Hey, you all right?
Who's that?
He's gigantic.
What about our duel?
What did he say? A duel?
The duel!
Get your ass up!
Hey, he got up!
He didn't die!
You can still fight.
Take time to recover.
Don't mock me! Come at me now!
No, you certainly can't fight like that.
Shut up! I don't need your pity--
What did I tell you?
Hey, old man!
Stop!
Let him go.
Bring me a chair.
Let me look at it.
Back off, geezer.
See to your own injuries.
Just let me see.
Don't touch me!
Don't get so worked up.
That's a bad habit.
Use your mind.
Think. What must you do to win this duel?
It's been a while since I've had so much fun, Thorfinn.
As promised, I'll tell you a story.
I'll tell you about your father, Thors.
So you know about the Jomsvikings.
Thors and I were both battalion commanders.
Even among us, Thors was clearly the strongest.
The Jomsvikings only take the best warriors.
But even then, he earned his nickname the Troll.
Our supreme commander Sigvaldi took a liking to him,
and gave his daughter's hand to Thors.
That was your mother, Helga.
The leader of the Jomsvikings
is my grandfather?
That's right.
And my older brother.
In other words, I am your great-uncle.
He's related to the commander?
Unbelievable!
Our last battle together was at Hjörungavágr in Norway.
Our side was losing.
During the battle,
Thors fell into the water and never resurfaced.
I wept.
I had planned to defeat him someday with my own two hands.
But Thors was never really dead.
The last time I saw him was in Jomsborg,
about three months after his funeral.
-Then he got scared and pissed himself. -Are you serious?
Come out. The watchmen are gone.
Hey!
Are you petty thieves?
Do you know that this is the home of battalion leader Thors?
Thorkell.
Normally, I'd let petty thieves go.
But ever since I just lost my good friend,
I've been in a bad mood.
Thors?
You…
Well, what do you know!
Where have you been?
We held a funeral for you!
All right, already. Calm down, Thorkell.
I'm sorry for worrying you.
Oh, now I can see, that's Helga?
Why are the two of you wearing the matching clothes of beggers?
Uncle Thorkell…
I knew it.
You couldn't die falling into the sea.
I'm sorry, Uncle, but we--
Have you seen my brother? Not yet? All right, I'll rouse him for you.
Thorkell.
-Please listen to me. -Okay!
We have much to discuss. Let's talk inside.
What's wrong?
I will not go see the leader.
We are leaving this place.
Why?
Do it tomorrow.
You've just come home.
I am leaving town
and the Jomsvikings.
Could you forget that you ever saw us tonight?
What? Is this a joke?
Continue telling the story of my death.
Please, Thorkell.
I don't follow you.
Why suddenly now?
I've made a decision.
I won't fight anymore.
Like I said, I don't follow you!
It's hard to believe that you're afraid of death.
My brother thinks of you as his successor.
I'm sorry.
You're tired, right?
Just eat something and sleep for the night.
I've come to understand…
what it means to be a true warrior.
That is why
we cannot stay here.
You know the code.
Those who leave without a pardon are sentenced to death.
This is the warrior capital.
You're made only for fighting. Where would you go?
Somewhere that's not here.
Thors.
It will be fine.
Stay back.
Take care, Thorkell.
Where is your sword?
I don't need it.
When I came to, Thors and his family were gone.
Fifteen years later, I learned that Thors had died for real.
I've thought about him for 15 years
and realized the life and death of the body is not what matters.
What's important to a warrior is the soul and where it goes.
Thors's soul has gone far away.
To a place that I don't know.
To a place that I still can't reach.
To somewhere that's not here.
I'm sure he has become a true warrior there.
Thorfinn,
what kind of life did he live in Iceland?
Tell me.
I don't want to.
What?
But I told you!
Shut up! I don't care!
How selfish.
Besides, you probably won't tell because you can't.
I can tell by your eyes.
You lack the light that was in his eyes.
What'd you say?
You're afraid we're going to find out you didn't learn anything from Thors.
Wait.
Let me go or I'll kill you first!
You will lose if you go after him now.
What'd I say?
Your victory or defeat is my life or death.
I will teach you…
how to defeat that monster.
Don't spout nonsense, geezer!
If you knew that, then why didn't you fight him?
War and chess are different, boy.
The war doesn't end when the leader is taken.
But this time is different.
If you win, he said he'll let us go.
He takes his honor seriously.
He'll abide by the honor of the duel.
Remember the reason why you're fighting.
You want to kill me in a duel, don't you?
For the time being,
consider me your adviser.
This is for the both of us to survive.
I wanted to see the commander's duel.
I want to go out in a duel with the commander, too.
I'd enter Valhalla with pride.
He's on a different level, an incarnation of the god of thunder, Thor.
If the commander is Thor, then does that mean Prince Canute is Freyja?
A goddess!
What? It's Freyja's incarnation.
Take this!
Does it hurt, Thorfinn?
Why not abandon Askeladd
and surrender?
Bastard!
Don't run away!
Don't you know when to give up?
What's with you?
Fight with honor to the end!
Are you trying to sully Thors's name?
Damn you.
Endure it for now, Thorfinn.
Have him come to you.
It was at the Battle of Maldon.
It was a vicious battle.
Everyone was severely wounded, even Thorkell.
Just one moment.
At that moment I saw it.
The moment the invincible Thorkell crumbled.
Very good.
Make him think you've exhausted your options.
What's wrong, Thorfinn?
Tired of running?
How disappointing.
I figured you'd have more fighting spirit.
Good positioning.
Well done, Thorfinn.
He is so lame.
Pathetic.
He just evaded.
Yes, Thorkell.
Come to put an end to him.
Final moment.
Last chance.
His weakness is…
Commander!
You fool! You don't have a weapon!
Thorfinn! To your right!
Kill the brat!
Damn it!
Die, brat!
Stop, you fools!
How dare you bastards disgrace me with your impudence?
But Commander!
How dare you defile my duel with your interference!
Asgeir, you bastard.
Where is your honor as a warrior?
You can begrudge me.
But I will kill that boy.
If you're going to kill me, do it.
But you must live!
Who else is going to unify these 500 brutes?
That is enough.
Stop this fight.
Those who die in this battle will die in vain.
It can't be.
Everyone has been killed.
Askeladd's army…
Brother!
You're alive?
Good man, who are you?
Brother.
Relentless.
How could you kill each other like this?
Royalty has no right to interfere in a duel.
Stay out of it, princess.
In this state, this is no longer a duel.
If you are the leader of a faction.
You must show honor and sportsmanship.
Shut up!
I am well aware without your interference!
Let Thorfinn go.
I've lost the duel.
You haven't lost! We interfered!
Shut up, you imbeciles!
I lost.
Let me retain my dignity.
Asgeir.
Do as your commander has ordered.
What a calamity.
I've never had a more miserable day in my 50 years on earth!
Drink!
Hey, geezer! Now's our chance to get away.
Go if you want.
-I'm staying. -What?
Then what was I fighting for?
Shut up and watch.
So? What do you want, Prince?
Have you casually come to arbitrate our fight?
I require a sled and some provisions.
And Thorfinn and Askeladd are in my service.
They're mine.
You're out of your mind.
What hunter would let his prey to walk away?
By taking me you can secure an audience with King Sweyn.
Is that what you're thinking?
Yes, Your Highness.
You're valuable bait as a hostage.
Give up on the prince!
Don't get greedy!
Just watch!
Back away, lackey. I will not run.
You have learned to talk like a man in such a short time.
What happened?
I saw Ragnar's corpse in the village we passed.
Thorkell.
I have no value as a hostage.
That is because…
my father
has no love for me.
My father will pass the crown to my elder brother Harald.
I am insurance for brother and nothing more.
Because of this, the king's retainers are squabbling for power,
and jeopardizing the foundation of the kingdom.
My existence is at the root of my father's troubles.
So King Sweyn is hoping that I will kill you?
It's more convenient for me to die in battle than by assassination.
My father can wash his hands clean of his child's death.
Supposing that I let you go free, where would you go?
To the base of the home army in Gainsborough.
To fight my father, the king.
You think you can win?
Good luck with that.
I'm only doing what I must.
Either way,
my life has no value.
I have heard
more men than I can count say that their lives have no value.
Yet most cry and beg for their lives at the slighest provecation.
Are you like them too?
Huh?
I hate that look.
I've seen eyes like these before.
What are you looking at through those eyes?
What?
They're completely silent.
Bastards.
I, too, have a regret, though only one.
Why didn't I go with Thors back then?
Had I gone with him,
I would have learned what it means to be a true warrior.
Well, fighting King Sweyn changes nothing.
All right! I've decided!
I will aid you in your fight.
I will accompany you.
I will see for myself what you will do and who you will become.
But if you do something weak, I'll kill you myself.
Agreed.
Then from today, you shall be my retainer.
What? Then what are we supposed to do?
I guess we just follow the commander.
What's with him?
He's still here?
Prince Canute.
I was the one who killed Ragnar.
Please, cut me down.
However,
if you spare my life,
I will be valuable servant
even if it costs me my life.
You will work Ragnar's position.
That will serve as consolation.
Yes. I swear it.
Those who wish to follow me, come.
I will drag King Sweyn down from his throne.
What's with you? Don't imitate me.
I'm not imitating.
I became his servant before you.
In either case we should be friends.
I killed all your men, but that's water under the bridge, right?
No matter what we do, everything will have to be water under the bridge.
Subtitle translation by Astrid Oliver