Duke Ernest
A film by Lutz Dammbeck
This is Duke Ernest.
He lives with his beloved mother
in his dead father's castle
and wants to be a good knight.
But the times are unfavourable.
Bad harvests, famine, and other troubles
make life hard for all the knights.
And: There are too many knights
and not enough land.
But something could end all their woes:
The legendary, magical Carbuncle Stone.
One day, at a heavenly sign, they will
set out in search of the magic stone.
While they waited for the sign,
they dozed away all day long.
Their only distraction was
preparing for the Emperor's tournament:
The event of the year!
Ernest also prepared zealously
for the tournament.
Ernest's castle
was right next to the Emperor's.
The Emperor coveted the castle,
but how could he get rid of Ernest?
His faithful counsel, the Bishop,
had an idea...
Two of the Emperor's favourite knights,
the Black Knight and his brother,
would be needed.
So it came to pass
that the knights were called
to the tournament early that year...
Ernest set off for the tournament too.
"Out of the way, runt!" cried the Black
Knight, "We're the Emperor's knights!"
"We'll see about that!" cried Ernest
boldly, and raised his lance.
"He's killed my brother!",
moaned the Black Knight.
"Throw him in the dungeon
and put him on trial!"
"That's that!"
Laughed the Black Knight.
With Ernest in the Emperor's dungeon,
the tournament began.
While Ernest anxiously awaited
his trial, the knights celebrated.
That night,
Ernest was woken by strange apparitions.
"Behold the heavenly sign!"
Cried the Bishop.
"Let us set out
for the Land of Milk and Honey!
There we will free the Carbuncle Stone
from it's custodians!"
"Wealth and inestimable treasures
await those knights
who undertake this perilous mission
and return with the Carbuncle Stone."
Many knights readied themselves
for the great expedition,
glad to be escaping the daily grind.
Meanwhile, in the Emperor's castle,
Ernest's trial began...
"I am innocent," said Ernest.
"You killed one of my favourite
knights!" cried the Emperor.
"What is the verdict?"
"Guilty! Guilty!"
Cried the other knights,
"He must forfeit his life!"
Ernest's mother threw herself
to the Emperor's feet
and begged him to spare her son.
"What now?"
Thought the Emperor,
"I have Ernest's castle anyway,
but how do I make the woman mine?
I covet her, too."
"Very well," said the Emperor.
"I will spare Ernest's life
under two conditions:
You must marry me,
and Ernest must go to the Promised Land
and bring me the Carbuncle Stone.
The Black Knight will lead the mission.
Ernest must obey him."
Glad to have escaped with his life,
Ernest swore he would find the stone.
Ernest's mother waved sadly goodbye
to Ernest as the ships put out to sea.
"Where are we going?" Ernest asked,
"What does the Stone look like?"
In the meantime,
the Emperor married Ernest's mother
and made himself at home in his castle.
Soon the ships faced a mighty storm.
For a second time,
Ernest feared for his life.
"Ach," sighed Ernest's mother,
"I wonder where Ernest is
and if he is still alive."
Ernest was alive but in great danger.
The remaining knights weighed anchor
off the coast of an unknown land.
"Beyond this mountain", said the Black
Knight, "is where the Stone must be."
It was hot.
The knights' armour was heavy
and caused them to overheat.
One knight fewer.
But the others carried on...
Deeper and deeper into the unknown land.
Next day,
the knights reached a broad plain.
Had they reached their goal?
And where were the Stone
and the promised treasures?
"Start by searching that strange fruit,"
commanded the Black Knight.
The next day, the knights prayed
together and gathered new courage.
"Strange," thought Ernest,
No one knows what the Stone looks like,
no one knows where it is."
"Onward!" cried the Black Knight,
"Something is moving up ahead!"
"Do you know the way
to the Carbuncle Stone?"
"Come out of there!"
"Sorry, we don't. Sorry, we don't.
Sorry, we don't..."
whispered the snorkel animals,
"Sorry, we don't, noble sirs."
"Never mind," laughed the knights,
"You can serve us as horses. Giddy up!"
After a long ride, the knights
reached the city of the Agrippini.
"Look at those strange turbans!"
Said the Black Knight.
"The stone must be hidden
somewhere in there."
"Search every single nook and cranny,"
ordered the Black Knight.
The music attracted the Agrippini.
The inhabitants of the turban-city
loved music and dance above all else.
They politely asked the knights
to join them in a dance.
The princess of the Agrippini was also
curious about the strange iron boxes.
"Stop this foolery!"
Cried the Black Knight.
And his knights ran through
the nearest Agrippina with their lances.
This sent the Agrippini into a terrible
rage, and a furious battle began.
Ernest did his duty
and fought alongside the knights.
Then suddenly Ernest stopped.
He stood there thunderstruck,
unable to move.
He was captivated
by a strangely beautiful face.
He had never seen anything so beautiful
in all his life.
"Kill her, Ernest!"
Screamed the Black Knight.
Ernest was engulfed by darkness,
and he fell into a deep night.
At dawn, the remaining knights gathered
and counted their number.
"Ernest seems to be dead,"
thought the Black Knight,
"I'm finally rid of him."
The princess gazed curiously at the
strange being who had spared her life.
What lay hidden beneath
those iron plates?
"Who are you?" the Princess asked.
"I'm Duke Ernest.
I'm looking for the Carbuncle Stone,
so I can go home.
And who are you?"
"I'm Atessa, Princess of the Agrippini.
Since you spared me,
I'm going to help you.
But we will have to overcome
five obstacles
in order to reach the land of the
Caliph, where the Carbuncle Stone is.
The road is long and dangerous.
First comes the land of the Pannochs.
One of the Pannochs
is a friend of mine. He will help us."
"Look!" cried the knights,
"Ernest is alive after all!"
"Stand aside, Ernest!"
Ordered the Black Knight,
"We'll show this strange bird
what a real knight is!"
"Wait!" cried Ernest,
"She's going to help us
find the Carb..."
"Attack!" cried the Black Knight.
"Stand aside, Ernest,
she's not one of us!"
"He looks quite nice, does Duke Ernest,"
the Princess thought quietly to herself.
The Pannochs arose
and blew up a fierce storm.
The Princess soon found her Pannoch
friend and told him Ernest's story.
She told him about
the knights' mission to find the Stone,
how Ernest had saved her life,
and how he had lost part of his armour.
"I must find the Stone,
or I can't go home. Please help me."
"Very well," said the Pannoch,
"Do you see that mountain?"
"It's the Magnetic Mountain. It attracts
everything in its proximity.
It exerts an irresistible pull
on anything that crosses this line.
It is also the home of the Rocs,
who devour everything they catch.
So be quiet: They mustn't spot us!
But there's a tunnel
known only to us Pannochs
which bypasses the mountain
and leads to the land of the Ariaspers.
They'll be able to help you.
I'll gladly guide you there."
"A magnetic mountain?" thought Ernest,
intrigued, "I must take a closer look."
"Ernest!"
Cried the Pannoch anxiously,
"The knights have broken through
my line of Pannochs."
"Atessa, Ernest:
Into the tunnel quickly!"
The noise from the Magnetic Mountain
attracted the attention of the Roc.
Ernest and his companions
had left the tunnel.
To their horror,
the Roc was still searching for food.
But the young Rocs had eaten their fill.
So the Roc put the bundle containing
the three friends away for the next day,
high up on the great crag.
The night was chilly
and by morning Ernest had a nasty cold.
His sneezing woke a young Roc,
the most curious of the omnivorous birds.
He quietly crept over to the bundle
to see what was moving inside it.
"Psst," whispered Ernest,
"Please don't eat us.
I'm Duke Ernest and my friends
and I seek the Carbun... No, wait!"
The princess told the Roc
the entire story.
It aroused the Roc's curiosity.
He was also intrigued by the Carbuncle
Stone, which Ernest had told him about.
"All I know", said the Roc,
"is that you need a password
to enter the land of the Caliph.
I did hear the password once..."
"Then please help us," said the friends.
"Very well!" growled the Roc,
"Off we go!"
For the first time, Ernest touched
something with his bare hands.
He was astonished
at how soft and warm Atessa felt.
He wondered what it would be like
without any armour at all.
Ernest and his friends eventually
arrived in the land of the Shiopod,
a dangerous dragon.
"Do you see yonder dome?"
Asked the Roc.
Beyond it lies hidden
the land of the Caliph.
"But only
he who knows the password may enter."
"What are these strange stones, Roc?
Are they carbuncles?"
"They're poor creatures who were
turned into obelisks by the Shiopod
while they were trying to enter
the land of the Caliph."
"The Shiopod has been
trying to get in there for years.
But no one
will reveal the password to him."
"I wonder who this used to be?"
Thought the princess.
"Look! What's that?!" cried Ernest.
"The Shiopod!" cried the Roc, "Hide!"
The little Pannoch stepped forward and
shielded his friends from the dragon.
The friends sadly left behind the little
Pannoch who had saved their lives.
The Roc now tried the password.
"OI sonuf Virsig Gihu lod Graa?"
"Try it again!" cried the friends,
"Try it again, Roc!"
"OI sonuf Voorsig Guhu lad Naps??"
"OI sonuf Vaorsag Goho lad Nalpsz???"
"OI sonuf Vaorsag Goho lad Naplan????"
"OI sonuf Vaorsag Goho naplan lad naporum
sol monstrum lapis... exilis?????"
Errr..."LAPIS EXILIS!"
"So that's the famous password!"
Thought the Black Knight.
Ernest and his friends received
a friendly reception from an Ariasper.
"Please take us to the Caliph.
We seek the Carbuncle Stone."
"You're expected," said the Ariasper,
"Please follow us."
The knights had dismounted
and now tried the password themselves.
"OI sonuf Vaorsag Goho
naplan lad naporum...
"La... lap... iiieees... exillliiieees.
Lapiiieees exilliiieees... arrrhhgg...
"Mercy!" begged the Black Knight,
"Please spare me!"
"I will tell you how to get into
the Land of the Cali... arrrhhgg..."
The Land of the Caliph was very strange.
It was inhabited by strange creatures
who were wise and scholarly.
At last, the friends
arrived at the Caliph's palace.
Ernest explained
the purpose of his visit.
"Noble Caliph,
we seek the mysterious Carbuncle Stone,
which I, Duke Ernest,
must find in order to return home.
Please help me."
"What, you seek a carbuncle?"
Laughed the Caliph.
Look around you,
there are carbuncles everywhere.
They're nothing special here.
Take as many as you like."
"So this is the goal of our long
and perilous journey!" thought Ernest,
"The fabulous Carbuncle Stone."
But it suddenly seemed to him
that the princess's smile
shone a thousand times brighter
than all the carbuncles put together.
And it occurred to him that without
this accursed, uncomfortable armour,
life would be even more pleasant.
And so Ernest and the princess
became lovers,
something
they had both secretly wished for.
The Caliph put on a great celebration.
But Ernest and the princess
found a spot away from the others
and kissed and embraced each other
all night long.
Ernest felt fine: The sun was shining,
he had good friends, and he was in love.
But suddenly, he thought of home,
of his mother and his castle.
And had he not promised
to return with the Carbuncle Stone?
So Ernest decided to return home
with his friends and keep his promise.
But first, he wanted to use the
Carbuncle's powers to free the Pannoch.
The spell on the knights
was also lifted.
They stayed in the desert...
...while Ernest and his friends
began their journey home.
But an unwelcome sight
awaited Ernest at home.
Wasn't that the Emperor's flag
flying above his castle?
The Emperor was not pleased about
Ernest's return, unlike Ernest's mother.
"He has a carbuncle stone!"
Marvelled the knights, "Look!"
"Ernest!" cried his mother,
"You're back at last!"
"The Stone," whispered the Roc,
"Don't forget the Stone."
But just as Ernest was about to hand the
Stone to the Emperor, he stopped.
Wasn't that the Black Knight's brother,
the man he was supposed to have killed?
That's why he'd been sentenced
to find the Carbuncle Stone.
At that moment,
Ernest saw how he had been tricked.
"Seize him and put those strange
creatures in the zoo!"
Ordered the Emperor.
"Pannoch!" cried Ernest, "Help us!"
The little Pannoch stepped forward
and blew up a fierce storm.
But from the splinters of the
Carbuncle Stone, strange things grew...
The knights crawled out of their armour
and looked on in amazement.
"Please don't harm me!"
Cried the Emperor anxiously.
"Ernest shall rule over all my lands."
"That doesn't interest me,"
laughed Ernest, "I have other plans."
"My Mother shall steer our land's
destiny and lead it to new prosperity."
He bid his mother farewell and departed
with the princess and his friends.
Where they went, nobody knows.