"Previously on Reign..." "I know the château you claim to stay at in Angers where you ran into Francis." "I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I can guess." "You don't have to marry him." "It's all over." "Nostradamus said we can be wed." "There is no prophecy keeping us apart." "I do this not out of any malice, as you are my son." "So that should you return, you have seared into your memory what is yours and what is not." "You're very quiet." "Are you warm enough?" "I just wish that we could go back to two months ago, do it all over." "Me in my wedding gown, walking down the aisle to you at Notre Dame." "But instead, we have to come back to reality." "That's what you're thinking." "Politics, backstabbing, murder." "Just another day at French court." "Francis, can we turn around and go back to the country house at Anet?" "Everything we felt there alone, away from court." "Somehow our love seems so fragile, suddenly." "Things are different now." "We're married... the future king and queen." "My mother is no longer an obstacle." "Nostradamus's prophecy no longer a threat." "And Bash is far away in Spain." "I hope he's safe, and that he finds happiness." "Well, there is something that everyone will want from us that we can agree on." "A castle full of little royals?" "Archduke, we thank you and your sister for coming." "The last thing either of us wants is a senseless, costly war caused by a tragic mistake." "A French ship firing upon a Bohemian vessel without provocation?" "Yes, that is indeed a mistake." "But not a mistake of intent." "An accident." "France is very sorry, and will do all it can to maintain its peaceful and prosperous friendship with the great nation of Bohemia." "In keeping with our agreement that I provide a new suitor each week..." "While I provide you with an infinite amount of carnal pleasure?" "Who is it this time?" "The last one was simple-minded." "The one before that smelled of vinegar and had an abundance of earwax." "Well, he also had an abundance of land." "But no matter." "I'm sure the Archduke of Bohemia will keep up to your high standards." "The archduke?" "What's wrong with him?" "He's perfect." "He's clearly attracted to you." "He's a foreigner, so he doesn't know your reputation." "He'll take you far, far away from me." "There's only one difficulty." "The archduke is a pious man." "He'll expect his new bride to be chaste." "A virgin?" "Everybody knows that..." "I'm the king;" "I'll make sure no one mentions your lack of virtue to him." "You want me to trick a deeply religious man into marrying me?" " If your conscience won't permit it..." " My Lord, would you please present me to our distinguished visitor?" "Archduke Ferdinand." "The Lady Kenna." "I'll leave you to it, then, hmm?" "I'm delighted to meet you, Lady Kenna." "Oh, the delight is all mine." "You'll have to excuse my nerves, of course." "I'm not used to the attentions of such a powerful man." "I missed you all!" "You both look happy." "We were." "We are." "I'm sure we'll be just as happy here as we were in Paris, and Anet, and every castle from here to the Loire Valley." "Oh, which reminds me." "I found a wonderful suitor for you, Greer." "And there's one in Paris who is very keen to meet you, Lola." "Wonderful." "Mary!" "Oh, how I've missed you." "Ah." "A word." "And so the politics and backstabbing begin." "You must tell me all about your travels..." "later." "First, you need to know that your bastard brother didn't make it to Spain." "What do you mean?" "I sent those guards with him myself." "They were supposed to accompany him to a ship and see him safely on board." "The bodies of those men you sent were found by the side of the road, not long after you left for your honeymoon." "But Bash's body was not found?" "Either he killed the guards himself, or the whole party was attacked, and he managed to escape." "Are they looking for him?" "Of course." "Henry has his men looking everywhere." "Aren't you glad you have a mother who pays attention to such things?" "You are a..." "Hunter." "Yes, you fool." "Have I offended you?" "What kind of a fool can't recognize a boar trap?" "The embarrassed kind?" "If you were such a tracker, didn't you think it strange that there were leaves on a patch of snow surrounded by evergreens?" "Who's this then?" "Bash, my brother Carrick." "Bash tried to ruin my boar trap." "I would have seen it." "She tackled me prematurely." "Then we competed to see who could shoot the most pheasants." "Be nice, Carrick." "He's a guest." "Well, guest... you're the first man my sister's ever brought home." "Don't worry." "I'm not staying." "I'm just a hunter passing through." "Really?" "To where?" "It's the boar." "Wait!" "My God." "Olivia?" "It fits perfectly!" "Thank you!" "I love mine." "How utterly virginal." "And utterly ironic." "Oh, you're not wearing your gown, Lola." "Uh, it's incredibly lovely, but I'm afraid it's a bit snug." "Oh, don't worry." "We'll have the seamstresses work on it." "So, Mary, tell us, are you pregnant?" "Greer!" "It's been almost two months." "You know everyone's wondering." "Two months isn't very long." "I thought you loved marzipan." "Lola, are you all right?" "Perfectly fine." "Thanks." "How do you know her?" "Beneath the dirt, this dress is fine silk." "It would take weeks to weave." "Only a noble could afford to buy it." "Carrick." "The girl's been fed on." "She can't stay." "And what do you suggest I do?" "Throw her back into the woods to die?" "She needs help, a physician." "This is our home." "You get her out of here." "No!" "No!" "Olivia, it's all right." "It's all right." " T... take my blood!" " Olivia!" "She's been chosen." "She's been touched by the darkness." "I've been a widower over a year." "My advisors are constantly pressuring me to find a new wife." "You poor dear." "How absolutely awful." "I was just wondering how you feel about an older..." "More experienced suitor?" "Well, I must admit that the thought makes my heart beat faster." "Is that wrong to admit?" "Is it sinful?" "I just..." "I don't know." "There." "Why, you sweet young thing." "Your Majesty, it pleases me that the relationship between our nations is so... congenial!" "Do you worry for your reputation?" "Yes, but... more than that." "Uh... this... is God's vessel." "I need to make sure that I'm pure for the man I choose to devote my life to." "What a relief to find a woman who understands that." "Oh, you must meet my sister..." "you are cut from the same cloth." "Is this all you can give me?" "The pain in my joints has worsened." "Laudanum is difficult to obtain, but I'll..." "I'll do my best." "I thought you were in Spain." "And Olivia D'Amencourt, I thought, had left court." " What happened to the poor girl?" " She was wandering the woods in a confused and terrified state." "The slashes she did herself." "Poor child." "These aren't slashes, they're bite marks." "But are they animal or human?" "I don't know." "I was told she was chosen." "Is it possible that she had an encounter with whatever it is the pagans are worshipping in the woods?" "Whatever thing is, that creature that requires blood." "I don't believe in such beings." "Well, nor did I, and yet here she is." "I don't believe there are things that require blood." "You don't believe there's a dark, malignant power in the woods?" "Nature is not malignant." "Nature doesn't care." "Only humans are malignant." "There's nothing evil in the woods." "Unless it comes from us." "Olivia!" "Can you hear me?" " Can you help her?" " I can try." "I'll tell no one she's here for now... she needs rest and gentle treatment, not a dozen questioners." "You should leave." "It's not safe for you here." "You asked to see me?" "Ah, Mary." "Mm." "My dear, now that we're fast friends," "I'd like to help you with something of the utmost importance." "Babies." "Excuse me?" "Your duty, in case you are unaware, is to produce an heir and ensure the future of your line." "Yes, I am well aware of that." "Thank you." "And yet you stand before me looking svelte." "You aren't pregnant, are you?" "We only just got back, and we haven't been married for very long." "Rub this on your chest ten minutes before lovemaking." "It may burn." "Ignore it." "And this on his... well, you know." "When you detect interest." "After..." "lie absolutely still for an hour, and then take two of these." "No, not these." "These were in the wrong cabinet." "Never touch these." "Excuse me." "I need to speak with my queen." "Privately." "Yes, of course." "What's wrong?" "I was with the duchess in my chambers." "As we were... engaged in conversation, we happened to move... close to the window and..." "And what?" "She caught cold?" "She fell." "To her death." "My God." "Henry!" "We're trying to avoid a war with these people." " Does the archduke know?" " Not yet." "Why are you coming to me?" "Shouldn't you be crafting strategy with your advisors?" "I can't trust them." "What if they use this against me?" "And this could mean war." "Yes, it could." "And no one knows how to cover up a problem better than you." "You are my... you are France's best hope." "Forget France." "Oh, you just want me to have blood on my hands, too." "A way to keep me silent." "It's a practical solution." "For you." "What's in it for me?" "I want Chenonceau." "I gave that to Diane." "You want me to take back a gift?" "She loves that château." "Bring your mistress back to court, then, and let her deal with your dead duchess." "Let her aid in moving a body and crafting" " a story..." " Very well." "Chenonceau." "But no one else can know." "Only the two of us." "No servants, no... trusted advisors." "Don't try to school a professional, Henry." "Lola, I think we need to talk about your liaison with Francis in Paris." "Kenna, I can't do this right now." "Because you're tired." "You've been tired a lot." "You're pale, you're not eating, your new gown doesn't fit." "You acted so strangely when you were at home with Francis." "You're pregnant, aren't you?" "Fast work." "Well done!" "There is no better way for a royal mistress to secure her place." "Look at Diane." "If I could have managed it, but the king is well versed in avoiding such issues." "Don't congratulate me." "I'm not Francis's mistress." "It was one night." "A... a moment of comfort." "Do you have any idea how this will shame my family in Scotland?" "And what will it do to Mary?" "I understand that you're worried." "Mary won't take it well, not at first." "But think of it... in time, she'll recover, and Francis will be a loving father." "He'd want the child to grow up here, and he'd probably let you raise it." "Let me?" "I'm the child's mother." "Yes, well, I'm sure that you would play some part." "As long as you don't anger Mary and you keep Francis's interest." "Regardless," "Lola, your position at French court is assured for life." "For life?" "But as what?" "Kenna, I can't do this." "What are you saying?" "There are people who help women who don't want babies." "Everyone knows they exist." "I..." "I just don't know any." "Did you... have you ever..." "Ended a pregnancy?" "No." "The king is well stocked to avoid such issues." "Well stocked with...?" "Well, he covers... it..." "If you don't know, you shouldn't be having sex!" "All right." "Uh... one of the servants... a girl who washes my things... she isn't married, but she seemed to be with child a few months ago." "She disappeared for a few days, and when she came back, she was thinner, less troubled." "Who is she?" "Tell me, please." "Bash." "You're supposed to be in Spain." "I'm supposed to be dead." "The night Francis's men were escorting me out of the country, they tried to kill me..." "on his orders, I believe." "Oh, Francis wouldn't... you know that." "Really?" "After we put him through hell, dispossessed him of everything?" "After he saw our feelings for each other when he returned?" "After he stopped our marriage?" "He still values you as his brother." "I am nothing to him." "Nothing but a threat." "He made that very clear." "Well, you're married now." "All of that is behind us, all of that pain." "Was it only pain we left behind?" "There was something more between us." "Francis knows that; he hates it." "He's come to hate me." "He still wouldn't have you killed." "Not in a flash of anger?" "Of jealousy?" "That's all it would have taken... a wave of the future king's head, a nod to some guards, and his intent, however fleeting, would have resulted in my death." "Don't you want to know the truth?" "No proof, one way or the other, would change anything." "It might change your heart." "And it would change Francis's life, because if I learn that he did try to kill me," "I will take him down myself." "Bash, watch your words!" "This threat alone could result in your death." "Francis is my husband." "For your own sake, for your own doubt, find out who you're married to." "If you need me, put a light in your window, and I'll meet you in the woods... where we first kissed." "It's leaving a stain." "Why is this so difficult?" "Our clothes go away dirty and they come back clean... how do they do it?" "I don't know." "They take them to the laundry, and... they dip them in something." "Oh." "Be sure to pick up all the solid bits." "If we're lucky, it'll look like spilled wine." "Roll it forward." "The way my chefs do stuffed pastry." "Now... there." "Now, all we have to do is get her back to her chambers, and... toss her out of the proper window." "Oh, this was my favorite coverlet." "Add it to the list of my debts to you." " You're mistaken, my lady, I never..." " Please." "My friend needs your compassion." "It's dangerous, casting off a babe." "I understand." "No." "Truly dangerous." "Not just to your reputation." "I was warned many girls don't survive." "You did." "You look healthy." "I was lucky." "I'd never have done it if I hadn't been desperate." "Tell me where you went." "My friend is desperate, too." "My lady, we both know there's no friend." "If I tell you, if you never come back..." "This could keep my family for months." "My lady, it's wrong to tempt me to do what could harm you." "If there is harm, let it be on me." "I know, I know." "She's... heavier than she looked." "Nostradamus?" "Are you here?" "Wake up, my child." "Wake up." "Wake up." "I dismiss the demons that trouble your sleep." "Wait until you hear the conversation I had with your mother today." "I'd rather hear about the conversation you had with my guards." "You wanted to know my orders for Bash's departure." "I knew that you would hear about that." "I'm sorry, but I..." "I have to ask you, did you order your guards to kill Bash?" "Who put this idea into your head?" "Bash believes it was your doing." "He was here?" " Where?" " In this room." "Your bedchambers." "Francis, please don't do this." "I didn't ask him to come to me." "So that's why you've been asking questions, because he told you to?" "Because I wanted to prove him wrong." "Francis, for God's sake, doesn't it trouble you that your brother thinks that you tried to have him killed?" "It troubles me more that you've been wondering if he was right." "I could give you the name of the ship that Bash was to sail on, show you the captain." "Does it matter?" "I am the crown prince of France." "I can create evidence if I wish." "The more important question is: will you take me at my word?" "You came to me once, accusing my mother of plotting against you." "You hadn't a shred of proof, but I believed you." "We are royals." "We have the power to do terrible things." "Without trust, we're nothing." "This is true of you and Bash as well." " Trust..." " How can I trust him?" "He killed a man in the woods for you." "And now these guards." "He..." "What, does he say he killed them in self-defense?" "I think it was to remain close to you." "Francis..." "I didn't order anyone to kill him, but I can promise you he's not safe from me." "You can tell him yourself when he comes here again, as I'm sure he will." ""To Ferdinand, my dearest brother..."" ""Dearest"?" "How many brothers did she have?" ""My darling brother Ferdinand," "Tonight, I end my life willingly."" "Mention her fondness for France... its culture and beauty." "It's a suicide letter, not an enticement to pilgrims." "Why did she jump?" "We need a reason." "She was lonely." "What does a woman in her position have to be lonely about?" "That's ridiculous." "You try, then." "The man she loved was... someone she could never have." "Poor girl." "Describe him as... ruggedly handsome, with the... sexual prowess of a lion." "Oh, you were serious." "Ever since you kissed my cheek," "I've been wondering what it would be like to be kissed on the lips." "Are you sure you're ready?" "There." "Now even the dimmest of servants can find it." "She deserved a better end." "Don't we all." "You kiss like the French." "Well, we are in France." "I mean, you are positively fluent in the language of love." "Beginner's luck?" "I'm sure your natural abilities would flourish in Bohemia." "Someone fell from the room above!" "Cecilia's in that room!" "W... wait!" "Uh, you were... saying something about me and Bohemia." " Not now!" " Wait!" "Could she have had worse timing?" "He was just about to propose to me." "I'm sorry, Your Grace, the Lady Lola's not here." "At this hour?" "We're supposed to meet the king and queen in the throne room to pay our respects to the archduke in his bereavement." "She hurried out early." "She was dressed for riding and wouldn't say where she was going." "Oh, no." "Do you know where Lola is?" "Did you expect this to be easy?" "Think hard before we begin." "I can give you a bit of leather to bite on when you need to scream." "I would never ask this of you, but I need to get through the Blood Wood to Lola before it's too late." "I can't believe she'd do something so dangerous." "We all get desperate at times." "Bash, there's something else." "When we get to the place, let me go in alone." "I don't want her to feel embarrassed or shamed." "Follow my lead." "I'll do the talking." "Of course." "You've handled everything brilliantly so far." "Your Majesties, excuse me, but there's something you need to know." "One of my patients, not fully in control of their faculties, lashed out and... stabbed Father Leduc with his own crucifix." "He's dead." "That's awful." "But not now." ""The looks of a Greek god, the might of a lion"?" "She didn't write this." "I know it's hard to see someone in your family as capable of such passion." "What she was incapable of was writing." "She never learned." "The note is a forgery." "I fear my dear sister was the victim of foul play, likely by someone inside the castle." "If that is the case," "Bohemia will have no choice but to..." "You're right." "It's forged." "And I know who was responsible." "The duchess's lover." "She had a lover?" "I don't think we need to sully the lady's memory with tawdry details." "Henry, our dear guest deserves an honest account of what happened." "Last night, I happened to walk in on the duchess while she was entwined in the throes of passion with a man she barely just met." "My sister?" "I was shocked, I assure you, but I had no intention of gossiping about her indiscretion." "As my husband will attest, I'm not a judgmental person." "Henry?" " She's really not." " But... when news of Cecilia's suicide erupted," "I was immediately suspicious of this lover, and I had him questioned under torture until he revealed to me the actual course of events." "And those were?" "Well... filled with remorse," "Cecilia... the chaste, pious royal that she was... threw herself out of the window, afraid of the shame that this moment of weakness would bring to your family." "Oh, my poor dear Cecilia." "And her lover, not wanting to further your family's anguish, wrote the note to protect their secret." "Making it appear that your sister's pain was due to a... much more palatable unrequited love." "Unrequited?" "This note mentions sexual prowess!" "I think that was just wishful thinking on the part of the writer." "Right, Henry?" "Hmm." "So, her lover wrote the note in an effort to protect her honor?" "Ill-advised but gallant." "I want to see this lover." "The heart is a strange beast." "You tortured a man of the cloth?" "We didn't know he was a priest at the time." "He wasn't wearing his collar." "Or much of anything else." "And you killed him?" "Unintentionally." "Sometimes... our interrogators get a bit too energetic when faced with a reluctant subject." "My sister." "I don't believe it." "I knew that once or twice she had looked for consolation in the arms of others, but... such a scandal as this." "Can we just say that she drowned accidentally in the river?" "No mention of suicides or old priests for lovers." "I know that I'm asking you to repeat a falsehood, but I would be so grateful." "Well, don't... torment yourself, sir." "To maintain your friendship," "Catherine and I would go to any lengths." "Yes." "Lola?" "Lola!" "Lola!" " Are you all right?" " She's fine, my lady." "We've not yet begun." "Please leave us." "Come home with me." "This could kill you." "Mary, please, I can't." "I have to do this." "If you knew the whole story..." "It doesn't matter how it happened." "You're pregnant, and I understand." "It's not the end of the world, not unless you make it so." "Let me help you." "Oh, if you... if you only knew." "When Francis returned from Paris... you were at his side." "Is that my husband's child?" "Yes." "She'll be all right." "I don't know what's going to happen to her." "I don't know what's going to h... happen." "I didn't put in that... that light in the window because of Lola." "I talked to Francis." "And he managed to convince you he was innocent" " of any attempt on my life." " I believe him." " Of course you do." " Bash, stop this." "Look at you two, at each other's throats." "Well, my part in this has ended." "I am married." "You want me to leave." "There is nothing for you here." "You're here!" "You need protection from them." "You must trust me on this." "They will always put their interests above yours." "You offer me so much that I cannot accept, because I am wed." "You cannot care for me." "In any way." "Do you understand?" "If you must hate someone... please, hate me." "If I were capable of that, I would." "I'd forgotten what it was like working with you instead of against you." "You're very charming, when you're not trying to kill me." "I mean it." "There is no one like you." "You're a galleon in full sail, all guns blazing." "High on the waves." "I remember." "It's still true." "You make other women tame." "Stay with me." "Henry." "Don't ruin it." "I'm sorry." "That you slept with my husband or that you're pregnant?" "Mary, you were engaged to Bash." "Francis thought he'd never see you again." "I..." "I thought you'd never see him again." "But I would see you!" "You were my friend, not to mention my lady, and you knew that I loved him still." "I'm sorry." "I'm so sorry." "Does Francis know that you're pregnant?" "No." "And he can't." "Well, he'll know soon enough." "You'll start to show." "Not for some weeks." "Months." "A... and by then..." " What?" " I don't know." "But all I ask is that you give me time to sort my options out." "If you tell Francis I am carrying his child," "I essentially become his." "I become nothing more than the woman bearing a royal's child or..." "Or his mistress." "And that's not an option." "For any of us, I assure you." "This will forever change my life, but it doesn't have to change yours, if you keep it a secret." "From my husband?" "That's what you're asking me?" "Yes, that's what I'm asking." "Bash." "I caught the boar." "He fell in our pit." "You should've seen the look on Carrick's face." "Congratulations." "Come and join us for dinner." "Actually, I'm..." "I'm leaving." "Leaving us?" "Leaving France." "I came to say good-bye." "Good-bye?" "That's not why you came." "Stay for supper." "And the night." "And me." "And leave tomorrow." "A mark of flowers, hmm?" "I used to pick roses every morning." "They cut me to pieces, but I didn't care." "That's because they're beautiful." "Just like you." "So the archduke left without so much as a good-bye." "His sister just died." "The man is overcome with grief." "She could have thrown herself off of any precipice in Europe." "Why here?" "Well, clearly the archduke is a fool." "There'll be other suitors." "I promise." "But... his departure means you'll be staying in court longer." "And that means we get to play." "Don't let go." "Do you remember... last night, what you did?" "Were you dreaming?" "Frightened by a nightmare?" "Why did you do it?" "It's close." "What is?" "The Darkness." "It's coming." "And it will take us all."