[captivating instrumental music playing]
[squawking]
[indistinct chatter]
[mystical music playing]
[chimes tinkling]
[mystical music playing]
[Freydis exhales]
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.
[opening theme music playing]
[all grunting]
Come, brother! Let's finish them!
Go, Harald. Seek your revenge. You've earned it!
Come with me.
[bells tolling]
[women praying in foreign language]
[men clamoring in distance]
[women whimpering]
[in English] Lord. Please save us!
[clamoring draws nearer]
[clamoring stops]
[woman] …because you will be with me, Lord.
-[noisy chatter] -[women screaming]
You have found the Queen of England.
I demand to see Canute.
Would you settle for me?
Olaf.
[indistinct shouting]
[gripping instrumental music playing]
[indistinct shouting]
Welcome back, Your Highness.
[noisy chatter]
Nobles of England!
[chatter stops]
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.
-[Edmund grunts] -[laughter]
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!
[men cheering]
Death has robbed me of your father's head.
But yours will do just fine.
Harald! I want him alive.
[silence falls]
[breathing heavily]
[shudders]
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.
[grunts softly]
[grunts angrily]
Prince Harald, I'm the man who saved you on Saint Brice's Day.
[grunts]
[indistinct chatter]
[Liv grunting]
[somber instrumental music playing]
-Liv, are you all right? -[panting]
Huh? What of the… others?
[Liv sobbing]
I pulled them out of the river but could take them no further.
You all right?
-Whoa. -[Liv groans]
[Liv breathing heavily]
No, no, no, no.
No, no, no. Come on, come on.
[man groaning]
[Liv shudders]
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.
[voice shaking] Do it. The arrow.
[Leif] You're not strong enough. It will kill you.
Let me decide that. [shudders]
I can't lose you too, Liv.
You won't.
[Leif breathing heavily]
[Liv groans softly]
-[Leif whispers] Easy. -Mm.
Easy, easy, easy.
[Liv groaning]
Okay.
[Liv whimpers]
-[Liv breathing heavily] -Easy.
[shrieking]
Easy.
[panting]
Unlock him.
[chains rattling]
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.
[door unlocking]
[door closes]
[Olaf] Are you comfortable?
This was my room when I was your husband's advisor.
[Olaf sighs]
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?
[sighs]
It takes courage… and perseverance,
-and-- -Gold.
[chuckles]
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.
[chuckles softly]
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? -[Olaf chuckles]
No.
This is.
Hallbjorn!
-[boy 1] Mama! -[boy 2] Mother!
[Olaf exclaims interruptingly]
My mission requires sacrifices.
[intense music playing]
If you do that, you will take away any reason I may have to cooperate.
[Olaf] 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.
[door locks]
-[drums beating] -[instruments rattling]
[singing in foreign language]
[breathing heavily]
[priestess chanting in foreign language]
[shuddering]
[gasping]
[intense music playing]
[Freydis breathing heavily]
[gasps]
[bird calling]
[serene instrumental music playing]
[bird cawing]
[somber instrumental music playing]
[in English] Freydis!
-Freydis… Freydis! Please! -[man] Freydis!
-Don't leave! -[woman] Freydis!
-[man] Freydis! -[woman] Come back!
[man] Help us!
[indistinct shouting]
Freydis!
-[bird caws] -[gasps]
[wings flapping]
[bird cawing]
[mysterious music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
[grunts]
King Canute.
[breathing heavily]
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?
[sighs]
What is it you are looking for?
[both grunting]
[groans]
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.
[door locks]
-[gripping instrumental music playing] -[bird cawing]
[caws]
[chimes tinkling]
[mystical music playing]
[man] 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…
[sighs]
Don't look for me again.
[bird caws]
Wait… Where are you?
[horns blowing]
-[horses neighing] -[indistinct chatter]
[gripping instrumental music playing]
King Canute.
I'm Eadric Streona, Ealdorman of Mercia.
[Canute] 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.
[chuckles]
Indeed.
Please, be my guest at our feast tonight.
And perhaps we may discuss a suitable reward for your actions.
[door unlocking]
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.
[Leif panting]
[melancholy music playing]
[breathing heavily]
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.
[sighs]
I'll miss you.
[groans softly]
[Liv shudders]
Leif Eriksson? You're to come with us.
Go away. I'm busy.
It is not a request.
[Liv groans softly]
[Liv groans]
-[lively chatter] -[Canute] Friends!
We have won a great victory.
Saint Brice's Day and the spilled blood of our kinfolk
has been avenged!
-[all cheering] -[pounding on tables]
And for you
who have so faithfully supported me in this sacred mission,
your payment has come.
[door opens]
[all cheering]
Yeah!
[Canute] 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.
[people murmuring]
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.
[men cheer]
This is the man who dreamed of pulling down London Bridge.
And did it!
[cheering]
-[man 1] Greenlander! -[man 2] Greenlander!
Leif Eriksson…
[cheering stops]
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.
-[all cheering] -[pounding on tables]
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?
[laughing]
And I'll hold you to it.
[Canute scoffs]
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.
[men laughing]
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.
[Canute] 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. -[men cheer]
Whose mighty ships rowed against the tides
and pulled down the great bridge.
Smile for once.
[laughter]
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.
[indistinct chatter]
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.
[men grunting]
[Streona] Stop! Stop! My men will kill you for this!
[Canute] 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!
[screams]
[people cheering]
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.
-[laughing] -[people laughing]
To Canute!
The first Viking King of England!
An accomplishment not even Ragnar Lothbrok
or Ivar "the Boneless" could claim!
[all] To Canute! King of England!
[cheering]
Now we feast!
How exactly do you see this arrangement working?
[Canute] 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. [chuckles]
I'm furious at you.
And why is that, brother?
[whispering] You know why.
And yet, it doesn't bother you to tell me I am uncle to a future king of Norway.
[scoffs]
My son changes nothing between us.
Says the man who lied to me.
[sighs]
[Canute] 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?
[intense music playing]
Yeah.
I'm worried about my children.
They have been taken from me and I fear for their lives.
-[Canute] More wine for the queen. -[man] Yes, Canute.
[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.
[Godwin sighs]
What about a promise from me?
They see you raise your axe and they run.
-They drop their weapons and run! -[men laugh]
[man] How do you protect the king when you wail and weep away from your…
How?
[knock on door]
Olaf has sent me to give communion to the children.
Sorry, Father.
No need to apologize.
Boys, close your eyes and pray out loud.
[boys praying in Latin]
[in English] Have you had communion today?
[guards] No.
Kneel, and receive God's blessing.
Louder, so that God can hear you.
[boys praying louder]
[gasps]
[praying continues]
That will do. You prayed well. Time to go. Quickly.
What happened to them?
They've gone to heaven. Come on.
-[horse neighing] -[indistinct chatter]
Where is she?
Outside. We had to make room for another.
[Liv gulps]
[Leif sighs in relief]
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.
[solemn instrumental music playing]
Then I will be with you.
[groans softly]
You all right?
I'm so glad you're alive.
The Gods didn't want me yet.
[woman] You should let her rest.
I'll be back in the morning.
Are you looking for this?
[Freydis breathing heavily]
[chimes tinkling]
[in Old Norse]
[knock on door]
[in English] Enter.
[door opens]
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.
[solemn instrumental music playing]
-[boy 1] Mama. -[boy 2] Mother!
[Emma gasps]
[Canute] Hmm.
King Canute.
Thank you.
You are welcome, Queen Emma.
Good night.
[door closes]
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.
[lively chatter]
[Harald] Oh, great hero!
Come drink… with the man who made a deal with the devil
and sold his honor for 30 pieces of silver.
[Leif grunts]
[Leif sighs]
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.
[Leif] 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!"
[Leif] 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… [chuckles softly]
…come with strings attached.
Something is always expected in return.
[intriguing music playing]
[thunder rumbling]
[wind whistling]
[thunderclap]
[baby crying]
[rain pattering]
Here. Drink.
-[thunder rumbling] -[Yrsa slurps]
[Yrsa] Thank you.
I should go soon.
[chuckles softly] 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.
[crying stops]
-What is it? -Be silent.
-[thunder rumbling] -[groans softly]
[gasps]
[man] 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.
[man] Well, I'm not interested in many people.
Only one.
A warrior who killed one of my berserkers.
[woman breathing shakily]
[thunderclap]
[grunts softly]
You are a Pagan?
[intense music playing]
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?
[menacing music playing]
[breath shaking]
[baby fussing]
[breath trembling]
[Yrsa screaming]
[horse chuffs]
-[baby crying] -[horses neighing]
[gasps]
[Yrsa screams]
I must go. I need a horse.
[gripping instrumental music playing]
Here. Take this.
Come on! Hyah!
[chirps]
[mystical music playing]