" How far to Hexham?" " It's not far." "Are you sure?" "Yes!" "Ragnar!" "Rollo!" "Let's attack straightaway." "No." "We attack tomorrow." "Why wait?" "It is a large town." "We have only a few men." "Then surprise is our biggest advantage." "Arne." "What day is it today?" "Saturday." "Then we attack tomorrow." " Why?" " You will understand tomorrow." " Who were these strangers?" " I cannot say." "Their ship was sighted sailing up the coast." " It was a ship unlike any other." " They were not Franks then?" "No." "They looked very different and used axes." "Most were as tall as giants." "Sire, I fear that these raiders are the same pagans who attacked the monastery at Lindisfarne." "It is the letter Abbot Alcuin wrote to you of those terrible events." ""They came to the church at Lindisfarne." ""Laid everything waste with grievous plundering." ""Trampled the holy place with polluted steps." ""Dug up the altars and seized all the treasure of the holy church." ""They killed some of the brothers," ""took some away with them in fetters," ""some they drowned in the sea."" "Where do they come from, these pagans?" "Some say from the north." "Well, wherever they come from, they are not welcome in my kingdom." "Take care today." "Don't take any foolish risks." "And don't get separated from the others." "I was just going to say the same thing to you, my love." "Enough of that talk." "It's getting light, and we've wasted too much time already." "We must wait a little longer." " Wait?" "What for?" " Just wait!" "For what?" "And listen!" "I don't hear anything." "Well, what are you waiting for?" "Get out of the way!" "In the name of God, who are you?" "Why have you come here?" "This is a place of God." "If you do not resist, we will not hurt you." "Tell that to your people, priest." "Tell them not to be afraid." "God bless." "Mom!" "Knut!" "Leave her alone!" "Leave her alone!" "What do you care for this Saxon, you bitch?" "Where is Knut?" "Where is Knut?" "I killed him." "You killed him?" "He raped a Saxon woman." "Then he tried to rape me." "Did anyone else see it happen?" "That's a pity." "And where were you?" "Hold!" "What is it?" "Who is there?" " Archers to forward!" " Shield wall!" "Down!" "Stand!" "Brace!" " Arrow!" " Open!" "Up into the overturned keel." "Clamber, with a heart of steel." "Cold is the ocean's spray." "When your death is on its way." "With maidens you have had your way." "Each must die some day!" " Hakon!" " Close the wall!" "Shield wall!" "Go!" "How could this happen, My Lord Wigea?" "Sire, I have never in my life seen men fight as these northmen fight." "Believe me, there's something devilish in the way they look, in their lack of fear in the face of death." "My Lord, that is just a counsel of despair." "Are these pagans not men, like we are?" "Do they not bleed when they are cut?" "Or do they have wings and tongues of fire?" "No, sire." "Who are they?" "We captured two of them who were guarding their boat." "We couldn't understand anything they said at all, except one word." "Ragnar." "Ragnar." "Do you have any family, priest?" "I had four brothers and a sister." "They all died of a fever, like my mother and father." "I was only saved because they had me placed in a monastery when I was just a child." "They had too many mouths to feed." " So you are alone?" " No." "God is my father, so I am never alone." " What does your god look like?" " No one can know what God looks like." "It would be like looking into the sun." "It cannot be done." "But he did send his only son to live on the Earth and he looked like a man." "Odin, Thor and Loki are like men," " or are they your gods?" " They aren't gods." "They don't exist." "Bjorn." "Death was on its way to take Kauko." "Don't grieve for him." "Don't pity him." "Guess where he is now?" "Valkyries have taken him home to Valhalla." "Right at this moment he is..." "He is drinking ale with the gods." "Yes." "He is happier than even we are." "With our boat and..." "These goods." "Even so, he was my kinsman." "We must avenge his death." "It was done in the name of King Aelle, and King Aelle must suffer for it." "One day, he will." "If the gods will it." "Look at him, he's wetting himself." "You kept your word." "You took us to the town, and I thank you for that." "Drink." "You want to live?" "I want to go to Kattegat." "I want to see my father return soon." "He must return soon." "I gave your father my word that I would look after you both here." "You are not looking after us." "We look after ourselves." "I cannot allow you to go on your own to Kattegat." "Your father would never tolerate such a thing." "Then we should go together." "The three of us." "And who will then look after the farm?" "For what we are about to receive, may the Lord make us truly grateful." "Amen." "Can I have some ale?" "You're too young, Gyda, to drink ale." "I want to make a sacrifice to Thor, for my father's safe return." " What will you sacrifice?" " You!" "Where are you, Lord?" "Tell me." "Is it your will that I am here with these heathens?" "How does it serve you?" "I don't understand." "And for the first time in my life," "I am angry with you." "You allow my brothers to be slaughtered and sold." "Is this really your will?" "For the first time," "I feel lonely." "Where are you, Lord?" "Where are you?" "And why don't you answer me?" "It's just an owl." "Bjorn." "Bjorn, wake up." "What is it?" "We'll go to Kattegat." "All of us, tomorrow." "Kattegat!" "Ragnar Lothbrok, my friend, how was your voyage?" "Successful, I hope, for all our sakes." "The Saxons attacked us when we returned to the boat, in great force," "but we defeated them!" "You are the man that people say you are." "A great adventurer, and I am happy to salute your achievements" "and to share in the profit of your raid." "But I don't see my friend, Knut." "Where is he?" "Knut is dead." "Dead?" " Did he die in battle?" " No." "Then how did he die?" "I killed him." "You killed him." "For what reason?" "Because he tried to rape my wife, Lagertha." "I find it too convenient that you would make an excuse to kill my friend and my agent on your voyage." "What did you think that you would gain by getting rid of him?" " I didn't expect to gain anything." " I don't believe you." "Arrest him!" "My Lord!" "For your wife, Siggy, would have you not done the same?" "I would counsel you all against such actions." "There is no way you could prevail." "Floki." "Bring him away." "Ragnar!" "Ragnar!" "You summoned me, Lord?" "Yes, I want to talk to you." "Please, sit." "Drink." "It's..." "It's a delicate matter." "You..." "You are the brother of Ragnar Lothbrok, are you not?" "I am." "A spirited man, your brother." "Is he a fair man?" "Does he treat you equally when you sail with him?" "Up to a point." "Forgive me, but I think that he likes to rule you." "And that whatever he says, in actual fact, he considers himself to be first among equals." "Am I correct?" "I get the impression that he wants to take the credit for everything." "For building the boat, for sailing west." "He wants to be the hero." "Is that what it comes down to?" "To him?" "Would he have achieved what he has achieved if it wasn't for you?" "What do you say, Rollo?" "Of course not." "It would have been impossible." "As long as I am Earl," "Ragnar Lothbrok can give you nothing." "I, on the other hand, can give you a great deal." "I could, for example, confiscate the treasure that you brought back from England." "And offer you a goodly portion of it." " Would you do that, Lord?" " I might." " Depends." " On what would it depend?" "Your ambition." "You want to stand out." "You want to be someone, Rollo." "You want the gods to notice you, yes?" " They would have noticed me already." " Oh, no, my friend." "And do you know why?" "Because you still walk in the shadow of Ragnar Lothbrok." "Don't you think it's time you stepped out from it, and let the gods see you for who you really are?" "I want you to say hello to somebody." "This is my daughter, Thyri." "She is soon to get married, and I must think very carefully about her future husband." "He must be a man of ambition and prospect, as you can understand." "I used to have two boys, but they were killed." "So the man that I choose to be my son-in-law will hold a high and special place," "as if he were my own son." "Thyri, say hello to Rollo." " Hello." " Hello." "Don't forget about me, my love." "Oh, yes." "And this is Siggy, my wife." "This is Rollo." "He is the brother of Ragnar Lothbrok." "Hello, Rollo." "I have heard a lot about you." "They say that you are a great warrior." "Bring in the prisoner." "That murderer!" "Free him!" "Free Ragnar!" "Look at him!" "He's in chains." "It's all right, boy." "We are all aware of the sacred nature of our duty here." "You stand before us accused of the willful murder of Knut, my brother." "Knut, as some of you may know, was the bastard son of my father." "But I loved him like a brother." "I asked Knut to go with Ragnar Lothbrok to England, where they raided a town and brought back many spoils." "And while they were raiding this town," "Ragnar Lothbrok took it upon himself to cold-bloodedly kill my brother." "It's easy to imagine why a man like this would do such a thing." "This is an ambitious man." "He doesn't care to share his spoils." "And he resents the fact that he owes me loyalty and obedience, as his chieftain." "This is a man who does not believe in our traditions." "This is a man who does not believe in our laws." "Silence!" "Silence!" "What do you have to say, when you stand before us, and know that you must tell the truth?" "It is true that I killed Knut." "Sadly, your brother." "But I killed him when I found him trying to rape my wife." "I ask all of you free men," "what would have you done if you were in my place?" "Would have you just stood back, encouraged the culprit?" "I don't think you would." "And even if I had've known at the time he was your brother," "I would have carried out the same sentence." "Do you seriously ask us to believe your story?" "I can confirm the story." "You are the wife of Ragnar Lothbrok?" "I am, Lord." "How extraordinary that you happened to be there at the same time." "Your husband is lying." "And you are so under his thumb that he has persuaded you to lie for him." "May Thor strike you dead!" "What did you say?" "My husband did not kill Knut Tjodolf." " Then who did?" " I did!" "I killed him." "I stabbed him in the heart when he tried his best to rape me." "A murder is committed and the only witnesses are a husband and his wife." "Unfortunately, we can't tell who committed the crime, because they both claim credit for it." "You didn't kill my brother." "Look at you, how could you?" "He killed my brother." "Ragnar Lothbrok killed my brother." "We have proof." "We have a witness to the killing." "You say you are a witness to the death of Knut Tjodolf?" "Yes." "You'll swear this upon your arm ring?" "Yes, I was there." "I saw everything." "So, who killed my brother?" "Ragnar Lothbrok killed him." " In cold blood?" " No, Lord." "For a good reason." "What Ragnar Lothbrok has sworn is true." "Your half-brother was caught raping a Saxon woman." "Then he attempted to rape Ragnar's lawful wife, Lagertha, the shield-maiden." "So unfortunately, you cannot punish him." "Now, who has the key?" " Come, Bjorn." " Like father, like son." " It seems I owe you an eternal debt." " I know." "And I look forward to collecting it." "Let's drink a toast to Ragnar!" "To his future and his freedom!" "No, no, no, no." "To friends and freedom!" "To friends and freedom!" "To you, my friend!" "You'll never be free of us!" "Will you drink with me?" "Of course." "Thank you for taking care of my children." "You're a good Christian." "I wanted to say thank you." "You did a fine good thing, Rollo." "I hope the gods were watching." "I didn't do it for him." "I did it for you, shield-maiden." "I don't want to believe that." "So, Ragnar!" "Did you see Haraldson's face when he had to acquit you and then give you half his hoard?" "He looked like this!" " Ragnar Lothbrok?" " I am unarmed." "Get the children." "Hurry!" "Father." "Stones and bones." "Stones and bones." "What do you read?" "Wait." "Not so impatient, Lord." "Tell me." "Ask me a question." "Are the signs threatening?" "Yes." "There is a quarrel." "There will be violence." "Bones and skulls broken." "I see that." "What is Ragnar doing sitting on the hillside?" "He searches for your death." "Consults the gods to whom he claims kinship." "Who could believe such a thing?" "Does he desire to be Earl?" "If he kills you, will it not be so?" "Do the gods speak?" "Do they ever stop?" "Gods have always been favorable to me." "They allowed your sons to die." "Do the gods really exist?" "I know what he's doing." "He's preparing himself."