Original subtitles

Arthur! Cerdig and Yorath have made a pact!

Cerdig and Yorath? Impossible!

That�s what they say.

Yorath? He�d never make a pact with the Saxons.

The Jutes care for their Saxon neighbours

like they would a venomous snake.

Where are you going? � To see Yorath.

If he has made a pact, it leaves us naked to the north.

You must be mistaken.

On good authority, it�s the truth.

I will hear that from Yorath himself.

Hey!

It�s an open invitation for Cerdig to mount a surprise attack,

and wipe us and the entire village off the face of the earth.

Well.

Rowena.

This is twice you have visited me in one year.

I came to speak to your father.

He is out. Hunting.

We had word that Yorath and Cerdig

were about to make a pact.

I am not about to make a pact with Cerdig.

It�s already done.

The peace is made.

A treaty is sworn and signed.

Cerdig and I are no longer enemies.

You must be moon-sick.

You may as well try making peace with a mad bear.

If a mad bear could talk, I would try that too.

Arthur, I am war-sick.

My people are battle-weary and bloodied.

I will give them peace.

Father! Arthur is right!

You stay out of this, Woman!

There you are.

So Cerdig is now your ally. � Yes.

But you also have a pact with me.

What if Cerdig attacks me?

Well, you can�t expect me

to support one friend against the other, huh?

And if Cerdig should break your alliance, and turn on you?

What would you have me do?

All I want is peace!

Father, we can�t live in peace with a mad dog.

You know nothing! Chicken-brain.

We�ve been invaders too,

and yet we found peace with Arthur,

and all the Celts.

That was different.

You led in the Jutes, found a deserted tract of land,

and built your own village.

Whilst Cerdig plundered, burned and killed, you settled,

and made no further demands.

You made and kept your peace with the Celts.

Cerdig doesn�t even know the meaning of the word.

And how can you be so sure of that, my young friend?

Has anybody stopped fighting him long enough

to find out? Huh?

Was it true?

Right. Defence wall.

Well, come on, show Arthur what you can do.

Right.

Ready? One. Two.

One. Two.

Did you put a stop to this mad notion

of Yorath and Cerdig pledging a treaty?

Yorath does understand the wrong he�s doing?

Wrong?

Yes, wrong.

Into your pairs! Go!

Yorath wants to put an end to the bloodshed.

An end to the maiming and killing each other.

Is that right, or wrong? � Well, the thought�s right, but...

Yorath wants this land to learn to live in peace.

Or else it�ll tear itself to shreds. Is that wrong?

Keep your swords up! Aim for the heart!

Ask that question to Cerdig.

One!

He asked him that question... � Two!

...and was rewarded with a treaty.

He is right.

Some time, somewhere, this slaughter must stop.

Take a grip on that sword.

One�s from the shoulder. You�ll never kill anyone that way.

One!

Yorath is a fool. � Two!

Then a fool has shown the way.

Look what we are doing today.

Will we still be doing this in five hundred years� time?

Yorath has shown the way.

And I have not the courage to follow.

It�s not a question of courage.

Would you put your head in the mouth of a hungry lion?

Well, Cerdig�s as much likely to respect the treaty

as the lion would your life!

Are you so sure, Llud?

Would you stake your life on being right about Cerdig?

You can forget about Cerdig and the Saxons.

There are others who would prefer the plundering and the bloodshed.

Scots?

Yes.

By report, a huge army embarked in a vast fleet of ships.

And they boast that they will conquer this entire land, once and for all.

How long before they�re landing?

Well, given good winds, two or three days.

You say a huge army. How many?

Their camp fires could be seen across the channel,

stretching for thirty leagues along the coast.

By the gods, they�ll take Herward and Dirk as easily as a bear kills a fox.

How could they muster such an army?

The three kings to the east of their lands are united,

and together their armies total...

Then they will find an equal force to greet them.

Courage is forced upon us.

With luck, we will see Celt fighting side by side

with both Jute and Saxon.

A gift from Arthur?

And the sun whelped kittens!

I fear a gift from Arthur more than a blade between the ribs.

You�re a bold man to bring me gifts from Arthur!

It is no more than my duty.

A shield? Hahahaha.

I�d sooner take shelter behind a cobweb

than trust my life to a shield sent by Arthur.

Arthur sent it in good faith,

with this message from Yorath.

I cannot fathom the wickedness of it.

It must be very deep.

But then that evil Celt is very deep.

What does the message say?

Yorath asks you to a meeting with Arthur at Yorath�s village.

Each leader to bring but ten men.

Arthur would speak of peace.

Stranger and stranger.

He guarantees your safety.

I guarantee my own safety!

Get off your horse.

Pick it up.

Hmm.

Turns a stroke well.

No hidden blades to spring out at a blow.

Ha!

Arthur was brought up by the Romans � there�s still poison.

Lick it.

Lick it for your life!

Very well. The trick is not in the shield.

Now then. What�s all this about meetings and peace?

What devil�s brew is that Celtic wolfhound preparing now, eh?

There is no treachery.

Arthur wants peace.

No man in his right mind wants war.

But you can�t make peace with a cunning savage like Arthur.

No!

But what of the news of the Scots?

If it�s true, we�ll have a common enemy

that would rid the land of Celt and Saxon alike.

There are rumours about the Scots every day of the year.

I�m not rushing into the arms of that barbarian on a rumour.

But today, our messengers brought word

that the Scots have sailed with the greatest horde this land has ever seen.

That was no rumour.

Wigath saw them with his own eyes.

Cerdig is not coming.

Ah, he will come!

If he would make a pact with us, why not also with the Celts?

Hey!

While we�re waiting here, he�s probably sacking our villages.

He knows we would not leave them undefended.

Then where is he?

A gift for a gift.

War�s for fools and madmen.

Let�s make it only a memory kept alive by children�s games,

with harmless wooden swords.

Blood and lives wasted on warring

could be used in making a richer, fuller land for all.

This is a rich land! We did not come to fight.

There is enough for all to share.

Provided each keeps within his own boundary.

Let�s draw up maps, huh?

That�s work for priests.

Let us agree upon it like men, and then

we can sit back and watch our children grow fat.

But first, the hardest task of all.

We must stop hating, and learn to trust one another.

Well spoken, Arthur of the Celts.

How do you like your gift?

I like it well.

It balances well in the hand.

Try it.

As you say, we must learn to trust each other.

Tell me.

Did it taste better than my shield?

Come, prepare for the feast!

This is a great day for this land, huh! � It is indeed. I...

Get yourself to the roasting-spit, huh!

Go see to it!

To lasting peace between us, huh?

More wine, woman.

Oil for the wheels of peace.

You are strange companions.

You are invited for a big feast, and yet you both bring your own bread.

If you are to be brothers,

you must eat each other�s bread, huh?

All of you!

What ails you, friend?

Your face is screwed up like a shrivelled nut.

Oh, merely an expression of curiosity.

What revulsion is this?

Revulsion?

What do you make yours with, boar�s droppings?

Cowdung! � Flyspawn!

Frogspit!

Peace!

It is good that we are being honest with one another.

It is no tragedy that we cannot stomach each other�s food.

Hmm.

If it offends the palate, why not say so, as friends should?

This should have happened sooner.

Here�s to the new life.

The new life! � Argh! Clumsy oaf!

Fool!

Now you can enjoy spilling the wine over each other,

and leave your leaders alone.

We used to call Arthur �The Bear�.

We should have called him �The Fox�.

Now I see where he learned his cunning.

Rowena! Are you asleep? More food, more wine!

Oh.

Did you know, either of you,

about that invasion fleet of the Scots?

Invasion? � Scots?

If either of you could lie as well as you fight...

So that�s the reason why you�re here,

passing as friends, seeking peace?

Fear of a common enemy.

Massive hordes of fearsome Scots,

preparing to swallow you up.

Now I remember, I believe I did hear a rumour

that they were preparing a few ships

to cross the channel. � Yes!

A handful, I heard.

Strange. My first report of them,

which you have just witnessed, spoke of several legions.

But you need not have concerned yourselves.

It was all for nothing.

They have turned back?

Not back, my friend. Down. Down.

There was a big storm, huge waves.

Now they�re all fish food.

I toast the gods for their wisdom in creating this tempest

and washing away the enemy that threatened us.

But let it not also wash away the friendship we have found this day.

We broke bread together.

And now there�s really hope for peace.

The Scots weakened,

the Picts hammered back into the cold of the north,

the three of us in agreement.

May all our enemies perish so!

I should have liked to see their faces

before those cockleshell boats of theirs started to go under.

They were never over-fond of water!

Yes, wench! My cup is dry!

Time enough after the feast to sit on your haunches.

Or lie on your back, more like, eh?

Cut your tongue out, Saxon.

What?

Apologise to my daughter!

Save your insults for your own Saxon sluts!

Father, it doesn�t matter! Please, don�t...

Apologise, Saxon.

I�ve never apologised to anyone in my life, Jute,

and I�m not starting now with a woman!

You�re both at fault.

Yorath, is it any wonder

other men have little respect for your daughter,

when they see how you treat her, yourself?

And you, Cerdig.

It�s not only a woman you have insulted,

but the future head of her people.

What will happen to the treaty when she becomes leader of the Jutes?

Now, we�ve come a long way today.

Let�s not spoil it by a stupid misunderstanding.

Now, Yorath.

If Cerdig apologises to your daughter,

you must first show the proper respect due to her.

My princess Rowena,

my respect and apologies.

The same, from me.

Thank you. You�re very gracious.

We�ve done a fine day�s work.

Yorath, your hospitality could tempt a man to stay forever,

but some of my men await me outside,

and I�ve been away from my people too long.

Woden! See to the boat! My men will be getting restless too.

Alright, men! Back to the longbo...

Peace! Peace!

Stand back!

Stand back! Stand back!

I�ll be back, Jute!

I�ll be waiting, Saxon!

We must have been mad to think we could ever live as one.

No, Llud. We were right.

It didn�t happen this time.

The gods, it seems, as well as the Scots, were against us.

But one day it will happen.

If we are to survive, it must.

Row!

Row!

Row!

The river?

Or do we put it to use against its sender when we next go to battle?

No sense in wasting good weapons.

I�ll put it on the wall in my hut.

Your hut?

I should have thought the very sight of it would sicken you!

By now, that barbarian Arthur

will probably have destroyed my gift to him.

The shield will rest in my hut, to remind us all,

that for one single moment it was the Saxons

who tried to bring to this land the peace they�ve never known.

Here! Take that back to Cerdig! � No message?

Yes! Tell him to cut his throat with it.

No, wait!

You won�t keep it?

The sight of it should sicken you.

Well, when Cerdig gave it to me,

he did so as a token of friendship.

Friendship which could have taken the weapons

from those children and sent them out to the forest to play.

Cerdig will probably have destroyed my gift by now.

But let us keep this knife,

as a reminder,

that once we met,

and talked of peace.

I pray we will again.