01x02 - Viking

[bunniefuu]

[somber instrumental music playing]

[indistinct chatter]

[inhales deeply and exhales]

[Leif] Do you feel justice?

Yes. I do.

I feel cleansed.

Good.

Because now they intend to k*ll us.

I don't believe that.

- Father said...
- Father was wrong.

He's a stranger to this world, Freydis.

He doesn't know
much has changed since he left.

Then I believe in Jarl Haakon.

She will not allow it. She's strong.

She is also in a difficult position.

If she releases us, she will start a w*r.

Christians will burn down Kattegat
and many of her people will die.

It's in her best interest
to have us k*lled.

[sobs softly]

But regardless...

I am proud of you.

Thank you.

[indistinct chatter]

- [Olaf] Silence!
- [chatter stops]

Freydis Eriksdotter, you are accused
of murdering a man you claim att*cked you.

Have you a way to prove this?

Did I put the scar on my back?

Any one of your lovers
could have done that to you!

The Gods know the truth.

False Gods!

- [clamoring]
- [staff thuds]

- [Gorm] There's only one false God!
- [Haakon] Silence!

Your Christian God.

- Silence!
- [clamoring stops]

Hmm.

In the old ways, you would be
within your rights to take revenge.

But we live in different times.

There are those gathered among us

who feel that your claims
require further proof.

Can you provide it?

A trial by combat.

If I am lying,
the Gods will not protect me.

Combat? With me?

[all laughing]

You are her accuser. Are you afraid?

[laughter continues]

King Canute.

This woman's actions have robbed you
of a valuable part of your arsenal.

Not having Gunnar
puts the lives of everyone in this room,

Christian and Pagan, at risk.

[crowd murmuring]

Therefore, I implore you
and the noble ruler of Kattegat

to acknowledge that debt

and make her pay for it with her life.

[crowd clamoring]

[intense music playing]

[Harald] Jarl Haakon, may I speak?

[clamoring stops]

Jarl Olaf makes an excellent argument.

Gunnar was
an important part of our strategy,

and his loss will indeed cause hardship.

But my brother
may have also offered a better solution.

Since this woman
cost you a vital element to our mission,

should she not be forced
to render something of equal

if not greater value to our endeavor?

Such as?

Her brother, Leif Eriksson.

Son of the Great Berserker, Erik The Red.

[crowd murmuring]

One of, if not the best
ship captain in this room.

He piloted his ship
across open ocean from Greenland

through a storm
that k*lled scores of others.

I can personally attest
to his fighting skills.

But should we doubt his motivation,

he will be fighting
for the life... of his sister.

[indistinct chatter]

- [staff thuds]
- [chatter stops]

Leif Eriksson, I ransom
your sister to King Canute.

To repay her debt,
you must pledge service to his cause.

Do you accept these terms?

I do.

Then... it is done.

[man] Move!

[indistinct chatter]

[opening theme music playing]

[counsellor] The King.

[exhales]

One year ago, on my orders,

a decree was sent out

that all Danes living
on this island be destroyed

in a most just extermination.

On that fated day,

a group of Norse
entered this sanctuary of God

and purposefully set fire to it,
destroying it.

And ultimately themselves
in an act of futile retribution.

Today, we witness
the resurrection of this house of worship.

Restored to its original glory
by me, Æthelred.

And by God's blessing.

[solemn instrumental music playing]

[woman] Peace be with you, sire.

[bell tolling]

[indistinct chatter]

[commander] Formation!

Forward!

[neighing]

Align!

[coughing]

You know something

which you are not sharing with me.

Our spies in the north say
the Vikings are preparing for an invasion.

Damn the nobles.

They swore the Norse were
too busy fighting among themselves

to bother with us. And I believed them.

You did what needed to be done
to keep them in line.

Yes, but it's not their heads
the Vikings will want on a pike.

It's mine. [grunts]

[Æthelred sighs]

She was right.

She knew they would come.

[indistinct chatter]

It was my father's ship.

It's fast and tough.

And now it's yours.

[man ] Ready to go to England.

Toss me that rope then, now.

It's a good boat.

I'm glad you find it so,

but that is the ship I covet.

King Harald of Norway. Mm?

Someday.

[gripping instrumental music playing]

[man ] Hail Canute!

Ragnor, raise the banner.

[people cheering]

[horn blows]

[horn blows in distance]

If you're expecting me to thank you,
you will be disappointed.

You're welcome, anyway.

I told you what I came for
and you took advantage of me.

Who took advantage
of whom is up for debate.

- You could have helped me.
- I could have had you k*lled.

And you did neither.

What kind of man does that?

A man who is amazed by you.

So why have you come?

We may be gone
from Kattegat five months or more.

You have people to say goodbye to.

[uplifting instrumental music playing]

[Freydis chuckles]

[Freydis sighs]

I will make sacrifices to Odin
for your safe return.

I'll be fine.
You just take care of yourself, hmm?

[Freydis] Skarde.

I'll see you soon.

Yeah!

[both laughing]

- Go get them, Ulf.
- [Ulf] Yes.

[Freydis] And Liv.

You take care of him.

[Liv] I will.

Protect each other.

You do the same.

[exhales]

Prince of Norway!

Five months is a long time.

So, you're Greenlanders?

- Yeah.
- Is it really as green as it sounds?

[all chuckle]

Well, absolutely.
At least two days a year.

[laughter]

I'm Johan. This is Tomas.

Skarde.

- Jarl Gorm.
- Harald.

Arne.

[Gorm] So, this is the young captain
you spoke of?

Leif Eriksson.

I know your father.

He is a brave seaman
and a strong believer.

Is he still that way?

If you know my father,
then you know that nothing changes.

Good.

[man] And the Lord grant us fairway.

Prince Harald, I agreed to fight
with Christians, not row with them.

Suit yourself, Jarl Gorm.

But we're leaving
and it's a long swim to England.

[Leif] Skarde.

Skarde, put this in the back.

Listen up!

All knives and axes in the barrel.

No one rows with a w*apon on them.

I don't give up my Kn*fe for anybody.

There's only one reason
to row with a w*apon

and that is
to k*ll someone else on this boat.

Your enemy is not here.

What if he is?

Then I deal with it.

I have no enemies here.

[intense music playing]

[man] Put the axe in.

No, I don't like it. Put it in the barrel.

Yeah, mine as well.

Put it in and get back to your work.

On your side.

[weapons clatter]

[horn blows]

[people cheering]

[captivating instrumental music playing]

[horn blows]

- Row!
- [grunting]

[all] Yeah!

Yeah!

Yeah!

[stately instrumental music playing]

[man] Make way for the Queen!

Make way there.

[doctor] He is not well, Your Highness.

His cough has deepened
with his worry over the coming invasion.

Perhaps you could
lessen his fears over the Northmen.

Thank you.

[boy praying in Latin]

[in English] Leave.

[counsellor] Highness.

- [boy] Amen.
- [Æthelred breathes heavily]

Get up, Edmund.

Emma.

They are coming.

I've heard.

With Godwin's help,

I...

I have dictated terms
for you to present to them.

They always listen to gold.

I have no intention
of bargaining with them.

What do you intend to do?

Fight.

I intend to send Edmund to Mercia.

On your orders he will summon

Eadric Streona
to bring his army to London.

He also will try
and take the throne from Edmund.

He will try, but not until
after the Vikings have been defeated.

And what about your brother in Normandy?

Will he offer support?

He will not help us
until we help ourselves.

I have left you a nightmare.

You married a Norman.

We create nightmares.

[indistinct shouting]

So, is this your first Viking raid?

Are you nervous?

My father was a raider.

He told me he was a Berserker.

That means he was
a mighty warrior and k*lled many men.

Like Harald.

Why did he go to Greenland?

Because he k*lled men
even when he wasn't raiding.

Have you ever k*lled a man before?

No. I've never had reason to.

The first time is sometimes difficult.

It's no different
than k*lling any other living thing.

A man is different. He fights back.

So does a polar bear.

[chuckles softly]

[gripping instrumental music playing]

[man] Milord.

[indistinct chatter]

[dogs barking]

[Godwin] Your Highness.

I had no idea you were moving
the m*llitary operations into the old city?

There's no better fortress for London
than the site the Romans chose.

I'm surprised
that it sat deserted for years.

That is because it is thought
to be inhabited by their ghosts.

I don't believe
ghosts can hurt me, Godwin.

But I do believe that Vikings can.

[bell tolling in distance]

But concentrating our forces in the South,

where the river's tides and the marshes
provide a natural protection.

Are you sure this is a sound idea?

I am.

Because I'm expecting
the Norse to behave exactly like you.

[Godwin] Which is how?

To underestimate me.

Forgive me, Your Highness,
you summoned me for a reason.

How may I be of service?

I am sending Edmund to Mercia
to enlist Eadric Streona's aid.

Streona will ask much for that favor.

Which is why
you are to accompany the prince

and ensure that doesn't happen.

Your Highness, may I speak freely?

It is no secret that you have never liked,
much less trusted me before.

There are many others you could send.

- So why trust you with the king-to-be?
- Yes.

[Emma] Necessity creates unusual allies.

If we do not secure Mercia's help
against the Vikings, England is lost.

If England is lost, so are we.

I will not fail you.

[Emma] Not me.

Us.

It is crucial that Eadric Streona
bring his army to London

and follow our instructions.

- What if he sets conditions for this aid?
- Refuse.

Do not allow yourself
to be drawn into a negotiation.

But what if he insists?

You're not making
a plea for help, Your Highness.

You're relaying an order
from your father, the King.

Listen to Godwin.

[intense music playing]

[Edmund grunts]

Father won't be alive
when I return, will he?

No.

When you return, you will be king.

But unless you are successful,
you will not have a long rule.

Open the gates.

[gates open]

[horse huffing]

[music intensifies]

[indistinct chatter]

[Canute] Show me what you mean, Jarl Olaf.

[Olaf] Since the Romans
first built the city,

the bridge has been of vital importance.

It connects everything

and provides a way to escape
should pressure be brought from the north.

Then we should bring it down?

Not possible.

When I was King Æthelred's advisor,
I made sure of that.

No, if we are to crush London,
we do what Vikings have never done.

We att*ck from the south.

There's a reason
it's never been done, brother.

The south is nothing but marsh.

- Which is why Æthelred won't expect it.
- How do you know that?

Because I'm the one
who convinced him it was impossible.

- [horn blowing]
- [man] Secure!

[thunder rumbling]

[indistinct chatter]

[thunderclap]

- Lower the sail.
- Lower the sail!

[Arne laughs]

Watch out, Christian.
Maybe you should pray to be more careful.

- You tripped him on purpose.
- I did not.

I saw you.

Are you calling me a liar? Huh?

Come here and tell me that. Huh?

Sit down and row.

Do you have a problem with my order?

[chuckles] I'm fine.

I thought you were a follower
of the old Gods, like your father.

I am.

Then why take the word
of a Christian over my own son?

Because your son is a liar, Jarl Gorm.

You should hold on.
It's about to get rough.

Row into it!

[indistinct chatter]

[cheerful folk music playing]

[woman] Hello, Jarl Haakon.

You are looking
to burn a sacrifice for a loved one?

My brother.

He's on one of the ships.

[woman] This is a special one.

It is made from the branch
of a sacred tree in Uppsala.

Yggdrasil?

The World Tree is not in Uppsala.

This is probably taken
from the tree outside Odin's temple.

It is green summer and winter.

And blessed by the priests there.

But I have no money.

I will trade you for your bracelet.

What about my necklace?

Yeah.

[Freydis] Why do you sell those?

I sell whatever soothes the soul.

Are you a Christian?

[woman] I was born in the old ways.

But I am whatever I have to be today.

Thank you.

Viking people
have travelled more than most.

We raided, yes, but we traded too.

Kattegat is the beneficiary of that trade.

You will experience different people
and beliefs here like nowhere else.

And you are not
threatened by those beliefs?

Look at me.

My grandmother came
from a great African family.

My grandfather fell in love with her
in Alexandria and brought her here.

Their child, my father,

became an even greater warrior,

and now I am the ruler of Kattegat.

All things are possible
if our minds are open.

[mystical music playing]

[Freydis praying in Old Norse]

[Haakon in English] Your faith
is very strong, Freydis.

I am sure Ægir and Ran
will watch over your brother and friends.

I'm sure they will.

There are a few today
as pure in their beliefs as you.

It is all I know.

My husband was trading in Trömsa

when his ship was stopped by Christians.

My husband was very devout, like you.

When they found that he and his men
were believers of the old ways,

he was ordered to convert.

He refused.

The Christians decided
to make him an example

and t*rture him in front of his men,

in hopes that his suffering would
encourage them to change their beliefs.

[breathes deeply]

It had the opposite effect.

One by one,

they k*lled them all.

I am sorry my offering
has brought back such memories.

Change is happening, and we must be ready.

[Godwin] Your Highness?

Are you all right?

I wasn't supposed to be here.

- Sire?
- [Edmund] My brothers were.

I didn't think that they would both die
and it would happen this way.

I'm not king material.

- How do you know?
- What?

How do you know you're not the king
England needs at this moment?

The fact that I voiced my doubts

should be evidence enough
of my inadequacy.

[gulps]

It's been my experience

that those who never
acknowledge their doubts are charlatans.

I believe that a search of one's soul
is a sign of strength, not weakness.

Facing doubts or fears
is the first step in courage.

What's your greatest fear? [sniffs]

Failure.

It is paralyzing.

Do you trust your instincts?

I think so.

If so, there will come a day when
your fear of failure will be overwhelmed

by an instinct to act.

To survive.

If you listen to it, you will succeed.

Good night, Your Highness.

[gripping instrumental music playing]

[indistinct shouting]

See you in England, friends.

So, no sign of your Greenlander?

Maybe you should make an offering to Ægir
for your boat's safe return. [chuckles]

Do you ever get tired
of saying stupid things?

Like letting my brother know
when he makes a mistake? No. Never.

[laughs boisterously]

- [Olaf grunts]
- [boat creaking]

What do you see in this Greenlander
that makes you trust him?

I don't know. Maybe his courage.

Courage is not rare here.

His is.

It doesn't come from speeches
or pounding of shields.

It comes from belief
in his own ability and nothing else.

In my experience, that is rare.

[horses huffing]

[Streona] Ironside,

Boneless, Bloodaxe,

such great names.

[Streona chuckles]

You know what they all
have in common, Your Highness?

They're dead.

Tell your father I can give him
, men and , horses,

but it would be a mistake
to send them to London.

Why so?

Mercians have been
fighting the Vikings for years

and we've learned a great many things.

I have no doubt
that London is Canute's target,

but he'll att*ck the city from the north,
which means he'll march through Mercia.

To defeat him in London,
you must first stop him here.

That is not what the Queen Emma believes.

She believes
the Vikings will att*ck elsewhere.

Queen Emma?

Is your father not well?

The King is in excellent health,
but his wife, as you know, is a Norman.

What better person to plan
the defense of a Viking att*ck

than a descendant of Rollo himself.

Godwin.

I knew a noble named Godwin from Sussex.

My father.

If I'm not mistaken,
it didn't end well for him, did it?

You're not talking to my father,
you're talking to me.

- The King knows exactly what he's doing.
- [Streona] You think so?

[clicks tongue] It doesn't
sound like that to me.

It sounds like he has no plan

and has placed England's future
in the hands of a foreign queen,

a boy prince, and an advisor
whose father destroyed his family name.

[Edmund] Then do nothing.

[intense music playing]

Do nothing, Eadric Streona,
if that is your decision.

But be willing to stand by it
because, one day, I will be king,

and I can promise
that I will remember both your doubt

and your decision to refuse an order.

Who said that I would not obey
a summons from the King?

Tell your father and your stepmother,

that Mercia will be there, as ordered.

[music intensifies]

[people chanting in Latin]

[wind howling]

[chanting continues]

[ominous music playing]

[in English] We're lost, aren't we?

You've never been to England,
and you've lost us.

- We're not lost.
- [Gorm] Liar!

This is your fault and the fault of
all the Christians and their false God.

The Gods are laughing at us right now.

Shut up, heathen.

- What did you say to me?
- I said, shut up.

You sound like a frightened child.

- [Leif] Stop!
- [laughs]

Stop rowing.

What do you see
that makes you believe that we are lost?

What do I see?

No land!

See, that is where
you and I are different.

The sky tells me we are headed west.

Auks and gannets flying high

tell me the weather is improving
and we're near land.

Then where are the other boats?

The other boats are not my responsibility.

This boat, the one you are on,

is my responsibility.

For all you know,
the other boats are lost, not ours.

Now, we continue!

Oars out and row!

And, Jarl Gorm, stop blaming
the Christians for your fears. Hmm?

[laughing]

[Gorm grunts]

- [gasps]
- [intense music playing]

[Skarde] What are you doing?

The Christians have cursed us!

- They all must die!
- Birger.

[Liv panting]

I'm taking over the boat.

- [Leif] Let them go! Now!
- Get the weapons.

- Let them go!
- Or what, Greenlander?

You're going to k*ll me?

I'm not a bear. And you are not a Viking.

I don't think you have
the stomach to k*ll me.

A polar bear thinks
the same thing before he dies.

[both grunting]

[Gorm groans]

When I pull this out, you will be dead.

Before I do, tell your men what you see.

Tell them.

[straining] England.

[Gorm thuds]

Who's next?

[Edmund] What did Streona mean

when he called your father
the destroyer of your family name?

[Godwin] My father was an Ealdorman.

When I was your age,
he took of the king's ships

and used them for his own greed.

For that act,
he was stripped of his lands,

his wealth, and his title,
and was imprisoned until his death.

How is it then, that you are now
one of my father's closest advisors?

Because he never blamed me
for my father's failure.

And I provide him with something
he cannot get from his nobles.

Which is?

The truth, Your Highness.

[bells tolling in distance]

Listen. What does that mean?

It means you are now our ruler.

All hail King Edmund.

[all] All hail King Edmund.
All hail King Edmund.

[Godwin] God bless the King.
And God bless England.

[all] God bless the King.
God bless England.

Now comes the hard part.

[footsteps approaching]

[mystical music playing]

Why have you returned my Kn*fe?

You will need it for your pilgrimage.

I'm sending you to Uppsala
to seek your destiny.

[sheathes Kn*fe]

I don't understand.

Uppsala is the most sacred site
in our Viking world.

Everything there is holy.

Every nine years we make sacrifices there
to the Gods that protect us.

And you, who have travelled so far,

you must go there and see it for yourself
before the Christian tide washes it away.

Is that really possible?

Some say that Ragnarök,
the Twilight of the Gods,

will happen within our lifetime.

And you believe that?

I believe we must be ready.

[gripping instrumental music playing]

[horses neighing]

[indistinct shouting]

Sound the horn.

[horn blowing]

[intense music playing]

Viking.

[Leif breathing heavily]

[theme music playing]