Baldrick: M'Lord the barbarians have us surrounded, we are running out of food and water and it looks pretty bleak.
Blackadder: Thanks for telling me what I know. My responsibility is to the Kingdom (me really). Let me think. Got it, I have a cunning plan that may help us survive.
Baldrick here is what you are to do. Go among the peasants and find a few reasonably attractive damsels and report back to me.
Baldrick: where will I find a FEW pretty damsels among our lot.
Blackadder: It does not matter if they are pretty or not. We can always dress them in the Queen's finery and at night in front of the barbarians they will look pretty enough for what I have planned.
Baldrick disappears on his quest.
Lord Percy: Your highness, please let me know of your new cunning plan.
Blackadder: Well Lord Percy it goes like this, we are pretty much stuffed and the only thing that we can do is to offer a few of the damsels to the barbarians. We will negotiate satisfactory terms for the damsels. Hopefully we can come to an arrangement that will satisfy them and they will go away or at least leave us alone until reinforcements arrive.
Lord Percy: But!
Blackadder: Its simple really, the barbarians when seeing the damsels (at night and with the queens finery) they will check them out, argue among themselves to the worth of the damsels and generally take a lot of time to come to a conclusion as to which to take and what to offer in return.
Lord Percy: But this will take some time and all of us in the castle are suffering from a lack of food and water. The serfs are growing restless and if this continues it may be bad for us.
Blackadder: This is where it is a cunning plan. When I announce the damsels and the negotiations for them I will ask the barbarians for lenience and let food and water into the castle. With the food and water, the serfs will calm down and we can buy time so that either reinforcements arrive or the barbarians get tired of their siege.
Lord Percy: But M'Lord there are not many damsels that are attractive, even to the local serfs.
Blackadder: I know that. The barbarians do not, and they have been in the field of war for a long time. So even our damsels will have some appeal.
Lord Percy: A very cunning plan indeed! But what happens if the barbarians do not avail themselves of the damsels and they continue the siege?
Blackadder: I have thought of that. The barbarians will take the damsels as to continue the siege will weaken their strength and they will lose men. They do not want a long siege and the loss of men as their soldiers will become restless and they may revolt against their leaders.
Lord Percy: A very cunning plan indeed M'Lord
RFG Price at posting:
41.8¢ Sentiment: None Disclosure: Not Held
