Brendon
And so, the poor boy asked the king,

Joshua
Can we go?

Brendon
And this is how he answered him:

Nico
I don't know.

{The Bishops close in on Nico.}

Bishop 1
Gotta think quick

Bishop 3
Gotta save face

Bishop 2
Caught 'tween a rock and a hard place

Bishops
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do now?

Bishop 1
If you tell him no

Bishops
Oh, you're a heartless man
And you're gonna have a martyr on your hands

Bishop 3
If you let him go

Bishops
Oh, you're a spineless king
And you're never gonna get 'em in line again

Damned if you don't
Damned if you do
Whole damn nation's watching you
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do now?

Bishop 1
Here's a little tip

Bishop 3
Word to the wise

Bishop 2
Here's a little snippet of advice:

Bishop 1
Men are fools

Bishop 3
Oh, men are frail

Bishops
Give them the rope and they'll hang themselves

~

{Nico ponders by himself. Brendon is nearby; watching and listening.}

Nico
The Devil take this Joshua,
And his belladonna kiss.
Beautiful, poisonous, lovely, deadly.

Dangerous this jack of hearts
With his kiss, the riot starts

All my children came here poor
Clamoring for bed and board
Now, what do they clamor for?
Freedom
Freedom

Have I made myself their lord
Just to fall upon the sword
Of some pauper's minor chord?
Who will lead them?
Who lays all our best-laid plans?
Who makes work for idle hands?

Only one thing to be done.
Let them go, but let there be some term to be agreed upon,
Some condition:

Joshua the undersigned shall not turn to look behind
He's out of sight and he's out of his mind
Every coward seems courageous in the safety of a crowd
Bravery can be contagious when the band is playing loud

Nothing makes a man so bold
As a boy's smile and a hand to hold
But all alone his blood runs thin
And doubt comes

Doubt comes in

{Nico exits.}