- I'm invoking the ancient right of Royal Trials.
Whoever wins will rule.
- My parents chose to become Strigoi.
They're looking for me.
- There can never be a question with me or your charge.
- But you felt it--
- Every second of it. But never again.
- I don't want you to be my guardian.
- You have no idea what I would give up for you.
I would die for you!
- Yeah, I know you would, because you did.
You died saving me in the accident.
I brought you back.
That's why we have this bond between our spirits.
- I can make you king.
- The toll it would take would be too great.
You know that. - I can handle it.
- Slow down.
Please! Ahh!
- Sonya!
- Did they find her? - No.
They won't find a Strigoi.
- Sonya will be fine.
Obviously, she's upset about Mikhail,
so she stayed behind.
- We can protect her.
No one has to know.
- As we reach the end of the first trial,
I remind you all that these ancient trials
were designed to produce an heir to the throne
robust in body, in wisdom, and in spirit.
Your candidates,
Lord Victor Dashkov and Lady Tatiana Vogel,
have spent a long and grueling day
in a physical endurance test, braving the four Elements.
Thus, it is the Elements, not I,
that decide who prevails.
The winner of the first trial is...
Lady Vogel.
- I'll take another.
- You've had enough.
- A Strigoi.
- All right.
Upsy daisy. - No.
- Let's get you home. - I'm all right.
- I'll help you up.
- You're up late.
- I like the quiet.
- It's a shame how few people I see in here,
off hours or otherwise.
- It's a shame how few people pray at all.
- I'm sorry our paths haven't crossed recently.
I'd hoped we might be friends.
- There's room for Dhampir friendship in your ideology?
- My ideology is rooted in faith,
as is yours.
I believe that makes us kindred spirits,
if nothing else.
I heard you lost a charge before you came
to this province.
A friend.
And for three days after his death,
you were on your knees before the altar,
just you anchored in your faith.
I admire that.
- Lately, I've been feeling...
unmoored.
Have you ever doubted... any of it?
All of it?
- Every day.
But if faith were easy,
it wouldn't need to be practiced.
- Now!
- You know, I thought you'd be rubbish
when you asked me to train you, but your timing's improving.
You're getting those off pretty quick.
I need to be faster.
So do I, if they catch me helping a Moroi secretly use
their magic to fight.
Have you seen Mia around anywhere last few days?
- She's helping Victor with the trials.
- Ah, okay.
Back at her dad's side, palling around with royals.
Nothing to worry about there.
I liked new Mia.
I just hope it wasn't a phase.
- Hi.
Can I--
Christian, do you have a minute?
- Yeah.
Yeah, of course.
- So I'm just--I'm gonna--
- So what are you doing out so--
- Will you marry me?
There's some really * up things happening around here.
I've already had to make too many sacrifices,
so if getting married gives me a voice, so be it.
- So whatever happened to this famous list
of suitable bachelors?
- It expanded.
Turns out you have just enough Dragomir blood
for me to regain my quorum.
But it's just a marriage of convenience.
Nothing more.
- Sure.
Sure.
That's why you're asking me
and not one of the approved guys,
for the convenience?
- I'm so glad you find this funny.
Kind of do.
- Stop it.
So are you in or not?
- There's...
something you should know first.
- What you got there?
- Incentive.
Cool mystery shit to dangle,
so you tell me what happened in Lisbon.
- Lissa and I had a fight.
It's not a big deal.
Come on, Rose.
Everyone is asleep. You can tell me.
- I'll show you mine if you show me yours.
- All right.
This is everything Meredith and I have gathered.
One, the Strigoi went from being loners
to organizing, coordinating.
Two, Christian's parents breached the wards
at St. Jude's.
I heard the guardians believe there was an inside man.
Three, someone has been leaving Christian gifts
from his parents.
- Okay, but why?
Some * up show of love for their son?
- 17 victims.
That's not a * up show of love.
That's a slaughter.
- I met them once on holiday with Lissa's family,
before everything turned to utter shit.
Hang on a sec.
Okay, so we think Strigoi don't have motives
because they're too feral, right?
- Yeah.
- But when we were in Portugal, I swear to the Saints
that the same Strigoi was following us,
and Lissa was with me both times.
She was in Meredith's convoy when it got attacked.
Maybe they're not coming after Christian at all.
Maybe they're coming after her.
- Okay, but what about St. Jude's?
- That's how she lost her shot at being queen
and took out the rest of her bloodline.
- Okay, but what do Strigoi care about who's queen or not?
- They don't,
or at least, they didn't used to.
- So you think that someone inside the royal court
is conspiring with Strigoi to take Lissa out?
- I think we should accept that anything is possible.
- After my parents started reaching out,
Rose and I thought that it wouldn't be safe
for you to be with me.
- I can't believe I didn't know any of this.
Why wouldn't you tell me?
Why wouldn't Rose tell me?
- I asked her to let it be my secret.
But I don't want to keep anything from you anymore.
- I get that.
It's just...
I don't think Rose has ever kept an actual secret
from me in her life.
- Well, I guess she was protecting you.
- Exactly.
Like always.
I'm the royal princess that needs protecting,
so Rose gives and gives, and I take and take,
which is why I'm trying to actually do
something about it.
So again, are you in or not?
- I'm in.
I'm so in.
- Come, we need to find Christian, so that we can--
- Come on. They're already waiting for us.
- I know. I know. - I know. That's what I said.
- Round two, Trial by Proxy.
Our candidates will each select
a worthy representative in battle.
It's fight night, people.
Get ready.
- Hey, I've been looking for you.
Are you okay?
- Rose used to always say, the one good thing
about being a Dhampir is you don't have
to get married like Moroi do.
She'd make fun of my ridiculous 12-year-old fantasies
of unicorns and 10,000 gold balloons.
- Wow. - Yeah.
And though the groom was always a mystery...
Rose was there...
Wearing a dress she'd probably hate,
but pretending she liked it for me.
Even now, with my parents gone...
I always knew my best friend would be there.
This isn't a real marriage, but still...
Nowhere in all my fantasies did I ever feel this...
Lonely.
- I know.
But you don't have to be.
Because I will always be here for you.
However this came about and whatever else
this marriage will be,
it will be real to me.
Okay?
- Okay. - Okay.
So what does this say about how we're supposed to do this?
- So we have to perform three rites,
a blood-marking ceremony under the eyes of the Monks...
- Gross, but okay. - An exchanging of gifts...
- Easy enough.
- And...
a ceremonial announcement of our betrothal.
We have to announce ourselves to the entire court...
in public.
- Shit.
All those people judging us.
- Can you handle it?
- For you, anything.
- No, it can't be about Lissa.
How would my parents even know about us?
No one else does.
- What about Jesse Zeklos?
He can come and go through the walls as he pleases.
He easily could have smuggled those gifts in.
- Convoy in Lisbon.
Didn't you say he made you all leave early?
He could have been luring her there.
- His dad could have put him up to it.
- Whoever's behind this is trying
to prevent Lissa's bloodline from having a vote
on the Council.
- Okay, so we think one of the Elementalist bloodlines
is responsible.
- Yes.
Not to mention Dane Zeklos was angling for the crown
before the queen even named Andre as heir.
What if--
what if the car accident that killed Lissa's family...
wasn't an accident at all?
- I know you don't want to talk to me,
but I'm not talking to anyone else,
because you are still the person that I trust.
There's more going on around here than you think,
including possible treason.
Come on, I know you think we shouldn't
be talking right now, but--
- It's not what I think.
It's what has to be.
I've put you at risk.
I've all but put Lissa at risk.
- I recall.
I was there, making my own choices.
- Were you?
The only reason you think you have a choice
is because you were raised by a powerful Moroi family
who pretended that you being Dhampir didn't matter.
Maybe if I'd had that,
I'd believe that I could do anything too,
but I don't.
All I have is this life
and the faith that's helped me endure it.
I can't lose that, Rose.
It's not that I don't want to help you.
It's that I can't.
- This faith that you're holding on to
with a death grip is supporting an unfair system
that is never going to change.
Maybe you should be the one who does.
- I'm sorry.
Am I interrupting something?
I came to watch you train.
I want to see what I'm putting all my faith in.
- Faith in what?
What for?
- Guardian Belikov has agreed to be my champion
in the second trial,
the Trial by Proxy.
Do carry on.
- Did they find her? - No.
- Hey, Dad.
- Oh, you just missed Sonya.
She called from her hotel.
- Can you ring her back?
- She was off to the spa.
- Victor, who's your champion?
- Really, Rose?
- For the second trial, who?
- James has never lost in hand-to-hand combat.
- Is that true?
- I have a record of 50 and 0.
He won't beat Dimitri, but I can.
I know how he thinks, how he moves.
I understand him better than anyone.
I will win this, so pick me.
- Lady Eugenie Lee and her husband,
Lord Vincent Lee.
Lord Peter Tarus
and his wife, Lady Chelsea Tarus.
Lady Marie Carter and her gentleman friend.
Lady Batista and her wife,
Lady Andrea Batisa.
- There you have it, a crowd of suspects.
Dane Zeklos, Marie Carter, Peter Tarus.
- I wish I could remember the accident.
Maybe I saw something.
- Well, you know who you could ask.
- No.
- When are you gonna tell me what she did
that hurt you so much?
- I have a fight to prepare for.
- I'm giving you one opportunity to come clean.
I'm tired, Ozera.
Whatever this is, no.
- I know about your * up Strigoi fetish.
I know you're in contact with my parents,
and I know you're smuggling packages
through the wards for them.
- What the * are you even talking about?
Actually, no, I don't want to know.
Move.
- What did you do to Lissa's family?
- I didn't do shit.
You think I'd stick my neck out for anyone?
Me?
If anyone is working with your parents,
maybe look at your own band of freaky little outcasts.
Because it wasn't * me.
- Mer, hey.
I feel like I haven't seen you in forever.
- I haven't been hard to find.
- No, I know. I'm sorry. I--
- That's okay. You don't have to apologize.
I get it if.
If your dad wins,
you get everything you always wanted.
- Lord Karim Dawoud.
Lady Ayeesha Dawoud.
- Hey, sorry.
- Oh, I thought you'd changed your mind.
Here's my gift to you.
Did you bring yours?
'Cause once we cross this line and make it public--
- I think my parents may have done something that--
- What, Christian? Done something that what?
- May make you hate me.
- Lady Vasilissa Dragomir and her betrothed,
Lord Christian Ozera.
- It's too late to turn back now.
- Welcome to the Trial by Proxy.
Our candidates have each selected two warriors
to do battle on their behalf.
By grace of the Elements,
let us hope they have chosen wisely.
Lady Vogel has selected Guardian Dimitri Belikov.
And Lord Dashkov has selected Novice Rose Hathaway.
- What are you doing here?
- I'm here to beat some sense into you.
Tatiana Vogel is everything I hate about this place.
- I do what I'm told. - Right, your * duty.
Why are you doing this?
- Apparently, it's the only way you'll listen.
- Rose--
- You want me to stop?
Win.
You're taking it easy on me.
- Or maybe you're just that good.
- Bullshit!
What kind of a champion refuses to fight?
I don't want to hurt you.
- It's too late.
Your honor as a champion is on the line here, comrade.
Come on.
Our duty won't let us be together?
Then do your * duty.
- Yes!
- Yes.
- That's what I thought.
- The winner is Victor Dashkov.
Thank you, champions.
- Let's go! - Whoo!
Come on!
- Fight back.
Fight back!
Fight!
- Our third trial will be Trial by Reverie.
- Just up this way. You okay?
- I'm fine.
- Because that fight was kind of fraught.
- It's been a fraught kind of week.
- Who's this source we're talking to?
- Someone who might know something about the night
of the accident.
- You want to take a trip?
- No, thank you.
- What a shit show.
Everyone's here waving their flags,
buying their drugs,
no idea that someone inside of these wards
is in league with the Strigoi.
Do you ever want to get the * out of here?
- All the time, but right now...
we both know what needs to happen.
- No, no. - Yeah.
- You can't just spring this on me.
- Yeah, I can.
And I am.
You're a * mess, Rose.
And what's going on right now is too big
for you to be off your game.
Just talk to your best friend.
Work your shit out, okay?
Thank you.
- Hey.
- Hi.
- I guess, congratulations on your engagement.
- Yeah.
It's complicated.
Christian told me about your theory.
I was hoping you and I could find some answers
in our memories of that night.
- But I don't remember anything from the crash.
- I know, but I do, and I can show you.
- How are we supposed to do that?
- What you're asking for is a memory walk.
I've seen those get quite messy.
Plus, they're not cheap.
- We can handle it.
- Well then, get comfortable.
- This is the Trial by Reverie.
Our candidates will be asked a single question
while a flake of St. Vladimir's dehydrated blood
infused with Elemental magic is placed on their tongue.
Then they will be led to a place of reflection,
where they will experience their reveries.
The first candidate to emerge with the correct answer
will be declared the winner.
Your question-- what must a good ruler possess
in order to rule their subjects?
- Talking aloud is critical to a shared memory walk.
You have to tell each other what you see.
- I'm in the car.
I can see your family.
- And the trees outside.
I didn't think we were going so fast.
- I see you.
- I see you too.
- Oh, what is this?
- My memory.
No.
- That'll be 85 mirs, please.
- Daddy, Daddy, Mia was mean to me.
- I was not mean to Sonya.
She's just being a baby.
- Or maybe what you said hurt Sonya's feelings.
- Because she's a baby.
- Because she isn't you.
Sonya isn't like anyone else, Mia.
So we have to be gentle with her, protect her.
You don't really want to hurt her, do you?
- No.
- Oh, that's my girl.
Remember, how you treat family says
everything about who you are.
- Sorry, Sonya.
- Come here.
- Victor, have you the answer to my question,
what must a good ruler possess to rule their subjects?
- I've learned something very important,
that a Moroi of integrity must put his family first,
above all.
Love is the gift of the Saints.
It is pure. It is unwavering.
It is what will keep this Dominion whole.
But a ruler is not just any Moroi,
and love is not enough to protect our citizens.
Leadership requires sacrifice for the greater good.
The answer to your question, Your Majesty,
is that a good ruler must possess nothing at all.
They must be willing to give everything they have
in the name of the Dominion.
- The crown is yours, Victor.
May your rule be prosperous.
- I came to apologize.
I should not have begun that fight
knowing there was no way I could do
what I had to do to win.
I'm going to ask to be reassigned to another province.
My value here has been...
compromised.
- You're in love with that girl, aren't you?
But you can't be with her without sacrificing the duty
you pledged to the Saints,
so you've chosen not to be with her at all.
Well, according to the Elements then,
you'd make a terrific king.
I'm gonna let you into a little secret, Dimitri.
In the Reverie, I was hoping to see someone I cherish,
who I lost.
But I didn't.
It's hard wanting something you can't have, isn't it?
- I don't even know why I'm so shocked.
I shouldn't be. - You should.
We all should.
It should never have happened.
If they were willing to do what they did,
having a seat on the Council isn't nearly enough.
I need to fight. We need to fight.
- When your family died, I kept thinking
that as long as you and I were together,
that everything would be okay,
that somehow we could preserve some little part
of that life before the crash,
one where Moroi versus Dhampirs didn't matter,
and we could keep living that sweet lie,
untouched by all the bullshit around us.
But we can't.
And I don't want to.
I mean, you were right.
We both need to find our way...
without each other.
- Wait. What does that mean, Rose?
What does that mean?
Such wonderful news.
I heard you finally got the girl.
Honey, are you okay?
- Not really, no.
- If you're having a tiff with Lissa,
it will pass.
You'll see.
- I'm not sure it can, but...
thank you.
Anybody else would have thought I was crazy to think
that Lissa and I would ever--
but you,
you supported my relationship...
Right from the start.
It was Diane, not Jesse.
I mean, she's the only one who knew about you and me.
She gets escorted outside the wards every day
along with all the Feeders.
I mean, she must be in contact with my parents.
She must have some kind of...
What is it?
- You were right.
Rose and I remembered everything.
Your parents were there.
- No. - They murdered my family.
- *!
*.
I'm so sorry.
I don't even know what to say.
- You don't have to say anything.
Your parents are not you.
Their choices don't define you.
Their actions don't mark you.
And I'm sorry for everyone
who's ever made you feel otherwise.
You are a good person, Christian.
One of the best.
- But...
When I marry you,
I want music, and laughter,
and friends...
And to be able to look forward, not back.
I want it to feel right in every way possible.
But right now, all I feel
is pain and rage.
- We never stood a chance, did we?
here.
In case I'm not around to translate.
- I have to tell you something.
All of this...
everything that's happened...
it's is too much.
I have to get out of here.
- No, Rose.
- I have to be loyal to myself for a change.
I need to make my life count.
Remember when you thought I'd get expelled,
and you offered to go with me?
I was just wondering if the offer still stands.
- What?
- I mean, I know we were at the bar,
and we were drinking and everything, but--
- We're so proud of you.
- A ruler must be willing to give up everything he has?
I was a little nervous.
- He didn't mean literally.
I only wish Sonya was here to celebrate with us.
- We spoke just before the trial.
She said this was all worth it.
- It is customary for the runner-up
to present a gift to the winner,
and tonight, the Elements have declared
Lord Victor Dashkov your next king.
Lady Vogel,
are you ready to present your gift?
- Indeed, it is customary that I should
give a concession speech and congratulate the winner.
And under normal circumstances, I would be happy to do so,
but these aren't normal circumstances.
We have shamed the Elements with the choice
of Victor Dashkov during these trials.
They could have never have chosen a man so sick
in body and in faith
that he would allow this to happen.
- Sonya!