"West Gothia A.D. 1187" "Far to the cold and dark North... was the land of West Gothia, a small divided kingdom" "where three mighty clans fought for the Crown." "In this darkness the Christian faith was spread through churches and monasteries." "But for one woman the monastary was a home without God." "Held without her consent." "Separated from her beloved, sentenced to serve in the Holy Land." "Cecilia." "You have a visitor." "Cecilia." "It is good to see you." "Did something happen?" " No." "You haven't visited for many years, Brosa." "Yes, your penance is soon finished." "Have you thought about the future?" "You are a Folkung friend and a personal friend to the Queen." "I am sure that many would like to marry you." "You need a man, Cecilia." "It would strenthen your position." "It would strengthen us all." "I have sworn to wait for him." "Prepare for the worst." " He's alive." "He is a castle lord in Gaza." "That information is several years old." " I will wait for him." " And what if he doesn't come back?" "Then I will have no man." "ARN" " The Kingdom At Road's End" "My name is Arn Magnusson from West Gothia." "Who would belive it?" "Meeting a Folkung down here." "And a friend." "Thank you." "It was my family that helped King Knut to hide in Norway." "Is Knut Eriksson, King?" "You have been gone a long time." "Knut has reigned peacefully for many, many years." "Do you know of Magnus Folkesson at Arnäs?" "Of course, you bet I do." "But sadly Magnus Folkesson has passed away now." "When?" "He passed two winters ago." "His son Eskil is lord at Arnäs now." "And you?" "How did you end up here?" "Was Magnus Folkesson your father?" "I am sorry." "I am truly sorry." "West Gothia..." "Cecilia." "Come." "Cecilia..." "God has sent you so that you can forgive me." "What can I forgive you for, Mother?" " My sins." "My sins against you." "I wanted to prevent yours and Arn Magnusson's happiness." "Give me my child!" "No!" "I wanted to punish you since I never found love." "I never wished for... the life of the monastary." "It was my father's will." "He sent me here... behind these walls..." "Yes." "You are a good person, Cecilia." "Good hearted and forgiving." "Your prayers could shorten my time in Purgatory." "Can you forgive me?" "Can you forgive me?" "Only God can forgive you." "I curse you." "I curse you, Cecilia Algotsdotter." "I curse you." "You and Arn Magnusson." "He was asking for it." "You make two mistakes, Harald." "First, your sword is too heavy." "This?" "I would have picked a bigger one." "Secondly, you fight like a Viking." "With respect, my Lord, I have never learned any other way, and I have done well so far." "I have received orders from Jerusalem." "The Grandmaster wants us to join with a force out in the desert." "I want you to come with me as my sergeant." "Thank you, my Lord." "I humbly thank you." "It will be an honour to serve a Folkung." " We have a long ride ahead of us" "Then you have picked the right man." "You will not be disappointed." "It has gotten rather hot." "If I only had some ale." "Save your strength, Harald." "Ale, ale, ale, ale, ale." "Enemy forces are moving north." "They must be planning something." "What are the Saracen like?" "Are they as evil as they say?" "They are like us." "Some are evil, some are good." "But their leader Saladin..." "He must be a terrible demon?" "Is it true that you are the only one who has defeated him?" "Saladin is far from defeated." "Isn't it just a matter of time?" "We must have faith, Harald." "We must have faith to conquer evil." "And what if we can't conquer evil?" "Then we die." "Heat during the day and icy cold nights." "I already miss the fjords." "Do you never long for home?" " Yes." "But my time here is soon at an end." "At the next full moon, I will return home." "I am sorry for the loss of the beloved Mother Rikissa." "But in times of sorrow one must look to the future, don't you think?" "I have spoken with the King's Earl Birger Brosa." "He speaks well of you." "I have no reason to doubt his word." "I would like to see a Reverent Mother from the Folkung clan in one of our monastaries." "And now there is an opening." "Would you consider becoming Reverent Mother in Gudhem?" "Your own monastary." "Thank you for this generous offer but I can not and will not give my vows." "You won't?" " My penance is nearly over." "I have endured my punishment." "At the next full moon I leave Gudhem to go to the queen at Visingsö." "I will await my bethrothed there." "Tell Brosa that." "My Lord." "Stay out of this, Harald." "Al Ghouti." "We thank you for coming." "God sent you to our rescue." "He has seen your sorrow." "God tests our hearts through pain and sorrow." "When do we ride on?" "Where will the battle be?" "You will not ride with us, Harald." "I will ride where you ride!" " Go home to Gaza and go home with the next ship." "I release you from service." "I will fight by your side." "Harald, it is an order." "I am not afraid to die." " I do not question your courage" "I had hoped that we could travel home together." "Now I send you ahead." "One day we will meet there again." "Pardon me..." "The Templars will break camp in the morning." "Their army stands south of the Horn of Hattin." "They intend to meet us in the desert." "Fools..." "After a great defeat comes a great victory." "If God wills it." "I swear I will come for you" "I will wait for you." "What if he doesn't come back?" "Then I will have no man." "You do not bring much with you out into the world, Cecilia Algotsdotter." "The King and Queen wait for you at Visingsö." "I have also sent Magnus there." "So, now he knows?" " Now he knows." "I heard that you declined Bishop Erland's offer." "I understand that you need time to think." "I have had all the time I need." "Blanka!" "I am so happy to see you." "Good to see you again, Cecilia." " King Knut." "This is for you." " Thank you." "Come and meet our sons." "This is Erik the oldest." " Welcome." "This is Jon." "Welcome and Little Knut." "Magnus." "Mother." "Magnus, don't stand there in the rain." "Get inside." "I only tell it like it is, even if it is uncomfortable to hear." "We have to be one step ahead of Sverker Karlsson." "It will not be long until he makes a claim on the Crown and he will be bringing the Danes with him." "I say let them come." "We can not handle it." "We can not fight the Danes." "I know where you stand." "But I will not bow down to Sverker or the Danes." "No, no, that is not what I mean." "All I am saying is that we need to protect our home." "Ah but look, here is our beloved guest of honour." "Come, sit down." "You really look radiant, Cecilia." " And her future would be radiant also, if she would listen to good advice." "Brosa wants me as Reverent Mother at Gudhem." "It is an honourable task, Cecilia." "The power of the church is great, it is as great as the kings." "We must try to place a Folkung in every important position to weaken the influence of the Sverker clan." "If Brosa is so enamoured with monastic life, then I am sure Varnhem will receive a new brother with open arms." "My wife has a sharp tongue but we both know she means well, Brosa." "Cecilia, welcome to Visingsö." "Am I disturbing you?" " No." "Come in." "Sit down." "You must have been wondering." "Your father..." "Your father and I..." " I know." "You don't have to..." "Brosa says that he is dead." " He doesn't know that." "He is." "He is in my prayers." " And in mine." ""Let those who fight in the cause of Allah sell the life of this world for the hereafter." "To him who fighteth in the cause of Allah - whether he is slain or victorious - soon shall We give him a reward of great value." An-Nisa 4:74" "My name is Ebbe Sunesen." "I come from Denmark as a friend." "The Danish King is very concerned to keep peace." "Also in your kingdom." "He would like you to be reconciled with the Sverker clan." "If he thinks I will freely give the crown to Sverker Karlsson, then he is greatly mistaken." "If Sverker Karlsson wanted to take the crown from you, he would have done so long ago." "Like you once took it from his father." "Let us be reasonable." "The clans have fought for many generations, and we have all lost many friends." "I do not think we want any more bloodshed." "Is the King feeling ill?" "He would have been a lot better had he not been drinking so much ale." "Tell me, who is the Queen's friend." "I am Cecilia Algotsdotter." " Lay sister in the monastary of Gudhem for many years." "A nun." "She does not look like a nun!" "That is my mother you are talking about." "Is that so, my boy?" "Where is your father?" " He is a Knights Templar in the Holy Land." "My condolences." "What do you mean?" "Jerusalem has fallen." "The Templars where slaughtered like dogs." "They died." "All of them." "You lie." "Magnus." "I have sinned, but I never lie." "If you can best me in combat, then you may call me what you like." "Magnus, calm down." "The conquered greet you, victorious King." "I greet you, most worthy opponent." "Please, have a seat." "It is a great honour to serve Al Ghouti." "Our friendship will always remain even if I become a Reverent Mother." "I have to find a purpose for my life." "The monastic life is the only life I know." "Welcome back." "Cecilia..." "It is you." "It is you." "Mother?" "I should never have brought you that time." "If you weren't known as a friend to the one who killed the King, you and Cecilia would not have been judged so hard." "I followed you by my own choice." "I did it to be able to marry Cecilia" "Arn, you are my friend and I promised you my support." "When it comes to Cecilia nothing would make me happier than to see you two married, but I must listen to Brosa." "Love..." "Love is for drones and weaklings." "You have your priviliges and rights, but with the rights come obligations!" "And you have obligations to your clan." "I have sworn an oath." "Oath." "You were just a child." "You are going against your King  against your clan... for a promise you made while you were still wetting your pants." "You are a Folkung." "First and foremost a Folkung." "Eskil, talk to him." "I know what your love for Cecilia means to you, Arn." "Believe me, I know." "But there is something to what Brosa is saying." "There is a lot to what Brosa says." "It would be best if you married one of Sverker's daughters." "Brosa is right." "If we do not watch our step, and tie the right connections, we may well be on the threshold of war" "I have sworn an oath in front of God that I would marry Cecilia." "A holy oath, Brosa." "You can not change that." "Arn Magnusson, Cecilia Algotsdotter." "It is a great joy and a relief that I finally can give you my blessing." "Cheers." "Magnus." " Father." "Look around." "Everyone is having a good time as if there is no tomorrow." "Brosa would have enjoyed this." " Magnus tried to persuade him." "I didn't think he could resist so much ale and pork." "It is a great..." "It is a great honour to be able to be here today." "With such beautiful women and such good men." "Not in the least that man there." "The greatest warrior in the North." "If you ever need an archer, my dear friend then you know that Harald O'ysteinsson will always be there." "So on behalf of Norway" "beloved Arn, beloved Cecilia." "Good luck and cheers." "Are you cold?" " No...." "No..." " No, this is too hot." " Yes." "Have we changed that much?" "Our souls are the same." "You are the Cecilia that I remember." "Our new home, Cecilia." "Here we will build and work for peace." "I would never have imagined that it would be this big." "Everyone here is a free man with much new knowledge." "You could not have chosen better." "This is a good place." " This is Sune Folkesson." " Welcome to Forsvik, Cecilia." "Now I will show you where we will live." "What do you think?" "Birch trees..." "Very nice." " Yes, and look here." "A gift from our Saracen friends." "We are the first in West Gothia with our own stream in our house and a birchwood in our bedroom." "6 years later." "Father." "Father." "Father." "Are you going out shooting with Sune?" "Then father will continue training the men." "Get going then." "Sigge." "Your turn." "Aim for the middle." "Not too bad." "Now it is my turn." "You will have to find that arrow." "Get going." "Don't come back without it trouble maker." "Alde." "Sten, have you seen Alde?" "Yes, a moment ago." " Alde." "Women and children inside." "Get inside." "Get Arn." "Is this your beautiful mother?" "Let her go!" "The famous Templar." " If you have something to say then say it now without dismounting." "We where just passing and met your daughter in the woods." "I was almost hit by an arrow." "It is hard to separate friend from foe." "You should keep better watch of your family, Arn." "The forest isn't safe any more." "Especially not now as your King Knut is on his deathbed." "Why has no one told me this?" " I didn't want it to get out." "I did not want any unrest." "Unrest." " Yes, unrest." " Knut is my oldest friend." "While you argue, Sverker Karlsson may have taken Visingsö." "You have been fighting for six years." "It is about time you two make peace." "How long does he have?" "I don't know." "He shits blood and that is never a good sign." "Sverker Karlsson has appointed Ebbe Sunesson as Marshall." "And he has got the backing of the Danish King." "And all of the Danish Army." "We are not ready to meet the Danes on the battlefield." "We must buy some time." " There is only one solution." "What?" "There is only one solution." "We must relinquish the Crown." "Arn." "Erik, take me to your father." "We have no choice." "We offer Sverker Karlsson the throne as long as Erik will be his successor." " Yes." "If we can get Knut to agree." "Arn." "I came when I heard." "Why is God punishing me like this?" "Letting me die in my own faeces." "Like Satan's hounds." " Father don't blaspheme." "Don't worry my son." "The Bishop is on his way here." "He will get me over to the other side." "I know why you are here, Arn." "You want Sverker Karlsson to take the Crown." "Am I right?" "It is the only solution." "That or war." " What will happen to Erik?" "Our condition is that Sverker Karlsson's heirs will be without inheritance and Erik becomes successor." "You must stand by him, Arn, no matter what." "If Sverker Karlsson touches even a hair on Erik's head..." "Promise to stand behind him with your sword?" "You have my word." "That is good." "That is good." "Hurry." "Get on the dock." "The King's sword." "May I introduce my brother's friends." "Eskil Magnusson, Lord of Arnäs." "Arn Magnusson, Lord of Forsvik." " Arn Magnusson." "Your reputation preceeds you." "And yours follow you, Sverker Karlsson." "I have heard that you are a man that chooses his own path." "I walk the same path as my clan, my King." "I value my friendship with the Folkung clan greatly and so does my Earl." "Isn't that true, Erik?" "I must return to Forsvik." "I would like you and your sons to come back with me." " Tell Cecilia not to worry about me." "I promised Knut that I would watch over Erik." " Erik is Earl heir to the throne." "His place is here at Visingsö." "I will not give Sverker Karlsson the pleasure of our running away." "Blanka is too brave for her own good." "Sverker Karlsson can not be trusted." "He would not hesitate to harm Erik." "No, that is what I am afraid of." "We can not just leave them at Visingsö." "We must send someone to watch over them." "Someone we trust." "You leave Forsvik tonight." "It is not a small thing I am asking of you, but we must protect the heir to the throne." "At Forsvik they hated me for my Danish blood." "I never had the chance to prove my worth." "And what is your worth?" "I am a good soldier." "A good soldier?" "You couldn't even watch a little brat in the forest." "Maybe I didn't want to watch her..." "A traitor..." "I should hang you." "But it would probably please the King to have a Folkung in his force." "Welcome." "Look at him." "Get up, so we can look at an Earl." "Look at him." "Look at him!" "Look at Erik our Earl." "He looks like a drunk... arrow." "Sverker." "Is that how a King speaks to his Earl?" "Cecilia Blanka must have forgotten that she is no longer Queen." "Sverker Karlsson has shown great generousity by letting you stay here." "And what does he get in return?" "Ingratitude." "You are very beautiful." "But as my Marshall says" "I have no reason to be thankful to you." "I have no reason to show you hospitality." "You can leave." " Come." " Alone." "Your sons are old enough to be without their mother." "One, two, three." "Good." "five!" "six!" "one!" "two..." "I have seen so much evil." "So much death." "I prayed to God that I would never have to experience war again." "But if Sverker draws his sword then the war is here." " I am also here." "I am with you every moment." "God has a special task for you." " To go to war?" "To make peace." "My Marshall believes that you serve two masters." "And what does the King think?" "I have not made up my mind yet." "You have served me well in my army, but I trust my Marshall." "I have only one master." "King Sverker." "Good." "Then I will let you prove it." "Tonight you will tell Knut's sons that you belong to the Folkung clan... and that you will help them to escape." "Tonight you will take them out of the castle." "Down by the water two men are waiting with a boat." "Take them far out to sea... and drown them." "The two men that are with you have orders to kill you if you do not cooperate." "After this, I will decide what I think of you, Sune Folkesson." "Here ends the journey my little lords." "Sit down." " Don't touch him." "Shut up." " Damned traitor." "I am only doing my duty." "He is wounded." "Let me see." "He will be allright." "Where is Little Knut?" "Sverker Karlsson has lost his right to the Crown." "Now he fears our vengeance." "The Danes will be here soon." "It will take more than willpower and courage for us to defeat them." "But I promise you we will be prepared." "God be with you, Magnus." "I know you will be back." "I am too old for this." "You have my men." "Every slave and stable boy who can draw a bow is here." "We will never win." "The Danes outnumber us five to one." "We will strike them with an unexpected force." "Sverker Karlsson is a dead King." "I will kill him myself." "It is not a small thing to kill a King." "No matter how unworthy." "Revenge calls for revenge." "Do you want to lose another brother?" "He is just as stubborn as his father." "Just like you were." "I want peace, Eskil." "That is what my prayers are about." "I am proud of you, little brother." "Everything is ready." "I don't know." "Our men are afraid." "Listen." "Do not doubt." "Have faith." "Faith in our victory." "We chose this place, not the Danes, not Sverker." "We chose this time, not the Danes, not Sverker." "Faith." "God is with those who stand firm in their faith." "This is why we will win..." "Peace." "Send the heavy cavalry." " Riders." "Forward." "First formation." "Forward." "How will you win this?" "Don't you think the Danes will see through this ruse?" " We shall see." "Are they trying to scare us?" "Wait for my signal, Harald." "Ready." "Attack." "Ready." "Wait..." "Now." "A trap..." "Now." "Get ready again." "Attack." "Now." "Attack." "Norge." " Kill him." " Do it." "He killed my brother" " Yes, and your father killed his father." "You are the King now, Erik." "King." "Ride away from here." "I will never leave you again." "Are you hurt?" "Arn..." "Arn." "Our Lady did not forsake us." "I love you." "Arn Magnusson's wish for peace was fullfilled many years later by his grandson Birger Jarl." "He united the Kingdom and named it Sweden." "ARN" " The Kingdom at Road's End."