Synopsis of Sword and the City

Written by Brandee Mode

Paige and Richard enter the Halliwell kitchen. Richard comments that it "looks like everyone's asleep" and he thinks this would be a good time for him to sneak out of the house. Paige wants him to stay and have breakfast. At that moment, Paige trips and falls. Then we discover Piper is on the floor, trying to fix the garbage disposal. Richard offers to "take a look" at the disposal. Piper mentions that the washing machine and cable are not working properly either. Paige reminds her about the upstairs sink is also not working. Richard holds his hand over the sink full of dirty water and a glow appears. The water level slowly lowers and he pronounces that it's "good as new." Piper questions that she thought Richard "didn't use magic anymore." Richard says it's just "once in awhile, for little things." Phoebe enters asking for advice on which pair of earrings to wear. She is surprised to see Richard there and seems a bit annoyed about it. Phoebe asks Piper to help with her earrings in the next room. Phoebe says she has a date with Jason and asks Piper about Richard using magic, mentioning that the last time Richard used magic, he "lost it." Piper asks why Phoebe has a date at 7:00 in the morning, but Phoebe says it's evening in Hong Kong. Phoebe asks Piper if she is concerned about Richard using magic again. Piper admits she is concerned but says she is more concerned about making Paige angry by interfering "in her business." Phoebe thinks that is what sisters are for. Piper is still confused about Phoebe's date with Jason and asks if Chris is orbing her to Hong Kong. Phoebe explains that they have a date using video conferencing. Phoebe wants to talk to Paige about Richard but Piper reminds Phoebe that they "hardly know him." Phoebe points out that Paige doesn't know him that well either. Piper tells Phoebe to worry "from afar" and leaves to fix the sink upstairs. Piper enters the bathroom and looks at the sink full of water. Before she can do anything, a figure rises up from the water. It's a woman, who is transparent, like she is made of water or something. The woman is very scared and begs Piper for help.

The three sisters orb in at Harding Park, near a large pond. Paige thinks the woman could be a demon. Piper informs them that the woman appeared, asked for help, said to go to the pond and disappeared. The woman emerges from the pond, still transparent and moves toward the sisters. When the woman reaches the edge of the pond, she change to look like a normal person, (no longer transparent). She is wearing a long silver & white robe and she is carrying a large sword. She runs toward the Charmed Ones, telling them to "take this, it does not belong to them." A dark knight shimmers in behind the woman and throws a dagger at her; the knife hits the woman in the back and the sword flies through the air, falling behind some bushes. Piper hurries over to the woman where she has fallen to the ground. Two demons appear, dressed as executioners, which Phoebe and Paige are each able to kill one using the demon's own axes. The dark knight starts to advance on them until he realizes it is three against one. The lady from the lake tries to tell them something about the sword, but she dies before she can finish the sentence. Paige notices the tip end of the sword is now embedded into a small boulder.

PHOEBE: "The sword in the stone?"
PIPER: "You've got to be kidding me, right?"

Back at the house, the boulder is now sitting on a collapsed coffee table. Piper asks Paige why she couldn't have avoided the table. Paige defends herself, saying that she had never orbed anything that heavy (or historic) before. Paige is getting excited about *the sword in the stone* (known as Excalibur) but Piper tells her that Camelot is not real. Paige asks her about King Arthur and the Knights Of The Round Table. Piper says she believed in it when she was young but then she grew up. Paige points out that she grew up to be a witch who kill demons. Piper still thinks Camelot is not real but points out that the "hooded freaks" who killed the lady are real. Richard says they won't give up now that the sword is "out in the open" because whoever has possession of Excalibur becomes unstoppable. Phoebe enters carrying the Book Of Shadows. She comments that she did not know Richard was STILL there. Paige says it's OK to talk in front of Richard after everything that they have been through together. Phoebe comments that they haven't been through very much. Richard takes Phoebe's not-so-subtle hint and starts to leave, but Paige tells him to stay and prompts Phoebe to share what she found in the book about the sword, Excalibur. Phoebe says there was nothing in the book about it, but she did find the people who attacked the lady from the lake. They are called executioner demons and are "low level bad-asses for hire." Phoebe believes the Dark Knight hired them. The Dark Knight is in the book too and is described as "a power mad paladin of destruction."

After hearing this, Paige decides it's time for Richard to leave, claiming it's too dangerous for him to stay. Paige ushers him out to the door. As they are saying goodbye, he mentions that he doesn't think her sisters like him. Paige passes it off as her sisters being over-protective. Piper checks the book and tells Phoebe she should be able to make a vanquishing potion.

PHOEBE: "Me, why me?"
PIPER: "Because I have a few hundred things to do around here, in addition to raising a small child."
PHOEBE: "I know, you have so much to do. You're my hero. But I can't. I have to go do work. I still don't have an assistant and I'm swamped."

Phoebe leaves. Paige passes the doorway and Piper hopefully tries to get Paige to make the potion. Paige of course, says no, the temp agency already has another job for her. Piper tries to point out that it is not as important but Paige interrupts, saying that there is "a magical reason I've had every one of these jobs" and it's destiny. Piper tells them she will just add *baby-sit the sword* and *mix vanquishing potion* to her never-ending to-do list. Paige thinks Piper will "do fine" since the sword is "stuck in the stone" and only the next king can pull it out. Paige can't resist and tries to pull the sword out but nothing happens. Paige leaves.

Elsewhere, the Dark Knight slams the leader of the executioner demons against a wall. The Dark Knight is angry that the executioner demons failed. The executioner demon points out they weren't regular witches and they just need a better class of executioners to fight against The Charmed Ones. When asked about price, the executioner says to provide more executioners with proper training, it will cost the Dark Knight "a seat at the table." The camera pulls back to reveal they are standing next to a round table with a star carved into it.

EXECUTIONER: "If your goal is to unite all evil under the corrupted power of the sword, you could do far worse than to have me at your side."

A female co-worker enters Phoebe's office and sets a large pile of papers onto Phoebe's already covered desk. She informs Phoebe these are responses to the previous column. At Phoebe's questioning, she explains that Phoebe's email account is totally full so her fans are using the company email. Phoebe comments that Elise needs to find her an assistant soon. Phoebe answers her phone to discover that she missed an appointment earlier that morning. Paige enters the office and Phoebe tells the woman on the phone she will call back to reschedule. Phoebe asks why Paige isn't at work. Paige responds that apparently she is. Phoebe is confused that Paige was sent to be her assistant. Paige prefers the term *desk manager*. Phoebe points out that Paige always gets jobs for "divine reasons" and says she doesn't need divine help, she needs "filing and faxing and desk management." Paige tells her that she will start on the desk and they'll deal with the divine part later. Phoebe is hesitant about being Paige's boss, telling her what to do. Paige says it's "no weirder than usual" and she's "kidding, sort of" but they can make it work.

At home, Piper has been trying to fix the washing machine and finally gives up, unplugging it. She realizes the potion is almost ready to bubble over and hurries over to turn it down. She is startled by the head of the dwarfs. He tells her they need "an authority figure" out there because he just lost his place in line. Piper is confused and asks what line. She follows the dwarf into another room where there are several magical beings in a line, each waiting their turn to try pulling the sword out of the stone. Piper tries to tell them they need to leave but a large ogre tells her they have "a divine right" to try pulling out the sword. Piper calls for Chris but Leo orbs in instead. He explains that he has temporarily re-assigned Chris to other charges. Leo is surprised to see the sword in the stone.

Phoebe finishes a meeting and prepares to return to her office. She asks the female co-worker from earlier how her new assistant is doing. The woman responds that Paige has "put a fire under the interns." Phoebe enters the office to find that Paige is sitting behind her desk, which is now clutter-free. Paige is flirting with 3 male interns. She has gotten them to agree to work on collating, cross-referencing and updating the data-base. The guys leave and Paige tells Phoebe by the end of the day she will have "a system in place that tracks your column ideas, your columns written and your columns considered; plus a separate file for your questions, comments and fan mail" so Phoebe will never miss anything again. Paige thinks Phoebe needs to re-think tomorrow's column. The girl who wrote in said her family thinks her boyfriend is an alcoholic and Paige says that "absent of any proof" Phoebe has advised her to end it. Phoebe claims she advised the girl to "slow it down" but Paige contradicts her, saying that slowing it down by not seeing him, results in ending it. Phoebe responds that she just meant to keep "your" eyes open. Paige realizes what Phoebe said and asks if the column is really about her and Richard. Phoebe denies it but Paige knows Phoebe doesn't like Richard and he can tell it too. Phoebe claims she is just concerned that Paige is falling for Richard too fast and she "hardly knows" Richard. Paige tells Phoebe it's none of her business. Leo orbs in and tells them that Piper needs their help.

Phoebe, Paige and Leo orb back to the house. They see all the magical creatures and Paige said she was worried this might happen. Piper is irritated that Paige never warned her. Piper explains they won't leave and more keep showing up. Piper continues that they need to get it out of the house, but Leo refuses to orb it. Leo defends himself by saying that the Lady Of The Lake came to The Charmed Ones for help and he is not messing with that. Piper loses her patience, saying if he won't move it, she will. Piper grabs the handle of the sword and it easily pulls out from the rock. Everyone in the room is shocked into silence. Suddenly a wind forms and a man appears. (We soon learn his name is Mordaunt.) He speaks to the crowd of magical beings and tells them that "the sword has chosen" and they all bow and lower their heads. Mordaunt tells Piper she is the new master of Excalibur and welcomes her to her "new destiny." Piper says "oh crap" and the show goes to commercial.

When the show returns, most of the magical beings have left. Phoebe ushers the last one, (the lead dwarf) out the front door as he is offering to help in any way he can. Piper lays the sword on the coffee table and sits down. Piper thinks this is all a big mistake. The sword slides closer to Piper. Piper says she doesn't have time "to play Queen Arthur." Paige seems excited and says it means she is the first one in centuries to "have power over the sword" and she urges *Merlin* to tell Piper about it. Mordaunt introduces himself and claims that Merlin was jut a fairy tale but Camelot was not and now it can rise again.

They ask if Mordaunt is a wizard or sorcerer, but he claims to be "a humble teacher" in the service of the sword. He claims they must start teaching Piper immediately, in case the enemy attacks. They ask if he means the Dark Knight and explain they already fought him. If he shows up, they already have a vanquishing potion ready for him. When Piper tells him a couple of the ingredients, Mordaunt says that it's not strong enough and he conjures a recipe for a potion. Leo questions that he was able to conjure something and Mordaunt claims he "picked up a few things" over time.

Phoebe states that she doesn't recognize most of the ingredients on the recipe. Leo seems suspicious and asks Phoebe what she thinks. After a brief pause, Phoebe admits she "can't get a read" on him. (meaning her empathy is not picking up if Mordaunt is evil). Mordaunt tells them that their distrust is expected but not to let it blind them because if he can't teach Piper the proper use of the sword before the dark knight returns, then their survival will depend on the potion. Paige has an idea of where to get the ingredients and she orbs out with Phoebe.

Piper picks up the sword, like she is testing how much it weighs. Leo offers to take Wyatt for awhile and Piper agrees. Once they orb out, Mordaunt conjures a sword of his own. He lunges at Piper but she is able to block the attack. He tells her that was better than Arthur's first time. Piper can't help but be pleased to hear that. Mordaunt continues to test her abilities with the sword.

The head executioner demon leads the Dark Knight past other executioner demons who are mostly practicing or sharpening their axes. A demon enters carrying a large sack and informs the others there is a problem. He empties the sack and the lead dwarf tumbles out. The dwarf informs the Dark Knight that he is too late because "Piper Halliwell has Excalibur" and she is already being trained how to use it. They ask who is training her, but instead of answering, the dwarf kicks the demon who carried him and runs out at super-speed. The Dark Knight says this changes everything.

Richard ushers Paige and Phoebe into his potion room. He thinks there should be everything they need, "plant roots, fungi, herbs, creature parts, insects." Phoebe questions him about creature parts. Richard uses "fairy wings" as an example. Phoebe looks irritated when he says fairy wings but he protests that he didn't kill the fairies. Phoebe asks where he got them and Paige tries to admonish her, but Phoebe insists that it's a fair question. Richard is not sure, the family "stockpiled it" due to the feud. Phoebe points out that the feud is over and Paige interrupts, asking Richard to get them a mortar and pestle. Once Richard is gone, Paige asks Phoebe what she's doing.

PAIGE: "You don't have to treat him like he's evil!"
PHOEBE: "Paige, I'm just reacting to what I see." She holds up a jar of gremlin ears.

Paige accuses Phoebe of hating Richard. Phoebe claims she doesn't hate Richard, she is worried. Paige insists she knows what she is doing. Phoebe asks if Paige is concerned about Richard using magic again. Paige reminds Phoebe that it's none of her business.

PHOEBE: "I am worried about you. Just like you were worried about me when I was dating a demon."

Paige points out that Richard is not a demon. Phoebe claims she realizes that, but points put that Richard is "a guy with a dark side and powerful magic." Phoebe is worried about Paige, before Paige can respond, Richard returns with the pestle. Paige is obviously angry as she says "let's just get this over with."

Piper and Mordaunt are in the attic dueling. She is doing well with the word and seems slightly intoxicated by it's power. She disarms him and he asks if she feels the sword's power. She does and he states the soon nothing will matter except "the desire to rule." Suddenly the Dark Knight, Head Executioner and two executioner henchmen appear. The Dark Knight recognizes Mordaunt, who had been wondering when the Dark Knight would arrive. Mordaunt orders Piper to "take him" and Piper charges at the Dark Knight with sword in hand.

Paige and Phoebe drop ingredients into a small cauldron. As they drop in some nymph hair, Phoebe comments that she hopes it is not from someone they know. They add "wraith essence" and are about to add "black poppy" when Richard enters. He uses telekinesis to flip Phoebe away from the cauldron. Paige hurries to help Phoebe up while asking Richard why he did that. Richard takes a very small amount of black poppy and drops it into the pot, causing a small explosion. He tells them you can never mix wraith essence with black poppy, EVER. Paige doesn't understand why Mordaunt would give them this recipe. Richard states that Mordaunt must want them dead.

An executioner demon hits Mordaunt, sending him flying across the room. Piper uses the sword to vanquish that executioner demon and another. Piper starts fighting the Dark Knight as Mordaunt gets up and fights the last executioner demon. Piper and Mordaunt switch opponents. Up close to each other, the knight whispers to Mordaunt that he thought they "had a deal" but Mordaunt claims he doesn't need the knight anymore because he has Piper now. Mordaunt kicks the Dark Knight so he tumbles next to the executioner demon. Piper slashes them both with the sword, vanquishing both of them. Mordaunt tells Piper that her assimilation with the sword is complete.

Phoebe and Paige orb into the attic. They tell Piper that Mordaunt is not who he appears to be and he tried to kill them and he is after the sword for himself. Piper does not believe them, claiming the sword chose her. Mordaunt suggests they leave. Paige tries to orb the sword away from Piper, but Piper tightens her grip and the sword does not orb. Piper is clearly under the influence of the sword as she threateningly tells Paige not to do that again. Mordaunt tells them that the Queen has spoken and he disappears with Piper in a swirl of wind.

Somewhere else that I assume to be Camelot: Piper is wearing different clothes now, she looks more appropriately dressed for someone with a dark nature. She stands at the round table and tells Mordaunt it "doesn't look like much of a kingdom" to her but he replies that this is where it begins. He continues that she is on a new path and a world of adventure awaits her. She asks what Camelot is and he tells her it can be whatever she wants and she will be in charge of everyone and everything. They kiss and while doing so, Mordaunt reaches for the sword (still on the table) but it moves away from him. Mordaunt tells Piper they need to build her kingdom by filling the round table with knights. Piper says she has some ideas, but Mordaunt claims he knows who will best serve her well. He tells her it won't be easy and that she will have to challenge them on the battlefield, forcing them to join her. Piper picks up the sword and says she can do that.

At the manor, Paige has been scrying to find Piper with no success. Leo is pacing and tells her that Piper will have to show up eventually. Phoebe is pacing too and doesn't understand how Piper was able to pull the sword out of the boulder if it wasn't meant for her. Leo explains that the other elders think Piper was only meant to pass the sword on to the person it WAS meant for. Phoebe questions that Piper is not the "new king Arthur" but she is the new "lady in the lake"? Leo confirms that is basically what it means. Paige asks why it's turning Piper evil. Leo explains that "only the ultimate power on earth can handle Excalibur" and the reason the lady stayed in the lake is because it was the only way "to insulate herself" from the sword's power.

PAIGE: "So we should find Piper and then drown her?"

Leo says it's the only way to keep the power from consuming her. Leo thinks Mordaunt is trying to use Piper to become the ultimate power so he'll be capable of handling the sword. The scrying crystal lands on the map, telling them that Piper has surfaced.

Piper knocks a demon to the ground but instead of killing him, she invites him to become the last knight for the round table. At that moment Paige and Phoebe orb in. Phoebe throws a potion but Piper deflects it with the sword. Paige orbs out as Piper throws the sword. It sticks into a water heater behind where Paige was. Paige orbs in behind Piper and grabs her, but Piper flips Paige forward.

Piper extends her arm and the sword zooms back into her hand. Mordaunt tells the demon to make his queen proud. The demon hits Paige and Phoebe with what looks like lightening, knocking their spirits out of their bodies. Mordaunt disappears, taking Piper and the demon with him. Paige calls out for Leo and the show goes to commercial.

Back at the round table, Piper explains to her four knights that she has not brought them there to kill them. (I recognize a banshee and a grimlock, not the other demons.) Piper begins a speech about a new world order, united under her command, but Mordaunt interrupts. He reminds Piper that the knights need to take the loyalty oath. Mordaunt asks the four knights to each put their left hand or claw on the point of the star in front of them. Mordaunt sits at the head of the table while Piper stands nearby. Mordaunt begins chanting and the star starts glowing brightly. Mordaunt finishes the chant with "supreme demonic powers, leave your hosts and find a new home in this willing heart." The four demons at the table explode and their powers flow into Mordaunt.

Piper is shocked and confused. Mordaunt holds out his hand and Excalibur telekinetically moves from Piper's hands to his. Piper asks why he vanquished her knights. Mordaunt explains he has had a "centuries old quest to control Excalibur" and it never belonged to Piper. He continues that due to the combined powers of her knights, he is now the ultimate power and the sword belongs to him. Mordaunt says that the only thing left to do is "eliminate the true recipient of Excalibur before he grows old enough to fulfill his destiny as the son of a Charmed One." Piper claims Mordaunt can't hurt Wyatt because he is protected. Mordaunt says he couldn't before, but he can with the sword. Suddenly Piper's eyes widen in shock and we see that Mordaunt has stabbed her with Excalibur.

At home, Phoebe is scrying for Piper, while holding her aching head. Paige lies on a sofa nearby complaining that her head hurts and having her soul separated from her body is becoming a disturbing pattern. Leo informs them it was pretty close this time, their souls were starting to move on. They aren't sure what to do about Piper, since they have to wait for her to resurface. They begin to talk about who the sword was really meant for and if they could find out, it would be the best way to separate Piper from the sword. Suddenly Paige and Phoebe realize it must be Wyatt. They decide they need to get the sword to Wyatt and "see if it's a match." Suddenly Leo doubles over with pain. He tells them it's Piper and she's hurt. The scrying crystal lands on Harding Park. Leo and Phoebe orb to the park, while Paige stays at the house with Wyatt.

Mordaunt lays Piper on the ground. She is barely conscious. He tells her once they come for her, he will go after Wyatt. Leo and Phoebe orb in and Mordaunt shimmers out. Leo immediately begins to heal Piper, who gasps and asks about Wyatt. Mordaunt has appeared at the house and moves toward Wyatt's play-pen. Mordaunt thrusts the sword down into what he believes is Wyatt covered in a blanket but is quickly angered to discover it was just a teddy bear. Mordaunt turns to find Paige behind him, holding Wyatt. Before he can do anything, Leo orbs in with Piper and Phoebe. Paige hands Wyatt to Piper. Mordaunt claims that he still has Excalibur, but Phoebe tells him "not for long." Leo whispers to Wyatt telling him to "go for it." Wyatt reaches out an arm and the sword orbs out of Mordaunt's hand. It reappears in front of Wyatt, floating in the air. Wyatt drops his arm and the sword flies through the air, stabbing Mordaunt in the chest. Mordaunt explodes and the sword falls, sticking into the floor. As Piper walks over to the sword, she tells Wyatt he did a good job, but she wants to put the sword away until he turns 18. Piper pulls the sword from the floor and puts it back into the boulder. Piper asks Paige to orb the boulder to the attic. Paige moves a hand in an upward motion and the boulder disappears. As Piper says "away from any furniture," we hear a loud crash. Piper sighs and says she will put it on the list.

Later Phoebe is at her office doing some work, when Paige enters. Phoebe tells Paige she is changing the tomorrow's column to advise that lady to let her sister live her own life. Paige corrects her, "I thought it was her mother" and Phoebe just says "you get the idea." Phoebe comments that she needs to learn to take her own advice and Paige tells her not to stop worrying about her completely. Richard arrives for a date with Paige. Phoebe smiles and tells Paige she is fired. Paige responds that she quits. Phoebe watches Paige and Richard leave.

In the attic, Piper and Wyatt sit on the floor playing. She talks to him, telling him that he needs to have lots of fun, spending time with sports, toys and cartoons before they take the sword "out of storage." Leo enters the attic and asks how things are going. Piper says she is getting her priorities straight. She's been so busy doing stuff but all she really wanted was to spend more time with Wyatt. Leo tells her he fixed the washing machine, the cable, the sink, and the toilet. Piper had forgotten how helpful Leo is at fixing things. They go back to discussing Wyatt's future. Piper thinks it's "kinda scary" considering all the things he can do without the sword. She can't imagine what he will be able to do WITH it. But she decides to worry about it later. Piper picks up Wyatt and the three of them leave the attic.