Versailles

I am your father.

Take him out of my sight.

Some secrets bring with them release, redemption...

But others are best buried deep in the earth...

..never to be found.

You were at the heart of this conspiracy?

It was no conspiracy, sire.

As the King's surgeon and confidant,

my father passed the terrible burden to me.

And for your family's protection, I carried it as my duty.

So who is he?

He was a good friend of the King.

And the Queen.

As you know, they were married 23 years

and remained childless.

The King lay with another woman, but it too was fruitless.

It tortured him that he may never produce an heir.

But the Queen was determined to find a solution.

So together, they arranged for your father to share her bed.

So why was he made a prisoner?

He wasn't initially.

But after one son was born, they wanted to be sure...

..so he lay with the Queen again.

But then, with two healthy sons, the King changed his mind.

So they rewarded him with that monstrosity?

It is one thing to know the secret,

it is another to have proof made flesh.

It was decided - no-one should ever see his face.

Who else knows about this?

His fate was agreed by the King, the Queen, my father...

..and the Vatican.

The Church was content to protect the secret, so long...

..so long as France would remain its ally.

But now they wish to destroy me with it.

So what do we do with him now?

We keep him locked up.

I have urgent business. You wish to avoid me?

Certainly not. So when do I get an explanation?

Where is the prisoner?

You need concern yourself with that no longer.

I killed three men for you.

And I am grateful. As is His Majesty.

You know as well as I do,

there are certain things to which we cannot have access.

Let me remind you, your duty is to follow the King's orders.

As is mine.

This is not a good time, Cardinal.

Yes. I imagine His Majesty had quite a trying night.

He found it quite enlightening, in fact.

As did I.

I learned a lot about who can be trusted, and who cannot.

If you'll excuse me... I demand to see the King.

There is a strict protocol, Your Grace...

I've been expecting you, Cardinal.

I'm sure there are days you might wish for a life of quiet anonymity...

..like any other subject.

On the contrary, I fear for France if I were not here,

with any number of dark forces conspiring against her.

That is precisely why you should hear my proposal.

All your ambitions can be realised.

Domination of Europe,

colonisation of the Americas, perhaps, one day...

..even leadership of the Holy Roman Empire.

And in return?

From now on, your geo-political strategy will be decided by Rome.

Huh! You see, the Vatican could be His Majesty's greatest ally,

if he will let it.

And with the Pope supporting you as King, why,

that's as good as being chosen by God himself.

There is a flaw in your reasoning, Cardinal.

The Pope may be God's representative on Earth, but I am born of God.

But you and I...

..both know that is not true.

I am who you see before you.

I am Versailles.

And I have all the power I need.

Not if the truth comes out.

I thought we were taking the fight to the King.

We are. But we're going to be smart about it.

We've got to start by getting the people on our side.

How do you know this'll work? Because I have faith in people.

"People in poverty. King in luxury. No to salt tax."

You're looking for trouble? We're trying to change things.

Yeah, and have me locked up, tortured, or worse?

They'll never know where it came from, I promise.

You put me in a very difficult position, girl.

I'm sorry, but it's gone far enough. We have to do something.

The King is squeezing blood from us every time his horse needs a new stable.

That tends to be true of most kings. Doesn't make it right, does it?

We don't want to be rich, we just want a fair chance.

We want him to treat us with a bit of respect.

And we want the people to know that they're not alone.

Hey, we're all in this together, my friend.

I spend more on taxes than I do on the tools of my trade.

Soon I'll be paying more than I'm earning.

All right.

We'll get you the money somehow. No need.

Some work must come from the heart.

I do not recognise myself.

Neither do I.

I would know you anywhere.

You were a noisy child.

That much I recall.

God has delivered you to us,

and we will ensure your safety and comfort, you have my word.

You must go to him, brother.

I have more important matters to attend to.

What can be more important than speaking to our father?

He's here, under your roof.

You can't just pretend he doesn't exist.

And if he didn't?

We could send him to the colonies.

Let him live out his last days in peace and comfort.

That's the least he deserves.

He jeopardizes our very existence.

He was found once, what if the Church finds him again?

He's our father. We owe him.

I only wish to deal with essential business. Keep it brief.

Excellent news, sire.

Marie-Louise's marriage to Charles of Spain has been consummated.

Congratulations, your Highness.

You must be very proud of your daughter.

Of course. Nothing more important than family, don't you think?

Are there any other matters? No?

One thing, sire. It has come to my attention that an alarming

number of Protestant families appear to be leaving Versailles.

Some have left France altogether.

The Chavagnacs, the Rommillys, the Manns, the Cavanels...

Presumably taking their wealth with them.

Who has granted them permission? No-one, sire.

They're just leaving.

Somehow they have been afforded safe passage.

I want border security reinforced,

with tighter control of everyone leaving our territories.

And if someone within Versailles is helping the Protestants

to leave, I want to know who.

Protestant subterfuge has been discovered,

with many leaving France without permission.

From this moment on, all Protestants of the court

will be confined to the Palace and its grounds until further notice.

Someone has been careless. I have been scrupulous.

One of your "friends" must have talked.

Why would they do that?

Besides, if they knew about you, they'd have arrested you already.

I am the one who's in jeopardy. Hold your nerve, my dear.

And have faith. I am well versed in avoiding trouble.

Why does that not fill me with confidence?

You were missed at mass this morning, sire.

I had matters to attend to.

Something which bothers you?

Do you know who you are?

Of course, sire.

But how can you tell?

How can you know it's not just a fiction?

An invention of those around you.

What if everything you know is made up of lies

and you are not who you think you are,

but who you've been told you are?

Why are you thinking this way?

I thought this place meant the world to me.

But what if I'm wrong?

What if it means nothing?

Versailles means everything to you.

You cannot doubt that.

What is it that is troubling you, my love? Tell me.

Perhaps, when the moment is right.

What can I do for you, Your Grace?

I confess I admire your loyalty to your master.

However misguided.

In fact, it is your dedication that I appeal to now.

I presume you wish your King to flourish and prosper?

That goes without saying.

Then talk to him.

You may be the only one who understands

the deep well he finds himself in.

You must persuade him to accept

the hand of friendship the Church has offered.

As I understand it,

His Majesty is not the one in a position of weakness.

Who do you think we are? Some kind of gentleman's club?

No one man can dictate to the Church.

Of course not, Your Grace.

I have informed His Holiness of recent events here.

If the King does not comply, there will be the most dire consequences.

He needs to understand that this game is far from finished.

Sire, the council is waiting.

Let them wait.

Our troops have taken Strasbourg. As I knew they would.

But it is vital that you decide the next military step,

you cannot leave it to chance.

I won't.

Louvois will know what to do.

And, sire...

Cardinal Leto is urging you to accept the Vatican's support.

You spoke to an enemy of France without my permission?

The Cardinal requested... You, of all people?

I thought I could trust you, after all that has happened.

You can, sire.

My loyalty to you will never waver.

If only that had always been the case.