What is your name?
Freydis Eriksdotter.
Is this your first visit to Uppsala?
Yes.
I was sent here by Jarl Haakon to learn more about the Gods.
Come with me.
Here, you are truly in the company of the Gods…
Odin…
Thor,
and Freya.
Why else are you here?
To learn my destiny.
Come, brother! Let's finish them!
Go, Harald. Seek your revenge. You've earned it!
Come with me.
Lord. Please save us!
…because you will be with me, Lord.
You have found the Queen of England.
I demand to see Canute.
Would you settle for me?
Olaf.
Welcome back, Your Highness.
Nobles of England!
My name is Harald Sigurdsson.
My brother, Sten,
was your former king's bodyguard.
A man whose job was to faithfully protect him
and his family from all threats.
And how was that loyalty rewarded?
Like this.
Men of England, I didn't come here for your money or your lands.
I came for one thing and one thing only.
The head of a king!
Death has robbed me of your father's head.
But yours will do just fine.
Harald! I want him alive.
No. You promised me.
I have changed my mind.
Lied to me, you mean.
I brought an army across the sea for this moment.
You cannot deny me it now.
I can and I will.
If that sword strikes,
your head will land next to his.
Things change.
And we must change with them.
You must sacrifice revenge for power.
Prince Harald, I'm the man who saved you on Saint Brice's Day.
-Liv, are you all right?
Huh? What of the… others?
I pulled them out of the river but could take them no further.
You all right?
-Whoa.
No, no, no, no.
No, no, no. Come on, come on.
She has been shot with a double-barbed arrow.
You cannot pull it out of her without killing her immediately.
If it stays, the flesh will rot and she will die slow.
And what if I push it through?
She's too weak to survive it.
Do it. The arrow.
You're not strong enough. It will kill you.
Let me decide that.
I can't lose you too, Liv.
You won't.
-Easy. -Mm.
Easy, easy, easy.
Okay.
-Easy.
Easy.
Unlock him.
Congratulations.
You mock me.
Not at all. I praise you.
You are an excellent fighter and a brilliant strategist.
Your night attack in the marshes…
what gave you that idea?
It was obvious you would attack there.
I see.
And the "Dragon's Teeth" in the river?
To make a weapon of the tide.
Brilliant.
Thank you.
But your best move was sending Mercia's army to our rear.
In fact,
had they chosen to attack…
you might have destroyed us.
I would have.
Do not play games with me…
boy.
None of those were your plans.
Who was the woman on the battlements?
Emma of Normundy.
My father's widow.
Where is she now?
I have no idea.
Are you comfortable?
This was my room when I was your husband's advisor.
Small but cozy.
What is it that you want from me, Olaf?
It was your husband who instilled in me
a mission to bring Christianity to the North.
It is the great challenge of my life.
Do you think that is easy?
To break down centuries of Gods and stories in people's minds?
It takes courage… and perseverance,
-and-- -Gold.
So, you do know what I want.
Your husband's treasure.
It is a myth.
No. I saw it.
Rubies and emeralds the size of walnuts.
Gold bars so heavy, one man alone cannot pick them up.
The piles of silver coins so deep, I could swim through them.
If my husband kept riches, as you describe,
he did not share its hiding place with me.
I think that… is a lie.
You have changed much since I saw you last, Emma.
You've gone from being a Norman girl with no rights, no land,
just a piece of her father's property, to this.
The Queen of England.
That takes skill.
It would be a shame to send you back to Normandy
where you'd become a piece of property again.
-Is that your threat?
No.
This is.
Hallbjorn!
-Mama! -Mother!
My mission requires sacrifices.
If you do that, you will take away any reason I may have to cooperate.
I will let you think on it.
Don't think too long.
If I find the treasure without your help,
I will no longer need you… or them.
Freydis!
-Freydis… Freydis! Please! -Freydis!
-Don't leave! -Freydis!
-Come back!
Help us!
Freydis!
King Canute.
I am the wrong man to be alone in a room with right now.
I know you are angry.
Angry? I'm not angry. I am murderous!
That may be, but unfortunately, it is a risk I must take.
I need your help.
My help?
You should have thought of that before you lied to me about Edmund.
You have been my right hand from the beginning.
I still need you.
There's absolutely nothing you could say to me right now to make me help you.
What if I can make you King of Norway?
I don't need your help for that.
I have an agreement with my brother.
When he dies, the throne will go to me.
Or it will go to his son.
Ah.
I see you are not as close to Olaf… as you think.
The boy's name is Magnus.
He's 12 and healthy,
and since your brother has chosen not to tell you about him,
you are a fool to think that
he will not transfer the throne of Norway… to him.
You have already robbed my family of justice.
And now you wish to pull us apart?
Olaf is already doing that.
Why wait for your turn…
when I can guarantee your destiny?
What is it you are looking for?
Why did you save me?
I was beginning to wonder myself.
The king's men had stopped me at the docks.
And they knew who I was.
Yet you interceded and allowed me to escape London.
Knowing full well that when I found out what happened,
I would return with an army to avenge the slaughter.
Why?
I saved you because I could not save England.
A rotten house cannot be repaired.
It must be torn down in order to build a better one.
And let me guess…
In this better house of yours, there's a place for you?
I'm a survivor, Prince Harald. I will always find a place.
Canute is looking for Queen Emma.
She has not been found.
She is another survivor.
She's probably protecting her gold.
Her gold?
The queen is one of the wealthiest women in Europe. Surely you knew?
No.
But I know someone else who would.
Wait.
I saved your life.
And I have spared yours.
You have found me.
Who are you?
I am the past, the present, the future.
I am the reason you are here.
Let me judge for myself what others have proclaimed as real.
Yes.
The last.
The last?
You must sit, for soon you will be tired.
What did you see on your journey?
I saw some beautiful things.
You saw something else.
There had been a great battle.
Everywhere was fire and death.
And they called to you for help.
Yes.
And how did you respond?
I didn't know what I wanted--
That is not what I asked. What did you do?
-I ran. -Why?
-I don't know why? It's-- -You evade me.
I don't know.
You do know. You are lying to me, as you lie to yourself.
Do you think we are born with all knowledge?
We make the tools we need.
There is no going back from here, only forward.
And the cries you ran from will grow stronger, until…
Don't look for me again.
Wait… Where are you?
King Canute.
I'm Eadric Streona, Ealdorman of Mercia.
Welcome, Eadric Streona.
I recognize your banners.
You had my army at your mercy
and stayed your hand.
I am grateful for your decision,
but curious of your reason.
Sometimes rewards can be gained without a fight.
Indeed.
Please, be my guest at our feast tonight.
And perhaps we may discuss a suitable reward for your actions.
Queen Emma, I'm Harald Sigurdsson.
How did you find me?
I'd like to say it was difficult, but I am Olaf's younger brother.
I used to sleep here when I came to visit.
I found it depressing then, and even more so now.
We should go.
Goodbye, my friends.
You've come so far for me.
May you sleep in the embrace of Ran
and be reunited with your departed loved ones.
I'll miss you.
Leif Eriksson? You're to come with us.
Go away. I'm busy.
It is not a request.
-Friends!
We have won a great victory.
Saint Brice's Day and the spilled blood of our kinfolk
has been avenged!
And for you
who have so faithfully supported me in this sacred mission,
your payment has come.
Yeah!
But let us not be ungenerous in victory.
Young King Edmund was entitled to defend his father's honor
and he did so with courage.
Let us toast his bravery.
More importantly, let us recognize one whose battle plan
almost defeated us all.
Queen Emma of Normundy.
You honor us with your presence.
Please, sit next to me here.
Thank you.
Before I honor my warlords with these spoils,
there are some debts that must be settled.
I ask you, what would you call a man
who would put brotherhood before obedience to a king?
We would call him… a Greenlander.
This is the man who dreamed of pulling down London Bridge.
And did it!
-Greenlander! -Greenlander!
Leif Eriksson…
Your sister's debt is paid in full.
What more would you ask of me?
What lands? What spoils of war?
I got what I came for.
Yes, you did.
And more.
May his name never be forgotten amongst our people…
or thought of again as someone's son.
How does glory feel, brother?
Like gold.
No. Better.
And Harald Sigurdsson,
Leif's brave brother-in-arms who promised me victory, and delivered.
My gratitude is worth more than gold.
More than gold!
Did you all hear that?
And I'll hold you to it.
And another debt,
our honored guest from the North, the Ealdorman of Mercia, Eadric Streona,
who will always have my gratitude for holding back his army.
Although, I think he would prefer something more than gratitude.
You see? I am right.
Speak, Eadric Streona.
Thank you, King Canute.
What I ask for is also my gift to you.
When you and your great warriors return to Scandinavia,
you will need an ally in these lands you can depend on for support.
A ruler you can count on.
Are you suggesting yourself for this role, Eadric Streona?
I am.
You'd do worse than have a strong friend at your back,
as opposed to an impetuous boy.
Hmm.
This… This is a gift.
It is good to listen to a man who knows his own mind
and has the courage to speak it.
-And, Olaf, bravest of the brave.
Whose mighty ships rowed against the tides
and pulled down the great bridge.
Smile for once.
We have had our differences, but tonight we are brothers in victory,
and… no gift is too great
for such a brother and friend.
See, this feast is not about old quarrels, but new beginnings.
But new beginnings cannot happen with a traitor in our midst.
A person that brings with them
the stench of betrayal and threat.
Here, in the very room
where Æthelred turned against his Viking ally,
there is once more an oath breaker among us.
I can smell their ambition.
I can smell…
disloyalty.
I can smell
their… greed.
Stop! Stop! My men will kill you for this!
Your men are dead, and your army is surrounded.
Why? Why are you doing this?
Because… it is I, Eadric Streona,
not you,
who will be the next King of England!
Did you say you intend to claim the throne of England?
I did.
And I will rule jointly with King Edmund.
Is that a problem?
Yes.
You've just made raiding England that much harder.
To Canute!
The first Viking King of England!
An accomplishment not even Ragnar Lothbrok
or Ivar "the Boneless" could claim!
To Canute! King of England!
Now we feast!
How exactly do you see this arrangement working?
You have the support of the nobles.
Which is important to me and will be your job to manage.
As long as you do it well, we'll get along fine.
Relax, Edmund.
If I had any doubts about you,
I would have brought in two stumps.
I'm furious at you.
And why is that, brother?
You know why.
And yet, it doesn't bother you to tell me I am uncle to a future king of Norway.
My son changes nothing between us.
Says the man who lied to me.
You are a brilliant woman.
And you are a ruthless man.
You mean Streona?
No. I am a practical man.
I could not rest with such a treacherous man at my back.
And neither would you.
I wasn't worried about him.
Are you worried about me?
Yeah.
I'm worried about my children.
They have been taken from me and I fear for their lives.
-More wine for the queen. -Yes, Canute.
Tell me.
I cannot.
Their captor is at this table.
And he would kill them instantly if he knew I was asking for your help.
I will find them for you.
Get up. I have an urgent request.
Then go and ask someone who cares.
I need to find Emma's children.
Well, as you can see, they're not with me.
I know Olaf has them.
They must be found quickly
and you are one of the few men capable of doing that.
What if I can promise you a place in this new house you're building?
You've already shown me how little your promise means.
Find someone else to help you.
What about a promise from me?
They see you raise your axe and they run.
-They drop their weapons and run!
How do you protect the king when you wail and weep away from your…
How?
Olaf has sent me to give communion to the children.
Sorry, Father.
No need to apologize.
Boys, close your eyes and pray out loud.
Have you had communion today?
No.
Kneel, and receive God's blessing.
Louder, so that God can hear you.
That will do. You prayed well. Time to go. Quickly.
What happened to them?
They've gone to heaven. Come on.
Where is she?
Outside. We had to make room for another.
You look surprised.
I am. You're not dead.
I told you, I'm tougher than you think.
You. You're the one who brought down London Bridge.
He's famous now.
They will write songs about you, and Canute will shower you with gold.
Did Canute shower you with gold?
Better. He gave us Freydis' freedom.
Then we can go home.
Liv, I'm…
I'm not going back to Greenland.
There's nothing for me there.
And I've made a name for myself among these people.
A strong name.
And I want you with me.
Then I will be with you.
You all right?
I'm so glad you're alive.
The Gods didn't want me yet.
You should let her rest.
I'll be back in the morning.
Are you looking for this?
Enter.
King Canute.
I beg your pardon.
I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour,
I did not think you would want to wait until morning for news.
-Mama. -Mother!
Hmm.
King Canute.
Thank you.
You are welcome, Queen Emma.
Good night.
You were the one who tried to save the Boy King.
-I am. -Hmm.
And do you have a request for me,
other than your freedom?
No, Your Highness. I wish for nothing.
But I believe I could be of service to you here in England. Should you require it.
-What is your name? -Godwin.
Hmm.
Godwin.
Oh, great hero!
Come drink… with the man who made a deal with the devil
and sold his honor for 30 pieces of silver.
I don't know what that means.
It means I traded my brother Sten's honor for the crown of Norway.
Well, you must've had a good reason.
Yeah, I did.
I do not trust Olaf.
Hmm.
Then only time will tell
if it was you or the devil who got the better bargain.
Thank you, my friend.
Enough of me.
What troubles you?
-You're a hero. -Yeah.
And alive, when so many are dead.
"Leif the Lucky!"
Hmm.
It wasn't luck.
You saw it happen.
The arrows, they fell like rain, but they didn't fall on me.
It was as if something or someone…
was protecting me.
How did you get this?
In the marshes,
just before you saved me, a little girl placed it in my hands.
I left it with Liv when she was dying and…
now she's better.
Tell me, Prince. Is that luck?
No. It's called a "miracle."
It's a Christian word.
When something happens that can only be explained by God.
What if I don't believe in your God?
Maybe He believes in you.
But fair warning, brother,
miracles, like deals with the devil…
…come with strings attached.
Something is always expected in return.
Here. Drink.
Thank you.
I should go soon.
You are closer to death than you are to life.
You would not make it 20 steps.
I should find Freydis.
Your friend is fine.
She's in Uppsala.
-What is it? -Be silent.
Shh.
I have a way with babies.
Shh.
Please--
I'm not here for your child.
I followed a trail of blood to your cottage.
Many people come to me when they are hurt.
Well, I'm not interested in many people.
Only one.
A warrior who killed one of my berserkers.
You are a Pagan?
Yes.
In my faith, we baptize babies in case they die young,
so they will not be damned in the fires of hell.
The one you want is not here.
She left three days ago.
-She? -Yes.
A woman.
She had been attacked on the way to Uppsala.
Describe her.
Tall. Young…
And she has a scar on her back in the shape of a cross.
A cross?
Like this? Hmm?
Yes.
-Please, may I have my child? -Shh.
There were two trails of blood.
Now, tell me, was she alone?
I must go. I need a horse.
Here. Take this.
Come on! Hyah!