The Serpent Queen (2022) s02e02 Episode Script

1
[QUEEN OF FRANCE] Previously
on The Serpent Queen
[CATHERINE] It is my intention
to unite the people
behind the king.
Everything I do
is for my children.
[CARDINAL GUISE] This grand tour,
taking the king to the people,
has now gone too far.
Has it ever occurred to you
they're just like us?
Don't be stupid, Margot.
They're nothing like us.
I thought girls liked pretty dresses.
Not all girls.
You must be your own man.
Catherine is the best person to lead.
Consider yourself
a good judge of character?
[CATHERINE] We all have
to evolve, Cardinal.
When France becomes a secular state
Secular state?
But may I remind you, Catherine said
no trade with England.
[LOUIS] Which means you'll have
to get your wife here.
Reseal them and deliver them
as bidden to your masters.
You know the drill.
Mouths shut and your ears open.
What was it you said
to the Privy Council?
Whatever Mother decides.
[LAUGHTER, GRUNTING]
Mother knows best. Wow.
I fear the king
misunderstands my intention.
You'll never be able to govern
by love, only by fear.
France is a tinderbox.
All we have to do is touch a match.
Oh, there's a church not far from here
with an effective preacher,
a young woman.
Whose congregation of infidels
worship their Protestant God.
Have your king make an
unmistakable gesture of respect
for the new religion.
War is inevitable.
I want no part of it.
[THOMAS] I wouldn't be doing this
if it wasn't
for my father being ill.
But a man's profession of love
for another man,
your soldiers would never
take orders again.
I've decided to join my Protestant
subjects in prayer tonight.
Burn it down.
[CHARLES] For now, my mother
will know nothing about it.
[ANTOINE]
History will remember you.
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
Ready my horse.
[DRAMATIC ROCK MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[PEOPLE SCREAMING]
♪
What's going on?
♪
[HERCULE] What's happening?
[ANJOU] Fucked if I know.
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
♪
What is it?
Your brother's missing.
What do you mean missing?
How do you lose a king?
[RAHIMA] He accompanied the
Bourbons to a Protestant service.
♪
Well, find him!
The horses are ready.
[COURT ATTENDANT]
The king is here!
The king is here!
We turned back
as soon as we saw the flames.
Forgive me, Mother.
I should never have left the palace
without your knowledge.
I'm simply relieved
that you're alive and unharmed.
You're not angry?
Oh, my dear boy.
Of course not.
Now, come inside.
It's cold.
All of you.
I-I sense you may be angry,
Your Majesty.
Uh, be-before you react,
you may want to consider
a church of our faith was just attacked.
It's a difficult time.
Perhaps you don't want
to pile on as well.
[LOUIS YELPS]
I will react when and how I want
when my courtiers betray me
and my son, the king, is endangered!
I should have let them chop your
head off when it was on the block.
Now, that's a bit
fucking much, isn't it?
[SHARP SMACK]
And cut yours off personally
when I had the chance.
Right.
Of course.
[LOUIS] Fuck me.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[MONTMORENCY] The church
was burnt to the ground.
It appears there were no survivors.
An unspeakable tragedy.
The doors were locked from the outside,
which means this was not an accident
but a premeditated act.
Who could have done such a thing?
Funny you should ask.
It is our suspicion the
Duke of Guise was responsible.
That's quite an accusation.
I'm assuming
you've got some proof.
[ANTOINE] He was seen
returning to the castle
in the early hours of the morning
with a small military escort.
Precisely the number of men required
to perform such an operation.
Care to tell us
where you were, Francois?
If you must know,
I had personal business
that took me outside
of the palace last night.
Ooh.
Are we to suppose
you were out cottaging?
No.
You're trying to start a war.
I mean, what the fuck, Francois?
What do you expect us to do now?
You do realize we're obliged
to raise an army.
Our people are already
demanding retaliation.
And-and not to mention the fact,
we could have died
in that church with them!
[LOUIS] And when they hear the
Bourbon Princes of the Blood,
not to mention the king,
were almost killed,
we won't be able
to control the Protestants!
So perhaps that was the whole idea!
Hold on, the king attending
a Protestant service
was a provocation unto itself.
Equal to mass murder?
We demand satisfaction!
[CATHERINE] Let me remind you
that the king
did not attend the service,
nor was he hurt,
by the grace of God.
What satisfaction
did you have in mind?
The Duke of Guise
must be tried and prosecuted
for this heinous violation.
By you?
I would be more than willing
to act as an impartial judge
if it came to that.
How do you know
the church wasn't burnt down
by some misguided member
of the public, hmm?
I mean, what do you expect
after you disrespect
their faith and allow a cardinal
of the Catholic Church
to be pushed to the ground
and trampled in the mud?
May I remind you,
if you do raise an army
in the name of the Protestants,
the Crown will have no choice
but to take action
to protect French Catholics.
Will we not, Your Majesty?
Montmorency, what is your opinion?
My opinion is, if it's proven
that the Duke of Guise
is behind this crime,
I will kill him myself.
Good luck with that, old man.
This is your impartial advisor, hmm?
Advocating vigilantism?
The Crown takes
these accusations seriously
and would look disapprovingly
on any house behind such a provocation,
as it would disfavor any house
that needlessly endangered
the life of the king
to further its own agenda.
However, at this time,
I think we should adjourn
until cooler tempers prevail.
Fine, but if you don't do
something to make this right,
you will have a civil war on your hands,
thanks to our cousin.
[CHAIR SCRAPES]
Then war it is.
I had been played, by all of them.
[LOUIS] Hmm. Come on.
I suppose I should
leave you two to talk.
I'm sorry.
I know you lost
someone important to you.
And I assure you, I, too,
want justice for this crime.
But you know as well as I do
that if the pursuit of that justice
leads us to the duke,
it will only bring our people to war.
And it will not bring Edith back.
Forgive me if I'm not ready
to make such calculations.
Well, such calculations are
required if one is to govern.
Then let me put it to you
in terms that you will understand.
The burning of the church
was a deliberate provocation.
The perpetrators must be punished,
no matter who they are.
The legitimacy of the Crown
depends upon it.
The legitimacy of the Crown
depends on the unity
of the French people.
Once we have accomplished that,
then you can cut
the Duke of Guise's throat.
You are the only one who knows
what I'm trying to do.
♪
Can I rely on you?
♪
Always.
Thank you.
♪
Refreshing, isn't it?
Someone who feels entitled
to be motivated
purely by emotion.
♪
Where is he?
In your chambers, Madame.
Tell him to wait.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
Well, our brother, the king,
was almost killed.
Do we not want to talk about it?
- [DOOR CLOSES]
- Talk about what?
[ANJOU] Ah, Your Majesty,
there you are.
Gave us all a fright,
wandering off like that.
I didn't wander off.
But thank you for your concern.
No, you took a chance, and you
went out into the woods,
prepared to make a stand
for religious unity.
And turned and ran like a bitch
at the first sign of trouble.
[LAUGHS]
Isn't that what you were going to say?
No, actually, I wasn't.
Is it really so difficult
for you to believe
I might have actually
been concerned about you?
You are my brother.
I suppose I deserve to be mocked.
Didn't exactly go as planned.
Things rarely do.
And if you can't laugh at yourself
How did Mother take it?
How do you expect?
Has it ever occurred to you that you
might have had it right the first time
and Mother actually does know best?
I mean, you disobeyed her
and nearly got yourself killed.
What further evidence do you need?
Margot, you should
have yourself measured
for a new dress when I'm finished.
Mother says she's tired of
seeing you wear the same one.
I don't need a new dress,
not when so many of our people
are going hungry.
Well, they're not going
to eat a dress, are they?
No, stupid.
I'd give the cost
of the dress to the poor.
That's why they're joining
this church in the first place.
They don't have enough money to eat.
I'm not stupid.
One day, my looks and wit
will attract a royal suitor.
And when I'm queen of some foreign land,
Charles will write to me
and ask for my favor,
and I will consider it.
Well, I hope you will decide
in the king's favor.
Yes, thank you, Hercule.
I just can't stop picturing them
being trapped like that, burned alive.
I wish there was something
I could have done for them.
Wasn't there?
Of course there wasn't.
He's lucky to be alive.
I mean, after all, it was no accident.
What?
The Guises did it. Everyone knows that.
I'm sure even our king knows that.
Why would the Guises
want to burn a church
full of Protestant peasants?
To start a civil war they
presumably think they can win.
Is that true?
We must not rush to judgment, as others
would take the opportunity
to rush to war.
Ah, yes, well said, Your Majesty.
I appreciate your support,
Anjou, if I really do have it.
- You do.
- [CHARLES] I hope so.
Because if you think you
would manage this situation
any better, you're deluded.
The same goes for the rest of you,
which is why you should go ahead
and buy yourself that dress, Margot.
The money you'd give to the
poor wouldn't change a thing.
- You don't know that.
- [CHARLES] Oh, don't I?
Have you thought
about which starving peasant
would benefit from your largesse
or the competition and spite
your act of virtue-signaling
vanity might inspire?
Sounds like a huge
rationalization to do nothing.
[ELISABETH] People need to know
who to follow.
And how do they know who to follow?
The ones in the pretty dresses.
That's how it works, how it always has.
[ANJOU] I couldn't agree more.
Without us to look up to,
they'd have to look
at their own miserable lives.
I mean, they need the pomp,
the ceremony,
the pretty dresses
although, sis, in this case,
that dress is all wrong.
What's wrong with it?
For one, it makes you look hippy,
it emphasizes your tragic lack of tits,
and the color brings to mind
a recovering plague victim.
[ELISABETH] Oh, God, he's right.
No, he's not.
[LAUGHS]
Well, let's see if it looks
any better on you.
Don't mind if I do.
[LAUGHTER]
[MARGOT] You'll rip it.
[PLAYFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[ELISABETH] Oh, God,
it does look better on him.
- [ANJOU] Mm.
- [LAUGHTER]
Just one little thing.
Mm.
[LAUGHS] There we go.
- Merci.
- [LAUGHS]
[LAUGHTER]
You look like a freak.
So what if I do?
We've all got our peccadilloes.
But believe me, no matter how much
you try and suppress things,
they always have a way of
coming out in the end.
So if you and Mummy's little plan
is to simply pretend
what happened at that church
didn't happen, then we're all fucked.
Now, give us a kiss.
Oh, fuck off!
Well, I never.
Avert your eyes, Henri.
Your Majesty.
The queen of Navarre, I believe.
Am I to presume this is
considered acceptable behavior
for a prince in the Valois court?
Well, you are a queen, Madame.
You are to presume what you wish.
Please ignore my brother.
He's an affliction we all must bear.
I don't know what you're giggling at.
Forgive me, Mother.
And to think I came here
because I wanted my son
to spend more time
with his Valois cousins
Hello.
though I see now
this is not suitable company
for the future king of Navarre.
I'd expected more of you, Your Majesty,
if you'll forgive me for saying so.
[ANJOU TSKING]
[JEANNE]
A king must lead by example
if he is to lead at all.
Oh, come on, Henri.
Oh, God.
Has anyone figured out what's
wrong with our cousin yet?
[ANJOU] Need you ask,
with a mother like that?
Probably hasn't had a shag
since her wedding night.
[HERCULE CHUCKLES]
To be honest, I'm not sure
I really want to go to war.
I mean, the stench,
the rations
not to mention the death.
[FINGERS SNAP]
Completely understandable, Antoine.
But we must not abandon principle
for something
as pedestrian as comfort.
- [LOUIS GRUNTING]
- Yes, of course.
Look, this-this armor's
no good, Tancrede.
- Yes, my Lord.
- Yeah.
Catherine will give in to our demands
if she believes we will not
shy away from our duty.
So it's a bluff?
Yes, unless the bluff is called.
Right.
Maybe we should just become Catholics.
It's too late for that.
I thought it was never too late,
you know, to-to-to find the
the Holy-Holy Spirit and confess.
I thought I thought that was
the whole point.
I'd al I'd always sort of
kept that in my back pocket.
Well, sadly, you were wrong.
That ship has sailed.
If destiny calls,
we must fulfill our duty
side by side, brother to brother.
[EXHALES HEAVILY]
[CLEARS THROAT] Amazing I can
still get in the old suit,
don't you think?
- [CHUCKLES]
- You look beautiful.
Oh, thank you, Antoine.
You look like a beautiful egg.
[DOOR OPENS, FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING]
What are you doing here?
Hello to you, too.
It is best you do not visit me
at the palace.
Well, you've never been ashamed
of our association before.
Oh, I'm not ashamed.
But at the moment, it is neither prudent
nor useful for people to suspect
that I practice the dark arts.
Those times have passed.
Oh, I don't know about that.
What began last night
will only end one way.
You may find the dark arts
your best friend.
And what do you know about last night?
I was there.
- And?
- And what?
And the Bourbons
are accusing the Guises.
Is it true?
I think you already know the answer.
[SCOFFS]
Knowing is different from
something that can be proven.
And I would prefer it were not.
Can I count on your discretion?
Well, who am I gonna tell?
I'm just an old man
who lives in the woods.
Of course, it really doesn't
matter who lit the torch.
Fire is coming.
The country can still be united
behind the king.
I've seen it with my own eyes.
It's what the people want.
It's what you want.
The people have no idea
what they desire.
Then they must be told.
And good luck with that.
But I should remind you,
since the beginning of time,
hate has been the easiest story to tell.
Well, I will be on my way.
I won't trouble you again.
- [DOOR CLOSES]
- Easy for him to say.
He lives in the fucking woods.
[SIGHS]
[ANTOINETTE] I've been looking for you.
Oh?
I wanted to congratulate you.
You did well, Francois.
Catherine will not be able
to hold on to this sham peace
much longer.
Word will spread,
neighbor will turn on neighbor,
and the nobility
will be forced to take them
to the battlefield,
where you will have
the decided advantage.
[HORSE NEIGHS SOFTLY]
You must be proud.
It would almost be impressive
if it wasn't so fucking dark.
[FIRE CRACKLING]
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
Your Majesty.
Oh, uh, Your Majesty.
Hmm, I see you are ready
to face this terrible situation
with the courage it requires.
Yeah, absolutely.
We have no choice, Your Majesty.
Our sense of duty compels us.
Tancrede. [CLICKS TONGUE]
Though you betrayed my trust,
I sympathize with your predicament.
A terrible injustice
has been done to your people.
I only wish there were another way.
God, so do I.
Uh, but-but-but we must not
let our people down
when they need us.
Right, yeah,
even if it, um even
it results in our own death,
we are committed.
Unless, of course, the king is persuaded
to prosecute the Duke of Guise
for his crime.
A public beheading would suffice.
Leaving you in the majority
on the Privy Council.
Yes, a happy coincidence.
You know full well that any
prosecution of the Guises
would lead the Crown into direct
conflict with the Catholic population.
Well, it sounds like you
have a choice to make
war with the Protestants
or war with the Catholics.
Unless there were another way.
- We're listening.
- Uh, uh, s-s-skeptically.
- Skeptically, of course.
- Yeah.
Montmorency says
there were no survivors,
which means there are
no witnesses to testify.
I mean, the Cardinal could be right.
This could be the act of a few
disgruntled individuals
who could be found
and publicly executed for their crime.
And you expect us to accept that?
Yes, because then the Crown
would be free to pursue your trade deal
with Queen Elizabeth.
I mean, I imagine the Protestants
would be appeased by such an alliance,
leaving the Catholics unprovoked
by the prosecution of the duke.
And the House of Bourbon
would stand to be significantly
enriched by the deal.
I mean, it might take the sting
out of you missing
your date with destiny.
There's always another way, isn't there?
I tend to think so.
We might consider such a solution.
- Big of you.
- Mm.
And if you were to put aside
your grievance,
I mean, how might you proceed
with the English?
Well, Antoine has already made
the significant personal sacrifice
of inviting his wife to court.
Which has been extremely challenging.
I'm grateful for your sacrifice.
As luck would have it, Jeanne has a
rather heavy-breathing correspondence
going with Queen Elizabeth's
ardently Protestant advisor,
Lord Throckmorton.
Apparently, they like to debate
the early sermons of Calvin,
which just sounds like
elaborate foreplay, if you ask me.
[LOUIS]
I suggest we send her over
to test the waters
with the English court,
vouch for our intentions, our faith,
that we can be trusted,
see what we get in reply.
All right.
Put word out that we are entering
into negotiations with England.
But do not agree to any terms
without my prior approval.
Our deal with England
must be finalized
only when the time is right.
Of course.
Well, then war is averted.
[SIGHS] A relief.
Bravo, us!
[LOUIS AND ANTOINE CHUCKLE]
[DOOR OPENS]
- [DOOR CLOSES]
- And thank fuck for that.
[CHUCKLES] Tancrede?
You may put away all the armor.
Yes, my Lords.
[ANTOINE]
We're not going to battle.
Good. Good, my Lords.
[LOUIS] Mm.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
♪
- Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
♪
I suppose it's you
I should be talking to.
Me?
I'm here visiting my children.
I know you're the one
responsible for undermining
the peace I have worked so hard
to establish in France,
as I know you two invertebrates
take your orders from Mummy.
Are you sure you want to talk
about spineless sons?
- We've met yours, remember?
- Shut up!
[GLASS THUDS ON TABLE]
I have news for you
and your incestuous brood.
I will not be provoked
by your petty machinations.
I did not drag my family all over France
to every miserable village,
hovel, and slum
so that this country
could be destroyed by war.
I did it for peace,
and that peace will hold,
even if I have to protect your firstborn
from the justice he deserves.
I presume you were not so stupid
as to leave any survivors
that might identify you.
I mean, that would be most inconvenient.
Good.
Then I see no reason to prosecute.
I knew you were a woman of reason.
However, I'm not sure Montmorency's
gonna go along with that.
He seems to have what I would consider
an unhealthy attachment
to that preacher.
Montmorency will do as I tell him.
You got him on a short leash,
haven't you?
I think that's best for all involved.
In the meantime, the Protestants
will be appeased by the court's opening
of trade negotiations with England.
Are you mad?
You forced my hand.
But I forgive you.
In fact, I have decided
that the House of Guise,
along with the rest
of the Catholic nobility,
will fund the construction
of a grand palace
in the center of Paris
along the banks of the Seine,
a palace that will make all Frenchmen
proud to be the subjects of their king,
regardless of their faith.
And did I mention
it will be very expensive?
[LAUGHS]
We will do no such thing.
Oh, yes, you will,
unless you would rather
I arrest your son
and put him in the dungeon
while I gather the evidence
of the crime I already know he committed
and then chop off his head.
[ANTOINETTE] If you arrest
the Duke of Guise,
the Catholics will rise up and revolt.
Yes.
But, then, if I let you succeed
in sowing the division you seek,
we will already be at war.
You see, at least my way,
I get to keep his head as a souvenir.
Sooner or later,
you will have to take a side.
I am on the side of France.
[SCOFFS]
What a pretty idea.
[SCOFFS]
She has a gift
for condescension, doesn't she?
Okay. Well, you can
ask the landed gentry,
but I'm telling you now,
they're a tight-fisted bunch.
Nothing the rich hate more than charity.
Mm, we only need one to agree,
and then the rest will clamor to join in
for fear of losing face.
So who is that lucky one?
I have just the person.
[MAJESTIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[DOOR OPENS]
[ANGELICA] Your Majesty,
sorry to keep you waiting.
[DOOR CLOSES]
♪
Madame de Poitiers will see you now.
♪
Even from beyond the grave,
my husband finds ways to humiliate me.
♪
[FALCON SQUAWKING]
♪
Hello, cousin.
Cousin.
How good of you to make the time.
Yes, sorry to keep you waiting.
Funny how busy idleness can make you.
Ever done any falconry?
[CATHERINE] Can't say that I have.
Mm, first thing you learn
is to control what the bird sees.
Unless he's hunting,
he lives in total darkness.
Therefore, he is distilled
to a single instinct.
Look how proud he is.
Things are always most beautiful
when they are doing
what they were meant to do.
Don't you agree?
[DISTANT LAUGHTER AND CHATTER]
I see your daughters are visiting.
Yes.
I'd introduce you,
but there's little point.
You see, they despise me.
Not that I can blame them
I gave all my love to your children.
Shall we walk?
You can tell me all the news.
I heard you'd found a way
to elevate your status.
In fact, I've heard
you have lots of angles.
Same as you.
But I'm loyal.
An overrated quality,
I think you'll find.
Meaning?
[ANGELICA] Just that
you're right not to depend
on Catherine's largesse.
People can't help but take
advantage of each other,
no matter what they say.
It's just in our nature
to take advantage first.
Furthermore, you're pretty,
which always leads to problems.
And am I to presume your place
is secure because you are not?
Hardly.
I face problems of a different kind.
Turns out, I'm ambitious.
And I don't like being handmaid
to an out-of-work aristocrat.
[CATHERINE]
How lovely you have made Anet.
Everyone says
what a wonderful eye you have.
Yes.
I have become a decorator,
while you run the country.
As you said, people are at their best
doing what they were born to do.
You banished me from court.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
I suppose I can't blame you.
We both played well.
I lost.
You were a grown woman
when you seduced my husband,
and he was but a boy.
I would not call that a game.
No, and I was raped when I was a girl,
as you were sent off to marry a stranger
when you were still a child.
Whatever sickness you see
in me is not in me alone.
It is the family business.
All we can do is try not
to pass our deformities
on to our children.
Everything I do
is to make sure my children
do not have to endure
what I went through.
[DIANE] Then they have nothing
to fear.
I did love them, you know.
I love them still,
more than my own flesh.
It is a-a steep price to pay.
Everyone paid a price.
Indeed.
♪
Angelica!
Yes, Madame.
I'm cold.
So what is it you want from me?
I can only assume this
is not a friendly visit,
especially after the burning
of that Protestant church.
Is France at war?
Not if you can help me.
You remain one of the
wealthiest women in France.
My husband gave you land,
vast forests that fuel our smelts,
ships that carry our goods,
even interests in overseas ventures.
not to mention gowns and jewels
worth many fortunes.
You see, I could have taken it all back.
But I didn't.
And now I'm faced with the
significant irony of needing your help.
It is my intention to prevent war
by uniting the country
behind a great public work,
a palace along the Seine,
only I can't afford it.
And I thought if you want
to be known for something
other than your good taste,
you might want to donate to the cause.
What I want,
what I hope,
is the satisfaction of a useful life.
To that end, I would only ask
a small favor in return.
You may ask.
According to French law,
my estate can only pass
along the male line.
I would like my daughters
to inherit what I leave behind
so they may have a semblance of freedom.
♪
Once the funds for the palace
are completed,
I will change the law.
I accept your terms.
[CATHERINE]
I have one more favor to ask.
Soon I must travel to Italy to secure
more funds for the building project.
It does mean, however, that
my children will be left alone,
and I fear there is
the usual sibling rivalry.
And I need someone to keep
an eye on them whilst I'm away,
and I thought that person
might be you.
I am to be matron?
You spoke of your love
for them, after all.
They will resent it, of course.
I will be discreet.
Thank you.
Do you ever think of
what we might have accomplished
had we been allowed to be friends?
Cousin
we were never going to be friends.
♪
Some wounds do not heal.
♪
What was all that about?
Are we back in favor?
I am.
Don't know about you.
♪
[JEANNE]
Really, I tell you, Antoine,
the immorality in this court
is singular.
I don't know how you put up with it.
No, nor do I.
You probably don't even notice anymore,
having been corrupted by their ways.
Yeah, probably.
But I, for one, see a direct line
between the moral rot here at the palace
and the burning
of that poor girl's church.
Really, it's such a terrible business.
And imagine, I could have been inside.
Oh, yes, I have.
Would have been something
to have a martyr in the family.
I appreciate the sentiment I think.
Perhaps, um, a trip across the Channel
would be a welcome break
from our Valois cousins.
- England?
- Indeed.
Why on Earth would I go there?
I agreed to help you
with the trade deal
if you held up your end
of the bargain.
But the king did not go
to the church, nor did you.
No, but the rules of engagement
have changed.
Oh?
[ANTOINE] Catherine has agreed
to embrace the deal.
And why would she do that?
Because I persuaded her.
Don't obfuscate, Antoine.
You couldn't persuade
anyone of anything.
She's trying to appease
the Protestants.
Well, yeah, that too,
not to mention the fact that
she could do with the money
as could we, by the way.
Well, if there is now
an actual change of policy,
I suppose I could do
with a change of scene.
Do you good and give you a chance
to rub up with your old chum
Throckmorton.
Choosing to ignore that.
Yeah.
I shall leave Henri here with you.
What? But-but-but why?
I mean, you know,
the-the-the-the-the-the
immorality and-and all of that.
Oh, he has a strong sense of discipline.
It would do you good to spend
some time with your son
- [GROANS SOFTLY]
- especially after coming
so near to death.
Perhaps your priorities might realign.
Right.
[JEANNE] Good night, Antoine.
Good night.
Fuck's sake.
[SIGHS]
[SOMBER MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
What are you doing here?
Same as you paying our respects.
♪
Notice anything odd?
No bodies.
No fire on Earth burns that hot.
Flesh from the bones, perhaps,
but leave the skeleton behind.
And yet there are none.
Praise the Lord.
I don't believe in miracles.
The doors were locked,
and there are no bodies.
♪
[ALL PRAYING SOFTLY]
♪
- I didn't think you'd come.
- Of course.
[THOMAS] Are you angry
because I gave your letters
to your mother?
You sold them to her.
[THOMAS] My father is sick.
[FRANCOIS] I would have given you money.
[THOMAS] I was too proud.
But I regret it.
Your letters were the most
beautiful things I owned.
You heard about the fire at the church.
I heard something about it.
They say the lady preacher led
those people right through the flames,
as if God reached down
and lifted them up.
What are you talking about?
There are no survivors.
[THOMAS]
They say it was a miracle.
That means we can all be forgiven
for the bad things we've done.
♪
I came here to ask you to forgive me
for what I've done to you.
♪
Of course.
Can I ask you something?
Did you mean
those lovely things you wrote?
♪
With all my heart.
♪
[THOMAS GRUNTING]
♪
Move.
The king doesn't want to be disturbed.
Who's a bad, dirty boy?
You disgust me.
[GASPS]
Get out!
Forgive me.
[DOOR CLOSES]
Do you have children?
Yes.
A challenge, I'm sure you'll agree.
If you breathe a word of this to anyone,
you'll never see your children again.
Is that understood?
Good.
Heavy is the crown.
[SPRIGHTLY PIANO MUSIC PLAYING]
♪
As I prepared to return
to my homeland,
I entrusted the kingdom
to my children.
♪
I thought she hated Italy.
Well, that's how much she loves us.
[MARGOT CHUCKLES]
♪
When I return, I shall build
the greatest palace in Europe
in your name
so that all Frenchmen can be
proud of your achievements.
I shall try to be worthy.
You are king, God's chosen.
[WHISPERING] People will only see you
as you see yourself.
Look at me.
I believe in you.
Thank you, Mother.
[CATHERINE] Now, do not forget.
Charles is your king first
and your brother second.
You must obey him and show him loyalty.
And I speak especially to you, Anjou.
Otherwise, you will
have me to deal with.
Mother, you overestimate me.
I'm all bark.
Then bark less.
[MARGOT CHORTLES]
[RAHIMA CHUCKLES]
I trust you to take care of your
younger siblings while I'm gone.
I'll do my best.
[WHIMSICAL MUSIC PLAYS]
- I shall send word.
- [MARGOT] Really?
I can't remember the last time
I got a letter from you.
Well, there's always a first time.
And if I have let you down in the past,
please allow me to surprise you.
You may not know it, but you are always
at the forefront of my mind.
All of you.
We will miss you.
My sweetest boy.
♪
I trust you to keep the peace
while I am gone,
for the sake of my children.
Of course.
The kids come first, Your Majesty.
Always, always.
♪
Glad you've decided to behave yourself.
Piss off.
Pigs need fucking, do they?
Not gonna fuck themselves!
Shh, shh, shh.
♪
[MARGOT] Is it true?
Is what true?
Did you set fire to that church?
That's what people are saying.
I'm a soldier.
I don't burn innocent people.
[CHUCKLES]
[SIGHS] I knew it.
What did you know?
That you're a good man.
[COURTLY MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[SCOFFS]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[HORSE NEIGHS]
♪
Any word from Aabis?
No one's seen her or her assistant.
Perhaps I overestimated her loyalty.
I thought you should know,
there's a rumor going around.
There may have been
some survivors from the church.
It's just a rumor.
Well, let's hope it stays that way.
[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS]
Otherwise, we might all just be fucked.
♪
[OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS]
♪
[HORSE GRUMBLING, BIRD HOOTING]
♪
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
[EDITH] As God led the Israelites
through the desert
♪
He led us through the fire.
♪
He who sees all things
and knows all men's hearts
knows that no man
is better than you.
♪
And if those who call themselves
our kings and queens
will not protect us
♪
if they will insist
on their lives of decadence
and corruption while we starve
♪
then they are no longer
our kings and queens.
♪
For our king is in heaven.
♪
And we must rise up
in His name here on Earth.