Original subtitles

(IF I HAD A HEART PLAYING)

(SINGING) More, give me more Give me more

If I had a heart I could love you

If I had a voice I would sing

After the night When I wake up

I'll see What tomorrow brings

(VOCALIZING)

If I had a voice I would sing

(MAN GRUNTS)

(INDISTINCT TALKING)

(DOOR OPENS)

Ouch. (CHUCKLES)

What happened to him?

What?

What happened to the Seer?

The Seer?

They told me he had gone.

There was fresh blood on the ground.

Well, he must've made a sacrifice. What do I know?

You're drunk, both of you. (CHUCKLES)

If he's gone, we need to find him.

And if somebody has tried to kill him,

we need to know who

and why. Otherwise, the gods are not going to...

You do not speak on behalf of the gods, Hvitserk.

Only I can.

And I will

when I choose.

Understand?

I know.

I know.

(CHUCKLES)

What is it?

King Harald and his army are less than two days away.

Our army is ready, and we will ride out tomorrow.

If, with your help, and God's grace,

we manage to defeat our enemies,

then I swear to you by everything most holy

that I will freely grant you the lands of East Anglia

promised to you by my grandfather.

You would have the strength to do so?

I would have the strength

and the determination to do so.

(INDISTINCT YELLING)

What is this?

The Franks call it a catapult.

They used them against us in Paris.

I think they could be useful.

Cut the rope.

(THUDDING)

Stop!

Never hesitate.

(BOTH GRUNTING)

(GRUNTS)

Good.

(EXHALES)

(INDISTINCT TALKING)

IVAR: My people,

we have suffered a terrible loss.

All of us.

The Seer has been taken from us.

(CROWD MURMURING)

Believe me, we are doing everything that we can

to find out what has happened to him.

We need him.

No one can remember Kattegat without the Seer.

He knows everything about us,

all about our past,

and everything about what the future holds for us.

(EXHALES)

I will find whoever did this

and make him pay in blood for what he has done to us.

In the meantime,

do not be afraid

that I have been revealed to be a god.

The gods have always lived amongst us.

It will not affect your lives.

It will not change anything,

except that you are all entitled to be proud

that you are ruled over by a god

and that, soon, my wife

will provide us with a divine child.

ALL: (CHANTING) Hail Ivar.

Hail Ivar.

Hail Ivar.

(CHANTING CONTINUES)

(BREATHES HEAVILY)

(GASPS)

How do I look?

Almost as you should.

"Almost"?

My Lord,

my King,

(VOICE BREAKING) my husband.

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

(EXHALES) We are on the eve of battle.

You should wear your arm ring

as well as your cross.

No. Yes.

You need the protection of their God

and of ours.

I do not think our gods will protect me if I'm wearing this.

Please.

Put it on.

For my sake (KNOCK ON DOOR)

and for yours.

(DOOR OPENS)

MAN: The King wants to see you.

I must renounce you.

I must renounce our love.

I don't understand.

What has happened?

The Lord came to me last night.

He showed me a vision.

A vision of hell...

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

...and the damned that must endure its fires for all eternity.

(SOFTLY) And I was afraid.

You?

Afraid? Yes.

Yes. But it was just a dream.

No.

In my vision, the Lord, our God, spoke to me.

He told me that I must renounce my sinful ways once and for all,

or I would never see his divine face.

I would never hear his divine voice,

only the screams and lamentations of the damned.

(PEOPLE SCREAMING)

(SCREAMING)

You weren't there.

You didn't see what I saw.

You can't do this.

You can't do this to me. I thought you loved me.

You know something?

I think you always loved your Lord, your God, more

than you ever loved me.

I don't think you ever did love me.

Your soul, (SCOFFS)

whatever that is,

meant more to you than I ever could.

(DOOR OPENS AND CLOSES)

(DOOR OPENS)

Are you certain

that your plan is going to work?

You must trust me.

But the plan... The plan will work

if you believe in me.

You need to find your courage.

You need to believe in me, but you need to believe in yourself,

or you're not fit to wear that crown.

What?

We risk killing our own men.

Do you want to win?

JUDITH: My sons.

May the Lord, in his mercy, keep you both safe.

Care for each other.

I've heard it said,

"In battle, no one is more important than your own brother."

But now we must go and face the day.

(SOFTLY) Care for each other.

MAN: At arms!

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(HORSE NEIGHS)

MAN 1: Strength to your arm, sire. MAN 2: Take courage, sire.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

My Lord Cyneheard.

Yes, sire.

You'll not be leaving with us today.

Why on Earth?

Because you are arrested

for treason.

(GRUNTS)

(SPEAKING LATIN)

Forward. CYNEHEARD: Get off me! No!

(HORSE NEIGHING)

CYNEHEARD: (GRUNTS) Get off me!

Leave me alone!

I'm innocent!

(EXHALES)

There's been a terrible mistake.

No doubt.

My Lord Cyneheard, no doubt.

The King is wrong. I've never conspired against him,

as God is my witness.

Stop.

Invoking the name of our Lord does not make a man innocent.

We have good account of your treachery.

But it's true,

we lack details.

Who did you conspire with?

Believe me, My Lady, I'm innocent of these vile accusations.

I know nothing of any conspiracy.

Perhaps you're right.

Perhaps you're right.

But still,

we must test your innocence.

"Test"?

We will torture you

(CYNEHEARD GASPS)

to see if you're telling the truth.

Gentlelady, no!

(CYNEHEARD SOBBING)

And that was your mistake, My Lord.

Thinking me a gentlelady.

VIKING 1: Over there with all the others.

VIKING 2: Where? VIKING 1: Over here.

MAN: Gather your arms. Bring them here. Gather them together.

There, Ubbe.

Ubbe,

son of Ragnar Lothbrok.

We met again.

Welcome.

Please.

MAN: Maybe he will bring us good fortune.

HARALD: Ubbe,

this is Jarl Olavsonn.

He has been at York.

And this is his wife Gunnhild.

Oh, I remember fighting at York.

What a time we had.

Oh. By the gods!

The exploits of The Great Army are still remembered and celebrated in York.

And everywhere else around the world too, I shouldn't wonder.

That is true.

I have heard all the stories of you and Ivar and Bjorn Ironside.

(CHUCKLING)

Bring us a drink.

VIKING: Of course, King Harald.

We're thirsty and among friends.

Please.

All sit down.

So,

Ubbe, tell me,

what are you doing, fighting for the Christians?

You and Ivar drove us out of Kattegat. What are we supposed to do?

King Alfred offered us protection

and the lands in England my father fought for.

Huh. Well, I understand.

Skol. ALL: Skol.

But I know from experience that no one ever gives you anything for nothing.

You're wrong to suppose that King Alfred will give you those lands.

He won't.

He's a Saxon.

He will offer you sweet promises,

but, in the end,

if you want those lands,

you will have to fight for them.

That's why Ragnar was wrong.

It's not a matter of negotiation.

It's always a matter of blood.

You and Bjorn and Lagertha, you should join with us.

We have a formidable army.

And I'm certain we can overcome Alfred's forces.

And what would happen then?

You would capture Lagertha, Bjorn, me.

Hand us over to Ivar.

(CHUCKLES) Of course not.

King Harald has already told me that, after our successful raid here,

we shall all return to Kattegat and overthrow King Ivar.

King Alfred's army will not be so easy to overcome as you suppose.

It may be better we find a compromise.

OLAVSONN: Why would you want a compromise?

Because I am a Christian.

I have been baptized.

I cannot believe that.

You?

The son of Ragnar Lothbrok?

Yes, me, a son of Ragnar Lothbrok.

I know my father would have understood.

What kind of compromise?

Tell us the weight you need in gold and silver

to go and leave Wessex.

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

Very well.

Come back tomorrow, and we'll tell you

and your Christian friends what you must pay.

(CYNEHEARD BREATHING SHAKILY)

Were you part of a conspiracy

to overthrow my son Alfred?

No.

No, My Lady.

Please, please.

Think again.

Were you part of a conspiracy,

and who else was involved? (GRUNTS)

(GROANS)

(SCREAMS)

I need to know, My Lord.

And I will know.

(CYNEHEARD GROANS)

(IN NATIVE TONGUE)

(CHUCKLES)

(IN ENGLISH) Yet another son of Ragnar Lothbrok?

(IN ENGLISH) Yes.

And you want to fight against your brothers?

Yes.

You were not sent here with a message?

No, I didn't want to fight for the Saxons.

I'm not a Saxon. I'm not Christian. I'm Viking.

I'd like to kill all of the Christians.

I didn't want to fight alongside King Alfred.

So the King is with his army?

Yes.

At least you have told me something useful.

There's no news.

No one has come.

Of course not.

They are not going to come.

They were not really negotiating.

While we have been waiting here,

they have moved their entire army around our flanks,

and they are now almost certainly positioned

in the very place they had already chosen for the battleground.

We must turn back and face them.

And you must both forgive me

because the sons of Ragnar have already made a fool of me.

ALFRED: God works in mysterious ways.

(MEN YELLING)

(YELLING)

Each one of you,

ask yourselves,

do you know His ways?

(HORSE NEIGHS)

Can you be so sure as to know the divine mind

that guides all things?

Friends, when I saw that deer,

I knew it not for a deer,

but as Christ, who had taken that shape to show us that He was with us,

that He would not abandon us on this day.

OLAVSONN: King Harald,

why is the ground burned?

HARALD: Why is the ground burned?

Why is the ground burned?

SAXON CAPTAIN: For Wessex!

(SHOUTING IN NATIVE TONGUE)

HEAHMUND: Let us pray.

(CHANTING CONTINUES)

"Unto thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

"O my God, I trust in thee.

(CHANTING CONTINUES)

"Let me not be ashamed.

"Let not mine enemies triumph over me.

"Lead me in thy truth,

"for thou art the God of my salvation.

"On thee do I wait

"all the day."

(ALL YELLING)

Amen.

(IN NATIVE TONGUE)

To battle!

For Christ, for Wessex, and for England! (YELLING)

(YELLS)

SAXON CAPTAIN: Release!

(INAUDIBLE)

(YELLING)

(MEN SCREAMING)

(GRUNTING)

(GRUNTS)

(YELLING)

What's wrong with you?

What's wrong with you? The gods are watching.

Don't you want to go to Valhalla?

You have no courage,

and you will find no faith.

(YELLS)

(HORSE NEIGHS)

Dear Lord,

the pagans had the best of it.

(GRUNTING CONTINUES)

(LAUGHING)

(YELLS)

(GRUNTING)

(GROANS)

The King lives!

Long live the king.

Yet the battle still hung in the balance.

(GRUNTING)

(CHUCKLES)

The great warrior Heahmund,

staunch defender of our faith.

(YELLS)

(ARROW THUDS)

(INAUDIBLE)

Lagertha!

(SCREAMS)

Lagertha!

(GROANS)

ALFRED: Alas!

We have suffered a most grievous loss

of this great and noble man.

Bishop Heahmund,

he rests at peace now with God.

We mourn his passing, but we know that he has gone to a far better place.

No one else will ever be fit to carry his sword,

which will be buried with him.

God bless and keep him.

And God bless Wessex, for which he died.

(MEN YELLING) (SWORDS CLANGING)

(GRUNTING)

(YELLING IN NATIVE TONGUE)

ALFRED: And when King Harald

urged his devils to run from the fields,

I knew then with a beautiful certainty

that the day and the battle had belonged to us.

(CROWD CHEERING)

But without our Viking allies,

I swear to you,

there could be no victory either.

Without these Norsemen, who have embraced our cause

and our God.

UBBE: I think I have found her.

This is not her.

My mother always carried Thor's hammer around her waist.

I don't think we are going to find her.

(INDISTINCT TALKING)

(LIVELY MUSIC PLAYING)

More!

More wine!

(LAUGHTER)

ALFRED: Brother, you need to relax.

No one saw her die.

No one has seen her body.

She must be alive

somewhere.

You think she loved him?

TORVI: Did he love her?

Nobody knows the secrets of other people's relationships.

We only think we do.

(SIGHS)

I hope he did.

VIKING 1: Heave!

Heave! (MEN GRUNTING)

Heave!

VIKING 2: Hail Ivar.

All hail Ivar.

How is Balder? Hmm?

He is well.

He cannot wait to be born.

I love you.

And I love you.

Apart from my mother,

I've never really known what it is to be loved

or truly love.

My father left me outside to die when I was a baby

because I was a cripple.

Everyone has always treated me first as a cripple.

All I ever wanted was for them to love me.

But I saw it was impossible,

so I was angry with everyone.

I've been in rage all my life

until now.

You expect nothing for yourself,

but you revealed everything to me.

You are all goodness.

All truth.

And you're all the world to me.

I'm glad.

But just imagine.

I was a slave.

But now,

I carry in my body

the son of a god.

IVAR: Mmm.

I've been wondering about something.

Hmm? What do gods do, hmm?

I have to do something.

I have to do more.

I need to do more.

I'm sure you're right.

But what you have to do

will surely be revealed to you in time.

The Aesir will send a messenger.

The Valkyries will descend, beating their luminous wings.

And you will hear them,

and you will know.

VIKING 1: All hail Ivar.

VIKING 2: Hail Ivar.

JUDITH: (WHISPERS) Alfred.

You need to hear me.

Mother, I am so tired.

Can't you imagine?

Better to be tired and alive

than sleeping in the earth.

I don't understand.

What do you mean?

The conspiracy against you,

those who wish to overthrow and kill you,

I know their names.

Good.

Then we can arrest and hang them.

(EXHALES)

Aethelred

is their leader.

(MAN SHOUTING INDISTINCTLY)

Ah.

Magnus, son of Ragnar.

(SIGHS)

What is to become of us now, huh?

I have faith that we shall prevail.

No doubt at all.

Our gods will ultimately triumph over the Christian God,

who's a usurper,

who has no meaning,

who's not real.

And one day, not so far away,

the name Jesus Christ

will be utterly forgotten.

(CHUCKLES)

(MUSIC PLAYING)