I love you.
And you think this love is a good thing?
Yes.
Don't you?
I'm not sure.
For my love, I will give everything.
Myself, my family, even my Gods.
What will you do for your love?
More.
I would set aside my destiny for you.
The promise of being King of Norway.
-So, you see how dangerous we are?
But it doesn't have to be.
As king, I can stop the hatred.
We would have an open country.
Run like Kattegat, where all the faiths can be worshipped without fear.
We encourage people to look for what we share as Vikings
instead of hate our differences.
"We?"
Yes. "We."
All that is possible with you.
All that is possible.
Canute gone?
What precipitated this?
The attack on Denmark, Your Highness,
by one of their enemies, the Wends.
Rus group of people from the East.
Well, this is good news for me now, isn't it?
I'm gonna seize this opportunity to make some changes.
He anticipated that will be your reaction
and therefore before he left, he married Emma.
In the middle of the night?
-That is a problem. -Yes.
But not your main problem, sire.
What do you mean, not my main problem?
Excuse me, what are you doing there?
Your Highness, may I introduce King Canute's father?
King Sweyn Forkbeard.
And you must be the Boy King.
Last time I saw you, you were a child. Do you remember?
I don't.
Up north?
You were with your father as he was paying tribute.
I liked your father.
He paid well to get rid of the Vikings.
Well, if Danegeld would get you out of England,
I'd be happy to try that as well.
How long do you expect King Canute to be away, Your Highness?
Well, he's at war. Which means he'll be there
as long as it takes to secure Denmark from its enemies.
And in the meantime I take it you intend to rule in his place.
I do.
King Edmund, you will find that my son and I,
we approach problems very differently.
He's forward-thinking, patient and fair.
I'm none of those things.
So, with that in mind,
could you please explain to me
why you think that Canute has chosen
to let an insolent pup like you live?
-Your Highness-- -No.
Let him find his own words to describe his value.
King Canute understands that I provide an important connection
to the Saxon nobles,
who are necessary for his support.
No, but the nobles have already sworn their oath to him. Correct?
Yes, managing them, however, requires a delicate touch,
one which I provide.
Good.
Because delicate…
is another thing that I am not.
-Here.
I know this child. Kåre did this.
Uppsala.
Go. Now.
Enter.
Grandfather.
Oh… Gytha.
I've heard you are now a lady-in-waiting.
So how is everything?
-I enjoy being here very much. -Oh.
Welcome, Your Highness.
-I am-- -Emma.
My son's new queen.
I would like to talk.
-My lady. -My lady.
Are you a cook, Queen Emma?
A cook? No.
My mother was a cook.
And a very good one too.
She'd cook over a large fireplace.
Many pots. Stews. Roasts. Soups.
All going at the same time.
Used to amaze me how she somehow managed
to bring everything to the table cooked to perfection.
I don't know how she did it.
My son, Canute, is not a cook either,
but he thinks he is.
He has pots all over his fire.
Norway, Denmark, England, Iceland…
His great northern empire.
I'm not so sure he can manage it.
Which is one of the reasons he married me.
Because you can manage England?
Yes.
I admire your confidence, but I distrust your ability.
Do you distrust my ability? Or your son's judgment?
Two good questions, Queen Emma.
If I knew the answer to the first, I wouldn't doubt the second.
Then allow me to prove both.
Come on.
Spread out. Look for survivors.
I am Ealdorman Sigeferth of Wessex, Your Highness.
Wessex is the oldest of the Saxon bloodlines.
And? Does that make Wessex special?
It does indeed, sire. And does this.
The House of Wessex is also exempt from paying royal taxes.
That is a binding promise from King Æthelred to my father.
And what did your father do to procure such a generous promise,
Ealdorman Sigeferth?
He saved the king in battle at York, sire.
-At York? -Indeed.
Against who?
Against yourself, sire.
Keep this safe, Sigeferth of Wessex.
It's a relic of a bygone time.
You'll pay your taxes like everyone else.
Ealdorman Wulfhere of Sussex.
Your Highness, surely you would intercede on my behalf?
You are the thread that connects past and present
and know of the deep Saxon bonds.
Godwin, when I challenged the Vikings on the bridge,
do you recall the esteemed Ealdorman from Wessex at my side?
No, Your Highness.
I can attest with certainty that Ealdorman Sigeferth was not present.
Your highness, I was…
I was unavailable.
As I am to you now.
-Have you been here before? -No.
I'd only heard stories.
Allfather.
It must have been incredible.
It saddens me to think of all who prayed here.
Who could hate something this much?
They are not killing people.
They're cleansing the land.
Rubbing away all signs of our pagan past,
like a stain.
Please, no.
It's all right.
We won't hurt you.
Come.
Come. You're safe now. It's all right.
Come.
This is her.
Do not be afraid. We are friends here.
You are Freydis?
Yes. How do you know my name?
Their leader told us you would come.
He only spared us so we could give you his message.
What message?
He said that his God has ordered him to destroy Kattegat
and to kill you.
All dead.
Everyone.
What are we waiting for?
I say we ride after Kåre and make him pay!
From his tracks, he has at least a hundred horsemen.
We must be smart.
Go back to Kattegat and tell Haakon what we've found.
We'll take care of the dead and follow with the survivors.
We need to know where Kåre is. I'll track him and meet you in Kattegat.
I'll come with you.
Be safe.
We camp here tonight.
Build fires for the dead.
Freydis. Kåre will pay for this act.
I promise you justice.
I don't need your promise.
I can deliver justice myself.
Hyah!
Come on!
Hyah!
Well done.
I did not anticipate your move at the wall.
You were the faster horseman, Your Highness.
You forced me to improvise.
So,
how do you think we should handle the new Viking?
Handle him?
I take it you don't feel at home in Forkbeard's court.
It was bad enough dealing with Canute, but his father is an abomination.
I hate it.
And I hate myself for being an accomplice to this travesty.
How much so?
How much do you hate it?
Your sentiments are not felt in isolation, Your Highness.
Are you saying there are others who'd back our resistance?
I'm saying there are those that would back a leader
who has an answer to the question.
How much do you hate it?
Your Highness, you sent for me?
Godwin, I did.
My son Canute told me that you were a man to be counted on.
I've tried to be, Your Highness.
I haven't been here long,
but it's clear to see that my son is facing threats.
They may seem small now, but they will grow.
I agree.
Rulers must anticipate threats and address them.
Oh! Sigeferth of Wessex. Come.
I've been thinking about your petition.
Please.
I cannot get your petition out of my head,
and I do wish my son Canute could have heard it,
as he may have responded differently.
-Do you think so? -Oh, yes. Yes.
I am sometimes too anxious to say just what's in my head.
Whereas Canute is a better listener.
But despite our differences,
I'm sure that both Canute and I would agree that
your response could only be regarded as an insult.
Oh, no, no. No, Your Highness. It was not an insult.
I was merely appealing to King Edmund because he--
-I know why.
And so would my son.
As I was saying, Canute appreciates your loyalty,
but I cannot have a man of your lowly rank work for me.
Therefore…
on behalf of my son,
I hereby make you… Godwin, Jarl of Wessex.
I've been told it's the oldest Saxon bloodline.
Are you sure you trust these people?
No, not at all.
Olaf, my Christian brother.
Welcome!
But they seem to like us.
Brother Kåre.
They're at least a full day ahead of us.
-We should push on. -No.
They're not heading towards Kattegat.
And the horses need rest.
War is coming.
And your name will gain more glory.
So much that it will be known all across the Viking world.
Is that not what you wish?
To have a name greater than your father's.
How do you know of my father?
I know he killed men in Iceland and in Norway,
but my family followed him to Greenland out of respect for his courage.
They followed him for his courage.
But they bow their heads out of fear, not respect.
When I was young, I went with my father to collect a lamb that was owed to him.
And when my father couldn't claim it because the lamb hadn't been born yet…
I watched him beat a man in front of his children
until he could no longer stand.
There is a darkness in him
he cannot control.
And I share it.
If it is true,
why have I never seen it?
Because when I'm with you it goes away.
And I'm calm.
When I'm with you I can, uh… I can do great things.
The darkness does not overcome me.
I can't explain it.
Ha!
-Gytha. -Yes.
Come.
Princess Gytha.
Who is it?
It's I, Your Highness.
With a visitor.
I have come to deliver a wedding gift.
It's beautiful.
It was my mother's.
Given to her by her father-in-law, King Edgar.
It was meant to remind her of her importance to England.
I hope you will accept it in the same spirit.
Thank you, Edmund.
The great Olaf Haraldsson.
Slaughterer of the worshipers of Thor at Osilia and Herdaler.
Cleanser of the heathens, sea wolf.
-Here, among us.
Why?
I mean to unite Norway under the banner of Christ.
-And for that-- -You need Kattegat.
The real seats of Norway's power.
And to take Kattegat, I need you.
Did you hear that, Old One?
The time has arrived.
I have been waiting for you, Brother Olaf.
I have been waiting for this moment.
You can count on my help.
What do you require for your services? Silver?
Well, I have no interest in silver, but I do have a price.
Well, let me hear it then.
God has instructed me to build a great church in Kattegat,
with a spire that reaches to Heaven.
A beacon so that all who see it may know the love of Jesus.
And that is my price.
You can have your church
as long as Kattegat remains a key trading port in my kingdom.
Of course.
Once it has been cleansed of the heathen as we did with the Uppsala.
-You destroyed Uppsala? -Oh, yes.
I burned it to the ground along with its sham priests and false Gods.
Didn't I?
Who are you talking to?
Just this old Pagan seið whose sun has set.
It is I who is the cross that carries the sword.
Not this girl you prophesied.
What girl?
A heathen… named Freydis.
Ignore him, brother Olaf.
He'll just try to tell you I'm mad.
Do we have an agreement?
Huh?
Skol, bother Kåre.
-Skol! -Skol!
-Those are Olaf's colors. -Hmm.
He has joined Kåre.
Hyah! Hyah!
Whoa.
Good boy.
Get up. That action means nothing to me.
We are here, Your Highness. Our presence counts for something.
But does it count for me?
We swore an oath to Canute to support two kings.
But that was before he married Emma.
-What difference does that make? -A great deal of difference.
Should Canute die before me, the throne returns to England.
But should I die first,
Canute's existing and future heirs shall have sole claim.
And if his marriage is a true indication of his heart,
you will be kneeling to Viking kings for a long time.
And it's clear that Forkbeard intends to enforce that.
The question then is, "When?"
No. The initial question is, "Who?"
Who here will support our English king?
Agreed.
Sire.
Yes, sire.
Sire.
You have your answer.
Are you thinking about your lucky win the other day?
Lucky?
A pound of silver if you beat me again.
Surely you're not scared.
On the contrary, Your Highness,
I simply do not wish to embarrass you.
Come on!
Hyah!
And that is the king we are following.
-Hyah!
My lord, can you move?
Quickly! Come down!
-The rope. -Come on!
Here!
You?
Yes, Your Highness, me.
But why?
I have the nobles. I have the power.
That is precisely why.
I promise you, this will not take long.
His horse stumbled.
We saw. My God.
Your Highness!
Give him room, he's trying to speak.
Thank God you were here to comfort him.
The king is dead.
No.
Only one is.
Sire, your loyal subjects--
Stop, stop.
What is your news?
It is Edmund, sire.
The young king is dead.
-His horse failed him.
Who witnessed this?
We all did, sire.
We were with him at the end.
It was an act of God.
The King Edmund is dead. Long live King Canute.
Long live King Canute!
Olaf has joined forces with Kåre.
Olaf?
We recognized his banners,
but there are many other clans I do not know.
It's a large force and growing.
What about appealing to friendly cities for help?
We have. But many have already been crushed by Kåre.
Then we should prepare immediately,
and learn what we can about their numbers and strength.
Agreed. Send spies and see what they can find.
Prince Harald.
Jarl Haakon.
I am glad you have chosen to stay and fight with us,
but it has placed you against your brother.
My brother has clearly made his choice.
And I have made mine.
I'm not fighting for the throne of Norway.
I am fighting for Kattegat.
-Another bandage. -Yes.
-Milady. -Your Highness.
Leave me with him.
Your Highness wished to see me?
I'm told you were the first to reach him.
I was, Your Highness.
And he was dead when you discovered him?
No.
But his injuries were extensive.
Clearly.
And his pain must have been terrible.
It was.
Especially from the tiny cut
beneath his left breast, just below his heart.
Of all his wounds, it was the most lethal as it pierced his heart
and filled his body with blood.
Strange things happen in these types of accidents, Your Highness.
Strange? I would call it miraculous.
Godwin.
You may go.
-Did you commission this murder?
Must I remind you that the death of Edmund
leaves only one king on the throne of England?
Which is crucial to Canute's power and yours as his wife.
King Forkbeard, I arrived in this country as a 15-year-old girl,
who could not speak the language and was a piece of property.
I am now the Queen of an expanding empire,
and a wealthy woman in my own right.
If you think that I'm incapable
of taking care of both, my husband's interest and my own,
you do so at your own peril.
I'm beginning to see what my son admires in you.
We will be ready.
We are in the hands of the Gods.
I prefer my fate be in my own hands.
You make it very difficult sometimes…
to love you.
I want to keep you safe.
I don't need that. I know Kåre--
And I know my brother.
He's self-centered, vain, seeks only power.
Sounds like someone else I know.
Grandfather!
Oh!
We arrived last night.
Mother wouldn't let us disturb you.
How very thoughtful of her.
Let me speak to your mother alone.
Good morning, Aelfgifu.
What has brought you all the way to England?
The crown that is due to me as the wife of its king.
If I remember correctly,
you and my son were hand-fasted in the Pagan way
as he had yet not converted.
In the eyes of God, you were never married.
I'll let you explain that technicality to your grandsons.
Mm.
I'll be happy to.
It's the way the world works.
My son has made his commitment to Queen Emma.
Then you should be prepared to lose Norway.
Jarl Olaf visited me upon his return from England.
He shared with me his plans to unite Norway.
He then attempted to buy Denmark's fleet for an invasion of Kattegat.
You mean Canute's fleet?
Canute and his army are locked in land battle.
In his absence, fleet answers to me.
You brought the fleet to England?
Where is it?
Near, but far.
Out of your sight, but close enough to receive my command.
I could have you killed right now.
Quartered in front of me.
Or tortured.
I particularly don't like fire.
But by the time you learn the fleet's whereabouts,
it would be too late.
England is a country with many places to hide.
And if they don't hear from me by a given hour, on a certain day,
they sail for Kattegat under Olaf's flag.
Only I can call them off.
You're here to talk or to threaten?
I have a problem.
You killed my father, Leif Eriksson.
As his son, I must defend his name.
Must you?
You know as well as I do I was within my rights to defend myself.
You also know if you were to fight me now,
there is a very good chance I will kill you.
'Cause you're a great warrior, Arne.
And the people of Kattegat,
they need you to defend them now.
So, you understand my problem.
Look, I've only heard stories of Odin's table.
But I know if I was ever asked to join the einherjar
and I had to look the Allfather in the eye…
I would much rather do so as a warrior
who died fighting for his people and their beliefs.
Instead of his father's tainted name.
-Riders approach!
Our scouts are returning!
Whoa. Easy.
We must find out their strength.
If they are weak, we should not be waiting in here,
but attacking before their forces grow any stronger.
I agree. I'll go with you.
We can spare neither of you.
Let's get back to work.
And who are you?
I'm Queen Aelfgifu of Denmark
and the wife of King Canute.
I'm impressed with how… effortlessly
you've made yourself comfortable in my home.
It is my home now.
Really?
I've heard of delusionary people such as yourself.
Please tell me how you managed to convince yourself of such a fantasy.
I am told you are an intelligent woman, Emma of Normundy.
Surely, you are astute enough to realize
that if a wolf is roaming your halls and warming itself by your fires,
it must be considering you its dinner.
You look troubled.
I have many worries.
Yes. I just met them.
All of the traitors gathering armies to steal Norway.
And Aelfgifu controls Canute's fleet.
She's hidden it somewhere here.
I have sent men to search. But it could take days, weeks.
I have hours.
If Olaf is allowed to take Norway,
the entire North is threatened.
And Aelfgifu knows it.
I don't expect a woman like you
to understand what that means to a Viking.
But I do know the blood of your people runs in my veins.
I've never been to the North, but I feel your anger.
I feel your pain.
I fell in love with your son because he convinced me to trust him.
He saved my children from Olaf and now I must repay that trust.
I know this country.
I can help you, if you let me.
Kattegat has seen trials before.
Enemies from land and sea, and days of darkness.
In all times, the Gods have been good to us.
Sustained and protected us.
Now we face a new challenge in which we must ask their help.
We call for a messenger to journey to Asgard
and plead our cause to the Chief of the Æsir.
-I will. -I will.
I… I will.
What is your name?
Audun Hoskuldsson.
Do you willingly go to Odin and deliver our cry for help?
I do.
I promise to be worthy of Kattegat.
Prepare him for his journey.
Queen Aelfgifu.
Ny name is Earl Godwin.
I am an advisor to your husband, King Canute.
It's refreshing to be greeted properly.
It befits you.
But despite your competence,
it may be hard to keep you at the king's side.
I've come to offer my assistance.
I've made my terms clear with Sweyn Forkbeard.
Why would I need your help?
Because you may have overestimated your leverage with him
and underestimated Emma's.
I know her and believe I can help you in your quest.
Why? What interest do you have in my quest?
Let's just say I have my own history with Emma.
Hyah!
Prodigal brother returns.