Sacrifice

 

Sacrifice
Season 1, Episode 10
Air date	January 30, 2014
Written by	P.K. Simonds Daniel Sinclair
Directed by	Rachel Talalay
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"Pagans give thanks with what is most vital to us."

—Sebastian

Synopsis

An Attempt Is Made on Bash's Life
When a plot to kill Bash goes wrong, Queen Catherine is suspected of orchestrating it. Mary offers to help free a wrongly imprisoned pregnant peasant named Isobel (Amy Forsyth) who has a mysterious tie to Bash. Meanwhile, Lola blackmails Queen Catherine to keep her from trying to ruin Mary and Bash, whose bond continues to grow.

Plot

Mary walks in on Sebastian practicing sword fighting with his new mentor, Alec, and tells him that his presence is needed in the throne room. Now acting regent in King Henry's absence, Bash must go out and prove to the royal audience that he is a capable ruler. As Bash sits on the throne, the people come to him with grievances that nearly bore him to death. After rendering his judgement on the dispute over chickens and goats, his next case is brought before him. A man alleges that a pregnant woman broke into his house and stole from him. Bash freezes on the spot when locking eyes with the woman, as it becomes clear that they know each other. However, he quickly snaps out of his trance and orders the woman be arrested and her house searched, leading him to his third appointment of the day: a woman who claims to be honoured to be in the presence of the future King of France. When she gets too close, she is tackled by Alec, who comes up with a poisoned blade that she had hidden in her sleeve that she intended to use on Bash. Mary storms into the tower where Queen Catherine is being held and confronts her about the attempt on Bash's life. Mary tries to get her to admit to orchestrating it, but Catherine doesn't let anything slip. To make life harder for Catherine, Mary orders the room to be emptied of all the lavish amenities that Catherine had it outfitted with. Mary returns to Bash and finds Alec with a cut on his hand, inflicted by the blade as it was poisoned. The pregnant robber is also there. Bash reveals his ties to her and his plan to sneak her into a safe place. He must not be caught doing so, because if anyone learns of their connection, Bash could never be king. As such, Mary's ladies disguise Isobel, who is nearing the time of labor, in fancy clothes to make her look like a noble to get past the guards, through the passage-ways, and out into the stables. Mary invites herself along, with Bash set to go one direction and Mary leaving with Isabel in another before the two meet up at another location, while Mary's ladies are to stay behind and gather evidence that Catherine was the one behind the assassination attempt on Bash. A hungry, increasingly furious Catherine gets a visit from Lord Hugo and motivates him to continue working with her in spite of risking Henry's wrath. Since Bash didn't die from the poisoned blade, they have to contrive another plan. This time, they will have guards follow Bash and Isobel and kill them, having their bodies tell the tale of a "half-wit bastard and his secret whore". Since the ladies can't find a way to stop Catherine, they at least agree to slow her down. A safe distance away from the castle, Bash meets up with Isobel and Mary when they stop to rest. Bash tells Alec to stay with his cousin, while he and Mary leave to keep watch. Bash describes how he's been sort of like a big brother to Isobel and protected her from all the harm that could befall a woman as alone as she is. With the guards on their tail, the group decides to hide in the Blood Wood. Kenna, Lola, and Greer go to the tower to watch over Catherine, who proceeds to tear into all three of them. Lola is the only one who is able to stand up for herself, warning the queen if she left a single scarp of evidence of her involvement in Bash's assassination attempt, they will find it. Back in the woods, Isobel's water breaks and since she can't give birth in a moving carriage, they decide to stay in the woods until she delivers the child. While Bash goes to fetch water for Isobel, Mary tends to Isobel and listens as she wonders whether Bash is shrewd enough to be king. Isobel's contractions start as to happen closer together, leading her closer to giving birth. Kenna is on guard duty at Catherine's door while Catherine tries to intimidate her into leaving Mary's service. It doesn't work. Mary goes outside the tent to get more water when she hears strange noises and finds a pagan symbol hanging up. She knocks it down and runs back to the tent terrified. As she's telling the group what she just saw, the candles dim and the pagans behind circling their tent on horseback. Alec, Isobel, and Bash repeat a prayer that keeps the pagans inside and results in one of their horses being sacrificed instead of them. When the pagans leave, Mary accuses all three of her group of being pagans and heretics and storms out of the tent. Bash goes after her and waits for her to stop hurling insults at him so that he can explain. He tells her that the horse was slaughtered by a violent sect that derives from the faith, but most pagans are just like them. They only have an idea of God that differs from theirs. Before Mary can say anything, Alec calls them back to the tent. Inside, Mary helps Isobel deliver a healthy baby girl. Lola goes to Catherine and presents her with two letters. One authorized the opening of a gold chest to fund a celebration held in Bash's honour, while the other contains instructions to hire a villager to attack Bash. Although both letters are forged, if the second one were handed to Henry, it would be enough to open an investigation on Catherine, during which any of her guards may rat her out under torture. Early in the morning, Mary apologizes to Bash for what she said about paganism and warns him that if he agrees to her proposal, things are going to move very quickly and soon enough, he'll become the King of Scotland, England, and France. He would do anything for his family, in spite of the risk to himself or his country, which is why she believes he may not want the crown. Just then, Alec alerts them that Isobel is in trouble and Bash arrives in the tent just in time for his cousin to tell him to take care of the baby and bleed out, dying in his arms. The body is taken to the castle and the baby to the court nursery, with the latter especially nerve-wracking due to the pagan symbol Isabel put on the baby's foot, which is a way to distinguish babies in the eyes of their gods. Bash lies to Lord Hugo that he found Isabel in the woods after he fled the dungeon and killed her when she tried to attack him. When Lord Hugo inquires about the child that was in her belly, Bash claims that the wolves have eaten it. Bash stands over Isobel's grave when Mary joins him. He cuts his hand and lets blood drop on it, as is pagan tradition, and Mary does the same. When Bash vows to always put her above his country, she kisses him.

Quotes

Alec: Learn to expect the blade you can't see.

Queen Mary: So you are going to continue with your attempts on Bash?
Queen Catherine: Mary, sweet Mary. I don't attempt to do anything. I do it.

Queen Catherine: I'm still locked in a tower, am I not?

Queen Catherine: Kenna, well, let's be kind and call her a seductress.

Queen Catherine: The longer I am made to wait, the more creative I will become in my retribution!

Lord Hugo: The price of new friends has gone up.

Queen Catherine: The three of you have come to buck each other up because I'm so frightening?

Queen Catherine: So, you're the strong one. Are you also the smart one, Lola?

Queen Catherine: You're not smart enough to survive at court. But you are pretty enough to land a good husband and lead a nice quite life.

Queen Catherine: Where are you going? I'm not done abusing you.

Lady Lola: I don't care why you abuse your power. I just want it taken away from you. Forever.

Sebastian: Pagans give thanks with what is most vital to us.

Notes

• 'Sacrifice' refers to the Pagans looking for someone to sacrifice in the woods.
• Prince Francis, Diane de Poitiers, Colin MacPhail and King Henry are all mentioned, but do not appear.
• This marks the first episode Prince Francis does not appear.
• Queen Catherine is locked away in The Tower.
• Sebastian survives a second attempt on his life.
• Isobel Derant gives birth to a baby girl.
• Isobel Derant's passing marks the 25th death of Reign.
• The path that Mary had Clarissa mark from passageways to the stables is still intact.
• Greer is revealed to be a skilled forger.

Characters

Actor	Character
Adelaide Kane	Queen Mary
Megan Follows	Queen Catherine
Torrance Coombs	Sebastian
Celina Sinden	Greer Norwood
Caitlin Stasey	Lady Kenna
Anna Popplewell	Lady Lola
Guest Starring
Ted Atherton	Lord Hugo
Daniel Fathers	Alec
Amy Forsyth	Isobel Derant
Jeanie Calleja	Jean

	Character debut
	Speaking debut
	Episode debut