Original subtitles

Some news.

Rowena�s to marry Mark of Cornwall.

Never!

Rowena could never stomach a man like that.

Besides, her father can�t stand the sight of him.

Ah, it�s true, I tell you. I just heard it from one of Mark�s men.

When�s the wedding to be? � Soon.

You�d better go down there and do something about it.

Why should I do anything about it? Nothing to do with me.

Oh, I see.

If she can�t see what a pig the man is... � True!

...and if her father�s willing to deliver his daughter

into the hands of a man like that, that�s his business.

Of course.

It�s their choice. � Right!

If she wants to ruin her life, that�s her funeral.

Er... Will you be going, then?

Mmm?

You�ve been invited to the marriage feast.

Oh.

Too slack. This is supposed to be a warning system.

One of these nights we�ll all be slain in our beds.

Get it seen to!

Is this all the kindling wood we�ve got?

Get it seen to!

And get this place tidied up at once!

Wake up, guard.

What news?

Nothing much.

The cousins Garet and Gawain are feuding again.

When are they not?

Half a dozen Saxons slipped in from the coast, through Yorath�s territory.

Yeah. � What was that?

Hmm?

About Saxons breaking through Yorath�s territory?

Oh! Nothing. Five or six of them.

�Nothing�? What do you mean, �nothing�?

Half a dozen Saxons?

What about the scores who come in from the east?

What�s suddenly so important about a handful from the north?

A few have been slipping past Yorath for years.

They�re harmless cattle traders.

A gap like that could alter the whole balance of our defences.

The whole balance of what?

It must be plugged! The rot must be stopped!

Oooh!

What�s the hurry? Yorath isn�t gonna run away!

Arthur, my borders stretch for scores of miles.

I can�t stop every Saxon cattle herder who comes through.

Besides, I�ve got more pressing problems.

Oh? � Oh!

My daughter Rowena...

is hellbent on marrying Mark of Cornwall.

Mark of Cornwall!

She knows I can�t stand the fellow.

Very irritating for you. � Mmm. And there�s more.

Once in a moment of weakness, I was drunk,

for once she had cooked a half-decent meal.

So, I bestowed on her a large parcel of land.

You could say you didn�t mean it.

Yeah. The she-fox thought of that.

The very next day, while my head still felt like the anvil of a blacksmith,

she had the monks round,

with their pens and parchments, getting everything down in writing.

There�s nothing I can do about it.

Yes, that is difficult.

And that�s not all. If she marries Mark of Cornwall, the land goes to him.

My land! To that filthy barbarian!

Yorath, these are personal matters.

Ah, that�s not the worst of it either.

Once Mark has got my land, he�ll be more powerful than I am.

Now look, I came about the gap in your defences.

Oh, confound your gap!

You�ve got to help me, Arthur.

You�ve got to break up their betrothal.

It�s none of my business. I can�t interfere.

Now we must talk seriously about the gap in your defences.

I don�t suppose I... could make a bargain with you, huh?

A bargain?

If I agree to attend that... mouse-hole of a gap,

would you break up the betrothal?

It�s none of my affair. But I�ll try.

Oh, good! Good!

You two-faced fox.

You don�t give a rotten apple about the gap.

You just want to stop the marriage.

You want to make it look like you�re doing it as a favour to someone else.

I�m doing it for the common good.

What makes you think you can do it at all?

Rowena�s at Mark�s village, preparing for the wedding.

It�ll be an easy matter to show her what an animal the man is.

Arthur. Llud.

How welcome you are!

Isn�t it good to see them, Rowena?

It is.

Some refreshment for our guests!

They�ve come a long way to offer us their good wishes.

You�ll stay for the wedding, of course.

Oh, of course.

It�s the... er... a day after tomorrow. � Thank you.

Therefore make yourselves at home!

My village is your village.

And now, if you�ll forgive me, arrangements, you know.

A bridegroom has so many arrangements!

Will you look after our guests, Rowena?

An animal, is it?

It�s all an act for her sake. She can see that.

Look to the wine, beloved. We must not run short.

I will, my sweet.

And don�t forget my cousin comes tonight.

No, beloved.

And you will not forget the minstrels.

I will not, dearest dove.

Rowena!

I did not expect to see you at my wedding.

What sort of a game is this you�re playing?

The man�s a pig.

I do not find him so.

Men can change.

Women do the changing.

Mark of Cornwall.

He can no more change than a wild bear.

Love can do strange things,

even to wild bears.

Love? He�s after your land, woman.

Thank you! You�re very flattering.

Once you�re married, he�ll be as crude and as coarse as he�s always been.

He�s got a temper, yes,

but that�s because he�s never had any affection in his life.

Mark has a lot of qualities that do not show on the surface.

That�s certainly true just now.

And he is a king.

I was born to be a queen.

Queen?

Queen of the hearth stones and the cooking pot.

Queen of wash day on the river-bank.

He�ll use you as a skivvy, woman.

Why the concern?

Anyone would think you had a personal interest.

I just don�t like to see you making a fool of yourself.

Why should you care? A girl might almost think you were jealous.

Why should I be jealous?

You storm in, breathing thunder,

determined to stop my marriage.

If it is the reason, why not say so?

It might be a better argument than anything you�ve said so far.

�Tis not the reason.

No?

What is it, then?

Tell me.

Tell me the truth.

I made a deal with your father.

He will put more of his men

to stop the Saxons entering through his territory,

and in return

I will stop Mark laying his hands on your land.

Get out. Get out!

Get out!

Get out, Arthur!

And stay out!

No luck?

You don�t want her.

Mmm.

You know that and I know that.

But she won�t know it till she�s married.

Until she gets the bridle on, I�m going to be as sweet as hazelnuts.

And there is nothing you can do about it!

Oh? We shall see.

Your beauty inspires me, my lady!

I�ll inspire him.

I�ll show you what a swaggering hulk that man really is.

Alright, Mark.

Let�s see how you�d fare against someone

who�d dare to pull you off your feet.

A challenge from Arthur!

Your own time.

Yar!

Hold him, hold him, hold him!

Yar!

Hold him, hold him!

Hold him!

Come on, Mark!

Pull him!

Come on! � Pull him!

Give me that rope!

Well done.

Very amusing.

I like a man with a sense of humour.

Where would we all be if we can�t laugh now and again?

Well?

Here, Arthur! Here by my beautiful bride!

No, thank you. I don�t deserve such honour.

Ahh, come now.

We�ve had our differences, but on my wedding eve I want all to be friendship.

Come! � No.

Here will suit me very well.

Ahh.

Llud then.

The only man ever to defeat Mark of Cornwall in single combat,

even if it was with an iron hand.

How can I resist such a picture of loveliness?

Take note, Mark.

Llud can show you the soft way with a lady.

Ah, your beauty teaches me, my love.

Hmm. You�re sweet.

I do like you so much better with your beard trimmed.

Don�t you think so, Llud?

Most becoming.

Next I think we have to do something about your hair. What do you think?

Little curls, I should think.

Coming down over his forehead.

Eat, drink and be merry!

For tomorrow Rowena becomes the queen of the South!

Here�s to the queen of the South!

And the times we had together.

Eat, drink, Llud, old enemy!

Bring him a man-sized cup!

Rowena! Do you remember the time you saved my life?

Er, you saved his life?

Oh, it was nothing. � Ah!

Ah, well, here�s to the brave maiden!

We could have done with her at Modred�s field, eh, Llud?

There�d have been nothing left for us to do.

Hey, Fergus, does your wife know you�re here?

Another toast!

To the time you ripped off your dress to bind my wounds!

Come on, nobody is eating!

I want to see nothing but bare bones when we�ve finished!

Yes, nobody must leave the table while they can still stand straight!

Rowena!

Do you remember when I had to tie you to your horse,

chase you into the woods for half a mile,

and how you thanked me, afterwards?

The minstrels! Bring on the minstrels!

You�re a lucky man, Mark! Believe me.

I know.

To the long days

and the long, long nights we had together!

Mark!

Yearrrhhhh... A toast!

A toast.

To the fair Rowena, tonight a princess, tomorrow a queen.

Rowena!

Rowena!

Perhaps he has changed.

Changed? No.

He�s just a lot cleverer than I thought.

This time tomorrow they�ll be husband and wife.

I know that.

And Yorath will refuse to close the gap.

The what? � The gap.

That is what it�s all about, isn�t it?

Yes, that is what it�s all about.

Have you ever seen a Saxon longboat, Llud?

How big is it? � Well, it�s... er...

How many Saxons does it hold?

Fifty, sixty.

Those handful of Saxons that break in through Yorath�s territory,

they didn�t swim across the sea to get there you know.

And for every handful that sneaks in,

there are fifty more landed on other parts of the coast.

If Yorath�s men kept a proper watch, they�d find that boat and destroy it.

I cannot fault your thinking.

But you cannot fault my understanding of human nature.

Now you love the girl. Go and tell her so.

She�d expect me to marry her.

So, she would.

What an unreasonable girl she must be.

Well, you know what I mean.

I don�t know.

I�ve always had the idea that if people loved each other, they did get married.

I�m not so sure I want to get married.

Anyway, when I do it won�t be under pressure.

So, what are you going to do?

I�m going to pick a fight with Mark.

It�s very hard to pick a quarrel with a man

who�s determined to avoid a fight at all costs.

No, it�s not. It�s the easiest thing in the world.

Beautiful, my love.

And now, if you�ll forgive me a moment, my dear.

I�m glad you could stay. For the wedding.

Come on, you clumsy ox!

Show your bride what you can do!

Come on!

You can do better than that!

It�s having your beard trimmed that�s done it you know,

it�s taken all your strength.

What�s the matter with Arthur?

He�s got Mark so mad he doesn�t know what he�s doing.

Arthur could have killed him three times b�now.

If he�s not careful he�s gonna lose.

No, he�s going to win!

You know what they call a man who marries for land, don�t you?

Ratttttt!

No!

Get out.

Get out!

And take that she-wolf with you!

We�d better be off, see what Kai�s been up to.

I think I�d better escort Rowena back to her father�s.

You go on. I�ll be back soon.

As you wish.

Goodbye, Rowena. � Goodbye, Llud.

You could have been killed.

I could have, but I wasn�t.

I suppose you know you have ruined my life.

What now?

It�s two days ride back to your father�s.

We�ll discuss it on the way.

Well, what of the marriage?

No marriage.

And Arthur?

Stayed with Rowena.

To escort her home.

Didn�t she have her attendants with her?

Yes, yes.

Well, couldn�t they have escorted her home?

Perhaps he wanted to talk to Yorath.

What about?

The gap in our defences, of course.

The terrible threat of Saxon cattle herders pouring in.

Three or four at a time.

Running amok in our meadows.

Terrifying the buttercups.

It�s too terrible to think about.

Yes.

Thank heaven, we have a leader who thinks of such things for us!

Arthur.

Arthur.