"**" "**" "**" "**" "**" "Floki." "Floki, it's me." "Helga?" "We have a child, Helga." "Yes, we have a child." " A beautiful girl." " A girl." "You did not come so I brought her to see you." "A girl." " I don't want to drop her." " You won't drop her." "A girl." "A beautiful, beautiful girl." "How is it possible?" "Take her back." "Take her back." "What shall we call her, hey?" "Angrboda." " The name of Loki's first wife?" " Yes, yes." "But she's..." "What's wrong with that?" "They thought she was evil." "They had monstrous offspring." "She was a great giantess, Helga." "Will you come back with us?" "Will you get to know your daughter?" "No." "I have to stay in Kattegat." "But you, you must go home." "Can't I stay a while?" "You don't understand, Helga." "You have to leave." "Leave!" "Leave!" "Look, there." "They're here, Father." "**" "**" "Welcome." "Welcome to Kattegat." "Mwah." "Darlings." " Are you well?" " Yes, all of us are well now." "Come." "Come, family." "I want you to meet Ragnar, huh?" "Are you hungry?" "**" "Ragnar Lothbrok, my friend and ally, and all your family gathered, let me properly present to you my wife, Gunnhild, and my children." "Ragnar, you and I have formed an alliance on which the future of our country and its people depends." "In this endeavor, I see you more than ever as an equal." "Between us, and of course Earl Ingstad, we have already accomplished so much." "We have land and opportunity in Wessex." "But that is only the beginning." "We know already there are many other worlds to discover, and we shall do so together, united even more by the bonds of family." "For you have many sons, and as you can see, I have many daughters." "it is our custom to celebrate such an alliance as the gods celebrated theirs, with feasting and with pledges." "You must be the famous shield-maiden Lagertha." "Oh, you are more famous, Gunnhild." "The poets talk of your exploits." "They tell how you killed Sweyn Forkbeard when he invaded Gotland." "And they say that you are now an earl in your own right." "How did it happen?" "I killed my husband when he invaded me." " What is it?" " Don't you remember?" "You were going to put a proposition for me." "Was I?" "Yes." "And I am still waiting." "The thing is, Floki," "I'm not entirely sure I can trust you." "**" "Porunn." "You are a free woman now." "What will you do with your freedom?" "I will use it to choose." " To choose what?" " You don't understand." "When I was a slave, I loved you." "You were the first to treat me as if I was not a slave." "But now, I have choices." "There are plenty of other women here." "That is your first mistake." "Ah, Torstein." "Up to your usual tricks I see." "These two beautiful women approached me." "They chose you for the size of your silver pouch, nothing else." "I don't think about it too much." "If these women don't love me what do I care?" "They will still make me happy." "Here, have some more." "Siggy." "I am pleased to see you." "I would like to know your plans while you are here." "My wife is here." "My children are here." "That's all you need to know." "**" "What is that shit you're holding, Erlendur?" "This is Wessex earth." "It is my inheritance." "Why did you come back, Priest?" "Nobody wants you here." "You betrayed the gods." "You betrayed all of us." "It's your fault Rollo's going to die." "Forgive me, Floki." "I know I should trust you, but I need proof." " Proof?" " Yes." "Prove to me I can trust you." "Prove to me you are on my side." "How can I prove it?" "Kill someone, someone who matters." "Seems our children are allies, too." "Sometimes, I think they are wiser than we are and that growing up is a process of forgetting." "How's your baby?" "How's Ivar?" "Do you know?" "Yes." "And I tell you this, what you're doing is far more courageous than fighting in a shield wall." "I just want you to know." "Thank you." "Take your time, Torstein." "You missed it." "Yeah!" "Floki!" "Have you made up your mind?" "Yes." "I know who I will kill." "Next summer, I say we should return to Wessex, claim our land from King Ecbert." "Those who wish to farm should do so and divide the land between them." "What should the rest of us do, hmm?" "Those who do not wish to be farmers." "Those can join King Ecbert and Princess Kwenthrith in the battle for Mercia." "I'm sure they will be rewarded well." "I agree with you." "I think we should claim the land, but I do not like the idea of being Ecbert's handmaiden." "I still have a score to settle with him, and unlike Ragnar, I do not trust him." "He reminds me of the giantess Hel." "You remember?" "Her face, her neck, her arms, her breasts, all pink." "But beneath her waist, every inch of her flesh is decayed and rotten and greenish-black." "Yes, that might be true, Father." "But isn't it best to test him to see if he is honest?" "I believe he is telling the truth." "Then you are still innocent." "It does not seem to matter how many experiences you have, Athelstan." "In the end, you are still like the young monk I first met." "So you agree with me?" "No." "I agree that those who wish to farm should do so and also ask for King Ecbert's protection." "But for some of us, those of us who still want to raid, we will go elsewhere, explore and discover new places." "How is he?" "He's alive." "Will he ever walk again?" "Only the gods know." "Do you watch over him day and night?" "Listen, I'll stay with him for a while." " You get some sleep." " No, I..." "Go get some sleep, Siggy." "You deserve it." "I will watch him." "Thank you." "You put me in a bed like this once, Rollo." "Do you remember?" "I brought you something." "Look." "It's the food of the gods." "Eat." "**" "Ubbe." "Give this gift to Torstein." "Say that they are from his good friend Floki." "Oh!" "And one more thing." "You must never tell anyone that it was me who gave them to him." "That must be our secret." "Do you agree?" "Good, because if you don't keep this secret, something terrible will happen to you." "Do you know what will happen?" "I'll tell you." "When the god Loki had done something terribly bad, the other gods took him to a nasty dark cave." "And there they chained him on three sharp rocks, and above him they fastened a vile snake so that its poison would drip, drip, drip forever on Loki's face." "Now, you wouldn't want that to happen to you, would you?" "Well, go and give my present to Torstein, but keep the secret." "My friend Torstein has been murdered." "I swear by all the gods, whoever did this will pay a heavy price." "We'll find the guilty one." "And we shall flay the skin from his body and use horses to tear him apart." "You did well." "Now I know I can trust you." "So, what is your plan?" "I Will kill them all." " All?" " Yes, all." " Ragnar?" " Of course Ragnar." "And Lagertha and Aslaug." "All of them." "All their bastard children." "I will wipe his family from the face of the earth." "And Bjorn?" "What of Bjorn?" "Bjorn Ironside." "He is difficult to kill." "Perhaps the gods are protecting him." "You must find away to kill him." "I have no doubt you will manage." "I know you will manage." "When?" "Tomorrow." "Be prepared, my friend." "The gods are coming." "I know." "**" "**" "**" "Porunn." "Forgive me for what I said." "I don't want other women." "I want you." "What do you want from me?" "Respect." "You know I respect you." "I worship you." "I don't want to be worshipped." "I spent my life as a slave." "Your words are ridiculous." "What can I do?" "You can fight me." " Fight you?" " Yes." "It's no use." "Don't give up." "What do you care if I give up or not?" "Do you want an honest answer?" "I don't know." "But I think you might still be useful somehow." "To whom?" "Shouldn't you be with your wife?" "Doesn't she have need of you?" " Don't play games." " There are no more games." "Yes, there is, and this is the final one." "You once promised you would tell me Ragnar's weaknesses." "I don't ever remember you delivering on that promise." "Well, you wasted all your seed on a promise." "Tell me now." "Is it not obvious?" "Ragnar's weakness is his children." "Then this is what you must do." "You must go to the great hall at sunset and you must kill Ragnar's young sons." "What do I get in return?" "I will marry you." "Gunnhild is my only wife at the moment." "I will take a second." "I will make you a queen." "You will rule again, as you once did." "What was that?" "Porunn, please, stop." "Please what?" "Porunn." "Porunn, I'm sorry." "It was an accident." "Porunn, where are you?" "Porunn." "This is the Sword of Kings." "One day, if the gods will it, this sword will belong to you." "Today we must do something extraordinary." "We must overcome the magic of Ragnar Lothbrok, which threatens our power and survival." "The gods have spoken and I have listened." "We must cut and kill in such a frenzy none can survive." "For, believe me, if even one of that family survives, then the day will come when he will rise again and destroy us." "Put yourself in the hands of the gods, do their will." "And then, for certain, they will grant you this sword and a kingdom." "Come." "I've seen you praying to your god." "Will you teach me one of your prayers, so I can learn?" "Our Father, who art in heaven." "Our Father, who art in heaven." "Hallowed be thy name." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done." "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." "And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." "Boys, come with me." "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." "Forever and ever, amen." "Forever and ever." " Amen." " Amen." " Bring it here, girl." " Yes, mistress." "**" "And deliver us from evil." "Floki, where have you been?" "Looking after you, Bjorn." "Like I promised your father." "Earl Ingstad." "You should leave now." "I have orders from Earl Ragnar." "Ragnar Lothbrok." "Floki, you have betrayed the gods." "No, King Horik." "I only betrayed you." "I was always true to the gods and Ragnar." "Ragnar, if you can find it in your heart, spare my son." "Go."