"It's almost time for the great army to leave." "We have to ask the gods for their help." "We have to prepare sacrifices." "What shall we sacrifice?" "This will be the largest army we have ever sent out." "If the army fails..." "If they are defeated by the Saxons, our peoples might never recover." "Whatever Ragnar and I started long ago will perish and be forgotten." "That would be the price of failure." "Then I repeat, what shall we sacrifice?" "I think Lagertha means," ""Who shall we sacrifice?"" "I want to ask you something." "Who will be the leader of our great army?" "Maybe there won't be a single leader, but many." "Father chose to take me with him to England." "And what is your point, little brother, huh?" "He told me that he wanted me to learn at first hand something of the Saxon ways." "The landscape, the buildings, and defenses." "He said it would be useful when we returned to avenge him." "Are you saying he wanted you to be our leader?" "Where are these ones from?" "They're Danes." "Don't you think?" "Yeah." "It's obvious." "Look!" "What?" "What?" "Can't you see her?" "Who?" "See who?" "It's her." "It is!" "No, it's not!" "Yes, it is!" "You know it is!" "That was the woman who made me believe I had to be King of all Norway before she would marry me." "That is my princess." "I think of her every day of my life." "That's her." "Well, then you ought to go say hello." "Hvitserk!" "Brother." "People from Norway, Sweden, even Denmark." "All to avenge Ragnar." "Never before in memory has it happened." "Ivar wants to lead the army." "What?" "Are you serious?" "He just told me." "He thinks our father chose him." "It's not right." "Bjorn should lead the army." "I agree." "Bjorn should be leader." "Then it's settled." "What did you say to Margrethe?" "Uh..." "I told her that I've always loved her." "But I understood you had first claim to her." " And where are you from?" " I'm from Denmark." "Princess Ellisif." "And my name is Vik." "Was it a long journey?" "It took us four days to get here." "Princess Ellisif." "I'm surprised to see you." "Why?" "Hasn't the whole world come to Kattegat?" "Can it be you have forgotten?" "Of course I haven't forgotten." "You saw me, but you did not bother to come and say hello." "I'm sorry." "I wanted to marry you." "You turned me down." "I wasn't important enough for you." "But now..." "I'm trying to be very important." "And I'm almost there." "Believe me." "I'm already married..." "And when I succeed, become King of Norway," "I can cut my hair and I can marry you." "I'm already married." "To whom are you married, my beauty?" "Him?" "Is he a king?" "No." "He's..." "An Earl in Denmark." "An Earl?" "Yes." "But I was already a king and I was not good enough for you." "I'm sorry." "You keep saying that." "You're so sorry." "But the point is..." "You told me you would wait and marry me when I become very..." "Important." "But in the meantime, you marry a nobody!" "I have built my entire life around you." "Everything I have done, I have done for you, and the gods." "I have dedicated my life to you." "Please, no!" "I love you." "Please don't kill me." "Please." "Get out of my way!" "Who gives this woman away to her new husband?" "I do." "And so I name you man and wife." "And may the gods bless you," "and give you children, and may they keep the wolf from the door." "Hmm." "Very good!" "And now, the bridal race!" " Go, go, go!" "You know the rules of the race, brother." "You have to serve the feast." "What are you speaking of?" "Just our joy of being together." "Of being alive." "Is her name really Tanaruz?" "Yes." "And I think I know what it means." "It means the one who brings hope." "That is what her name means." "The one who brings hope." "Tanaruz." "Are you going with the army?" "Of course." "I have to avenge Ragnar." "He loved me." "But you should stay here with Tanaruz." "You have new responsibilities now." "No." "We are coming with you." "No." "Yes, we are a family now." "Whatever happens, we must be together." "But the girl still isn't eating properly." "She doesn't seem settled or happy." "It is you that is not happy, Floki." "Something happened to you in Algeciras and you have not been the same." "What happened to you?" "I wish I could say." "Why don't you try?" "I don't want to be imprecise." "It's not a riddle." "No." "It's a truth." "I just don't know what the truth is." "The gods haven't revealed it to me." "Not yet anyway." "Come here, boy!" "My horn is empty." " Mine too!" "However much we paid for this slave, I think it was too much, hmm?" " Let's drink." "To the newlyweds." "Skol." "Skol." "Skol." "Egil..." "You have seen all you needed to?" "Enough to know they are not as safe and secure as they think they are." "Go and make your plans." "We wait to hear of your success," "Earl Egil." "You should have killed Ellisif when you had the chance." "She dishonored you." "I love all of our gods." "All of them." "But I only love two people, you, my brother," "and my princess." "If I decide not to kill her, then..." "No one can." "Ah!" "To my wife and to my brother." "Why are you looking at us like that?" "I don't think it's fair that I should keep Margrethe to myself." "It doesn't feel right." "We all wanted her and just because I'm the oldest..." "I know that you like each other." "I can see." "So..." "What do you think," "Hvitserk?" "I think that you should ask Margrethe." "You're talking about sharing me?" "Yes." "How can you not be jealous?" "Either of you?" "Both of you?" " Because we are Vikings." "Let's see if it's true." "Come on, then." "This is my marriage night." "Let's go to bed." "Brother!" "I envy you!" "Tonight you will die and feast with the gods." "You will see Odin and Thor face to face." "Thank you, my brother." "Heilir, allar gudarnir." "So, Earl Jorgensen, are you ready to sacrifice your life to appease and honor the gods?" "I am not afraid." "The gods are ready." "I hope that was enjoyable." "Otherwise it's not worth it." "Brothers, this is my decision." "We refuse to share power with any of the other Kings and Earls, whoever they are, or however powerful they are." "Least of all, my brothers," "King Harald Finehair and his brother, for they are dedicated to our overthrow." "Is that understood?" "We are all equally Ragnar's sons, but we are not equal in battle." "So I will take the lead." "I will establish the battle plans, and I will give the orders." "Do you understand that?" "You don't agree, Ivar?" "I didn't say anything." "You don't have to." "Your age makes you believe you know more than you do." "But what do you know?" "What have you done?" "What battles have you won and what battles have you lost?" "For it is in failure, my brothers, that is where we learn the most." "Really?" "You don't want to listen, that is your choice." "But I am the leader of this great army." "Me!" "And you will obey me." "And if you do so, my brothers, revenge for our father..." "Will be ours." " You came to say goodbye?" " It is time." "Take care of Kattegat." "Farewell, my son." "Again, I place you in the hands of the gods." "Take care of my mother." "She needs you." "Farewell, Torvi, mother of my children." "I pray to the gods that I will see you, and them, again." "And if not..." "There are no "ifs", Bjorn Ironside." "We shall all see you again." " Father!" " Father!" "Farewell, my son." " Oh!" "Farewell, my children." "Take care of your mother." "She's deserving of your love." "I am less deserving." "Still, I love you." "I love you all." "Where is the King?" "Corpus Christi." "Amen." "Forgive me, sire..." "Sacrilege!" "I was about to receive the body and blood of Christ our Savior!" "You are also about to receive a great heathen army." "They have landed on the coast." "Thank you." "Now, get out!" "The Lord comes before all things." "Corpus Christi." "Amen." "They are here." "Who?" "Who's here?" "The great heathen army." "You'd better listen to me, Father." "I am." "I'm listening." "This is the army which has come to revenge the death of Ragnar Lothbrok." "And it's all your fault." "How is it all his fault?" "He freed Ragnar's son." "Who would have told them everything." "Who would have told them that we gave Ragnar Lothbrok to King Aelle to be killed." "Sometimes, God does things to test us." "This has nothing to do with God!" "This has to do with you." "And with me." "Now, as you are my wife, I could order you to leave my father and I alone." "But you're not like most wives." "So I simply ask if you would do so." "You're angry with me." "Of course I'm angry with you." "Most of my life, you've either manipulated or humiliated me." "You used me to fulfill your ambition, while at the same time taking my wife as your mistress and forcing me to adopt her bastard son." "Please, tell me..." "What kind of a father are you?" "Well, I'm not as good a father as Ragnar Lothbrok was." "I saw the love he had for his son." "It moved me." "It was one of the reasons I decided not to kill his son." "Not because he was crippled but because Ragnar loved him." "In a way you've never loved me?" "At least you're being honest about it." "I know you've always found it hard to be honest." "Perhaps that's something you learned from Charlemagne." "What we learn from others must chime with something inside oneself." "There must have always been something cold, calculated, and perverted about me." "I see it very clearly now." "Ragnar helped me to see it." "So did Athelstan." "I hate that name." "Oh, well, of course you do." "He was a man of God who put his prick into your wife." "He betrayed his calling, sired a bastard, he renounced our God," "and yet..." "And yet." "He was the most holy man I ever knew!" "I loved him because the Holy Spirit lived through him." "And I believe that's why Ragnar loved him." "Ragnar was a pagan!" "Well, if the Holy Spirit is true and real, it lives through all men, pagan or not!" "That's not true!" "How can you ever say that?" "Because I watched Ragnar die!" "I saw the Holy Spirit moving in him!" "Oh, you are mistaken." "You saw what you wanted to see." "Perhaps you're right." "Why deny it?" "We're born alone, we die alone and we make what we can of life." "You're not behaving like a King anymore." "People are already talking about it." "You're distracted, you're withdrawn." "You seem unsure, and hesitant, when once you were firm, you were strong." "Oh, I am filled with doubts." "And I've begun to believe that being firm and strong was the illusion and that I am unsure now because it is the most honest way to be." "Not in the face of a great heathen army that are come to destroy us." "That is why I have placed you in command of our armies." "I trust you completely." "It's why I always used you." "You loved Athelstan." "Right?" "You love Ragnar Lothbrok." "You love Judith." "Right?" "Do you love me, Father?" "Do you?" "Because if you do, I want you to say so." "I need you to say so." "Please." "Please." "Judith warned us." "She had no need to warn us." "I was already prepared." "I'm still frightened." "It is in the interests of the Northmen to have a reputation as great warriors." "It's half the battle." "It sows the seeds of fear in those who oppose them." "But, believe me, I'm not afraid." "I don't believe in their reputation." "God knows, I hope it is the sons of Ragnar who have landed on our shores." "For I have prepared a very special welcome for them." "They're about to discover they can no longer attack us with impunity." " Amen." " Amen." "My Lord Bishop, let us go to war!" "What did he want?" "He wanted what everyone wants." "He wants to be loved." "I understand that." "Come to bed." "No, I was enjoying just looking at you." "I feel my eyes are dimming." "My mind is more confused every day." "I struggle now with just ordinary things." "You have always carried a very heavy burden." "Perhaps now is the time to relinquish it." "Why not renounce the crown in favor of your son?" "Now, that is for me to decide, not you!" "My son will know the burden soon enough." "In any case," "I feel in my bones there's still something..." "Something important left for me to do." "But you should consider going back to him, my love." "Formally, properly." "I don't love him." "Love isn't everything." "We need to think of Alfred." "His future is of the highest importance." "And very soon my son will be a better protector than I am." "Behold, a people shall come from the North, and a great nation, and many kings shall be raised up from the coasts of the Earth." "They shall hold the bow and the lance, they are cruel, and will not show mercy..." "Not such a great army, after all, my Lord Bishop." "Archers!" "What do you think, Your Grace?" "Can we not expect to dispose of these heathens quite easily?" "God help us!" "I don't think he can." "Ragnar!" "This is where our father was killed." "I've been told your god is a carpenter." "And guess what?" "So am I." "Christ!" "How the little piggies will grunt, when they hear how the older boar suffered!"