Character Profile The Queen has poise and sincerity while maintaining dignity. The King is bumbling, forgetful, and short-tempered in bursts. Scene One KING/QUEEN: (Addressing audience:) People of Brinkburg! Today marks seventeen years. Seventeen years since our palace felt like a home... Tonight is the Festival of Light. We shall release the lanterns into the sky, just as we always do. Some say it’s a waste of valuable candles, but I say it is a beacon! She would be eighteen today. She’d have her mother’s eyes, her father’s appetite for biscuits, and hair like spun gold. (Suddenly noticing a person in the audience.) KING/QUEEN: You there! Have you seen her? She’s about this tall, very royal-looking, and definitely doesn't have a beard. No? Worth a try. Guards! Spread the word! If anyone finds our daughter, or even a very convincing lookalike, they shall be rewarded with a chest of gold and a lifetime supply of gravy! Scene Two KING: (Holding a poster upside down:) My dear, this girl looks exactly like a bowl of soup. Are you sure this is the right drawing? QUEEN: Arthur, you’re holding it upside down. And that’s a picture of the Royal Chef. KING: Ah! That explains the hat. Anyway, tonight’s the night! The lanterns! The lights! The... the... what’s that other thing? QUEEN: The hope that our daughter comes home? KING: Yes! That! And the sausages they sell at the village stall. It’s a very emotional evening for my stomach.