"Princess Aslaug, listen to me." "You are in an open field." "On one side of you is a deep pit filled with bones and ashes and hellish things." "On the other side is your house, your sons, the fjord, and the sunlight is striking the snow high on the mountains." "If you want to reach your house, then you must push the baby out as Freya would." "Let him rip you, but push..." "Out." "Choose life." "Yes." " Yes." " The baby will come." "That's it!" "Good." "I see the head." "It's alive." "It is alive." "It's a boy." "We must prepare to go to Wessex." "Obviously, we must leave soon." "I have to return to my territories." "I have to prepare my ships." "It will take some time." "How much time?" "Just enough time." "No more, no less, King Horik." "Your father has a new child." " A son?" " Yes." "I must congratulate your father." "It is never a bad day to have a son." "The gods cannot stop offering him their blessings." "I, too, am happy for Earl Ragnar." "Erlendur." " Who are you?" " Porunn." "I meant who are you to my son?" "She is a servant." "A slave..." "And I am in love with her." "After all, your prophecy was right." "Don't be too long." "I won't." "I need you." "If the three of us are equals, we need each other." "But one cannot be more equal than the other." "You mean Ragnar." "You and I are at least his equal," " and Ragnar must come to understand this." " I agree." "Lagertha!" "To keep you warm." "What is wrong with Ragnar's new son?" "Nothing." "Be safe." "How loyal you are, Siggy." "Don't die stupidly." "I'm not going to die." "Yes, you are!" "If I choose." "Fight!" "Always remember to finish off your opponent, if you can." "We're fine ones for playing dead or pretending to run away." "Perhaps the Saxons are the same." "No man ever ran away with his entrails hanging to his knees, or his head cut off." "That's just a fact of life." "Your mother is an amazing woman." "I know." "And..." "I know why you say that." "No you don't." "You were in love with her once." "How can you say that?" "You were just a boy." "I can say that now because" "I am in love." "Well, believe me, those feelings are wasted." "Don't the gods love?" "Who is to say their love is wasted?" "How come you know so much about the gods?" "Because my father, you and I..." "Are all descended from Odin." "Or is that not true, Uncle?" "He will die anyway." "What is the point of pretending?" "If we were wolves, or even pigs, this poor, weak runt would be discarded." "We are not wolves or pigs." "It is natural." "We let such babies die for their own good." "For what kind of a life could he live?" "I know, but I don't care." "Always so behind the times!" "Well, that's true." "My work is for all eternity." " Who is coming?" " Kwenthrith." "The daughter of Offa." " King of Mercia?" " Well, before he died, that is." "Not his son?" "Don't you know anything?" "Kwenthrith killed her brother, Of fa's natural heir." "Now the whole kingdom is beset by dynastic squabble." "Everyone is murdering everyone." "Presumably..." "King Ecbert doesn't want to get involved with such terrible squabbles?" "Of course not." "My father has no interest whatsoever in what happens in our neighboring kingdom, which just so happens to be the largest, most important and richest kingdom in England." "So, this is our fratricide." "Our mass murderer." "Welcome, Princess, to the Kingdom of Wessex." "There is no other way." "No other way, my son." "You'll have to provide for yourself." "What is this?" "**" " My Lady." " It is good to see you!" "Welcome back, Earl Ingstad." "We've all missed your presence." "Thank you, Einar." "But you will have to do without my presence a great deal longer." "It is agreed that I am to raid the English kingdom of Wessex with King Horik and Earl Ragnar." "I expect my ships to be provisioned by the next full moon, and all my warriors to be armed and assembled." "No meat for me." "I don't like it." "N kills you." "Only vegetables." "Who are you?" "My name is Athelstan." "I was a monk at Lindisfarne." "A monk!" "Athelstan was captured by the Northmen." "He's lived amongst them." "He knows everything about their pagan ways." "I have heard that the pagans sacrifice human beings." "Is that true?" "Do they actually?" "Every nine years, yes, they do." "To please their gods." "And are they naked?" "I have been told that they make love to whomever they choose, and that the idea of fidelity is utterly strange to them." "They have..." "A different morality to us." "Is it not more natural?" "I..." "Is it not more natural?" "Is it not more natural?" "Is it not more natural?" "I..." "I would only say that it was different." "How boring you are!" "I was shocked to hear of the death of your brother." "Don't worry about my brother." "Did you know that the Pope has already made him a Saint?" "Saint Kenelm!" "Apparently, he lived an exemplary life!" "Do you mean to say that he was not altogether virtuous?" "Well, he raped me when I was about 12." "So, you must make up your own mind." "King Ecbert, I do not need to ask why you've invited me here." "I know very well." "You want to influence the destiny of Mercia." "My family are killing one another, and you want to be on the side of the party which succeeds to the crown." "You put it very precisely, Princess." "It should not surprise you to hear that myself and my allies will succeed." "But perhaps your support would be an advantage." "I was thinking of sending my son, Aethelwulf, to advise and help you." "I would gladly open my gates..." "To your handsome son." "I would also like to hire some Northmen as mercenaries to help you succeed in gaining the throne of Mercia." "I need to meet these Northmen whose prowess, in all things, I have heard so much about." "It seems no one can talk of anything else now." "So, let us drink..." "To Princess Kwenthrith, and the conquest of Mercia." "The conquest of Mercia!" "Einar, why don't you come in?" " Do you want to speak to me?" " Yes." "Then wait." "What do you want to say?" "I thought we had an agreement." "I don't remember any agreements, Einar." "You do remember!" "I would help you become Earl, and then, as a result, we might be married." "I never made any arrangements." "Not with you, nor with anyone else." "You wanted rid of Sigvard because he was insane." "So, I killed him." "That's all." "If you do not let me enjoy you," "I shall open your face!" "And then, what would your family do?" "If they had any respect for you, they would have made you Earl, not me." "The truth is, you couldn't kill me." "The only person you could kill was a dying man." "That's how brave you are." "Aslaug, forgive me." "What is wrong with Ivar?" "Everybody talks, but nobody knows." "He is my son." "But sooner or later, you have to show him to the world." "You can't keep him covered up forever." "Ragnar is right." "Aslaug, this child will never walk." "By the gods, you must..." "You must put him out to die." "Thank you for your good advice, but I would rather die myself than take it." "I knew your father." "Uh-huh." "King Offa." "He was a great man." "Not just, uh..." "Physically courageous but..." "A man of..." "Profound belief." "Ecbert, what is it?" "Ecbert?" "I'm done." "What?" "Already?" " We've been..." " Well, I'm not done." "Well, I don't know how I can be of help." "What about the priest?" "Athelstan?" "Yes, he lived with the pagans, and pagans like sex, don't they?" "Athelstan is a..." "He's a spiritual man." "Well, I've never met a spiritual man who doesn't like to fuck like an animal." "Don't..." "Don't..." "Don't you want to sleep?" "Are you insane?" "Where are you going?" "I am going somewhere to sleep." "In the meantime," "I will send in some of my warriors to attend your needs." "Good night, Princess." "Good luck." "This way." "Don't be shy." "There!" "Now we will win!" "Our child should have a name, now that the gods have saved him." "His name is Ivar." "Ivar the Boneless." "Goodbye, my love!" "Porunn!" "Porunn!" "Porunn!" "Porunn!" "I should not talk to you." "Many do not wish it." "In any case, what does it matter?" "I'll probably die in battle." "I love you." "Goodbye, Helga." "Be sure you come back to us, Floki." "I want you to meet your child for the first time in this world." "Oh." "You know me." "I'm always cautious." "And always sensible." "I would not love you if you were sensible." "I know." "I'm crazy and cracked." "There is something wrong with me, which is why I choose to travel with King Horik." "Why?" "I don't know yet." "There's something about him." "He understands the gods better than Ragnar." " No." " No?" "That is not possible." "I mean the real gods, the darker gods, the gods that haunt me." "Don't scare me, Floki." "Not now." "I'm sorry, Helga." "I did not mean anything by it." "After all, I'm just a joker." "Rollo." "I will be here when you return, if it is what you want." "All sails!" "Pull off!" "Pull off!" "Let's go!" "Thank you." "What is the matter with you?" "Something the seer told me." " What did the seer tell you?" " That Athelstan is alive." "Athelstan?" "But I thought he was dead." "That's what King Horik led me to believe." "He also said that Athelstan betrayed him." "How is Ragnar treating you these days?" "He treats me well enough." "It is my judgment that a boat builder is worth 10 earls." "And how many kings?" "If you decide to build boats for me," "I would certainly treat you like a king." "You think you can buy me with riches?" "I would never insult you like that." "What I need from you, Floki, are your ideas..." "For they are worth more than gold and silver, and they come from the gods." "Are you sure they do?" "Oh, yes." "Yes, I am sure." "It's important for me to understand whether your words are a curse or a promise." "Perhaps..." "Soon I will understand." "What are you thinking?" "I am thinking about battle." "You have nothing to be fearful of." "I will always be by your side." "You always speak so simply." "Sometimes I wish my father could do the same." "Maybe our world is a simple place." "You trust the gods?" "I put myself in their hands." "I have no will beyond their will." "And Ragnar?" "Ragnar is different." "He does not always submit to the gods." "Challenges them." "Has some awkward questions." "And what is their biggest question?" "Are our lives already fated?" "Have the gods already decided our destiny?" "Land!" "Land!" "Come on!" "Your friends have returned." "My friends?" "A large fleet of Northmen have come ashore in Wessex." "One of the ships, I am told, was flying the black raven banner of Ragnar Lothbrok." "What will you do?" "I hope I can negotiate with Ragnar." "When we met before, he struck me as different." "Intelligent." "He will listen to reason." "Good." "But if not, I will fight him." "I have already sent a message to King Aelle, asking him to supply warriors, according to our treaty." "Whatever happens, I will not be defeated." "It's secure." "Here, I'll help you." "Here they are." "Where is he?" "Now, have a drop of this." "The fire's going out." "Inge, help me!" "Cover this here!" "And dig a trench for it." "Tie it with this rope." "I never imagined the west would be so wet!" "Where is Torstein going?" "I sent him to inform the King of our return." "Why?" "So he knows that we are here to talk..." "And not to fight." "And you did that without consulting with me." "I thought you would both agree." "Why should you think that?" "Because it is a sensible policy." "Fine, I will..." "Unfortunately, it is too late to recall Torstein." "You should have discussed it with us." "King Horik is right." "I will try to remember that the next time, Earl Ingstad." "There is not going to be a next time, Ragnar, unless you agree you will never ever do anything again without consulting with me first." "For you and I are not equals." "So, what do you propose now?" "Wait." " For what?" " The unexpected." "Let me tell you what to expect, hmm?" "King Ecbert will send some envoy to trick us, or he will send some army to annihilate us." "That went well." "They're coming!" "The Saxons are coming!" "Form a shield-wall!" "Shield-wall!" "Hold them!" "They're escaping!" " Narrow their approach!" " Over there!" "Over there!" "Ragnar Lothbrok, my father, King Ecbert, sends his greetings." "He hopes that you will be prepared to talk to him." "I am prepared." "But we would have to exchange hostages." "Of course." "And my father also sends you this, as a token of his goodwill." "This is Athelstan's." "I gave it to him." "Then he is alive." "Athelstan is waiting to see you at my father's villa." "You have his guarantee of safe passage, as well as my father's." "Then..." "We will all come to your father's villa." "Halt!" "Halt!"