Reignfall

Episode 9- "Reignfall"

Everyone in Al-Qamar's streets are rushing. There are preparations for war. Men are donning their armors. Horses are being prepared. Canons are being rolled down the streets. Women are saying goodbye to their men, knowing that many of them will not return home. Zuleika prays to Allah. She dons her ornately carved armor and helmet, and wears her sword. However, as a gesture, she wears Anya's cross. It's a memory of her love. She sends for a messenger to get Mirza as she's surprised he hasn't heard about him for some days. The messenger returns and says that Mirza isn't at home, which bugs Zuleika. She visits Mirza’s home herself to find his wife there. She asks Laila where he is. She pulls out a dagger and throws it at her. Zuleika moves her head and it hits the wall behind her. Laila says that he has gone beyond her reach. Zuleika points her sword at Laila’s throat and says that she attempted regicide, she should be punished for this, but she isn't going to punish her right now, not until she punishes her husband. She goes to meet Edward. Edward smiles after looking at the cross around Zuleika’s neck. She's surprised that he's wearing armor too. Zuleika says that Edward should be on the battlefield, he doesn't belong here, he shouldn't be troubled by Turan's affairs. He should leave the country and be with his family. Edward jokes and says if he leaves now, he will be abandoning a friend. Zuleika smiles, but she still suggests that in case the worst case scenario happens and she loses the war and dies, he should leave for India via Persia and into the Mughal Empire. It would take a few weeks but from there he can take a ship back to London. The queen leaves the palace, she is showered with petals of roses. Edward smiles at the gesture. It will take a day to reach the border. At night, Zuleika makes a plan. She suggests that they should focus all their artillery at one point. This would break the front lines and allow the cavalry to charge it. Edward commends the plan, but he suggests that they should try to choke the supply lines too. An army that big would not last without supplies. Zuleika agrees, but says that they should try to finish the war on the first day itself. The longer they drag, the more losses there will be. Zuleika wishes everyone good luck for the next day. The next day, the army gathers near the border. The invading army could be seen on the horizon. Edward gives Zuleika his spyglass. Zuleika looks through it at the enemy lines, and is shocked to see Mirza and Bakhtiar. Zuleika almost crushes the spyglass and says that Anya was right about these bastards. She orders the troops to move down into the field. Mirza orders the same to his army too. The armies meet face to face. Zuleika steps down from her horse. She heads towards Mirza and says that Anya was right about him, about all of them. But she was too blind to see. Mirza says he's sorry about Anya. But he's doing everything that is to be done to preserve Turan. Zuleika says their ideas of "Turan" are very different. Mirza says that this battlefield will decide whose idea will survive. Zuleika returns and mounts her horse. She surveys her troops, and gives a fantastic war speech, about how she has defended the nation from multiple invasions from all kinds of threats, and how she's fighting for a better tomorrow. Even if she dies, she will die fighting. She shouts whether they are with her or not. They all say yes in unison. Zuleika winks at Edward. He orders the soldiers to point the cannons at exactly one spot in the front lines. They start bombarding the front lines heavily. And it works. The frontlines are broken. Zuleika leads the cavalry charge through the gap. They take down the artillery regiment at first. Mirza orders his own cavalry to charge. Both the cavalry clash. Zuleika mows down anyone before her like grass. Mirza's forces couldn't tolerate the cavalry charge. They started dispersing. Zuleika has set her sights firmly on Mirza's ranks. She pushes through the ranks, cutting her way through the men to get to Mirza. Mirza charges at Zuleika, cleaving down her soldiers too. The two generals meet. Zuleika looks at the battlefield, and jokes to Mirza how his men are all scattered. It's better if he surrenders now. Mirza points his sword at Zuleika and refuses. They both get off their horses. They engage in a swordfight. Despite Mirza's masculinity, Zuleika's superior strength is no match for him. Zuleika strikes his shield so hard, her sword breaks. Zuleika throws the handle and says he doesn't need a sword to beat him. She straight up grabs Mirza's shield and throws it away, then punches Mirza to the ground. She takes off his helmet, and keeps punching him. But, she flashes back to her childhood. She remembers holding a baby Mirza in her arms. She remembers them riding horses as a child. She stops. She offers Mirza her hand, and tells him to call back his forces. Mirza grabs her hand and gets up. That's when a sword stabs through Zuleika's heart from the back. She falls on the ground, bleeding profusely. It's Bakhtiar again. Mirza yells at him, as to why he did this again. Bakhtiar says that one should never miss a finishing blow, now he should declare that they won the war. Zuleika whispers, holding Anya's cross, that she got stung by the sweet bee of betrayal, before dying. Mirza declares himself the winner, and takes the soldiers and generals who fought for Zuleika captives, including Edward. But, as a last gesture of goodwill, Mirza lets Edward go. He says that he has arranged a safe passage for him from the Ottoman Empire to London via a ship. He says that he never wanted to kill Zuleika, and will honor some of her wishes. Mirza becomes the new Khan of Turan, Leila the new Khatun, and Bakhtiar the new Pasha. Zuleika is buried with a proper funeral beside Anya’s body. Turan is sealed from foreign influences. Edward returns to London. He is greeted by his family. His wife kisses him and asks how his journey went. Edward stays silent. He arranges a visit to Lord Cromwell, and tells him everything that happened. He says that he's no William Hawkins or William Adams. He gives Cromwell a letter from Zuleika that she wrote for Cromwell. He tells him to read it carefully. His father waits for him outside Cromwell’s office. Robert asks Edwards what he feels like right now, Edward replies that seeing a friend die in front of him was painful. Robert gives him two tickets for Macbeth at the London Coliseum. At night, Edward watches the play Macbeth, and reminisces about how something similar happened to him over the last few months. He will treasure those moments in Turan forever in his heart.