Kings and Swords
Yup, they're going at it.
Over here, Your Highness. It's His Majesty and Wulf.
You're right.
I can't believe my brother's...
He actually dodged that.
I'm impressed. His Majesty moves well for someone so heavily armed.
Aren't those real swords?
Probably, yes.
Can this really be considered practice?
If either gets hit, they'll be badly hurt.
Ah, I see he's making quite the effort.
Gunnar.
Princess Estrid, how do you do?
Terribly! I'm so frightened, I'm on pins and needles.
Don't worry. Wulf is a skilled swordsman.
He's surely holding back so as not to seriously injure His Majesty.
It doesn't look that way to me.
I can't believe this.
My brother used to hate even touching swords.
His Majesty's royal blood has awakened in England.
It's a very good thing.
Above all else, a king must be strong.
After all, Norse men don't listen to weaklings.
But my brother...
seems like he's in a lot of pain.
Retreating when you're tired is a bad habit of yours.
Retreating will draw out the fight.
A king fights by advancing and cutting his way through his enemies.
Both your enemies and subjects are watching to see how you fight.
Estrid is watching as well.
I'm sure you've noticed.
I see. That must be why you started attacking more aggressively.
There... There you go again!
I'm not falling for that.
Forget what I said. Just a slip of the tongue.
Besides, she seems lost in conversation with the man beside her.
I... concede.
Nicely done, Your Majesty.
I'm amazed.
He may have only won one in five bouts, but he made Wulf admit defeat.
Didn't Wulf look away at the end?
Your Majesty, I've told you that you mustn't throw your sword.
Your Majesty, that was an impressive fight.
What do you want, Gunnar?
I've finished preparing the documents about the matter you asked me to investigate.
We can review them in your room later.
Anyway, there aren't too many wealthy men.
Even if we were to squeeze any of the men listed,
we'd get at most 3,000 pounds a year.
Besides that, our only option is to raise taxes on the overall population.
Ah, I'd recommend that one.
Ketil, son of Sverkel.
He's a wealthy farmer who owns a large swath of land in the south.
I don't see the families' military forces listed here.
Yes, but without visiting them in person, it's hard to say.
We need those numbers. Look into it and report back to me.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Either way, we'd be raising taxes significantly,
right after you've been crowned King of Denmark.
I'm concerned there will be backlash from the people of Denmark.
Part of governing is making sure that doesn't happen.
We have options.
After being crowned King of England, Canute faced an urgent problem:
securing a new source of funds.
Even after conquering England,
Canute kept a Danish force directly under his control stationed there.
But the cost of maintaining such a force was being paid with English taxes,
which contributed to the discontent of the English.
Unless he could squeeze funds from Denmark, his other territory,
he would be forced to downsize his stationed army.
You said we have options, but what are they exactly?
Bringing more land under our control.
By developing it?
But it would take some time for that to yield a profit.
We'll acquire more farmland without developing virgin land.
You mean... by requisitioning land?
Your Majesty, surely you're not considering that?
We need the money.
We've no choice but to be somewhat heavy-handed in our approach.
It's better than sowing discontent among the people by raising taxes.
If you've got a better suggestion, I'm all ears.
Well... what about drawing down the army?
That's out of the question.
I'm their conqueror and a Dane. The English will never look favorably upon me.
An army under my direct control is what allows me to govern the region.
Kings are like swords.
What can a king without military might accomplish in this world?
What?
King Harald has passed away?
A week ago. You're too late, Dad.
But... Then by the time I left the farm, he was already....
That's exactly what it means.
I had no idea he was in such poor health.
I don't believe it.
I even brought him a mountain of gifts.
Enough to fill three knerrir, huh?
What a lavish offering.
Wait a minute.
Thorgil, if you came to meet me,
does that mean His Majesty Canute is here as well?
Well, yeah. I do serve him directly as his guard.
Currently he's acting as the king. He's at the palace.
I see. That's my silver lining, then.
I've lost King Harald's backing.
I must build a good relationship with the next King of Denmark.
Could you arrange a meeting between me and His Majesty?
You're a tough old man.
All right. I'll make something happen.
I'm counting on it.
Olmar! Olmar!
Hey, where did Olmar go?
The young master headed off into town alone.
And you let him go?
I told you not to take your eyes off of him.
Now, now, Dad.
He's 20 years old. He's not a child.
He is a child.
That idiot son of mine has never grown up.
You watch what happens while he's town alone.
By now, he's surely bumped into someone
and gotten into a fight over who should apologize to whom.
You're the one who bumped into me.
Don't screw with me. You should be apologizing to me.
What was that?
What are you talking about?
What are you gonna do about this?
I was going to trade this cloth.
That's not my problem.
Don't think you can use this as an excuse to force me to buy it off of you.
What's going on?
What the hell? Don't insult me.
It's a fight.
I do expect to be compensated, though.
Now you've shown your true colors.
That's what you intended from the start, isn't it? You're just a sleazy swindler.
Ugh! So disgusting.
You bastard...
How does someone grow up to be an asshole like you?
I'm an honest businessman, just like my dad.
I won't allow you to continue to insult me.
What are you gonna do about it, huh?
You wanna go, huh? I'm ready to go anytime,
you clumsy oaf.
Now I'm pissed off, you ignoramus!
He drew his sword.
What's wrong, you oaf? Bring it on.
Are you scared?
Th-This isn't fair.
Not fair? When men fight, it's to the death.
If you're walking around unarmed,
then it just means you're not a real Norseman.
Then let me ask you this:
who do you think bought you that?
You idiot son of mine!
Why are you always starting fights?
Wh-What the hell is your problem, Dad?
Stay out of my fight!
I'm sorry.
Allow me to compensate you for the cloth.
Is this enough?
Whoa...
W-Well, in that case, I've got no problem with you.
Hold it, Bug-Eyes.
Give him his change.
Oh, Dad, you were watching?
I saw the whole thing.
I was watching to see how you'd settle the fight, but I'm disappointed.
You still can't be trusted with big deals.
Sorry.
Allow me to apologize for my son.
My name is Leif Ericson.
So he's your adopted son?
Yes, something like that.
It was a stroke of fate that brought him to me.
Come on, introduce yourself.
My name is Thorfinn. Thank you for earlier.
But call me Bug-Eyes. That's what everyone calls me.
Thorfinn...
Oh, excuse me.
One of my people goes by the same name.
He's quiet and hardworking.
Perhaps I should've named this boy Thorfinn as well.
You've got a rather spirited boy there.
Ketil, forgive me for asking, but...
That Thorfinn...
Is he by any chance a slave?
What?
Yes, I'm surprised you figured that out.
I didn't mention his status because I didn't want to offend you.
Is he a Nord with blond hair and brown eyes?
About the same age as this boy?
I'm surprised. It's exactly as you say.
He's shorter than him, though.
This again, Dad?
Is he from Iceland and a former warrior?
Now, what did he say?
I remember seeing numerous scars clearly left by blades all over his body...
Don't get your hopes up.
It's probably just like what happened with me.
I know. I know that, but he matches the description so far.
You seem very interested in him for some reason, Leif.
Would you be willing to tell me about it?
Yes.
I've been looking for him.
He's my friend's son, who was enslaved.
It's been years now.
What?
W-We're going where, Pops?
I was just thinking we could take a little detour
and make a quick stop at Ketil's farm.
It's not that far away, really.
Ketil came here by boat, too.
He said we could follow him back.
How far is it from here?
He said with favorable winds, it takes about five days.
Then we'd lose more than ten days.
That's not what you call a little detour.
Listen to me, Mors.
This Thorfinn is different.
I think it's really him this time.
It's already fall, Pops.
If we don't get back soon, the Greenland Sea will freeze over.
What are we gonna do if the winds and tides don't favor us after a ten-day delay?
Sorry, but I can't go along with you this time.
You gotta understand that.
I'm surprised I'm getting an audience with His Majesty
after requesting one just yesterday.
You must have a lot of influence, Thorgil. I've changed my mind about you.
Huh? Oh...
Honestly, I'm surprised, too.
He's a busy man.
Maybe he liked your gifts.
Yes, I'm sure he did.
Our crops are the best and most plentiful in the south.
He only stands to gain from making a deal with us.
Ketil and family, you may enter.
Let's go.
Olmar...
Be polite.
Ketil, I saw your gifts as well.
They are all high quality. I accept them.
Y-Yes, Your Majesty. I'm honored.
Were all those crops grown on your land?
Yes, they were.
The late King Harald was also pleased by my family's products.
I have no intention of unnecessarily changing the way my father and brother did things.
Don't worry.
Strong farmers like you are the treasure of Denmark.
You should continue serving as the foundation of our nation's strength with pride.
I appreciate your words, Your Majesty.
I hope to have the throne's continued support.
You are in the presence of the king. Kneel.
What are you doing?
I'm t-terribly sorry for—
Your Majesty, I have a request!
Please allow me to join your forces.
Ideally, serving as your guard alongside my brother.
I've trained a lot. I promise I'll be useful to you.
I'd even be willing to demonstrate my skills for you—
Enough, you idiot!
Who draws a sword in the presence of a king?
Let go of me, Dad!
I wanna fight!
You've really outdone yourself today, you idiot!
Well, well...
Shut up, Dad!
What shall we do, Your Majesty?
It's fine, Ketil. Let's see how he handles a sword.
What?
Huh?
That pig is the soldiers' dinner.
Imagine it is a man and cleave it.
Y-Yes, Your Majesty. I'll take a whack at it, then.
Hey, what's going on?
What's happening?
I heard screaming.
What's all this screaming?
Enough. That's enough. I understand.
Bones are... so hard...
Olmar, was it?
I'll consult with the captain regarding your request to join my guard
and notify you of my decision tomorrow.
Stay in town near the castle until then.
Aw, man.
You really screwed the pooch this time, Olmar.
The other soldiers will be teasing me about this for a while.
Unbelievable. The more cowardly a man is, the less predictable his behavior.
In any case, what's done is done.
Be careful not to do anything to embarrass our family further.
Men like him are common.
All pride, no skill.
And no understanding of their own abilities.
Men like him are the first to die on the battlefield.
I wouldn't want him serving under me.
I understand your thoughts as Captain of the Guard.
Let me hear your thoughts from another perspective.
That young man could be incredibly useful.
You're right. He could be useful to us.
He's a typical young Nord. A foolish one, at that.
He'd surely act as we expect him to.
Shall we proceed with the plan, then?
Yes. The coronation hasn't happened yet,
but we shouldn't let this opportunity pass us by.
It's so the people can live in peace. I feel for them, but they must pay the price.
Ketil's farm will be the first we requisition.
For Lost Love
"For Lost Love."