22. Slaughter of Innocence

Complete story — includes the ending

Due to King Henry's increasing madness, Prince Francis, Queen Mary and Queen Catherine all devise a coup. Christian advises Queen Mary to lay claim to England in order to inspire the French to rally around her. At the jousting match celebrating the victory at Calais, Queen Mary wears the English coat of arms. King Henry, jealous of the response Queen Mary gets, decides to participate in the joust himself. It is revealed that Prince Francis secretly switched with the opposing knight, Sir Montgomery, and mortally wounds his father for to sake and stability of the realm of France. On his deathbed, the King's sanity returns; he makes Queen Catherine promise to befriend Lady Diane, and confesses to Prince Francis that he poisoned his own elder brother to become king, therefore warning Prince Francis not to betray those he loves most. King Henry dies and Francis is proclaimed king. Leith returns with rewards but Greer, though she still loves him, refuses to marry him, saying it is not enough.
Profoundly heartbroken, Leith declares he will become more successful but will never return to her. Leith flirts with a woman named Yvette (Sarah Winter), not knowing that she is Castleroy's daughter. Bash saves Lady Kenna and Pascal from "the Darkness", revealing it to be a nothing but a mere human man, whom claims that blood sacrifices are necessary to appease the gods and keep the plague at bay, but Bash kills him. Queen Mary receives a letter from Lady Lola that she is in labour and possibly dying. Queen Mary finally tells King Francis he is the father of Lola's illegitimate child, just as news arrives that the plague has risen just as the Darkness predicted. Queen Mary tries to convince King Francis to stay, but he insists on going to Lola. Queen Mary closes the gate behind him when he leaves.