I DO NOT OWN REIGN.

Later that day.

"The people of this faith, they claim that I owe them a debt." Bash explained after he had pulled Mary and I into the castle. "More than once, in their minds, I've interrupted their blood sacrifice. The butcher boy said, if I didn't choose someone else to sacrifice, they'd choose for me."

"So that's what's been going on in the woods: Pagan sacrifice?" Mary inquired, shock written on her face.

"Among other dangers, yes." Bash answered.

"And now they've chosen me?" Mary asked, trying to hide any fear she had.

"Because somehow they've got the idea that threatening you is a good way to get to my brother." I said as I gave Bash the evil eye.

"He knows about the kiss." Mary told Bash as the bastard looked like he'd just been bitch slapped.

"But that doesn't matter now, does it?" I asked bitterly as I tried to control myself. "What matters is finding out who left this marker in Mary's chambers. What matters is her safety. I'll make sure that there's a guard outside your room at all times." I squeezed Mary's hand as she reciprocated before I turned to Bash.

"You need to find out exactly how serious this threat is." I quoted from the script. "Ask the hunters that you know in the woods. Talk to the guards, Nostradamus, anyone."

"Maybe the servants saw how the necklace got into my rooms. I'll question them." My betrothed said as she walked off, leaving me with Bash.

"Mary, i'm sorry." Bash called out to her before turning to me. "I'd never have cut those bodies down if I'd known it would lead to Mary."

"I don't blame you for cutting the bodies down, i'd have done the same thing." I snapped as I couldn't contain my anger any longer. "I blame you for making a pass on the woman I love!"

"Nolan, it was a single kiss and she made the first move upon me..." Bash tried to argue.

"Cut the shit Bash, cut it!" I exclaimed angrily. "Don't blame Mary, she was drunk and she was upset because I allowed my eye to wander. You were neither, so what's your excuse? Besides having feelings for her!"

"No more than the feelings you have for Olivia!" Bash threw in my face.

"I don't love her and I will never lay with her!" I shouted as I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. "Look Bash, you need me and I need you. I need you because you're the only one who knows I'm not Francis. You need me because when Henry dies and die he will, you're existence will depend on my favor, so we need to stick together, are we agreed?"

"Agreed." Bash growled as he didn't want to admit I was right.

"Then look at Mary as your sister in law and as your Queen, but no more." I demanded as I stormed off, leaving the bastard to stew.

After trying to get over my anger at Bash for the better part of 2 hours, I heard an ear splitting scream and it only meant 1 thing: Mary had found the stag's head. I ran into her chambers like a bat out of Hell. Mary sprung from her bed and leapt into my arms. As I saw the stag's head hung over her bed, I had to admit that it was way more freaky than it had been in the show. Everything on the CW was fake, but this was dangerously real.

"We need to get you out of here." I insisted.

"They must have drugged me..." Mary stuttered as I held her tightly. "There's no other way I would sleep through this. My head feels as heavy as that stag's."

"Please sit down, then." I gently commanded my Queen as she looked at her palm which had a burn in the shape of a stag's antlers.

"Look at my hand, it looks as though I've been burned." She remarked as she studied the burn.

"Where you touched the pendant." I commented as i gently traced it. "Perhaps it was dipped in some sort of poisonous oil, sumac or ivy?"

"How much danger am I in?" Mary inquired as I gently planted kisses on her hands.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." I swore as Bash suddenly made an appearance.

"Mary, are you all right?" Bash asked as I rolled my eyes. I didn't want to to still be pissed, but I was.

"Stay here, I need to have words with my brother." I told Mary as I dragged Bash out of the room where no one could hear us.

"I hope that you're pleased with yourself Bash, thanks to you licking lips with my future wife, you've drug her into your little feud with the pagans!" I growled in fury, trying to let out my anger.

"It was a mistake, I never meant to bring harm to Mary!" My false brother protested before looking around to make sure we were alone.

"This was meant to terrorize us and motivate you. That's why they chose Mary." I pointed out:

"This horror was not my doing." Bash declared as he grew as angry as I was.

"It matters not, you need to remedy this!" I snapped, knowing that despite Mary surviving on her own, the pagans were not to be underestimated. "I'd do it myself, but it's you that they want something from."

"You do realize what you're asking me to do?" Bash asked as he tried to gain my sympathy.

"I don't blame you for their actions, but it's you who brought this on Mary." I pointed out, avoiding the question.

"They're asking me to take a life; a person!" Bash pleaded as he made me understand. "To hang them from a tree, slit their throat, and bleed them out." As messed up as it sounds, I didn't care in that moment. Mary was in danger and if those pagans needed a sacrifice, they would get one.

"It is not the first time you've taken a life to spare Mary and I doubt that it will be the last." I reminded him as Bash shook his head.

"This is not the same!" He argued in vain. "Tomàs was a wicked man, a wife beater. He was killed instantly, he didn't feel any pain when we flung him off the balcony!"

"Our reasons are the same: Mary was in danger and we saved her." I argued back as I heard Catherine come on the scene. I wasn't about to leave Mary alone with that wicked bitch.

"Francis please..." Bash pleaded.

"There are surely evil men in France, find one and pay what is owed." I demanded as I looked him in the eye. "Because if I see Mary strung up, you will have 2 worthless legs and nothing in between to prop you up!" I left Bash to his debt as I went to support Mary.

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