Previously on Reign...
Once the rest of the Spanish Armada arrives,
I will take the throne.
Nicole, run away with me.
You will be my queen. I'm yours.
Your sons are fighting over a girl.
I understand you're a witch. Maybe you could help me.
Francis Drake, I trust you have good news.
We sunk two warships.
King Philip has always desired England.
And now he has grounds for war.
Have you taken any lovers with syphilis?
I've seen men with that.
The-the... the lesions all over their body,
the-the madness.
You need to see a doctor immediately.
In a state of emergency,
a privy council can be installed
by a royal signature. You are still king.
You can assemble a privy council that supports you.
There is a motion being passed
tomorrow, in front of the privy council to appoint me
the child's steward. No.
I will have the power to keep you out of my son's life.
Dear Elizabeth, I ask
that should anything happen to me,
you will protect my child as your own.
I am your king.
I wish to be alone with my child.
Darnley's taken my son!
Step aside.
All right, here we go in there.
You're known associates of King Darnley.
He was educated with my husband.
When was the last time you saw the king?
Over a year ago, why?
We're looking for a baby. If you have one
and he isn't yours, you'll hang for it.
Unless you cooperate.
It was freezing last night.
They must have taken shelter somewhere.
And Darnley is recognizable, at least to some.
We're looking everywhere
and he hasn't had much of a head start.
Then where is he? Where is my child?
We will find him.
Your son will be well and back in your arms in no time.
I pray that you are right, but Darnley is sick, his mind is...
He's still the boy's father.
A fact he's counting on for his survival.
Do you honestly think he intends to raise the child?
He who holds the heir holds the power.
I'm afraid that Darnley might harm him,
because he's not... thinking clearly.
Or perhaps because he is.
Darnley told me once, he saw a child
as his replacement.
That he would be no longer be needed.
I, too, used to think of a child
as a form of power.
Something I could deliver that Elizabeth couldn't.
An heir to secure my reign.
But as soon as I laid eyes on him, all of that went away.
And nothing mattered more than his happiness,
his safety.
Bothwell, where is he?
Where is my son?
Well, I'm glad that your time in Scotland was...
fruitful. Mm.
Tell me, how was Mary?
Struggling to maintain her throne.
Well, she knew it wasn't going to be easy.
There are struggles here, as well.
I heard that you arrived back days ago.
I had some personal business to attend to.
Guests staying at one of my houses.
Well, be happy they're not here at court,
which has gone to hell.
Henri has fled the castle with his brother's fiancee.
Nicole?
Yes. Nicole.
They're holed up in some ship beyond the harbor.
A Spanish warship,
waiting for other Spanish warships to attack,
so he can take his brother's throne.
Dear God. Spain would declare war?
Well, I think they were hoping for something quick and dirty,
a single assault,
toppling one king and installing another.
But it appears that Elizabeth now has their attention,
and the Armada is now headed for England.
Well, serves her right. Crisis averted, all is well.
Not quite. Henri doesn't realize
that the ships aren't coming.
We can't get word to him to tell him to give up,
as there is inclement weather along the coast.
The fog is so thick that our own ships
could crash against the shores.
So with the fight for the throne lost,
all that lies between my sons is Nicole.
She is the one object that they can hold onto
as a cause for their feud;
a feud that Charles will never forgive
and Henri will be too proud to back down from.
Unless...
there's nothing left to fight over.
You're going to kill Nicole.
It's already in motion. But how? You said
she's on a ship that no one can get to.
Someone can. Tell me.
Do you believe in witches?
Emanuelle,
this is Stephan Narcisse,
he's the lord chancellor of France.
Stephan, this is a witch that my pious daughter,
Leeza, rounded up amongst other heretics.
I didn't care for her. Clearly, you don't, either.
Don't worry.
Spain will still be a bother,
but its queen won't be a problem much longer.
Complications with her third child.
A girl.
Oh, you claim to have the gift of seeing the future?
It's no gift.
Even I must pay a price.
And have you settled on yours?
A thousand livre.
My freedom.
Is that all?
Why did you bring him?
Because I've had some dealing with the occult.
And I know that the devil is often in the detail;
the true cost to the buyer a surprise.
So if you have some toll
you plan on extracting at a later time, beware.
I have very powerful friends.
Nicole's inches from the grave. She just doesn't know it yet.
Then you'll have your money and your freedom.
There is one more thing.
Meet me tomorrow night.
Someplace private.
When the moon is full.
You come, too.
For what reason?
You'll see.
Only then will your debt to the darkness be paid.
Where the hell is the Spanish Armada?
They should have been here yesterday.
It's no good. I need to think.
You need to sleep.
But if you can't do that, will you at least eat?
Supplies are running as thin as this broth.
Give me the flour.
Gone, as of this morning.
Bad enough I'm serving a prince fish stew.
Eh, try this.
A new, uh, delicacy from the southern continent: nuts.
It'll thicken it right up.
We've even run out of venison.
I think it's delicious.
I could admit defeat, but if Charles
remains king, he will force you to marry him.
What's wrong?
Nicole!
No. No, no, no, no.
Mary, I know the idea
of closing your eyes or taking caring of yourself
is unbearable, but you must.
Why did I take my eyes off him?
Because you needed rest.
You were depleted after a brutal childbirth.
James.
I'm so happy to see you.
Dearest sister.
I'm happy to see you, as well.
James, I've missed you.
I sent for you a while ago, did you not receive it?
I was delayed in the Hebrides.
A significant land dispute that could have caused
animosity towards your crown.
None of that matters. I'm here now.
I know what Darnley did.
Bothwell has coordinated the search effort.
Talk to the head of his guard. I already have.
I have my assigned region and some thoughts
on lesser known areas he may have taken the boy.
Then hurry, please.
There's the road, my love.
It'll be easier going from now.
I...
I can't think because of the noise.
The child needs to rest.
He can't catch a wink.
Lay him down,
nice and soft.
Give him some peace.
Poor thing.
Poor, poor thing.
Claude, this isn't your fault. Luc is gone, you are here,
which means he abandoned you.
As I understand it, my son left
because Claude was out chasing her former fiance.
So, if you want to lay the blame...
Stop it! Please.
It doesn't matter who left whom.
I lost both the man I loved
and the man I could have loved.
Oh... Charles!
Charles.
Where are you?
Oh, my God, Nicole.
Henri! Wait!
You can stop plotting to attack my ship.
Spain isn't coming and you have already won.
Nicole.
What have you done?
The woman I loved was poisoned
by someone aboard the ship, someone loyal to you.
Nicole was engaged to me! You kidnapped her!
Did she try to flee? Is that why you murdered her?
No, she was poisoned.
And now you're here,
feigning rage, but expecting mercy.
She loved me. She came willingly,
and in your heart of hearts, you know that.
Stop! Nicole is gone.
And you have every right to be angry,
but instead of turning against one another,
blame the true culprit.
Spain. Spain didn't abduct my fiancee!
No, but they didn't want you to marry her, either one of you.
Your own sister, Leeza, has been working against you both,
against all of us.
And poor, good-hearted Nicole here
has born the brunt
of Spain's treachery.
It is Spain that has turned brother against brother.
They promised you the throne and they betrayed you.
Your ships didn't come, did they?
And you, my son, my king,
they want you gone.
There is no pleasing them.
They want France for themselves.
Look at her, working her magic.
Funny you should put it like that.
Was this some kind of witchcraft?
No, of course not.
Would our own sister really do this?
Spain is going after England now.
Believing they've already succeeded in tearing
this house apart.
You must join together,
redirect your hatred at Spain,
before they swallow us whole!
I'm sorry, brother.
Mother's right.
Has anyone seen a stranger in town?
A well-to-do looking fellow,
brown hair, blue eyes, travelling with an infant.
I may know something.
If you help us, you'll be rewarded.
I don't know anything about this man they say you're looking for,
but my son's an altar boy.
He says a newborn lad was left at the church
first thing this morning,
brought in by a farmer.
Which way is the church?
What is this?
This is our new marriage contract.
And what makes you think I would suddenly agree to terms
that are far more advantageous to you than our first agreement?
Our circumstances have changed since we first agreed to marry.
When we drew up the first contract,
your Captain Drake had not sunk two Spanish warships,
nor was Spain on its way to attack England.
I've reached out to the Spanish ambassador,
and I can save you from a war you cannot possibly win,
but you must first agree to the new terms.
I'll consider it.
Oh, my child.
My child!
Is he all right?
They said he was cared for. He seems to be unharmed.
He was found by a farmer who brought him to the local parish.
Reward him, James,
and tell him his queen is forever grateful.
And I will never forget what you've done for me.
For my son. I must thank you.
We are all grateful.
No, thank you properly.
My son is home, where he belongs.
There will be a formal naming ceremony to come,
and we will call him James.
In honor of my brother,
a hero of Scotland.
How is Prince James?
He's absolutely perfect.
What is it? What's wrong?
The privy council is moving ahead with plans to appoint
King Darnley the baby's steward.
The King Darnley who abducted the child; he left him to die.
How can they even consider it?
By turning fact to fiction.
Claiming the abandonment is propaganda.
Those who would oppose me no matter what.
I said some. Not all.
Rumors of Darnley's erratic behavior circulate.
Even those whose allegiances lean toward the king
must be wondering if they should place their loyalties elsewhere.
Do you think they would switch sides and support me?
I think many would blow with the prevailing wind.
Especially if King Darnley were gone.
Gone.
And here we are again, talking of murder.
It is a sin I have been unwilling to commit.
But there is a very real risk
that Darnley will take my son from me... legally.
Forever.
I assume you've given this some thought.
I would gather the few allies you currently have
on the privy council.
King Darnley's blood would be on all our hands,
making it difficult to pin the blame on any individual,
particularly you.
Your involvement must not be known to anyone,
except those you implicitly trust.
I could involve your brother.
Leave James out of it.
He has suffered enough on my behalf.
Most importantly,
you must be kept well away from the incident.
I'll need an alibi, a very public one.
Ideally one provided by my foes.
You would be risking your life for me.
I would do all that, and more, to keep you safe.
But, Mary,
you must be sure.
There's no turning back.
No, there isn't.
Kill my husband, Lord Bothwell.
I thought I would find you here.
Mother. You always loved those summers
you spent here with your cousins.
Is, uh, Kiera here as well?
Yes. Oh, she's right...
here...
I don't always see her.
But when I do, she's as real to me
as you are.
I'm not well, am I, Mother?
You've been under a strain, and that is all the more reason
that you should stay here.
At least until the privy council names you
Steward of the Heir. My son, you mean.
My God, I think I left him somewhere.
No, the prince was found. He is well.
I can't do this, Mother. I can't...
I can't take care of him. I-I...
All parents make mistakes.
No, no, this is different. Yes, it is.
Because if he is your charge,
you control the next king of Scotland.
You are keeping the monarchy stable,
and that brings you respect,
privilege, alliances that will keep you alive.
Now, when did you last eat?
A few days ago, I think.
The staff hasn't been here in months and you need provisions.
I will return first thing in the morning.
But remember, you must stay hidden.
Do you understand?
French jewelry, French designs,
French fabric, all found at your home,
given to you by that French viper Narcisse,
as payment for killing
Lord Blackburn, admit it.
I'll hang anyway, won't I?
But that's not good enough for you.
You want to hear it, you want it to your liking,
and nothing else will do.
You royals.
You hate us.
My grandfather worked for Henry VIII,
and when he didn't polish your father's ring to his liking,
the king sawed off his finger with a butter knife.
He was sent home, the wound stank,
his veins turned black,
and he screamed in pain for two full days until he died.
I never hurt you.
Gideon Blackburn never hurt you.
He didn't deserve to die.
I'm sorry you were born a servant...
No, you're not. You like having servants.
They dress you, feed you,
know your every need. But what do you know of us?
Of the undeserving losses we suffer all the time?
We suffer...
I do not require a lesson in suffering
from the likes of you.
So, the girl your sons loved is dead.
They must both be sad.
Sad, but bonded in their grief.
And the moon is full, and I've brought...
Lord Narcisse, as...
uh, requested.
Well, as much as we've enjoyed
chatting and drinking wine,
is there, uh...?
Shouldn't...?
Why don't you, um...
tell us what you need to fulfill the debt.
Or, um, um, land, and, uh...
What is it?
Is it gold?
It's not a thing that I desire.
But rather, an experience.
You're both so powerful.
Together, we can truly change the world...
I don't want to be doing this.
Ah, the wine. I think we've been drugged.
Give me your hand, beauty.
You've cut here before.
You invited Him to you as well.
Invited who?
Sanguis vitam ipse est... diablo.
Diablo? That's Latin for the devil.
Are you calling Satan himself?
Get off of her, she's trying to get pregnant!
I'm gonna be sick.
How dare you involve us in this.
It was payment you agreed to.
But it's not my usual form.
Let me pay you the way that I've planned.
Why won't you die?
Is it true?
People are saying your servant Jane was murdered.
Yes.
Tragic. No one knows by whom, but
the archduke thinks the wedding is still happening.
Well, you're hoping you won't have to go through with it.
And I thought the backstabbing generally began
after the wedding vows.
I'm hoping
the idea I might marry a Catholic will give Spain pause,
and buy you enough time to ready the Royal English Navy
for war.
I'm assuming we'll need more than pithy retorts
to defeat the Spanish Armada,
which is coming for us.
A lot more, I'm afraid.
Even with the infusion of gold
we stole from your fiance's family,
there's only so many ships we can outfit for war
in such a short time.
But that's not our greatest worry.
Even if we defeat the Armada,
the victory will be a costly one.
It will deplete England's military at every level.
Uh, gunpowder, steel, soldiers.
Which leaves us vulnerable to a ground invasion
from the North.
Scottish forces could make easy work of our weakened defenses.
Which Spain will allow.
Happy to have her on my throne, as she is a Catholic.
As always,
the specter of Mary Stuart hovers over me like an Axe.
Shh.
I know that look.
You're afraid.
Yes, I am.
But the baby is safe.
He'll never be safe.
Not until...
You are doing what you must, for your son and for Scotland.
Not just for Scotland.
I'm reminded of the prophecy Bash sent, through David Rizzio.
That your heir would unite both Scotland and England in peace.
I don't know if any of it's true.
But I do know that my son means more to me than my own life.
I don't regret what I've done tonight.
I would do it again,
without a moment's hesitation to protect my child.
Only...
what am I going to tell him about his father?
Are you sure King Darnley's inside?
The queen had Lady Lennox followed.
Darnley's inside and alone.
The explosion should kill the king and set the house on fire,
destroying any trace of foul play.
Hopefully, then,
it will all appear to be a most tragic accident.
It's vital Queen Mary not be implicated.
Which is why, at this very moment,
she's hosting a reception for the new privy council,
cajoling them as well,
so that, when they receive news of the king's death,
they might fall to our side.
It's time. Head back to court.
Make sure you're seen so you can vouch for the two of us.
Something's wrong. The charges should have ignited by now.
Wait here.
Clarkson!
Oh, you'll hang for this!
There's a letter from Queen Mary, Your Majesty.
Dear Elizabeth.
My duty is to my heir, and to Scotland,
both of which I fear could be lost.
So, from one lonely queen to another,
I ask that should anything happen to me,
you will protect my child as your own.
In turn, I promise you
that your throne shall never be threatened by me.
Ah, there you are, Elizabeth.
You should have your staff collect your things.
And search for a bride elsewhere.
What are you saying?
That our marriage is no longer
of strategic importance to England,
and as such, it will not happen.
I received a letter today
from my cousin Mary,
in which she renounced her designs on my throne.
Scotland is no longer a threat to my reign.
Mary. How can you trust her?
Because she is besieged on all sides
by a world of men who seek to tear her down
because they cannot control her.
Somehow I understand her predicament.
But Spain.
I am trying to save you. You are...
I am England.
And I need no one to save me.
Not from Spain,
not from the Catholic Church, not from anyone.
I am Elizabeth Tudor, and I will bow to no man.
I will face every threat to my reign with sword in hand.
And any who stand in my way shall fall.
To the destruction of Spain.
Justice for Nicole.
Here, here.
Are you sure your plan will work? I am.
The Basques are Spain's greatest internal threat.
If we supply their rebels with enough weapons,
They'll rain disaster upon Philip,
while his troops are away in England.
Don't be fools.
The Basques hate the French
even more than they hate the Spanish.
They will betray you, Charles.
Then Spain will march
on Paris in revenge. I think you've had one too many.
Charles, please. Listen to me... You should go rest, Mother.
Come on.
The old girl's not what she used to be.
I think of all the trouble.
It was actually mother's doubt in me that set things in motion.
How should we supply the rebels?
If we go down the coast...
Are you real?
Whatever you've given me...
keeps hitting me in waves.
I'm real. Why didn't you die?
He protects us.
Us? You're not...
Oh, but I am. You wonder what your children
are going to achieve, don't you?
I can tell you what your sons will do.
Their plot against Spain will backfire.
I'll stop it.
They're puppies, they're just chasing their own tails.
You could stop it, but there will be a price.
Are you saying that I have a choice?
Tell me what it is.
If you interfere with their plan,
a plan that is destined to fail,
they will make you their scapegoat.
Your name vilified for all time,
your body hanging from a rope before the next waning moon.
And if I don't stop it?
They will face ruin.
Charles's rule will not last.
You're asking me to sacrifice my sons for myself.
No, I've always put my children first.
I have done terrible things.
I've always done it for their good.
But are they worth it?
Francis was.
A noble, decent man and a good king.
Your other sons, Charles and Henri,
are but pale shadows of your golden child,
the dark side of a moon that once shone so bright.
And if I don't want to die for their sins?
The key to your survival, should you choose it,
is your daughter, Margot.
Blood will flow, but it won't be yours,
if you have Margot at your side.
Is it real?
Princess Margot.
Mother. It's been so long.
I know, darling.
And it's time to come home.
Mother needs you at her side.
I am one among you.
And I will lay down my life for God and kingdom.
I may have the body of a woman,
but I have the heart of a king.
I will take up arms with you as your general and your judge,
and I will reward your every virtue on the field.
We will live or we will die...
but we will not live in fear!
Bothwell, where have you been? We've been waiting for you all night.
Is Darnley still alive?
No. He's dead.
I'm afraid our original plan went awry.
King Darnley survived the explosion.
I, uh...
I had to take his life with my own hands.
I have a bad feeling about this. I think we ought to flee.
Flee? Nothing would make you both look guiltier.
We need to raise troops.
If there are charges of murder, we're gonna need a force of men.
Lord Bothwell.
You're under arrest for the murder of King Darnley.
You will be tried for the traitorous and unconscionable act of regicide.
What are you talking about?
Your husband has been murdered at that man's hand.
Guard him already.
I am ordering you.
If one of you lays a hand on him, he will pay with his life.
As for you, Reverend Knox,
may I remind you, I am your queen.
Not for long.
There were witnesses to my king's murder.
Tell our sovereign what you told me.
It was Bothwell. He threatened us... said if
we didn't help him murder the king, he would have us arrested.
You thought Darnley was alive. You went to Knox hoping
he'd save you from our king's wrath.
And you dragged Lord Margate into it, didn't you?
Careful, Bothwell.
You might implicate yourself,
and then what fun would your trial be?
As if you'd let me stand trial!
Arrest him!
Arrest her, too. The witnesses say she was privy to every detail.
Take him.
Tell him I love him.
Raise him as if he were your own.
I will. I swear it.
I am your queen. You have no proof. You will never win this!
This is a mistake you'll never recover from.
It will be your undoing.
The only crime I have committed
that you care about is that I am a woman.
A woman who wears a crown.
A woman in power goes against nature itself.
Men will never willingly
bow to the weaker sex.
And they will suffer greatly for it.
It was the start of my undoing.
The only thing I regret
is that it's been so long since I've seen his face.
Did you get word to him?
I believe that he is my only chance of survival.
We still await his answer.
You cannot allow the execution of a fellow queen.
Elizabeth, she is my mother.
A mother you have not seen since you were an infant.
And whose doing was that?
How much pressure from you did my uncle endure?
You are an adult now, and the king of Scotland.
Surely you can make your own choices.
Why have you not gone to her?
For the same reason you have avoided
meeting her your entire life.
Because we both have what is rightfully hers.
My crown and yours.
It is she who should be uniting our nations.
James.
She can't.
Her choices have ruined her.
I often wonder, what choice did she have?
They say my father was mad.
She must have been desperate.
Desperate enough to come to you for help.
And what did you do?
Held her prisoner for two decades
after promising to protect her!
When I made the offer, I did not know
she would be fleeing a murder charge.
I did not know she would continue to conspire against me.
Men have conspired against you using her as a weapon.
These letters you finally have as evidence...
evidence enough to execute her... could be forged.
Then petition me to stop it.
But the real forgery is you...
pretending to be brave.
Elizabeth, the Warrior Queen, who ushered in the golden age,
when really all the while, you've been living in fear.
Must be exhausting.
It is.
Is that why you need the final choice to be mine?
Because you know you are giving into weariness?
Or is it because you know it's wrong?
I ask you
one last time.
Do you want to be named my heir,
James, the first of your name to rule
England and Scotland, united at last?
Ending the bloodshed between our two countries,
and fulfilling your mother's dream?
Or...
you could save her...
but she will rot for decades more in captivity,
because I cannot have her blood on my hands.
And I cannot let her go.
Has my son replied?
We've received word from King James himself.
He's not coming, and there will be no reprieve.
I put my trust in you, my Lord.
Mary? Mary?
Francis.
I've been waiting for you.
Is this real?
Nothing is more real.
I love you.
I always have.
I love you, too.
Were we truly this young?
Yes.
It seems like so long ago.
It's been so difficult, Francis.
So difficult. Shh.
That's over now.