Does nothing in our heaven delight my husband?
Can your own Sif be of service?
You visit my beach in your bleeding time?
I want no messy women.
I come to your revels with a honeyed cunt.
Only my steps are stained.
Give your name, girl, or be gone.
I am the goddess of tracks grim crimson.
With the bested and broken I tread.
I am your forced march home from defeat.
Sandraudiga the Dread.
That mad bitch.
She bested me.
It is... new for me to know you... defeat.
You may know me as well as you wish.
What can I offer the son of Odin?
Will you weep?
I did not know gods could rot.
They are un-worshipped and neglected.
But they are gods yet and will kill you if they choose.
King Tiwaz and his holy kin have eyes in Asgard.
They told him to expect you.
He tested you with his foundling.
You rescued her.
And so the Vanir grant you an audience.
King Tiwaz, we thank you for your hospitality.
I am Leif, King of Clan Völsung,
and I come here as my future Queen Sigrid's helpmate.
We know of your Blood-Bride's revenge.
Then you know we need help.
We are not asking you to march in force.
We ask only for aid. Or we will not make it past Asgard's wall.
We mingled our god-gob with Odin's kith and kin.
We will not break our spit-sworn truce.
Did not Thor violate it first?
We will not burn the world for a single footfall.
You ask too much.
Then I will not ask.
I will beg.
Mm.
My father raised me with the Vanir in my heart.
Long have my people poured out good mead and better men in your honor.
Please... help us.
No.
And what if we bring you the apples of immortality?
They kept life in your halls until Odin took them.
Now you wither, while the Aesir live forever young.
The orchard of gold is forbidden to us.
But if you mortals will go where the Vanir cannot,
if you can defeat Fafnir the snow dragon...
Fafnir?
And reclaim even a single apple from his hoard,
if you can do the impossible, then yes,
the Vanir will help you.
When I bring back a whole bushel, I will hold you to that.
You will take our mortal with you.
Our servant Thyra will aid in the effort.
And bring back news of your death.
We get to kill a fucking dragon!
No, I get to kill a fucking dragon.
We will have a feast to honor those about to die.
How long have you lived with them?
The Vanir found me in the borderlands,
a babe left on the high road.
I served them.
They raised me and were good to me.
Good to you? You were in danger when we found you.
Only to test you.
I was sent in bonds to the farmers.
The Vanir knew what they meant to do to me,
what was in their hearts.
But they wanted to know what was in yours.
- Egill, I brought... - Mm.
The apples...
How'd that come to you?
I had to do something while you were on your knees.
We need strength.
You knelt today.
And before that, to my father, to Andvari.
Who won't you kneel to?
- Mercy is not some coin for you to spend. - It bought us entry here.
You would rather that I burn the world down to grass,
loading other men's spoils onto my ship, their women's screams behind me?
I am not that man, Sigrid.
You slew Egill's father in front of his eyes when he was 15,
took him as a slave, and made him love you for it.
Leif the Merciless.
That is the man who won me.
Leif.
Master.
Egill, you have served ten good years and walked farther than you owe me.
Your next steps are your own.
You are free.
What? We need every man we have.
I'm... I'm free?
I can leave?
Your debt is paid.
So says Leif the Merciful.
Sorceress, there's something I need from you.
Oh? What do you think you need, thrall?
I'm not a thrall.
My king released me, and... now I ask your counsel.
Can't get your sticks up to see for yourself?
Tell me...
Now hear of Egill the Thrall.
Who has never owned his future.
Who has never gazed further,
for a bought man who invites hope is a fool.
Where do I go?
Do I go?
I see two paths for you.
You have a choice.
Continue to Asgard, and your story ends sharply.
Or go home, and write many more chapters.
- Would you have me stay? - Ugh.
So, you want to bed me for the story?
To say you laid with a witch and lived?
No! No, please, I--
Gods, I wish I knew your name.
Try King Tiwaz.
Now there's a story.
"Egill far-traveled,
who earned his freedom and fucked a god, all in one day."
I'm sorry I came.
He will hate you now.
But he'll live.
Fafnir!
I wish you well, my king.
I hope, if we meet again, we can greet each other as friends.
You think it likely that we'll meet again?
Fafnir! I will fuck your skull!
That's a story all its own.
Last night, Andvari was very drunk.
And what a tale he told.
One last story then?
For luck.
Now hear of Andvari who holds a grudge.
In an age past, there lived two dwarf princes,
who took animal shapes to explore their kingdom.
They befriended another young dwarf who could change his skin, Andvari.
Fast friends they were,
until Loki came.
Oh, he claimed it was an accident,
but even then, Loki had plans within plans.
The dwarf's father, the king, demanded settlement from Asgard.
A ransom he called it.
Loki agreed...
...offering treasure untold, and he delivered it.
But it was not his gold to give.
He'd stolen it... from Andvari.
Only then did Andvari realize that with the crown prince gone...
...there was a new heir to the throne...
...the prince's own brother.
Fafnir.
But the usurper didn't know that Andvari
had laid a powerful curse upon his gold.
And before long,
Fafnir twisted into a new form,
very like a bird.
Fafnir could no longer claim the throne. He had nothing.
Nothing but the otter's ransom, and his accomplice, Loki,
who by then had other goods in need of guarding.
Apples of eternal life.
I hear you have your own vengeance to claim.
- I did not know. - Loki did.
I suspect he knew we'd have to go after Fafnir,
and thought I'd be useful.
Fafnir was my forge-brother once.
Loki used him and ruined him.
And thus, he ruined me.
And he will ruin you too.
Unless you grow sane and join me in the fullness of my revenge--
You can't kill Loki.
Not until I have what I want, but... when it's over,
if you end Loki before he ends me,
I won't mourn.
A rare thing to find worms
in deep water, Loki.
Speak soft, my Sigrid.
I'm surprised you deign to speak to me at all.
I called for you in the wasteland. You did not heed me.
And still did Thor thunder you into Vanaheim.
I make my moves, whether you notice or not.
I have seen little of your fabled "moves."
You promised Thor.
At least deliver us these fucking apples.
Was not Fafnir your servant once?
As Egill was once yours.
If I help you now, Odin will hear of it.
What wounds you worse?
That my work is hushed?
Or that your boy bent the knee like a beggar?
Oh, I think you are much more likely to wound me.
But I do fear for Leif.
I want him to survive this.
Leif's a good king.
Kind and just.
No, not soft.
You are a king.
Grab the world by the hair and pull!
Fafnir's venom, no doubt.
These rivers are naught but the bastard's drool.
M'lady, I wanted to tell you, um,
on the sea it was dark, and... and I could glimpse but little and...
That's a shame.
I like my archers to have good eyes in their head.
Hand me your bow.
It's no trick.
My magic is the magic of entrails.
And what is a bowstring made of?
Entrails pulled taut.
What will it do now?
Pierce the thing's hide.
With any luck.
Do not fear, girl. You do not die today.
Hide!
Fafnir!
If you've forgotten the speech of men, let's speak Dwarf Tongue.
Let us speak the echo of the mountain!
Andvari, son of Oin.
You have come a long way for eternal life,
when I can give you only death.
I'm plenty old. I don't need your apples.
People do not need immortality. They want it.
And I know you want it,
you gelded whoreson.
You brought foreign swords to my grove!
You did this, Andvari.
Fucking pike!
Fish spawn!
I like turning into a fish.
Better than what you became.
Eat. Be healed.
He was my forge-brother.
Let him live.
Is this what you wanted?
Poisoners!
Leif!
Loki.