1
Elizabeth,
my dear cousin,
this will be the last of my unsent letters.
Tomorrow there will no longer
be two queens in England.
Ye'! I find I bear you no grudge;
rather 6 am filled with a deep compassion.
I know you are as powerless
to change your role,
as I have been to change mine.
l am frightened, Your Majesty.
Don't be.
I thank you for staying with me.
I'm not going to let them take you.
I will protect you.
For you must be allowed
to have your own life.
You will be the queen,
they never let me be.
When I think back 44 years ago in Scotland,
I realize neither of us
had an easy start in life.
I could barely move my tiny hands,
yet politics was already clawing
at my unsuspecting soul.
Pay attention,
give me your hand.
Hold your dress.
Concentrate,
keep your head up,
look straight ahead.
Very good, Marie.
I don
but' mine was not' a very settled upbringing.
As you must know
your father was so determined
I should marry his sickly son
he sent troops to ransack my country.
$0 many Scots lost their lives
in my rough wooing as an infant queen.
When I was being carted
from one stronghold to another,
sometimes I couldn't tell whether
what I was seeing was real or a nightmare.
Farewell, my child,
and may God grant you safe passage
to a more peaceful land.
They will protect you.
You are feverish again.
That's good, my dear,
the fever will take away your fear!
The only way my mother could protect me
was to dispatch me overseas.
Overnight' my destiny changed.
I was no longer to be Queen of England,
bu'! Queen of France,
packed off like precious merchandise
to spend a lifetime with
another mysterious bridegroom.
It's lucky for you I took that' boat'.
If I'd have stayed,
you wouldn't be sifting
on the English throne today.
What is your name?
Well...
But which one is the Queen?
You choose.
Look!
I can kill just by moving my finger.
Come back.
Come and look!
News
news from England
Queen Mary Tudor
What?
She is dead.
My cousin Elizabeth...
She is Queen now...
I just know.
Elizabeth?
What?
Over there?
What's up, who's that?
l am the Queen.
What?
That's impossible.
lam the Queen.
l am Queen of France...
You should have said so right away.
I'm Queen of England, delighted.
And I am also
Queen of Scotland...
Well, my dear,
you're in France.
And there you will stay.
Why do you laugh?
Because, actually,
I intend to come.
- Where?
- To England, stupid!
Oh, no you won't!
Will!
Won't!
Will!
Won't!
Will!
I thought we were cousins.
Which of these cousins
is most inflamed?
I will reply to her immediately.
We will be the best sisters
in the world.
I shall send her
my portrait, too.
Better yet, let me go and
meet her in person. - No.
- We understand each other,
she and I.
We are like twins.
This will not do.
You cannot address her as Queen.
That woman is a bastard.
Even if she were,
she is my cousin.
Mary have you forgotten what the English
have done to your country?
They burned and destroyed it.
It is frightful to think that
I was the cause of a war.
Do not succumb to your
womanly instincts and kindness,
do not let them cloud
your reason.
There can be no dialogue
with that...
that pretender to the Throne.
When she dies, you shall be
the English Queen.
Why should she die?
You see
You and you alone can restore
the true faith in that blasphemous land.
Carrying three crowns
is a grave responsibility,
but impossible as long as
that illegitimate heretic is alive.
She has to go.
I will not crush her,
I will win her over.
Elizabeth,
my dear sister,
now England has two Queens.
A delightful conundrum.
But not everyone here approves
of me consorting with a foreign power.
I have been advised
that my claim for the English crown
is based on legitimate descent.
Accordingly,
I am having the English coat of arms
added to my royal portraits.
You need not' fear for your person.
I have no wish to disturb you.
But if you do ever respond to me,
you should address me as Queen of
France, Scotland and England.
What an enchanting voice.
You are charming.
You make me tremble.
- Come up and join us.
- Oh, yes come up.
Wait.
That hurts.
Tomorrow I will join the hunt.
Isn't it a little too early?
I feel strong again.
For the first time this year,
I will lead the hunt.
For you!
No, my dear cousin,
I will no'! disappear
in a nunnery and wither away.
I am confident
that I still have a life to discover.
You of all people will appreciate
that once born a queen,
one must be a master
of one 's own destiny.
lf I can no longer be Queen of France,
l am still and will remain Queen of Scots.
Yes, I know.
Let us sing our song, Rizzio.
It's so cold here and my subjects
seem to hate their Queen.
That is because your subjects
don't know their Queen yet and
the Queen has to get used
to sharper blades.
How does my cousin do it?
How?
You cannot simply behead
everyone who contradicts you!
I could throw Knox into the dungeons,
but that would merely make matters worse.
Tolerance can easily be
misinterpreted, Your Majesty.
At least you're beautiful.
She is really ugly, they say.
Even if they do write erotic
Sonnets about her...
No wonder! She has no husband,
but countless lovers!
And she's seven inches
shorter than you are.
Poooor her.
Look,
it's crooked.
And me, do you remember
when I fell into the fountain.
And look at my bump
That's nothing.
And me,
I have a birthmark right here.
That's nothing.
Mine is worse.
Come closer.
My heart and my pride have just been
stabbed by this rabble-rouser.
I'm frightened, dear cousin.
Why do men of god seem
so afraid of women?
(an we not have a twin kingdom,
with two sisters on twin thrones,
putting an end to all the bloodshed?
Protestants and Catholics living in peace,
guided by the example of our sisterly unify.
Oh, I wish I'd seen her face to face.
Touch her hands
What does she really
look like, De Croc?
Believe me, she is as curious
about you as you are about her.
Of course she is,
she must be.
Do tell her not to fear
coming to Scotland,
It's not that bad, after all.
Does she really bathe
in warm milk?
Is it true
she has bad breath?
They say she beats her lovers.
Is it true
she wears no underwear?
And can't have children?
Off you go, ladies, we wish
to discuss political matters.
I promise to divulge more gossip later.
Could you perhaps suggest the prospect
of a meeting between the two Queens?
She extends to you any help you may need
in making preparations for a future match.
Oh, does she?
I wonder who she will
recommend to be my husband.
What of her empty matrimonial bed,
your Majesty?
At least, you know
what it's like to be married.
My dear cousin,
I'm delighted to hear you are interested
in the possibility of me marrying again.
I 'm rather excited at the prospect
of receiving a queue of young suitors.
Alas, I seem to lack
the good fortune to meet any man
capable of stirring my blood
or touching my heart.
But I sense adventurous times ahead.
My brother arrives early.
I thought him still in England.
Take charge of them, Rizzio!
I will take care of Darnley.
Am I not right?
Have I not the right
to choose whoever I want.
I, too, shall be free,
free to stand by my own choices.
Oh my dear sister,
I must confess I'm not completely
satisfied with my new husband.
I'm worried about his extreme views.
I assure you that I will curb his
fanatical plots against your kingdom.
Likewise I hope I can count on you
to disarm my treacherous lords
and stifle their fanatical plots against me.
The heir to both of our kingdoms
is growing safely within me
and we must not' (e? anyone harm him.
If you support the Protestant church
financially, that will demonstrate
- tolerance.
- And you will appease them.
Above all, it will heal
this country's wounds.
It would be unwise
to provoke her at this stage.
Don't tell me how
to communicate with my cousin!
Little one. ..
Don'? be frightened.
Mama will do everything
lam a prisoner now, dear cousin.
cannot believe this is happening to me.
The child of this traitor
is growing within me
and I do no'! know
how to bring it to safety.
How will I know
when I'm really in labour?
You will know.
You will know.
You will know.
- Should I call Lord Darnley?
- Certainly not.
How can I possibly maintain a pose
as serene and confident as you,
when inside I feel like screaming?
You cannot know what it feels like
to be a mother surrounded by vipers.
Maybe you are right' never to marry.
My dearest sister,
we must work together
since the birth of my son
is a chance for both of us.
It is truly our son,
since the future of our one day
united kingdoms rests on his shoulders.
I want you to know
that I love you.
You can be absolutely certain that
the future King will be in good hands.
I was hit by the the sudden realization
that he's always been right by my side.
I've wasted so much time,
but must it now be too late?
Oh, no, it must be stopped immediaiely,
that way spells disaster.
In my end will be my beginning.
This country is torn
between two faiths.
This will foster
yet more ill-will,
more misfortune and discord.
Idiot.
All the years I longed to touch your hands
and all l get is a lump of gold.
You look splendid, De Croc.
My apologies for these severe words
of disappointment my dear Elizabeth.
I find myself consumed
with an immense sadness,
though the Royal baptism should he
the occasion for great joy.
If you were here, you would see
l put on a good show.
I do not think anyone in Scotland
has seen anything like I'?!
Everything has turned out well.
I have a healthy son
and a secure future.
Yet the woman within me
is not satisfied.
I'm besieged by a new force
that I do not know how to meet.
Should I surrender or should I resist?
Can I count on my ancestors?
Much depends
on the gardeners you choose.
A poor choice can ruin your plantation.
Keep that in mind and your
young apple tree shall flourish.
Never has it been like this before.
I have found something
i never dared hope for.
I know everyone will turn
against me and condemn me.
Don't call it sin.
It is true I conceived
a child with my husband
but' nothing has prepared me for this,
a new realm,
where lam transformed
info something wondrous.
I've always had to make
my own decisions
and act on my own instincts.
You're not alone any more,
I dare say, Your Majesty.
I've been waiting all my life
for a man like you.
For him I have risked
dignity and conscience,
For his sake I have come to regard
my friends as less than nothing.
For his sake I would fain
renounce the world,
I would gladly die
that he might rise.
It pleases me to see my husband suffer.
His very being has repelled
me for so long now.
But how can a wife
get rid of a husband?
How can I ask you that,
my dear cousin?
I am compelled
to play the dutiful nurse,
surrounded by a fetid smell
that arises not just from his sickness,
but from the wicked thoughts
that plague me.
What are you going to do now?
I don't know.
Careful - the people want
to punish you for what you've done.
I haven't done anything.
Believe ne.
Everything feels so tight!
I'm suffocating.
Some deeds are done
by doing nothing.
Is it such a sin, Rizzio?
I'm pregnant.
I know you must resent
my sudden marriage,
but surely you will appreciate
that a pregnant queen
must he married
to the father of her child.
You cannot imagine
the anger and desperation
I feel to have my new husband blamed
for the murder of my previous one,
but I can declare that we are
innocent a hundred times
and there will still be slanderous
voices condemning us.
You are not leaving too,
my friend?
Urgent business
takes me to France.
Listen, I know my decision to marry
a Protestant displeases you.
But we must remain true to ourselves.
Haven't you taught me that?
Alas, once the wrong gardener
has begun his digging,
there's little that can be done.
To fight them would be madness,
Your Majesty.
They vastly outnumber you.
I have no wish to fight them.
They must submit to the Royal Lion and
there will be peace again in Scotland.
The Lords send you this, Your Majesty.
They are your sworn enemies.
There will be no single combat,
no negotiations, only surrender.
You must send him away.
You have no other option.
One tree may yet be spared.
Still living in the past?
It must be spring,
Rizzio.
No, winter!
I get confused nowadays.
I lose count of the springs
and the winters.
There were too many of them.
Too many places, too.
Am I dead, Rizzio?
Has she killed me already?
No, you are right.
l am actually more alive than she is.
Too much waiting.
When all she had to do would have been
to invite me for an informal audience.
How could she invite you
when you wear that crown?
Oh, it's nothing.
I'll just take it off.
And just look at your hands.
Oh, never mind, I'll just wipe it off.
She can do it! She can chop
off the crown. The hands
For all these years she has
been reluctant to meet me.
She made me hope and yearn
with all her letters and promises to meet.
But she is the crowned sovereign now,
and I am just a poor woman,
without a crown, a country, a people.
I can't bear it any longer
I wish she would kill me.
Two great Queens,
caught in a deadly stalemate.
In an endless purgatory.
No way out,
until one of you fades away.
This could go on forever.
Stay!
Don't go;
Please don't leave me alone!
Don't hesitate to do
what has to be done.
I would only be too pleased to get out
of this bed and face your headsman.
But though your men
badger you incessantly,
you will still vacillate endlessly
before taking up the quill
and ending our correspondence.
And when that secret
moment finally comes,
will you then have
the courage to face me?
With or without you by my side,
I long fora new (He,
for the chance to return to my beginning.
Oh, my dear cousin,
I would be deeply grateful
for a sharp ace.