friends. Passing through a desert, he recognises two serpent class djinns, one pearly white and the other deathly black in a duel. The white djinn is injured and exhausted, the black djinn readies to inflict its final sting upon the helpless one. The King observing with pity chooses to help the white one. Placing an arrow in his bow he takes aim at the black djinn, at once killing it as it explodes into vanishing black smoke. The white djinn saved, eyes gratefully the king and slithers into a dune. 

FEW DAYS LATER - a striking strange youth enters the king’s court, attracting interest of all towards him. He requests a courtier for a private audience with the king. The curious courtier takes his request to the king and whispers about this youth. The king looks curiously interested and nods OK.

The clerk returns and escorts the youth into the king’s presence. The king eager to see the requester is taken aback at the statuesque strange youth. The youth and king exchange greetings. After introductions the youth confides to the king that he is the white djinn the king assisted in the desert and that he is of the serpent djinn race. The king eyes the youth with wonder head to toe.   

PART 7 –KING MARRIES RAIHANA THE FAERIE GENI

The youth offers to serve the king in pay back for saving him but the king ponders amused but declines. The youth whispers to the king offering his sister in marriage but the king laughs at his offer, what marry a djinn? But when the youth extols her as a beauty never seen, the king curious, accepts to see her - the youth leaves the presence of the king.

NEXT DAY - as the youth returns to the king’s court with his stunning sister, all eyes follow them as they enter the palace. The same eager courtier ushers them to the throne room after consent from the king.

The king’s breadth is taken away as the young damsel breezes in, like an alabaster statue, her skin marble white, dressed in a white drape, brocaded at neck and wrist. Her radiant face instantly attracts all around her. Mascara bordered eye, slender waist and justness of form.

The king welcomes her, seats them in his lounge area, extending pleasantries with the youth and his sister. The king calls his personal female attendants and orders them to dress her royally and furnish her a private chamber and satisfy all that she requires. When she is all done, her attendants return her to the king’s presence – she looks even more stunning.

On the king orders, tables of richest foods are laid as he sits to dine with the youth and the damsel, putting on his best hospitality, but she speaks very little, just coy facial expressions of happiness and satisfaction.

PART 43 - BILKIS CROWNED QUEEN OF SHEBA

PART 49 --  LAST SIGHTING OF THE QUEEN

PART 50 - QUEEN VANISHES 

PART 51 - DISCOVERY - 1300 A.D.

SWEEPING in a PANORAMIC CIRCLE OVER DESOLATE, MAJESTIC RUINS – SUPERIMPOSED ACROSS THE SCREEN – RUINS - ANCIENT CITY of TADMOR - SYRIA - 2019 A.D. FADE AWAY

LIVE ACTION - 1300 A.D. TADMOR 

V.O. - in the reign of the Caliph Al Walid heavy rains cause damage to the ruins at Tadmor.

ACTION - The Caliphs son, a young general leading his cavalry is alerted by a soldier of an iron sarcophagus EXPOSED by the collapsed wall. As he arrives closer to the discovery watched by curious soldiers, one points to the sarcophagus.  

The young general gets down from his horse and his eyes surveys the place. He moves closer to the sarcophagus and swabs away the dirt from a plate with an inscription, figuring it out he reads just audibly: “Here lies Bilkis, Queen of Sheba, wife of Prophet Solomon, son of David, who renewed to his true faith in the thirteenth year of his reign; married him in the fourteenth, and died in the twenty third year of his reign." His eyes light up – very interesting?

Looking about he takes an iron bar from a soldier standing nearby and goes about with effort, assisted by two soldiers pries open the creaking lid of the brass casket and in an ‘open sesame moment’ all present behold the face of a stunning woman, fresh as if she is recently buried.

An overwhelming scene of awe on faces all about him - he stands back and soaks in her dazzling beauty - after some reflection, he directs a messenger to go inform this discovery to his father the Caliph. As the messenger rushers off on his horse, we ascend to follow him riding into the distance.

Caliph Walid receives the messenger in his court and hears of the discovery, is excited but cannot go to the site due to a busy schedule. The Caliph ponders and replies with orders to his son to bury the sarcophagus securely where it has been found and pile huge heavy blocks of marble over it, so that it might not be disturbed by the hand of man again.

As we see scenes of the reburial of the sarcophagus – we ASCEND FROM SCENE - FADE AWAY – THE END

This Spec Story Outline/Treatment - expected about 35pp - partially exibited to interest Film/Movie Studios/Developers.           

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