[Uhtred] I was born an ealdorman of England.
Uhtred, son of Uhtred of Bebbanburg,
welcome to the Christian world.
[Uhtred] 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.
[Uhtred] I was 12 years old when I first went to war.
[man] Kill them all!
[Uhtred] I 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.
[Uhtred] Stolen by the invaders
along with the 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.
[yells]
I will not stand by and have everything that's mine taken from me.
Bebbanburg is mine!
[Uhtred] Destiny is all.
Horses!
[Uhtred] Head for the woods!
[indistinct yelling]
Go right, there's a gully over that ridge.
[Aelfric] Hoof marks. There must be hoof marks.
There must be hoof marks somewhere!
Fetch more men. I want him found!
We'll go as far as Mercia if need be,
but I want him found... and I want him dead.
[Uhtred] He looked like my father.
And now he knows you are 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.
With his army, we avenge Ragnar's death and we take back Bebbanburg.
It's that simple?
Yes.
Yes...
[Uhtred] Brida...
Brida... sing me a song.
I won't, and I'm not your skald.
True, and what's more, you'd frighten the birds.
What?
There is a taste in the air.
Death.
[birds chirping]
[arrow hisses]
[Brida pants]
[arrow hisses]
[grunts]
Who did this? Who sacked the village?
[man] I cannot move.
Your back is broken.
[man groans in pain]
Who did it?
You know who did this. Danes did this.
Why?
I don't believe you.
Why should they attack a village that feeds them?
Revenge.
But since when have Danes needed an excuse to kill?
[Brida] Revenge? Revenge for what?
Huh?
Revenge for what, and I'll end it.
An uprising north of here.
A Saxon slave, he killed his master at a wedding party.
[man gasps]
What was the name of the slave?
Huh?
You speak English well for a Dane.
His name!
[groans]
Uhtred.
[man] End it.
End...
[man groans in pain]
-Say it... -Say what?
What you are thinking.
I'm thinking that you have a turd where there's supposed to be a mind.
[laughs] 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 I am alive.
I need them to know I am 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.
-[indistinct chatter] -[bell tolling]
Thank you.
[man] Father Beocca.
Father.
Segwald.
I'll see you in the King's hall.
My lord?
My lord Alfred, it is I, Father Beocca.
My lord, the King has called council.
[Alfred] Do not look at me, Father.
I am a sinner, I'm a grievous sinner.
We are all sinners, my lord.
And 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 that failure.
I should never have married, I should have joined the church,
I should of 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.
Oh, pray God he does not die.
What kind of a king would I be?
You'd be God's king, my lord.
You have been blessed and chosen by the Holy Father in Rome.
You would be God's king.
I have seen the girl who torments you. She is--
-Must be banished. -No, the opposite,
she should be brought into your service.
-No, I could not. -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.
Notwithstanding...
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 is 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.
Ah, but I know him, lord.
No, Father Beocca, you knew him once.
You knew him as a child.
I could send word out into the country, God willing--
Father, 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.
[indistinct chatter]
[Aethelred] 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 am of a mind to decline.
-And rightly. -Ubba...
He is the Dane whom King Edmund
-has fed and watered in the past? -He is.
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.
You are true, my lord, if indeed that was his hope.
Edmund is a godly man, we have no reason to mistake his actions for cowardice.
[Aethelred] 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. -[all agree]
[Aethelred] 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, and 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 has just made that mistake.
[Brida] We should stay away for now.
Build our own fire.
[Brida] Ubba's unpredictable,
he takes his orders from the gods.
[Uhtred] I know. He only listens to a sorcerer.
And he's half mad.
How will you approach him?
As a man.
It 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?
[chuckles] Our destiny is to hump... tonight.
[chuckles]
I'm enjoying the thought of it.
That's all you'll enjoy tonight!
[chuckles]
-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.
[screaming]
[man] Who is this woman?
Why is she not on her back?
[Uhtred] 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 and now I serve Ubba.
[woman screams]
You'll see me again, I'm sure, boy.
[chuckles]
[Uhtred] I'm told Storri is at the church.
[man] He's up at the monastery,
looking after King Edmund and killing his priests.
[coughs]
[man groans]
[Uhtred] 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 is from Earl Ubba.
A woman? Why would Ubba send me a woman?
-I have no need for a woman. -She is a sorceress.
He wishes her dead but is afraid of a curse.
Saggy tits, stinking breath, but... you will be rewarded.
Her head's weight in silver.
[Storri] 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.
[grunts]
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!
[Storri] 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.
[horse neighs]
[Ubba] Where is Storri? he's supposed to be here.
Edmund?
Edmund...
Ed-- [laughs]
Can we have some ale?
Miserable King Edmund of East Anglia,
you have had the night to consider my offer.
How do you answer?
[chuckles]
Are you dead or breathing still?
With luck, he's dead. We allow far too many of them to live as it is.
-[Edmund] You allow nothing... -He lives.
It's God who decides who lives.
I would say your god has left you hanging, sir.
[Edmund] If He has done so, it's because it is His will.
Take him down, and do not to let him fall.
And ale, and for Earl Guthrum.
[Guthrum] I don't understand, we do this all time,
we allow half of them to live.
I say kill them all, all but the young women.
[Ubba] And who should work the fields?
[Guthrum] The old women, the pregnant women.
[Ubba] Put him there, and give the man some ale!
Earl Ubba.
If I may speak freely.
-I know you. -I am Uhtred Ragnarson.
I am 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 ship's master Kjartan and his half-blind son Sven,
they led the attack on a sleeping wedding party.
Can't you see that we are entertaining a king?
Lord Ubba, I am telling you that Earl Ragnar was killed by Danes!
You will be quiet boy! And you will wait.
-Kill him. -[Ubba] 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? Mmm!
-His eyes are watching me. -And me.
Who's... Who's what? Who?
The other half-naked image there...
Who is it?
[sighs]
That is Saint Sebastian.
A former Roman soldier who found God.
[Guthrum] 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'd 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... clubbed to death.
So he died?
He went to Heaven, so he lived.
I have 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 Heaven, it is 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 suffer your presence.
I will provide you with horses, food, coin, and hostages.
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.
No, to cleanse you of your sins!
There's 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. -Prove... 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?
[Guthrum] If he was all-powerful, he would.
Yes, if it was God's will, he would, yes!
[Ubba] So let us try.
We shall shoot arrows at you and, if you survive...
[chuckles]
...we will all be washed,
including Guthrum here.
Why not?
Very well.
I will continue to be king,
but we will dispense with the need for the baptisms.
The, uh... the washing.
I withdraw my request.
But you claim your god is all-powerful.
I want it proven.
Strip him.
Archers.
[Guthrum] Wait!
Tell me truthfully, are you afraid?
God is great.
We will see.
Shoot... Shoot!
Ah...
They are my men and only I tell them when to shoot.
Shoot.
[groans]
[pants]
Do you now wished to be clubbed, or will the arrows be sufficient?
You've come a long way to tell me 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.
[Ubba laughs]
-Perhaps to kill me. -No, lord.
Have you been washed?
Odin is my god.
[Guthrum] But have you been washed?
Yes, lord.
How did it feel... the washing?
Cold, lord. The water was cold.
[Guthrum] Nothing else?
I was a child, lord. Now I am 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! -[soldier grunts]
-[Uhtred] Not another step! -[Ubba] Archers at the ready.
-I have a hostage! -[Ubba] 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 am clear of this place.
-[Ubba] You go nowhere. -Then he dies! Your sorcerer dies!
Have them open the doors.
[doors open]
One day, I will kill you.
Storri will tell you otherwise.
And I am telling you the truth about Ragnar.
This is what happens when we allow too many of them to live.
[shouts]
Excellent, firewood.
You're alive.
That's good. Did he hear you?
-He did not. Not a word. -What did he say?
-That he'll kill me. -Nothing else?
Where's Storri?
What did he say?
-He's naked! -It was necessary.
He has a branch up his arse!
Which is why he is naked.
Uhtred...
[Storri groans]
Uhtred, he must have said something.
He believes the lie.
He believes that I killed Ragnar.
-[horse whinnies] -[Storri grunts]
[Uhtred] There's nothing more to do.
[sighs]
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? 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.
[Uhtred] How much for your work?
For a long sword.
You tell me what you need and I'll tell you a price.
A warrior's sword to last a lifetime.
And what are you, 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?
Ten pieces. Half now.
[chuckles] Six. No more.
Eight and I'll make her my finest.
Eight, and if she is not your finest, you will be her first.
[grunts]
I want this stone set into the handle.
That can be done.
Don't sell it nor lose it.
[servant girl] Ale, my lord?
You stand too close, girl.
[Alfred] Just a little to take away the taste of the gruel.
You stand too close.
It is broth, not gruel.
-Is it? -Well, I think it is.
You should be thanking God for His goodness
and the banishment of those awful cramps.
I am happy to eat as you eat.
[Alfred] You are saintly, my dear.
Father Beocca, join us for breakfast, I dare you.
Alas, my lord, I've already eaten.
You're fortunate.
Bad news, lord. Your nephew Aethelwold.
[woman] 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.
[snoring]
[grunts]
-What? What? -[soldier] On your feet, boy.
Wait, wait, wait.
[Beocca] Come on, the king wants to see you.
Drunk!
What, again?
Do you think this is fit?
Out, all of you, leave us!
-Do you think this is fit? -I have been mistreated!
I... you... you saw this for yourself!
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? -[Odda] That you need to ask
tells your father all he needs to know.
-What? -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 was not already dead,
I would have her beheaded for adultery.
[Odda chuckles]
If I'm 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,
that 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...
[thunder rumbles]
[Uhtred] It's done.
Should be safe for now.
They say Danes rarely come here.
What did Storri say to you to make you bind his mouth and...?
-He threw a curse. -Saying what?
It's not important.
I responded with the 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 talk through your arse.
I'm sitting on my arse.
So your arse is cleverer than you,
-it can do two things at once. -Thank you.
[thunder rumbles]
Your tongue is sharp, woman.
[laughs]
-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.
In the time between, we stay alive.
We pass the time.
Doing what?
Mm.
-[groans] -[laughs]
[laughing]
I have given her some beauty, but she is a tool,
no more no less.
She is exactly as I'd hoped.
We said ten?
We said eight.
She's worth ten.
-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.
[indistinct chatter]
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!
-[Uhtred] Out of the way! -Hey!
[screams]
[grunting]
[bleating]
[groans]
-[yelling] -[grunting]
Brida, the horses are just there.
[Uhtred] Wait, there is another. We have to go. Come.
[yelling]
Brida, the door!
Wait...
Wait... Now!
-[pants] -[Brida sighs]
[Brida] You are right, we should leave.
[Brida] 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 won't vanish.
Nothing changes.
Kjartan and my uncle will pay for Ragnar's death,
and I will have those lands.
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.
One look at you and they'll 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.
[indistinct chatter]
Why do they stare?
They think you're pretty.
Huh!
Or they've never seen a Dane so close. But they will.
[crowd booing]
We have business with the king, Aethelred.
[man in the crowd] Go home!
[Uhtred] I say we have business with the king.
Do you not understand English?
Is that what you're speaking, arseling? You sound like a Dane.
Why do you dress as a warrior when you're clearly a farmer?
Farmer am I? I'd wager this farmer against you at any time.
We are here to see the king, peaceably.
Uhtred, what are you doing?
-What is it? First blood or to the death? -Uhtred!
I'll be splitting your skull, boy, so one follows the other.
[crowd shouting indistinctly]
Uhtred?
Father Beocca!
[laughs]
-Oh, my goodness... -You know this arseling, Father?
[Beocca] I do. Yes, I do.
Uhtred, you're... you're fully grown.
And you're old!
[laughs]
I am.
Oh, you're a man.
[soldier] He claims business with the king.
Yes. Yes, that's true.
But not with the king, it must be with Alfred.
-You vouch for him? -[Beocca] 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 will inform Alfred that you're here with me both.
We need their weapons, Father.
-Why not inform the king? -The king is busy.
But you will like Alfred, he is an impressive man.
Come.
[bell tolls]
Do you like it?
I do.
It's beautiful.
You could rest here, it's so quiet.
[Alfred] Peaceful.
The... 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.
[chuckles] 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?
If your god is with you, you're a lucky man.
Yes. You're right.
Simply put, but you are right.
With me. We shall talk inside, briefly.
[Alfred] I spend much of my time in here.
Do you read, Uhtred?
I was schooled as a child by Father Beocca,
but I was not a good student.
There's much to know outside of letters.
[Alfred] Oh, I am certain there is,
but do not underestimate the power of the written word.
When a man dies, if nothing is written, he is soon forgotten.
For instance, who is remembering Earl Ragnar?
You know of Ragnar?
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 Eoferwic, they are saying that you killed him.
They lie.
"Kejartan", "Kejartan"... 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.
[Alfred] 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.
[bell tolls]
Prayers.
[breathes heavily]
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 is 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 are 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?
[chuckles]
-If my lord will excuse me? -[Brida] Us both.
Of course. I expected as much.
-Father Beocca. -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 are 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!
You know everything about the Danes, don't you?
This way. I want to show you something.
The charters of Bebbanburg.
-[Beocca] Yeah, the landbooks, yeah. -You kept them safe?
[Beocca] I have shown them to Alfred. He...
He knows you are the ealdorman by right.
I will continue to keep them safe, but, Uhtred, you...
you must behave like an ealdorman.
The charters have no meaning.
Northumbria belongs to the Danes.
[Beocca] It does not belong to the Danes,
it has been stolen by them.
[Brida] If you want wealth, you take it!
You can't ignore what's true.
If the Danes are at Readingum, I will go to Readingum.
-What? -[Beocca] For what purpose?
[Uhtred] For knowledge.
[Beocca] 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.
[Beocca] 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?
-[Beocca] It's too dangerous. -[Uhtred] Not for me.
-I'm a godless stain, remember? -[Brida] So why spy for Alfred?
Because he is an ealdorman of England!
[indistinct chatter]
[gate opening]
[Beocca] Lord.
Regarding the conversion of the pagans to Christianity...
[Beocca] 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... will return? -Yes, he will return.
Yes, but how will he return? As who? As what?
-I know this boy-- -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 is 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'd 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.
-A pagan? -Forgive me. He's Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
I vouch for his word.
Uhtred.
Lord...
I have been to Readingum. I have watched the Danes.
Their intention is not to settle.
If it were, they would have remained in Lunden.
You are saying what? That they intend to attack?
-I am, lord. -[Odda] We already know this.
Come spring, they'll be at our door.
They will be marching within days, lord, I am sure of it.
[young Odda] How can you possibly be sure?
-The ground is sodden all around. -[Uhtred] They've made their sacrifices.
The ordinary warriors have caught and killed birds, jackdaws.
This is only done in the days before battle.
And they are hungry.
Then, perhaps they have eaten these jackdaws.
[Uhtred] They have 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 have traveled.
I believe Abbendum is such a place.
To defeat the Danes, you must meet them on the road to Abbendum.
It will be within days, lord.
[Alfred] You went to Readingum alone?
-With Brida. -Why alone?
-[Uhtred] Why not? -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.
[Aethelred] Where on the road to Abbendum?
Where would you choose to meet their army?
I would choose the place called Aesces Hill, lord.
You would choose or Guthrum would choose?
I have 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 do not 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.
[young Odda] "To our advantage", he says!
You have 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.
[Uhtred] My lord, my sword was made by a Saxon smith.
My sword is for Wessex.
Don't interrupt a noble when speaking.
-[Aethelred] Odda. -I believe this man
and this bag of rags that follows him to be imposters.
No army marches as winter approaches, never.
Young Odda! Enough from you now!
My lord.
You...
You have spoken and given this council much to discuss.
[Uhtred] 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 Aesces Hill.
But... take him.
Take them both and make them secure.
My lord? What is this?
I have spoken the truth!
-I have spoken the truth! Father Beocca! -My lord, please.
-Beocca, help me! Beocca! -[Beocca] Have faith!
[Brida grunts]
[priest prays in Latin]
[Aethelred] Halt!
Halt!
[Aethelred] Left flank, hold!
Hold!
Archers ready!
On my command!
For God! For Wessex! For England!
[men cheering and shouting]