"Uther, I don't think we can win this fight." "I know Mordred." "He would accept surrender." "Hold the crown." "And hold it steady." "Drink their blood!" "War!" "Let us not forget that before Mordred, the Mages lived among us in harmony." "Our relationship with them was always peaceful." "That was before they tasted power and produced those creatures of war." "But it was only Mordred, not his people." "So why are we slaughtering them, Vortigern?" "Was not the prince friendly with the Mages at one time?" "Did he not study with Mordred himself?" "What are you implying?" "I was sent to study with him by my father, as a token of diplomacy." "We would only seek to remind Your Majesty that it was a Mage, Merlin, who gave you the great sword." "Light!" "Where would we be without Merlin and the Mages who helped him?" "Where are they now?" "Why do they not show themselves?" "You know where they are, Lord Mercia." "They are running for their lives!" "Enough!" "Loose!" "There will b no more killings." "There will be no more purges." "Am I clear, brother?" "Now leave me." "Peace?" "For a while." "Have we arrived in time to save you from each other?" "The only person I need saving from is you." "I came for the child, not you." "Then you'll have to fight me for him." "My brother's not himself today." "Look after him." "I'll see you tomorrow." "Are the men ready?" "Yes, they are." "Are you sure about this, My Lord?" "Listen to me, woman." "I need you to do as I tell you." "What's going on?" "I need to get you and the boy away from here." "And I'll join you as soon as I can." "I'm scared, Uther." "I have the sword." "Hurry." "How do you know of this place, my love?" "You must tell me where we're going." "Why do you not answer me?" "Tell me what we're doing down here." "My darling, tell me what it is." "Tell me what it is, and I'll make it stop." "It's okay." "Untie the skiff." "King Vortigern!" "Move!" "Hey!" "Come here!" "Come on!" "Come on!" "Run, son!" "Step aside for the king." "Get them back to work." "Sire." "Sergeant!" "Get them under manners!" "Still so handsome, my king." "Why has the water dropped?" "Why does the sword reveal itself now?" "I'm not ready, the tower is not complete." "As your power increases, so, too, do the forces that will oppose you." "Balance is a law that cannot be transgressed." "The born king will come." "It is inevitable." "We had a deal." "When the blood of a loved one is spilt in these waters, my desire must be met." "There is no ambiguity, My Lord." "We kept our side of the covenant." "It was you who lost the boy, and the sword." "Have I not sacrificed enough?" "And have you not felt your power increase?" "With every kingdom conquered, with every level added to your tower." "When it is capped with the silver from Gaul, you will have what you wanted." "Find the boy." "Kill him." "And the sword will answer only to you." "If you desire further help, you know the price." "Bumped into the Vikings this morning." "They insisted I give you this with their deepest apologies." "Get yourself well." "This wasn't your responsibility, Arthur." "Don't be silly." "You girls have looked after me for a lot longer than" "I've looked after you." "I owe you everything." "What's so funny?" "I just wanna know how you get money out of Vikings." "You ask them for it." "Open the door!" "Hey." "Open in the name of the king!" "Open it." "Yes, gentlemen?" "A turner come down this way." "We're searching all houses." "Whoa." "Slow down, new boy, before you trip up." "What did you say?" "I'm gonna take your hands for that." "Sergeant!" "What did I tell you about this establishment?" "He touched me, sir." "Well, you should count yourself lucky." "Most people have to pay for that." "Now take your terriers and get out!" "Jack's Eye." "What did he want in here?" "Resistance are on the move again." "Hit a branding barge upriver." "Anyone in the house you don't know?" "Well, I'm not sure, Jack." "People come and go." "But we don't fall that side." "Ah, well, that's as may be." "Well, they fall where they fall." "This "born king" bollocks isn't good for anyone." "Mind if I take a look?" "He's bleeding." "Took an arrow on the way out." "What would happen to a man who hits the king's barge upriver?" "Well, you know what would happen." "And it doesn't happen quickly." "What would happen to the people harboring such a man?" "Well, they get treated the same as the man they hide." "Would they, now?" "Not sure you're too welcome here, mate." "You're in safe hands now, no need to worry." "In the back room, now." "What's this all about, Jack?" "What's it got to do with us?" "Do you have any idea who that man is?" "For a man who's so popular, I'm surprised I don't." "Goosefat Bill." "I know who he is." "He got that moniker 'cause he keeps slipping out from the bars you keep putting him behind." "He was found in this establishment, and that doesn't look good for you." "What's going on?" "What's going on where?" "You've got some heat on you, Arthur." "Your name keeps coming up." "In what circles?" "My mum's sewing circle." "I'm a Blackleg sergeant, stupid." "What circles do you think?" "Now, tell me a story about a girl called Lucy, a Viking called Greybeard, and some rebel graffiti dirtying these walls." "Are you writing a book?" "Tell me." "Every detail." "We had a quiet word with a couple of Vikings." "Get back!" "Back!" "I said from the beginning, the very beginning." "I woke up." "Then?" "Well, then I got dressed..." "I went downstairs, I saw the girls." "Lucy was missing." "Where's Lucy?" "She's a good girl." "A nice girl." "She works here." "Then?" "Then, me and the lads took care of a bit of business." "Bit of housekeeping." "Everything as it should be?" "That's the spoil from the boats." "Then?" "Then we heard..." "George had trouble again last night." "All right, meet me out the front." "Which George?" "King George?" "Angry George?" "George of the Dragon?" "Be clear, Arthur." "Which George?" "Our George." "Chinese George, Kung-Fu George." "George?" "Art." "We heard he'd had some trouble with the..." "Vikings." "Well, none of them are house-trained." "I thought you'd warned them." "I did." "They don't speak English good." "They speak it better than you." "Hold up, hold up." "Back up." "Are you sure you didn't see someone else before you saw George?" "Morning, Art." "We saw Mike." "All right, Mike." "Mike the Spike?" "Kosher Mike?" "Which Mike?" "You're giving me a headache." "Flat-Nose Mike." "He was trafficking furs through our vicinity without paying a commission." "That's quite a load, bit bigger than usual." "Yeah, changed last minute." "Just landed on me." "More is better than less." "More is always better than less, Mike." "More's definitely better than less, Mike." "You've had a result." "I'm sorry, Art." "It won't happen again." "I promise." "You're all right, Mike." "Why have enemies when you can have friends?" "Where'd you put the money?" "What money?" "Money?" "What money?" "Did you hide it with the rest of your coffers?" "You're all over the place." "You can't keep your questions in a straight line." "I'm trying to tell a story here, and you keep interrupting." "Anyway, I don't have any coffers." "Once you've taken your share and I've looked after the weak and needy, I'm left broke." "Mike and the furs." "So we're back to that story, are we now, Jack?" "What are you doing, Mike?" "Sharing the wealth." "Don't pass it to me, Mike." "It doesn't work like that." "Give it to Wet Stick." "I'm Back Lack." "What are you giving it to me for?" "What was I thinking?" "Don't upset the boss, Mike." "He doesn't handle the money." "Sorry, it's been a long day." "It's first thing in the morning, Mike." "Did he pay?" "'Course he paid." "He's a good boy, that Mike." "Buy some lessons in street etiquette with the change." " Change?" " There's no change, Mike." "See you later, Mike." "Cheers, Mike!" "God." "What is this about, Jack?" "Rebel graffiti." "A young boy." "Your boy." "Blue Boy." "And he's a good boy." "Oi!" "What are you lot doing?" "Don't start getting the wrong end of the stick, Jack." "He's an upstanding citizen." "I think I found something that belongs to you, Lack." "What you doing, boy?" "He's coming back." "Who's coming back?" "The born king." "Yeah, and when he does, he'll spank your arse." "Now, let's get your hands clean while you still got some." "He'll cut 'em off and have you in chains." "If we can catch you, they can catch you." "If you can catch him, so can we." "Should we go back to George, and the trouble with the..." "Vikings." "So what happened?" "Started throwing their weight about" " and then Lucy got the worst of it." " Come again, George?" "They hurt Lucy." "My Lucy?" "That can't happen, Jack." "That can never happen, Jack." "You see, she's a friend of mine." "So you're gonna have to sort her out." "They'd been warned." "They had to pay." "How'd you get money from a Viking?" "I feel a joke coming on here." "You ask him for it." "You're paying and then you're leaving." "Nobody's talking to you, sweetheart." "You sit there and be quiet." "You are better at that..." "Or I'll have to put an arrow through your lard-loving thigh." "You were unarmed." "You just walked in there and asked them for it?" "That's right, Jack, and they gave it to me." "They were trying on furs." "The same furs, as it happens that Flat-Nose Mike tried to hide from us." "More is always better than less, Mike." "Old Greybeard banged on for a bit." "I got 50 seasoned men of war." "You could shave a pig on the edge of our blades." "If you were unarmed, where'd you find the blade to put to his throat?" "Well, I borrowed it from his big, silly mate after Back Lack put an arrow through his lard-loving thigh." "Get back!" "That's your story, Jack." "I am leaving." "But I'm leaving with a year's wages." "Old Greybeard surrendered his dignity." "Lucy got a year's worth of wages." "And the rebel graffiti exists no more because of the law-abiding, proactive Blue Boy and his fun-loving dad." "And then, they all lived happily ever after." "No, they didn't, Arthur." "Because for the first time, there's something you don't know." "Something nobody told you." "And that is?" "They're under the protection of the king." "And once you're under the protection of the king, I can't help you." "Nobody can." "They're not gonna bother about me." "Where do we stand, Mercia?" "We're down to the last men of the right age." "And still no one has pulled the sword." "Now put the bird back in the aviary, Catia." "There's a general restlessness among the people." "More incidents." "More graffiti." "I beg your pardon, Your Majesty." "If I'd known..." "Come here." "I want your opinion." "Maggie represents the people." "She's from one of the oldest families in England." "She can tell us." "Sire." "Do the people love me?" "I love Your Majesty and if I represent the people, then you have your answer." "Bring us something to eat." "Even I am left to wonder if we are pushing them too far." "Finish the tower." "Everything else will be academic." "Thank you, Maggie." "Wake up!" "You must control it." "Wake up!" "Listen!" "You need to get out of here, now!" "What are you doing, Lack?" "Jack's Eye was telling the truth." "Those red beards are connected." "So, what?" "So are we." "No, you don't understand." "The Blacklegs are coming." "And when they get here, they're gonna make an example out of you." "You gotta go now." "And you can't use the front door." "Get out the window." "They're here, move!" "Open the door!" "Oi, you two, in the back!" "Kick the door down!" "Hey!" "Are you ready?" "Yeah, of course." "Here we go." "All right, fellas?" "Hello, boy." "What are you doing out at this time?" "I work on the boats, sir." "Out on the first tide." "The boats, eh?" "What's in the bag?" "And you're about the right age." "Show us your brand." "Have you not been tested?" "I'm always at sea, sir." "Haven't had the chance." "Well, that's about to change now." "You're going on a boat, all right." "Just not the one you think." "Come on, get off!" "Single file!" "Come on, get 'em off." "Get your brand, get your drink, then back on the barge!" "Move!" "Move it!" "Come on!" "Move!" "Keep coming!" "Move it!" "What's all that about?" "Guess that's what you get when you don't pay up." "Taking the kids now." "What's he got them all penned up out here for?" "Well, when you see the king, why don't you ask him?" "Hurry up!" "Move along!" "What was that?" "God save the king." "Bollocks." "Excuse me, mate." "Oi." "Leave it." "Excuse me." "Behind you, pal." "Here, mind your back." "Oi, pal, there's a line here." "John." "All right, pal." "As you were, mate." "All right, where do you want me?" "Trigger, I think we got one here." "Bouncing on my knee." "Where do you think I want you?" "Hands on the hilt, stupid." "Oi, both hands." "I said, both hands." "Right, ten digits round the blunt bit." "Give it a tug." "Left foot, right foot." "Collect your brand." "Back on the barge." "That's everything you know about him?" "His people were quick to disappear." "We got what information we could." "Got a lot of fingers in a lot of pies." "Blacklegs in his pockets, too." "I'll deal with this." "My king." "Carefully." "So you're Uther's son." "Not only did you survive in the gutter, you blossomed out of manure." "You've got the wrong man, sire." "I was born in a brothel, on a bridge in Londinium." "The sword can only be drawn by Uther Pendragon or his direct heir." "You felt it, didn't you?" "The power." "That's what put you out." "You just don't know how to control it." "I'm nothing but the bastard son of a prostitute." "You and I have a lot more in common than you think." "It's not just the same blood we share, but also the same interests." "We both developed a palate for power." "I've never had any power." "Or any desire to achieve it." "Sire." "I could simply drift away, never to be seen again." "As much as I'd like to believe you, your character makes that unlikely." "While you were asleep, we've been busy." "I know what kind of a man you are." "I know your story." "And, I've seen your coffers." "Your achievements." "Now stand, as your prosecution." "What kind of a man would you have become had you inherited your father's kingdom and all its advantages, instead of being raised in a brothel?" "What gave you such drive?" "Hmm." "So, what happens now?" "You know what happens now." "You're quickly becoming a legend." "Someone here to see you." "Mmm-hmm." "I think you need to see her." "Do you know who I am?" "I know who you are, Mage." "I've seen you in my dreams." "You've been sent by Merlin." "Then you know why I am here." "So, you will be his guide." "And you will help me." "Bring him here." "There's a crowd of thousands out there." "They've come to see you more than they've come to see me." "I will show them power." "I will show them strength, and dignity." "You will show them lies, weakness, and shame." "Hail, King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "They may have come for you... but they will leave, and will leave with a lasting impression of me." "They may even hate me." "I'll let them hate, just so long as they fear." "When people fear you..." "I mean, really fear you..." "It is the most intoxicating sensation a man can possess." "A force of something almost indescribable moves through your blood and takes you over completely." "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "I understand that your actions were very noble, of defending this whore's honor." "How unfortunate it was at the expense of my Viking guests." "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "King Vortigern!" "Behold, your born king." "Behold the man who pulled sword from stone." "You wanted a prophecy." "This is your prophecy." "Now tell us, king, what do you have to say?" "When your head rolls to me, the legend you've fast become will just as quickly..." "Here are your people." "Add to the reverence of my name." "And for this," "I salute you." "No!" "If you're the king..." "No!" "Declare yourself." "The rest of them will follow, unless you do what needs to be done." "Do we understand each other?" "If you are lost for words, then let the sword speak for you." "Take it!" "And show the people the power of Excalibur." "I said, take it, king." "Raise that sword!" "I thought not." "This man, cannot be allowed to bring discord to our flourishing nation." "You're not the king!" "Off with his head!" "You're no king!" "Protect the king!" "Protect the king!" "Come." "Come on!" "Move!" "Move!" "Get the sword!" "Get after him!" "The sword!" "Move!" "Come on." "Move!" "Come on!" "Now!" "Someone gonna tell me where we're going?" "No." "So what is it you're looking at, then?" "Are you falling for me like I'm falling for you?" "We wanna be careful." "That's a neat trick." "You'll have to teach me how to do that." "Put him back on his horse." "Oh, hello." "It's quite dangerous being one of you lot, isn't it?" "You're good with animals, aren't you?" "They have a word for that, don't they?" ""Mage"." "I thought your team was outlawed." "Never met one of you in the flesh." "I thought you'd be taller." "And have a beard." "You do know I can see through this?" "Trees everywhere." "Hang that up." "Don't want it getting creased." "So, you're the chap that turned in Goosefat Bill." "Unlike you, he chose the wrong place to hide." "You know he was the third most wanted man on the Blackleg's list?" "They've been trying to catch him for some time." "Like I said, your man chose the wrong place to hide." "So it seems." "I was wondering what happened to you." "I told you, you were in safe hands." "You've made quite a celebrity of yourself among the Blackleg ranks." "You've done very nicely on the back of your cozy relationship with your kingsmen." "You know, I'm a little old for finger-wagging and speeches." "So, unless you're my dad, which, I believe, is unlikely, can you just get around to telling me exactly what it is you want?" "What is it that you want?" "I want to get my arse out of here and see what's left of my life and the people in it." "But you're not gonna let me do that, are you?" "And why aren't we?" "You just lost two men." "But you were prepared to lose five to save this pretty neck." "Do I know you?" "You will in a minute." "Put your hands out." "I don't think so, mate." "So I'm not going anywhere, am I?" "Where exactly were you thinking of going?" "You have no more home." "It was razed days ago." "You've no more life to go back to." "Like it or not, this is your lot." "And even we don't like you." "Do we, Goosefat?" "But what we are interested in, is what you can do with this sword." "Why don't you leave him with me for a minute or two, boss?" "Put your ring back on, honey tits." "You haven't had enough porridge this morning to talk like that." "And if you like that sword so much, your lordship, you can keep it, to peel your grapes." "Now that would've hurt a lot more if I left the ring on." "I see what you're doing." "You're trying to get me to do something razzle-dazzle with that sword." "I'm gonna tell you right now," "I'm not gettin' drawn into this mess." "And there's an army of you, there's only one of me." "I haven't had a fight for years." "And I'll talk." "I'm happy to talk." "But there is no way that I am fighting." "Is that it?" "Run, son!" "Wait here, son." "Run, son!" "You are resisting the sword." "The sword isn't resisting you." "It should be clear by now, that whatever it is that you and your friends think you want from me," "I am not it." "Not yet." "Not ever!" "What do you see when you hold the sword?" "It is something you've seen before, isn't it?" "Long before you ever touched the sword." "You don't sleep well, do you?" "What if you could make the dreams go away?" "You know what we have to do." "In order for him to control Excalibur, he needs to go to the Darklands." "That's not happening." "Welcome to the Darklands." "That's the Darklands?" "That's the entrance." "He needs to take the sword to the tower." "You must touch the sword to the altar stone." "Gonna miss me." "Give me another way." "There's no other way." "And he has to go alone." "He can't survive the Darklands alone." "Are you scared?" "I think I can manage." "You should be scared." "That's what all the fuss is about?" "Don't worry, you'll soon understand what all the fuss is about." "You don't want all of him to survive." "That's the point." "You have to break his old self completely." "Wear him down." "You want him to think big?" "Give him something big to think about." "You're playing with fire, Mage." "And I'm not killing the king before he's even become one." "Wait here, son." "No!" "Run, son!" "Did you see everything you needed to see?" "I saw enough." "The Mage Tower." "It's the same as the one at Camelot." "The higher Vortigern builds it, the more powerful he becomes." "And when it is finished, he will have the same power of Mordred." "That is why the sword has revealed itself now." "Where there's poison, there's a remedy." "What happened to your people?" "They were murdered by your uncle." "It was Vortigern who started the wars." "He was jealous of your father's throne." "So he made a deal with Mordred..." "That they would share power once he defeated your father." "Mordred murdered the Mage King and took his staff to their sacred tower, where he unlocked the dark forces of their union." "But what they didn't account for was the sword." "Merlin stole his staff." "He then forged the great sword, Excalibur and destroyed the ancient tower." "The sword was then passed to the Lady of the Lake who bound it to the Pendragon bloodline." "Now the sword is yours." "It seems his people have been found by the Resistance." "You have 10,000 men under your command for the purpose of maintaining public order." "Informants have been incentivized." "Mercia..." "Our garrisons are patrolling the roads and searching every town." "It's only a matter of time, Your Majesty." "Mercia." "The Resistance have never posed any real threat." "Mercia!" "Just do your fucking job." "Find him." "Smaller than I thought it'd be." "It's all yours, son." "I warn you, it's got quite a bite." "What they done back home?" "You really wanna know?" "Go on." "It's all gone." "They torched the lot." "I said, go on." "You should be flattered, mate." "Even Mercia left the castle to look for you and that sword." "Jack's Eye turned." "Gave 'em a list of everything you valued." "They slaughtered half the neighborhood." "Mischief John got busy." "Personally burned down the bridge." "It was quite a party." "Shall I continue?" "What about the rest of the team?" "Most of the girls are with us..." "But the rest of the crew pretty much got gist of your popularity and made themselves scarce." "Blue, go get us something to drink." "Come on, boss." "I'm one of the crew." "Blue!" "I'm all right!" "I'm gonna kill him." "This lot have been trying to do it for years." "They'd love to hear you say that." "They've waited a long time to see a man pull this sword." "I'm not doing this for them." "Wet Stick, meet Percival." "Rubio, meet Back Lack." "Sir Bedivere, who runs this aristocratic family of cave dwellers, meet Blue, son of Back Lack." "The infamous Goosefat Bill needs no introduction." "So..." "You think you can take down Vortigern?" "There are 12 barons." "These represent the old families of England." "Between them, they can rustle up 12,000 warriors." "In order to stand a chance, we are going to need at least some of their support." "We can arrange a meeting with six of those families..." "Let me stop you there." "If I may..." "Allow me to run you through the proceedings as I think they will unfold." "They'll start by telling us..." "If you're intending to galvanize the people of this country against the current king, there has to be a realistic strategy." "Strategy requires leadership." "Then they'll bang on for a while about how clever and educated they are." "In the art of war, diplomacy, and chivalry." "And how underqualified I am." "Is it not true that this man was raised in a brothel and has no formal education of any kind?" "Then they'll start takin' the piss." "And what are we to be called, Bedivere?" ""Knights of the Bordello"?" "Or "The Ladies of the Knight"." "Have you finished?" "I'm gonna have to pull 'em on it." "I'm glad you've got a sense of humor." "'Cause you're gonna need it." "I'm gonna be forced to tell them..." "There's not a bollock between you." "At which point, Bedivere, you're gonna get very angry, and tell me off." "You'll say something along the lines of..." ""What were you gonna do" ""if they wanted to fight?" And I'm gonna say," ""I was never gonna fight"." "And you're gonna say, "Well, what was gonna happen?"" "And I was gonna say, "That's why you're here, Bedivere," ""you big, silly, posh bastard"." "You want Vortigern to stick his neck out, and get him to Londinium?" "You need to tease it out." "You don't need 12,000 fighting men for that." "What you need is this little rabble." "Okay, so how's that gonna work?" "If I'm moving too fast for you, Bedivere, you can let yourself out the side door." "You seem to have found your way very quickly." "Now, come on, kid." "You're cooking dinner." "What is it that Vortigern cares about most in the world?" "Killing you." "Apart from that." "Getting the sword." "Could someone help me out here, please?" "Finishing his tower." "So what do we do about it?" "Sink his barges carrying his supply of stone." "Block up the river." "Chaps, wouldn't it be easier just to go through the side?" "See?" "That's the problem with an education." "It gets in the way." "These boats are made out of seasoned oak." "They're uncrackable." "So you need to go through the deck to get to the keel." "No, you need to go through the bulkhead to get to the stern." "What are you doing?" "You're wasting your time." "I've told you they're uncrackable." "See, Wet Stick, Back Lack?" "That's what an education gets ya." "My sincere apologies, Your Majesty." "The stone barges have been sunk, and they've blocked the river." "What else?" "Come on, more ideas." "Interrupt his supply of slaves." "Excellent." "How are we gonna do that?" "We know their transportation routes." "Oof!" "Now we're warming' up." "Come on, ideas." "Burn his favorite palace down." "How you gonna do that, then?" "I know the man that supplies brandy to the palace." "Shipment first of the month." "All right, Dan." "Wine or brandy?" "Brandy." "Open the doors." "What a waste of brandy." "But doesn't it make the palace burn well?" "10,000 boys." "All under 12 years." "Young enough to forget their families, and to have no other loyalty than to you." "Plus, 5,000 more each year for as long as you grant us passage through your seas." "The north is ours?" "That is our agreement." "Is there a problem?" "There are rumors, Great King." "Even across the seas we have heard the legend of the sword, of a king other than yourself." "I would be doing my own king a disservice if I did not ask this question." "Are the boys yours to give?" "Do you really consider your faith better served by a rumor?" "Or by the word of the conqueror of this island with an army of 100,000 souls behind his sword?" "I meant no disrespect, Great King." "You asked to see me, Father?" "We need the support of all the barons." "Set a meeting in Londinium for the six we doubt." "Whatever it takes to hunt him down." "I still can't control it." "Pick it up." "You pick it up." "Pick it up with both hands." "Did you see everything you needed to see?" "Where?" "In the Darklands." "Did you look away?" "You want to know why you still can't use it." "Why don't you tell me?" "I think you know the answer." "You will face it when it's worth it to you." "Don't get me wrong, I look away." "We all look away." "But that is the difference between a man and a king." "Maggie!" "I thought we agreed that you'd never come here." "You need to hear this." "Vortigern is making a visit to Londinium to meet with the barons." "He will travel by barge." "When?" "Three days from now." "Hmm." "Looks like your plan worked." "You need to be careful." "His power is increasing." "The building's right." "The angle's right." "Three exits from which to leave the city." "A vantage point over the whole dock and most of the town." "It's a 50-yard shot." "I can do that easily." "What's the problem?" "Tell him." "Tell you what the problem is, mate." "When you say the building's right," "I know the man that owns that building." "And he's not interested in letting anyone in." "How do you feel about a rooftop king assassination?" "My roof?" "Yeah." "And least of all the king's assassins that he'll have to hang for." "I'd hang?" "Probably." "The three exits are actually only one." "'Cause once the alarm arrow's fired the gates will be shut within two minutes and they're six minutes away by foot." "Unless you can run like a Neapolitan stallion, I'd forget them." "So, you have one exit remaining." "And that has a tavern 20 yards from it." "There's always more Blacklegs in the Two Hot Cocks than there are rats on the street." "Why don't you use the other building?" "The one back here?" "Because it's 175 yards away." "And how far can you shoot, Back Lack?" "Accurately?" "75." "Bill?" "175." "Same as..." "No, he said, "175."" "All right, mate, of course you can." "That's about 175 yards, isn't it?" "Well, he was supposed to signal." "Can't see him." "Well, if can't see them, then they can't see us." "Hey!" "Maybe they thought that was luck." "That could've killed us." "They scream like girls, your friends." "Bill?" "The wolf at the head of the pack." "Goosefat..." "Everything all right?" "Goosefat!" "Mmm." "Is there something I should know here?" "Those two have a history." "Well, whatever it is, that's not what we're here for." "Is it, Goosefat?" "Mmm." "They've arrived." "Maggie, I now realize what an important member of my household you are." "Your Majesty..." "I haven't finished." "Sit down." "Till recently..." "I didn't recognize what a powerful tool you can be in the right hands." "I thought you were simply a pawn." "Turns out you're a far more significant piece." "And it would be witless of me not to use that to my advantage, given how effectively you've been used against me." "Hail to the king!" "There's the king." "Something doesn't smell right." "This is too easy." "Wait." "Wait, wait." "Don't fire." "Why not?" "Something doesn't smell right." "It smells as right as it's ever going to smell." "Come on, he's right there." "Bill!" "Get on with it!" "It's a trap." "How would he know?" "Don't know." "Maggie." "Maybe he knows she's working for us." "I am telling you." "That is not the king." "Stop looking around and look at me." "I'm a target, aren't I?" "God help us." "They've sent me a buffoon." "You are a cunning old bastard, Vortigern." "But what you fail to understand is that it's you who's fed the hangman that will eventually come for you." "You're right, that's not Vortigern." "But at least Mercia's here." "Goosefat." "What have you done?" "You can't shoot if it's a trap!" "They'll never know where that came from." "You missed him anyway." "I didn't miss anyone." "Arrow!" "What are you doing?" "They're not targets at a fair!" "That was Clarendon." "He earned that." "You migh survive today..." "But the noose has been tied." "We need to go." "Now!" "Now." "We need to go now." "Close the gates!" "Put your arms up." "Hello, boys." "Wait, wait." "Hey, hey, hey." "Where are you going?" "Stop." "Oi!" "Oi!" "Sarge!" "Hey!" "Stop!" "Fuck me." "Let's go!" "I'm holding you up." "Go on without me." "No, Lack, come on." "Let's go." "No, I'll see you at the safe house." " I'm not leaving you!" " Just go!" "There they are!" "Move!" "This way, this way." "Let's go!" "Move!" "Move!" "Move!" "Move!" "Move!" "Get out of the way!" "Left!" "Go left!" "Over here!" "Argh!" "Hey." "Here." "In here." "This way!" "We can't stay here." "Where's Lack?" " He's making his own way." " All right." "How's Rubio?" "He's leaking, but he'll live." "We need to get to the old bathhouse." "If I go down, you follow him." "If he goes down, you follow me." "Come on." "There's too many." "This way!" "Come on!" "Come on, guys!" "Can you make it?" "I can make it, no problem." "Over here!" "Hey!" "Come on!" "Rubio!" "Come back!" "Rubio!" "Come on!" "They need your help." "Lock the door, George." "Get the lads out the back door, George." "It's not gonna happen, boss." "They hate the Blackleg and love a fight." "There's too many of them." "It's not gonna happen." "They live for this." "They're gonna die, George!" "They trained their whole lives for this." "Go on." "Let go." "Let go." "Come on!" "Move!" "Fight!" "Second rank!" "You two, down here." "It's a straight run to the river." "You go first." "We don't have time to argue, Bill." "Some of us will make it out in time." "Some of us won't." "Well, better some than none!" "You go first." "Mike!" "Get down the hole." "Mike, get down the hole." "Don't like rats, boss." "Dell." "Scared of the dark." "Really?" "George, will you tell them?" "Sorry, boss." "Weapons!" "You silly bastards." "Determined to die." "Shit." "On my command!" "I'm going down the hole now." "After you." "Blue." "Blue." "Where you been, mate?" "Where's my dad?" "We got split up, but he knows his way." " I've gotta find him." " Wait, Blue." "Your dad knows what he's doing." "He'll be back before you know it, mate." "Wet Stick." "Blue!" "Blue!" "Blue!" "Come on, boys!" "Search them dwellings now!" "Get through them doors!" "It's not gonna be easy getting out of here now." "You can't stay here long." "Nowhere in the city is safe." "The boat's ready." "What about Back Lack and Blue, Art?" "We'll wait until dark." "Where you been, Dad?" "Catching me breath." "What's wrong?" "Nothing." "I'm all right." "Just got to get to the safe house." "Can you make it?" "I love you, mate." "Come on, let's get going." "Run!" "Down with Vortigern!" "It seems as though you found a way to use the sword." "I wasn't controlling it." "Here." "It was controlling me." "I can't even remember what happened." "I can." "Thank you." "Something's happening, you know?" "Certainly sounds like it." "People have seen what you can do." "You're no longer a myth." "You're starting to mean something." "That wasn't the intention." "They are fighting in your name." "I don't wanna wear that." "Is that you, Blue?" "Yes, boss!" "Did you find your father?" "He's found him!" "Ah!" "We need to get you out of here." "Let's get your arse on that boat, Lack." "There's a good fog to cover our tracks." "Come on." "I'll need a little breather." "Here, load everyone else up and come back for me." "No, I'll stay with you." "No, you won't." "Give 'em a hand." "I'll be all right, mate." "Just give me a minute." "Come on, Blue." "You carry this." "Come on." "Come on." "Come on, Blue." "Evenin'." "Pardon the intrusion." "Our dog was very keen to lead us here." "Come on." "Shall I pick him up, Sarge?" "No, follow him." "The blood he followed was from a man who killed one of my sergeants today." "A man who fled the scene of an assassination attempt on me." "On me, no less." "You wouldn't happen to know where that man is, would you?" "I can't." "Get in the boat, Blue." "I'll get your dad." "I can't leave him!" "Have a look at this situation, would ya?" "The king of all England himself has made the effort to visit a commoner." "A man from nowhere." "And today, my last day." "You look well and I feel poor." "But who would I rather be?" "What do you want, kid?" "Who's this young man?" "I'm the cleaner, sir." "Who's he to you?" "Never seen him before." "I usually come in later, you know, do the dishes when they're all gone." "Is that the truth?" "Yes, sir." "I'd never lie to a Blackleg." "Good boy." "So you don't know him?" "No, sir." "Then you wouldn't mind if I cut his ears off?" "They're not my ears." "Do what you want with them." "No!" "Always wanted a boy." "Argh!" "You bastard!" "Leave him alone!" "Now I repeat, where's your friend?" "Let him go." "Let him go." "Take the boy and..." "No!" "No!" "Crush the Resistance tonight!" "Archers!" "Let me show you what your uncle will do if you do not accept" "this sword." "Only you can prevent this." "He must be met where sword meets tower." "Trust the Mage." "Take it." "Apparently you have something to tell me." "I suppose you wanna know what happened to me." "I don't wanna push you, but..." "George?" "Riots are spreading." "Not just in Londinium." "Across the whole country." "People are fighting for you." "If there was ever a chance, it's now." "It's not going to last." "But, like he said, we're not going to push you." "I'm ready." "We're gonna take the castle." "And we're going in the front door." "George, I need you to go to Londinium, gather the lads." "Where's the Mage?" "She's back at the cave." "All right." "Now, when you say we're going to take the castle, what does that mean?" "I thought you said you weren't gonna push me." "Come on, lads." "Chop, chop." "Blue!" "Blue!" "Blue!" "Hello!" "You took your time getting here." "I'm not gonna hear the end of this from my wife." "It was my turn to cook tonight." "I've been sent by His Majesty to deliver a message." "Let's think..." ""Be at the castle before dark" ""if you wanna see the girl and the boy" ""alive"." "I would love to stay and chat, but you do understand the situation between me and my wife." "Anything that you do to me will be repaid 10 times in kind." "Now, you're a big man." "Now, let's see you move." "Evening." "So, where is he?" "He's a day's ride from here." "As soon as she's safe, he will come." "He poses no threat to you without the sword." "Tomorrow." "I don't have to remind you of what will happen if he doesn't come." "I'll start with the little boy." "Now, take the girl and go." "This venom will induce that which is hidden from you." "It will show you things you do not want to see." "But you'll need its protection." "Hold my hand." "I don't like snakes." "No one likes snakes." "Stay with me." "Stay with me." "You will feel it for a few hours." "¶ Young man came from hunting faint and weary" "¶ What does all My Lord, my dearie?" "¶ O brother dear, let my bed be made" "¶ For I feel the gripe of the woody nightshade" "¶ This young man, he died fair soon" "¶ By the light of the hunters' moon" "¶ 'Twas not by bone Nor yet by blade" "¶ Oh, the berries of the woody nightshade" "¶ Oh, father dear, lie heavy safe" "¶ From the power that the devil made" "¶ Made ¶" "That's far enough." "Let's get this done quickly, shall we?" "Put him on his knees." "Put him on his knees!" "Go, go, go!" "You know the price." "Father, what's happening?" "Leave." "Why is there blood on your face?" "What's going on?" "Father, you're scaring me." "Oh!" "I love you very much." "Come on!" "Charge!" "You have won, nephew." "You have won." "Now, play with me." "Ah!" "Ah!" "I think that sword belongs to me now." "Run, son!" "Brother..." "I think that sword belongs to me now." "Whatever price you paid, it will be more than you know." "You don't need to run anymore." "You don't need to look away." "The sword is yours, son." "Take it." "You wanted to know what gave me such drive." "It was you." "You put me in that brothel." "You cut me on the streets." "I am here now because of you." "You created me." "And, for that..." "I bless you." "You make sense of the devil." "Nock!" "Light!" "Ready!" "Loose!" "While I understan there's been a change in the leadership of this nation..." "I am confident that you will still honor the agreement made by your predecessor and my king." "We expect to leave here with 10,000 young men as agreed." "Yeah, I don't think so, mate." "Excuse me?" "I said, "I don't think so, mate"." "We've been wondering what you were doing in here." "I like it." "What is it?" "Yes, what is it?" "A carousel?" "A giant wheel of cheese?" "What are you supposed to do with it?" "I know." "It's a dance floor." "And once you finish it how are you supposed to get to the middle?" "But how did you get it through the door?" "Did you carry it in?" "Or did you roll it in?" "May I remind you a fleet of 3,000 longships controlling the seas, surrounding your island." "It would be unwise to displease my king." "I'm sorry." "George, Wet Stick, Percy, on your knees." "Sir Bedivere, if you would?" "I'm prepared to extend the deadline by a week." "No." "I mean, I'm sorry." "You've made a mistake." "You're no longer dealing with the man you previously met." "You are addressing England and all the subjects under her king's protection." "Arise, Sir George." "So you have a choice." "You can now kneel to England..." "Arise, Sir Tristan." "Or I'll step off this throne, and you can deal with me as the man you previously met." "Arise, Sir Percival." "And we can see how that goes." "Sir William." "If you would?" "It would be my honor." "Well, now that's out the way, let's eat." "Why have enemies when you can have friends?" "Arise, my king." "King Arthur." "It's a table." "You sit at it." "Long live the King!" "Long live the King!" "¶ Young man came from hunting faint and weary" "¶ What does all My Lord, my dearie?" "¶ O brother dear, let my bed be made" "¶ For I feel the gripe of the woody nightshade" "¶ This young man, he died fair soon" "¶ By the light of the hunters' moon" "¶ 'Twas not by bone" "¶ Nor yet by blade" "¶ Oh, the berries of the woody nightshade" "¶ Oh, father dear, lie heavy safe" "¶ From the power that the devil made ¶"