Original subtitles

Denmark, 18th century. To increase tax revenues-

-Danish kings try to domesticate and colonise the vast Jutlandheath.

But nature is brutal, the soil is barren, the land is haunted by outlaws...

...and for decades, all those sent out there fail.

The heath cannot be farmed.

COPENHAGEN 1755

POORHOUSE FOR WAR VETERANS

THE ROYAL TREASURY

- Your Majesty. The carriage is waiting. - Yes, thank you. We will leave when I am ready.

Ludvig Kahlen? We are ready for you.

Chancellor Paulli.

Who do we have here?

Captain Kahlen has returned home after 25 years of service in the German army.

He applies for a licence to build on the Jutlandheath.

Nice, nice drawings, soldier. It's just a waste of your time.

- The heath cannot be used. - All land can be used.

1/3 of the kingdom lies desolate. It is a stain on our country.

I can conquer the earth and build the first colony on the heathland.

Listen to me. It's just heath, rock and sand. Nothing can grow there.

That has been demonstrated over and over again by better men than you.

With all due respect, I would like to ask for an audience with the king.

Yes, of course. Will someone please call His Majesty?

We are not wasting any more of the state's money on cultivating the heath.

Especially not on a conceited soldier in a funny uniform. Get him out.

I'm not asking you for a cent. I'll finance it myself.

- How? - I have my captain's pension.

That's nothing.

Let's say that you manage to build a colony.

What do you think should be the reward for your generous offer?

A title of nobility with associated estates and servants.

Could you wait outside, please?

He is nobody. Unknown father, his mother was a maid in a mansion.

He was a gardener before his time in the German army.

He managed to become a captain despite his low status.

- His demands are insane. - The demands are unimportant.

We can promise him to become Emperor of Russia. No one can farm that land.

But as long as he is out there we can say to his majesty-

-that we are still fighting for his beloved heath project.

Captain Kahlen. Please come in. We have good news.

Help! Help me!

A coin for a poor little lad all alone in the forest.

Such a good looking bings. You must have lots of coin.

Why the hell have you chosen to build a house in my county?

The diligent hand will rule.

- What's in the boxes? - I'd like to know that too.

They came all the way from Mecklenburg.

I don't understand all the secrecy.

Are these all my men?

I need more than that if the house is to be finished before the autumn.

No man with his life ahead of him wants to work himself to death out in the heath.

I need three times as many. You have to find them in neighbouring villages.

I have hemorrhoids the size of swan eggs and they don't like the sadle.

Besides, the forests are full of outlaws. Before I forget: five shilling.

As bailiff I shall be compensated for the drudgery of getting everything on the list.

Plus hiring horses to transport all the shit to the worlds asshole.

Yes, apologies, priest.

Captain, can I show you something?

I think I may have a solution to your problem with labourers.

You have no idea how happy I am that you have chosen our parish.

It is high time for God's light to shine on the heath.

Come. I believe I may have found a home for you.

Johannes Eriksen, an experienced farmer, and his wife Ann Barbara.

It is illegal to hire escapees.

They have escaped from a brutal master.

Eriksen can work hard and Ann Barbara is a good housekeeper.

We can work for half the wage, sir.

We only ask for a chamber so Ann Barbara doesn't have to sleep with the men.

One chamber, two meals a day, no pay.

You won't get a better opportunity in your situation.

I will be visited by important men when the house is finished.

I expect it maintained to a high standard.

Is that understood?

It will be fine. They will never look for you on the heath.

FOUR MONTHS LATER HALDS ESTATE

Well, Bondo. I stand here like an idiot wasting the best season of the year.

The cheeks blush, the flesh is willing.

Bear portraits are all the rage throughout northern Europe, Mr. de Schinkel.

- Where is my cousin? - She is out lunging her horse.

She does nothing but run around with that damn horse.

A Captain Kahlen is in the process of building a house on the heath.

"King's House" he calls it.

You said there would be no more fools coming to the heath.

That it was only a matter of time before we could buy the whole thing.

- Kahlen? - Yes. Ludvig Kahlen.

- Find out who he is. - Of course.

KING'S HOUSE

I got better stew in the army.

If you had bought a cow we would have had thicker milk.

If I'm to keep high standard I need a cow.

I have made a detailed account of my budget.

If a cow was needed there would be a cow.

Then that's as good as it gets.

Everything should be in neat little lines.

The floor should be dust-free, the food perfectly in the centre of the plate.

He behaves like a fine gentleman.

But his clothes are worn out and his hands are calloused.

- He is strange. - The priest said we can trust him.

We can't trust anyone.

We'll never get out of here without pay.

We only stay here for one season. Until they stop looking for us.

One season at King's House.

Then we go to the coast. I want to see the sea.

I want to see the sea.

Where are you going?

Out to our strange gentleman. He should not go out there alone.

- We'll have to lime. - We'll get clay from the sea.

The heath will be burned, the soil will be fertilised.

It takes at least six months before anything can be grown.

May I ask what you intend to grow?

You are welcome to ask.

But you won't get an answer.

Come here!

Thanks for the fucking chicken, bings!

- What's going on? - It's the outlaws.

What the hell are you doing?

Now all the outlaws know that they can come here and steal without risk.

Why did you let her go?

You can't get too close to them. The devil protects them.

- You saw for yourself how dark she was. - Stupid superstition. She's a beggar's child.

They take them from the south. Next time you stop her.

We won't take on any curse. You can stop her.

Pack your things. You've done your part here.

You have started something fantastic.

You already get a sense of life out here.

Johannes. Isn't that Preisler?

Johannes. Would you be so kind to look after my horse in the barn?

Captain Kahlen?

I am Major Preisler. I am here on behalf of Frederik de Schinkel of Hald.

Owner of 130 farmsteads, and the local magistrate.

Mr. de Schinkel asked me to invite you to dinner at the estate this evening.

It will be an honour for me.

- I hope you have different clothes. - I have my uniform.

One of Mr. de Schinkel's tenant farmers recently ran.

Rumour has it that he is still in the neighbourhood.

Johannes Eriksen and his wife. Does that mean anything to you?

I have the men you see here.

Schinkel. That's who they've run away from?

The most important man in the neighbourhood? The man I'm supposed to keep friendly with?

My uncle loved dogs. Before he died he wrote in his will-

-that Frederik was not to remove a single dog portrait from the estate.

I think he was more fond of his dogs than his own children.

Edel Helene Leising, Frederik's cousin.

Captain Ludvig Kahlen.

Are you related to the Norwegian Count Leising?

That is my father. Perhaps you know a lot about the Norwegian nobility?

No... just what everyone knows. That your father is a close friend of the king.

Here he is.

Ludvig Kahlen. Welcome to the Hald estate.

- Magistrate Schinkel... - de Schinkel.

My father's name was Schinkel, but I changed it to de Schinkel.

de Schinkel, apologies.

From gardener to decorated captain, is quite the achievement.

It took me 25 years too.

25 years? Do you know how long it takes for a nobleman to become a captain?

Six months.

You must have hated the powdered puffs who advanced before you-

-just because they had the right blood in their veins.

- These are the rules. - Said by a real soldier.

So... you're going to try to farm the heath?

I'm going to build the king's first colony out there.

The heath is God's nature in all its splendour. Why castrate a wild beast?

Did not God put man on earth to create civilisation?

- So we are not civilised out here? - I didn't say that.

God has nothing to do with civilisation. God is chaos. Life is chaos.

I do not agree.

You fought in the Silesian wars. Was it civilised?

No, war is chaos.

But the winner is the one who can control chaos.

What do you think of my fiancée? Isn't she pretty to look at?

Are we engaged? I don't remember having said yes, Frederik.

As if it wasn't already settled.

Her father begged me on his knees to take her. Not that I complain.

Her family wants my fortune, but I drew the longest straw.

Getting into the nobility is priceless. My father always said that.

- Your father was right. - He created this from nothing.

Two cows and a plough.

Now he just lies rotting in the ground.

Life is chaos, Ludvig.

Cunt, cock, shit, blood, chaos.

We can't control shit.

It is when we recognise it that we can enjoy our insignificant lives.

Everything you've said since we sat the table has been ridiculous.

Sorry, Captain. My cousin needs a lesson in civilised behaviour.

Why am I here?

You are here because you have built on my land without authorisation.

- Your land? - Yes, de Schinkel's land.

The heath belongs to the king. All uncultivated land belongs to the king.

Are you a bit deaf? This is my land.

- Do you have a cadastral map? - I can't be bothered to look for it.

- Then we must get a surveyor. - Or ask the magistrate - me.

The magistrate judges. That's good enough.

We have nothing more to talk about. Miss Edel...

Your mother was a cook at Count Raben's estate, wasn't she?

He was a family friend.

A graced by God horndog who ravished any servant with tits and a womb-

-and you're like a spitting image.

It's almost eerie.

Did he put you in the army?

That's what my dad did with his bastards.

My little half-brothers with longing in their eyes and dirt under their fingernails.

And now the bastard wants to become a big man out on the heath.

What do you get if you succeed? An estate?

A nice title? "von Kahlen"?

- What is it? - A contract.

You can try your luck on Mr. de Schinkel's land.

He will help you with men, provisions and materials.

In return, you pay him 50% of your future income.

Should colonists come, they become tenant farmers of Mr. de Schinkel.

No, thank you.

I would strongly advise you to accept the offer.

It is the king's land. I work for the king.

Woof-woof!

Not many people would dare to contradict Frederik like that.

- Will I see you again, Captain? - I can't see how.

There's a harvest festival in a month. All the powdered puffs are coming.

- First Sunday in September. - I don't think I'm invited.

You can come as my guest. I can invite anyone I want.

Here. So you won't forget me by then.

- Why does no one work? Where are the men? - Gone.

Major Preisler knocked on my door last night and asked me to ride here at once-

-and offer your men double pay on one of de Schinkel's farms.

And you did that without hesitation?

I rode all night and my ass hurts. Please don't shoot the messenger.

You couldn't know it was his land.

We can't find any new workers. No one dares defy Schinkel.

Has everyone gone mad? I have the king's stamp that I can be here.

- I have the law on my side. - It doesn't matter.

If Frederik Schinkel wants something he keeps going until he gets it.

He's all alone out there now. He hasn't even burned the heath.

He may have no more than 100 shilling left of his captain's pension.

- 100 shilling? That's nothing. - No. He'll never get the land ready.

And when winter comes, he will sign.

"Dear Captain. Enjoy building a colony on the heathland without men."

"Here is a small gift that may bring a little joy to everyday life."

"Frederik de Schinkel."

It can adorn the chickens.

I know where we can get men.

Hey, hey, hey! Come here!

Let go of me, damn it!

- What's your name, thief girl? - Anmai Mus, damn it.

- How old are you? - Two.

- No, you're not. - So I'm 35 then.

I don't know, damn it.

Where are the gypsies you travel with? Where are they camped?

Do you remember this one?

Tomorrow morning you will show me where they are. Do you understand?

- They will kill me. - It's not my problem.

Poor little Anmai Mus. She only lived a short and hard life.

She had not eaten for eleven days and hunger forced her into thievery.

Her parents did not want her and sold her to outlaws...

Stop it. I don't want to hear it.

No, no, no!

No, no, no, let me go!

Useless darkling. You'll get your punishment later.

What are you doing here, bings?

I have work for all of you.

Ten shilling for working the field until autumn.

Which field? You don't own a field.

The heath.

Heath!

A fine soldier like you knows that people like us are not allowed to work. That's what the law says.

- You could go to jail for that. - Are we in agreement?

20 shilling. And I want that.

Your medal. I always wanted to be a general.

You can't have it. And I am not a general. I'm a captain.

Salute General Hector!

Do you remember when we faced the devil out here on the heath?

In the form of a young boy. We ran!

Now he is the one to run. Because now the general is here!

Now the general is here!

Now the General and the devil is working...

Make sure to keep the fire under control.

- Hey! A shilling for one night? - No, no. Thank you.

Take the stick.

Once you take that stick you are part of her clan.

You can have her for five shilling. Then we'll get rid of that darkling.

We are not in the same clan. Do you understand?

Freshly shot game for the harvest festival. I shot two.

You will all have a taste and a wonderful evening. You will all live well.

But first of all, I will live.

- Have you seen the animals? I shot two. - I have disturbing news from the heath.

Kahlen has hired a group of gypsies to work for him.

But Preisler has also discovered something else.

Three carriage loads as close to the coast as you can find. Remember. It must be white clay.

It must be white clay.

- Mr. de Schinkel liked this one. - Then he can wear it himself.

Mine will be simpler. Honourable, but still feminine.

You mean something a military man would appreciate?

You should stay far away from Schinkel.

- Everybody who's anybody is coming tonight. - Everyone who's anybody?

Businessmen. People I will be doing business with.

I guess that's not the only reason you go there.

You should not interfere with my private matters. You are a housekeeper.

Now it's as good as it gets. The good people can take you as you are.

But you must remember to hide the seam in the collar.

Thank God you are here. I almost didn't recognise you.

Ludvig Kahlen.

- Captain heath conqueror. - de Schinkel.

Good that you came. But you can't be here with that lice infested wig.

I can't expose my other guests to that.

- There are no lice in my wig. - I see how it creeps and crawls.

Lise here has brought a wig that you can borrow.

Let's go. Immediately.

Yes...

That's it. Then you are as good as new.

Enjoy the party.

Come with me, sir. Miss is expecting you.

- Miss Edel. - Captain.

It was a gift from your cousin.

He is a spoilt child.

Trying desperately to impress his father's friends.

He drinks from morning to night and brags about-

-all the female servants whom he has bedded.

It is as if he thinks that I find it funny or attractive.

I have to go away.

I have to get out of here.

- What does your father say? - He only thinks about the money.

He has forbidden me to go home.

I must stay here for the winter and try to see the good in Frederik.

He wants us married within a year.

If I can't present a better option for him.

Can I?

A man who makes the king's highest wish come true

-with the title and reward that comes with it...

He could perhaps become worthy to marry you.

If that's what you're asking.

I thought I was being obvious.

You haven't had many in-depth conversations with women. Have you?

This is the longest conversation I've had, that's correct.

And you will succeed to build your colony out there?

Yes, I will.

Sorry to interrupt the magic here, but I want to show a surprise-

-and I can't wait any longer. It's something very special.

This farmer left last spring.

I treated him and his wife with respect, even love.

As I treat all my people.

And he thanked me by running away.

He was hiding with Ludvig Kahlen out on the heath-

-but enough about that. It's a long story.

If you interfere with a legal peasant punishment-

-you yourself will be regarded as a lawbreaker.

Don't worry. The water is not as hot as it looks.

One more time for the beautiful girls.

One more time for the beautiful girls.

I think that it would be a good idea to stop now.

The people are not with you.

No. Do it one more time for the beautiful girls.

Frederik! That's enough.

Do it one more time now! Do it for the beautiful girls!

You have killed him.

I am fully entitled to punish my own farmer tenants.

Nobody could know that he would die. What do you say, Bondo?

Yes, that's right. It was an accident.

So, the farmer must have been sensitive or...

Leave him alone. He is mine.

He is not yours anymore. According to the law, he belongs to God now.

Then take him.

Ludvig! I know that you use gypsies as labourers.

You are not allowed to harbour outlaw gypsies. You are ordered to send them away.

It goes like this. If the outlaws are not gone by tomorrow morning...

-we will remove them by force. You too.

I'll let it all slide, if you just sign our contract.

It hurts me.

You didn't hit me like a man who was afraid of anything.

We had a deal. Otherwise I can't get the ground ready.

There's no reason to leave. You can work during the night.

Are you an idiot? There is a cooked man out there on your land.

We don't want to bloody die for your heath project.

What do we do?

You'll never make it through the winter, not without money, not without men.

I don't need men. I can do it myself.

- The land will be cultivated this spring. - And what about Schinkel?

Schinkel takes turns between the maids.

He always brings one or two guards, so they don't run away.

When Johannes and I got married he raged because I was not his.

And now he has killed him.

Schinkel will not stop until he has won.

Where were you planning to go?

- As far away as I can get. - I would like to ask you to stay.

I can't both farm the fields and keep house.

- I need you. - Housekeeping?

My husband is dead and you are afraid that the floor won't be swept-

-or that everything is perfect as it usually is!

- I can pay you. - With what?

- You have no more money. - When the king hears...

Don't talk about the king as your friend. You have never met him.

You never will. He doesn't even know you exist.

What is Schinkel afraid of?

What happens to him if there are colonies out here?

Then he loses his power. He becomes an insignificant little man.

I will do the work of three men, so I shall have double pay.

And a fifth of the harvest.

A tenth.

And I want to know what you intend to grow.

- What is it? - Potatoes.

They grow them in Germany and France. They are hardy.

They can withstand almost anything. Just don't let them get frost.

My mother was a cook. On an estate.

She was in the same situation as you. With her landlord.

You are the son of a landowner?

He was my father, yes. But I was not his son.

Damn shit bowl!

What are you doing here?

I ran away from those ugly bastards.

I don't want to be sold.

Come!

You have to find the others again. You can't be here.

I can't take care of a child. We don't even have food for ourselves.

Cursed thief, cursed thief.

You have stolen my knife and tomorrow at seven o'clock you will lose your life.

A toe-biter! Take it bettefar!

- Are you an idiot? It eats children. - No, it doesn't.

It is much more afraid of you than you are of it. Come.

Madrum, Look! I'm holding a toe-biter!

I don't understand your gipsy words, Anmai Mus.

Madrum. It comes from Latin.

It is a root word for mother.

Madrum. Gudbings. And bettefar.

Yes, that's good. Now we are working.

But the miller took little Carl Andersen and threw him into the lake.

And then everyone knew that the miller drowned children every night.

- Why isn't anyone doing anything about that bastard? - It's coming. You want to hear more?

- Yes, damn it, what an asshole! - You have to stop swearing.

Why the hell didn't he just fly to the kids if he could fly?

The miller had four children himself.

You must drink it. Your lungs must rest.

Her body cannot resist the disease. She must have food.

- Porridge and water is not enough. - This is what we have.

- We have the potatoes. - We're not touching them.

We have one goat left. We have to survive on the milk all winter.

- There are 20 sacks of potatoes... - We're not touching them!

Edel's father says she blabbers on about Ludvig Kahlen in her letters home.

You don't think she likes him?

She is a realist. She would never choose a peasant-

-before the most prosperous man in the neighborhood. Never.

No, she wouldn't.

She is smarter than that. So what does she know that we don't?

He received a shipment all the way from Germany.

- Maybe it's potatoes. - Potatoes?

Don't they say that they can grow in almost any kind of soil?

Anmai Mus, go inside and rest.

Merry Christmas, Ludvig.

- You were hoping it was Edel. - What are you doing here, Schinkel?

de Schinkel, Ludvig. de Schinkel.

You're still here? Just come home when you get tired of the heath.

You will always be my little Ann Barbara.

I have actually come in good faith.

Leftovers from Christmas dinner. There is both pork and cake.

You might have to gnaw a bit to get the meat off the bones.

Come into the warmth. I have good news for you.

I have not been reasonable.

You come out here to the heathland with your big dream.

And I just sit up there on the estate and ruin it all for you.

- Aren't you curious? - It's money.

Yes. It's 2000 shilling.

That's enough for two colonies and to hire as many men as you want.

- You can live like a king. - I will not work for you.

You will not work for anyone. Just go somewhere else and work the fields.

As long as it's far away from me so we don't have to stare at each other.

Start over somewhere else.

And the pouch is yours.

Then we have a deal.

I want to go home to my warm stove.

One more thing. You must of course report to The Treasury-

-that this is my land and always has been.

Ludvig.

Ludvig.

The goat is worth a hundred times more than a shitty sack of potatoes. You know that.

What if the harvest fails? Ludvig, don't... Ludvig!

I know it's the porridge.

I don't hear her out there anymore.

Tell me again. What happens when the colonists arrive, bettefar?

When the colonists come we can use the whole heath-

-and then the king will come and visit us.

The top bings.

Yes. Then the top bings comes and visit us.

And then there will be fireplaces in every room, we will have sealed windows.

And you get all the food you can eat.

And we will have animals in the barn.

As many animals as Noah had on his ark.

I have given my blanket to Anmai Mus.

I just need to get the heat up.

I know that your heart belongs to another. So does mine.

Is there any more porridge?

- When do they come up? - In two or three months.

And then there will be many more of them. Hundreds of sacks.

- Fucking hell! Hundreds? - One more.

Frost!

Blankets are not enough. Take the heath. Take the heath!

Bettefar, a sprout!

Bettefar, bettefar, a sprout!

A sprout! Come, come!

A sprout, bettefar! A sprout!

And it was you who found it, Anmai Mus.

And it was you who found it.

"Cultivated on the heath. L. Kahlen."

Do you realize what this means, Mr. Paulli? It took us five decades to get here.

Stop it, Mr. Paulli. You are behaving as if he invented the wheel.

- It took a year to grow one sack. - 80 sacks. According to this.

- His Majesty the King! - Your Majesty.

We are said to have received a consignment of potatoes from Jutlandheath.

- That's right, but... - This is a great day for Denmark.

Send colonists there and make sure to send a suitable reward.

What?

Miss? The captain has managed to grow potatoes on the heath.

- Where did you hear that? - Bondo's chambermaid.

He is now a royal surveyor. 50 colonists are on their way from Germany.

I have never doubted. Never. Neither has God.

And speaking of Our Lord, I will leave you now for a while.

- Tomorrow morning I will go to Odense. - Then you have your head in a bucket.

Then to Copenhagen to collect money for the first church on the heath.

Cheers! Pancakes!

- Cheers. - Cheers.

Peat...

...moss is often atrocious...

Nutritious. "Atrocious" is something completely different.

- Nutritious. - Ludvig?

Are you Ludvig Kahlen?

Welcome to King's House.

You who stand here today will go down in history-

-as the king's first colonists on the Danish heathland.

Building materials for your houses are on their way.

You can camp in the valley shielded from wind and get rest from your journey.

- We have bread and meat for everyone. - What is she doing here?

She works here. She helps us with the animals and the land survey.

- Anmai Mus, come. - No!

Her kind brings misfortune and death. If we are to stay, she must go.

I'll keep her from your wives and children. She stays in the house.

You will not notice her.

Let time pass and they will realize that you are not dangerous at all.

It's like I reek of a stench.

There's nothing wrong with you.

They are afraid of you even though they should know better.

Just as you once were afraid of little beetles.

I thought you said that you don't stink.

Stop teasing. You're bad at it.

There's someone in here stinking of a stench.

- You smell like horse piss! - What did you say?

I have never... That's the worst thing I've ever heard!

Two steps to the right. That's it!

And then you write "220" in this column.

A two, a two and a circle.

Won't the wig-thingy be angry when we are so close to his castle?

Maybe he will. But he is no longer in charge here.

Dearest Frederik. Looks like you can remain an important pawn out here-

-even though colonists have arrived.

But Ludvig Kahlen is a royal surveyor now.

If you fight him you risk everything.

You must make peace with him.

Then say that you want to marry with me here and now.

What is holding you back? You say I'm going to be an important pawn.

Then say yes.

Say yes.

You think I don't know about your plan, do you?

You've probably already spread your legs for him.

Let go of me. Let go of me!

Come on, let's go. Hit me again.

Hit me again.

- Lord... - What are you doing?

What is it?

No, no!

Stop, stop, stop! Stop it, stop it!

Stop it, Frederik!

You are crazy. You are crazy.

Kahlen and his potato boys will get off my heath, Bondo.

He will go away.

It's this way. There's plenty of food in there.

- What's going on? - I thought I was dreaming.

Stay here.

Easy, easy. Steady.

Go inside and lock the doors.

Yes...

- Clean cut. It wasn't the wolves. - They must have smelled the blood.

What is happening? Half of our animals are dead. Who did it?

Peter?

Peter!

- Peter. - Vera!

Vera!

What kind of horse are you riding?

You have killed two innocent civilians.

I hope you have strong evidence for such a preposterous claim.

- But I am only a magistrate. - They were under the protection of the king.

I think you have been visited by highwaymen.

Several of my farms have been affected.

Once they've got blood in their teeth they come again and again.

- And they come again. - Stay away from the heath.

Is that understood?

Chaos, Ludvig. You can lay all the plans you want.

Life is chaos. Why is it so hard for you to accept?

Can I have a glass of water, please?

Sure you can. The well is just outside.

- What? - Ann Barbara.

We would like to be left alone.

Of course we do.

- I thought she was your housekeeper. - She is.

You should not have come.

I know who killed the colonists.

Major Preisler and his friend Rømer came to the estate with four men in chains.

They must have taken them from the prison.

- Are they still on the estate? - No.

They won't stop here. Is there somewhere else they could be?

Where they can hide?

Frederik's hunting lodge.

- What are you going to do? - You'd better go back, now.

Let's go.

See you.

I know who killed Peter and Vera. And I know where they are.

We would never have come here if we had known that you were at war with a landowner.

- You should have said that. - It's the king's land.

The law is on our side.

The attackers are coming back. Do you understand? We must stop them.

Have any of you been in the army?

None of us will lift a finger until you send the devil girl away.

- She has nothing to do with this. - We don't want to hear it, Kahlen!

We said she was bad luck. Now two of our people are dead.

Send her away, or we leave.

And then you can forget about your colony.

What are you saying?

We can't just send her away. She is our child.

- Then let them go. - Stop.

I have no choice.

Yes, you do.

But everything must follow Ludvig Kahlen's grand plan.

You just want your title of nobility so you can mix with the good people.

What do you want me to do?

I have no choice.

There is a convent in Odense where they take in homeless children.

She gets food and a bed, but she has to work for food.

You will be happy where you are going.

There are many other children there.

So...

Yes...

You will have a good life.

You have learned to read. You know all about how to take care of animals.

Now you must be strong.

So... - Go!

Bettefar! Bettefar!

How long are we going to stay in this dump?

Until the work is done.

Twelve years in the penitentiary, and he calls this a dump?

I'll go inside and rest. We will ride in an hour. Get your weapons ready.

What the hell is going on?

The Germans attacked us. I was the only one who escaped.

Those damn potato farmers!

Everything was done with military precision. Led by Kahlen.

And you're here drinking! You should have stayed and fought, you coward!

Give me new men, and I'll fix him for good.

- Then do it! What are you waiting for? - Did you see who killed Rømer?

Kahlen.

So he murdered a former Danish officer in cold blood and we have a witness.

The Germans told us what happened. And where you were tonight.

You managed to collect money for the church?

They also said that you sent away Anmai Mus.

- Where is Ann Barbara? - There was a letter.

Not coming back

If you can prove that Kahlen has killed an officer...

We can. Major Preisler saw it with his own eyes.

- We want to help you, Schinkel. - de Schinkel.

No landowner wants Kahlen to build his colony.

But there is one thing that we all wonder about.

It is the distribution of revenues that you propose.

It is my land, my heath. It is only fair that I get most of it.

It's not your land, Schinkel.

- You know that very well. - de Schinkel.

And if things go well you can have a tenth like the rest of us.

You sit and insult me in my own home.

You can forget it. Forget it!

Mr. de Schinkel accepts your terms.

He just needs to sleep on it. But we have a deal.

For fuck's sake.

He has killed an officer. An officer.

In addition, he has managed to unite Jutland's most powerful landowners.

Men who normally hate each other like the plague. In a united front.

Against us! I'm not taking the case for him. I sure as hell won't.

We agreed that Kahlen would not be up to the task.

Maybe we should investigate what has happened.

His Majesty was impressed by how far Kahlen had come.

His Majesty doesn't know anything about who Kahlen is, you idiot.

He is drunk around the clock.

He doesn't care who's on the heath, as long as it's someone.

If we say yes to the landlords' proposal, we condemn Kahlen.

Without a trial, without hearing his side of the story.

You still haven't understood it.

When the king asks nothing has changed.

The colony is still under construction. Everything is going according to plan.

We cannot condemn a man who never existed.

You are staying illegally on the land of Frederik de Schinkel!

You must leave the area immediately and report to the Hald estate.

- You have until tonight to pack. - Preisler!

Get out of here! The colony is under the king's protection.

Not anymore. The land now belongs to Mr. de Schinkel and his partner.

The deed is signed and sealed by the King's Treasury.

In the name of God, enough is enough!

- I must ask you to leave the camp. - Don't interfere, Eklund. Go home.

You have no authority whatsoever here, Preisler.

You are employed by a private landowner.

What do you think the authorities will say when they hear that you are a murderer?

Anton, don't.

That you rode in with a bunch of criminals and murdered innocent people.

Shut up, Anton. Go home.

The Treasury may not believe in a bunch of German farmers-

-but I am a man of God and I guarantee you...

Stop it!

De Schinkel has taken over King's House. Out of the way.

They have arrested Ludvig Kahlen. de Schinkel has taken over Kungenshus.

Open the door! Let me out!

Don't go out to him, miss. It only makes it worse for him.

It's crazy that this is where we have ended up, Ludvig.

It's completely unnecessary.

Say it's my land, that it has always been my land-

-and I will let you live.

I promise you that.

It's the king's land.

Tell them that they can start boiling the water.

- Lise. - Have you got work here again?

The gentleman has asked for a glass of liqueur. Will you arrange it?

What are you doing here?

Let it cool down a bit.

Lord, Miss Edel wishes to see you in your chamber.

Now she wants to see me in my chamber.

No, thank you. I will stay here.

Miss said she wants to negotiate the terms of an engagement.

You marry me and I will spare Kahlen's life. Is that how it is?

Yes, it is.

That is my only condition.

You are a deceitful goose and one cannot trust a word out of your mouth...

-but if you show me here and now that you mean what you say-

-then I promise to let him out, and the court will decide his fate.

Show you?

Now stop it. You know very well what I mean.

Right here on the floor?

Or should we take to the bed?

We can do whatever you want. We can also do both.

I seem to have had a glass of wine too much.

Phew...!

Ann Barbara?

You can't be in here.

Get out! Guard!

You will be hanged for this, you sow!

No, no, don't...!

This is for Johannes.

- The lord of the manor is dead! - Ann Barbara has killed him!

Sorry it took so long.

I had to explain to The Treasury how everything was connected.

The Germans have gone, Ludvig.

Miss Edel has gone home to her family in Norway.

You can keep King's House. But heaven knows-

-if they ever send for new colonists.

Ann Barbara?

We won't see her again.

She is in Aalborg prison for life.

No visits. No chance to get out.

Have you changed the water? Then go in and change the water!

I need a strong worker in the house.

Someone who is good with animals and has learned to how to write numbers in a surveyor's book.

You don't know where I can find one of those, do you?

I should not have sent you away.

I promise never to let you down again.

I promise to always take care of you.

- When is she coming back? - She's not coming back.

She is happy where she is now.

I think she lives on the beach in a little house by the water-

-as she has always said.

If Gudbings is in heaven and the Germans are gone-

-only you and I will be left, bettefar.

But the two of us are on our own. What?

41.18.

16.

I don't think it will rain anyway. We can let the goats out on the grass.

Hey, guys. Do you need your windows fixed or have something replaced?

No, we don't. We don't need anything.

What about knives that need sharpening?

We need five new windows and have a box of knives to be sharpened...

-and the barn must be sealed for the winter and the well needs new stones.

- She's a quant fant, isn't she? - Stop!

- And you are a quant bings. - Are you a gypsy?

Anmai Mus?

Yes, further down. Yes, further down.

Yes, move your fingers. Yes, yes.

Ludvig von Kahlen, we have the honor... to give you this official decree on-

-that you, as agreed with The Treasury, be granted the title of county baron-

-with associated land use rights and 20 years of tax exemption.

Your apanage will take effect when the colony is completed.

- Yes, it is 2000 shillings annually. - The colony?

Yes, it is. We are sending out for 400 colonists this spring.

They will be busy enough.

Can we congratulate you, von Kahlen?

This is a huge achievement.

I finally got them sent off. I have never seen two grown men-

-be so engrossed by a potato plant. Snaps!

- How are the hemorrhoids doing? - I don't talk about them anymore.

People still don't understand the pain that I go through.

You have received another rejection to have Ann Barbara's sentence shortened.

Unfortunately, I have more bad news.

The female prisoners in Aalborg will be sent to the Stockade slave camp in Copenhagen.

Ann Barbara too.

You know as well as I do what slavery means.

Those poor people don't live long.

I am sorry that I had to tell you this.

Can I have the bottle for the return journey?

Things rarely turn out the way we imagined them, Ludvig.

Thanks for everything, bettefar.

Ludvig Kahlen left the heath in 1763

His noble title was annulled