5. In a Clearing

Complete story — includes the ending

March 1560: Queen Catherine reads the letter from the embalmer that states the date when he received Francis's body. The note reads "March 29th, 1560" as when Francis's body was received; Sebastian also mentions that Francis was put in his coffin just "two days" later, meaning Francis's death is around the end of March 1560. Francis has been seemingly cured of all ills thanks to Delphine. Mary agrees to a new proposal of peace from Elizabeth and signs an accord to give up her claim to the English throne. However, Nostradamus returns to warn Catherine and Francis that he has had another vision of Francis's death. Francis agrees to take precautions, but leaves the castle with Mary on a trip to Paris. Along the way they stop to swim in a lake, and Queen Mary is kidnapped by bandits. Francis comes to her rescue but is hurt in the melee. King Francis, dying, asks Queen Mary to stay in France until Charles is king and the regency is secured, and professes his wish that Mary fall in love again one day. Francis then dies in Queen Mary's arms. Queen Mary, suspecting that Elizabeth was behind the bandits, confronts Nicholas in a sheer fury and burns the accord. Later Mary learns that the bandits were Scottish Protestants hoping to assassinate her. Bash and Delphine break the spell that was binding them together, and investigate the mysterious murders, tracking them down to a man that rips out people's hearts.