Reign Recap S1E10: Sacrifice

Poor Bash, he gets the girl, and gets his butt tossed around by his new sword master. He’s failed to do his royal duties. Mary reminds him of his duties, that the nobles may not be on his side, but that she is in his corner. Mary apologizes for getting him into this mess, but he willingly accepted.

 Bash listens to the peasants problems, and there’s a murmur over his judgment. He’s being flippant on the throne, and Mary reminds him of the importance of his job. Lord Hugo presents the next case, a thievery one involving a very pregnant girl, which brings about Bash’s interest. He seems to know the girl. He makes no immediate rule, but allows the guards to search the house, and orders the girl to stay as that is done. A woman comes forward wanting to get a closer look at the handsome regent, but she’s got a knife up her sleeve. Before she can get to Bash, his sword master intervenes and gets him to safety.

Mary comes to visit the former Queen, Catherine, who is set up in high fashion, which Mary is not pleased about. Mary tells her that someone tried to kill Bash, but she reveals nothing. Mary cannot marry Francis for fear of his life. The Queen warns her that she does not attempt to do anything, she does it, but Mary isn’t playing. She has everything removed from the Queens room, ooh she is not pleased.

Mary tells Bash that she visited the Queen, and the swordsman, Alec was wounded, which is why Catherine was so interested in knowing if Bash was injured. The blade was poisoned, but Alec says that the poultice he has should take care of it. Bash reveals that the thief girl is kin of his. And that his uncle, her father was a traitor, if that information was revealed he could never be king.

Alec bribed a guard to release Isabelle. The guards searching her home will find a link to her father’s treason, and then torture her until she gives him up. He plans to get her to safety. Mary doesn’t like the plan but agrees, and she plans to hide her. As Mary’s ladies in waiting dress Isabelle, Mary sees that she’s about to give birth soon. Mary comes up with an alternative plan that Mary and Isabelle will leave in a carriage, and Bash will ride in the opposite direction, leading the dogs off their scent. Mary leaves her ladies in charge of keeping Catherine cut off.

Catherine is not taking captivity well. As she calls the castle down, Lord Hugo comes to calm her. She asks why her attempt did not work, and Hugo reveals all. She offers Hugo big rewards, but he’s not likely to receive them. She tells him that they have to make sure that Bash’s body is found with his dead whore’s, and they expect he’ll make a run with her soon. The Queen asks that the next time Hugo comes to her he brings her some decent food, but he promises to deliver her crown.

Mary’s carriage leaves the castle, Bash rides off with them. The woman who made the attempt on Bash is missing, and the ladies plot how to get evidence against the Queen. The swords master stops to rest the horses. Bash and Mary go for a walk, and he tells her the relations between he and Isabelle. He’s been like a brother to her.  They see that guards are close behind, and their trajectory changes, they’re going through the Bloodwoods.

The girls further take away Catherine’s table to punish her. They tell her that their faces are the only ones they’ll see. The Queen tries to intimidate the girls, but Lola doesn’t fall prey to her threats and sees that she did in fact have a hand in the attempt on Bash.

Isabelle goes into labor when they hit the Bloodwoods. There’s no way that they can continue until she has the baby. So they’ll stop just long enough for her to give birth, and then continue no matter the time of day or night. Her labor is progressing, but she’s very thirsty. Mary sends Bash off to get her water, and Isabelle has a chance to speak alone with Mary. Mary isn’t how she thought she would be, she thought royals were far meaner.

Catherine tries to be “friendly” with Kenna, her current guard. She tells Kenna she’s not smart enough for court, but she is pretty enough to land a good husband. Catherine thinks that Bash is good and gone, and reveals far more than she intends. Kenna thanks her and leaves.

Mary leaves Isabelle in Alec’s and Bash’s hands during labor to get more water, and she sees signs of the pagans. She’s almost in hysterics as she tells them that she took the symbols down, thinking that they were marking them for sacrifice. Alec extinguishes the lights, and the pagans close in. Alec and Bash chant to keep the pagans away. They kill something outside of the tent. They slaughtered one of the horses, and left them in peace. Mary thinks they’re all pagans, but Bash doesn’t deny them. He tells her that he’s catholic just as she is, Alec and Isabelle are pagan, but that doesn’t make them the enemy. They just see something different when they see God. The ones that slaughtered the horse are from a different sect of the pagan religion that worship something in the woods that crave blood. Alec comes to tell them that the baby is coming. Mary delivers to Isabelle a healthy baby, and seeing that beautiful baby changes something in Mary when she looks at Bash.

Lola comes to visit Catherine. Lola thanks Catherine for her slip up. Her taunting of Kenna gave her an idea, they needed a letter from Catherine’s hand. And Greer did the rest. Lola has a very incriminating letter that frames the Queen, and one that will make the King investigate if he sees it. Another letter throws Bash quite the coming out. Catherine wonders why Lola is doing what she is, and she reveals that Catherine had her love put to death, and she wants nothing more than to see Catherine lose everything.

Mary apologizes for what she said last night, but Bash blows it off as fear. But Mary isn’t done. She knows that Bash is noble and kind and would do anything for his family, and getting the crown will only make things worse for him. Mary wants him to have a choice whether he wants this or not. Alec tells them that something is wrong with Isabelle, she’s still bleeding. She dies but not before she has Bash vow to care for her child as he has her.

If Mary foesn’t melt seeing the baby in Bash’s arms nothing will. They give the baby away to keep her safe. Mary notices the baby’s foot was marked.

Lord Hugo asks after Bash, and he tells him that he found her when he was out hunting. Hugo tried to fish, to get Bash to reveal something but he reveals nothing. Hugo tells him that they found that she was the daughter of a traitor, but nothing that links Bash to her. Hugo also mentions that he doesn’t think that she should have a proper burial, and Bash nearly loses it. He calls Hugo out for the puppet that he really is.

Bash buries Isabelle, and Mary brings out flowers. He tells her that they don’t lay down flowers on graves in Isabelle’s beliefs. She asks what they do to make graves. He cuts his palm and lets the blood drip down, they give the most valuable thing they have, their own life force. Mary cuts the hand as well and gives her offering, she’s trying to be as open minded as possible. Bash tells her that he has done some thinking. He never wanted the crown, but when they are married he will not be like Francis living for his country. She will be his family and he will be hers. Aww, now if everyone isn’t on Team Bash what the heck is wrong with them.