EXT. PLAINS DAY

The flashback begins with Goldmoon, sitting on a large boulder, looking out across the plains. There are other Plainsmen behind her, and this establishes she is in her tribe's camp, waiting for Riverwind to return. Goldmoon has a very sad look on her face.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
Riverwind was gone long years. And my life was empty. I sometimes thought my heart would die.

Riverwind stumbles into the camp, with a staff in his hand. His face is covered with sweat and his mouth is moving quickly, as if he is talking to himself. He falls at Goldmoon's feet.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
Then, just a week ago, he returned. He was half-dead, out of his mind with a raging fever. He stumbled into camp and fell at my feet, his skin burning to the touch.

Closeup shot of the staff in his hand.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
In his hand, he clutched this staff. We had to pry his fingers loose. Even unconscious, he would not release it.

INT. PLAINSMEN HUT
Riverwind is strapped to a bed, thrashing about, wild with fever. Goldmoon is looking on with concern. Other Plainsmen are in the room as well.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
He raved in his fever about a dark place, a broken city where death had black wings. Then, when he was nearly wild with fear and terror and the servants had to tie his arms to the bed, he remembered a woman, a woman dressed in blue light. She came to him in the dark place, he said, and healed him and gave him the staff. When he remembered her, he grew calmer and his fever broke.

EXT. PLAINSMEN TRIBE DAY
Riverwind hands the staff to the Chieftain of the tribe.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
Two days ago, he presented the staff to my father, telling him it had been given to him by a goddess, though he did not know her name. My father looked at this staff-

The Chieftain holds up the staff and begins speaking to it.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
And commanded it to do something, anything. Nothing happened.

The Chieftain throws the staff back to Riverwind. The Chieftain is obviously upset and begins making gestures and yelling. Plainsmen surround and grab Riverwind by the arms.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
He threw it back to Riverwind, proclaiming him a fraud, and ordered the people to stone him to death as punishment for his blasphemy! The tribe bound Riverwind and dragged him to the Grieving Wall.

Riverwind is thrown, bound with his hands behind his back, into a wall. Rocks begin to hit him. Riverwind looks at Goldmoon and begins yelling something to her. Goldmoon looks on in sadness, then runs towards him.

GOLDMOON
(voice over)
They started hurling rocks. He looked at me with so much love and he shouted that not even death would separate us. I couldn't bear the thought of living my life alone, without him. I ran to him. The rocks struck us-

Goldmoon and Riverwind are hit by rocks. Then there is a bright flash of blue light.