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Bring Me to the Light is the story of a maligned hero, whose military brilliance and heroism were cloaked by myth as dread deeds of a maniacal killer; the legendary Vlad the Impaler, opposing Mehmed The Conqueror.
SYNOPSIS:
BRING ME TO THE LIGHT chronicles the compelling life of European
hero, VLAD (Vlad III Bassarab), better known in America as Count
Dracula. Dracula being derived-deformed from the Dragul, Te Loved,
surname given by the people to Vlad Father and son Vlad as very dear and
loved, respected defenders.
Florica Cimpoies cleverly personifes the gentle spirit of the DANUBE
RIVER as our timeless and omniscient narrator, who ever lives to will
prosperity over the beloved lands she courses through.
We open with Mehmed is at the gates of Constantinople, ready to demolish
the eternal walls of the sacred city. Elsewhere, Sigismund of Luxemburg is
knighting crowned heads under the banner of the Order Of the Dragon.
Te last Knight is Vlad II, heir to the legendary Mircea the Elder, victor
against the famous sultan Bajazet L’Éclair.
At home, in Sighisoara a son is born to the new knight : Vlad. Ersilia the
mother has a terrible dream before his birth and she drugs herself to stay
awake when the fairies descend to bring the newborn his life path. But,
the legend holds that no human shall see them, and Ersilia will soon pay
with her life. Informed of his destiny, she guides Vlad, who loves alchemy,
toward science. So sheltered by his mother, he rejects the martial path.
Vlad’s childhood ends abruptly, with the death of his mother, followed
quickly by being held hostage by the Sultan Murad along with his younger
half- brother Radu. Tey are guarantees, pawns of peace in case of rebellion
of their family’s kingdom. Vlad is attached to a pole on the battlefeld
during the crusade of Varna to force his brother Mircea to retire short of
victory; this will cause the death of King Jagellon of Poland, and insures the
victory of the Ottomans.
Returned to the sultan’s stables, Vlad drinks in the bitter death of his
father and brother Mircea; he decides it’s time to fght. An old horsekeeper,
Baku, former captain and trainer of Mircea the Elder, trains him secretly.
Rescued by Arnulf a Varangian Guard, Vlad returns to Wallachia, becomes
Voivode (Warrior-King), supported by Skanderberg the Albanian hero.
But everything goes too fast; his reign is short and tragic: he loses his
bride Oana and he’s lef for dead in an ambush. A mysterious young healer
Blanca and a horse, Mourgou save him; but in his grief he is a shadow, and becomes a wanderer.
Having lost the will to live he almost causes the death of
Mourgou, by provoking an avalanche. Faced with death again, Vlad chooses
life, saves the horse, and aferwards, his cousin Stefan of Moldavia. Tey live
as fugitives in Transylvania and are almost killed many times across forests
and shady hostels. Sheltered by peasants, they get to the famous Girl-market
in Gaina. A famous sausage-maker, Hans from Sibiu, leads them to Iancu
de Hunedoara, the governor of Transylvania, who wants to get Vlad on the
throne again.
Vlad rejects the throne, preferring to join the defenders on the walls of
Constantinople, which is under siege by Mehmed. He brings along Urbain,
a master cannon maker who proposes to Emperor Constantin XI to build a
cannon designed to annihilate the entire army of Mehmed. Te Emperor fnds
the cannon too expensive, and places his hopes on the former impregnable
walls of the city, and on allies which will never come from the westerns
monarchs. Te Pope sends money, but no troops. Sadly this money would
have paid for the cannon. Mehmed who is passionate about new weaponry
intercepts Urbain and orders him to build the cannon directly in front of
the Saint Roman Gate of Constantinople. Te 544 kg projectiles destroy the
ancient wall, ending the reign of a sacred city, when afer a long and terrifying
night of fghting, Mehmed enters the city. Te Emperor dies fghting on the
wall among his soldiers. With his final order, the Emperor sends Vlad by a
secret passage under the basilica Hagia Sophia, taking with him hundreds of
people. Arnulf joins them on the seashore where a Trireme is waiting.
Constantinople burns and the world map changes for ever. Mehmed’s
megalomania drives towards the heart of Europe, across the Danube with a
28-division force of 350,000 men, twice the number he had in Constantinople.
He would annihilate Wallachia in a burst, overrun Transylvania, Hungary,
and from there, all the capitals of Europe would be at his mercy. His Holy War
would be won before Europe would wake from its slumber.
To stop the invasion, Vlad becomes again Voivode with the help of Iancu De
Hunedoara. He trains his small army of 12,000 into an elite troop destined to
destroy Mehmed’s huge army.
In Europe, Pope Pius II appeals to Christian Monarchies to support the
brave voivode and his small force. All the crowned heads of Europe say yes,
but no one come.
Vlad burns the country and poisons the water before the invaders,
transforming the land into a terrifying trap that will leave Mehmed’s army
starving to death. Vlad hides the families and animals deep in the mountains
and uses a guerrilla war tactics to gradually destroy Mehmed’s ability to
conduct operations. In a spectacular night attack by torchlight, his small and
well-trained force enters the Turkish camp and kills thousands of Turks. Te
Sultan himself barely eludes death. Mehmed recalls his army and goes toward
Tirgoviste the capital. Here, he fnds all the dead bodies of the soldiers killed
by Vlad and his army since they crossed the Danube. Tey are all
impaled before the citadel. Mehmed says it’s impossible to take the land of a
such a man, and decides to retreat to the port of Braila, where he burns and
plunders before he embarks. Vlad catches him, however, recovering much
of what the Turks had stolen. Mehmed is saved again, this time by his horse,
who takes an arrow meant for Mehmed.
Stefan of Moldavia and Matthias of Hungary who are being manipulated
by the spies of Mehmed and by enemies inside their own realm betray their
protector Vlad. A web of intrigues hobbles Vlad, and Matthias arrests him,
claiming to protect him from his detractors. He keeps him twelve years in a
dungeon in Vishegrad, looking over the Danube.
Te grateful Pope is instrumental in returning Vlad to his throne, and
the resurgent voivode is soon at the head of the fght against the returning
Turks. His detractors are never far behind, and Vlad is killed during a pivotal
battle against the Turks. Victorious he watches his braves knights chasing the
Turks from a hilltop, when dozens of spears pierce his body and his horse.
His head is brought to Mehmed, who kills the messenger on the spot as he
acknowledges Vlad was killed from behind. He orders both heads placed on
pikes in front of his palace, to let everyone know Kaziglu Bei (Vlad) is dead
and the traitors will have the same fate as the messenger.
Tis battle marks the last attempt of the Turks to take Vlad’s homeland