- In a faith built on the cycling of Elements,
there is no greater sin
than bringing life back to the dead.
- Where's Sasha? - I told her to run.
- Do you have any idea what they'll do to you
if they find out that you helped?
- I'm not sorry.
- Where's Guardian Tanner?
- Guardian Tanner died in a Strigoi attack.
- Rose and I remembered everything.
Their parents were there.
They murdered my family.
- Oh, I'm so sorry.
- Someone inside the Royal Court
is conspiring with Strigoi to take Lissa out.
- When your family died,
I kept thinking we could preserve
some little part of that life before the crash, but we can't.
We both need to find our way without each other.
- Rose, what does that mean?
- I have to get out of here.
Remember when you offered to go with me?
I was just wondering if the offer still stands.
- I only wish Sonya was here to celebrate with us.
- We spoke.
She said this was all worth it.
- We have shamed the Elements
with the choice of Victor Dashkov
during these Trials.
- Victor lied about his health.
And what of his Strigoi daughter?
How can we trust him to rule the Dominion
when he can't even rule his household?
Will he even be around to rule?
People are worried
their province will be the next St. Jude,
that their brother, wife, or child
will become the next Strigoi victim,
or worse,
become a monster to defend against,
like Sonya Karp.
- If anyone knew about Sonya,
- Of course people are scared.
Who can blame them?
Our very future is on the line.
We need to fix this before we cannot.
We must act when it matters most.
And that time is now.
Call upon me,
and I shall serve.
all: Our queen! Our queen!
- We're *ed. Aren't we, Herald?
- Indeed we are, Your Majesty.
- Lissa.
- Mia, I'm so sorry.
- You have to stop.
The healing, all of it.
I saw you with Dean.
- I don't know what you think you saw,
but that's crazy.
No one can do that. - You can.
And so could Sonya.
My family thought that she was the only one,
and then I saw you.
- Okay, Mia, if anyone found out--
- I haven't told anyone.
But, Lissa, the more Sonya healed,
the worse she got.
She hated seeing anyone in pain.
Even me.
Even though I wasn't always nice.
She deserved better.
And so do you.
- But I'm not like you and Christian.
What if this power is my only way to fight?
- It's not worth it.
- Mia, look, I know you're upset,
but you don't-- - Of course I'm upset!
Papa is livid.
Dad lied about Sonya being missing.
I know that my dad did a terrible thing.
And even though I am furious,
I can't stand to see him this way.
I can't.
I * can't.
- Guardian Belikov.
- Commander Croft.
It's an honor.
- You are under arrest for treason.
- Your Majesty, it's madness.
- Open brawling in the streets. - And it's getting worse.
- If Your Majesty desires
a Dominion tomorrow to wake up to,
you must take action.
Take action?
To quell the madness you wrought yourselves?
Everyone knows my days are numbered.
Just what would you have me do?
- Officially disavow Victor.
Your support still matters
and can unite the Dominion behind a worthy successor.
- The Council can release a statement
contesting the Trials
and confirming me as queen,
which means, Your Majesty,
you are free to step down.
You may rest easy with your legacy in my hands.
- No.
The Elements did not choose you, Tatiana.
I may not like it, but they chose Victor.
He won the Trials.
Per the church, he is king.
- Guardian Belikov.
Now in the matter of the Caroni Village resettlement,
aside from the Strigoi attack,
you claim that the mission was completed without fault.
Is that true?
You also state that Guardian Sasha Tanner,
with whom you were charged with remanding,
died in battle.
Is that true?
Guardian Belikov,
the punishment for treason is very serious.
- I stand by my statement.
- Very well.
I hope you know what you're doing.
Take him away.
And bring Guardian Tanner in.
It'll be very interesting to hear what she has to say
now that we've heard your side of the story.
Put him under house arrest.
Sit.
- Hey, kiddo.
Come and have a seat.
I've been thinking.
I know you're blue about Lissa--
- I know you've been working with my parents.
Is that why you've been so nice to me this whole time?
- Honey, you're not making any sense.
- Please don't add another lie to the pile.
Just tell me.
Have you just been using me to get to Lissa?
- You got it all wrong.
Your parents love you.
Why they wanted the Dragomirs off the throne,
I can't tell you.
But one thing I do know...
they miss you
and just wanna be together again.
You know, the Moroi say
becoming Strigoi is a fate worse than death.
But if you ask the Strigoi,
they call it the Awakening.
- What do you mean?
- It's like you've been sleepwalking your whole life.
Everything's more intense--
colors, sounds, touch.
And you never get old.
- You want them to turn you.
All I'm saying is you have options.
You don't have to be alone ever again
if you don't want to be.
I've seen how everyone's treated you here.
You deserve better.
- I want you to give them a message.
Tell them...
I'm ready to talk.
- I'm the one that helped Sasha escape.
- Sasha chose this. It's not on you.
What did you tell them?
- What do you think?
Nothing.
- Keep it that way.
What's going to happen to her?
- It's in the hands of HQ now.
Nothing either of us can do.
- And that? - The tracker?
It's nothing.
Just due process and proper safeguards.
I'll be fine once all this blows over.
- HQ doesn't let things "blow over."
- The Dominion needs all the Guardians it has right now.
I'm not entirely without value.
- If that was a brag, you need to step up your game, comrade.
- Hard to brag to the woman who gave me a black eye.
- Sorry about that.
- Forget it, Roza.
- Are all of these about--
- Humans.
Biographies.
My way of seeing the world.
Having a staring contest with the air, are we?
- I guess I'll see you around then.
- Yeah.
See you around.
- Victor lied about his health.
And what of his Strigoi daughter?
How can we trust him to rule the Dominion
when he can't even rule his household?
- So the rumors are true.
You're not well.
- Don't look too kingly now, do I?
I survived campaign season,
won the Trials.
Even the church--
is on my side now apparently.
But the irony is,
I can't claim victory because my body is failing me.
I could have united the Dominion.
But it's over.
Tatiana will be queen.
And I'd hoped to find peace for us all,
but now I can't even find my own
after Sonya.
- But you have to know that what happened
wasn't your fault.
You can't beat yourself up
for something you couldn't possibly control.
- How would you know?
- I know it may sound crazy,
but there is a reason Sonya was the way she was.
I think she have had a special magic called Spirit.
The Fifth Element.
- What did you say?
- That's why she never specialized.
But she could do things like heal,
maybe even dream walk or see auras.
But with the good comes...
- The Darkness.
That's what she called it.
Those times when she was troubled
and there was nothing we could do to stop it.
- That's what happens when you use Spirit.
It must have just gotten to be too much,
and that's why she...
It may not have even been a conscious choice.
She may have just wanted to make the pain stop.
- How could you know this?
- Because I'm like Sonya.
I have Spirit too.
- Does that mean you can also heal?
- Sonya was healing you?
- Mia.
- I bought her a bracelet.
I was gonna give it to her for her birthday,
but they only told me that it was ready yesterday.
I just had-- - I'm so sorry.
Is there anything I can-- - No, there's nothing.
We've lost her.
And I know I've probably just made it worse
by saying something today of all days.
I'm so sorry, Mia.
- Don't be.
I just--
my papa is heading out of town
for the treaty re-signing.
As a diplomat, he has to go, even--
Even with all this, so...
- Right, right.
But if you need to talk...
I'll be in the Cistern later.
- And you knew about the Darkness.
You knew using her magic would hurt her,
but you just kept on letting her heal you.
- I asked her to stop, but she wouldn't.
- Because she couldn't heal a dying man,
no matter how much of herself she gave.
You should have refused.
- She insisted.
After Mikhail, she was afraid to lose anyone else.
Sonya never had it easy, but her real trouble started
after those damn treatments and therapies
when she didn't specialize.
She was never the same after.
As king, I can make sure people like Sonya and you
don't have to hide anymore.
Imagine what would happen to you
if you were exposed as a Spirit User under Tatiana's reign.
There'd be nowhere to hide if anyone ever found out.
It's okay.
Listen, I just--
I just need to get through the coronation.
After that, the stress will abate,
and I'll be better, if you help me.
- And what happens next time when you start to fail again?
How can you ask me after Sonya?
- If there were any other way...
But it's that or Tatiana wins.
- Even if I wanted to,
I'm on meds to suppress my magic.
So it'd take hours to clear my system.
- Then I'll see you in a few hours.
- Victor, wha--
Victor, wait!
- You better get changed.
We've got fight training in...
If you're doing what I think you're doing, you're insane.
- I know I should have told you--
- I don't care that you didn't tell me.
I care about my best friend getting thrown in the dungeons
for going AWOL.
Or worse, getting killed by some rando Strigoi
in the human world.
- We'll be okay. - "We"?
Anyone with eyes can see how she feels about Dimitri.
- She asked me to go with her.
Rose is with me now.
- Then why did I just see her coming out of his apartment?
- Sweet.
- You deserve someone who loves you.
The way you feel about Rose,
that is how she feels about Dimitri.
She can't help that any more than you can.
I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to face the truth.
- Like you're so truthful.
If you think that I'm buying all this family leave time,
I'm not.
I don't know what you do when you go
or where you go,
but I know it's not hanging out with your mom at a commune.
Oh, you think you're the only one who notices things?
- I'm not saying you're not being truthful.
Just that you can't see what's right in front of your eyes.
Rose doesn't love you.
*.
- Guardian Belikov, it appears you either lied
in your mission report that Guardian Tanner was dead
or someone else led you to believe she was.
And with your spotless record
and insistence that you stand by your story,
I have to ask...
are you lying?
Or are you covering for another Guardian?
Or both?
- I was the commanding officer.
I was responsible for the veracity
of the information I relayed.
Any gap between my report and the truth
rests solely on me,
as should the punishment for giving false information.
- You haven't answered my question.
- I have nothing further to say.
Though I wonder
at your prioritizing punishing a Guardian
during a time of civil unrest.
- How can we expect any kind of order
if we allow a Guardian to disobey?
Guardian Belikov, you have me no choice.
I declare you guilty of treason.
You'll be taken to the dungeons
until you are sentenced by the Queen.
May the Saints have mercy on you.
"Plans changed"?
- Ma'am, we're in the weeds out there.
Five more altercations in the past hour.
Reassign ward units three, five, and six to town square.
Tell wards to move to rotating patrols.
- Yes, ma'am. - Nobody gets in right now.
- Please, just let me talk to her.
- Let him through.
- I got another one. - We're slammed.
It'll have to wait. - But it can't.
They wanted Sonya Karp.
- Well, that isn't going to happen.
- Yeah, but they have something that we want!
- What?
Mia?
We knew they were starting to coordinate their attacks,
but this must be some kind of a prank.
Strigoi don't write notes and bargain.
They aren't this sophisticated.
- Well, maybe we've had them all wrong.
I mean, yes, of course they're violent and even feral,
but they're more than that.
- Well, we've just missed that for centuries, huh?
- I don't know.
Maybe they've evolved.
Maybe they've always been more than what we knew.
The only ones we meet, we kill. - Before they kill us.
Look, even if they could bargain,
I wouldn't trust 'em.
This is not happening.
- When I met my mother,
she spoke and sounded like herself.
Her old self.
Alberta, I think this is real.
I think they don't want Sonya to be killed.
- Then that's too bad for them.
I'm not walking into an ambush.
- With Mia out there?
What happened to "they come first"?
- Hello?
James, if you're still out there, please!
- You know what that means.
- I thought you got what you wanted
when I remembered the accident.
- Oh, come on.
You're a little happy to see me.
- Except it means the drugs are out of my system.
- Is that so bad?
- If Sonya's any indicator.
Apparently, my magic makes people want
to burn me at the stake and me want to turn Strigoi.
- And makes you able to sway people and heal them.
It's not all bad.
- Except when I do those things, I hurt Rose.
And I'm trapped in here
with a figment of my imagination
while I wait for Victor to come back
and do who knows what-- - Wah.
- Excuse me?
- You know what the secret to power is?
It's making your biggest liability
your greatest strength.
You have a special magic.
You're gonna allow that to make you weak?
Or strong?
- Sorry to have kept you waiting.
I trust you've thought things over.
Oh, Lissa.
- There's nothing to discuss.
You can't keep me here.
And if there is anything left of the man I knew,
you'll get out of my way and let me leave.
- I'm sorry. I can't do that.
- I said let me go.
- Vasilissa, please. Think of the greater good.
- You can't be serious.
- Just this once. - No.
James, if you don't get out of my way, I'm gonna--
- You're gonna what?
- This!
- Rose!
- Dang it, Rose!
- You could stop this.
You could stop this right now, Lissa.
- Fine, fine.
You want my power?
Take it!
Take it all!
- No, Lissa!
- Wait, Dimitri. I heard about the verdict.
Give me five minutes with him, and I'll wipe out your debt.
I didn't think it was true, and I'm sorry.
- Don't be.
You didn't need to be alone to say that.
- I wanted to tell you...
Rose and I are leaving.
- That explains it.
- Look, where you're going, it's not gonna be easy.
I know that.
But I thought maybe it'd help to know that she'll be okay.
- It does.
And I wish you the best.
Rose is meant for greater things,
and she deserves to be safe.
And happy.
- She does.
- Never tell her what's about to happen to me.
If she knows, she won't leave.
Let's go.
- * you, Dimitri.
* you.
There she is.
You look pretty *y
for someone who just gave him exactly what he wanted.
- No.
All I gave him was time.
Once his guilt kicks in-- and it will eventually--
that's no favor.
- But are you gonna be--
- Wait, Rose.
The Darkness,
I can see it.
All this time,
I wasn't passing it to you.
I was taking your light through our bond.
- I don't know which version sounds worse,
but how?
- Magic doesn't fill me with Darkness.
It depletes my light.
Spirit needs light.
Hey, Rose, maybe if I
could give myself some time to fully recover,
you know, to build back my own light,
because I won't take yours anymore.
- Well, actually,
you won't have to worry about that now.
I'm leaving.
- Leaving? Where?
- Out into the world.
Like you and I always planned.
- But if I can learn to control this,
then you don't have to go.
- That's not why I'm going.
For so long, all I thought of was being your Guardian,
and that was enough.
But now,
after everything,
I need to figure out who I am outside of all of that...
And outside of you.
And given you just came riding to my rescue,
it looks like you can take care of yourself now.
- We can't have you corner the whole hero market.
Rose.
- I know.
- So, um, just you?
Or...
I'm going with Mason.
Stop it.
He's a good guy.
- He is.
And it's your life, Rose.
Whatever makes you happy.
But don't get too comfortable, okay?
I have big plans for this Dominion.
When I'm done with this place, you're gonna wanna come back.
Just wait.
This isn't goodbye.
- No.
It's just see you later.
- Woodland secure. They won't get through.
- No one's been able to reach either of her fathers?
- Nothing.
Weapons up.
Where is Mia Karp?
- Mia.
What did you do?
- She's fine. For now.
You look so shocked.
- We have what you asked for.
Let Mia go, and we'll give you Sonya.
- Sonya first.
Or she dies. - Absolutely not.
We have you outnumbered and outgunned.
Mia first, then Sonya.
Or we walk.
She's next.
- All right. Everybody, stand down!
Down!
If you kill Mia,
there is nothing stopping us from torching you all.
We exchange simultaneously.
When we drop the wards.
- After Andre and my parents died,
you believed in me, before even I did.
Since then,
this Dominion has been on a wild ride, Your Majesty,
leaving no candidate untarnished
and our people as divided as ever.
I know I need to get my quorum back,
to marry, and to learn,
and all of that will take time.
But I have a proposal for you
if you're willing to hear it.
- Once again,
I hereby declare Princess Vasilissa Dragomir
heir to the throne.
But not for today.
For today, I'm not going anywhere.
I declare the Trials moot.
It is time we put this whole ugly business,
this whole ugly era, behind us.
As such, I shall be keeping the crown
until Vasilissa is ready to rule.
Such is my decree.
- You're late.
Where have you been?
- Sorry, I just had some last-minute stuff.
- For a second, I thought you might have changed your mind.
- Never.
- What?
You're being weird.
- I'm just excited.
You ready for the adventure?
- I was born ready.
- Lower the wards.
- Sonya, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you.
I won't forget you, Sonya! I promise.
I love you, Sonya.
- Wards, back up!
- I'm taking this back to the vault.
One wrong move, and you kill them.
- After all that, you're just gonna leave?
- We've done what we came to do.
- Everyone told me you guys were monsters.
There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't defend you.
I even wanted to join you because I thought...
I thought somewhere inside, you--
you must still love me.
- You always were a good boy.
- So if you don't care about me,
why do you care about Sonya?
Is it 'cause she's like you?
Is she your family now?
- We didn't come here for Sonya.
We came here to feed.
- Breach the far wards! - What?
- You were the perfect decoy.
It's sad how stupid Moroi are.
Though it makes them easy prey.
- I'm never gonna let you hurt anybody ever again!
- No!
You haven't begun to know the meaning of hurt!
Lissa is mine!
- Come on, Marie. This way.
How could they possibly breach the wards?
- It's St. Jude's all over again!
- I tried diplomacy.
I tried preaching your ridiculous Saints.
I'm done playing nice.
So * the Queen and * your sister.
* it all.
Now we're doing things my way, Andre.