Original subtitles

My father wants a sturdy breed to add to his herd.

You won�t find better than these.

Bred from prize stock, these are.

Keep prodding that one, and it will fall over.

Llud!

Is Arthur with you?

As a leader there is no man better.

But as far as assessing cattle is concerned,

you could sell him an overgrown sheep and he wouldn�t know the difference.

And you?

Is it the Jute custom to send their women to barter?

My father is busy. He trusts my judgement.

Oh yeah. Well, you�ve got an eye for horses, but...

these beasts are more suited for butchering than breeding.

Why, devil take you!

These are the finest beasts we�ve had in the yard for years.

Huh!

I agree with you, Llud. Will you advise me?

I�ll be glad to, when I�ve sold my horses.

There should be some suitable specimens here to...

What is it?

That man over there by the fire. Kurk.

I haven�t seen him in years.

A long time ago we fought the Saxons together in the east.

Why such a grim look? Are you not friends?

We were as brothers.

He seems a man of great charm.

Charm, yes! A good fighter.

Strong, courageous. A great wit.

Good company. A remarkable sense of humour.

And the blackest rogue you�ll ever chance to meet.

So, boldly I jumped from the tree,

only to find myself facing ten of the dogs, instead of two.

�Run!� I said to myself, huh?

Any moment their spears will be flying,

and this body of mine will be fit for nothing but sifting grain.

Nothing for it but to take them on, single-handed.

Oh, happily, fortune was with me and...

one by one they fell to my sword.

Liar!

I was with him, and there were four Saxons,

and they fell by my sword, while this fool

was trying to get down a tree, his tunic caught in the branches.

Llud!

Ah. They�ve all gone.

Now you can�t tell them how I once saved your neck,

hiding you in the monastery well,

while I pretended to be a priest looking after the lepers.

And making off with half the valuables from the altar.

Half was only fair! I could have taken it all!

Half was all you could carry!

Well, the fight with the Saxons deserved a reward.

Yeah. Oh, it does my soul good to see you again, Llud!

Nothing ever did your soul any good!

I have heard about your exploits with Arthur. � Hmm?

The life seems to agree with you. � Yeah.

How�s that Saxon brat that you found abandoned, and decided to father?

Kai?

He�s grown up to be a fine young warrior, strong, courageous.

He, too, fights with Arthur.

And what of young Arthur, who would change the world?

Like Kai, he is as my son.

And he will be changing the world when you and I have turned to dust.

Alright, you scoundrel!

What trickery are you up to, here?

Oh, none, Llud, I swear!

Nah. Those days are over, for me.

You�re looking at a completely reformed character.

Oh, it�s true! For one thing, I have a wife.

What manner of woman would put up with a vagabond like you?

Her name is Bron.

All that a man could pray for!

And she helps me with my stock.

Are you a breeder?

And why not?

I keep my pens in a small valley beyond Druid�s rock.

Yeah. A little way south of here. Now, let me show you why I came to this sale.

Magnificent, aren�t they?

These are yours?

Prime breeding pair. You want to buy them?

No, but I know someone who might.

Rowena!

This is Rowena, daughter of King Yorath, the Jute.

This magnificent breeding pair belong to Kurk.

Until now, I believed them to be the fairest sight at this sale.

I didn�t realise that the prospective buyer was to be a woman,

especially one so enchanted.

I thank you. But trust you won�t add your compliments to the price.

Entirely free, and truly meant.

I know of your father�s reputation as a horse-breeder.

Well, with this pair, I can guarantee him a different kind of herd to be proud of.

What are you asking? � No more than an honest price.

We live in a rough country. Are they sure-footed?

Like mountain goats. I�ll show you.

I thought you said that this Kurk is an outright villain, huh?

He seems to have mended his ways.

You don�t seem very certain of that.

Well, as far as the cattle are concerned,

they�re as fine a breeding pair as you could ever buy.

I�ll offer you two measures of silver for your longhorns.

One measure apiece? Hah!

My friend, that would scarcely buy their tails!

Now that hopeful fellow also has a mind to have my precious beasts.

But so far, his purse lags behind his ambition.

Three measures of silver, then.

Four!

Ah! Now we see progress. � Four and a half!

Half measures for these? Hah!

Even the poor animals would be offended!

Five, then.

Six! � Sold.

I�ll offer seven measures.

Uh-uh. Too late.

But you gave me no chance!

I�m sorry, the deal�s made.

I�m honour-bound to stand by the sale.

Besides, six measures is all I need.

Thieves! You thought I�d still be bound to that tree!

Who are you? � Stay back! I�ll kill him!

You�ve made a mistake. � Oh, no mistake.

I was on my own, then.

Now I�ve got help.

I�ll have my revenge, and the cattle you stole from me.

Release me! You�ve got the wrong man!

You didn�t see me steal your cattle!

You well know, you struck me from behind!

It was another man.

The man I bought the cattle from.

Yes. His name�s Kurk.

He duped you as easy as he did us.

A reformed man, huh!

I should have known that friend Kurk wouldn�t change.

Once a rogue, always a rogue!

What do I tell my father?

How do I explain that I�ve paid six measures of silver for cattle that I haven�t got?

Will you accept six measures as a fair price?

Yeah.

You can keep your cattle.

Thank you, Llud.

What about Kurk?

I�ll deal with Kurk.

Cattle-breeder? The only thing you ever bred was treachery!

I... I�d no mind to make a fool of you, Llud.

Making me a partnership to your dishonesty!

Alright, I cheated, but � not you.

No, you weren�t the one to suffer.

Your debt is to me, now.

I paid that dealer for the cattle you stole.

I was desperate, I had a reason.

Six measures of silver!

The silver!

I need it, Llud. I really need it.

You�ll have to kill me, to take it.

Kill you?

I wasn�t lying to you when I told you I had a wife.

Her name�s Bron, and her life is at stake.

What way?

A few days ago, she and I were taken by a band of tribesmen,

savages who live in caves, north of here.

Their leader is a man called Berthold, as cruel and vicious a man as I�ve ever met.

He let me go, holding Bron for ransom.

For six measures of silver?

The price on her head.

Well, why d�you think I didn�t take the higher price for the cattle?

You must believe me, Llud.

Who knows what vile things may be happening to her in those caves?

I must get her back. And one day, I�ll repay you.

You shall have your silver.

You shall also have my company.

Your company? � Yes.

I�m coming with you to see that when you pay over my money to this Berthold,

he keeps his side of the bargain.

My wife Bron will be forever grateful for this, Llud!

How did you come by a wife? Did you steal her, too?

Only from her father. He frowned on me, being twice her age.

Oh yeah?

A wheelwright, who wanted to keep his beautiful daughter cooped up in a remote village. Heh!

I offered her a life with more adventure.

I�ll warrant that�s one promise you kept.

Saxons!

Kurk!

Kurk!

Kurk!

Goodbye, old man! I�ll tether your horse a league or so from here.

Another pack of lies!

There�s no pining wife, no Berthold of the Caves!

There is, Llud, I implore you! � Yes!

With an axe that might have split my skull in half!

Oh, come now!

Don�t tell me you�ve forgotten my skill with an axe?

I only miss splitting skulls by intention.

Yeah. � It was a means to get you away from the horses.

Why? � You...

might have changed your mind about letting me have the silver,

and I�d never have got my wife back.

That�s the truth, I promise!

Truth?

Promise?

I�m surprised you can even say the words!

Eh, take my sword, then. But please, let�s get on to the caves.

Never mind your sword � where�s the silver?

In the saddlebag.

Now...

Where are these caves?

Just over the rise there.

Which cave�s your wife in?

The cave on the left.

Yes. The left. That�s where the women do the work.

Well, let�s waste no more time. Give me the silver and I�ll go in.

No, Kurk.

What?

No, Kurk.

Now who�s gone back on his word? Now whose promise isn�t worth a jot?

Mine.

Like the plague, your deviousness is catching.

Is your memory so short, Kurk?

Memory? What memory?

Many years ago, when we were young... ransom!

Would we have paid a ransom?

Never, Kurk, never!

We�re not young, any more.

No, but just as strong, cunning, wiser.

It�s too dangerous, too risky.

Nonsense! We�ve got the advantage of surprise,

and with you and I wielding our swords together,

we�ll have your wife out of there before they know what�s happened!

Like the old days, eh, Kurk?

I keep my money, and you�ll get your wife back.

And we�ll show them that Llud and Kurk are still as good in a scrap as ever they were!

Put like that, how can I refuse?

Hah, baba.

Get back! � Go on!

I�m sorry.

Must have been the cave on the right.

Yes, it must have been.

Let me pass.

Kurk?

Yes. � Ah.

So you�ve brought me the silver.

You are Berthold?

Yes, I�m Berthold. And who are you?

I don�t know you, do I?

No. I am Llud.

Many years ago, I knew Kurk. Very well.

Oh. I�m so sorry.

It did occur to me that you might just desert your dear wife.

Well, it seems that, for once, you�re prepared to honour your pledge.

Pledge? Aren�t you holding his wife hostage?

I suppose you might say that she is a hostage.

But she�s been well looked-after.

Go bring her.

Now Kurk. Your debt.

�Debt�? Don�t you mean �ransom�?

I mean what I say! Debt!

D�you know what this rascal has stolen from me, over the years?

Only the gods know how lenient I�ve been with him.

Chicken. Geese. Sheep.

Rye grain. Weapons.

And all sold, I have no doubt, for a handsome price.

And I forgave him. Always I forgave him.

But prize stallions...

That was too much!

It was true about him holding my wife hostage.

Well, how else could I force him to make amends?

You�re a cheat and a rascal!

I should never have allowed my daughter to marry you!

Your daughter?

My daughter.

Six measures of silver.

That�s what he�s got to give me, if he wants her back.

Six measures of silver.

Kurk!

It�s alright, My Flower.

We�ll soon be on our way.

Llud, I beseech you! Think only of her.

She truly loves me, and I adore her.

Have mercy! Pay Berthold the silver on my behalf, and let us go free.

Letting you go is more an act of folly than of mercy!

For old times� sake.

One day, I swear it, the loan will be repaid.

Alright. I�ll do it.

For her. � Yeah!

You shall have your silver!

I�ll go and fetch it.

No. I�ll fetch it.

Yes, Llud and I had many an adventure together.

I�ll always remember the night I saved his life.

Now, we�d camped for the night, and suddenly, ten Saxons appeared from nowhere.

Llud was kindling the fire, and so was disarmed,

and with one blow I knocked two of them straight...

Liar!

There were two Saxons,

and this fool had drunk half a dozen skinfuls of wine,

and snored throughout the whole fight.

I�ll be glad when you�re gone!

My reputation as a warrior is becoming sorely tainted.

Six measures in silver. Payment in full, for the release of the beautiful Bron.

Sorry! It�s just...

No, it�s alright, it�s alright.

She�s with child.

Alright, my love.

A little air, I think. Come along.

We�ll be back in a minute.

With child!

By the gods, if it�s a boy,

it�ll be brought up as a rogue, like its father!

The silver!

The blackguard!

Yes, a blackguard!

And a fool!

What�s wrong?

Llud!

We grew worried. You were expected back two days ago.

We were just setting out to find you.

Oh, I met an old friend I haven�t seen in years.

You know how it is, we got talking, and drinking...

And the horses? � Yeah, the horses...

Did they fetch a good price?

They would have done, if it hadn�t been for the bandits.

Bandits? � Yes! Ten of them there were!

Marauding Scots they must have been.

They came on me suddenly. I didn�t stand a chance.

But I managed to kill two of them, but I was surrounded...

Liar!

We were out hunting yesterday. And crossed paths with Rowena.

Do me a service, Llud.

Next time you meet any of your old friends, like Kurk, run!

We can ill afford them.