1 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:13,680 I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred. 2 00:00:14,560 --> 00:00:20,400 On the eve of his death, I finally made peace with the great King Alfred. 3 00:00:20,960 --> 00:00:23,600 You are hereby pardoned. 4 00:00:24,120 --> 00:00:25,120 He is gone. 5 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:28,680 Wessex is in chaos. 6 00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:31,240 Have a messenger return to Mercia. 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:33,600 I'd like the comfort of further hearth-guards. 8 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,360 And his vision of one England is incomplete. 9 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,600 It is the purpose of the witan to choose a king. 10 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,200 Uhtred cannot be allowed to ally himself to Edward. 11 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:47,360 This is the moment the Danes have long waited for. 12 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:50,480 But Brida seeks the truth. 13 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,640 Men are saying he killed Ragnar. 14 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:54,760 - Aethelwold? - Was it him? 15 00:00:54,840 --> 00:00:57,240 He was in fear of Ragnar. 16 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:58,680 Then he's mine to kill. 17 00:00:58,760 --> 00:01:03,360 Only with Thyra's blood can we send my brother Ragnar to Valhalla. 18 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,720 You will tell your friend Uhtred his pardon is to be rescinded. 19 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:09,880 He must leave Winchester or I shall have him taken. 20 00:01:09,960 --> 00:01:13,120 The lady Aelswith has dishonored her husband's wishes 21 00:01:13,200 --> 00:01:14,360 and I am imprisoned, 22 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:19,200 at a time when my sister is seen only as a Dane. 23 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:21,360 Is that not what she is? 24 00:01:21,840 --> 00:01:22,880 An enemy. 25 00:01:23,680 --> 00:01:26,160 In a hole is where you belong. 26 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:31,760 Destiny is all. 27 00:02:16,440 --> 00:02:18,480 Beocca! 28 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,280 Beocca! 29 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,120 Beocca! 30 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:27,200 Beocca, my love! 31 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:49,840 Beocca! 32 00:02:54,360 --> 00:02:56,520 He is with God. 33 00:02:59,920 --> 00:03:04,920 May his soul rest in peace for all eternity. Amen. 34 00:03:05,000 --> 00:03:09,080 Fire! Sound the bell. Fire! 35 00:03:09,640 --> 00:03:10,760 Fetch the water! 36 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,880 We should meet, Lord. Continue our previous discussion. 37 00:03:16,960 --> 00:03:18,080 For what purpose? 38 00:03:18,160 --> 00:03:22,280 The Danes will hear of Alfred's death and they will attack Mercia. 39 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:23,440 Mercia will be ready. 40 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:25,440 To die? Or to thrive? 41 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:27,080 Find me. 42 00:03:29,640 --> 00:03:32,640 I find him to be lower than a snake's belly. 43 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,400 That does not mean that he is wrong. 44 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:44,280 We need to stop the fire spreading! Get more water! 45 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:46,960 For Christ's sake, get more water! 46 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:48,600 Oh, be-Jesus! 47 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:51,720 Oh, dear Lord! 48 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:53,800 Fetch Father Beocca! Fetch him now! Go! 49 00:03:53,880 --> 00:03:54,960 More water! 50 00:03:55,800 --> 00:03:57,080 Thyra? Is she inside? 51 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,560 - I thought she was at the palace. - No, no, she left. She walked out! 52 00:04:00,640 --> 00:04:02,080 More water! 53 00:04:08,880 --> 00:04:10,360 Father Beocca? 54 00:04:11,080 --> 00:04:14,400 We would like a last moment with the king. 55 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:16,360 Alone. 56 00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:18,560 Yes, of course. 57 00:04:21,279 --> 00:04:24,400 Lady Aelswith, forgive me. 58 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,480 You're going against the king's wishes. 59 00:04:26,560 --> 00:04:29,120 Father Beocca? You may be needed. 60 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,480 Get the door! Get the door! 61 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,120 Get back! Get back! 62 00:04:49,240 --> 00:04:52,000 No! No, this is not happening! 63 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:53,160 Thyra! 64 00:04:54,840 --> 00:04:57,000 I'm here! I am here! 65 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:00,280 Thyra! 66 00:05:10,720 --> 00:05:11,920 Thyra! 67 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:25,360 Beocca. 68 00:06:15,600 --> 00:06:18,920 Father, she is with God now. You know that. 69 00:06:19,520 --> 00:06:21,720 And he will welcome her, I'm sure. 70 00:06:22,560 --> 00:06:26,040 It's how her family died, in a fire. 71 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:31,720 You think that would be a comfort? Or would it terrify her further? 72 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:34,360 Father, all we know is that she's at peace now. 73 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:37,960 She's at peace. 74 00:06:38,640 --> 00:06:43,160 You need to walk away now, Father. A drink of ale, maybe? 75 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:49,840 Once the heat has gone, 76 00:06:49,920 --> 00:06:52,960 I shall recover her and wrap her for you to bury. 77 00:06:53,640 --> 00:06:57,360 I... No... I will find her. She is my wife. 78 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:00,760 She is. We'll help you then. 79 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,120 This fire did not just happen. It did not. 80 00:07:08,960 --> 00:07:13,200 These are dark and important days for both Wessex and Mercia. 81 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:15,760 Just as soon as the Danes hear of Alfred's death... 82 00:07:15,840 --> 00:07:18,440 They will attack, you have said, and we agree. 83 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:22,240 - We will fight. - Why? Why fight only to lose? 84 00:07:22,320 --> 00:07:23,440 Who says we must lose? 85 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:25,880 To have even a chance, Mercia would need Wessex, 86 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,080 and Wessex has been left with a pup as its master. You'll lose. 87 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:31,480 The Danes will march and we will have to fight. 88 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,480 We negotiate. Then let them slaughter Edward 89 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:37,400 and the small number of idiots who choose to follow him. 90 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:38,320 Small number? 91 00:07:38,400 --> 00:07:42,160 He does not have all of Wessex behind him. Some will follow, but not all. 92 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,360 Wessex will not have great numbers of men. 93 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:46,520 Lord Sigebriht is about to return to Cent 94 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:48,880 and ready his own considerable guard and fyrd. 95 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:51,000 To do what? To join the Danes? 96 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:53,400 Edward is not Alfred and never can be, but... 97 00:07:54,680 --> 00:07:58,120 - There'll be no need for swords! - I am merely introducing myself. 98 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,560 - You will let me go! - Not until there is calm. 99 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,480 There is madness. Father Beocca, you are suffering. 100 00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:05,720 I do not wish to hear your voice. 101 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:11,960 It was you who killed her, not some stray ember on a bed of straw. 102 00:08:12,040 --> 00:08:15,360 - I am not to blame for your... - It was you. 103 00:08:15,440 --> 00:08:17,760 If not directly, then by the words you whisper, 104 00:08:17,840 --> 00:08:20,800 by the lies you tell, the bile you spew! 105 00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:22,760 I think we should find another table. 106 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:26,840 In the eyes of some, a gentle woman became an enemy and nothing more. 107 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:30,560 You should turn a deaf ear to this man. 108 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,640 Father Beocca, I will forgive this display, just once. 109 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,400 Another word and you will pay. 110 00:08:49,800 --> 00:08:54,480 What have I said? Wessex is splintered. I will have no more of it. 111 00:09:17,080 --> 00:09:18,680 Haesten? What is this? 112 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:22,160 It is the beginning, my friend. 113 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,680 Alfred, king of the shit-eating Saxons... 114 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,720 has breathed his last! The king is dead! 115 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:34,680 Haesten, and you are certain this time? 116 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,080 - Dagfinn? - It is true, Lord. 117 00:09:38,640 --> 00:09:44,040 We have heard it many times, from priests and warriors and peasants alike. 118 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:47,720 They cry in the streets of Winchester. 119 00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:50,440 - Then it begins. - Hmm. 120 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:53,040 It begins. 121 00:09:53,720 --> 00:09:58,120 Sharpen your blades! It begins! 122 00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,680 Is there to be a trial, or a simple execution? 123 00:10:20,760 --> 00:10:24,040 It was my mother's intention to cut your throat, 124 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,640 but she has been persuaded to revert to banishment. 125 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,840 You are to leave Winchester and Wessex and never return. 126 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:31,920 And what of Edward? 127 00:10:31,960 --> 00:10:35,280 What of the king's letter, his pardon? Does that count for nothing? 128 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,360 Uhtred, you must leave or she will have you killed. 129 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:42,640 Find Beocca. 130 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,760 I must speak to Beocca. Fetch him, please. 131 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:49,560 I cannot fetch him. 132 00:10:50,880 --> 00:10:52,240 He has trials enough. 133 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:55,600 What trials? 134 00:10:57,040 --> 00:10:58,200 I am here. 135 00:10:59,920 --> 00:11:01,800 I have heard what the lady has said, 136 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:04,560 and I am here to beg you, Uhtred, to beg you to stay. 137 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:06,160 He cannot stay. 138 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:08,000 - There will be a hearing. - Perhaps. 139 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:11,280 - And we shall be heard. We must. - What has happened? 140 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:14,800 Accept a trial and speak out. If you do not, the devil will have won! 141 00:11:14,880 --> 00:11:17,800 - Beocca? - Do not abandon what you helped to build. 142 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:19,600 There is a change in you. 143 00:11:32,000 --> 00:11:37,480 Thyra is with God... the gods, even. 144 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:45,720 - How? - Fire. 145 00:11:47,560 --> 00:11:51,080 Set by good Christian men, no doubt. 146 00:11:52,200 --> 00:11:53,200 Which men? 147 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,360 She is with Gisela now. She is with her mother. 148 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,880 We cannot allow ourselves to be consumed by her death. 149 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:06,880 All that Alfred stood for is crumbling. 150 00:12:07,480 --> 00:12:10,480 You, Uhtred, cannot be dragged into the shadows. 151 00:12:11,320 --> 00:12:13,120 You must become the light. 152 00:12:29,560 --> 00:12:31,160 My Lady Aethelflaed. 153 00:12:32,440 --> 00:12:35,400 You will inform your brother and your mother 154 00:12:35,480 --> 00:12:38,280 that Mercia has a king with his own mind. 155 00:12:38,920 --> 00:12:40,440 I will do nothing of the sort. 156 00:12:40,520 --> 00:12:45,400 Alfred is gone. Therefore, all agreements made with Alfred no longer stand. 157 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,400 Mercia will remain allied with Wessex. 158 00:12:47,480 --> 00:12:50,240 The two countries will stand together or they will fail. 159 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:51,800 The two countries are equals. 160 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:56,960 Each free to choose who to befriend and who to fight. 161 00:12:57,880 --> 00:12:59,000 Who to fight? 162 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,960 Lord Aldhelm, you must remind my husband what it means to be a Mercian. 163 00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:15,200 Lord King, I must say I do not disagree with her. 164 00:13:17,640 --> 00:13:18,760 I need assuring, Lord, 165 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:21,920 that you will not align Mercia with Aethelwold, nor the Danes. 166 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:23,240 It would be a betrayal. 167 00:13:23,320 --> 00:13:24,840 You need assuring? 168 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:27,840 - We are proud Mercians, Lord. - Do you question me? 169 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:31,120 I am concerned. 170 00:13:32,120 --> 00:13:33,240 Do you doubt me? 171 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:36,880 I simply wish to understand your thinking. 172 00:13:36,960 --> 00:13:38,400 My guard of 50 men. 173 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:41,280 Did you send for them? 174 00:13:41,360 --> 00:13:43,320 You will agree they are needed at home. 175 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,200 Did you send for my guard of 50 men? 176 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:50,680 I did not. 177 00:13:57,520 --> 00:14:03,200 Should you live, Aldhelm, never disobey me again. Never. 178 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,120 Your wound is from an alehouse brawl. 179 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,320 I have been considering my defection to the Danes. 180 00:14:19,400 --> 00:14:23,040 - I will hold until the very last moment. - Meaning what? 181 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:27,440 Edward will march and I will promise to join him, but I will arrive late. 182 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,000 As the Danes attack from the front, I will attack from the rear. 183 00:14:31,680 --> 00:14:34,320 My army against a fyrd of peasants. 184 00:14:34,400 --> 00:14:37,600 It'll be a slaughter and my men will survive. 185 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:41,280 I can almost hear the screams of panic. 186 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:20,760 Lady, forgive me. I did not know where else to go. 187 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:28,160 He believes he can negotiate... 188 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,040 or is at least considering the possibility. 189 00:15:36,320 --> 00:15:38,360 The bleeding has stemmed. I hope. 190 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,560 A gut wound is a slow death. 191 00:15:42,640 --> 00:15:45,480 A gut wound can heal. It will heal. 192 00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:56,520 Lady... 193 00:16:00,840 --> 00:16:02,040 you have my heart. 194 00:16:05,280 --> 00:16:06,720 I fear that I love you. 195 00:16:10,280 --> 00:16:12,440 If I can't say it while dying, when will I? 196 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:13,600 You are not dying. 197 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:21,600 Lady, you must act, for Mercia. You must. 198 00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:25,880 Call the men to arms and save us. 199 00:16:41,320 --> 00:16:42,360 It's time. 200 00:16:44,080 --> 00:16:46,600 I am to take you to the frontier of Mercia, 201 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,080 to witness you leaving Wessex. 202 00:16:57,400 --> 00:17:00,920 Lord? What is this, a hunting party? 203 00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,680 I am an outlaw once again. To be banished or executed. 204 00:17:04,760 --> 00:17:06,680 Shall we follow you, Lord? 205 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:09,640 Leave Winchester for the Danes? 206 00:17:15,359 --> 00:17:16,359 Lord? 207 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:18,880 Walk. 208 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:22,400 What is he doing? 209 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:24,880 He's standing still, Lady. 210 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,240 Uhtred, you will walk and you will get up onto your horse! 211 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:54,760 I am a free man. I have a letter of pardon. 212 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:59,600 It bears the king's seal. It is written in the king's hand... 213 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:00,880 Someone take his tongue. 214 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,880 Does Alfred's word count for nothing, now that he is gone? 215 00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:07,440 And you are a man who once held a knife to the king's throat. 216 00:18:07,520 --> 00:18:11,520 Show us one witness who can say this letter was written willingly. 217 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,040 - One witness. - There was no witness. 218 00:18:14,120 --> 00:18:16,760 We are gifting you your life! You shall be grateful 219 00:18:16,840 --> 00:18:18,800 and you shall leave this land in peace! 220 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,560 There will be no peace, Lady. War is coming. 221 00:18:23,720 --> 00:18:26,920 There is a Dane army marching this very moment. 222 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:30,200 And I will not abandon the people of Wessex... 223 00:18:30,280 --> 00:18:32,600 Who do you think you are? Steapa! 224 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,600 - The entire city is watching. - Uhtred speaks the truth. 225 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:38,560 - And you are nothing but smitten. - Lady Aelswith! 226 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,160 I cannot let this injustice go unchallenged. 227 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:44,200 If Uhtred of Bebbanburg claims to have been made a free man 228 00:18:44,280 --> 00:18:45,840 by King Alfred himself... 229 00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:51,600 we cannot dismiss it so lightly. Only a king can deny a king. 230 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:54,040 Wessex has no king. Wessex has no king! 231 00:18:54,120 --> 00:18:55,400 We have Edward Rex. 232 00:18:55,480 --> 00:18:57,680 The witan decides who is king. 233 00:18:57,760 --> 00:18:59,440 Edward is the aetheling. 234 00:18:59,520 --> 00:19:03,120 He has no authority. He is Alfred's son and nothing more! 235 00:19:03,200 --> 00:19:05,760 I'm sure the monasteries are full of Alfred's sons. 236 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,280 Do all bastards have a claim to the crown? 237 00:19:08,360 --> 00:19:10,600 Bishop Erkenwald, you will end this display. 238 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:14,000 King or not, if Edward believes the letter of pardon to be untrue, 239 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:15,880 then I will leave Wessex. 240 00:19:15,960 --> 00:19:19,080 Steapa, you will return the prisoner to the palace. 241 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,160 This is no place for such decisions. 242 00:19:21,240 --> 00:19:24,840 This is precisely the place! Justice must be seen to be done! 243 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,200 Steapa! Unhand the prisoner. 244 00:19:29,520 --> 00:19:31,040 Though he remains a prisoner, 245 00:19:32,520 --> 00:19:36,560 I will allow Lord Uhtred to speak. He has earned that right. 246 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:40,520 Though you have not, Lord, not yet. You have no authority. 247 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,200 Do you object to the people bearing witness to justice, Lord Aethelwold? 248 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:46,440 I do not. 249 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:53,240 Uhtred, the king swore that you were to die. Why the change in his heart? 250 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:55,880 Because he believed that I deserved his forgiveness. 251 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:57,080 Is that a boast? 252 00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,400 Look to his chronicle. I am on every page. 253 00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,160 That is a lie. You are not named, even once! 254 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:07,360 But I am there. Unwritten, Lady, but I am there! 255 00:20:07,440 --> 00:20:09,800 The warriors of Wessex know it. 256 00:20:11,520 --> 00:20:13,000 The Danes know it. 257 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:16,120 And it is what the king has told me himself. 258 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:17,600 I have heard enough. 259 00:20:17,680 --> 00:20:20,640 I am with him from the Somerset Marshes to Ethandun 260 00:20:20,720 --> 00:20:22,840 and all of the battles that have followed. 261 00:20:25,320 --> 00:20:26,920 We were bonded, him and I. 262 00:20:28,680 --> 00:20:33,080 He was the man that I could never be, nor did I wish to be. 263 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,440 He was a man that I loved and despised... 264 00:20:40,880 --> 00:20:44,160 but it was never less than an honor to serve him. 265 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:47,960 He was my king. 266 00:20:49,720 --> 00:20:52,000 And he did not wish to go to his God 267 00:20:52,080 --> 00:20:56,200 without granting me what I have earned many times over! 268 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:58,120 My freedom. 269 00:20:58,840 --> 00:21:01,560 But the question remains: 270 00:21:01,640 --> 00:21:03,720 Why did he choose not to announce it? 271 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:34,120 You will remember my great friend Leofric, a warrior and a Saxon to the bone! 272 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:40,160 He told me once that I could never better Alfred. 273 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:43,600 "Because the bastard thinks," he said. 274 00:21:48,360 --> 00:21:52,560 Perhaps your father chose not to announce my freedom for this very reason... 275 00:21:54,120 --> 00:22:00,080 so that the people could witness their new king, Edward, dispensing justice. 276 00:22:01,120 --> 00:22:02,200 Fairly, I hope. 277 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:06,640 Will you accept the decision of Edward Rex? 278 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:08,280 I will. I give you my word. 279 00:22:09,520 --> 00:22:12,760 - Lord... - Again, I say, and with respect, 280 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,680 the boy does not have the power to make such a statement. 281 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,000 He is an aetheling and nothing more. 282 00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:20,920 He is no more an heir to the crown than myself. 283 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,400 Lord, the decision is yours to make. 284 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,760 My father, King Alfred, demanded loyalty, unity. 285 00:22:40,400 --> 00:22:44,080 He believed in his god and doubted those who did not. 286 00:22:45,080 --> 00:22:47,160 A heathen would not be trusted completely 287 00:22:47,240 --> 00:22:51,760 until he had embraced Alfred's god as his own. 288 00:22:57,960 --> 00:22:59,040 And yet... 289 00:23:02,520 --> 00:23:06,480 it was a heathen he did trust most. 290 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:11,720 It was the word of Uhtred that he respected most. 291 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:21,040 Uhtred of Bebbanburg, I find the letter written by my father to be true. 292 00:23:21,120 --> 00:23:24,560 Alfred's pardon does stand. 293 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:27,760 You are a free man, able to choose your own path. 294 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,960 May I ask, Lord Uhtred, may I ask? 295 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:37,680 Now that you are a free man once more, where will your path lead? 296 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:39,560 I would like to know. 297 00:23:41,680 --> 00:23:42,840 Steapa, my sword. 298 00:23:48,560 --> 00:23:54,560 One day, Father, I hope that my path will eventually lead north to Bebbanburg, 299 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:57,720 but now, I believe I am needed here. 300 00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:01,680 I will follow Edward Rex! 301 00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:26,040 Cnut, swear to the gods that it was Aethelwold who killed Ragnar. 302 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,720 It was. I swear. 303 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:34,000 He must not fall in battle. If you wish to see Ragnar in the hall of the slain, 304 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:36,480 then Aethelwold must not just fall to any sword. 305 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:39,520 - I do not understand. - Keep him safe until I'm ready. 306 00:24:39,600 --> 00:24:42,320 Do it for me and for Ragnar. 307 00:24:42,920 --> 00:24:44,880 I will. I will keep him safe. 308 00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:48,080 We fight for Ragnar! 309 00:24:48,160 --> 00:24:51,120 And for every Dane that has ever fallen to a Saxon sword! 310 00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:59,400 If the Danes are moving through East Anglia and towards eastern Mercia, 311 00:24:59,480 --> 00:25:01,320 then that land is Danelaw. 312 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:03,080 Their army can only grow. 313 00:25:05,120 --> 00:25:07,520 As before, we must march out to meet them. 314 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:11,760 I've spies inside Danelaw. They confirmed they are moving closer. 315 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,360 I have issued an order for my men at the frontier to retreat. 316 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:16,280 Retreat? 317 00:25:16,360 --> 00:25:19,400 It is good sense, Lord. Every warrior must be made to count. 318 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:21,640 But how far do I retreat? 319 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:24,760 Where and when does Mercia make a stand? 320 00:25:24,840 --> 00:25:26,960 Where and when will we be joined by Wessex? 321 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:28,400 That is to be decided. 322 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:29,760 I would like to know. 323 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:33,360 Because Wessex appears to be in a land of chaos and doubt. 324 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:37,120 Does each of the handful of ealdormen here stand with Edward? 325 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,520 We do. Of course we do. 326 00:25:41,640 --> 00:25:43,080 He is to be king. 327 00:25:45,640 --> 00:25:47,000 Lord Sigebriht? 328 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:50,360 We do. 329 00:25:50,440 --> 00:25:52,760 And what of those who are not here? 330 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:57,280 Those who hurried back to their halls, despite knowing there is talk of war? 331 00:25:57,360 --> 00:25:58,920 They are with us! 332 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:01,600 Wessex will not have great numbers, I am hearing. 333 00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:05,360 - We shall be marching to fight, Lord. - Lord King... 334 00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:09,360 Do not believe there is another option. Haesten and Cnut are men without honor. 335 00:26:09,440 --> 00:26:13,120 They will take your land, your silver and the tin crown from your head. 336 00:26:19,200 --> 00:26:20,560 All of you, hear me. 337 00:26:21,400 --> 00:26:24,920 Yes, it is likely that the Danes will have greater numbers, 338 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:27,360 but this is a battle that we can win. 339 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:31,640 Though it will take all of us, every man and every sword, 340 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:35,640 and we will fight with all the guile and wit that Alfred has instilled. 341 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:40,600 God is with us. 342 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,800 I shall return to Mercia. 343 00:26:47,520 --> 00:26:49,480 Send word of your intentions, and soon, 344 00:26:49,560 --> 00:26:52,920 but, I warn you, I will not fight a battle that cannot be won. 345 00:26:53,000 --> 00:26:55,160 I won't send my subjects into a slaughter. 346 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,720 Do you wish to become a puppet, Lord Aethelred? 347 00:26:59,920 --> 00:27:01,280 Send word. 348 00:27:08,320 --> 00:27:09,320 Lord. 349 00:27:17,000 --> 00:27:18,080 He's right. 350 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:21,680 I am not my father. 351 00:27:26,680 --> 00:27:28,840 When Winchester fell to Guthrum, 352 00:27:29,360 --> 00:27:33,400 your father hid himself away in the marshes, for months. 353 00:27:34,160 --> 00:27:36,560 He hid in fear for his life and of failure, 354 00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:38,920 but he overcame that fear. 355 00:27:42,360 --> 00:27:46,520 We will find the words and you will write to every ealdorman and thegn of Wessex 356 00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:50,360 and they will answer your call. They will come. 357 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:56,400 To where? 358 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:01,160 Lord, if we have fewer men, 359 00:28:01,240 --> 00:28:05,040 the very last place we want to fight is open ground. 360 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:07,560 Bedanford. 361 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:11,360 Bedanford is a good distance away. 362 00:28:11,920 --> 00:28:13,680 That is the path they would take. 363 00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:19,240 It is a long march, Lord, but the land could be to our advantage. 364 00:28:20,160 --> 00:28:21,400 It could, Lord. 365 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:25,240 Bedanford it must be. 366 00:28:31,200 --> 00:28:32,520 Then I will do it. 367 00:28:33,760 --> 00:28:38,440 With your help, I will find the words. 368 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:48,080 The devil cannot win. 369 00:28:49,240 --> 00:28:50,760 The devil will not win. 370 00:28:51,920 --> 00:28:56,120 I will need a sword, or an ax. A shield. 371 00:28:57,360 --> 00:28:59,520 This is a battle I will not watch. 372 00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:03,320 I need to fight, Uhtred, till I can fight no more. 373 00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:19,200 Lord Sigebriht. 374 00:29:21,320 --> 00:29:24,400 - You are leaving in the night? - There is an army to raise. 375 00:29:26,720 --> 00:29:29,280 You have been sitting with Aethelwold for some time. 376 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:32,200 If you are questioning my loyalty, do not. 377 00:29:32,280 --> 00:29:35,840 I am Wessex, as was my father and my grandfather. 378 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:37,440 But you are not for Edward. 379 00:29:37,520 --> 00:29:39,840 That does not make me a traitor to my country. 380 00:29:39,920 --> 00:29:42,800 - Then you will be there, in battle? - I will. 381 00:29:44,680 --> 00:29:46,720 Wessex will need the men of Cent. 382 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:49,960 A letter will soon find you. 383 00:29:51,200 --> 00:29:55,920 We will be there. For the good of Cent, and for Wessex. 384 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:59,280 Yes, for Wessex, Lord Sigebriht. 385 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:05,280 You are one day Saxon, the very next day Dane, Uhtred. 386 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,960 I have not yet offered you my condolences for Ragnar. 387 00:30:14,120 --> 00:30:16,400 Your brother deserved a warrior's death. 388 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:19,480 I am sorry you will not see him in Valhalla. 389 00:30:19,560 --> 00:30:21,640 This is where you belong, Aethelwold. 390 00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:23,680 Winchester? 391 00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,840 Standing on a stable floor like a horse's turd. 392 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,080 Will you be riding for Edward? 393 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,160 I will be there and I will be praying for a great victory. 394 00:30:33,240 --> 00:30:36,680 - For Saxon or for Dane? - Do you care? You belong to neither. 395 00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:41,880 I did once fear you, Uhtred, 396 00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:45,800 but now I see you are nothing but a sword. A lump of metal. 397 00:30:47,640 --> 00:30:50,080 Yes, you have reputation, but that will fade. 398 00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:53,600 And you will die forgotten and unwritten. 399 00:30:55,360 --> 00:30:57,840 You will go neither to Heaven nor to Valhalla. 400 00:31:08,920 --> 00:31:13,440 This letter from Edward, it had better be good. 401 00:31:24,520 --> 00:31:26,640 A letter has been sent. 402 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:33,520 It speaks out to every man in the kingdom, demanding that he answers the call 403 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:35,640 and joins us on the road to battle. 404 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:38,960 It says that this will be a battle 405 00:31:39,040 --> 00:31:42,160 that will be spoken of for lifetimes to come. 406 00:31:43,160 --> 00:31:47,800 It is a battle that no man can ignore, no man can stand by and watch. 407 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:53,600 Every man must find a weapon and every man must fight! 408 00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:57,760 Wessex will always be the light. 409 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:01,600 And no matter how heavy our swords become, 410 00:32:02,520 --> 00:32:03,960 we must fight. 411 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:09,680 Fight! Fight and keep on fighting until the victory is ours! 412 00:32:21,040 --> 00:32:22,560 We march! 413 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:06,920 Aethelwold is not with us. 414 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:12,200 I wondered why the stench had gone. No doubt he's making his way to the Danes. 415 00:33:13,440 --> 00:33:15,640 He may know of Bedanford. He will tell them. 416 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,320 Which is why we're heading towards the woods. Beyond Bedanford. 417 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:21,280 We are? 418 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:23,800 We assemble at Bedanford as requested, 419 00:33:23,880 --> 00:33:26,760 but then we march on to attack the Danes in the woodlands. 420 00:33:27,640 --> 00:33:29,960 A small advantage for our smaller numbers. 421 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:35,720 You have the blood kept safe? 422 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,520 I do, Lord. Always. And it is blessed. 423 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:44,240 Thyra's blood? 424 00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:46,200 Yes. 425 00:33:47,880 --> 00:33:49,920 And it will save Ragnar's soul? 426 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,680 It will take him from Niflheim to Valhalla, yes. 427 00:33:54,240 --> 00:33:55,480 From Hell into Heaven. 428 00:33:59,520 --> 00:34:03,440 I must kill the man who killed Ragnar, with a blade marked with Ragnar's blood. 429 00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:05,520 Thyra's blood. 430 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:07,680 It is the same. 431 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:11,159 Who is this man you will kill? 432 00:34:13,520 --> 00:34:14,600 I do not know. 433 00:35:09,040 --> 00:35:10,280 So Uhtred lives? 434 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:14,680 - Now rides with Edward? - Yes. 435 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,080 You were supposed to kill him. 436 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:20,800 And I did not. 437 00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:22,520 Could you not find him sleeping? 438 00:35:32,200 --> 00:35:34,720 It barely matters because Wessex is broken. 439 00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:37,240 Half the ealdormen will not answer Edward's call 440 00:35:37,320 --> 00:35:39,320 and in one that will, we have an ally. 441 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:41,480 Sigebriht of Cent. 442 00:35:42,680 --> 00:35:46,000 He commands one of the greatest armies of Wessex and he is with us. 443 00:35:46,080 --> 00:35:50,240 He is? Then he will join us when? 444 00:35:51,880 --> 00:35:53,320 He will join us in battle. 445 00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,720 My plan is that he will arrive to attack the Saxons from the rear, 446 00:35:57,800 --> 00:35:58,920 once battle has begun. 447 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:03,360 Good. 448 00:36:12,200 --> 00:36:15,120 - Jackdaw? - What? 449 00:36:16,040 --> 00:36:19,120 Cnut will be sending out spies in search of the Saxon camp. 450 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:20,280 You will follow. 451 00:36:21,240 --> 00:36:22,080 I will? 452 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:24,320 You will find Uhtred and give him a message. 453 00:36:43,600 --> 00:36:45,760 Still no word from Lord Sigebriht. 454 00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:48,400 I'd hoped some men would be here already. 455 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:49,840 They will come. 456 00:36:49,920 --> 00:36:52,800 We must continue on to the woodland and begin the fight. 457 00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:55,080 We cannot allow them into open ground. 458 00:36:56,680 --> 00:37:00,320 Then this may well be the place we die, Uhtred. 459 00:37:00,920 --> 00:37:03,480 Or it may well be the place you become king, Lord. 460 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:07,680 A great king, like your father at Ethandun. 461 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:24,520 There is nothing more useless than a dead spy. 462 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:31,360 Finan? 463 00:37:41,240 --> 00:37:42,240 Jackdaw? 464 00:37:42,280 --> 00:37:43,920 He says he has a message, Lord. 465 00:37:44,560 --> 00:37:46,920 I do, Lord. It's from Brida. 466 00:37:49,640 --> 00:37:50,640 Say it. 467 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:53,640 Am I to be spared? 468 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:57,520 Yes, you will be spared, but you will not be returning to the Danes. 469 00:37:58,040 --> 00:37:59,040 Say your message. 470 00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:02,880 She says, "Aethelwold," Lord. 471 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:06,080 She says, "Do not fail." 472 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:18,360 How long before they come? 473 00:38:19,720 --> 00:38:20,720 They are near. 474 00:38:22,240 --> 00:38:24,240 You are facing death, for certain. 475 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:26,480 You are wrong, Jackdaw. I will not die. 476 00:38:30,400 --> 00:38:31,400 Osferth! 477 00:38:33,800 --> 00:38:34,960 The blood. 478 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:55,600 Today, I ask you not to fight for Alfred. 479 00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:00,160 I ask you not to fight for Edward, nor the crown. 480 00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:05,240 But to fight for yourselves. And your forefathers! 481 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:11,400 They are buried in the soil of Wessex and Mercia, 482 00:39:11,480 --> 00:39:13,200 and they have become the soil. 483 00:39:14,280 --> 00:39:18,560 They are the land. And even as I speak... 484 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:23,720 it is for them we are fighting! 485 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:30,160 They're attacking the rear! Defend the line! Move! 486 00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:34,440 Everyone! Attack! Attack! 487 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:35,640 Move! Now! 488 00:40:44,360 --> 00:40:46,760 Kill every shit-eating Saxon bastard! 489 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:52,840 Uhtred, there's too many of the bastards! 490 00:41:01,080 --> 00:41:03,040 Keep your ground! 491 00:41:04,440 --> 00:41:06,240 Where are the Mercians? 492 00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:30,360 Uhtred, the line is breaking! 493 00:41:31,480 --> 00:41:33,360 Push back! 494 00:41:37,760 --> 00:41:39,280 Where is Sigebriht? 495 00:41:52,480 --> 00:41:54,440 Lord! Horses! 496 00:41:54,520 --> 00:41:55,560 Horses! 497 00:41:56,560 --> 00:41:59,960 It is Aethelflaed! It is Mercia! 498 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:18,000 They are holding firm! Aethelwold! When will your man attack? 499 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:21,200 Soon! When they are tired! Very soon! 500 00:42:39,160 --> 00:42:42,440 There! There! There he is! Did I not say? 501 00:42:43,200 --> 00:42:45,000 What position is he taking? 502 00:42:58,880 --> 00:43:01,760 For our forefathers! 503 00:43:05,720 --> 00:43:08,320 And for Wessex! 504 00:43:09,320 --> 00:43:11,440 Is he joining our line? 505 00:43:17,920 --> 00:43:19,400 That is your man! 506 00:43:20,920 --> 00:43:23,240 That is your man. And he's fighting for Edward! 507 00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:27,200 He has betrayed us! We still have the numbers! 508 00:43:27,280 --> 00:43:29,840 That is your man! 509 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:35,440 Push! With me! 510 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:43,880 Fight! Stand your ground and fight! 511 00:43:58,640 --> 00:44:00,000 We have been betrayed. 512 00:45:33,280 --> 00:45:35,960 They are possessed by devils! 513 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:37,040 It is lost. 514 00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:53,160 Uhtred, please. 515 00:46:57,760 --> 00:46:59,120 My arm is broken. 516 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:02,400 I have no way of wielding a sword. 517 00:47:02,480 --> 00:47:03,680 You have another arm. 518 00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:07,760 Please. I will go north, east or west. 519 00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:11,760 I will go to Frankia. To Ireland, even... 520 00:47:11,840 --> 00:47:12,760 You killed Ragnar. 521 00:47:12,840 --> 00:47:15,720 - No. No, I didn't. I couldn't. - You killed him. 522 00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:17,400 - Never. - Admit your guilt. 523 00:47:17,480 --> 00:47:21,080 I am guilty of nothing more than wanting what is rightly mine. 524 00:47:21,160 --> 00:47:24,280 - Admit it. - We are the same, our kingdoms stolen. 525 00:47:24,360 --> 00:47:28,000 You killed my brother! Admit it to me! 526 00:47:33,360 --> 00:47:34,360 Yes. 527 00:47:35,840 --> 00:47:40,720 Or he would have killed me. It was a war of sorts between us. 528 00:47:46,680 --> 00:47:47,960 I am not worth it. 529 00:47:49,120 --> 00:47:52,080 I swear you will never see me again. I will go anywhere, 530 00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:54,760 travel as far away as you wish. 531 00:47:56,320 --> 00:47:57,360 Please. 532 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:00,040 Please. 533 00:48:03,080 --> 00:48:04,680 Please, please. 534 00:48:06,240 --> 00:48:10,120 Uhtred... Uhtred, please. 535 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:18,960 You will need silver to travel. 536 00:48:21,320 --> 00:48:22,400 A ship's fare. 537 00:48:25,480 --> 00:48:26,480 Yes. 538 00:48:28,280 --> 00:48:29,280 I would. 539 00:48:30,520 --> 00:48:31,520 Not much. 540 00:48:34,280 --> 00:48:36,560 You will never see this face again. 541 00:48:46,360 --> 00:48:48,080 You will go to Hell. 542 00:49:08,720 --> 00:49:09,720 Uhtred? 543 00:49:12,200 --> 00:49:14,480 Look, a bridge. 544 00:49:16,880 --> 00:49:18,320 He's crossing to Valhalla. 545 00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:24,320 He's free. 546 00:49:56,280 --> 00:49:59,240 It will be written in the Saxon chronicle 547 00:49:59,320 --> 00:50:03,040 that Edward did gain a great victory over the Danes, 548 00:50:03,800 --> 00:50:06,800 ensuring he would become King of Wessex. 549 00:50:08,200 --> 00:50:10,040 But other battles lie ahead, 550 00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:13,520 both with the Danes and within Wessex itself. 551 00:50:15,040 --> 00:50:21,320 A king must decide who he can trust and who he must discard. 552 00:50:25,080 --> 00:50:30,320 He must understand the minds of both his enemies and his friends. 553 00:50:31,600 --> 00:50:38,040 He must recognize that the truth of a man lies not in the land of his birth, 554 00:50:39,320 --> 00:50:40,880 but in his heart. 555 00:50:48,760 --> 00:50:51,880 A king must be a king on his own terms. 556 00:50:52,480 --> 00:50:56,840 He cannot be his father. He can only be himself. 557 00:51:03,840 --> 00:51:07,080 The chronicle will grow. Pages will be added. 558 00:51:07,720 --> 00:51:11,200 But Uhtred of Bebbanburg will not be mentioned. 559 00:51:12,320 --> 00:51:14,640 Although I, too, was victorious. 560 00:51:19,240 --> 00:51:22,280 My name is Uhtred, son of Uhtred. 561 00:51:24,040 --> 00:51:26,520 My name is Uhtred Ragnarson. 562 00:51:28,360 --> 00:51:30,640 Destiny is all.