My Lady Jane

G tells Jane he only locked her up to protect her. She asserts her right to choose, though she promises to be more careful. He apologizes. They make up, bantering affectionately. Wanting more time with him, she manages not to change form at dusk.

Edward invites G to a strategy meeting with the other men and Bess. G says Jane should come too, given her intelligence. London has never fallen to a siege, so Jane creates a different plan.

Now able to control her transformations thanks to her love for G, Jane feels rejected when he still cannot control his, especially after they kiss for the first time.

That night, Bess and Archer lead the armies to attack the city as a diversion. Gracie fights too. At another gate, G and Pet distract the guards while Jane sneaks in. She gets into the Tower, finds some clothes, and breaks a window, enabling Edward in his bird form to fly in and meet her.

G waits for Jane and Edward, torturing himself that he didn’t properly tell Jane how much he loves her. They arrive and let G and Pet into the Tower through the gate. They are apprehended by Dudley, Stan, and Edward’s fencing teacher, Bash. Edward and Bash duel. Edward is better than ever before, as he is no longer being poisoned, and eventually manages to disarm Bash.

G convinces Stan to run away and then faces off with his father, pretending that he has been practicing nonstop and pointing out that the odds are now against him. Dudley gives in and begs for mercy, but still can’t bring himself to be nice to G. Jane ties Bash and Dudley up to await a trial, using knots she learnt in a book.

G tells Jane that before they enter the throne room to confront Mary, he must tell her how much he loves her. He worries he may never be able to control his transformations as she deserves, but stresses that he is hers, in any form. They realize the sun has risen and he is still a human.

Edward, G, and Jane enter the throne room. The crowd is shocked to see him alive. He confronts Mary, accusing her of helping to poison him and stealing his crown. However, instead of begging for mercy, she argues back. She says that as firstborn, she is the rightful heir. She claims that Henry VIII’s other wives were wily Ethian seductresses and he only made Edward his heir because he’s a boy.

Edward struggles to reply: He no longer believes his gender entitles him to rule over his sisters. Bess intervenes. She says that Henry VIII appointed Edward because he has the country’s interests at heart, unlike Mary, who is tearing it apart. Bess’s reasoning goads Mary, who turns into a mule in a fit of anger. The court bursts into laughter. Mary is led away.

Hearing Bess’s speech, Edward thinks that he was a passive, ill-informed king. He feels trapped by the role and inadequate at filling it. He persuades Bess that she should rule instead because of her natural aptitude and drive. He formally crowns her to widespread approval.

Later, he wonders why Gracie hasn’t turned up. He worries that she might have gone back to Archer. There are stories of her valiant actions in battle. One day Bess’s crown vanishes, replaced by a wooden fox, and he takes it as a message to visit her at the Pack’s tavern. Gracie tells him she is now the Pack leader—Archer died in the battle. She finally calls him Edward instead of “Sire,” and they kiss.

Jane and G have a second wedding with their loved ones, so that they can marry again under their own free will.

Gifford finally confesses to Jane that he was never actually a womanizer, but spent his nights devoted to poetry. He reads her a Shakespearean sonnet he composed for her, and the narration explains in an aside that he actually wrote all Shakespeare’s works, assisted by Jane’s well-read knowledge. They finally consummate their love sexually and live happily ever after.