"Previously on Reign..." "Is that my husband's child?" "You were engaged to Bash." "If you tell Francis," "I essentially become his." "You're a servant." "Nothing can ever happen between us." "Remember this as the moment that you threw your happiness away." "So let's have that drink now." "Father, my evening took the loveliest turn." "The king is dead!" "Long live the king!" "The king is dead!" "Long live the king!" "Tell me your darkest truth, and I will tell you mine." "Lola is giving birth." "You are the father of her child." "The time is now." "We need to think like queens." "You are going to a village which has likely been exposed to plague." "You can't leave." "Your friend, my child." "Perhaps my only child." "Listen to your heart and you will hear it as clearly as I do." "It is upon us now, an old and faceless foe." "We have confirmed reports that the Black Death has returned once more to plague our lands." "You needn't fear." "Only take care." "Where is our young king?" "King Francis is safe." "He is protected in a private home." "You are all protected." "I have ordered the castle be made secure to prevent the arrival of infection." "What if the plague's already here?" "Anyone who is sick will be treated with dignity and kindness." "Catherine's being too nice." "What she'll really want is the sick rooted out or turned in by their neighbors." "But if you should feel unwell, we urge you to seek our expert care." "There are early signs." "Fevers." "The expulsion of blood." "But more commonly, aches, pains, bulbous sores that will burst." "The blackening of extremities." "Contact with others spreads the disease." "Aloysius, is that your daughter with Leith?" "Are they together?" "It can't be." "I'm not jealous." "I'm worried." "Why is that?" "Leith made a sort of vow when things ended." "That he'd attain wealth and station and that I would be forced to witness his rise and happiness with another." "You think that's why he's sought out my daughter." "I don't know." "There." "That's my father, and that's his fiancée." "That's your father?" "I'll be back." "And none have fallen ill among us." "The queen can confirm this." "No one at court has shown signs of the plague, not one." "And I pray none will." "We are prepared, and we are in the best position to survive." "We are far from prepared." "How could we be?" "Where is Francis?" "I tried to stop him, but I was too late." "I've sent guards, ones that can be trusted with the knowledge" " that the king is not safe..." " Mary!" "Can you tell us what's happening?" "We have taken precautions." "As far as we know, no one here has gotten sick." "As queen, I will need to be isolated." "I can't stay with you." "I'm so sorry." "Are you all right?" "Where is Francis, really?" "He wouldn't leave you." "Not now." "Lola sent word." "She's having the baby." "There are... problems with the birth." "Will she be all right?" "I don't know." "All I know is that she is my friend, and Francis is my husband." "And God willing, there is an innocent new life." "I tried to stop him from going to her when I found out about the plague." "But he went anyway." "You were trying to protect him." " And now I must protect his people." " Mary, your task is to survive." "That's what Francis would want." " When were you going to tell me?" " I had no idea" "Lord Castleroy is your father until you pointed him out." "But then you were off to him before I could even stop you." "Off to my father and his fiancée." "I met Greer just a few days ago." "I liked her." "It's over." "I wouldn't have pursued you in any way if it weren't or if I'd known who you are." "If you could be with her now, would you?" "I can honestly say I would not." "These could be our last days on Earth." "Spend them with me." "I'm not sure that's a good idea." "We could... hide away somewhere, away from everyone." "Yvette, this isn't wise." "A rooftop somewhere." "I don't care." "We'll bring food and blankets." "There's things I must do." "Tomorrow then." " I'll find you." " You should be away from others." "If you're exposed, you risk..." "I know." "I know." "But you can't come to me at my father's suites." "There's a family, old friends." "I'll make an excuse to check in on them and wait for you there." "I don't know, Yvette." "I'll send word once I'm there." "Bash." "I just spoke with Mary, and they are isolating people merely for seeming unwell." "Of course they are." "They have to." "And if anyone is truly ill with plague, chaos will follow." "There isn't enough food." "Not for every household at court." "Not for the weeks it will take for the disease to burn itself out or the famine that will surely follow." "You're not an optimistic fellow, are you?" "I've had food brought to our chambers, as much as I could demand in good conscience." "Kenna, you have to find Pascal and secure yourselves until the plague has passed or passed us over." " How long will that take?" " Weeks." "Maybe longer." "You should go." "Now." "I'll find you after I confer with the kingsguard." "Why you?" "Because Francis isn't here, and I know the chief of the guards." "They're scared, too." "But they need to know they're accountable for their actions when this is over." "My wife's going to be furious." "Some court gathering." "But I'd die without your company." "So would I." "Your Majesties, my apologies for missing the gathering." "I..." "Not today, sir." "My lord, please join us." "Who are you?" "Francis." "It's all right." "I know him." "You're alive." "Yes." "To my surprise." "So is the child, thank God." "It's a boy." "You have a son." "And here we are... the two of us." "It's been hours." "Why hasn't Francis returned?" "Speak freely." "The king's guards are sworn to secrecy." "Surely he saw signs of the plague before he got too far." "And why would he go on just to help one of your ladies?" "And where are the guards that you sent?" "Delayed, clearly," " or deserted." " Or dead." "The music." "That's the signal that someone has fallen ill." "It's begun." "Less than half a day since we announced the threat." "Whoever is sick was already here, which means there will be more to follow." "But the airs near us will be burned clean." "It worked for the Pope." "Mmm." "Who is it?" "Who has fallen ill?" "A stablehand." "The sores are already in evidence." "He'll be dead within a day, two if his body can endure the suffering." "I heard you sent guards for Francis." "I asked for volunteers." "As they have not returned, I would like to volunteer." "Why you?" "Because he believes himself immune to the plague." "The young family you lost." "I've had the misfortune of living in two regions of outbreak." "And I should have died with them, but I did not." "Lola's letter said she was at the house" " just north of the mill?" " Yes, but... there is unrest and many other dangers besides illness." "And if any have befallen my son, who has risked so much for your friend..." "Unless there's another reason why he has rushed to her side." " Tell me, Mary, is there?" " Do not taunt me or seek to sew discord." "Not this day." "Nostradamus is willing to risk his life to save our king, my husband and your son." "Thank him and say good-bye." "I order you as your queen, show your gratitude and then grant me your silence." "Thank you," "Nostradamus." "Pascal." "Pascal, stop." "I've been looking for you for hours." "Come on, we have to go." "The servants seem to be scattered." "I'm merely asking this one to help fetch some food from a larder." " He's no servant... he's my ward." " I need help." "My wife's taken shelter with other family." " I'm on my own." " He's coming with me." "It's girls like you who get men like me locked away from our wives" " in the first place." " What does that mean?" "Whores." "You were the king's whore." "He's dead." "You're nobody now." "I am married to the current king's brother." " I am a lady." " Queen Mary's disgraced lady, wed to the bastard with a title designed to make everyone laugh." "I ought to have you whipped." "I'll do it." "I'll fetch whatever you need and then" "I'll come back to our quarters, all right?" "Pascal, you don't have to do this." "I'll come right back, I swear." "No thank you, Estelle." "You need to sleep, Lady Lola." "You've lost too much blood." "The carriage outside... is it yours?" "Yes." "There was a driver, but he left on foot when he heard of the plague." "To be with his family." "I know that's where you'd like to be as well." "At Mary's side." "I came thinking that you might be dead and my child might be alone in this world." "Well, that would be simpler." "That's not what I wanted." "I'm saying that" "I didn't have a moment to think." "And I resent you for lying to me." "I am king, I should be at my court with my wife." "You could have taken the child straight back to the castle." " It is your right." " The boy who sent for the midwife said the bridge was out." "I'd have to cut around the east village, hard hit by plague." "It would take more than a day to return." "How would I keep a newborn alive without its mother?" "I see you've considered the possibility." "And yet... you haven't touched the baby." "It's all right to admit that you don't want this." "I know you don't." "No one beyond this room need know the truth of this child's parentage." "My poor Julien is dead, but the child will have his name." "You have it all sorted out, don't you?" "You and Mary." "George, your fingers." "Oh, Lord, he has the plague." "We have to leave." "Now." "It's for the babe." "It wasn't near my brother." "You didn't touch him either, did you?" "You should leave this house." "You could ride one of the horses." "I can't leave my family." "You'll die." "Pardon my saying so, but..." "I'd be no safer on my own, or with the king of France." "You'd do better with guards." "Or lying about who you are." "Godspeed to you both." "Lord Eduard, how may we help you?" "Many of the nobles have secured themselves." "Others prefer to drink in the gallery as if nothing is wrong, but the death count mounts." "Do you know how many are dead so far?" "Fourteen." "14, here on our first day of contagion." "How many will be dead when we wake tomorrow?" "Do you count the lower class?" "Servants and the like, taken to the catacombs, the tower, the south keep?" "I count every life lost." "Now what do you want?" "To add another to the pile." "I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but while my enemy is accessible I need to strike." " I don't understand." " There's someone I thought untouchable." "I'd like him to die of plague." "Put him in one of the mass holding cells." "He'll be infected soon enough, and no one will heed his cries." "You come here and blatantly request we murder your foe?" "If it were a request I wouldn't be so blatant." "It's more of a demand." "One I have no doubt you will grant." "And what will you gain?" "Catherine." "Vengeance." "Pierre Voland beds my new wife, and with some frequency." "His father's a close friend of my father's, they engage in trade as well." "I'd kill him myself, or have someone do it, but I fear reprisal." "What, from your father?" "If your vengeance cost him money." "Catherine, that's enough." "Don't you want to know the details?" "What's at stake?" "What kind of animosity lurks within your realm?" "Here are the details." "As you know, my family provides grain and meat to the entire region, but more than that, the castle relies on our weekly deliveries." "These deliveries happen when I signal that I've been paid." "Nobles have raided the stores of food." "And in order to maintain control over them, the servants, the guards and the soldiers who live within reach, you need this week's delivery to happen." "Or they may reach for your necks." "Food for survival in exchange for one life, easily taken." "I leave you to consider the opportunity." "Welcome to your rule, my queen." "And welcome to the real France." "Is that how you and Henry have maintained your rule?" "By bowing to your nobles?" "It's simple math." "If one life saves more, you have your answer." "One life matters." "Every life matters." "We will find grain elsewhere." "I don't think you understand who Eduard is." "He comes from a large, wealthy family with many holdings." "What more do you want me to understand?" "That as a royal you are given your position by birth or marriage, but your power comes from nobles... from the regions that only they can control." "We have order, food and money because they grant it to us." "And in exchange, we grant them certain privileges." "Deny Eduard, and you and Francis will pay a very high price." "Francis would never agree to this." "He hasn't been king yet." "We can punish Eduard, claim his grain." "Claim a noble's property?" "Others will revolt." "The death could be painless," "I can help with that." "One death, and you'll forget about it when you see your hungry are fed." "I won't forget about it." "I have sacrificed lives before, and every one takes me a step further away from the person I want to be." "The person you are... is Queen." "And a favor for a favor keeps you on the throne." "That is your way." "And you were right, in what you said before." "I want to be a different kind of queen." "One that my husband is proud of." "Send word to Lord Eduard." "Tell him that I have considered his request and that it has been denied." "I'm surprised you're not" " holed up in Castleroy's suite." " I'm surprised by how quickly you put your threat into motion." "I don't blame you for suspecting otherwise." "Given what I said to you." "But meeting Yvette was blind chance." "I didn't know she was Castleroy's daughter, I swear." "Really." "What are the odds?" "That I would meet someone above my class with an open heart?" "Someone who didn't care whether or not I was titled?" "Slim, I assure you." " You're going to pursue her, aren't you?" " Whatever happens," " it has nothing to do with you." " It has everything to do with me." "Don't you understand, if you married her, you would be in my life." "My son-in-law." "Even before that, we'd be forced to see each other, to pretend there's nothing between us, and... maybe there wouldn't be for you." "Maybe there isn't." " It was days ago that you broke my heart." " If you feel anything for me at all, don't test me in this way, for I will fail." "I will make a terrible mistake and I will be destroyed." "I was on my way to meet her." "Please don't." "Shh." "Francis, the baby..." "I..." "I can't feed him." "I need water." "I need to drink something or else..." "I know, that's why we stopped." "There's a clean lake ahead, but..." "We're not the only ones here, are we?" "No, we're not." "Let me talk to them." "What's wrong with her?" "We're not infected." "We just need to pass and get to the lake." "She's not sick." "She's just given birth." "No need for that." "Unless you use it as a walking stick you lean against as you bow." "Which I recommend we all do, as this is our new king." "You look familiar." "My name is Louis, and we're cousins." "Many times removed." "I've seen you at court." "Relax." "You're safe now, among loyal subjects." "And a few mutts that bark long before they bite." "Nathan." "Have you seen my wife?" "No." "But I'm as bleary-eyed as you look." "There have been desertions." "I was up all night managing the security of the lockdown." "That's what you should tell your wife to do." " Lock down in your quarters and stay there." " I did." "She left a note saying she was going out this morning." " Trying to find the child we care for." " Quickly, now, secure Lord Voland and his family." "You've made things very difficult." "A noble fell ill in the gallery." "It caused a minor panic." "It sent Pierre Voland and his family scurrying to their private quarters." "Now he's locked in there with his entire household." "I don't see how you could get to him without killing the others as witnesses." "Did you not receive my message?" "I did." "And I'm giving you the chance to reconsider." "As the landscape has quite literally changed." "Look outside." "Villagers all around are burning the homes of the infected." "Now the fires are burning out of control." "Those other holdings you were counting on." "We have no grain." "After the plague has passed, a famine will spread across the land." "Many will die." "And their deaths will be on you." "Take that to your grave when the hungry rise up and kill you." "There now, that's better." "All I needed was a bit of water and all you needed was milk." "Your cousin's been generous." "How long are they planning to stay here?" "He says until the plague has passed." "And then they'll return home." "He rules over a region two days' travel from here." "It'll be rough terrain that they'll cross, but his men and horses will be well-rested." "It could be days for us." "The only other road to the castle is blocked by fires raging" " on either side." " I'm sorry." "Would it really have been so awful to tell me the truth?" "I would have been angry with myself, not you." "I tried to handle the situation on my own, to save you and Mary from complication." "Because you wanted your freedom." "I know you, Lola." "We shared more than a bed in Paris, and I know how you feel about court." "You didn't want to be tied to it or to me." "I don't blame you." "There's little for you in it." "And one night should not define your life." "Or mine." "But I would have liked to have been consulted in the choice." "So forgive me if I no longer consult you in mine." "The lie of his paternity can stand." "When this is done, I..." "I could be on my way with my son," " not yours." " Enough." "I know that you have been through terrible hardship." "That is not lost on me." "But I am the king of France, and... the truth is that child is whoever I say he is." "Pascal, are you here?" "There you are." "I've been looking everywhere for you." "What happened?" "I wanted to come back to you, but he wouldn't let me leave." "I brought him food and water." "Are you hurt?" "What's happened?" "When I held the cup to his lips... he started coughing." "Pascal... is that his blood on you?" "I can't swallow and my bones hurt." "It's all right." "Pascal, you have to listen to me." "I'll take you someplace safe with food and water where I can look after you." "We have to cover your shirt, and you have to act as though you are well." "And we have to keep you away from pe..." "Guards!" "They're infected!" "No, no, no!" "No!" "Guards!" "No!" "No, no, no, wait!" "I'm one of the queen's ladies!" "Please," "I'm not sick!" "No!" "No!" "They will slip away into peaceful sleep like so many families caught by this terrible plague." "Just slip away?" "You are proposing that we murder Lord Voland's" " entire household." " It wouldn't have come to that if only you'd listened to me." "I will not condone the murder of innocents." "Did you find them..." "Francis and Lola?" "Many roads are blocked." "It wasn't until dawn that I found the mill house where they went." "The neighbors had set fire to it." "And beyond the flames I could see the front door was nailed shut, and the painted red "X" of the plague was on the door." "Is that all?" "Didn't you look inside?" "I'm immune to the plague, my queen, but not fire." "I got as close as I could, but I saw no sign of Francis or Lola." "But if they were inside," " between the disease and the flames..." " Maybe they left." "Sought shelter elsewhere." "Until I see proof," "I know they are alive." "They have to be." "Yes." "I don't want to believe it either." "But you're right... for you, Francis must survive." "What do you mean?" "If even a whisper of this news gets out, all eyes will turn from you to the future, to the next king after Francis, to me, as regent, as Charles is but a child." "You have just found out that your eldest son might be dead, and your first instinct is to seize power?" "I've only had one instinct ever, and that is to protect my family and their birthright, which is their rule." "When this plague is done, France will need food and stability." "I'll provide food with a painful but needed sacrifice." "I'll deal with the Volands and, unlike you," "I'll provide stability with plenty of sons to wear" " this country's crown." " I won't allow you to do that." " When Francis returns..." " He will thank me for saving his realm from his very naive young queen." "Lord Narcisse." "Lord Narcisse." "I know that name." " He controls land around here." " More and more every day." "Narcisse, what brings you here?" "Same as you, Lord Conde." "Clean air and water." "I'm heading north, where the plague hasn't yet spread." "But that doesn't explain what our new king is doing here." "Majesty." "I am Stephan Narcisse." "I was a friend of your father's." "The king was reviewing cathedral repairs when the roads were cut off by the plague." "I offered my hospitality while he waits to return to the castle." "I see." "Very kind of you, Conde." "We found the girl alone near her house, with a red "X" marked on the door." " Estelle." " Her family were dying of the plague, the neighbors already gathering animal fat" " to set the roof ablaze." " My God, why is she in a cage?" "I realize it looks... barbaric, keeping a girl where my livestock should be, but the bars are simply to isolate her until we know that she's not infected." "Then she'll be released." "Had we left her there, she would surely have died." "My heart couldn't bear the thought." "I wouldn't get too close, milady." "If she is infectious, then you would have to be isolated, too." "And then you couldn't feed your baby." "Water your horses, then yourselves." "Why did you make up that story about the cathedral?" "This is not a man you share secrets with." "Why don't you like him?" "What has he done?" "Some nobles build fortunes with hard work or by serving the crown." "Others find shortcuts." "Ah." "I'd be curious to know if the girl's family lived long enough to die of plague." "You'll know if Narcisse winds up with their lands." "Conde." "Oh, safe voyage on your boat." "I hear it's finally arrived, waiting for you." "Oh." "Did Lord Conde not mention that he has a boat waiting for him up north to escape the plague?" "No?" "I would have thought he would offer his new friend the king the same chance of survival as his own." "Be careful of this one, Majesty." "He's ambitious." "A new king needs to know who his real friends are, especially at times like this." "Pascal." "Pascal, I can't hear you." "I think I fell asleep." "Would you like me to sing you another song?" "I had a dream." "I saw my mother." "You did?" "She was younger, though." "She looked..." "like you." "She said she'd care for me." "Or was that you?" "We've both been blessed to care for you." "You're a wonderful boy and a good soul, and you are and always were loved." "Pascal, God loves you, too." "Pascal?" "Pascal, can you hear me?" "God will love you, too." "Kenna." "If you can hear my voice, answer me!" "I'm here!" "Help!" "Kenna." " I'm so thirsty." " No, you can't go that way." "That's the gallery." " You can't go in there." " Please, I want to go." "It's full of people." "My lord." "Stay back." "I'm surely infected, too." " Oh, no." " Thank you for coming." "That's close enough." "I'm stricken." "I don't know how it happened." " I was so careful." " Is there anything I can do?" "Oddly, you've already done it." "I can meet my maker with less blood on my hands." "Your hesitation to take a life has saved me from taking many." "I simply didn't have time before falling ill to murder that household." "There's something else you should know." "I didn't want to be me either." "Well, I blame Henry." "Being a queen unloved by your king is excruciating." "And dangerous." "Henry loved you." "Some." "Once." "Not enough." "Not the way that Francis loves you." "An indiscretion, even a child, doesn't have to get in the way of a marriage." "Don't let Lola come between you." "Because you are nothing but a guest in this court without the support of your king." "It worked." "How long will her symptoms last?" "The dose I gave her will only last a day or two." "And then she will have a miraculous recovery." "We can only pray she doesn't suspect our hand." "You have risked much to help me." "Death already walks the halls freely here." "And to see Catherine feed it more souls..." "I couldn't save my own family, but I can save this one." "I was dishonest with you." "I understand why you didn't tell me about the boat." "It's like an ark in a great flood." "If word got out, it could be overrun or taken from you." "That lady sparkling by the fire is my mistress, Lady Doutzen of Amsterdam." "She's married." "I'm not." "But we share in the sin and so much more." "When people started dying, I promised her a safe voyage home." "Some of my men will go with her." "The other passengers are members of her household, her children." "There's still room for one more mistress and her child." "Lady Lola is not my mistress." "I love my wife." "If you love your wife, put them on the boat." "Lady Lola could marry again." "And the child won't grow up like your brother... a bastard spoken of in scornful whispers." "You'll have others." "I know what it is to make a mess of love." "Go back to your wife." "Without the poison of a lover and a bastard child." "Conde's boat is leaving in the morning." "You can accompany them to the Netherlands and then continue on." "You can live your own lives." "What will you do?" "I'm going to ride out in the morning." "I have to get back to Mary." "Finally." "Still waiting on your handsome young soldier?" "Shh." "I'm not so sure he's coming." "But I haven't given up hope just yet." "Eduard Narcisse, I have brought you here to tell you that Lord Voland's family is not to be harmed under any circumstances." "Where is the queen mother?" "I am the queen of France, and you are my subject." "What is your real grievance with Lord Voland?" "Even you wouldn't slaughter an entire household for a woman." "This could have been so much cleaner for me and for you." "I'm not the kind of man who likes to get his hands dirty." "One favor... it's all I asked." "One life." "But now so many." "What did you do?" "After I found the poison, I found the dumbwaiter, which delivered the water directly into their locked suite." "Oh, God, no." "They're all dead." "Poisoned." "Find out who each and every member of this household is." "For even the servants' families deserve to know." "Dear God, stop their suffering." "You there..." "Child, are you all right?" "Wait." "I know you." "You gave me back my Clementine before when she fell." "They've all fallen now." "So much suffering." "What's happened to you?" "Why aren't you with your family?" "Are you dead?" "Yes." "Am I?" "Was I infected?" "No." "You'll live." "But I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be." "The same is true of many others, and they're angry." "We're not leaving." "Not till we're done." "Done?" "With what?" "There will be a reckoning." "Mary," "I didn't realize you..." "That I was having you followed?" "I knew you would signal for the grain." "I was right about you." "You don't want to risk my husband's ire." "It's one thing to murder a foe..." "An entire household." "Another to starve his court, so, let's put it behind us." " Take him." "Make sure he's unarmed." " Why?" "You can't change anything." "It's done." "Yes, it is... and by your own admission." "Murder is a very serious crime." "Even during a plague, when it seems some people believe that a little extra death shouldn't trouble us." "The Volands are already gone." "You may have this shipment of grain, but what about the next?" "Why make an enemy out of those you need most?" " What do you gain?" " Justice." "Take him away." "You're wasting your time!" "My father will free me!" "No, he won't... because he'll never find you." "Kenna?" "Kenna?" "Kenna, can you hear me?" "Bash!" "Bash?" "Is anyone here?" "Kenna?" "Kenna, is that you?" "Bash!" "Bash!" " Bash!" " Kenna!" "Is that you?" "Bash!" "It's all right." "I'm here." "I'll free you." " Hurry!" " Stand back." "Oh, Bash." "Oh, thank God you came!" "I was afraid you were dead." "I was afraid we both were." "Oh, Bash, Pascal... he was infected, and now he's gone." "Well, it's over now." "You're all right." "We're both all right." "The ship is two days' ride from here, with frequent stops for rest." "Your friend and her baby will manage the trip comfortably." "I'm grateful." "Lola?" "Lola, he's crying." "Come on, don't cry." "All right, then." "Shh, shh." "I'm sorry." "I went to fetch water for the trip." "He was asleep when I left." "Francis..." "The party is mounting up." "Riders will follow to carry your things, my lady." "Thank you." "I understand all the reasons, I do." "I ju..." "I just can't." "You can't leave on that boat." "You won't take away my son." "You're taking me to the catacombs." "That's where the sick are locked up." "If you put me down here, I'll die!" " I'm aware." " I'm what this realm needs." "Nobles like my father Lord Narcisse gave the crown to your husband's family." "They can take it away." "You're making a mistake!" "And your husband will hate you for it." "As soon as he learns how the world works, how it's always worked." "Open the door, put him inside." "His mother knows it." "So did his father." "His heart beats with their blood, and there is nothing older or stronger than royal blood." "You'll see." "No!" "No!" "No!" "Mary!" "No!" "No!"