" Previously on Reign." " I can't do it, I don't want it." "You don't want what?" "To be king." "Charles is shirking every responsibility imaginable." "The nobles lack leadership, especially with the Lord Chancellor stuck in English prison." "Charles can't even be bothered to find a proper husband for poor Claude." "I'm still in mourning." "We know, Claude." "And frankly, it's embarrassing." "Keira, where's my son?" "Where's Darnley?" "I don't know why you two continue to pursue this dangerous little love affair." "I have defied Elizabeth to secure a crown for my son, and nothing is going to stand in my way." "Certainly not you." "I'm in love with a woman I can't have." "She is promised to a suitor of a powerful family." "You can break their engagement." "There's a boat ready to take you and Lady Lola's child back to France." "I need you to befriend Emily Knox." "You don't seriously expect me to seduce" "John Knox's wife?" "She has access to his documents, and could be a valuable resource." "Come back to me, Gideon." "Promise me you'll try and find a way." "_" "Obviously, you could argue that emotion blinds one to any negativity." "I understand your love for Denmark." "I love Scotland the same way." "Uh, it was only Scotland I was referring to." "Thank you so much for traveling all this way, Prince Magnus." "Delighted to do it." "Though the channel into your port is not nearly as safe or calm as..." "As Denmark." "Perhaps one day I'll se it with my own eyes." "Good-bye." "So you and I, together in this moment..." "God's will." "Yes." "That I should help you understand the Scriptures." "Of course, the better authority on the topic is my husband." "Mrs. Knox." "James." "So... how goes the courting of Mrs. Knox?" "Well, I suppose I'm making progress." "But I can't say I'm enjoying deceiving someone so innocent and kind." "The closer you get to her, the closer you get to her husband's secrets... his plans against me." "His alliances." "I didn't enjoy spending my time with a pompous Danish bore, but deception is all part of a day's work." "You are hoping that the news you are entertaining other suitors will light a fire under Lord Darnley." "James, no one else has such a strong claim to the English throne." "Together, married, promising an heir, we pose a real threat to Elizabeth's right to rule." "Surely, Darnley realizes the same." "Do you think he's hesitant to antagonize his queen?" "His family is powerful." "Elizabeth can't stop him from taking a trip north." "So why isn't he here yet?" "What's keeping him in England?" " _" " I'm in love, Mother, in a way I know you can't comprehend, or you would understand." "I'm going to marry Keira, and no one else, not even a queen." "You talk as if this girl is your savior." "She is!" "If I lose her, I will live a life of misery." "And with her, you might live a life of regret." "Where you wake up a year or ten from now and realize, "I could have been a king."" "There's no guarantee of that." "But if I hesitate, Keira will wed another." "Mary's letters are very expressive." "You are her choice." "Then why does she also entertain royal suitors?" "Because she needs to know that you are interested." "But she can't wait forever." "All I ask is that you meet her." " Whoa!" " Go on, now." "Give her that Darnley charm." "This is your mother's doing!" "It is." "She's waiting in the carriage." "We don't have much time." "Before Mary weds another?" "Let her do it." "Before my family tires of what they consider a lack of ambition, bordering on madness, and cuts my purse strings!" "You fear your family?" "What about mine?" "They don't trust you." "They want me wed to Lord White." "You said Elizabeth would handle that." "Why hasn't he been paid off?" "I can't press the Queen of England about her finances." "It's enough to know that she doesn't want me marrying her rival." "We will be together." "Man and wife." "Forever, I promise." "And not just because we have our queen pushing for our union, but because" "I can't live without you." "What is this?" "The day I shall return and the time we shall meet at Blackfriar's Bridge." "I wrote it down so you can hold it in your hand until I can place a ring on it." "I am yours." "For my mother, and for Mary, Queen of Scots, this trip is an exercise in futility." "But it is a journey I must take." "_" "They're here." "Thank God." "How he's grown." "If only Francis could see him." "John." "Yes, sweet John." "Stephan, thank you for returning him to me safely." "I'm sorry for your loss." "Thank you." "I'm afraid the child is quite hungry." "Maybe we could find something delicious to eat." "And then I'm going to come and join you in a bit." "And I've got a gift for you as well." "Off you go." "Good boy." "I'm glad to see you've bonded." "The child's an orphan." "For a time, helpless in the world." "But now that he is under your protection..." "I will protect him, I swear." "To honor Francis." "And to honor Lola, your poor wife." "But you are his stepfather, Stephan." "I promise that you will always be in his life." "No." "I don't want that." "He has Lola's eyes and... and I cannot bear to look at him." " That will change in time." " Please!" "All right, then get yourself settled, but I must talk to you." "There's something you should know." "Does it have anything to do with your silence in response to requests for you to negotiate my release?" "It does." "I tried, I did, but King Charles... he was unavailable, and..." "I had to turn to Spain for help." "And in exchange, they have pressed to replace you as Lord Chancellor of France with one of their own." " They?" " My daughter, Leeza." "She's back, lording over us." "A mouthpiece for her husband, King Philip of Spain." "Who, by all accounts, is inexplicably besotted with her." "The point being..." "Spain is trying to insert themselves into French affairs." "A Spanish Lord Chancellor?" "They may as well put themselves on the throne." "Their ultimate goal, I believe." "Stephan, I know you have been through a great deal, but I need you in fighting form and on my side." "Oh, I'm ready for a fight." "I can assure you of that." " Bandits, they say." " I heard." "What are the odds that the money I sent to pay off Darnley's lover's fiancé just happened to disappear?" "Thievery is not uncommon." "Oh, do shut up, Lord Blackburn." "This only helps Mary." "As long as that little sop, Keira, is spoken for, Darnley remains eligible." "My spies tell me that Darnley and his serpent of a mother are already on their way to Scotland." "If Mary weds Darnley, she provides for Scotland and England a king!" "A descendant of her inarguably royal bloodline." "Shall we bemoan the circumstances of your birth, and the fact that our nations are still half-Catholic, or can we move on to a solution to the Darnley problem?" "One that will give you all the power, remove Mary as a threat, and bring peace to both our nations." "What's this?" "Are you so hurt by Mary's courting of Darnley that you've forsaken her?" "No." "No, I'd like to marry her." "With your blessing." "With my blessing?" "What of her blessing?" "Think about it, Elizabeth." "She's not like you, or even Catherine." "She never angled for this job." "She was crowned at six days old, and it has cost her everything." "Francis, whom she adored, and her best friend, Lola." "Look, I don't say this last to lay blame, but even Mary knows that those closest to her are forever in danger so long as she herself is a target." "She will always be a target." "Not if she willingly stepped off her throne." "Married a commoner, moved to England, and receded from view." "If you were to welcome her here, present a unified front..." "And ultimately unified nations." "The longer Mary's away from power..." "The harder it will be for anyone to see her as queen of anything." "But, Gideon, do you really think she would do this?" "She should, because I love her." "It's the right thing to do." "Her last chance at happiness and, perhaps, survival." "And because I know you, and I know that John Knox's visit and the forces against you he exposed frightened you." "And because you are very dangerous when you're scared." "And because marrying Darnley would be tantamount to declaring war." "Be sure to mention that as well." "And pray she accepts, for all our sakes." "Ah, dear daughter, may I present Stephan Narcisse," "Lord Chancellor of France." "Lord Narcisse, welcome home." "Thank you, Your Majesty." "I know what you've been through, and I assure you I worked tirelessly to secure your release." "But, Leeza, Narcisse secured his own release." "I'm sorry, we haven't met." "Oh, did I not introduce Cardinal Rosales." "Adored by the Vatican, put forth by the king of Spain to fill the vacated post of Lord Chancellor of France." "The position is no longer vacated." "A deal is a deal." "My mother can explain the terms." "I did what you asked, Mother," "I wrote to Elizabeth, and in exchange..." "There was no exchange." "King Charles, himself, signed a letter proposing a trade, but Narcisse had already been allowed to leave." "Charles, where are you going?" "We are speaking about the most powerful position in France." "Do something." "I'll take it under advisement." "You'll take what under advisement?" "What, you're just gonna mouth kingly words?" "He doesn't seem too keen on ruling these days, does he?" "Poor France, so in need of a firm hand." "A lord chancellor who is not only pure of heart, but whose reach is long." "To clasp hands with those who truly shape France's destiny." " You're going to mention the Pope." " The Pope, and your strongest" "Catholic ally, your neighbor..." " Spain." " Spain." "I've written to my husband, who in turn has corresponded with the Vatican." "His Holiness wants the Valois dynasty ruling France, so long as they promote the Catholic cause." "Who better to do that than a man of the cloth?" "I am honored, Your Majesty." "Though I will miss the dry air of Spain and the expertise of its superior physicians." "My gout is near crippling and the French experts can do nothing about it." "Do you need help drafting your letter of resignation?" "No." "Thank you, Your Majesty." "How do we compete?" "She threatens to remove my sons, the Valois line, from the throne." "We don't take on the competition, we eliminate it." "Cardinal Rosales must go." "Not here." "What exactly is Leeza's grudge against you?" "That I was a terrible mother." "I mean, all my children say that, in Leeza's case she's right." "And I can't exactly make it up to her, now that she threatens my nation, and Charles..." " he is gutted by tragedy." " What tragedy?" "Oh, some friend of his was roasted alive." "And Claude... oh, Claude, poor Claude." "She's praying and crying," " day and night." " Over what?" "Leith." "He was killed in the battle against the Red Knights." "Stephan, I have so missed your support." "Claude needs to mourn, but a king must be king." "This friend of his, it's not the first to die under Charles' rule." "Though, the pressures on him have been enormous from the outset, and for one so young." "Well, we can't fix his age." "But we can acknowledge it." "We need to engage him in the pleasures of being king." "Pride of a battle won will come later, but for now a more immediate reward may do." "I don't like where this is going." "You don't like it because you're his mother." "To you, he is still a boy." " Yes." " But Charles has desires, Catherine." "And as king, he can sate them in ways most young men only dream of." "Let him have some fun;" "lift his spirits, and then you can talk to him about getting back in the game." "Well, I suppose it can't hurt." "But she has to be a nice girl from a good family." "And a willing participant." "Of course." "But what about Cardinal Rosales?" "You're right, we can't kill him, your daughter would suspect us immediately and rain down Spanish hell." "I might have a nonlethal solution." "Cardinal Rosales's gout is about to flare in a most excruciating way." "Good hunt, Mary." "In one breath, you ask me to marry you and give up my throne?" "I know it seems a radical solution to a specific problem." "The fact that you marrying Darnley threatens her rule, isn't the real issue." "It's that you both have claims to the one throne." "Now, if we wed and you abdicate," "Elizabeth vows she will never marry." "And she will name, as her heir, our firstborn son." "Well, by naming an heir, she quiets her own nobles, who criticize her for not providing them with a successor." "Yes." "But you must be perceived as blending into her rule, her society." "Receding as any sort of power player from the world's view." "We would take up residence in England." "She would grant us lands in Kent," "Sandown Castle, a... a sprawling estate with views of the sea, and as well as a generous yearly stipend." "Because I would no longer have an income or any power." "No longer a queen, merely the mother of the next king." "If you did this... supposedly for love, in time, people would accept it." "It would be for love, Gideon." "But how can I put my own happiness before my people's welfare?" "This would bring them peace." "James would be regent, until our child came of age, uniting both nations without bloodshed or war." "Look, Mary, I understand the enormity of what I'm asking, but this is a rare moment in time." "Elizabeth knows you weren't behind the attempt on her life;" "she is... she's kindly disposed to you." "But she sees a union between you and Darnley for what it is, an act of aggression toward her crown." "You don't have to win or die to end this conflict between you; a conflict that exists merely because you were born of the same bloodline." "I am asking you to marry me." "I am begging you to save your own life." "You've heard of Diane de Poitiers?" "Mistresses of the king can be very esteemed, Bianca." "And should your relationship progress, which is as much your choice as the king's, then there is no reason why you shouldn't marry well." "Charles can help you find an excellent match." "Will he be able to help me... tonight?" "Surely, you've had some experience with men." "Boys." "A bit." "But if I'm to give myself to the king, I want him to enjoy it, so that I can be his mistress." "Well, here's a simple rule for success." "If it pleases the king, don't stop." "If it pleases the king..." "Good." "Shall I come closer?" "Do as you like." "It's you I want to please." "Didn't they tell you I'd be here?" "I think someone said something about a girl." "I can't remember." "I barely listen to people anymore." " Would you like me to leave?" " What I would like is to be born into another family." "To be powerless." "You've no idea what it's like." "You could tell me." "Did they ask you to do that?" "To listen to me?" "A task foisted on a stranger because no one wants to hear it, not really." "I would... if it pleases you." "If it pleases me." "Well, I can't say these thoughts do, but..." "Francis tried to warn me, you know." "Warn you... about what?" "Being king." "Before I ever was, he gave me a test that drowned hundreds of men." "And this was a test I passed, 'cause if I'd chosen differently, even more would have died." "I still see them." "I force myself to see them, bloated and rotting." "Their eyes cloudy, or fish-eaten, or worse." "Still alive, staring into the night, feeling their limbs go slack from the cold, or the blinding pain of a shark's bite, dragged under, lungs bursting and then... nothing." "But I can't let myself feel nothing or more will die, don't you see?" "I must be aware." "Aware... aware... always aware." "I keep this to remind me." "Here." "What is this?" "A finger bone... from a man who died because of me." "Come with me now, so I can prove to you that I understand the pain I inflict." "And then you will understand pain, too." "Come now." "It would please the king very much." "Complaining, you say?" "As a man in terrible pain would." "Cardinal Rosales loathes this court, the French physicians..." "No one can treat a gout now inflamed by poison." "Let him go back to Spain and see what his superior physicians can do." "The servants are saying he's demanding just that, an immediate departure." "So much for his bid for lord chancellor." "Cardinal, please!" "You should be in your bed until we can determine the cause of your blindness." "Lord, save me!" "Blind?" "How did he go blind?" "What did you do wrong?" "Nothing, I swear." "I used the blue vial you gave me and dropped it" " into his wine." " Did you stir it?" "Well, it was gone in an instant." "Did you say to stir it?" "I did." "The powder likely sunk to the bottom of the glass." "The amount one imbibes matters or you get very strange outcomes, I told you that." " This way." " The poison was meant to worsen existing problems." "People, especially people I want to get rid of, they don't suddenly go blind." "It looks very suspicious." "My cane!" "Pick up my cane!" "Gideon, where are we going?" "And don't say, "We're almost there" again." "I won't, because we're here." "This is extraordinary." "Private." "Protected." "It's how our life could be, Mary." "I wish it was that simple." "I know it isn't." "That you can't promise yourself to me until you know your people are protected, that you're protected." "Just tell me this, do you think we can be happy together?" "Yes." "For tonight, that's all I need to know." "Don't be a coward, do it." "What is going on?" "These are my private chambers." "Where you store your poisons?" "I found them, Mother." "Are you sick?" "Dying?" "Oh, it's awful and smells so sweet." "Because it's perfume." "These are my scents." "I keep them locked up because they are very, very expensive." "What is going on?" "I will test each and every one, I swear, and people will die." "Or before I run out of innocent servants, you can tell me what you did to Cardinal Rosales." "What are you talking about?" "You poisoned him and he is blind." "Did you mean to kill him?" "Did you think I wouldn't know?" "And you have accomplished nothing." "Rosales is staying at court." "He will be Lord Chancellor." "I have already sent for a reader to assist him." "Having a disability doesn't disqualify a skilled applicant, not in Spain, and not here." "Yes, Spain is known for it's equality and compassion." "The Inquisition taught everyone that." "It could teach you as well." "I'll catch you at something yet, Mother." "And I will destroy you for daring to take me on." "And grant eternal rest to Leith Bayard, my love, your servant." "My sight serves your will, oh, Lord." "My eyes do not covet, do not lust." "They await your divine intimacy." "And also, Lord, I pray for my own earthly peace," " that I might..." " The flames, I burn!" "Take my hand, Cardinal." "You're going to be fine." "Here." "Sit." "Thank you, my child." "Oh..." "Oh, I'm-I'm so sorry." "S-should I call for someone?" "Cardinal Rosales, a-are you all right?" "Jesus Christo." "She is a miracle worker." "Claude?" "A miracle worker?" "Just as I had begun to doubt," "God sent blessed Claude to restore my sight." "Her tears have touched this most sacred relic and vanquished my darkness." "Your sister is God's messenger." "My sister?" "Who is bedding the help?" "She has the makings of a saint." " Mary Magdalene sinned, too." " Yes." "I admit, this is strange, but how dare you attack me?" "Attack Leith." "Are you working with Mother on this?" "Are you that desperate for her love?" "Me?" "What about you?" "Storming in here and punishing us because no one cared about you." "And they didn't." "You were so dreary and dull, that once you were gone, they never even spoke of you!" "You were forgotten completely!" "The passion of the divine." "And to think, that you had delivered Claude's sacred light from your most blessed womb." "Cardinal, please, I think you may be..." "Yes!" "Oh, my daughter." "She's a saint." "Claude's piety, it always set her apart" " from my other children." " Hmm." "This could work for us." "Elizabeth?" "Queen of both nations?" "In name only." "You would rule Scotland, as you did in Mary's absence." " Under Elizabeth?" " Yes." "And you negotiated with her successfully, pleasantly enough, in the past, you are Protestant..." "And no threat to her crown, as my mother was too lowborn." "What is to prevent Elizabeth from removing James from power after I abdicate?" "Scotland itself will protect him." "Its people have never, and will never, accept foreign rule." "And what if she moves to crush them?" "I have to believe that if she's determined to protect me, that she will protect my people as well." "Harm either party, and there will be a movement against her." "Is this truly what you want to do?" "For all you know, Darnley is on his way right now." "His mother insisted that he only needed to be convinced that your interest in him was real." "He is still an option, Mary." "A road to you controlling both nations." "After much bloodshed and upheaval." "So you're decided." "I'm not." "That is why I am here, asking for your advice." "I understand why this is tempting for you," "I do." "But mistrust of the English runs deep with our people." "And you will counsel peace." "And Scotland, and its people who have suffered for so long will have it." "I know I've asked a lot of you, to prove yourself to me." "Emily Knox, Clan Gordon." "But you have shown your true loyalty, not just to me, but to Scotland." "I can't even begin to consider this unless I know that you will be here, as Scotland's protector." "Even if you decide you want to do this, no Scotsman will accept that you willingly forfeited your crown." "You have to show them." "You poisoned a blind man?" "He wasn't blind until I poisoned him." "Don't make it sound so cruel." "You need to tell him that God spoke to you." "That the Lord himself insists" "Cardinal Rosales returns to Spain." "You can improvise if you like, just make sure you sell it." "It's a joke to you, isn't it?" "Religion?" "Well, I have find comfort in it, since Leith died." "That's wonderful, darling, but you're no saint." "You could be a savior to France." "Spain is an aggressive nation, keen on expansion." "And if we don't push back, they're gonna swallow us whole." "Please, help us send Rosales back to Spain." "Not to mention, you know, all those awful things that your sister said about you, and about Leith." "This could be your chance to give her a good spanking for being so cruel." "All right." "I'm in." "James, I was wondering if I could speak with you about Emily Knox." "I realize I may be overstepping, but I've seen the way she looks at you." "She's a naive girl married to a harsh and powerful man." "There are so many available women, do you need to pursue her?" "I'm not sure I need to at all." "You needn't fear for her." "In time, I hope no one needs to fear John Knox as well." "But until then, your point is taken." "You sure this is all right?" "James wants the nobles to see us together." "They need to believe, no matter how scandalous, that we are in love." "Star-crossed." "Separated by nothing but a crown." "So if you choose to abdicate, they'll know you weren't coerced." "That I gave up my throne to follow my heart." "Such a girlish thing to do." "They should know you did it for them, to bring lasting peace." "I love you." "And now you need to make sure that everyone else knows it, too." "Oh, yes, Mother." "She seems marvelous." "Clearly interested in marriage... to someone else." "It appears I have been led astray." "I had heard a rumor he'd spent the night in her chambers." "I did what you asked, traveling this far." "Now, can I return to Keira with your blessing?" "Return to England if you wish." "I'll stay here and smooth things over with Mary once she's less... occupied." "So how did we do?" "I think you have them convinced." "But I'm afraid we have another matter to discuss." "Lady Lennox and Lord Darnley arrived during your dance." "It made quite an impression." "Lady Lennox needed some air." "Lord Darnley, however, is on his way to the stables." "His plan is to return to England immediately." "Shall I stop him?" "I will honor whatever you decide, Mary." "Abdicate if you choose, but... choose now." "Because if you let Darnley go, you forfeit the greatest weapon you have against Elizabeth." "Let Darnley go." "This sacred relic..." "Ah, I'm sorry to intrude, Queen Mother." "Lord Simon." "What can I do for you?" "It's about my daughter, Bianca." "Oh, lovely girl." "She..." "I'm afraid she never returned to our quarters, after being received by King Charles." "It's been two days and Bianca's still missing." "I... didn't want to interfere with the king's business, of course." "So I come to you, directly, one parent to another." "I'm sure it's nothing more than two young lovers who've lost track of the days in the throes of a new romance." "I will locate them at once." "Tell me where she is, Charles." "Who?" "The young noble girl, Bianca." "She's gone missing." "And she was last seen arriving at your chambers." "What has become of her?" "Who can say, really?" "Terrible things happen to people all the time." "What is wrong with you?" "Did you harm her?" "Leave me." "I am your mother." "And I am your king, and you will do as I say." "And please let Leith find comfort in your arms, O Lord." "Amen." "Hello, sister." "What do you want?" "To thank you, for healing the good cardinal of his affliction." "It must be humbling to be chosen for such a sacred purpose." "So many will benefit from your abilities." "Starting with those gathered outside" " this very chapel." " Who is gathered?" "Word of your miraculous powers is spreading, and it's brought a group of the most unfortunate lepers who long for your healing touch." "You are their last hope." "Even the doctors won't go near them for fear of being infected." "I'll bring them in now." "Stop!" "I... can't." "Oh?" "I ca..." "I can't help them." "Oh." "It's a pity..." "If people hear you won't use your powers to heal, they... they'll fear your powers are not from God, but rather the Devil himself." "A saint can become a witch very quickly in the eyes of an angry mob." "Are you threatening me?" "I'm simply stating the consequences of misusing one's faith, as your loving sister." "Thank you for your guidance." "Is this the end of Saint Claude, or should I brace myself for more of your magic powers, blocking something else I desire?" "No." "It is the end." "Well then." "I'll see you at dinner." "And oh... do wear a smile." "No more tears over lost love." "It's getting dull, and you know how Mother hates dull girls." "I do apologize." "I meant no offense to you or Lord Darnley." "I may as well tell you; you're going to find out anyway." "A union with your son threatens Elizabeth, just as we have reached an agreement." "A deal for peace." "So I will be marring Gideon Blackburn... the man that you saw me with... and abdicating the Scottish throne." "You can't be serious." "I am." "But what will become of you?" "I will live out the rest of my days in England as Elizabeth's honored guest." "I, too, was Elizabeth's honored guest." "The recipient of her hospitality for several long and extremely solitary years." "Because you threatened her rule." "I am doing the opposite." "Giving away Scotland?" "My child will be heir to her throne." "To both nations." "And where will you and your husband go to have this child?" "Elizabeth has granted us a beautiful estate in Kent, overlooking the ocean." "Sandown Castle." "Oh, you know of it?" "My second cousin, Albert, has recently been tasked with secretly refortifying Sandown;" "great stone walls, a dungeon, even moats." "You are not meant to be her guest." "You are meant to be her prisoner." "Oh, my dear, what you see as a solution for peace, I see as your demise." "I know Elizabeth." "After her mother's execution, after her sister imprisoned her, even after this most recent" " attempt on her life..." " So you're saying this is a trick?" "I am saying that Elizabeth will never rest easy." "It is not in her nature." "People can push past their fears." "You can." "She can't." "Her popularity will dip, as happens with rulers, people will push for you, and if you are in her grasp, a prisoner, in that moment... we can only hope that you had not born an heir." "Or that she takes your head first, so that you do not need to see your child die." "Is it from Lord Darnley?" "Yes, milady." "Did she get the letter?" "So she knows it's over?" "MESSENGER Yes." "It was very effective." "Keira!" "Keira!" "You compensated the forger for his work and his silence?" "Yes." "And, at her mother's urging..." "to avoid gossip and ruin..." "Lady Keira married Lord White last evening." "Well, that worked out quite nicely." "My son will be heartbroken, but an advantageous marriage of his own will cure that soon enough." "Lady Lennox is lying to you!" "She wants you to marry her son!" "She does, but she was also telling the truth." "My spies in England confirmed that the castle meant for us in Kent is nothing more than a fortified prison." "It's cleverer than killing me." "I would be silenced, and there would be some time before there was even a backlash." "Well, she could have built up that castle for her own protection, Mary." "You don't know her." "Elizabeth lives under a constant cloud of fear." "She does." "And fearful queens cannot be trusted to let their rivals run free, or to live up to their promises." "But if you were to walk away from your throne, you..." "I would still have royal blood flowing through my veins, as would any child I bear." "And what of my people?" "If her promise to me is a lie, then... what of her promise of peace?" "What if, as soon as I am out of power, she turns on those who were against her?" "My subjects." "I can't..." "I can't risk their lives." "I love you, but..." "I can't." "Instead you will pursue Darnley." "Mary, this is a course you cannot step back from." "And if you take it," "I fear I'm looking at a dead woman." "We all die, Gideon." "Question is what we stood for while we lived." "It appears as though we still have a queen this day." "Oh, Mary." "Lord Moray." "You startled me." "Please." "Call me James." "I see the English ambassador has taken his leave." "Indeed he has." "Perhaps you were right about destiny after all." "Seems there are things that even a queen herself cannot escape." "So you've come to accept that our lives are predestined?" "I have come to accept that some things are meant to be, even if they violate our duties, our oaths." "To break an oath is a great sin." "To break a heart is an even greater one." "Do you believe the Lord can forgive all sins?" "I'm counting on it." "I trusted your offer to Mary was true." "But the fact that peace has... has once again eluded this country lays firmly at your own feet." "You're blaming me for this?" "Mary had agreed." "She was going to abdicate, marry me... we were gonna have a life together." "Until she learned that you had promised her not a home, but a fortified estate meant to wall her in." "Do you deny it?" "Modifications had been in progress at Sandown Castle for months." "It was not intended for Mary, but when you came to me with your proposal, it seemed the perfect place." "Queens will always need protection." "From those within and those without." "You were going to make her your prisoner, and I was the bait." "If Mary had accepted my deal, she would've been safe from me, that is what I promised and I meant it." "But even then there would be factions of people who would not rest until either Mary or I were dead." "Those walls were for her protection." "And now, that she remains queen...?" "As long as Mary lives and breathes, neither of us is safe." "Only one queen can survive." "And I intend it to be me."