"I was born an ealdorman of England..." "Uhtred, son of Uhtred of Bebbanburg, welcome to the Christian world." "...true heir to the Northumbrian lands of Bebbanburg." "You have your stone, the amber?" "Yes, Father." "Our ancestors took this land, and you will die for it if needed." "I was 12 years old when I first went to war..." "Kill them all!" "...and saw my father killed." "My uncle took my lands and pledged his allegiance to the Danes." "My advice for you is to never cross Ubba and never, never fight him." "Stolen by the invaders along with a Saxon girl, Brida," "I became first a slave and then a son to Earl Ragnar." "That was my family, my life..." "Young Ragnar, my brother, and Brida, my lover." "Fate had made me a Dane, and then fate brought betrayal." "I will not stand by and have everything that's mine taken from me." "Bebbanburg is mine!" "Destiny is all." "Horses!" "Head for the woods." "Go right." "There's a gully over that ridge." "Hoof marks!" "There must be hoof marks." "There must be hoof marks somewhere." "Fetch more men." "I want him found." "Goes as far as Mercia if need be, but I want him found, and I want him dead." "He looked like my father." "And now he knows you're alive, he'll keep looking for you." "Let him." "I'm going to kill him and take back what's mine." "He has an army." "He is the choice of the Danes." "All you have is me." "No." "We have Ubba." "We go to him with our story." "And with his army, we avenge Ragnar's death and we take back Bebbanburg." "It's that simple?" "Yes." "Yes." "Brida." "Brida." "Sing me a song." "I won't." "I'm not your skald." "True, and what's more, you'd frighten the birds." "What?" "There's a taste in the air." "Death." "Who did this?" "Who sacked the village?" "I cannot move." "Your back is broken." "Who did it?" "You know who did this." "Danes did this." "Why?" "I don't believe you." "Why should the Danes attack a village that feeds them?" "Revenge." "But since when have Danes needed excuse to kill?" "Revenge?" "Revenge for what?" "Revenge for what, and I'll end it." "An uprising north of here." "A Saxon slave, he killed his Master at a wedding party." "What was the name of the slave?" "You speak English well for a Dane." "His name!" "Uhtred." "End it." "End... it." "Say it." "Say what?" "What you're thinking." "I'm thinking that you have a turd where there's supposed to be a mind." "Thank you." "We should never have gone to Bebbanburg." "We should have let them believe that you were dead." "No, you're wrong." "I want them to know that I am alive." "I need them to know that I'm alive because they hold what's mine." "I feel better for it." "Yeah?" "So does a dog pissing on a tree." "You wish me to bark?" "What we needed to do was to ride south to the chieftain Ubba and tell the story of Ragnar's death." "We'll do it now." "Now there is a second story about some slave who killed his Master." "Ubba knows that Ragnar was my father." "He knows nothing." "I doubt he'll even remember you." "He will believe the story that he hears first, and he will kill you." "If you could write, then you could write to him." "If he could read." "You've left us no choice." "We must find Ubba and hope he believes you." "WINTANCEASTER" "WINCHESTER" "WINCHESTER KINGDOM OF WESSEX" "My Lord?" "My Lord Alfred, it is I, Father Beocca." "My Lord, the king has called council." "Do not look at me, Father." "I am a sinner." "I am a grievous sinner." "We're all sinners, my Lord." "I am married." "I should never have married." "He sends temptation to test us." "And when we fail, he sends the Danes to punish us for the failure." "I should never have married." "I should have joined the church." "I should have gone to a monastery." "And God would have found a great servant in you, but I feel he has other plans." "If your brother were to die, it would be to you the people would turn." "I'll pray God he does not die." "What kind of a king would I be?" "You will be God's king, my Lord." "You've been blessed and chosen by the holy Father in Rome." "You will be God's king." "I have seen the girl who torments you." "She must be banished." "No, I believe the opposite." "She should be brought into your service." "No." "No, I could not." "You... you will resist her." "You will let him see your strength." "You will thank him for tempting you and then praise him for resisting the temptation." "Not withstanding..." "I have news you may wish to take to council." "What news?" "Of an English uprising, Lord, in the north." "It was defeated." "But the nobleman responsible was Uhtred of Bebbanburg." "I know him." "He was taken by the Danes as a child, a God-fearing child." "Clearly, his heart remains English." " He lives?" " I believe so." "He's a warrior, Lord." "They say he killed his Danish Master and 40 men." "He knows their ways." "He speaks their language." "He would be useful." "Would he not?" "You could mention him in council." "Why would he kill his Master?" "For blood, for money, for pleasure?" "For England, Lord." "Yes, but how do we know?" "He may well be just one more Pagan with a busy sword." "Uh, but I know him." "No, Father Beocca, you knew him once." "You knew him as a child." "I could send word out into the country, God-willing..." "Father Beocca, he's a ghost." "He's a Pagan rumor." "Should he become flesh and blood, then he may merit a mention." "However, my faith I reserve for God alone." "Now, about this girl..." "you may be right about her." "Bring her into my personal service and pray for me." "As always, my Lord." "Alfred." "King Edmund of East Anglia writes a plea to Wessex for an army." "An attack by the Danish chieftain Earl Ubba is inevitable." "This was two days ago." "A long march to fight the Danes at a place of their choosing is not a strategy worth considering." "To say the least, my Lord." " I'm of a mind to decline." " Unlikely." "Ubba, he is the Dane whom King Edmund has fed and watered in the past?" "Yes." "Perhaps in the hope that he would simply pass through East Anglia on his way to invading Wessex." "It is my opinion that Edmund deserves nothing but silence." "Too harsh, Young Odda." "I believe it was Edmund's hope to convert the Danes from Pagan to Christian, beginning with charity." "For that, he deserves praise, surely." "True, my Lord, if indeed that was his hope." "Edmund is a godly man." "We have no reason to mistake his actions for cowardice." "Regardless of Edmund's intentions, barring a miracle," "East Anglia will soon fall to the Danes." "And he shall have all our prayers for such a miracle, my Lord." "He will need them." "He will not, however, have one man of Wessex." "On that we are agreed?" " Yes, Lord." " Aye." "Then we must therefore recognize that we now stand alone, the last kingdom of England." "It will soon be men of Wessex staring across a field at the Pagan Army." "We must be ready." "We must pray." "We must prepare." "Odda, I require that Mercia, Lunden, and East Anglia be watched, carefully." "Forward knowledge is everything." "It is done, my Lord." "And, Scribe, I require the forges of every town and village to be burning night and day." "We shall need all the iron those fires can proffer." "Yes, my Lord." "Most of all, I require men, strong fighting men who are prepared to die because that, in the end, is what it will take to save us." "The blood of men." "Ravn used to say, "Never fight Ubba."" "Looks like East Anglia's just made that mistake." "We should stay away from there, build our own fire." "Ubba is unpredictable." "He takes his orders from the gods." "I know." "He only listen to his sorcerer, and he's half-mad." "How will you approach him?" "As a man." "Has to be done." "Yes, it has to be done." "But we need to guard your life." "How?" "I don't know." "We should hump tonight." "We should." "It's written." "That we should hump?" "Our destiny's to hump tonight." "I'm enjoying the thought of it." "That's all you'll enjoy tonight." "Stop, stop, stop." "What?" "What is it?" "I..." "I think I have it." "We take a hostage, a shield, a guarantee for your life." "Who?" "I don't know." "Someone he can't do without." "Storri, his sorcerer." "BEODERICESWORDIE" "BURY ST EDMUNDS KINGDOM OF EAST ANGLIA" "Who is this woman?" "Why is she not on her back?" "Well, not that it's your concern, but she's for Storri..." "A Saxon whore from Ubba." "I've seen you before." "I served Earl Ragnar." "Now I serve Ubba." "Quiet, woman." "You'll see me again, I'm sure, boy." "I'm told Storri's at the church." "He's up at the monastery, looking after King Edmund and killing his priests." "Hello?" "Leave or it will be the death of you." "This church is mine by the order of Ubba." "Master Storri, I have a gift for you." " Really?" " She's from Earl Ubba." "A woman?" "Why would Ubba send me a woman?" "I have no need for a woman." "She's a sorceress." "He wishes her dead but is afraid of a curse." "Saggy tits, stinking breath, but you'll be rewarded." "Her head's white and silver." "A sorceress." "She has the face of a she-wolf." "Does she bite?" "Yes, she bites." "Leave her with me." "I will do as Ubba asks, and she will die... slowly." "You belong to me now, old man." "And you will die slowly unless you do as I say." "On your feet." "We're going for a walk, and you will keep your mouth shut." "This is so foolish." "Ubba will come look for me." "And he will be here soon." "I said be quiet." "Then I'll wait for him here." "I'll wait for Ubba here." "That means it's just you and me." "Where's Storri?" "He's supposed to be here." "Edmund." "Edmund." "Can we have some ale?" "Miserable King Edmund of East Anglia." "You have had a night to consider my offer." "How do you answer?" "Are you dead or breathing still?" "With luck, he's dead." "We allow far too many of them to live as it is." "You allow nothing." "He lives." "It is God who decides who lives." "I would say your God has left you hanging, sir." "If he has done so, it's because it is his will." "Take him down and do not let him fall." "An ale and for your Old Guthrum." "Put him there." "And give the man some ale." "Earl Ubba." "If I may speak freely." "I know you." "I'm Uhtred Ragnarsson." "I'm here with the truth of how my father died." "Yes." "You are Ragnar's slave, and you killed him." "I don't know what stories you've heard, but Earl Ragnar was killed by his own, by Danes." "His former shipmaster Kjartan, and his half-blind son, Sven." "They led the attack on a sleeping wedding party." "Can't you see that we're entertaining a king?" "Lord Ubba, I'm telling you that Earl Ragnar was killed by Danes." "You be quiet, boy!" "And you will wait." "Kill him." "Not another word." "Bar the doors." "He does not leave." "Guthrum is right." "We are entertaining a king, so no more interruptions." "I just have to know who is that." "His eyes are watching me." "And me." "Who's... who's what?" "Who?" "That half-naked image here." "Who is it?" "That is Saint Sebastian, a former Roman soldier who found God." "Found him where?" "He... he found him in his heart, not..." "Do you wish me to tell you the story?" "I have time." "The emperor of Rome, on discovering that Sebastian had found God, ordered him to renounce his faith." "He refused." "So then the emperor ordered that he be filled full of arrows, and yet he lived." "He lived?" "Yes, he did." " Is this true?" " Of course, it's true." "God saved Saint Sebastian, and God should be praised for that mercy." "For how long did he live?" "Well, sadly, he... he then ordered him to be, uh, clubbed to death." "So he died?" "He went to Heaven, so he lived." "I heard mention of this Heaven." "What is this Heaven?" "Heaven is Valhalla, Lord, to the Christians, but without the fighting, feasting, and humping." "Heaven is... is Heaven." "It's not heathen." "But to answer your very first question," "I..." "I have considered your offer, and yes, I will continue to rule East Anglia as you suggest." "I will do all that you demand." "But..." "Only if you, Lord Ubba, and all of your men, submit to God." "That is my demand." "You must be baptized." "You must stand in a barrel of water, and they pour more water over you." "They want to wash me?" "No." "Your scent upsets them, Ubba." "Look, to cleanse you of your sins." "There is only one God, and I demand that you serve him." " Kill him now!" " Why must I serve him?" "Because God is great, all powerful, all magnificent." "Have him stop his yapping, and prove it!" "Ah, agreed." "Prove to me your God is great." " Prove it." " Proof?" "Proof... proof..." "look!" "Here!" "God spared Saint Sebastian." "But the man still died." "Because it was God's will." "So would your God protect you from my arrows?" "If he was all powerful, he would." "Yes, if it was God's will, he would, yes." "So let us try." "We shall shoot arrows at you, and if you survive" "We will all be washed." "Including Guthrum here." "Why not?" "Very well." "I-I will continue to be king, but we will dispense with the need for the baptisms... the washing." "I withdraw my request." "But you claim your God is all powerful." "I want it proven." "Strip him." "Archers." "Wait." "Tell me truthfully." "Are you afraid?" "God is great." "We will see." "Shoot." "Shoot!" "They're my men, and only I tell them when to shoot." "Shoot." "Do you now wish to be clubbed, or will the arrows be sufficient?" "You come a long way, boy, to tell me that it was Danes and not you that killed Ragnar." "It was Kjartan and Sven, Lord, and others." "It's the truth." "Why else would I be here?" "To spy, to lie." "No, Lord." "Perhaps to kill me." "No, Lord." "Have you been washed?" "Odin is my God." "But have you been washed?" "Yes, Lord." "How did it feel?" "The washing." "Cold, Lord." "The water was cold." "Nothing else?" "I was a child, Lord." "Now I'm a Dane." "Yeah, a Dane." "So, now let us see if Odin will protect you from the arrows." "I like this game." " Strip him." " Keep away from me." " Not another step!" " Archers, at the ready." " I have a hostage." " What?" " I have Storri." " Stop!" "If I die, he dies." "If I die, your sorcerer dies, and you're without his guidance." "He lies." "I can smell it." "I have proof." "His runes." "Storri will be returned to you safely." "Take his head from his shoulders!" "Guthrum, be quiet!" "Have them open the doors." "I will release Storri when I'm clear of this place." "You go nowhere." "Then he dies!" "Your sorcerer dies!" "Have them open the doors." "One day, I will kill you." "Storri will tell you otherwise." "And I'm telling you the truth about Ragnar." "Excellent." "Firewood." "You're alive." "That's good." "Did he hear you?" "He did not, not a word." "Then what did he say?" "That he'll kill me." "Nothing else?" "Where's Storri?" "What did he say?" "He's naked." "It was necessary." "There's a branch up his ass." "Which is why he's naked." "Uhtred." "Uhtred, he must have said something." "He believes the lie." "He believes that I killed Ragnar." "There's nothing more to do." "We should put distance between us and this place." "And go where?" "Anywhere that's not here." "I say we go to Young Ragnar." "He's in Ireland." " Then we go to Ireland." " How?" "In what do we sail?" "In what?" "And with whom, Danes?" "Then we wait for him to return." "What if he doesn't return?" "What then?" "Accept it." "We're lost." "We're alive and breathing for a reason." "Brida..." "We are no longer Danes." "OXNAPORDA" "OXFORD" "OXFORD KINGDOM OF MERCIA" "How much for your work?" "For a long sword?" "Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you a price." "A warrior's sword to last a lifetime." "And what are you?" "A Saxon or Dane?" "Northumbria." "It will take some time to make her right which means she'll be expensive." "If she's right, I'll pay in silver." "How much?" "10 pieces, half now." "6, no more." "8." "And I'll make it my finest." "8." "And if she's not your finest, she'll be a first." "I want this stone set into the handle." "That can be done." "Don't sell it nor lose it." "Ale, my Lord?" "You stand too close, girl." "Yes, just a little." "To take away the taste of the gruel." "You stand too close." "It is broth, not gruel." "Is it?" "You should be thanking God for its goodness and the banishment of those awful cramps." "I am happy to eat as you eat." "Oh, and you are saintly, my dear." "Father Beocca, join us for breakfast." "I dare you." "Alas, my Lord, I've already eaten." "Well, you're fortunate." "Bad news, Lord, uh, your..." "your nephew Aethelwold..." "Isn't it always?" "...he's drunk." "He's sleeping in the palace gardens." "Should I take him to the king?" "It's the second time this week." "May God strike him down painfully." "What?" "What?" "On your feet, boy." "Wait, wait." "Wait, wait, wait, wait." "Come on." "The king wants to see you." "Drunk?" "!" "What, again?" "You think this is fit?" "!" "Out, all of you." "Leave us." "Do you think this is fit?" "I have been mistreated." "I... you s... you saw this for yourself." "And I-I demand that this..." "this bear is punished." "Aethelwold, your years do not hide the fact that you are a disappointment." "May I ask why?" "That you need to ask tells your father all he needs to know." "What?" "That you are an unsuitable heir, that is what." "Then I will change." "You should." "I will." "Look, all I ask is that you become a man and quickly." "Today." "Today, I promise." "Am I excused?" "My Lords." "I'm not convinced he is my son." "If his mother were not already dead," "I'd have her beheaded for adultery." "If I am to fall in the battles that will come, he cannot be king." "You favor Alfred?" "I do." "Even though he is often weak in body?" "Well, that his illness does not tie him to his bed shows the strength of my brother." "Alfred is my heir." "He knows it." "And when the time comes, Odda, my friend, you must steer the Witan to make this choice." "My Lord." "Should be safe for now." "They say Danes rarely come here." "What did Storri say to you to make you bind his mouth and, uh..." "He threw a curse." "Saying what?" "It's not important." "I responded with a branch." "What are you doing?" "You know what I'm doing." "I'm removing the last of his curse with a kiss." "I don't want to." "If you want to go to the Danes, then go, find a new Lord." "It's me they wish to kill." "You sound like a child." "I'm offering you a choice." "You're talking through your ass." "I'm sitting on my ass." "So your ass is cleverer than you." "It can do two things at once." "Thank you." "Your tongue is sharp, woman." "Show me again." "No." "You're right." "We can't go to Young Ragnar." "But we should wait for him to find us, which he will." "He will want to know the truth." "And the time between, we stay alive." "We pass the time." "Doing what?" "I've given her some beauty, but she is a tool, no more, no less." "She's exactly as I'd hoped." "We said 10?" "We said 8." "She's worth 10." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Lord, men have been asking of you and your woman." "Danes or Saxon?" "Take your pick." "Five or more." "Make her sing." "Brida, we should leave." "There are men looking for us." " From Ubba?" " I don't know." "Saxons and Danes are looking for us." "We seem to be collecting enemies as we go." "Get to the horses." "Go, go, go!" "Out the way!" "Out the way!" "Hey!" "Brida, the horses are just there." "Wait, there's another." "We have to go." "Go!" "Brida, the door." "Wait." "Wait, wait." "Now!" "You're right." "We should leave." "Whoever it was that sent them, Ubba or your uncle, they won't rest." "There'll be others." "I can't go home without help." "Uhtred, you should forget Bebbanburg." "No." "No, I wont vanish." "Nothing changes." "Kjartan and my uncle will pay for Ragnar's death, and I will have those lands." "But how?" "With whose help?" "You said yourself, we only have Ubba." "The English." "If we're dead to the Danes, we have no choice." "There is no England." "The Danes have England." "No, there is one place, south of here." "It's Wessex." "They'll take one look at you and kill you as a Dane." "Whereas Ubba will kill me as an Englishman." "With King Aethelred, we have a chance of everything." "What do you say?" "Come with me." "Why do they stare?" "They think you're pretty." "Or they've never seen a Dane so close." "But they will." "I have business with the king, Aethelred." "Go home!" "Do you not understand English?" "Is that what you're speaking, actually?" "Sound like a Dane." "Why do you dress as a warrior when you're clearly a farmer?" "Farmer, am I?" "Well, I'd wager this farmer against you any time." "We're here to see the king, peaceably." "Uhtred, what are you doing?" "What is it, farmer?" "First blood or to the death?" "Uhtred!" "I'll be splitting your skull, boy." "So one follows the other." "Uhtred?" "Father Beocca." "My goodness." "You know this assling, Father?" "I do." "Yes, I do." "Uhtred, you're... you're fully grown." "And you're old." "I am." "Oh, you're a man." "He claims business with the king." "Yes." "Yes, it's true." "But not with the king." "It must be with Alfred." "You vouch for him?" "I vouch for him." "Yes, I will vouch for him." "God has sent you, surely." "You're a man." "Father, this is Brida, my greatest friend." "A woman?" "Yes." "I am." "I have tits." "I see." "Have their horses fed and watered." "And I'll inform Alfred that you're here with me, both." "We need their weapons, Father." "Why not inform the king?" "The king's busy." "But you will like Alfred." "He's an impressive man." "Come." "You like it?" "I do." "It's beautiful." "You could rest here, it's so quiet." "Peaceful." "The, uh, the Romans, they built this courtyard for just that purpose, tranquility." "You're Alfred." "I am." "My Lord." "You are Uhtred." "I hear word you are a considerable warrior." "Not been tested, Lord." "Not yet." "And I've been lucky." "Well, luck is good." "Or so my own warriors say." "Now, I haven't quite worked out the theology of luck." "Can there be luck if God disposes?" "Well, if your God's with you, you're a lucky man." "Yes." "You're right." "Simply put, but you're right." "With me." "We shall talk inside briefly." "Father Beocca has talked much about you, Uhtred." "He believed you a prisoner, a slave to Earl Ragnar." "Is that the case?" "Ragnar was a father to me." "I loved him." "Yet in Everwich, they are saying that you killed him." "They lie." "Kjartan." "Kjartan, is that how you pronounce it?" " Kjartan?" " Kjartan." "Has benefited most from Ragnar's death." "He has taken his place and is earl Kjartan now, a great Lord with ships." "That's written down?" "Whatever I discover about my enemies is written down." "It is in Kjartan's interest to kill you, is it not?" "He would not want Ragnar's son to hear a different tale." "He would not wish him to hear the truth, no." "No." "And the chieftain Ubba, although he himself has now traveled north, he has sent men to Mercia asking of your whereabouts." "But not your welfare, I surmise." "How do you come by all of this?" "I have eyes and ears in each of the kingdoms." "One day, it is my hope that all kingdoms will become one, united under one God." "One king?" "If all men can agree, yes." "All that remains of England is Wessex." "The birth of an England, the idea of a single kingdom called England, has to begin here." "There is nowhere else." "But for how long will Wessex remain?" "The fate of Wessex will be determined by Englishmen, all Englishmen." "Only by joining together and saving Wessex can we have England." "Only by saving Wessex can we have a... a Northumbria, a Bebbanburg." "And if Wessex can't be saved?" "Then we are all no more." "Prayers." "And a little discomfort." "I will summarize." "The Danes are gathering a great army." "They have, in fact, gathered an army." "They gather where?" "They have moved upriver from Lunden to Readingum." "They are settling as we speak." "But you said Ubba's in the north, so who leads them?" "The earl Guthrum leads them." "I know Guthrum." "We will need every advantage, and Father Beocca considers you, Uhtred of Bebbanburg, to be an advantage." "Whereas I believe you're here solely to hide, to save yourself." "I look at you, and I see a Dane." "I see Uhtred of nowhere who cares for no one but himself." "Now I must go to prayers." "You will join me?" "My Lord will excuse me." "Us both." "Of course." "I expected as much." "Father Beocca." "My Lord?" "Take your guests for refreshments." "I will, my Lord." "They may remain in Winchester, but I hold you responsible." "Yes, Lord." "You should have gone along and prayed with him." "It would have bonded you." "He believes we're Pagans." "What Alfred believes is that the Danes have abandoned you." "Ubba has abandoned us." "There are other Lords." "Most, if not all, follow Ubba, so believe me, girl, you have been abandoned." "Yeah, you know everything about the Dane don't you?" "This way." "I want to show you something." "The charters of Bebbanburg?" "Yeah." "The land books." "Yeah." "You kept them safe?" "Now, I've shown them to Alfred, he... he knows you are the ealdorman, by right." "I will continue to keep them safe, but, Uhtred, you must behave like an ealdorman." "The charters have no meaning." "Northumbria belongs to the Danes." "It does not belong to the Danes." "It has been stolen by them." "If you want wealth, you take it." "You can't ignore what's true." "If the Danes are at Readingum, I'll go to Readingum." " What?" " For what purpose?" "Knowledge." "But we have knowledge, and you should stay away from the Danes." "For new knowledge." "You know where they're settling, but you don't know why." "We know their number and their position." "But not their intention." "Am I a prisoner?" "Their intention is to attack." "When?" "Spring." "It's always spring." "I'll go to Readingum." "Where is it?" "It's too dangerous." "Not for me." "I'm a godless Dane, remember?" "So why spy for Alfred?" "Because he is an ealdorman of England." "Lord?" "Regarding the conversion of the Pagans to Christianity." "Yes, Lord." "How do we decide what is proper?" "To enlighten them or to kill them?" "Spreading God's word is, of course, our mission, but I fear that the Pagans, the true Pagans, must first witness and feel his power." "Uhtred, uh, will return?" "Yes, he will return." "Yes, but how will he return, as who, as what?" "I know this boy." "Ah, but this boy is now a man." "I know his soul." "Father Beocca, he has no soul." "And you say yourself, the Pagans need to feel the power of God." "It is written now here." "You may leave me." "We shall see what the days bring, my Lord." "If resting through the winter was their intention, they would have remained in Lunden, yes?" "It's you who's Alfred's spy." "The next step is to kill for him." " Will you do that?" " Answer me this." "If we were to cross this river and find Guthrum, what would happen?" "He'd kill us both." "We owe them nothing." "Alfred needs to know about the Danes, and I need to win his trust." "You think he'll deliver you Bebbanburg." "What if you're wrong?" "Alfred..." "You have called council." "For what reason?" "Lord, forgive me, it may well be for no good reason." "But we have a Pagan in court who claims to have knowledge regarding the Dane Army." "Pagan?" "Forgive me, Lord, he's Uhtred of Bebbanburg." "I vouch for his word." "Uhtred!" "Lord." "I've been to Readingum." "I watched the Danes." "Their intention is not to settle." "If it were, they would've remained in Lunden." "You are saying what, that they intend to attack?" " I am, Lord." " We already know this." "Come spring, they'll be at our door." "They'll be marching within days, Lord." "I'm sure of it." "How can you possibly be sure of it?" "_" "They made their sacrifices." "The ordinary warriors, they caught and killed birds, jackdaws." "This is only done in the days before battle." "And they're hungry." "Then perhaps they've eaten these jackdaws." "They've many hundreds of men and horses and few supplies." "They'll first seize a town rich with grain and livestock." "I don't know the country well, but I've traveled." "I believe Abbendum is such a place." "To defeat the Danes, you must meet them on the road to Abbendum." "They'll be within days, Lord." " You went to Readingum alone?" " With Brida." "Why alone?" "Why not?" "Well, because for most of your life, you have lived as a Dane." "You look like a Dane." "You can speak the language of a Dane." "Therefore, I surmise you can set a trap like a Dane." "Agreed, my Lord." "He imagines we are jackdaws." "Where on the road to Abbendum?" "Where would you choose to meet their army?" "I would choose the place called Asec's Hill, Lord." "You would choose or Guthrum would choose?" "I've seen it." "The pass narrows." "You cannot be outflanked." "For the Danes to fight uphill, it will be difficult, but they'll be confident." "They don't fear west Saxons." "Why?" "Why do they not fear us?" "They believe you to be farmers, nothing more." "So even with the sun in their eyes, which is possible, they will climb the hill to fight, and that can be to our advantage." ""To our advantage," he says." "You've been here for a matter of days, and already you claim to be of Wessex." "This is nonsense." "This is all far too convenient, my Lord." "My Lord, my sword was made by a Saxon smith." "My sword is for Wessex." " Do not interrupt a noble when he is speaking." " Odda." "I believe this man and this bag of rags" " Odda." " that follows him to be imposters." "No army marches as winter approaches." "Young Odda, enough from you now!" "My Lord." "You." "You've spoken, given this council much to discuss." "My Lord." "Alfred, he's here at your invitation." "What now?" "Should the Danes march, we must face them." "And I would rather be at the top of a hill than on the flat." "I say we march to Asec's Hill." "But..." "Take him." "Take them both." "Make them secure." " My Lord?" " What is this?" "I've spoken the truth." "I've spoken the truth!" " Father Beocca!" " My Lord, please." "Beocca, help me!" "Beocca!" "Have faith!" "...Dissipa illorum machinations et astutias, ut nos tuis armis munity semper servemur ab omnibus periculis, ad glorificandum te," " qui es unicus victoria largitor..." " Hold!" "Hold!" "...propter merita unigeniti..." "Filii tui Domini nostri Jesu Christi." "Amen." "Left flank, hold!" "Hold!" "Archers, ready!" "On my command!" "For God!" "For Wessex!" "For England!"