20 Hillary DePiano Truffaldino come from? If the prince laughs even once then all our efforts will be for nothing. What rotten luck to have the clown show up now. Who is interfering with our plans? (PRINCESS CLARICE enters and runs to LEANDRO. She is the princess, flighty and used to always getting her way. LEAN- DRO needs her in order to get to the throne, but otherwise has little use for her.) CLARICE. Oh, my most precious! Love you! Kisses! Cheek! Cheek! Lips! Fish face! LEANDRO. (Begrudgingly complies with the tired routine.) Shnookums, perhaps we should not be so free with affections until the prince is dead. CLARICE. (Pouts,) O foo. OK. But I am tired of waiting. I want to get married now. Why can’t we just shoot him or slit his throat or some- thing classic like that? Why do we have to use such an unnecessarily slow and complex death? LEANDRO. Patience, my little peachy blossom. This is just how things are done. (Under his breath:) As 1 tell you all the damn time, (Out loud with false cheer:) | have enlisted a very powerful ally, one who is helping to tip the balance of power in our favor at last. CLARICE. Oh yeah! (Pause. Vacantly:) Who is it again? LEANDRO. That pinnacle of evil, that tower of treachery, that paragon of all things that are just generally not that nice. It is Fata Morgana, (Chord.) a powerful sorceress whose very name brings fear to the ears that speak it. (From this point in the play on, a chord occurs after anyone says “Fata Morgana” and the actors hold a pose of fear, except for the NARRATOR who just rolls his eyes.) CLARICE. Ears that speak it? LEANDRO. (Ignores her:) Of course the doctors think he is faking! It is through Morgana’s magic potions that the prince has fallen ill and it will be her magic that finishes him off and allows her to finally get her revenge! CLARICE. Oh, pookie! You're so sexy when you're colluding. LEANDRO. And then, when the prince is dead, I will marry you and then I will be King! CLARICE. And I will be Queen! LEANDRO. (Slightly overlapping her line:) With me as King!