All language subtitles for The.Last.Kingdom.S01E02.720p.WEB-DL.DD5.1.H.264-EsQ

-(GASPING)
-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.

LORD UHTRED: 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
a 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.

(SCREAMING)

(SPITS)

UHTRED: I will not stand by
and have everything
that is mine taken from me.

Bebbanburg is mine!

UHTRED: Destiny is all.

Horses!

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

Head for the woods!

(SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

Go right, there's a gully
over that ridge.

Hoof-marks.
There must be hoof-marks.

AELFRIC: There must be
hoof-marks! Somewhere!

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

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.

(SOFTLY) He looked
like my father.

(SOFTLY) 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!

(SCOFFS) It's that simple.

Yes. (GRUNTS)

Yes. (CLUCKS TONGUE)

UHTRED: Brida.

Brida.

Sing me a song.

I won't. I'm not your skald.

True. And what's more,
you'd frighten the birds.

What?

There's a taste in the air.

Death.

(BIRDS CHIRPING)

(CLUCKS TONGUE)

(ARROW WHOOSHES BY)

(PANTING)

(UNSHEATHES KNIFE)

(ARROW WHOOSHES BY)

(PANTING)

(GRUNTS)

(BREATHING SHALLOWLY)

Who did this?
Who sacked the village?

ARCHER: (WITH DIFFICULTY)
I cannot move.

Your back is broken.

(BONES CRACKING)

(ARCHER GROANING)

-Who did it?
-You know who did this.

Danes did this.

Why?

I don't believe you.
Why should the Danes attack
a village that feeds them?

Revenge.

But since when have Danes
needed an excuse to kill?

BRIDA: Revenge?
Revenge for what?

Hmm?

Revenge for what?
And I'll end it.

An uprising north of here.

A Saxon slave,
he killed his master
at a wedding party.

(ARCHER WHIMPERING)

What was the name
of this slave?

-Hmm?
-You speak English well,
for a Dane.

His name!

(GROANS)

Uhtred.

ARCHER: End it.

(ARCHER STRUGGLING TO SPEAK)

(ARCHER SCREAMS)

-Say it.
-BRIDA: Say what?

What you're 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
that I'm alive.

I need them to know I'm 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. (LAUGHS)

You've left us no choice.

We must find Ubba

and hope he believes you.

(CHURCH BELL RINGING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Thank you.

FATHER: Father Beocca.

Father.

Segwall.

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 am a grievous sinner.

-We are all sinners, My Lord.
-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
that people would turn.

Oh, pray God he does not die.

What kind of a king
would I be?

You will be God's king,
My Lord.

You have been
blessed and chosen
by the Holy Father in Rome.

You will be God's king.

I have seen the girl
who torments you.
She is...

-She must be banished.
-No, I believe the opposite.

-She should be brought
into your service.
-No.

-No, I could not. 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.

(STAMMERING)
A God-fearing child.

Clearly, his heart
remains English.

He lives?

I believe so.

He's a warrior, Lord.
They say he killed his
Danish master

and forty 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...

Father, look, he's a ghost.
He's a pagan rumour.

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.

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'm 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.

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.

Then we must
therefore recognise
that we now stand alone.

The last kingdom of England.

It will soon be
the men of Wessex

staring across a field
at the pagan army.

We must be ready.
We must pray, we must prepare.

Odda, I require that Mercia,
Lundene 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.

SCRIBE: 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."

UHTRED: Looks like
East Anglia's just
made that mistake.

We should stay away for now.

Build our own fire.

BRIDA: Ubba is 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?

Our destiny is to hump.

-Tonight.
-(LAUGHS)

I'm enjoying
the thought of it.

That's all
you'll enjoy tonight.

(UHTRED CHUCKLES)

(PANTING)

Stop. Stop. Stop!

What? What is it?

(BREATHLESSLY)
I think I have it.

We take a hostage.

A shield, a guarantee
for your life.

Who?

I don't know.

Someone he cannot do without.

Storri! His sorcerer.

(INDISTINCT SHRIEKING
AND SHOUTING)

MAN: Who is this woman?

Why is she not on her back?

Well, not that it's
your concern,
but she's for Storri.

Saxon whore, from Ubba.

I've seen you before.

I served Earl Ragnar
and now I serve Ubba.

-(WOMAN SCREAMS)
-MAN: Quiet, woman!

You'll see me again,
I'm sure...

Boy. (LAUGHS)

I'm told Storri's
at the church?

He's up at the monastery
looking after King Edmund.

And killing his priests!

(COUGHING)

(MAN GROANING)

-(STABBING)
-(GROANING STOPS)

(SIGHS)

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's from Earl Ubba.

A woman?

Why would Ubba
send me a woman?
I have no need for a woman.

She's 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.

A sorceress?

She has the face
of a she-wolf.
Does she bite?

-Yes, she bites.
-(BRIDA GRUNTS)

Leave her with me.

I will do as Ubba asks
and she will die. Slowly.

(SHOUTS IN PAIN)

You belong to me now, old man.

And you will die slowly
unless you do as I say.

BRIDA: On your feet.

We're going for a walk,
and you will keep
your mouth shut.

(DRAWING SHALLOW BREATH)

-This is so foolish.
-Shh, shh.

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.

(DOORS OPENING)

(WARRIORS STRIDING PAST)

UBBA: Where is Storri?
He's supposed to be here.

Edmund?

Edmund?

(IN MOCK WHISPER) Edmund?

Edm... (LAUGHS)

Can we have some ale?

Miserable King Edmund
of East Anglia.

You have had a night
to consider my offer.
How do you answer?

(SNICKERING)

Are you dead
or breathing still?

With luck, he's dead.
We allow far too many
of them to live as it is.

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.

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'm 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.

(SPITS)

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 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? Hmm?

His eyes are watching me.

And me.

(STAMMERING) Who's what? Who?

The other
half-naked image here.

UBBA: Who is it?

(EXHALES)

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 his story?

I have time.

EDMUND: 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 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?

(DRAWS DEEP BREATH)

Well, sadly he...

He then ordered him
to be, uh, clubbed to death.

So, he died?

He went to heaven,
so he lived.

I heard mention
of this "heaven".

Ah, what is this "heaven"?

Heaven is Valhalla, Lord,
to the Christians,

but without the fighting,
feasting and humping.

Heaven is heaven!
It's not heathen.

But to answer your
very first question,

I have considered your offer,

and yes, I will continue
to rule East Anglia,
as you suggest.

EDMUND: I will suffer
your presence.

I will provide you with
horses, food, coin
and hostages.

I will do all that you demand.

EDMUND: But...

Only if you, Lord Ubba,

and all of your men

submit to God.

That is my demand.

You must be baptised.

You must stand
in a barrel of water,

and they pour more water
over you.

-They want to wash me?
-No. (SCOFFS)

Your scent upsets them, Ubba.

No, to cleanse you
of your sins.

There is 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?
(STAMMERING) 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?

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.

-Uh...
-Strip him.

Archers.

GUTHRUM: Wait!

Tell me truthfully.

Are you afraid?

God is great.

We will see.

Shoot.

-Shoot!
-Ah, ah, ah...

They are my men
and only I tell them
when to shoot.

(EXHALES)

-Shoot.
-(GASPS)

(GASPING FOR BREATH)

Do you now wish
to be clubbed,

or will the arrows
be sufficient?

(STOPS BREATHING)

You've come a long way,
boy, to tell me

that 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.

(GRUNTING)

Not another step!

-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.

UHTRED: 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 OPENING)

One day, I will kill you.

Storri will tell you
otherwise.

And I'm telling you the truth
about Ragnar.

This is what happens
when we allow
too many of them to live.

(YELLING)

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 CRIES OUT)

Uhtred.

He must have said something.

He believes the lie.

He believes
that I killed Ragnar.

(MUFFLED SCREAMING)

There's nothing more to do.

(EXHALING)

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.

How much for your work?

For a long sword?

Tell me what you need
and I'll tell you a price.

A warrior's sword
to last a lifetime.

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.

(LAUGHS) Six, no more.

Eight, and I'll make her
my finest.

Eight. And if
she's not your finest,
you'll be her first.

Hmm.

I want this stone
set into the handle.

That can be done.

Don't sell it nor lose it.

Ale, My Lord?

-You stand too close, girl.
-ALFRED: Yes, just a little.

To take away the taste
of the gruel.

You stand too close.

It is broth, not gruel.

Is it?

(LAUGHS) Well, I think it is.

You should be thanking God
for its goodness

and the banishment
of those awful cramps.

I am happy to eat as you eat.

Ah, well, you are saintly,
my dear.

Father Beocca,
join us for breakfast.
I dare you.

Alas, My Lord,
I've already eaten.

Ah, you're fortunate.

Bad news, Lord.
Uh, your nephew, Aethelwold.

AELSWITH: 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)

(GRUNTING)

-What? What?
-On your feet, boy.

Wait! Wait, wait, wait...

BEOCCA: Come on.
King wants to see you.

Drunk!

What, again?

You think this is fit?

Out, all of you. Leave us.

Do you think this is fit?

I have been mistreated.

(STAMMERING)
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?

That you need to ask
tells your father
all he needs to know.

-What?
-That 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 were not
already dead, I'd have her
beheaded for adultery.

(ODDA LAUGHING)

If I'm to fall in the battles
that will come,

he cannot be king.

-You favour Alfred?
-I do.

Even though he is often...
Weak in body?

Well, that his illness
does not tie him to his bed

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.

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, uh...

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're talking
through your arse.

I'm sitting on my arse.

So, your arse is cleverer
than you, it can do
two things at once.

(CHUCKLING) Thank you.

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?

(EXCLAIMS)

(LAUGHING)

WOMAN: Hey!
Hey, watch out! Get off!

(LAUGHING)

(SIZZLING)

(GIRL GIGGLING)

(GIGGLING)

(BRIDA LAUGHING)

I've 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.

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, go!

-Out of the way!
Out of the way!
-MAN: Hey!

(SCREAMS)

(SWORD UNSHEATHES)

(GRUNTING)

(ASSASSIN SHOUTS IN PAIN)

(KNIFE UNSHEATHES)

(SCREAMS)

(GRUNTING)

(SHOUTING IN PAIN)

Brida, the horses
are just there.

Wait, there's another!
We have to go, come!

(INDISTINCT SHOUTING)

Brida, the door!

(SWORD UNSHEATHES)

(WHISPERING) Wait.

Wait, wait...

BRIDA: Now!

(BODY THUDDING)

(PANTING)

You're right. We should leave.

BRIDA: Whoever it was
that sent them,
Ubba or your uncle,

they won't rest.

There'll be others.

(SIGHS) 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.

BRIDA: 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.

They'll take one look at you
and 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?

Why do they stare?

They think you're pretty.

Huh.

Or, they've never
seen a Dane so close.

But they will.

(TOWNSPEOPLE JEERING)

(JEERS CONTINUING OUTSIDE)

(TOWNSPEOPLE BOOING)

We have business with
the king, Aethelred.

TOWNSPERSON: Go home!

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?

Well, I'd wager this farmer
against you at any time.

We're here to see
the king, peaceably.

Uhtred, what are you doing?

-What is it farmer,
first blood or to the death?
-Uhtred!

I'll be splitting your skull,
boy, so one follows the other.

(CROWD SHOUTING ENCOURAGEMENT)

Uhtred?

(CLAMOUR DYING DOWN)

Father Beocca!

-(LAUGHING)
-My goodness.

You know this
arseling, Father?

-BEOCCA: I do! Yes, I do.
-(UHTRED LAUGHING)

Uhtred, you're...
You're fully grown.

And you're old! (LAUGHS)

I am.

Oh, you're a man.

LEOFRIC: 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?

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.

UHTRED: Yes.

I am.

I have tits.

I see.

Have their horses
fed and watered.

And I'll 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's an impressive man.

Come.

(CHURCH BELL RINGING)

Do you like it?

I do.

It's beautiful.

You could rest here,
it's so quiet.

ALFRED: Peaceful.

The Romans, they built
this courtyard for just
that purpose. Tranquillity.

You're Alfred?

I am.

My Lord.

You are Uhtred.

I hear word you are
a considerable warrior.

(LAUGHS)

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?

Well, if your God's with you,
then 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?

Schooled as a child
by Father Beocca,
I was not a good student.

There's much to know
outside of letters.

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?

(CHUCKLES)

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.

Kajartan. "Kajartan", is that
how you pronounce it?

-Kjartan?
-Kjartan...

Has benefitted 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 travelled 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.

(CHURCH BELL RINGING)

Prayers.

(INHALES SHARPLY)

(BREATHING SHAKILY)

And a little discomfort...

(EXHALES)

I will summarise.

The Danes are gathering
a great army.

They have, in fact,
gathered an army.

They gather where?

They have moved upriver
from Lundene 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're 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?

If My Lord will excuse me?

BRIDA: Us both.

Of course.

I expected as much.

Father Beocca.

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.

(SCOFFS) Most, if not all,
follow Ubba,

so believe me, girl,
you have been abandoned!

Yeah, you know everything
about the Danes, don't you?

This way. I want to
show you something.

The Charters of Bebbanburg.

Yeah, the land books, yeah.

You kept them safe.

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'll go to Readingum.

-What?
-For what purpose?

UHTRED: Knowledge.

BEOCCA: But 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.

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.
-Not for me.

I'm a godless Dane, remember?

BRIDA: So, why spy for Alfred?

Because he is
an Ealdorman of England.

(DOOR OPENING)

-BEOCCA: Lord.
-(DOOR CLOSING)

Regarding the conversion
of the pagans to Christianity.

Yes, Lord?

How do we decide
what is proper?

To enlighten them
or to kill them?

(EXHALES)

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, uh, will return?

Yes, he will return.

Yes, but how will he return?
As who? As what?

-I know this boy.
-Ah, no, 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 Lundene, yes?

It's you who's 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'll deliver
you Bebbanburg.
What if you're wrong?

(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)

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.

Pagan?

Forgive me, Lord,
he is Uhtred of Bebbanburg.
I vouch for his word.

Uhtred!

Lord.

I've been to Readingum.

I have watched the Danes.
Their intention
is not to settle.

If it were, they would've
remained in Lundene.

You are saying what,
that they intend to attack?

I am, Lord.

We already know this.
Come spring, they'll be
at our door.

They'll be marching
within days, Lord,
I'm sure of it.

How can you possibly be
sure of it? The ground is
sodden all around,

-it makes no sense.
-They made their sacrifices.

The ordinary warriors,
they've 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.

They've many hundreds
of men and horses,
and few supplies.

They'll first seize a town
rich with grain and livestock.

I do not know the country
well, but I have travelled.

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?

Why not?

Well, 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 Asec's Hill, Lord.

You would choose
or Guthrum would choose?

I've 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 don't 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've 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.

-I, for one, cannot...
-My Lord, my sword was made
by a Saxon smith.

My sword is for Wessex.

-Do not interrupt a noble
when he is speaking.
-AETHELRED: Odda.

-I believe this man and this
bag of rags to be imposters.
-Odda...

No army marches
as winter approaches, never.

Young Odda,
enough from you now!

My Lord.

You.

You've spoken and given
this council much to discuss.

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 Asec's Hill.

But...

Take him.

Take them both,
make them secure.

-My Lord?
-What is this?

(GRUNTING)

I've spoken the truth!

-I've spoken the truth!
-Please!

UHTRED: Father Beocca!
BEOCCA: My Lord, please.

Beocca, help me! Beocca!

Have faith!

(BRIDA STRUGGLING)

(PRIEST RECITING LATIN PRAYER)

-(PRAYER CONTINUES)
-AETHELRED: Hold!

Hold!

(PRAYER ENDS)

-AETHELRED:
Left flank, hold! Hold!
-(SOLDIERS CLAMOURING)

Archers ready!

(RAUCOUS CHEERING)

AETHELRED: On my command!

For God,

for Wessex,

for England!