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WWW.MY-SUBS.CO

1
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<i>I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred.</i>

2
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<i>Edward marched his forces to Eoferwic,
where he received momentous news.</i>

3
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:23,280
We have been both blessed and cursed.

4
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There can be no more bastards.

5
00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:26,720
We are to be wed.

6
00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:28,880
Let us fetch a priest.

7
00:00:30,920 --> 00:00:32,000
So soon, Father?

8
00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:33,760
So I am to be replaced also.

9
00:00:34,240 --> 00:00:37,360
<i>Aelfweard left the city
with reluctant company...</i>

10
00:00:37,439 --> 00:00:38,800
Journey to where?

11
00:00:38,880 --> 00:00:40,320
To join my grandfather.

12
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<i>...for Aethelhelm had traveled north</i>

13
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<i>and made an alliance
with King Constantin of Scotland.</i>

14
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You help me raise rebellion
against the king,

15
00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:52,640
we put my grandson
on the throne in Wessex,

16
00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,960
we would offer half the profits
from the lands of Mercia

17
00:00:57,040 --> 00:00:59,760
through a marriage bond
to the Lady Aelfwynn.

18
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<i>Lady Aelswith failed
in her attempt to free Aelfwynn...</i>

19
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<i>...from Aethelhelm's men.</i>

20
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Do not fight it!

21
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Aelfwynn! Run!

22
00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,360
<i>Following Sigtryggr's death,</i>

23
00:01:17,440 --> 00:01:20,840
<i>Stiorra sought revenge
against those who brought her sorrow.</i>

24
00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:22,760
Please tell me
Brida is your captive.

25
00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:23,880
I cannot.

26
00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:26,680
Then tell me she will be mine
so that I may punish her.

27
00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,880
<i>Knowing our fates are entwined,
I answered Brida's call.</i>

28
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<i>We both knew this was a fight to
the death, but our bonds were too deep.</i>

29
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I will not kill you.

30
00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:41,240
If there was hope before,
there can be hope again.

31
00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,520
- What have you done?!
- Ragnar...

32
00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:50,120
<i>Destiny is all.</i>

33
00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,840
<i>What are you doing here?</i>

34
00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:00,360
I will see you in Valhalla.

35
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Stiorra.

36
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Stiorra!

37
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Stiorra! Why will you not speak with me?

38
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I have freed you from her curse,
there is nothing more for us to say.

39
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She did not curse me.
She was coming back to me.

40
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She could have been saved.

41
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Sigtryggr did not have
the chance to be saved.

42
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I will never understand
why you were granting it to her.

43
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You could have stopped her,
but you never did.

44
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You let this happen, many times.

45
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It is done. It is over now.

46
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Stiorra, please come with me.

47
00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:44,480
We can go home.

48
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You have no home.

49
00:03:47,080 --> 00:03:49,000
You have nothing to offer me.

50
00:03:50,640 --> 00:03:52,760
Stiorra, you have suffered too much.

51
00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:56,360
No! Those who have hurt me
have suffered too little.

52
00:03:56,440 --> 00:04:00,200
No one has felt pain like I have endured.
Not yet.

53
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Your life is not over.

54
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Yes, you have lost,
but you will find new purpose.

55
00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,400
We carry our losses,
but we journey onward.

56
00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:12,200
I will journey onward, yes,
but not with you.

57
00:04:13,320 --> 00:04:14,320
We will build here.

58
00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:17,680
There is wood and fresh water and loyalty.

59
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Other Danes are coming.

60
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- We will live as Danes and die as Danes.
- You will not find peace here.

61
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Then I will find it
in Sigtryggr's dead embrace.

62
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No, do not say that.
That path is not meant for you.

63
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That is not what the gods want.

64
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I no longer believe in destiny.

65
00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:49,560
You have always spoken as though
every action is part of some plan.

66
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Everything you have done has been excused
because it was not your choice.

67
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That is not true.
I have not walked blindly.

68
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All your battles,
all those you have killed.

69
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You chose them over your family
and called it fate.

70
00:05:03,200 --> 00:05:06,600
What your destiny has brought me
is pain and grief.

71
00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,520
So now my choice
is to turn my back on you.

72
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Yah!

73
00:06:45,720 --> 00:06:47,080
Lord Aethelhelm...

74
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You have visitors.

75
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- The Lady Aelfwynn is here?
- No.

76
00:06:57,160 --> 00:07:00,320
Then kindly tell them I will attend
when I am ready.

77
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I am not your lackey.

78
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You may be an ally of King Constantin,
but you are a guest in my fortress...

79
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I am ready.

80
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Who is here for me?

81
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- Your grandson.
- Aelfweard?

82
00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:19,840
Why did you not say?

83
00:07:30,080 --> 00:07:34,200
Now, this, this is a mercy!

84
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Oh, beloved child of my child!

85
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At last we're reunited.

86
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Oh, no.

87
00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,640
Oh, now, whatever is the matter?

88
00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:47,560
You've been told of my mother's death?

89
00:07:50,320 --> 00:07:51,320
Of course.

90
00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:55,280
And though my heart is broken...

91
00:07:56,480 --> 00:08:01,080
having you here is some reprieve
from the unending sadness.

92
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My father has already remarried.

93
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The new queen is with child.

94
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Ah.

95
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It will likely be a boy,
your father's seed is strong,

96
00:08:10,960 --> 00:08:14,080
and should he view you
as a threat to the succession,

97
00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:16,160
then your life will be in danger.

98
00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,880
My worst fears come to pass.

99
00:08:19,800 --> 00:08:21,600
I... I do not think he would harm me.

100
00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,840
The king can be most... unforgiving.

101
00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,280
Indeed, in my darkest hours,

102
00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:32,040
I imagine your mother's death
was on his command.

103
00:08:32,120 --> 00:08:33,960
No, it was the Danes.

104
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He may not have loved her as we did,
but... but that he would not do.

105
00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:44,760
Of course. I am sure you are right.

106
00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,760
But everything we do hence
is to honor her hopes for you.

107
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Are we united?

108
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Always. With a whole heart.

109
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And Father Benedict.

110
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Welcome to Bebbanburg!

111
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My everlasting thanks
for bringing the boy.

112
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All debt to me is paid.

113
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Twice over.

114
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Now come,
tonight we celebrate your arrival.

115
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Drink well, feast well, all.

116
00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:44,920
Great energy will be required
for the times ahead.

117
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Eat!

118
00:09:55,240 --> 00:09:56,360
How are we to proceed?

119
00:09:56,840 --> 00:09:58,440
Well, first...

120
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A wedding.

121
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King Constantin of Scotland travels here
to be married...

122
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to Lady Aelfwynn.

123
00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:17,960
My cousin is here?
May I see her?

124
00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:21,120
She has not yet arrived,
despite your grandfather's promises...

125
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She will be here.
She's simply taking her time.

126
00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,440
Like all women, she rides slowly.

127
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She wishes to marry this King Constantin?
I would not want her to be forced.

128
00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:35,040
She will understand
that it is for the best, my boy.

129
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It seals your alliance
with the Scottish king

130
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and gives him reason
to support our rebellion.

131
00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:42,880
It will provoke your father to war.

132
00:10:44,080 --> 00:10:46,920
A war? I thought you said
we could do this without bloodshed...

133
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Not war.

134
00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:53,680
Confrontation, which we will win.

135
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Some blood may be spilled,
some villages burned, but...

136
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We will present the king
with our superior strength

137
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and he will concede defeat.

138
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And in return for that concession,
you will be declared the next king.

139
00:11:16,920 --> 00:11:18,440
Then it will be an end.

140
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Or your father will be killed.

141
00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:28,880
Grandfather, reassure me
to kill my father is not part of the plan.

142
00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:31,000
I am a man of peace.

143
00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:35,040
All I do is for the good of the Saxons.

144
00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:38,840
Edward, he's grown tyrannical.

145
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Tell that to the Danes of Rumcofa
killed on your order.

146
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Each one complicit
in the murder of my daughter!

147
00:11:50,240 --> 00:11:52,640
Do not doubt me on this, Benedict.

148
00:11:53,640 --> 00:12:00,560
I have proved many times
that I am righteous in word and deed.

149
00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:04,040
Then I would hate for you
to meet that which you dread.

150
00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,760
I should like to pray, alone.

151
00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:16,280
I have verses I must study.

152
00:12:16,360 --> 00:12:18,000
Perhaps there are

153
00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:23,760
some wise words
in the book about the sort of man I am.

154
00:12:23,840 --> 00:12:27,680
Perhaps you do not know me as you think.

155
00:12:55,600 --> 00:12:58,320
Lord King,
word has returned from the south.

156
00:12:58,400 --> 00:13:01,360
Aelfweard is not in Winchester,
nor anywhere in Wessex.

157
00:13:04,880 --> 00:13:06,640
Do you think he went to Aethelhelm?

158
00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:08,600
It would seem likely.

159
00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:10,720
Though we know not where.

160
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The ingratitude.

161
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The dishonor of it.
How could the boy be so foolish?

162
00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,760
He is still in grief for his mother
and our marriage was quite hasty.

163
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- Do not attempt to dilute my anger.
- He is a boy. As my child will be a boy.

164
00:13:33,960 --> 00:13:36,280
No mother wants
to see a man reject his son.

165
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:37,920
As ever, you speak with reason.

166
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I am wounded by his betrayal.

167
00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:43,160
As you should be.
It is a grievous offense.

168
00:13:43,240 --> 00:13:48,080
I thought I had more mastery of things,
but now I find myself reacting yet again

169
00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:51,280
to Aethelhelm's provocation,
unable to gain the momentum.

170
00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:54,200
Dragging myself on horseback to chase him.

171
00:13:54,280 --> 00:13:56,520
The momentum brought you Eoferwic.

172
00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,480
And your boldness against Sigtryggr
won you a kingdom that eluded your father.

173
00:14:00,560 --> 00:14:02,720
At whose arrangements? Aethelhelm's.

174
00:14:03,640 --> 00:14:07,560
- That is a cruel irony, yes, but it...
- I fear it is more than that.

175
00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:11,920
What does this mean?

176
00:14:14,080 --> 00:14:17,240
All of it, why... why does it occur?

177
00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:21,760
In unreasonable haste,
I win Mercia and Eoferwic.

178
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:25,400
Two conquests that evaded kings
greater than I...

179
00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:27,080
- You deserve your success.
- Do I?

180
00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:29,640
Perhaps God tests me.

181
00:14:31,040 --> 00:14:33,680
Or perhaps the devil tempts me
to overplay my hand.

182
00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,880
This humiliation...

183
00:14:37,640 --> 00:14:42,880
this betrayal by my son...

184
00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,400
...it is a moment that challenges my pride
and I must think clearly.

185
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Aelfweard is lost to me.

186
00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,280
Were we to find him,
this I would struggle to forgive.

187
00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,960
To flee the palace and ally with a man

188
00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:10,360
who has done so much wrong
to me and to Wessex,

189
00:15:10,440 --> 00:15:12,040
I do not think I can forgive it.

190
00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:20,480
We have another son in your belly.

191
00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,480
Perhaps I should accept
Aelfweard is forfeit

192
00:15:29,560 --> 00:15:32,480
and allow him to range
like a fugitive with Aethelhelm.

193
00:15:43,880 --> 00:15:45,760
That will mean he is always a threat.

194
00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,800
Better a threat away from Winchester
than within the palace.

195
00:15:48,880 --> 00:15:51,600
Well, it would take great strength
to ignore such an offense.

196
00:15:51,680 --> 00:15:55,720
I know and I struggle with it,
but my heart tells me

197
00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,440
to not once again take the bait
Aethelhelm has cast upon the waters.

198
00:16:03,800 --> 00:16:07,840
I ignore provocation,
fortify enough to rebuff them,

199
00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:10,880
but do not chase them down
and walk into a trap.

200
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:15,000
Am I foolish? Is that the devil's course?

201
00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:19,680
Well, I...

202
00:16:21,560 --> 00:16:24,120
I would never try to guess
the mind of the devil.

203
00:16:26,160 --> 00:16:30,720
Just as I would never suggest
you forfeit your son for my child.

204
00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:34,400
But as one who counsels you, I would say

205
00:16:34,480 --> 00:16:37,640
it is a wise strategy
to settle for these gains.

206
00:16:39,160 --> 00:16:41,840
You control three of the four kingdoms.

207
00:16:43,080 --> 00:16:46,120
In time, our son can fight for the last.

208
00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:51,120
There is no dishonor in this path
if you choose it with a clean heart.

209
00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:54,280
- If I do not play, Aethelhelm cannot win.
- Mm.

210
00:16:56,120 --> 00:16:58,040
He then dances to my song.

211
00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:00,480
And I prevail.

212
00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:06,680
After the fight is over...

213
00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:10,880
when we agree a truce,

214
00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,319
we build a new palace...

215
00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:18,079
in Lundene.

216
00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:23,440
It stands between Mercia and Wessex.
It's well placed for trade.

217
00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:26,240
It should be at the heart
of your new kingdom.

218
00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:30,240
This is all very ambitious, Grandfather.

219
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:33,119
I only hope I'm worthy
of your faith in me.

220
00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:36,800
It is not mere faith! It is your blood!

221
00:17:38,280 --> 00:17:40,240
With the right advice...

222
00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:46,360
your people will sing of you
as Aelfweard the Great!

223
00:17:46,440 --> 00:17:52,200
Your reign will hold in the same esteem
as Charlemagne!

224
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:59,440
And we will raise a minster
to your dear mother.

225
00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:06,440
Under your rule, never again
will a heathen harm any of our people.

226
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:11,600
Never will a boy lose his mother
as you did.

227
00:18:16,520 --> 00:18:20,120
- Is he drunk?
- He has not been on the ale.

228
00:18:20,200 --> 00:18:25,680
I think perhaps he really believes
he can unseat the Saxon king.

229
00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:30,280
Maybe it's time to kiss his arse?

230
00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:33,360
I am a man of low principles.

231
00:18:33,440 --> 00:18:37,000
- I prefer to call you pragmatic, Lord.
- Mm.

232
00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:43,040
Yet even I would not stoop
to seek the favor of that...

233
00:18:43,120 --> 00:18:44,800
...Wessex turd.

234
00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,000
I am not certain that our host
welcomes your ambition.

235
00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:03,360
Then he will learn what happens
when you cross men like us.

236
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:09,000
You! Boy!

237
00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:12,720
- Fetch me ale! Fetch ale for your king.
- Ye... Yes, Lord.

238
00:19:22,400 --> 00:19:25,320
Watch his back hoof, he's tired.

239
00:19:26,760 --> 00:19:28,360
I have abused his good nature.

240
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:35,880
Uhtred.

241
00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:40,960
She failed to kill me.

242
00:19:43,440 --> 00:19:45,640
What a joy
to see you well, Pyrlig.

243
00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:52,240
- Did you find her?
- Yes, I found her.

244
00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:53,880
Where is she now?

245
00:19:55,120 --> 00:19:56,480
She's with the gods.

246
00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:58,280
- You decided to kill her?
- No.

247
00:19:58,360 --> 00:20:01,880
You were right. But, uh...

248
00:20:05,840 --> 00:20:06,840
I will tell you all.

249
00:20:07,760 --> 00:20:12,040
For now I want you to go to your sister.
She has secluded herself in the forest.

250
00:20:12,120 --> 00:20:17,280
I want you to find her, speak with her
and make her come to Rumcofa.

251
00:20:18,360 --> 00:20:19,920
Why has she gone to the forest?

252
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,920
She believes there's no place for her,
but she's wrong.

253
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,560
She has suffered much, Uhtred.

254
00:20:25,040 --> 00:20:27,680
Perhaps it is wiser to let her be
rather than to command her.

255
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,000
No, I shall not abandon her again.

256
00:20:30,080 --> 00:20:32,640
I will prove there is a place
for her in Rumcofa.

257
00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,040
And that I can be a true father.

258
00:20:36,120 --> 00:20:41,280
Father, the sentiment is truly noble,
but Stiorra has been a queen.

259
00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,520
She cannot live
in Rumcofa as a trader's wife.

260
00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,440
Besides, too much has happened there
for it to be a place of sanctuary.

261
00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,160
Nevertheless, it is all we have.

262
00:20:58,800 --> 00:20:59,800
Lord!

263
00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,080
Ah. You're alive.

264
00:21:04,160 --> 00:21:05,160
I am.

265
00:21:05,600 --> 00:21:06,760
And Brida?

266
00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:09,120
No.

267
00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:14,320
I know you did what you could.
At least it's over now, hmm?

268
00:21:16,680 --> 00:21:19,480
We know you will have chosen
the right path, Uhtred.

269
00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:23,040
You should take some time, rest yourself.

270
00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:24,720
Indeed.

271
00:21:25,600 --> 00:21:30,680
I was thinking it is time we go back
to the peace of Rumcofa.

272
00:21:31,840 --> 00:21:34,120
I promised I'd return you
to your families.

273
00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,600
The danger's over now.
We can stop running for Wessex,

274
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:39,040
make some coin from the toll
on the trade river.

275
00:21:40,160 --> 00:21:43,520
Fight the raiders,
go back to how things were.

276
00:21:45,960 --> 00:21:48,240
Lord, no.

277
00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:50,680
Our families have fled to Wessex, Lord.

278
00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:52,880
They have settled.
They are waiting for us.

279
00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:57,160
Our lives in Rumcofa are destroyed.
Let the dead rest in peace, hey?

280
00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:03,160
But it can be a home,
a real home for us, for our families.

281
00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:06,720
- Aethelstan, you loved it there.
- I did.

282
00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:11,176
- I do wish to be alongside you...
- And I want you there.

283
00:22:11,200 --> 00:22:17,160
I also wish to serve my father.
He needs loyalty. And I... I need...

284
00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,920
I understand.
You will come visit us, I'm sure.

285
00:22:20,800 --> 00:22:21,800
Lord...

286
00:22:22,880 --> 00:22:26,840
Uhtred, we are brothers for life,
thick and thin.

287
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,080
We'll ride with you to death.
You know that.

288
00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:32,840
But this is not the right choice, Lord.
Our time in Rumcofa has passed.

289
00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,200
There... There are too many things there
to remind us of what we have lost.

290
00:22:36,280 --> 00:22:37,720
But we cannot roam forever.

291
00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:42,080
We cannot leave our children
without a place to find comfort.

292
00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:43,800
Uhtred, come on!

293
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,440
I've lost Stiorra
until I can offer her hope.

294
00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:49,560
I need you to agree.

295
00:22:54,920 --> 00:23:01,480
If you command Rumcofa, we'll follow you.
But I ask, is there another path?

296
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:12,440
Open the front gate!

297
00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:26,360
A lesson for you, act with confidence,
providence smiles.

298
00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:33,240
Lady Aelfwynn.

299
00:23:35,200 --> 00:23:37,280
Will you come down from your horse?

300
00:23:38,080 --> 00:23:40,960
- Do I have any choice in the matter?
- Do not be afraid.

301
00:23:41,040 --> 00:23:44,160
I do not intend violence,
merely to bring peace.

302
00:23:51,120 --> 00:23:52,360
Where's Bresal?

303
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,160
There was a fight.
He did not survive. I'm sorry, Lord.

304
00:23:56,240 --> 00:23:58,040
I know he was a good friend to you.

305
00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:04,920
The men I truly count as friends
do not die so easily.

306
00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:23,920
Lord King!

307
00:24:32,240 --> 00:24:34,920
One moment.

308
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:46,840
- Lord King, Lady Aelswith is here.
- Yes.

309
00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:50,800
My King, whatever's the matter?

310
00:24:50,880 --> 00:24:53,480
Prepare for a new attack.

311
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:57,880
- The Danes? Or Aethelhelm?
- Neither.

312
00:24:58,720 --> 00:25:00,280
Shorter and more vicious.

313
00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:04,520
Oh, my dearest son.

314
00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:08,120
Mother, what happened to your plan
to spirit Aelfwynn away from Mercia?

315
00:25:08,200 --> 00:25:12,760
It went awry and so I bring grave news.

316
00:25:12,840 --> 00:25:15,680
- Aelfwynn was captured on the road.
- By who?

317
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:20,680
We are not certain, but one,
at least, did not survive my wrath.

318
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:22,400
We believe them to be hired men.

319
00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:25,240
We suspect an association
with Lord Aethelhelm.

320
00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,760
Rouse Lord Aldhelm, tell him
I come imminently to discuss the matter.

321
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,920
Send a command to search for her now!

322
00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:43,720
What is there to discuss?

323
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,400
She is your blood and she is in danger.

324
00:25:48,120 --> 00:25:51,400
And that is to say nothing
of her value to your enemies.

325
00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,560
Edward, why do you hesitate?

326
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:57,120
I'm not hesitating!

327
00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:00,400
I am simply not rushing blindly
into action.

328
00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:02,800
- Edward, why...
- Please do not argue with me, Mother.

329
00:26:02,880 --> 00:26:06,560
- She is Aethelflaed's child!
- I am aware of her bloodline.

330
00:26:06,640 --> 00:26:08,600
But I am also aware of Lord Aethelhelm.

331
00:26:09,560 --> 00:26:13,360
I will not react with haste to
this provocation, nor chase him blindly.

332
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:14,840
We do not even know where he is,

333
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,560
so allow me to follow what I know
to be the right path.

334
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,160
Oh, you have not had the chance
to meet properly.

335
00:26:31,560 --> 00:26:34,080
- Mother, this is your new...
- I will not acknowledge

336
00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,200
whichever harlot you've decided to bed!

337
00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:38,400
I was going to say this is your new queen.

338
00:26:40,160 --> 00:26:41,880
Eadgifu and I are wed.

339
00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:43,320
She is with child.

340
00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:52,600
Well...

341
00:26:53,400 --> 00:26:56,520
A... A baby will be a blessing.

342
00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:57,600
Thank you.

343
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,080
I... I did not mean to call you, um...

344
00:27:04,800 --> 00:27:08,160
I would kneel,
but my bones are stiff from...

345
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,880
No, I quite understand.
You are no longer young in years...

346
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:14,040
From slaughtering a man
with my bare hands.

347
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:18,280
A slight exaggeration.

348
00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:21,880
I drove a knife through his neck.

349
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:25,160
I was not wearing gloves.

350
00:27:33,120 --> 00:27:36,440
It has been an eventful time.

351
00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,280
Mm. Then you have surely earned
a good rest.

352
00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:45,360
I will ensure you are given
the grandest chamber in Eoferwic.

353
00:27:45,440 --> 00:27:47,200
The king and I can sleep elsewhere.

354
00:27:50,800 --> 00:27:52,800
It is my honor to honor you.

355
00:27:53,440 --> 00:27:56,840
I hope, in time,
you deem me worthy of your son.

356
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,000
What has changed within my son, I wonder,

357
00:28:08,640 --> 00:28:11,800
that he has no appetite
to fight for his niece

358
00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:13,880
and against Lord Aethelhelm, no less?

359
00:28:14,960 --> 00:28:16,920
His new bride, perhaps?

360
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,200
No, I do not think
the king's so easily distracted.

361
00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,200
Then he maneuvers in ways
I simply cannot understand.

362
00:28:26,880 --> 00:28:30,040
Lady Aelswith,
there is another possibility.

363
00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:34,400
You have silver.
You could easily buy the men to find her.

364
00:28:34,480 --> 00:28:37,760
Silver? For the honor
of saving the blood of Alfred?

365
00:28:37,840 --> 00:28:40,920
- I merely suggest...
- Men should be paying me

366
00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,520
for the privilege of fighting in her name.

367
00:28:47,400 --> 00:28:50,680
As ever, the Lord provides.

368
00:28:54,680 --> 00:28:56,600
I have a job for you.

369
00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,160
Lord Uhtred, it is Eadith.

370
00:29:11,720 --> 00:29:12,720
Yes?

371
00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,120
I thought you had left for Frankia.

372
00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:21,960
The gods had other ideas.

373
00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,400
It has been quite the journey.

374
00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:26,680
It is a relief to see you.

375
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:29,560
Mm, do not be too hasty.
I bring only trouble.

376
00:29:32,480 --> 00:29:33,880
I have spoken with your men.

377
00:29:34,480 --> 00:29:36,400
They say you are returning to Rumcofa.

378
00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:38,320
I am.

379
00:29:39,280 --> 00:29:41,400
You are welcome to join us
should you wish.

380
00:29:42,320 --> 00:29:43,320
That is kind.

381
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:46,480
Are you set on this path?

382
00:29:47,200 --> 00:29:52,400
Yes. I know the men have suffered there,

383
00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:57,800
but I have to take Stiorra away
from Eoferwic and the lands she has lost.

384
00:30:01,080 --> 00:30:02,360
A darkness has found her.

385
00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:05,560
What has happened to her?

386
00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:12,320
I did not stop it.

387
00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:19,800
I did not protect her.

388
00:30:22,480 --> 00:30:24,280
Well, perhaps I could talk with her.

389
00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:27,480
Find a way to cure her heart.

390
00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:31,560
I'm afraid it's already too late.

391
00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,320
For many years I was not there
when she needed me.

392
00:30:36,400 --> 00:30:39,360
I gave my life to Wessex and the Saxons.

393
00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:41,600
This feeling I know.

394
00:30:44,480 --> 00:30:45,840
My children have suffered.

395
00:30:46,600 --> 00:30:50,600
I never gave them a chance to live
as a family after they lost their mother.

396
00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:55,360
I thought that to be absent was to protect
them from the dangers I faced, but...

397
00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,000
I was not a father, not as they deserved.

398
00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,040
Stiorra is being swallowed by a dread.

399
00:31:12,000 --> 00:31:13,800
I've seen it before. In Brida.

400
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:15,240
I've seen what it can do.

401
00:31:17,040 --> 00:31:20,880
She needs a place to heal,
to become herself again.

402
00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:24,080
And that place is Rumcofa?

403
00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:28,800
I do not know, but it is all I have got.

404
00:31:31,040 --> 00:31:37,960
- Why do you ask me of this?
- Aelfwynn has been taken by Aethelhelm.

405
00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:44,520
The king is reluctant to act,
so Lady Aelswith and I were wondering

406
00:31:44,600 --> 00:31:48,520
- if perhaps you might gather your men...
- No, Eadith, I cannot.

407
00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:51,720
She is Lady Aethelflaed's daughter.
You swore to protect her.

408
00:31:51,800 --> 00:31:54,760
I cannot give myself to others
when my daughter needs me!

409
00:32:02,040 --> 00:32:03,800
Lady Aelswith has silver.

410
00:32:04,280 --> 00:32:06,920
I've tried to persuade her to buy men,
but she will not. She's...

411
00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:08,920
The king should look to his duty.

412
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:10,560
Not me, not you, the king.

413
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:12,840
The king is deaf to it.

414
00:32:15,840 --> 00:32:19,040
I'm sorry.
I have to take care of my daughter.

415
00:32:24,880 --> 00:32:25,960
So, what shall I do?

416
00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:37,600
Uhtred,
whatever you need for this pursuit,

417
00:32:37,680 --> 00:32:38,960
Mercia will supply.

418
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:45,280
- I will not be leaving to seek Aelfwynn.
- But you must.

419
00:32:45,360 --> 00:32:46,600
Edward has refused.

420
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:52,120
And yet I cannot help Mercia with this.
In time the king will come to his senses.

421
00:32:53,920 --> 00:32:56,120
- Trust that I have my reasons.
- Of course.

422
00:32:56,200 --> 00:33:00,240
But, please, speak with the king
on this matter, he will not heed me on it.

423
00:33:00,320 --> 00:33:03,480
- Despite himself, he listens to you.
- Lord Aldhelm!

424
00:33:03,560 --> 00:33:05,080
Not today.

425
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:08,200
Will you ask for me
to speak with the king?

426
00:33:08,280 --> 00:33:11,960
- I will summon you when the time is right.
- My business is urgent.

427
00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:17,120
- Lord Aethelhelm is fomenting rebellion.
- We know this. He will be stopped.

428
00:33:17,200 --> 00:33:18,320
I'm not so certain.

429
00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:21,520
He has the Scottish army on his side.

430
00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:24,680
He has made an alliance with Constantin

431
00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:27,160
and has offered him
the hand of Lady Aelfwynn.

432
00:33:28,440 --> 00:33:32,560
Of course. She is to be used in a bargain.

433
00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:34,400
How do you know this?

434
00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:36,680
I have heard Aethelhelm
speak of it himself.

435
00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,280
I escorted Lord Aelfweard
to find his grandfather.

436
00:33:46,360 --> 00:33:48,920
- Then you are an enemy of the king.
- I know.

437
00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:51,200
And I will accept
what punishments may come.

438
00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:56,520
But the threat from Aethelhelm
seemed too great to ignore.

439
00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,200
He is set on war with the king
and the Scots follow him.

440
00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:05,400
And when Christian realms
turn on each other, I fear all is lost.

441
00:34:05,480 --> 00:34:09,440
You should leave here. Protect yourself.
I will report your message.

442
00:34:14,239 --> 00:34:16,600
Lord Aethelhelm, where will we find him?

443
00:34:17,080 --> 00:34:20,560
In a fortress north of here,
name of Bebbanburg.

444
00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,159
He is the guest of Lord Wihtgar.

445
00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:43,320
I trust you slept well.

446
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:45,400
I did not sleep at all.

447
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:51,480
The howling of the wind can unsettle
those softened to such things.

448
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:52,560
Please, eat.

449
00:34:52,639 --> 00:34:55,320
You will find the food
is not what you are used to.

450
00:34:57,520 --> 00:34:59,040
It is the food of my lands.

451
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:01,320
And what a bounty your lands provide.

452
00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:06,560
Why have you brought me here?

453
00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:10,480
For your protection, child, from the king.

454
00:35:10,560 --> 00:35:12,960
He would never harm me. I am his blood.

455
00:35:13,440 --> 00:35:16,240
He has remarried.
The new queen is with child.

456
00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:18,800
He is creating a new bloodline.

457
00:35:20,520 --> 00:35:23,440
History has proven, time and again,

458
00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:27,360
a new regime wants rid
of remnants of the old.

459
00:35:28,800 --> 00:35:32,360
We are kin. I do not need this protection.

460
00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:35,520
The king has denied you
the throne your mother left you,

461
00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:38,720
murdered the ealdormen to seat himself.

462
00:35:38,800 --> 00:35:41,840
His disregard for you is apparent.

463
00:35:41,920 --> 00:35:45,640
If you were not here, you would surely
already be dead by his hand.

464
00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:50,680
And to secure your protection,
as your mother would have wished,

465
00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:53,720
we have found you a husband.

466
00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:59,080
I am already betrothed
to Cynlaef of Rumcofa.

467
00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:03,120
A boy from Rumcofa?

468
00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,720
Hardly a match
for a granddaughter of Alfred.

469
00:36:06,800 --> 00:36:09,200
No, you will marry a king.

470
00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:12,040
Not him!

471
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:15,920
Too much kinship is bad for a bloodline.

472
00:36:17,320 --> 00:36:21,320
It creates weak men,
and weak men make for weaker kings.

473
00:36:25,800 --> 00:36:29,000
I speak of Constantin of Scotland.

474
00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,040
An alliance with him
will leave Saxon lands safe.

475
00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:36,080
I do not wish to be traded like cattle.

476
00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:38,920
I do not see any other purpose for you.

477
00:36:41,200 --> 00:36:42,440
You are not a queen.

478
00:36:43,920 --> 00:36:45,480
You are not a warrior.

479
00:36:45,560 --> 00:36:49,160
You are, by your own admission,
barely a lady.

480
00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:53,800
It is a good marriage,
you should be grateful.

481
00:36:55,960 --> 00:36:58,480
Please, cousin. If you have

482
00:36:58,560 --> 00:37:02,680
- any remaining loyalty to your family...
- It is not I who has been disloyal.

483
00:37:03,560 --> 00:37:05,920
It's my family
who has been disloyal to me.

484
00:37:12,360 --> 00:37:16,240
I will throw myself from the walls
sooner than marry this man.

485
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:17,520
Then do it!

486
00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:22,400
It will just be one less thing
for me to be concerned with.

487
00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:29,880
I thought so.
Do not make promises you cannot keep.

488
00:37:59,560 --> 00:38:02,160
What is it that you want of me?

489
00:38:02,240 --> 00:38:04,120
Talking to yourself, Uhtred?

490
00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:06,320
Or is this you at prayer?

491
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:11,600
- I think I'm cursed.
- Then consider me the curse-slayer.

492
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:17,400
Call me a foolish old priest,
but I sense you are troubled.

493
00:38:17,480 --> 00:38:20,400
Aethelhelm has joined
with the Scots to take Northumbria.

494
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:23,320
And he's launching his rebellion
from Bebbanburg.

495
00:38:27,440 --> 00:38:31,160
Now, that is a strange twist of fate.

496
00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:35,600
It's not strange at all.

497
00:38:38,000 --> 00:38:42,480
My gods are doing it to taunt me,
to tempt me from my duty to my family.

498
00:38:42,560 --> 00:38:43,760
Why would they do that?

499
00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:45,200
What've you done?

500
00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,160
- Well, that I never understand.
- Mm.

501
00:38:47,240 --> 00:38:49,000
All I know is that for most of my life,

502
00:38:49,080 --> 00:38:52,400
I've given my sword to Wessex
and it drew me away from my family.

503
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:56,160
Stiorra thinks it was my choice, but...

504
00:38:57,280 --> 00:38:58,640
...I'm not so sure.

505
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:05,200
Sometimes I think that my fate
is to wander and to never arrive.

506
00:39:05,280 --> 00:39:07,760
You've served the House of Wessex
with much honor.

507
00:39:08,840 --> 00:39:11,000
I've worked hard
for Alfred's ambition, yes.

508
00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:13,920
But my own kin suffered for it.

509
00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:17,720
- Well, it brought you Aethelflaed.
- And then she was taken.

510
00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:20,040
- The gods are cruel.
- Mm.

511
00:39:20,760 --> 00:39:22,040
And now they offer this?

512
00:39:23,360 --> 00:39:28,320
All life is a test, true.
But my god does not want you to fail.

513
00:39:30,440 --> 00:39:32,200
Perhaps there is design in this

514
00:39:32,280 --> 00:39:34,400
that is benevolent.

515
00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:39,360
Then perhaps you are not meant to choose
between your fate and Alfred's ambition,

516
00:39:39,440 --> 00:39:41,280
between your children and his.

517
00:39:41,360 --> 00:39:43,720
Perhaps you are meant to serve both.

518
00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:45,280
I cannot serve two masters.

519
00:39:46,280 --> 00:39:48,280
But what if there's only one master?

520
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:52,920
- One god, one destiny, many branches.
- Yes, yes.

521
00:39:53,440 --> 00:39:56,000
- One tree.
- That is where our beliefs differ.

522
00:39:56,080 --> 00:39:58,040
And this is where I will insist.

523
00:39:59,080 --> 00:40:00,080
Think about it.

524
00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:04,640
You retake Bebbanburg and ensure
Northumbria does not fall to the Scots.

525
00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:07,720
In that act,
you find a home for your bloodline.

526
00:40:10,920 --> 00:40:15,840
You're saying that it is my destiny
to make England for Edward?

527
00:40:18,920 --> 00:40:22,640
That all this wait
for Bebbanburg served a purpose?

528
00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:24,080
Maybe.

529
00:40:26,040 --> 00:40:27,560
Your god has a sense of humor.

530
00:40:28,120 --> 00:40:30,480
It seems he does.

531
00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:34,800
And do you want to accept this calling?

532
00:40:34,880 --> 00:40:40,240
Yes, I want to accept, but is it a path
of destiny or... or of arrogance?

533
00:40:40,320 --> 00:40:42,760
Am I being tempted for a fall?

534
00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:48,400
Perhaps the threads my gods have woven,
perhaps they make a net to snare me?

535
00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:52,640
And when I failed the first time,
that was the sign that I ignored.

536
00:40:53,400 --> 00:40:54,960
When Father Beocca was taken...

537
00:40:55,040 --> 00:40:57,560
It was a sign that Beocca
believed in your mission.

538
00:40:58,520 --> 00:41:02,040
- But perhaps you were not ready.
- I felt as ready then as I feel now.

539
00:41:02,120 --> 00:41:04,400
- What if I fail again?
- But what if you don't?

540
00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:09,840
What if you do? If you died
in the doing of it, what would happen?

541
00:41:11,360 --> 00:41:15,120
All reputation lost, all bloodline left
to roam without protection.

542
00:41:16,920 --> 00:41:18,800
The shame would be heavy in Valhalla.

543
00:41:19,760 --> 00:41:21,440
But there is no shame in heaven.

544
00:41:22,040 --> 00:41:23,320
That is the beauty of it.

545
00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:28,320
So my advice would be
believe my god is on your side.

546
00:41:28,400 --> 00:41:30,080
And that you do not walk alone.

547
00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:34,880
- There is no God.
- Mm.

548
00:41:35,520 --> 00:41:36,720
Only the gods.

549
00:41:38,240 --> 00:41:39,800
[Uhtred chuckles softly

550
00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:43,600
Thank you for your kindness.

551
00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:46,760
You could be right.

552
00:41:48,480 --> 00:41:49,920
Maybe they are on my side.

553
00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:57,800
Have you heard from
Lord Aethelhelm?

554
00:41:57,880 --> 00:42:00,040
Has he taken possession
of the Mercian girl?

555
00:42:01,800 --> 00:42:03,200
Last night, I hear.

556
00:42:04,720 --> 00:42:08,920
I'm impressed. I thought perhaps
he'd overplayed his hand.

557
00:42:10,080 --> 00:42:13,640
I still think it is unwise
to trust a man who betrays his king.

558
00:42:15,480 --> 00:42:16,480
True.

559
00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:22,360
But what he offers is sound, so we move
our soldiers closer to the border.

560
00:42:25,480 --> 00:42:28,640
It may take a while.
There have been floods in Cumbraland.

561
00:42:28,720 --> 00:42:31,240
Then we do not alert Edward
to our presence

562
00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:33,840
until all our numbers are gathered.

563
00:42:34,440 --> 00:42:37,760
When we are as one,
we shall face him down.

564
00:42:39,560 --> 00:42:41,320
What if he will not be cowed?

565
00:42:41,400 --> 00:42:44,480
Then he will face a battle he shall lose.

566
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:49,440
And in the face of defeat,
he will make us a better offer.

567
00:42:49,520 --> 00:42:51,120
What, <i>us</i> being the Scots?

568
00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:55,600
Or <i>us </i>being the alliance
with Lord Aethelhelm?

569
00:42:55,680 --> 00:42:57,760
I will stand by my word.

570
00:42:59,240 --> 00:43:00,920
For as long as is necessary.

571
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:09,400
We will be ready
to move out by the morning.

572
00:43:09,480 --> 00:43:11,800
- Lord King.
- I have been informed of Benedict's news.

573
00:43:11,880 --> 00:43:15,360
But not of my plan, which will return
Aelfwynn and deliver Aethelhelm.

574
00:43:15,440 --> 00:43:18,400
And as I already told my mother,
this situation requires restraint.

575
00:43:18,480 --> 00:43:23,240
- We are returning to Wessex.
- Listen to me. I know how to end this.

576
00:43:24,280 --> 00:43:26,640
There is no ending to this
that is satisfactory.

577
00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:30,800
Aethelhelm will be expecting me to lead
an army into battle, it is surely a trap.

578
00:43:30,880 --> 00:43:32,880
I know, but we have the advantage.

579
00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:34,880
Father Benedict told us of their plan.

580
00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:37,600
We have a moment to strike
whilst they're unprepared.

581
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:41,480
- It would be foolish not to use it.
- I can assure you I am not foolish.

582
00:43:41,560 --> 00:43:43,920
Only unwilling to behave
as my enemies dictate.

583
00:43:44,560 --> 00:43:47,560
So we divide those enemies.
We leave immediately,

584
00:43:47,640 --> 00:43:50,440
we cut off Constantin
before he even reaches Bebbanburg.

585
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,960
If I can intercept him
and stop the incursion, then...

586
00:43:53,040 --> 00:43:55,440
Aethelhelm would be without allies
at Bebbanburg.

587
00:43:55,520 --> 00:43:57,801
He may control the household guard,
but they'd be no match

588
00:43:57,840 --> 00:44:00,800
for the Mercian army. It would not
be easy to breach the fortress.

589
00:44:00,880 --> 00:44:03,360
But it is possible
if we're our full number.

590
00:44:03,440 --> 00:44:06,360
I lead the men of Wessex and we push
the Scots back over the border.

591
00:44:06,440 --> 00:44:09,256
Meanwhile, Aethelhelm will be forced
to surrender and Aelfwynn returned.

592
00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:13,080
But what will stop Constantin from making
another incursion in years to come?

593
00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:16,920
You fortify the lands north of Bebbanburg
and I hold them for you.

594
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,480
Uhtred, Lord of Bebbanburg,
just as you always wanted.

595
00:44:27,080 --> 00:44:29,240
- And you hold it alone?
- Not alone.

596
00:44:30,400 --> 00:44:33,280
I take it you're not heading
to Rumcofa after all, Lord.

597
00:44:34,000 --> 00:44:37,336
We heard from Lady Aelswith that there may
be something you might need our help with.

598
00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:42,280
You have found the men I sought to return
Aelfwynn when you refused, I see?

599
00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:44,520
Yes,
thank you very much for this.

600
00:44:45,920 --> 00:44:48,760
So, then, when you are dead,
who holds the north after you?

601
00:44:50,240 --> 00:44:52,800
Your seedless son,
or a child of Stiorra the Dane?

602
00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:55,040
I cannot speak for my daughter.

603
00:44:55,120 --> 00:44:56,120
No, you cannot.

604
00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:00,160
Uhtred's plan has much to commend it,

605
00:45:00,240 --> 00:45:02,280
but still this is not
the correct course of action.

606
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:05,080
You're going to allow the marriage
to take place? Edward!

607
00:45:05,160 --> 00:45:08,760
I'm going to make Constantin an offer
in exchange for Aethelhelm's head.

608
00:45:09,400 --> 00:45:11,400
He is the greater threat to our kingdom.

609
00:45:13,160 --> 00:45:16,520
Northumbria is a land much disputed
between us and the Scots.

610
00:45:16,600 --> 00:45:20,800
Until a settlement is made, there will be
no peace and those that will suffer

611
00:45:20,880 --> 00:45:23,680
are not those in this room,
but farmers, fishermen, families.

612
00:45:23,760 --> 00:45:27,160
I am a king for all Saxons,
not king to one man.

613
00:45:27,240 --> 00:45:30,000
And though I owe that man a debt,
I cannot put that debt

614
00:45:30,080 --> 00:45:32,720
nor that man's ambition
above the lives of my people.

615
00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:38,240
Constantin's reputation
is that of a man who seeks

616
00:45:38,320 --> 00:45:40,840
to protect Scotland at all costs,
above all else.

617
00:45:41,640 --> 00:45:44,600
So, I will come to an agreement with him.

618
00:45:46,160 --> 00:45:49,440
In exchange for marrying Aelfwynn
and isolating Lord Aethelhelm,

619
00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:51,840
we will divide Northumbria in two,

620
00:45:51,920 --> 00:45:54,880
to create an area of fortification
around the Scottish border.

621
00:45:54,960 --> 00:45:56,760
You would split Northumbria!

622
00:45:58,080 --> 00:46:00,960
These are lands my forebears died for.
Saxon lands!

623
00:46:01,040 --> 00:46:03,240
Now, finally, you're a Saxon?

624
00:46:03,320 --> 00:46:05,040
The people there speak your language.

625
00:46:05,120 --> 00:46:07,720
They were once two kingdoms.
It has been thus before.

626
00:46:08,800 --> 00:46:11,400
The lands around Bebbanburg
fall to the Scots

627
00:46:11,480 --> 00:46:13,280
and Aethelhelm is disposed of.

628
00:46:13,360 --> 00:46:17,400
- With Aelfwynn sacrificed alongside him?
- Not a palatable choice, but sensible.

629
00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:18,920
If Northumbria is divided,

630
00:46:19,000 --> 00:46:22,320
you forfeit any chance to create
the kingdom your father hoped for.

631
00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:24,360
Yes, but in return, I will bring peace

632
00:46:24,440 --> 00:46:27,600
to a land larger and more unified
than he ever achieved.

633
00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:32,120
I have ended the tyranny
of bloody succession the people endured.

634
00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:34,800
Now they thrive
under the protection of a man,

635
00:46:34,880 --> 00:46:36,920
who does not take their deaths lightly.

636
00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:40,440
- Lord King, your choice has no honor.
- No honor?

637
00:46:41,040 --> 00:46:45,400
To forego my chance to unify all
of these lands for the sake of my people?

638
00:46:46,160 --> 00:46:50,880
To put aside my father's dream, the dream
of my family, to ensure that we prosper?

639
00:46:50,960 --> 00:46:52,840
That is not honor. That is martyrdom.

640
00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:56,320
If the people wish to reward me
in their prayers, that is their will.

641
00:46:57,400 --> 00:47:00,640
My father's ambition failed them
in the end. I do not have his failings.

642
00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:04,880
- It was not ambition, it was vision.
- Visions are nothing more than dreams.

643
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:06,440
Only a fool would chase them.

644
00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:09,400
I think that you are afraid.

645
00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:12,280
Of war, of death.

646
00:47:13,080 --> 00:47:14,080
You're afraid.

647
00:47:18,440 --> 00:47:19,880
Only a fool would not be.

648
00:47:21,960 --> 00:47:23,960
And I am not a fool.

649
00:47:28,000 --> 00:47:29,000
No.

650
00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:33,200
Lord King, this is callous,

651
00:47:33,280 --> 00:47:36,240
to Aelfwynn and to all those
in Northumbria who are Saxon.

652
00:47:36,320 --> 00:47:38,400
Mercia owes both a debt of loyalty.

653
00:47:38,480 --> 00:47:40,800
Mercia is best served
when the south is secure.

654
00:47:40,880 --> 00:47:42,800
Not at the expense of the north.

655
00:47:43,760 --> 00:47:46,240
Aethelflaed would listen to Uhtred now.

656
00:47:47,400 --> 00:47:48,680
As must we.

657
00:47:48,760 --> 00:47:52,440
And I gave your sister my word
that I would keep Aelfwynn safe.

658
00:47:54,520 --> 00:47:56,520
I will not sacrifice her as you do now!

659
00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:01,040
And nor will the Mercian army.

660
00:48:12,520 --> 00:48:15,480
- I stand with Uhtred.
- Well, there we have it.

661
00:48:16,560 --> 00:48:18,720
Not only Lord Aethelhelm
who seeks to rebel.

662
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:20,680
With respect, Lord King...

663
00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:27,240
it is not only Lord Aldhelm
who believes you to be wrong.

664
00:48:29,280 --> 00:48:32,200
There are good people in Northumbria.
They are your people.

665
00:48:32,880 --> 00:48:34,360
You owe them your protection.

666
00:48:37,120 --> 00:48:38,320
We stand with Uhtred.

667
00:48:41,400 --> 00:48:44,000
It is not
that you are wrong, my son.

668
00:48:44,080 --> 00:48:47,520
It is that you are simply mistaken
on this occasion.

669
00:48:49,280 --> 00:48:51,720
Whilst your arguments are considered...

670
00:48:52,480 --> 00:48:56,480
I would urge you to follow
the counsel of Lord Uhtred.

671
00:48:57,400 --> 00:49:01,960
Your father trusted his judgment,
as should you.

672
00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:37,400
Aethelstan, my boy,
what do you say?

673
00:49:38,840 --> 00:49:42,280
Should we take a fight to the Scots,
risking decades of conflict,

674
00:49:42,840 --> 00:49:48,000
or seek a solution that profits both sides
yet denies Uhtred his ancestral home?

675
00:49:48,080 --> 00:49:51,320
- You do not have to answer, Aethelstan.
- And yet he should.

676
00:49:53,200 --> 00:49:55,440
Since Aelfweard
has shown himself disloyal...

677
00:49:56,200 --> 00:49:58,840
Aethelstan could be the king
to face the Scots.

678
00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:04,360
What do you say, Aethelstan?

679
00:50:18,600 --> 00:50:20,960
Our faith teaches us to speak the truth.

680
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,120
It teaches us to seek peace.

681
00:50:27,320 --> 00:50:29,080
And that all Christians must unite.

682
00:50:39,400 --> 00:50:41,080
To abandon those in your kingdom...

683
00:50:43,200 --> 00:50:44,520
divide their lands...

684
00:50:46,400 --> 00:50:47,480
that is not unity.

685
00:50:54,440 --> 00:50:56,040
I will follow Lord Uhtred.

686
00:51:03,720 --> 00:51:07,680
Not sure things are going your way,
Lord King.

687
00:51:07,760 --> 00:51:10,720
As I told you, Uhtred,
you do not walk alone.

688
00:51:14,400 --> 00:51:16,360
We gather an army...

689
00:51:16,440 --> 00:51:19,280
Whoa, whoa, whoa!

690
00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:24,240
I will brook no more defiance.

691
00:51:28,120 --> 00:51:30,960
I am a just king,
but think on those who I have crushed.

692
00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:33,680
Think on the ealdormen.
Think of Sigtryggr.

693
00:51:40,600 --> 00:51:42,640
The gates will be closed to all.

694
00:51:42,720 --> 00:51:45,160
No one will leave on penalty of execution.

695
00:51:49,760 --> 00:51:52,920
Then the Mercian Guard will be ordered
to ram the gate down.

696
00:51:53,400 --> 00:51:56,320
You can try to fight us, Lord King,
but we will fight back.

697
00:51:56,920 --> 00:51:59,520
You delay and we lose the advantage.

698
00:52:00,280 --> 00:52:02,960
So, you can join our mission
or you can flounder here.

699
00:52:03,520 --> 00:52:05,240
But we will be gone by sunrise.

700
00:52:07,320 --> 00:52:08,320
Choose!


