Previously on reign... We have confirmed reports
That the black death has returned
Once more to plague our lands.
I understand all the reasons. I do. I just can't.
I won't let you take my son from me.
I will rise
Until I am rich and powerful.
But I will never be yours again.
Is that your daughter with leith?
Eduard narcisse.
How may we help you?
There's someone I thought untouchable.
I'd like him to die of plague.
Food for survival...
In exchange for one life.
Every life matters!
We will find grain elsewhere.
You murdered an entire household!
Why make an enemy out of those you need most?
Justice.
Take him away.
My father will free me! No, he won't.
Because he'll never find you.
No! Mary!
No!
♪ they won't know
♪ who we are
♪ so we both can
♪ pretend...
♪ it's written on the mountains... ♪
There's 12 corpses.
All adults.
No... No shovels, no hooks.
Keep your gloves on and wrap them with care.
You should get some rest, my lord.
It's not your job to handle the dead.
It's ours.
No, we have to give them proper burial.
So their souls can find rest.
♪ and the pieces broke
♪ and people wanted more
♪ and the
♪ rugged wheel
♪ is turning
♪ another round
I knew he was alive. I could feel it in my heart.
Thank god you were right.
Please don't tell francis that I mistook
My illness for the plague.
It's embarrassing.
♪ dorian...
Mary.
Where is lola? Is she all right?
Mary.
Lola.
The-the child, is it...?
I have a son.
Bash, oh, thank god you're all right.
We have to talk soon.
I need an advisor I can trust.
I want you on my council.
You're already talking politics.
Because I am already king.
I'm no politician, francis.
I don't belong on a privy council.
It's a liar's job.
♪ dorian, carrion
Mary?
I'd like you to meet the man that saved our lives.
My cousin.
Louis of conde.
Oh, he's easy on the eyes, isn't he?
♪ will you ever let...
Thank you for bringing them home safely.
Thank you so very much.
It was an honor. As is this.
You and your men must rest here before you leave.
Your kisses are more easily attained
Than your words.
I left impulsively.
You did.
And now I have returned with lola's child.
I held him and...
I don't know what role he'll have at court,
But I want to be a part of my son's life.
Of this child's life, but we will have others.
Mary, my father's indiscretions
Were blatant, but out of respect for his wife,
He gave bash no title or standing.
It hurt him.
And it hurt me to see it.
The eyes of the world are watching to see if we will...
If I can bear an heir.
Not just for France.
For scotland.
And for England as well.
I know this has nothing to do
With the role you decide to have in your son's life...
Well, perhaps it should.
Those who are close to us...
Even here at court will know the truth.
Your mother has guessed it already.
Spend time with your son absolutely, but...
But don't claim him.
Officially, you mean.
Yes.
Thank you.
I'm surprised to see you.
My deepest sympathies
For the loss of your son eduard.
Can I get you anything? Some lemonade?
I thought this castle would be the safest place for him.
Why wasn't it?
Bring us some whiskey.
Lord narcisse is here.
Asking a lot of questions about his son's death.
I explained that he showed symptoms of plague,
High fever, rash.
You are good to cover for me.
Lord narcisse will never know.
His son did die of plague.
His body will tell the tale.
Eduard murdered an entire household to kill one foe.
Since he cared so little for people,
It's fitting that he died among the lowborn.
I have asked much of you— not the least
That you betray your very dangerous friend catherine.
She was mortified that she overreacted to her symptoms.
She hates being vulnerable.
But it is hard not to enjoy it.
We tried to save lives.
I owe you.
And I will protect you.
So many people died here.
Nobles, servants alike.
I was in my chambers when your son took ill.
But nostradamus, he... Yes.
I've already spoken with your court physician.
A-a father can't help but wonder
About his son's final days.
I survived by fleeing to the country.
I feel that I should've sent for him.
There was nothing you could do.
I need to go see him now.
You do understand, don't you?
When was this room sealed?
Two weeks ago, my lord.
Most nobles died in their chambers.
Were many nobles sent here by mistake?
Couldn't say, sir.
It was a living hell.
Do you see him?
Not yet.
That is my son.
Wrap him.
Carefully.
Who's there?
This one is still alive.
How could anyone still be alive?
He must be immune.
Water.
That is my son.
Were you with him?
Did you see him die?
We will get you some water and something to eat.
And then you are going tell me
All about what happened to my son.
Ah, this is nothing compared
To what we'll do for your coronation.
But your safe return is cause for celebration.
It's nice to see some joy in this castle after so much grief.
I hear you had a hand in our new chambers as well.
One bedroom for husband and wife.
Good luck to both of you with that.
I thought narcisse was leaving
With his son's body.
Why is he back with so many nobles?
King francis.
Narcisse.
My lords.
I'm pleased to see you're all alive and well.
In the wake of the plague, I will be calling on all of you
To enforce my laws.
Together you control vast regions of France.
Some of you will be valued additions to my royal council.
Of course, king francis.
But we're here to ask something of you as well.
Justice.
What's this about exactly?
My son eduard...
Was murdered.
Here in your castle while you were away.
By nostradamus, the court physician.
I don't know what grudge you held against my son.
I had no argument with him.
Then why did you make false diagnosis?
Why did you condemn him to death?
These are serious allegations.
My son was healthy when he was thrown in
With servants riddled with plague.
I know this because a witness, a survivor,
Has told me this tale.
My son
Was deliberately infected.
I assure you, if a mistake was made,
Nostradamus intended no harm.
Assure us all...
Your loyal nobility, that we are still safe
Under your rule.
We who collect your coin, we who grow your food,
We who provide your soldiers,
We who uphold your laws.
Hold the murderer of my son accountable
To these same laws.
And show us that no life, especially
One of our own, may be taken with impunity.
Take nostradamus away for questioning.
Eduard murdered an entire household—
Men, women and children.
I did what I had to.
And narcisse knows it was you who killed his son?
I was the one who forced eduard into the plague room
Against his will.
If there was a survivor,
He would have witnessed everything.
There was another survivor of your crimes, mary.
Me.
You drugged me, didn't you?
You were so adamant to stand up
To the nobles, and I got sick
Just when you needed me out of the way.
I had to stop you.
Oh, you wouldn't delve into my poisons without help.
It was nostradamus.
Your actions
Spared no one, saved nothing
And cost us all dearly.
Narcisse wants the guards who brought his son
To the catacombs executed as well.
We don't have to accede to his demands.
You and henry might have bowed to the nobles,
But we won't.
We kept the nobles happy.
If they feel betrayed,
They can rise up against you.
I've seen revolts firsthand,
A full-scale rebellion could mean the end of your reign.
I know that you want to do things differently,
But I'm not sure that this is the time.
The plague shortages have given
Too much power to narcisse.
The nobles follow him now,
And they are watching our every move.
Then let them watch you,
And that you be above reproach.
This was my mistake and I'll fix it.
Whoa.
Oh...
Lord castleroy.
Wasn't this enough for you?
A kitchen boy, given some of the best lands in the region.
You had to have my daughter, too?
Lord castleroy, I am so sorry.
Yvette was kind and...
She was everything you told greer you wanted.
Rich and innocent
And my daughter.
How greer would have suffered
To see your rise,
And what a close view she'd have had.
I can assure you that I didn't realize
Who she was until after we...
If my daughter had never met you,
She would be alive!
I would never have hurt her.
I don't know that,
And neither do you.
Given the proximity you would have had to the woman
I know you love.
Look, please, just... Look, wait...
Leith, no! (grunts)
Stay away from my family.
Or I will destroy you.
Queen mary.
Where is your husband?
I would prefer it if we settled
This matter privately.
I think you know who's truly responsible
For eduard's death.
You are.
But, as you are a queen,
You're nearly untouchable.
Nearly.
But those that lied for you,
I can reach easily enough.
That is how I will punish you.
Your son was a monster.
He asked me to murder his enemy,
And when I refused,
He poisoned an entire household.
Why didn't you arrest him?
I let my anger get the best of me.
And my outrage.
And what of mine?
He was my son!
He was loyal
And obedient
And he had his whole life ahead of him.
He was to marry an archduchess,
Gain one of the most prized farming regions in France...
He was to marry into land?
He told me he was already married.
That voland had slept with his wife.
Why did he really want voland dead?
You also said he was obedient.
Was he following your orders?
I am queen.
You will answer my questions.
Why did you want voland dead?
I command you!
No, you command nothing!
I don't fear you,
I don't fear your husband!
Because without me, without the other nobles,
Your power disappears.
We are the outside world,
And we surround you.
There is a consensus
Amongst the other nobles,
Given my son's station,
That an example must be made.
So when the dawn comes, nostradamus and your guards
Will be drawn and quartered.
That is a horrific
And agonizing death.
This is what they want.
This is what will satisfy them.
And you will learn never to cross me again.
My mother's been negotiating
To spare nostradamus, but it's no use.
Narcisse wants retribution,
And he has the nobles on his side.
Murdering innocent men to teach me a lesson.
He's more wicked than his son.
Why didn't you wait?
You could have had him arrested.
If I had, narcisse would have pressured us to release him.
We'd be in the same position we're in now:
With him trying to force your hand.
If his son were alive,
Narcisse wouldn't be consumed with revenge.
It was reckless, mary.
I saw an entire family be murdered.
My rage took hold.
It might not have been the best decision,
But it was justified.
It was a choice that you made alone.
What is it?
I know I told you to go to lola,
But then the plague came
And you knowingly abandoned me to a nightmare.
You are the king who deserted his castle,
And I am the queen who was left behind, alone.
Alone because of your mistakes.
Out of all the people you could have slept with,
Did it have to be one of my ladies?
One of my closest friends?
We can't afford to do this now.
If you bow to narcisse now,
You'll be doing it for the rest of your rule.
What kind of king do you want to be?
I've been trying to figure out what kind of king I can be.
Whether there is a way to stop this execution
Without destroying my relationship
With some very powerful nobles.
If only we had something to leverage against narcisse,
We could force him to back down.
Conde suspects narcisse
Of murdering families to take their lands.
I'll send my brother to the villages
Where he acquired property during the plague.
You're looking for evidence of murder.
Something to blackmail him with.
Anything.
What is it?
I believe
Eduard was acting on his father's orders.
I don't know why narcisse wanted voland dead,
But I'm going to try and find out.
The execution is at dawn.
I promised nostradamus my protection.
One way or another, we have to find something.
These are lord voland's chambers.
Leave me. Thank you.
Mary.
Lola, what are you doing here?
Francis explained your situation with narcisse.
I wanted to help.
Francis shared that with you?
I was with francis
When we met narcisse on the road.
It gave me chills to see him here at court.
I could see
Francis was troubled and I asked him what was wrong.
When was this?
When he asked me
How the baby was doing.
Mary,
I know our situation is painful...
And for you, too.
Does he have a name yet?
I call him robert,
After my youngest brother.
If francis claims him,
He may choose another name.
I suppose it would be best for you, if he did.
You'd rise above speculation and gossip.
You would both gain status and respect.
I just want to be with my child.
The more time I spend with him,
The less anything else seems to matter.
It's all right to take joy in being a mother.
You don't have to hide that from me.
What is it?
It's from the privy council,
To lord voland.
"in response to your urgent request..."
It says voland was desperately seeking an audience
With the king before he died.
Well, you said you want to help.
I need you to find out whatever you can
About voland's final hours.
He wanted to tell francis something...
I need to know what it was.
It is you.
When they announced that you were here,
I, uh... I didn't believe it.
I feel as if I betrayed you.
I didn't mean to tell lord castleroy what you said.
What you said in anger.
But at the time...
You thought it was true.
That I would steal the heart of another just to wound yours.
I was upset when I saw you and yvette together.
I realized how jealous I sounded to lord castleroy,
So I told him your words.
As if it was just my concern for his daughter.
I did it to protect myself.
You're good at that, aren't you?
Not really.
I've poisoned everything.
There's little but hate and mistrust between all of us.
I wish I could turn back time,
But I can't.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry and...
I pray the day will come
When I no longer regret that I loved you.
Please don't blame yourself for yvette's death.
If I'd let you go to her...
Never tell your fiancé that.
Let it be, greer.
What's done is done.
Don't cause him any more pain.
Let that be a vow that we both keep.
You should go.
Don't come back.
I'm investigating lord narcisse.
I've heard many of the dead lost their lands to him.
They were murdered.
He plucked the deeds to their lands
From their stiff, cold fingers.
Or so I'm told.
Do you have any proof?
There's proof of murders,
Theirs and plenty of others,
If you want to dig it up.
It's all under there,
Buried with the rest of the unfortunates.
In the same mass grave
With all the actual plague victims.
Corpses came by the cartful,
The sick and the murdered.
And once they're tossed in...
Who's going to ask questions?
Don't take it too hard, my lord.
Same thing happens every plague.
Justice suffers and dies
With the rest of us.
Deesh-kin...
Aarin kir mograndee.
Who are you?
Why are you doing that?
From the castle, now, are you? I am.
I hear the nobles locked themselves in
With cakes and fine wines,
While we watched our loved ones rot
And turn black before our eyes.
There were many deaths at court as well.
Bury them well, mind you.
So many.
Wickedly mistreated, not just in life, but in death.
Do people really expect them to go?
What do you mean? It's hard enough
To get spirits to leave us, but now?
There's a door
Between the dead and the living,
And the plague kicked it down.
And if the dead aren't guided through...
The door stays open.
The door is open.
They'll get to us before you know it.
There will be...
A reckoning.
So we have no proof to use
Against narcisse unless we want to dig up
Mass graves and release the plague?
If narcisse
Is using the plague to cover his crimes,
He's not the only one.
Neighbors, catholics, protestants—
They're killing each other.
Even a cardinal's body was found
In an alley with his throat slit.
A cardinal? Who?
Cardinal morosini, killed for the gold in his vestments,
They say. (door closes)
I'm here to see mary.
What did you find?
I spoke with a castle page.
Before lord voland joined his family
In their chambers, he insisted on taking confession.
I had to bribe a few altar boys, but I got the priest's name.
Father lucien.
Where do we find this priest?
You look troubled, brother.
I know you call nostradamus friend.
I do.
And he's a friend we may need.
What do you mean?
He has certain skills.
And I know that you don't believe in them or the occult.
But something has changed out there.
There's talk in the village that the dead are still with us.
People feel guilty for surviving.
They torture themselves.
No, a guard heard screams of the dying
From an empty room.
Servants claim that old castle ghosts have returned.
And a woman in the village claims that all this death
And injustice has left a door open
Between this world and the next and some of the dead
Are on the wrong side of it.
Still here among the living?
And that they stay because they were treated wrongly.
Either not given proper burial
Or cut down unjustly.
Murdered.
What does this woman think the dead want?
The truth revealed.
You mean revenge.
I loved henry.
But he was a terrible husband and a worse father.
What kind of a father
Do you hope to be?
Nothing like him.
Really?
Then what will you do about lola's child?
Will you claim him?
I haven't decided.
You must be worried he might be your only child.
I'm speaking to you as a mother.
As your mother.
I can tell you that if you do not claim him,
There will be a distance between you and that boy
For the rest of your lives.
He will never be king.
But he might be your only chance
At being a father.
And I can promise you that raising him
Will be the singular joy of your life.
Aloysius.
I was just going to change and meet you downstairs.
Your servants said you went into town. Yes, I bought
Some things for the children.
You were gone a long while.
♪ when it's all falling apart
♪ I'll be the one...
I went to see leith.
I know you are in pain,
But there's no need for such animosity.
Leith is racked
With guilt.
I am, too.
You must know I'm loyal to you.
♪ and you can't find the spark... ♪
I have been wondering about your loyalty of late.
Leith's vow...
Was said... In the moment,
In anger.
I chose you.
You chose the life I could give you.
I chose you,
And you chose me knowing that I'd loved another,
That I had done
Ruinous things for that love.
You knew that about me.
I didn't know how it would feel.
♪ it's all gone...
I have business that will take me away for some time.
How long?
I don't know.
I'll be seeing my younger children as well.
I need to be the one to tell them that their sister is dead.
Will you be back?
I don't know.
♪ together
♪ I'll be there.
I'm not afraid
Of breaking my vows, queen mary.
What I do fear is lord narcisse.
I will stand against him.
Father, I made a mistake a few weeks ago,
And now innocent men could pay for it with their lives.
Whatever voland told you could save them.
Please help me.
Lord voland worked with narcisse.
They collected money for the vatican, but greed interfered,
And they kept some of the church's gold for themselves.
Cardinal morosini discovered their crime.
Cardinal morosini?
He was found dead
In a neighboring village. Protestants were blamed
But never identified.
I know the truth.
It was narcisse and voland who killed him.
Voland's heart filled with remorse.
Narcisse knew his resolve was weakening,
So before voland could confess to your king or to the church...
He had him killed.
Along with his entire family.
(sighs) you understand
We could destroy narcisse with this.
The vatican would strip him of his power.
You must testify to the king
And to the assembled nobles at court.
But what I've told you I can never repeat.
I'm just a lowly priest; narcisse has people everywhere.
I'd be dead in the blink of an eye.
He killed a cardinal!
I could compel you.
For information taken in holy confession?
The vatican itself can't hear it.
It doesn't exist.
I know that your wife...
She is your queen.
I know that your queen is working against me
To stop the execution.
She doesn't value my friendship,
But you should.
Because you are a true friend to the crown.
Hmm. You don't like me,
But you need me.
My lands feed your people,
Your court.
I kept henry afloat long after his wars
Plunged France into debt.
I am aware of the crown's debts.
But not how in debt it is to me.
I heard about the execution.
If lord narcisse demanded it,
Those men are certainly innocent.
Careful of your accusations.
I could make some of my own.
You've made them to others; you can make them to me.
I believe this man to be a secret protestant,
A radical, practicing the faith of your enemies
In England and germany.
Is this true?
No. I am a catholic and a frenchman.
But I believe France should be ruled by you,
Not by blood money from rome.
The vatican is corrupt— they're betraying their faith
By allowing the strong to prey on the weak. You've proved
My case for me.
He is a radical.
A catholic who hates the catholic church.
I hate any man that hides behind god
While they murder and steal.
Men like narcisse,
Protected by the church and the crown.
Your father built his power
By giving the nobles what they wanted.
If he were here now, he would let those men die.
And what do you expect him to do,
Risk disenfranchising the nobles he depends on?
Well, maybe it's time we change things,
Shift the power back to where it belongs,
With you, our king.
You're unsure of who to trust.
Yes, I am.
Then trust no one but yourself.
Trust your sense of what is right and what is wrong.
Because when the dawn comes
And those men are let outside, you'll have
To decide what kind of king you want to be.
Have they hurt you?
They're going to lead me out soon.
For last rites.
Are you going to share your plan with me?
I'm afraid there is no plan,
My old friend.
I'm so sorry.
But I shall make sure you are remembered.
All your works
Will be published.
I will have sonnets written...
And... A statue built in paris.
A statue? Mm.
After all I've done for you!
Do not blame me for the choices you have made!
If you had stayed loyal to me,
Eduard would still be alive,
None of this would have happened. You...
You brought this on yourself when you helped mary.
There is nothing I can do.
You think you're untouchable...
That your sins will stay buried,
But they don't.
Surely you realized that when you met your daughter.
Clarissa?
She's dead and buried now.
Mary killed her.
You thought clarissa's death fulfilled the prophecy.
And that is why I supported
Francis marrying...
Is clarissa alive?
Tell me, nostradamus.
Have you seen her?
Have you had another vision?
Will francis live beyond the death you once foresaw?
Ask your statue.
♪
Conde.
Where are the royals?
I suppose they've chosen to look the other way.
Someone must bear witness to this travesty.
Innocent men shouldn't die alone.
You won't die alone.
They're preparing for
The drawing and quartering as we speak.
We must do something.
We don't have any leverage against narcisse.
We have the truth on our side
And we have you.
You are king.
Doesn't that count for something?
Yeah, well, it's not enough, mary.
We need something that we can hold in our hands.
Well, perhaps lord voland kept a journal.
Or wrote a letter.
I have lola looking now. We're out of time.
I can't let these men die for my mistake.
Do you know why they wrap the bindings
All up the arms and legs?
For a good, clean break.
I've seen it done the other way, too,
Bonds at the wrists and ankles
Taking off just the hands and feet.
You bleed to death as the one horse
Takes the lead and drags you behind.
Which do you think will be more painful?
Your death or my son's?
I've seen your death.
You'll suffer, too.
And I have seen the suffering
On every inch of my son's corpse.
I will think of him as you die.
You do the same.
On my signal,
Spur your horses!
No, stop! Riders, dismount.
Rein in your horses. Now.
Even a queen needs grounds. Unbind him.
There will be no execution today.
You have just lost France for you and your king.
When the nobles hear of this... I found
Lord voland's confession.
Handwritten before his death.
What are you talking about? He wrote it all down:
How you both stole from the vatican
And then murdered the cardinal before he could inform on you.
Voland's remorse that followed,
His need to clear his accounts with god,
And his fear that you would silence him before he could.
His confession
Is in the hands of a messenger
Headed to your friends in rome as we speak
To reassure the vatican that no life, especially one
Of their own, can be taken with impunity.
Mary.
I will handle this.
But I have proof.
Not anymore.
My letters.
You intercepted my riders. Why?
You don't have to bow to him. Mary,
Leave us. You, too, conde.
I am your queen. You owe me an explanation.
You owe France and your subjects a just rule.
Go to our chambers,
Where private discussions between husbands and wives
Should take place.
I am not just your wife.
You are not king either.
Leave us now.
I always thought
You should have married a common girl,
Like your father.
Rich, of course,
But without a title she felt obligated
To club people with.
I don't like you. I don't care. You need me.
I'm glad that you've realized that.
Lord voland's seal. I stopped the riders
Because I understand that we need each other.
Nostradamus is a favorite of my mother's,
And none of these men really caused your son's death.
You will free them as a favor to me. That might
Be difficult to explain to the nobles.
You riled them into a frenzy on your behalf.
Now tell them you are satisfied.
Manage them, and I will manage my wife.
There will need to be some satisfaction,
If you want all of this to go away.
No more bloodshed.
Land.
Of my choosing.
Nostradamus and the guards have been freed.
You were brilliant.
And he didn't ask to see the contents of the letters?
I burned them before he could see they were forged.
We have narcisse at bay, but...
Well, what is it? What's wrong?
I had to give him something else as well.
This is very fine land.
Who are you? It's a rare parcel.
Undamaged by fire. Still producing.
And all that separates two larger parcels of mine.
The king has deeded this land to me.
That's impossible. Why would he take it away?
Ask king francis yourself.
He's requested your presence at court.
At court?
But I can't go there.
You can. And you will.
I don't know what's changed your mind.
You were right before;
A politician is a liar's job.
Even today I had to betray a friend to save lives. Well,
This job is different. Enforcing the laws,
Keeping the peace beyond the castle walls. My wife tells me
That in scotland they call this
The king's deputy. Ah.
The realm is growing unstable.
You need someone out there you can actually trust.
Why are you kneeling?
You're the king, and I'm nothing.
Until you make me something.
Don't say that. You're my brother. Then give me
The job already.
Do it up properly. Use my sword.
Very well.
Sebastian, I hereby appoint you
The king's deputy,
With all rights and apportionments so accruing.
Nostradamus, you're too injured to ride. I have to.
What will you tell catherine?
That you had another vision.
Of a better life.
God willing.
(baby gurgles) mary?
Why did you ask me to the nursery?
Your father
Was king henry ii of the house of valois.
You are francis ii, the king of France.
I'm mary stuart, queen of scots.
Whatever happens to us while we live
And when we are long gone, nothing can change that
Or take it away.
I don't understand.
The world is a cruel place.
And it's cruelest to the weak.
They are bullied and sacrificed,
Mocked and murdered and they die in agony.
Mary, why are you talking...
Give him your name.
Give your baby your name.
Not even my name can make him safe.
No, but it can make him safer.
Mary... If you think
I don't know the risks, I do.
But if I don't want to end up like catherine,
I can't push this child away
Like she did with bash.
I have to open my heart.
So...
Do right by him,
With my blessing,
And claim him as your own.
And our marriage will be stronger for it.
I'm never sure that I'm holding him right.
Oh, I could show you.
Support his head,
Like so.
See?
I remember holding you in my arms
When you were this little.
I beg your pardon?
When I gave you life,
I thought it was the greatest thing I'd ever done.
All the treaties I'd made,
All the wars and the whores were nothing
Compared to that.
Who are you talking to?
Don't you recognize your own father?
Usurper.
What did you just say?
Did I say something, your grace?
You don't remember?
(baby crying) remember what?
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