"Since Mary, Queen of Scotland, was a child, the English have wanted her country and her crown." "She is sent to France to wed its next king, to save herself and her people, a bond that should protect her, but there are forces that conspire... forces of darkness, forces of the heart." "Long may she reign." " Previously on Reign..." " Tell me your visions have changed." "My dreams are more ominous." "Mary's presence here will cost you your firstborn." "You know what my heart says now?" "It says I should forget about politics and be with you." "You're a true queen." "A queen that any king would kill for." " You're a servant." "Nothing can ever happen between us." " But it did." " That language that you spoke..." " I told you, it's nothing." " It's just an old dialect." " It's pagan or Druid." "It's nonsense, but the vagrants in the woods believe it." "Vagrants?" "Is that what those were?" "And Colin?" "They used him as a sacrifice." "Now you know why the woods aren't safe." "Stop!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "What are you doing?" "Damn near got yourself killed!" "The... the river's gone over with the rains." "The whole road's flooded up ahead." "That so?" "Is there another way to the castle?" "Sure." "Just cut through the woods." "It's about an hour due north." "Ain't likely to miss it." "Stay out of the road, do you hear?" "Next time, you may not be so lucky." "Oh!" "Oh!" "I can't move!" "No, no!" "What is that?" "Lumenick dushkader." "Et sprago faraha." "Shh." "Ay raynim doluchtai." "Are they gone?" "I'm sorry." "My leg, it's stuck." "I'm so sorry." "We have to run." "I'll get help." "Don't leave me." "No, please don't hurt me." "I'm glad you came to see me." "Yes, well, I thought we should discuss where we are with one another." "All right." "With the borders quiet in Scotland, my father and his advisors seem pleased that our alliance remained intact... our... our engagement, as well." "And seeing as there's no political decisions..." "Please just stop." "I was hoping we wouldn't talk anymore of politics." "Since the borders are secure, as you said." "I was hoping we could be just..." "Just a girl, as you called yourself once?" "And just a boy." "Well, a man, nearly." "Go on... woman." "All right, then, I will." "If I were just me, Francis, not the future king of anything, and you were just you, Mary..." "Mary." "Well... this would be the moment that I declared myself yours." "Only yours." "And I'm yours." "Truly." "And once I did that," "I'd probably invite you to the Harvest Festival." "And I would probably say yes." "I would probably try to kiss you." "And I probably wouldn't let you." "At first." "And then you write your regrets on this ribbon, tie them to the stern and watch as they sail away." "What a lovely tradition." "Mary?" "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were actually enjoying your time in court, enjoying the harvest festival." "Kenna." "Aylee." "Greer." "Lola." "As a matter of fact, I am." "Hello, Bash." "So what's brought about this change?" "Not that I'm complaining." "To see you smile is to feel the sun, Your Grace." "Do you flirt with everyone?" "Absolutely everyone." "Well, you'll find I'm not difficult to please." "Just don't make an attempt on my life and you'll find I'm quite gay." "Mm, is that all it takes?" "That, and your brother." "Well, I hope to get sauced at your wedding." "You need to take care with Bash." "He has feelings for you." "Nonsense." "You heard him, he flirts with everyone." "Mary." "I didn't grow up in a convent." "Bash lives here by favor of the king." "If he falls out of favor, for any reason..." "Now I'm sure of it." "Greer, Lord Castleroy has been staring at you all morning." "Well, don't look!" "Oh, he would be a great catch." "His father's a Hapsburg, 14 removed from the crown." "Rumor has it he's made a fortune in the spice trade." "Well, what are you waiting for?" "One foot after the other." "But the peppercorn comes from the Piper nigrum vine." "I've seen it myself in India." "You've been to India?" "How fascinating." "Is it true the rivers are filled with crocodiles?" "Oh, they're not as plentiful as pepper." "A miraculous spice." "Keep it cool and dry, it doesn't deteriorate." "Used to be you could pay your rent in pepper..." "Oh!" "Oh, no, no, it's all right." "Oh, no." "Forgive me." "Your lovely dress." "I..." "I'm so sorry." "It's not your fault." "Truly." "Excuse me." "Lady Greer!" "I... wanted to apologize." "I think I might have made you a little jumpy, caused the mishap with your dress." "You most certainly did cause it." "You were staring at me." "In public." "And I'm not a lady." "Well, I know that." "Stop it." "What happened between us will not happen again, do you understand?" "Absolutely." "Would you like me to get the stain out?" "There's an old kitchen trick." "But we must act quickly." "Once it sets, there's no hope." "Just... wait there." "Don't come in my room." "Not even close." "Why are you always around?" "Catching my eye?" "I... it's maddening." "More." "More." "A lit... a little more." "Perfect." "I see you've bought a boat." "No, I've made a boat." "For you." "And I've christened it, too." "The Just Mary." "Pardon me, but we found a woman running at the perimeter of the woods, My Lord." "She's had quite a fright." "Her carriage was overrun by bandits and she's asking for you." "Francis." "Olivia." "Excuse me." "We were attacked." "They killed my servant." " Right in front of me, dead." " Shh, shh." "It's all right." "That poor girl." "Who is she?" "She's Olivia d'Amencourt." "Her family lived at court, for a time." "I believe they shared a mathematics tutor." "Mathematics?" "I see." "And when did their mutual education end?" "Oh, she left a few months before you arrived." "Brokenhearted?" "Bash, it's all right." "Tell me." "We need to get you to the castle." "Clear a path!" "Yes." "He was." "I hear you're feeling better." "Yes." "Much." "Thank you." "Are you up to talking about what happened?" "Why did your driver cut through the woods?" "The Kingsroad was flooded." "A young man told us." "Francis, the bandits... they came out of nowhere." "And they spoke in this strange tongue." "Do you remember any of it?" "Lumenick." "Lumenick... dush... something guttural and foreign," " I couldn't identify it." " I think I can." "Olivia..." "You're wondering why I'm here." "When you left to marry another, you gave me the distinct impression that you would not return." "I know." "But things have changed since then." "It was discovered... that you and I were intimate." "How?" "I don't know." "Perhaps a servant whispered to another." "But the source hardly matters." "Once it got in the air," "I was ruined." "I'm so ashamed to come here this way... but I had nowhere else to go." "Please don't blame Bash for telling me about Olivia." "I pressed him unmercifully." "So, why did she leave?" "An offer of marriage." "Not to mention the fact that my mother made her life absolutely miserable." "Honing her skills on your first love." "What didn't she like about her?" "There was an incident." "In the boathouse." "An incident where we were... found in the boathouse." "I see." "And, um, Olivia is married now?" "No." "No, the offer fell through once people learned of our... relationship." "Oh." "Mary, I'm..." "I'm sorry that my... my past has come back." "But know that it is in the past." "What I feel for Olivia now is a sense of responsibility." "She would've known what she was entering into." "We've been engaged since you were a child." "Obviously you couldn't offer marriage." "Which is... n... not to say that I don't understand why you want to help her." "Of... of course, I do." "Thank you." "It might take some time, but with my support," "Olivia will regain her credibility." "And find a match." "One that ensures her happiness and her well-being." "So we can all move on." "It's a talent really." "No matter what the topic, he can wind it back to pepper." "Sorry, sorry, go on." "Et vacet annalis." "I bring up politics." ""Pepper transactions are a political minefield."" "History?" ""The peppercorn has a storied past."" "I doubt he'd wind Virgil back to pepper." "Oh, stop." "We know what happens." "He wanders around Troy for another 100 stanzas." "Shh, it's Olivia." "She looks mortified." "You and I find ourselves strangely aligned for once." "Are people leaving?" "She dislikes Olivia more than you?" "Apparently." "Why would Olivia return here?" "With the prince's favor, she can find a match." "If need be, Francis could force the issue." "Who would willingly take used property?" "Even a royal's." "Well, it sounds like there were real feelings there." "Should she be punished forever?" "Her station's fallen." "She doesn't belong at court." "Well, some might say the same of you." "Because I don't have a title." "How dare you." "Stop, please." "There's enough ill will at court today." "Hello, Olivia." "I'm Mary." "I'm honored." "Oh, it's all right." "Come, sit with me and my friends." "I'm afraid there's not going to be much Virgil." "Everybody's too excited about the Harvest Festival." "And the beginning of the Blood Month." "They've been slaughtering in the kitchens all week." "Out with the old, in with the new." "I heard that your things were still missing." "Perhaps I could lend you a dress for the festival if you'd like." "Thank you." "I appreciate it." "Well, hello there!" "What exactly did you tell Mary about Olivia?" "Just that she was your first." "I never said of how many." "Don't be an ass." "And keep your opinions to yourself." "Well, forgive me if I overstepped." "Is that all?" "No." "No, I have reason to believe that Olivia's carriage was attacked by pagans." "I recognized the words she heard from when you said them." "Well, what were they even doing driving through the Blood Wood?" "Olivia's driver was told that the Kingsroad was flooded." "Which it isn't." "Bash, they're luring people in." "Oh, no." "This is Mary's ring." "It has her crest on it." "Why do you have it?" " I was taking it to her." " Yet her room is that way." "Then I remembered she lent it to me." "So I was taking it back." " Where?" " You're confusing me." " Let's return it together." " No." "Wait." "I took it." "Why?" "I don't know." "I take things sometimes." "It makes me feel better." "Well, you're a troubled, jealous little girl." " Aren't you?" " Please, Your Majesty." "If Mary knew, I'd be sent home disgraced." "Perhaps with one hand." "Though your softhearted friend would probably spare you that." "I'll think on this." "Looks like a trap." "What the hell?" "Your first is it?" "It's the heretics making sacrifice." "He's still breathing." "We should get out of here." "They're still bleeding them out." "Surely the devils are nearby." "He's breathing." "Now get over here and catch him." "You're interrupting the ritual." "He's all but dead, don't do this." "They might see you and come after you." "Let them." "Blues, I think." "To compliment your complexion." "I'm sorry, your warmth." "It's... unexpected." "I always knew Francis had a past." "Men are allowed to have them, whereas we have our reputations ruined." "Hardly seems fair." "I don't need your pity." "Stop." "I can see it all over your face." "You look at me and you see a girl who threw away her virginity on a man she knew she could never have." "Well, you're wrong." "I thought I could have him." "Because Francis spoke of marrying me." "That's not possible." "Is your wedding assured?" "Was it always?" "It might not be assured." "But it is desired." "By both of us." "Though arguably, you know much less about Francie's desires than I do." "What we had was true." "Passion." "Love." "Intimacy." "It was not manufactured out of a perceived political need." "You've been gone a very long time." "Things have changed." "Perhaps." "Or perhaps now that I'm here, offering myself as an option, he'll choose to be with me." "Once again." "Could you hear them?" "Were they close?" "I had no sense of them." "Some would say you had no sense." "That you defiled their faith." "A faith riddled with human sacrifice." "When did that start?" "They've made blood sacrifices for centuries." "Animal sacrifices." "Not always." "It was simply more hidden." "Less bold." "I thought these murders, these bodies hanging, their true purpose was to scare people away." "Civilized people from land that they believe is theirs." "Or claimed for hunting." "And instead they're hunting civilized people." "Travelers." "Luring them in." "Why?" "What's changed?" "I don't know." "But I do know this." "You have interrupted a sacrifice, which they will not take kindly to." "Stay close to the castle in the coming days." "You could be in grave danger." "Excuse me." "I'm looking for the wine cellar." "Can you direct me?" "Sure can, ma'am." "It's just through there." "Ain't likely to miss it." "Have we met?" "Don't think so." "It's just... your voice, it sounds so familiar." "Anyway." "Thank you for your help." "Hey." "Who... who's the lady?" "Oh, that's a guest of the court." "It's the girl who escaped from the road bandits." "Didn't you hear?" "A carriage was overrun." "I..." "I did hear." "Just didn't know anyone escaped." "Hmm." "We did discuss marriage once." "A moment of weakness." "Lovers, dreaming of a future together." "I was... caught up." "And not sure that the Scottish alliance was a good one." "Caught up with a noble girl." "And a very rich one." "Not one with a country in need, hanging around her neck." "It's ironic, isn't it?" "That the very alliance that forged our engagement has always complicated it terribly." "It has." "But that is beyond our control." "And the fact of the matter is, I am committed to you now." "I am glad to hear you say it." "And towards that end, the Viscountess Demarchelier has offered to house Olivia in Paris." "She has a very lavish estate." "In Paris?" "I thought it best she go." "Olivia still has feelings for you." "She only confided in me to stake a claim." "I..." "I know that you feel responsible for her... but I wanted to help you find a comfortable arrangement." "I'll let Olivia know." "Mary strikes me as a most dutiful daughter." "She writes so often to her mother, doesn't she?" "They've been separated a long while." "Well, yes, they have." "Have you made a decision about my wrongdoing?" "Not yet, dear." "I met Marie de Guise only once." "After the engagement to Francis was negotiated, she delivered her six-year-old daughter to me." "Personally, I found her quite cold." "And poor Mary, she was so scared." "I had to take her under my wing." "We were quite close when she was young, did you know that?" "I didn't." "You know, it's true." "And then her life was threatened, and I had to send her away to the convent." "And that was very difficult." "I'd grown quite attached." "You could say I associate her with loss, and it pains me." "That's why I push her away." "Upon reflection, I have made a few missteps since her return." "I'm afraid she's not honest with me when I ask her if she's happy here in France." "I assume she's more honest with her mother." "Here's an idea." "Before Mary's letters to her mother are posted, why don't you bring them to me?" "And that way, I can improve upon her stay at court." "Your Grace..." "Those are my terms." "Reject them, and you'll be sent home disgraced, labeled a thief, and your future destroyed." "Well, do think it over." "The decision's yours." "Lady Olivia d'Amencourt requests an audience, My Lord." "Olivia." "I was coming to find you, actually." "I couldn't resist." "We've been old enough to drink for a while now." "Yes, I know, but smuggling it in was always half the fun." "Have a drink with me." "All right." "Just one." "Ah, but that's what you said last year." "Do you remember?" "I remember nothing of last year." "You were spongy with liquor." "I had to keep you hidden from your mother all day." "God, how she hated me." "I should tell you my news while I have the chance." "I've arranged for a very well-regarded family in Paris to host you for as long as you need." "What?" "Surely your problems of reputation have not reached as far as Paris." "It's far away from here, far from your home." "The Demarcheliers will make valuable introductions to society, and from there..." "But you said I could stay here." "Why are you changing your mind?" "I think you know." "This is best... for all parties involved." "Unfortunately, the stain removal was unsuccessful... to my great displeasure." "Don't speak to me of your pleasure." " You managed to get me out of my dress." " True." "That was a success." "I'm laughable to you, is that it?" "No, of course not." "I must be, for you to behave in this fashion." "You don't understand what's at stake." "I have two younger sisters who cannot marry until I do." "My family has spent a fortune, all to see me land the right man." "It's all they care about, it's all I've been raised to do." "And if I'm linked to you, that will never happen." "Look, I do care because I care for you." "It doesn't have to stop your goals, your marriage, your mission here." "And if people find out?" "There's a girl here whose reputation was ruined over the love for a royal." "Imagine if that had been a kitchen boy." "I'm sorry, but the shame." "I understand." "I'll leave you be." "I don't see why I can't just stay here, for a time, anyway." "Mary's under the impression that you still care for me, which makes her uncomfortable, understandably." "She's right." "I made such a mistake leaving." "Olivia... we both knew that you would." "I've always been engaged." "Engagements break." "Alliances end." "This one hasn't." "The only thing that's changed are my feelings for Mary." "The man I knew put his country first... above all else." "I so admired that about you." "Your sense of duty." "That's the man I fell in love with." "It's the man I love still." "Olivia, you shouldn't say these things." "I have to." "Francis, this year has been torture." "And not because of the scandal, but because I had to endure it without you." "Do you know how many nights" "I would lay in bed... and remember how you used to touch me." "I want to stay." "if not as your wife... then as your mistress." "Because I would rather have some small part of you, than none of you at all." "You want me... and I want you." "And I'm telling you... you can have me... any way you want." "Mary, what happened?" "Why is Olivia staying?" "She's not." "But her belongings were recovered from the wood, and they're being unpacked in the east wing." "You must be mistaken." "Maybe she's packing for Paris." "A servant told me." "Well, the servant must be wrong!" "Sorry." "I'll inquire again." "Discreetly." "Looks like your lady has a new necklace." "So blatantly disrespectful." "I'm not sure what you mean." "I mean that Kenna wears a necklace... given to me as a first anniversary gift from my husband the king;" "her lover." "You must be mistaken." "I'm not." "You didn't know?" "Well, it won't last." "You learn the signs after a while:" "which girl is serious, which is not." "Sounds like a terrible way to live." "I've forgotten the alternative." "We were wed when we were 14, you know?" "And we were happy, for a time." "I didn't realize." "That we loved each other or that love can turn?" "Especially the love of a king who's loved by so many." "Kings are offered every opportunity." "No one dares see his indiscretions." "He'd known her first..." "Diane." "I found out she was there... in his heart... all along." "He's always very kind and noble to them afterwards." "He feels responsible for them." "It makes him feel even better about himself." "I don't know how it feels for them." "But we all go on." "And we're supposed to just sit there, discussing Virgil." "Ugh!" "Virgil's a bore." "What a relief to hear someone else say it." "Do you know which Roman I like?" "Alaric the Visigoth." "Ever heard of him?" "He included 3,000 pounds of pepper as part of the ransom he demanded from Rome when he sacked the city." "Instead of payment, pepper!" "True story." "My Lord." "May I have a word?" "Excuse me." "The driver has died, unfortunately." "Yet, in light of our previous conversation," "I thought you might be interested in what he talked about before he passed over." "He spoke of the pagans need for the fresh blood sacrifice." "Their god is more like the devil." "A devil on this earth." "He heard them talk of a creature." "A creature?" "A bargain they've struck with a being who resides in the woods, in the dark." "In a cave somewhere only a chosen few know of." "They give it blood, or it drains them of life." "I spoke with the servant, and Olivia is moving into the east wing." "So everyone lies to me." "Francis, you." "What?" "Mary, have you not eaten?" "You seem a little unsteady." "Where did you get the necklace?" "Is it true?" "Are you having an affair with the king?" "It's not an affair; it's more." "He's in Paris breaking off with Diane." "And what of his wife?" "Their marriage is nothing more than a political alliance... she doesn't care." "So says the man who's trying to bed you." "Since when do you care about the queen?" "I don't." "I care about you." "I know you feel protected, but you don't want Catherine de Medici as an enemy." "End it now, Kenna." "Is that a command... given by my queen?" "No." "Given by a friend." "But given nonetheless." "Whatever you think this is, that it's love..." "What I think is that he's asked me to be his official mistress." "Which means I follow your commands no longer." "I answer to the king." "Mary, there you are." "Have you moved Olivia into the castle?" "Tell me it isn't true." "I was coming to tell you." "I've had word that the home of the viscountess is no longer an option." "She's learned of Olivia's reputation." "But perhaps you could insist." "I don't want to make Olivia live with people that will resent having her." " But I resent having her." " I know." "And I'll find her somewhere else to stay." "It just might take a little time." "Has something happened between you two?" "Francis, tell me or I'll imagine the worst." "I stopped it." "You stopped?" "What did you start?" "I want her gone." " I'm working on it." " Now." " I want her gone now." " You can't just say that." "You just told me something happened." " It won't happen again." " It's already happened again." "Mary, enough." "She's staying, and that's final." "That's it, then?" "You can just decide?" "Yes, I can, actually." "Because this is my court, not yours." "And I'm the future king of France." " And I'm your future queen." " Then you'll learn to respect my decisions." "Respect goes both ways." "I will not have a relationship like your mother and father." "I am nothing like my father, and for you to suggest otherwise..." "Then why are you acting like him?" "I'm not." "If I was acting like my father," "I would take Olivia as my mistress." "Which is certainly an option." "Then don't let me stop you." "I could use some of that." "Everything all right?" "No, it isn't." "I should probably tell you to slow down." "But you won't." "Lola." "Have you seen Mary?" "No, I haven't." "Is everything all right?" "I hope so." "I lost my temper, and I wish I hadn't." "She irritates me like no other." "There's hope in that." "Go and find her." "It was so foolish of me to think that we could ever be just a boy and just a girl." "I mean, that implies that... that one is free to leave if one is unhappy." "And while I am stuck here with... with no recourse, he's free to do whatever he wants with whoever he wants." "Do you think I'm overreacting?" "Am I boring you?" "No." "No, it's... unfathomable." "What is?" "Francis has you." "Why would he ever look elsewhere?" "I'm sorry." "I shouldn't have done that." "You're right." "I should have." "We... shouldn't have done that." "I was angry and... and you..." "They must be launching the ships." "Um, I should go." "I'm sorry." "That was a mistake." "My regrets are not hard to summon." "I'm sorry we fought." "I'm sorry I didn't eat more and drink less." "I'm sorry I overreacted." "Perhaps after this we can talk?" "No need." "You've expressed your feelings quite clearly." " Your Majesty." " Your Majesty." "You did well, delivering Mary's letters to me." "Let's make it a permanent arrangement." "Oh, look." "Oh, they're launching their boats." "Regrets are everywhere." "How apt." "Are you all right, Mary?" "No." "Regret is a terrible feeling." "And though I've sent my ship off, I am still filled with it." "What now?" "Look, I've done what you've asked." "I've kept my distance." "I'll be married someday." "Titled." "And I don't want to regret what I could have done with my time here." "My youth." "No one can know about us." "Oh, the attack on your carriage, unfortunate though it was, certainly lent your arrival some drama." "I had no idea, dear." "Mm." "Come... where I can see you and be sure of your recovery." "Tell me." "How's it going?" "It's horrible." "I miss him... and he's right there." "With Mary." "And I know I'm causing her so much pain." "I can make your family's life very difficult should you have second thoughts." "Were you aggressive with Mary?" "I followed your guidance and she reacted as you said she would." "She has a short temper." "I like that about her." "Francis won't." "He didn't." "Oh." "Though he still speaks of sending me off." "Well, I'll take care of it, just as I took care of the Paris problem." "And once I break them up, then what?" "I just go back home?" "I try to forget him again?" "My dear, you're not going home." "Oh, don't expect the worst." "You're going to be the next queen of France." "You want me to marry Francis?" "But you don't even like me." "I like you more than a queen I can't control." "My dear," "I wasn't titled when I married Henry." "I was just a rich girl, like you." "We are going to accomplish so much together." "So hurry along now and get pregnant." "I'm assuming you don't need my guidance in that arena." "I'm in." "The queen wants me to continue to give her your letters." "Then I will keep writing them." "Stay close." "I might have fallen for her sad story, the pitiful truth of her life." "She is never, ever on my side." "She's behind Olivia's return, I'm sure of it." "You've taken what doesn't belong to you." "Who are you?" "Adding to a debt you already owe." "The blood in the wood." "The blood." "So you're aware." "You took from its source once before." "I found the body of a Scottish boy hanging in the wood." "I cut it down." "And you were allowed to go on your way." "You're one of them." "You're a monster, you know." "Get down from there." "He wasn't yours to save, Sebastian." "How do you know my name?" "We all do now." "Go ahead." "My life is worth nothing." "I've been seen." "You owe a debt, and you will pay." "Choose someone to sacrifice." "And if I refuse?" "Then we will choose for you." "Do not be afraid." "There is no fear." "It is a privilege to die in service of something so much greater."