A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
[Folkwin] I should've killed you the moment you suggested it.
As a matter of fact, I was surprised you didn't.
I was always positive she'd end up with you eventually.
Says the one who's marrying her.
[Arminius] For strategic reasons.
When all this is over, then you'll be together again.
Then you will be mine again.
[Arminius] Folkwin.
-You can't come-- -Into the village. I know.
Segestes must continue to believe
my head's on a spike out there and not on my neck.
If I live, then we all die, hmm?
Keep an eye on her, yeah?
Or next time, I'll really beat you properly.
[dramatic music playing]
You wanted me to marry a lord, so...
your reik is...
my bridegroom.
[dramatic music continues]
[Thusnelda] I just know it has to be this way.
Ari has a plan only he can carry out.
But the tribes don't trust him.
The wedding will change that.
Folkwin agrees.
Only then can we beat the Romans.
And you saw all this in your dreams, did you?
You tell me.
-Is it true? -No.
There are some who believe you have the gift,
but the gods know you do not.
Woden sacrificed an eye to see the future, and you, you haven't sacrificed a thing.
What about the life I give up?
I mean, the gods reward bravery.
Above all else, they punish hubris.
Thank you. You can go now.
[bittersweet music playing]
[bittersweet music continues]
This is theft. The swine didn't even ask my permission.
What will you do? Complain to his cavalry?
[all cheering]
[guests laughing]
[Aldarich] I wish you the blessings of the gods.
[chuckles] And a house full of screaming children.
I promise you, as a wedding gift, 2,000 of my warriors.
You're very generous, Aldarich.
Our army is growing, Arminius.
Congratulations.
[Arminius] What about you, Rurik?
Will you share in the spoils?
You really are a cute couple.
You and the Roman.
I'm Ari, son of--
I don't care if you're a Roman or a feeble Cheruscan!
What's important is where the rest of the men will come from.
Hmm? Rome has three legions.
I heard when you met you were the loudest voice for war.
Sure, with Gernot of the Bructeri.
You cut his head off.
For Rome.
You've got nothing to fear, my friend.
Fear?
Say that once more,
and I'll cut that Roman tongue out of your yap.
The tribes united?
[laughing]
-The drunk Aldarich from the Marsi? -[laughing]
And these whoremongers from the Chatti?
And you as our leader?
I don't trust any of you lousy pig-fuckers.
[spits]
Greetings from Reik Hadgan. He sends a gift for your wedding.
[sniffing]
Horse shit.
[all laughing]
-[drums beating] -[indistinct chatter]
[Arminius] We knew we wouldn't convince all of them at once.
At least we have 2,000 more men.
Are you worried about Folkwin?
You know how he is.
I'll send Talio's men out.
[sighing heavily]
[melancholy music playing]
[melancholy music continues]
[somber music playing]
Apparently, you like this.
It's just a mutiny in the lower ranks.
But I know who your heart belongs to.
[soldiers approaching]
[soldier in Latin] What are you doing there?
Barbarian, on your feet!
[grunting]
[Folkwin laughs]
Stop, slave!
[groaning]
[contemplative music playing]
[Segestes in English] We swear fealty.
May the gods give you wisdom and strength...
my reik.
[Thusnelda] And?
And?
[softly] My lady.
I can't hear you, Father.
[louder] And my lady.
Segestes, I know we had our differences.
But from now on...
we are family.
Thusnelda and I will be traveling for a while.
I want to know the village is in good hands.
And who would be better suited than you, Segestes?
I'll leave a few of my men here, for everyone's safety.
I'm sure I'm able to depend on you.
Thank you, my reik.
Show your gratitude with loyal service.
You're more like me than you'll admit...
daughter.
[door opens]
Am I like him? Is he right?
Well, let's just say I hope you'll never be my enemy.
When you meet Varus,
it would be wise to keep your temper, I think.
He's used to Roman women.
What are Roman women like?
They know how to serve their husbands, for one thing.
Talio.
[melancholy music playing]
If we hadn't gotten married...
[sniffling]
If we give up now...
he died for nothing.
Bring me to Varus.
[indistinct chatter]
[coughs]
Thusnelda.
You're lucky that you're still breathing.
[Folkwin groans]
I don't know, I... was fighting Romans.
Yeah, but more like you were fighting the air.
I was amazed you held out as long as you did, drunk as you were.
Another slave tried to escape.
-But they killed him. -[groans]
And threw him in the fire.
You were out cold.
They took you in his place.
What's your name, friend?
Folkwin Wolfspeer.
You're Folkwin Wolfspeer?
Yep.
Over there, that's Folkwin Wolfspeer.
Or do you have two heads?
My name is Raskild, from the tribe of the Marcomanni.
So, what's your name?
Really.
Berulf. Yeah.
My mother was a Bructeran, and my father was a Cheruscan.
I was a traveler between worlds.
Somewhere always in the middle.
[Folkwin] Hey.
Hey.
Hey!
[in Latin] Arminius, my son.
Father.
Your barbarian woman looks like the divine Diana.
[in English] Varus welcomes you.
Tell him I'll cut his balls off and feed them to the dogs.
[in Latin] She's very honored to meet the Roman governor.
Forgive me, I'm a terrible host.
[Varus] Tribune Quintus...
Camp Prefect Eggius, and Legate Numonius Vala.
Thusnelda's father is Segestes, from the Cherusci tribe.
A loyal vassal of the empire.
[in English] He says he respects your father.
-Good. Then I hope they kill each other. -Gifts!
[Arminius clears throat]
This is Pelagios... the interpreter.
[Varus in Latin] You not only look like a barbarian,
you also married one.
Such are the sacrifices we make for the empire.
I hardly recognize myself.
Maybe it's just your true face finally showing, Arminius.
Arminius will always be a true son of Rome. Look...
you've wanted this since you were a small boy.
The emperor has bestowed upon you a knighthood.
Gaius Julius Arminius...
a Roman knight.
Thank you, Father.
There is unrest everywhere due to the tributes.
Our patrols keep getting ambushed.
That's why we need to restore peace with your help.
Bring me a son from every reik as a hostage.
Once we've taken their children, they will come to their senses.
[chuckles]
[Thusnelda in English] Did Varus really tell you to take the reiks' children?
Ari?
You follow Varus' every order.
Then how can I be sure you won't lead us right into an ambush?
Do you believe I want to betray the tribes of Germania?
That's what you think?
[Thusnelda] The Romans admire you.
Varus is like a father to you.
What side are you on, Ari?
We'll go gather the reiks' sons.
I'll explain the plan on the way. Trust me.
[Raskild] Looking for someone?
Berulf?
-Berulf. -Yeah?
[clears throat] No, no.
[screaming]
[in Latin] Wait! We can sell this one to a gladiator school for big money.
[woman wailing]
You'll pay for that, you dog.
[lashing continues]
[groaning]
[breathing heavily]
[yelling]
[Rurik in English] You dare bring Romans into my house?
Arminius, what's this, huh? What's going on?
Take the child.
Father!
-Father! -[woman] No!
[woman wailing]
That is my son, hmm?
There's nothing you can do.
Father.
[inhales sharply]
-[boy] Father. -Take him out!
-Father! -[woman wailing] No!
[boy] Father! Father!
Come to the moon festival at the next full moon.
[Thusnelda] It's been the same... for weeks now.
We take a reik's son...
and every time, I see you as a boy.
Did you hate your father for that?
I hated him for it.
I always asked myself what I did wrong...
why I was being punished.
So did my brother.
And Varus?
He was always good to me.
I learned a lot from him.
About the lights in the sky.
In Rome, some believe they're big spheres.
The Greeks call them planets.
[Thusnelda] Mmm-hmm.
And why don't they fall down, these "planets"?
Because they're fast. Like arrows.
They're flying around us.
That's what the Greeks say?
A man named Philolaos.
The Romans think the Greeks are clever.
They borrowed a lot from them.
[chuckles] Even their gods.
Everyone knows those are the campfires of the spirits of the sky.
Spheres...
[both laughing]
[crowd clamoring]
Traitor!
[man 1] We'll kill him!
-[man 1] Before he kills us! -[man 2] Kill the bastard!
I'll beat you to death!
[man 3] You're not one of us!
You won't do that, Rurik.
Think of your son.
Think of your tribe.
Where is my son?
You can't do anything.
Nothing.
Look at yourself.
Look at yourselves.
You watched as I simply took your boys out of your houses.
You are fathers who gave their sons up.
Why couldn't you do what every father should've done? Tell me.
Because every one of you is too weak to stand up against Rome.
Not even one single time could you band together...
and set aside your petty disputes.
The wolf is at your door...
and you shepherds are fighting over a handful of wool.
And you think I'm the wolf?
I am not.
All your sons are well.
[all murmuring]
[man] Praise Woden!
They're not with Varus, and I never intended to send them away.
Where are they?
-They're safe in our village. -[children] Father!
-[Arminius] Protected. -[children clamoring]
[all clamoring and laughing]
[woman] Are you all right?
I wanted your sons to have a life different than mine.
In Rome, they taught me...
to forget my people...
despise my way of life and my family...
my beliefs, my roots!
Our roots!
They were able to do all those things because my father was all alone.
But we... we are thousands,
who can come together as one powerful tribe.
And how?
In barely a moon,
three Roman legions will return to Vetera from their summer campaign.
That is our chance.
-Battle Rome? Three legions? -[all laughing]
Even if we unite, we're still too few in number.
If we don't fight, Rome will keep on taking our sons.
If we don't fight, we keep paying tribute to them.
If we don't fight,
Rome will be our judge rather than our gods!
I was their man.
I fought their battles and I led their soldiers.
I know the legions inside and out.
Let's stand up as one people now.
Let's fight together.
Yes, they think themselves invincible, but that's exactly their weakness.
Because I know how they live.
We have what we need to bring them to their knees.
For our children!
[epic music playing]
[Thusnelda] For our freedom!
Let's fight as one people!
Let's stand up as one people!
[all beating shields]
Let's triumph as one people!
[all cheering] Yes!
Yes!
[all cheering and yelling]
We've won their trust with your plan.
You're the one they really trust.
And you will be leading them.
They just see me as a useful tool.
It feels like hunting with a pack of wolves.
If you don't get the prey, they'll eat you.
At dawn, I ride to Varus.
You will convince Varus.
And lead the Romans into the woods.
Or he figures it out and nails me to a cross.
Ari.
I don't wanna be without you.
[dramatic music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Distract the guards.
Distract the guards!
We need more water.
Psst!
Hey!
Come here!
Do you know the village of the Cheruscans?
The clan of Segimer?
They have a new lady, Thusnelda.
Go to her and tell her
that you saw her old friend from the dye hut here in camp.
Who are you?
Please, I'm begging you. Just go.
She will greatly reward you.
[Segestes] "An old friend of Thusnelda's from the dye hut"?
[Irmina] Mmm-hmm.
But the slave didn't really look like a dyer, she said.
More like a warrior.
With blond hair.
You think it was Folkwin?
[Irmina] Who else?
Folkwin is dead. It's not him.
His head is mounted on a spear.
It wasn't Folkwin's head on that spear.
Varus was tricked.
It could only have been Arminius.
Only he has Varus' trust.
With this you can take down Arminius.
He robs us of our daughter.
He breaks the law.
He tricks Varus.
[Segestes] Why don't you tell us how you intend to defeat three legions?
[Arminius] This is the Roman army in formation.
And this is the Roman army amid our forests and swamps.
I will make sure that they take exactly this path.
The snake will be so long then...
that when we cut off the head, the tail won't notice.
And we hack it to bits. Little by little, by little.
And what if they make it out of the forest?
[Segestes] Yes.
What then?
We force them to retreat.
And then...
we'll be waiting for them.
[in Latin] I see you are yourself again, my son.
Come, the officers are waiting for us.
Arminius was supposed to bring us the reiks' sons as hostages.
Where are the hostages?
The Reik of the Marsi refused to give up his son.
This led the others to follow suit.
A rebellion.
Exactly.
So I have a proposal.
This is the way back to Vetera along the Rhine.
And this... this is the land of the Marsi.
So?
It's better to put out a small fire...
before the whole forest burns.
Arminius suggests we take a detour
and deal with the situation on the way.
Wouldn't it be better to wait until spring?
The area you want to lead us through is unknown.
Most areas were unknown to us at some point, Quintus.
And today they're part of the empire.
Because Rome never acted without caution.
Are you afraid, tribune?
Do you think 1,500 sons of Rome should fear 1,000 Marsi?
All right, it's settled.
We'll take the detour and teach those barbarians a lesson.
[Segestes in English] I demand to speak to Governor Varus.
I demand to speak to Governor Varus!
Get out of my way.
I demand to speak to the governor.
[in Latin] Let him through.
[speaking Latin]
[in English] I hope you have a good explanation
for this interruption, barbarian.
This man you call Arminius, he...
he will betray you.
[speaking Latin]
[tense music playing]
[dramatic music playing]