Reign

Previously on "Reign"... Catherine: For god's sake, go to him.

Is the king all right?

Guard: The king is dead!

I remember holding you in my arms when you were this little.

Who are you talking to?

Don't you recognize your own father?

What did you just say?

Did I say something, your grace?

As a royal, you're given your position by birth,

Or marriage,

But your power comes from nobles.

Eduard: Villagers are burning the homes of the infected.

Those are the holdings you were counting on.

I think you know who was really responsible

For your son's death.

You are. And you will learn never to cross me again.

Catherine: A banquet for 1,200,

A military parade all with new uniforms

Featuring blood red satin sashes of my own design.

Now, as for entertainment,

Dancing elephants were proposed.

I thought that was a bit excessive.

We went with a golden-horned unicorn.

What? You look displeased.

We just came through a plague

That decimated the region's populace.

Famine follow plague,

And people are dying of starvation every day.

We spent a fortune on father's funeral.

We have massive war debts from father's campaign,

Much of it owed to our guests.

Hmm, so you're saying my preparation for your coronation

Is in poor taste? No, I'm only saying...

It's not just poor taste.

It's grotesque,

Unaffordable and shameful.

Excellent.

That's precisely the effect I was aiming for.

Your coronation is not about affordability.

It's about survival.

Leaders from 50 countries will be here this week,

Staying in those pavilions.

They are lions,

Studying our every move for signs of weakness.

If we economize, if we dither about expenses in any way,

We look like the wounded gazelle we truly are,

Begging our foes to align with our enemies,

Test our borders, challenge our interests.

From there, it is a short slide

To our severed heads riding on pikes.

What good does it do us to pretend

To be strong if it bankrupts us?

Truly, francis, I don't know why

She's even in this conversation.

Didn't you promise the nobles you'd muzzle her?

Muzzle? That is what you told lord narcisse.

The man controls 90% of the grain in the region.

In a famine, that is not just wealth.

That is power.

What grain?

Lord narcisse has delivered nothing but excuses.

A new one every day.

I imagine he might've be more cooperative

Had you not murdered his son.

What I did was justice, not murder.

All right, the both of you, enough.

Mary understands that she needs to take a step back

Until after the coronation.

Mary understands?

Doesn't look that way to me.

Mary willingly played along to fool narcisse.

She will continue to "know her place"

Until we have gotten his grain.

And if he offers nothing but more delays,

I have another plan.

I'm negotiating with young lord ducasse for his harvest.

You've been busy.

And behind narcisse's back.

He won't like it.

Lions study our every move.

What better time than my coronation to show them

That we can feed our own people?

One way or another, that is what I'll do.

Mary?

Francis, I understand you need me to play the part.

The pretense will help keep narcisse quiet

And give us a better chance at his grain.

And it won't hurt to show the nobles,

Many twice my age, that if you obey me, they can, too.

Are all powerful men so insecure?

A few.

Many.

Most.

Summoner: Quiet outside.

I need quiet.

The dead do not shout.

I cannot tell you their words

If I cannot hear them.

Is there some spirit you're expecting to hear from?

Francis?

Is anything wrong?

Nothing.

I must find lord ducasse to discuss our deal for his grain.

He promised me an answer soon.

Coronation day. A new king.

And the king's child publicly claimed.

Land and title both.

You must be so happy.

I suppose I must be.

Will you visit your summer home before the chill?

Hope to.

It's beautiful this time of year.

Lady lola will visit her new château, of course.

The little baron will be so happy there.

Lady kenna, what about you?

Poor thing-- lost her home in one of those

Horrid plague fires. That's no fun, is it?

Not really, no.

I did not think I'd ever wear a gown again.

Three days until the coronation,

And a dress for every occasion.

It's not fair. Where's our new château?

You are the king's deputy.

I love lola like a sister, but the idea that unnamed baby

Has been granted vast holdings.

Since when was there any land available?

There isn't.

Not within two days' ride of the job

You begged me to take at the castle.

Yes, but don't forget the title that comes with it.

Do you know what a title like that would've meant to me?

Baron sebastian instead of bastard sebastian?

In other words, we cannot begrudge lola and her child

Any gifts they may receive, if it makes life easier

For them than it was for you and your mother.

In those words exactly.

Still,

What does a baby need with all that land anyway?

When do we get what we deserve? Hmm?

Is that? It is.

The prince of conde.

Here for the coronation.

We should make him welcome.

Hello.

Louis, I don't believe I've had the pleasure.

This is my new friend.

We only just met.

: Why don't you wait for me at my pavilion.

I'll be there in a moment.

Majesty. Greer.

Have you come here to make me feel welcome?

I believe you've quite managed that on your own.

Is that judgment in your tone?

Mary: Uh, I'm sure she intends

Only admiration.

You've moved on quite adroitly from your lady friend

After she shipped off to amsterdam.

What was her name again?

Lady doutzen, I think.

So much admiration from you both.

I think it's more than I can bear.

Majesty.

She's a courtesan.

I know.

Did you notice her eyes?

One was blue and the other was green.

It's a shame about lord conde.

I thought he might make a suitable match for lola.

He's pleasant enough to look at, but I think lola prefers a man

Who doesn't measure love by the hour.

Lola: Francis.

You're the king,

So I suppose you can dismiss people as you please,

But I wish when it's one of our nannies you'd consult me first.

Caroline was my favorite.

Such a gentle touch with the baby.

I'm sorry, but when I visited the nursery,

I found the baby alone.

Caroline was nowhere in sight.

That doesn't sound like her.

She's devoted to the child. Lola, forgive me,

I don't have time to discuss household arrangements.

But... Later. Please.

Did you talk to lord ducasse about his grain?

No. He postponed his arrival until tonight.

Narcisse: Your majesty.

Lord narcisse.

I didn't hear back from you and expected an answer.

I had no idea. About what?

My grain, really, if your promise is still good.

Yes, well, that's a sad story.

Still? Hmm.

A workforce decimated by the plague.

And those who can work, forever making excuses not to.

They're too hungry to work.

Too sad from the loss of their families and friends.

It's pitiful, really.

So many different words

To describe simple laziness.

I'm sorry to hear it.