01x01 - Pilot

[bunniefuu]

[SOFT VOCALIZING]

♪ ♪

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

Once, long ago,
we lived in the human world.

The Moroi vampires,
who make the rules...

♪ ♪

And the Dhampir Guardians,

sworn to protect against our enemy,

the Strigoi.

Undead vampires who live to k*ll.

Now we live in a world of our own,

one grounded in elemental magic

and steeped in rules no one's
challenged in centuries...

until now.

♪ ♪

The spark of revolution
can come from anywhere.

Even two unlikely friends.

And one night that changed everything.

♪ ♪

[ELECTRONIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[SIGHS] I look like a f*cking macaroon.

♪ ♪

And now you look like a princess.

♪ ♪

- [GASPS]
- Ooh, ooh.

Ugh, how do you even wear this thing?

I just lost a hundred strands.

Heavy is the head, thin is the hair.

Rose, if anyone looks
like a macaroon, it's me.

You look beautiful.

We look beautiful, Lissa,

head to toe.

Let's party.

To all citizens of the Dominion,

on this, the eve of my th birthday

and my last as your queen, I thank you.

You have traveled far and wide,

leaving the safety of your provinces

to come to the celebration
here at St. Vladimir's.

We all know the dangers
that lurk outside our gates.

Our Strigoi enemy is strong,
but we are stronger.

And under the protection
of our Dhampir Guardians,

we are safe.

So let us have
one last festivity together,

because after nearly
two centuries as your queen,

the one thing I assure you I've learned

is how to throw one hell of a party.

[UPBEAT ELECTRONIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[GASPS]

♪ ♪

Victor Dashkov.

My daughters, Sonya Karp, Mia Karp.

One Royal Moroi, one non.

- And the third?
- Mia.

The Guardians make us suffer
through this every time.

- It's security protocol.
- It's humiliating.

How do they not know who I am?

Mia, darling. Be a sport.

♪ ♪

Non-Royal.

Not for long.

♪ Move now, this is natural ♪

♪ And I need your touch ♪

♪ Oh, come the blinding sun ♪

♪ I already fled the scene ♪

♪ I'm already gone,
there's so much more to see ♪

♪ I can feel the night ♪

- Rose.
- Hmm?

- Behave.
- Always, Alberta.

Don't encourage her.

She's a guest of a Moroi princess.

Let her have some fun.

Guardians aren't here to have fun.

♪ ♪

Once my family greets the Queen,

we can have some fun.

- Nice.
- Excuse you.

♪ ♪

What are the Dragomirs thinking,

letting Lissa invite that girl
everywhere she goes?

A Guardian's place is at the gates.

♪ I'ma make my own way ♪

[DRAMATIC ORCHESTRAL MUSIC]

♪ ♪

- The Dragomirs, Your Majesty.
- [SCOFFS]

Clarence would introduce
his father to his mother.

How are my delightful Dragomirs?

Happy Birthday, Fair Lady.
You don't look a day over .

Andre, my dear, you cheeky rascal.

And a dreadful liar.

Happy birthday from me
as well, Your Majesty.

Princess Vasilissa,

angel to your brother Andre's devil.

He is shameless, Your Majesty.

How should he be punished?

Being King of the Dominion
will be punishment enough.

♪ ♪

Oh, surely, he'll find something

to cheer him once he's king.

Now, Your Majesty,

you know there'll have
to be an actual election.

Ah, a mere formality.

Who would deny me my pick of successor?

If I say Andre will be king,
then so it shall be.

♪ ♪

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE]

Looks like Mia lost her prince.

I'm amazed she let him out of her sight

long enough to lose him.

- [CHUCKLES]
- Where is Andre?

[BOTH MOANING]

CROWD: ♪ Happy birthday, dear... ♪

- sh*t, I gotta go.
- Uh-uh.

[BOTH MOANING]

Never leave a girl undone, Andre,

not even for the Queen.

[DISTANT SINGING CONTINUES]

It's a pleasure to meet you...

- Tatiana.
- Tatiana.

[OMINOUS MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[TWIG SNAPS]

♪ ♪

[RAVENS CROWING]

♪ ♪

[GROWLS]

- [GRUNTS]
- Strigoi!

♪ Survival of the fittest, yeah ♪

♪ But all up in my business ♪

♪ Caught up in calm, I know you gotta ♪

♪ Run before you get it, yeah ♪

♪ One, I love a party ♪

♪ Love the way you haunt me ♪

♪ Put me where you want me ♪

♪ Just one sip, you won't be sorry ♪

Strigoi at the wards.
Guardian support, stat.

♪ Love the way you haunt me ♪

♪ Right there where you want me ♪

[ALL GRUNTING]

♪ ♪

♪ Right there
where you want me, ay, ay ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Pour me whiskey soda,
I cannot be sober ♪

♪ One sh*t and I'm up,
two sh*ts and it's over ♪

♪ Show me how you like it ♪

[SCREAMS]

♪ Show me what you came with ♪

♪ I'ma show you guidance ♪

[SNARLS]

♪ Bodies on top of bodies ♪

♪ Love the way you haunt me ♪

Strigoi neutralized. Back to positions.

♪ ♪

♪ Love the way you haunt me,
ay, ay, ay ♪

♪ Just one sip, you won't be sorry ♪

♪ Ay, ay, ay ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Run up, run up ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Run up, run up ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Run up, run up ♪

[LAUGHTER]

You know, I'm pretty sure Andre danced

with every single girl at that party.

Poor Mia.

"Poor Mia" will get the only thing

she really wants once we marry.

Royal status. [LAUGHTER]

My son, the next King of the Dominion.

I hate to admit it,
but you will make a great king.

If I can get the factions
to remember we're not enemies,

it'll go a long way
towards peace in the Dominion.

You know, Rose, I get my pick
of Guardian once I'm king.

Sorry, once I graduate,

Lissa and I will be too busy
exploring the world.

Yeah, and everyone knows
I want Rose to be my Guardian.

I'm not budging on that.

What we want and what we must do

can be two very different things.

Maybe, Your Almost Majesty.

But not tonight.

A toast

to having everything I want.

A know-it-all big brother...

[BOTH HISS]

Kids. [LAUGHTER]

The most supportive parents
either one of us

could ever hope for,

and Rose, my best friend for life.

[SCREAMING]

[GLASS SHATTERING]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[DRAMATIC VOCALIZING]

♪ ♪

[SOMBER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I don't know how to say goodbye.

♪ ♪

I don't know how any of us
are supposed to go on

without you.

♪ ♪

Mom.

Dad.

Andre.

♪ ♪

I will love you forever.

♪ ♪

I'm ready to go back.

Are you sure?

It's time.

[EXCITING MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[GRUNTS]

♪ ♪

Lissa.

Stop.

It's all right. Rose won't harm Lissa.

She has something.

Show me.

It's a super dangerous
welcome home gift.

I love it. I mean, I'm not , but...

Shut up. It's f*cking adorable.

[LAUGHS]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Who was that guy?

That was Dimitri, my new Guardian.

- Not for long.
- No, I know. Don't worry.

You're still gonna be assigned
to me after we graduate.

Will I?

Maybe when Andre was going
to be king, but now...

But no one can say no to me right now.

Not after...

We're just gonna have
to ride it out for a while.

Right.

We're not gonna let Dimitri
or anything else

get in our way
of our plans for the future.

- He is good-looking, though.
- I didn't notice.

[TENDER MUSIC]

♪ ♪

What's this for?

I'm just... really,

really happy to see you.

♪ ♪

Will Rose Hathaway be a problem?

Rose is always a problem.

She's one of our best Guardian Novices,

but she's a handful.

The girls have been friends
their entire lives.

I mean, we've spoiled them.
Let them break all the rules.

Even let them be roommates
in the Moroi dorms.

Is it any surprise

Rose would have certain expectations?

A Guardian's duty is
to do as they're told.

With all due respect, I'm not a nanny.

My job is protection.

A word that can take many forms.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[GASPING]

[SIGHS]

Oh, that's nice.

♪ ♪

Whoa.

Look who's back from the dead.

Too soon.

It's nice to see you too, Jesse.

So a little birdie told me

you'll be head
of the Dragomir family now.

I hope my father can count on your vote.

I don't know, Jesse.

Honestly, the political stuff
was Andre's thing, not mine.

[SCOFFS]

♪ ♪

You know, we Feeders hear a lot.

You're smart to stay out of it.

The politics in this place
have gotten really ugly.

Be careful.

♪ ♪

It's dangerous to wait
too long, Your Majesty.

We need strong leadership now.

I assume you'll name
your successor soon.

I have some thoughts.

And I have a date with an old friend.

You're excused, Marie.

Your Majesty.

You see what I'm up against?

Instead of mourning the man
who could unite them,

these idiots are all scrambling
for the crown.

- Hmm.
- Enough.

There's work to be done.

You must prepare Lissa for her new role

as head of the Dragomir family.

It won't be easy for her.

You know, she was planning
to apply for a dispensation

to study art abroad.

Those dreams are done.

Lissa must finish her schooling

and take her rightful place
in the Royal Court.

And Rose?

When she finishes her training,

we'll find her a placement
in one of the other provinces.

- She won't like that.
- Moroi come first.

Rose knows that. She'll do her duty.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Might help if we flicked on
an actual light, right?

That would damage the paper.
It's a thousand years old.

Oh, of course.

Not sure it would help anyway.

You only need to recite

this small passage for the consecration.

Recite?

I need to recite Old Moroi
in front of people, tonight?

Any new head of a family must be blessed

in the presence of all the others.

Sorry, it's tradition.

That's a beautiful yellow
you're wearing.

Thank you, Sonya. I really like it too.

[SPEAKING OLD MOROI]

[WIND WHOOSHING]

♪ ♪

All right, who's there?

♪ ♪

Thought you could use some light.

♪ ♪

- And you are?
- New.

♪ ♪

I'm Christian Ozera.

Oh.

And just to get it out of the way, no,

I don't know why my parents
chose the ultimate sin

and turned Strigoi.

And since they're dead, can't ask them.

So you, what, just hang
around old church archives

waiting for girls to need a light?

Or might just have some questions

about where we go after we die.

♪ ♪

I'm sorry about your parents.

I'm sorry about yours.

♪ ♪

So, um... [CLEARS THROAT]

Do you actually read this stuff?

Well, I'm not exactly on top
of anyone's invite list.

I got time. Lots of time.

And you'd be surprised by the secrets

these dusty records hold.

Plus, Old Moroi really is kind of...

beautiful.

♪ ♪

I don't think I can do this.

Say it with me.

- Okay.
- Yeah.

[BOTH SPEAKING OLD MOROI]

Yeah.

[BOTH SPEAKING OLD MOROI]

♪ ♪

You know we have wards around the gates

to keep us safe from Strigoi.

Lissa doesn't need / detail.

Lissa's still at the church.
Royals only.

So you're just...

having a staring contest with the air?

You've studied perimeter control.

Yes. Got an A.

What's around this perimeter?

Don't look. Just tell me.

Street clear. Gate secured.

Rooftop empty. Turrets contained.

How do you know?

I've trained for years

to know every inch of this place.

Exactly.

You're able to operate on instinct

because you're intimately familiar

with your surroundings.

But I'm new here.

Lots to learn in a little time.

So I suppose you could say
I'm having a staring contest

with the street, the gates,

the rooftops, and the turrets.

You're kind of
a Guardian nerd, aren't you?

It's cool. Do your thing, perimeter man.

But just know I plan on taking your job

when I graduate.

I agree.

Lissa would be in perfectly good hands

with the best Guardian
at St. Vladimir's Academy.

Thank you.

Although that may be hard,

given your ranking.

I'm number one. I'm always number one.

Then perhaps... you're not as good

at perimeter control as you think.

What the f*ck?

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hey! How am I fifth?

You missed class.
It's an a*t*matic ten demerits.

It's very tight, the top five.

I missed class to welcome
Lissa back to school.

Find me a Strigoi
who will accept that excuse,

and we'll talk.

♪ ♪

Game on, Hathaway.

Don't get comfortable, Mace.

Positions!

Go! [ALL SHOUT]

♪ ♪

[ALL SHOUTING]

[BELL TOLLING]

[SOFT POP MUSIC]

♪ ♪

♪ Look up to the stars ♪

♪ ♪

♪ High up in the sky ♪

♪ ♪

[CLEARS THROAT]

♪ Nothing but the fading light ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Nothing but the fading light ♪

[SPEAKING OLD MOROI]

♪ Look up to the stars ♪

It's Friday. It's Challenge Day.

She wants to boost her ranking.

Come on, already?

I've only gotten to be
number one for, like, a day.

I'm more comfortable on top.

[CHUCKLES] Don't I know it.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

[ALL CHEERING]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Come on. She's got it, she's got it.

[ALL CHEERING]

♪ ♪

[LAUGHS] He's not coming back.

♪ ♪

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[BUZZER BLARES]

[ALL CHEERING]

A f*cking draw?

Round two, weapons.

Nice! There it is!

[CHEERING]

[LIGHT STRING MUSIC PLAYING]

♪ ♪

I'm not sure you should be here.

♪ ♪

I'm a Royal. Can't keep me out.

♪ ♪

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I'm surprised to see you here.

Yeah, it's been a while

since I've been to one of these things.

People generally aren't very, um...

excited to see my face.

So why did you come?

To see if you needed an Old Moroi tutor.

Your heart's in it,

but your pronunciation is terrible.

[LAUGHS]

The Queen is looking for you.

♪ ♪

[INTENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

I'm impressed.

Rose is half Mason's size,

but she's using it as an advantage.

Trust me,

she'll do something to f*ck it up.

Christian Ozera is a nonstarter.

His parents chose to turn Strigoi.

- That's not his fault.
- It's a mortal sin.

The last thing you need
is the church against you.

Now, we need to discuss your schedule.

The other heads of families
will be inviting you

to a series of less formal events,

although still mandatory,
starting tomorrow.

I get it... there has to be
an official head of family.

But in just a few months,
Rose and I are out of here.

Why waste your time teaching me
something I'm never gonna use?

Unfortunately, kiddo,

Andre's death changes
everything for you,

including your plans for your future.

What we want and what we must do

are often miles apart.

What we want and what we must do

can be two very different things.

[GLASS SHATTERING]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[GASPING]

♪ ♪

Lissa, what's wrong?

[GASPS]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

[BUZZER BLARES]

[LAUGHS] Here you go.

Some for you and you.

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Anything interesting out there?

Just Sonya, the bird lady.

- Be gentle on your sister.
- I am.

Sometimes.

I just don't understand
why she has to be

so weird all the time.

Sweetie, you need
to give that back to Lissa.

I do not.

And anyway, I'm wearing it
to the reception tomorrow.

I'm sorry, Mia. It's Royals only.

- The queen was very insistent.
- So that's it?

One minute,
I'm the future king's fiancée,

and the next, I'm invisible?

I'm keeping the necklace.

It's a Dragomir family heirloom.

And a Dragomir gave it to me.

And with Andre dead, you can't keep it.

[TENSE MUSIC]

I was so close.

Maybe he didn't love me,

and I didn't love him in that way,

but we were good together.

And I would have made a great queen.

There's a lot you can do

without ever sitting on a throne.

Having the ear of the Queen
can be just as powerful.

And the Queen has big plans for Lissa.

- Lissa's a twit.
- [CHUCKLES]

What is up with Sonya
and those f*cking birds?

♪ ♪

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[DOOR CLICKS]

- Lissa.
- [GASPS]

What are you doing?

I just feel like
everything's out of control.

We were all just here together,
and then...

And then there's an accident
that I can barely remember.

And the only thing I know

is that Andre should be here, not me.

Shh, shh, shh.
That's just the grief talking.

[SOBBING]

Shh, it's okay.

[SOFT MUSIC]

But if we're going to sunbathe,

I know where I want to be.

♪ ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

♪ ♪

♪ Ooh, ooh ♪

♪ ♪

This is the first place
your family took me.

I remember. Right after I met you.

Standing all alone on Family Day.

- You ran straight up to me.
- [LAUGHS TEARFULLY]

Your clothes were so clean,

I was afraid your parents
wouldn't let you play with me.

[LAUGHING]

I didn't know
what a family was until then.

[BREATHES DEEPLY]

You keep asking me if I'm gonna be okay.

Are you?

♪ ♪

They were everything a family should be.

Your mum hugged me every time I saw her,

hello and goodbye.

And your dad made jokes about my accent.

[LAUGHING]

Andre taught me the difference
between good tequila

and that gasoline Jesse Zeklos
smuggles into parties.

Meanwhile, my mum was off
in parts unknown.

And my dad, well, who knows?

So the answer to your question...

if I'm okay,

no.

♪ ♪

But I will be.

And now,

we get our own chance to say goodbye,

our own memorial.

♪ I'm still a little broken,
but I'm healing ♪

♪ Yeah, I'm still reeling ♪

♪ I'm not okay ♪

Be at peace.

♪ ♪

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Thanks, Rose.

I feel better than I have in a while.

I know.

I can kind of feel it coming off of you.

That's weird, right?

Not that weird.

Feel like you've always been
pretty tuned into me.

Yeah.

But this feels,

I don't know, different somehow

since you've been back.

Earlier, when you found me
in the garden,

how did you know I was there?

I don't know, I just... did.

[BIRDS CHIRPING]

Oh, sh*t.

Oh, we should get going.

It's one thing to sneak outside
of the wards in the day,

but if we get caught out here
during Strigoi hours,

we're f*cked.

Fine, but I'm driving.

You're stronger than you look.

Just because I'm not a Guard...

[BOTH GRUNT]

- Ow, sh*t.
- Are you okay?

Something's bruised. Maybe my ego.

- Can you walk?
- Yeah.

[TENSE MUSIC]

Oh, f*ck. I'm sorry, Rose.

Forget about walking. We have to run.

♪ ♪

- [GROWLING]
- [GROANS]

Rose, what's wrong?

I don't know. I feel sick.

[SHRIEKING]

- [SCREAMS]
- [GROWLING]

- [ROARS]
- [SCREAMS]

[BOTH GRUNTING]

Run!

Go, Lissa!

I'm not just gonna leave you here!

- It's my job. Go!
- [SCREAMS]

♪ ♪

- No, Rose!
- [ROARING]

[GROANING]

[GROWLS]

[SHRIEKING]

[PANTING]

I don't suppose there's any way

we could keep this just between us.

[ALARM BLARING]

[GUARDIANS SHOUTING]

♪ ♪

That kind of risk
was unacceptable at any time.

Now, the future of the Dragomir family

is in your hands.

A tiny family with no Andre

in a society with antiquated rules.

What does it even matter?

If you think the rules
are antiquated now,

wait till you see what happens
if any of the vipers

jockeying for the crown gets their way.

Andre's rule meant change for us.

If the crown falls
to the wrong bloodline,

whatever progress
your brother hoped to achieve

will be impossible.

The Dragomir vote is key
to preventing that.

Okay.

I'll stay until
the succession is assured.

Then I'll graduate
and get on with my life.

Will that do?

And please tell them
not to be too mad at Rose.

Lissa, we are well beyond that.

[TENSE MUSIC]

♪ ♪

No need.

I just got an earful
and then some from Alberta.

Lissa and I aren't allowed
to be roommates anymore.

I should have told you
I was taking Lissa

outside of the wards.

And I should have built in
more time on our return

for unexpected complications.

But I got her back in one piece.

I made sure she was protected.
They come first.

Protecting Lissa is my job.

My only role here is to ensure
that nothing happens to her.

What you did was reckless and impulsive,

no matter how good you are.

Strength doesn't matter.
Style doesn't matter.

Courage doesn't matter.

There's good enough, and there's gone.

Tonight, you almost got
the person you say

you care about most in the world k*lled.

There isn't a rank low enough
on that board

for you right now.

[SOFT MUSIC]

♪ ♪

Hey, Rose.

♪ ♪

Later, Rose.

Looks like you're slumming it
with the rest of us now.

♪ Love it when you blossom,
sh*t is soft ♪

♪ Naked as the truth
when you take it off ♪

♪ I don't ever stoop,
stock is through the roof ♪

♪ Graduating in a year,
leaving with the troops ♪

♪ Man, this ain't no life
anyone can choose ♪

You can have that bed if you like.

The view's nicer.

♪ Whoa, yeah, we all souls ♪

♪ Down the same road ♪

♪ What scares you the most? ♪

♪ Been down the longest road ♪

♪ Oh, whoa ♪

♪ Tell me what scares you the most ♪

♪ Whoa ♪

♪ Tell me what scares you the most ♪

♪ Even when your flesh gets cold ♪

♪ You know who to call ♪

I wondered if you knew
how to say unicorn

in Old Moroi.

♪ Not better off alone,
you're safe with me ♪

♪ Don't change on me,
I can take you home ♪

♪ You're safe with me,
don't change on me ♪

♪ Don't change,
don't change, don't change ♪

♪ Been a long road, whoa ♪

♪ Yeah, we all souls,
down the same road ♪

I think unicorn in Moroi... is Lissa.

♪ Been down the longest road ♪

♪ Oh, whoa ♪

♪ Tell me what scares you the most ♪

♪ Oh, whoa ♪

♪ Been down the longest road ♪

♪ Oh, whoa ♪

♪ Tell me what scares you the most ♪

Rose.

How come our mothers,
the same women who leave us

on Academy doorsteps as infants

so they can go back to being Guardians,

still get to tell us what to do?

I wanted to see if you're okay.

You didn't get that many good sh*ts in.

I'll be fine.

I didn't mean that.

Mason, I really only have
two uses for you right now,

and I'm not really
in the mood to spar, so...

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Wait a minute, Rose. Wait a minute.

Hey.

I can't believe
I'm actually saying this.

I'm not here for that now
in this moment.

I thought we could talk.

Thought I could be a friend.

[LAUGHS]

Just pretend I'm Lissa, okay?

[LAUGHS]

Don't laugh. What would she do now?

Today, it felt like the universe

was conspiring against me.

I may have given it some extra help,

but all I wanted was

to help my best friend feel better,

and I did.

But I also know
the only way for either of us

to ever feel normal or whole again

is to leave this place
and go live our lives.

[PHONE RINGING]

[TENSE MUSIC]

Hello.

♪ ♪

This is Rose.

It is a pleasure to meet you,
Novice Hathaway.

And you as well, Your Majesty.

Vasilissa Dragomir

is an important member of this Dominion.

I also know she's important to you.

She is, Your Majesty.

Perhaps you can tell me why.

Guardians are raised to be tough.

It's the only way to survive,
especially as a woman.

And I am tough.

But I have seen what

battle can do to people.

Lissa keeps my heart

in the right place.

She always has a kind word

or a compassionate ear
for anyone who needs it.

She's everything good
and everything right.

And she's...

[SOFT MUSIC]

She's my family.

♪ ♪

Thank you, Novice Hathaway.

You are excused.

A toast to you all

on St. Vladimir's Feast Day.

The last I'll witnesses
as your sovereign.

It is time to name the next.

Your Majesty, protocol demands

the announcement be made
in a more formal setting.

Protocol can kiss
my aging Royal buttocks.

For the next heir to the throne,

I name Vasilissa Dragomir.

[GASPING, WHISPERING]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC]

♪ ♪

[BREATHING HEAVILY]