Vikings (2013–…): Season 3, Episode 7 - Paris - full transcript
The Viking fleet causes panic in Paris; the Emperor Charles declares he will remain in the city.
Lord Ragnar.
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It is all very well to criticize others.
If they had agreed to act,
the progress of the Northmen would have been
frustrated at every reach of the river.
But, while others have neglected their
responsibilities, I have not been idle.
Paris has been prepared for this attack.
We are well-provisioned with food and
water, enough to last the whole summer.
I am relieved to hear it.
To some extent,
we are at your mercy, Count Odo,
for you must protect us
against these pagans.
Your Highness, it is still not too
late for you to leave the city.
Many here would urge you to save yourself.
Surely, they would blame me for
abandoning our capital at such a time.
Perhaps they would think
it is a sensible precaution.
Allow me a moment to reflect, Count Odo.
- Sire.
- Your Highness.
Father?
Count Odo thinks it might be
a good idea for me to leave.
You must tell Count Odo that you have
no intention of abandoning your people.
That whatever happens,
you will stay with them, be
with them, protect them.
I am sure, Father, that that
was always your intention.
Count Odo,
I am determined not to quit the city.
Not in its most urgent hour of need.
The next few days and weeks
will test the faith of all of us.
I pray to God Almighty
that not one of us is found wanting
in either courage or belief.
Yours is a heavy burden, Count Odo.
You have many Christian souls in your care.
I carry this burden with a light heart,
knowing I share it with our
Lord, and with Your Highness.
But I must ask Your Highness
if you have appealed to
your brother, the Eastern
Emperor, for help?
He could surely provide
an army for our relief.
I will not ask either of
my brothers for help!
I must prove myself better
than my brothers, Count Odo,
and these Northmen have
provided the opportunity.
Defeat them,
and I will be seen as a worthy successor
to my grandfather,
to the Great Charlemagne.
So you see, Count Odo,
that your burden is
really much heavier than you imagined.
Raise shields!
Turn! Turn the boat!
Turn! Row!
Forgive me for asking, my son,
but how is your marriage?
It's a marriage.
It is hard to forget what happened, and
I try hard to forgive,
as our Lord requires us to do.
Even those who trespass against us.
I'm glad to hear it.
There is something I wanted to ask you.
Judith is King Aelle's daughter.
What does she think of her father?
And what would she think if
we decided to overthrow him?
- You would really do that?
- Of course.
How else would I become
Bretwalda, king of kings,
King of all England? Of
course I must overthrow him.
I just wondered how upset
your wife would be.
From what Judith has told me, there
is no love lost between them.
That is what I thought.
Do you plan to invade?
Not initially. I have certain plans in place.
Various suggestions to invite chaos.
Including, perhaps, assassination.
My God! Father, Aelle is
your ally and your friend.
Oh, no.
Not my friend.
I don't have any friends.
It's better that way.
Come here, Alfred.
Come to your grandfather.
What a magnificent boy!
I wonder how he is?
- Who?
- Athelstan.
It's that name again.
Why must you forever bring him to mind?
For when I think of that filthy apostate,
it reminds me how my wife whored with him.
And how much more she should
have suffered for it.
- Aethelwulf!
- This is not to do with you, Father!
This is between me and this jezebel!
This harlot!
Leave. Now.
Here.
You wanted to talk to me, Ragnar?
I miss him.
Athelstan.
I wish he was here with us.
Since you carry his cross,
he still is here with us.
- He would have been useful.
- We will manage without him.
We have no choice now.
Father, forgive me.
Holy Father, forgive me.
For, behold, I am a miserable sinner.
I must speak with the prince.
Prince Aethelwulf!
Prince Aethelwulf!
You have interrupted the sacred.
- There is no excuse.
- There is one, My Lord.
Death waits for no man.
Who is this?
You sent nobles with Queen Kwenthrith,
to look after our interests in Mercia.
What happened to you?
The Queen
repudiated the contract she signed with us.
She wants to rule alone.
She tried to kill all of us that were sent
to safeguard the interests of Wessex.
- She is quite mad.
- Speak no more.
Rest, My Lord.
I know we have had our differences of late.
Perhaps it is my fault,
I have not been myself.
I want you to know, Floki, that I need you.
Now, more than ever. And
I've always believed in you.
That is why
I want you to be in command of this raid.
- Me?
- Sit, sit.
Take it. Sit.
King Ragnar, we have reached Paris.
Now,
- we all want to know...
- **
The king,
my oldest friend, has
asked me to take command.
So, uh...
How do we best attack the city?
Some of us
have taken a closer look at the
city from further up the bank.
And we suggest a plan.
To mount simultaneous attacks
both from the water and from the land.
I will lead an assault on the
tower and the gates of the city.
We will attack the gates together.
I said I would lead the assault.
We may need the tools Erlendur made.
I will make that decision, if
and when we need to make it.
- I trust Earl Kalf to make it.
- I don't think you were listening.
At the same time
as the attack at the gates,
there will also be a river borne attack.
The ships will be filled with
warriors and means of scaling,
we will beach beneath the walls.
We will climb up and gain entry
to the city that way as well.
In which case, Floki,
you will be responsible for constructing
whatever it is we need
to scale these walls.
Don't you worry about me, Rollo.
I will make something truly astonishing.
Just wait and see.
All those who agree with the plan, say aye.
Aye!
- Aye.
- Aye.
Let's hope the gods bless your efforts.
Please take her.
Take my baby.
- What are you talking about?
- I cannot care for her.
- Of course you can.
- I can't.
I want her to be like your sons.
I want her to be Viking.
What does it matter what you call someone?
Whether she's Viking or not
Viking is not important.
What is important is that
you love and nurture her.
For if you are fortunate,
she will grow up healthy,
and give you grandchildren to be proud of.
Think of Bjorn.
I am.
This is why I want you
to raise his daughter.
Bjorn loves you.
Bjorn will be much happier
and better off without me.
That is not true.
It is what I believe.
It is a very selfish thing to believe.
I cannot help it.
Your daughter needs you.
She needs her mother.
You must not talk this way.
Pray to Freya.
Freya will comfort you as she comforts me.
We women bear heavy burdens.
But it is not to be helped.
And even when we are dealt with harshly,
remember, it is the gods
who have woven our destinies.
Not ourselves.
My son,
I have another mission
for you on our behalf.
You must go to Mercia and
persuade Queen Kwenthrith
that her interests and ours
are one and the same.
She has killed six of our nobles.
Yes.
That is certainly unfortunate.
And she ought to be punished.
So much for gratitude.
What kind of a world do we live in,
when the friends of our
friends, kill our friends?
But, still, there is a way for this
deluded Queen to find some redemption.
There is?
My son,
Mercia has been weakened
by years of civil wars.
She is no longer what she was,
and must acknowledge the power of Wessex.
Without Wessex, Mercia
is now more than ever
at the mercy of the Northmen.
As well as other Saxon neighbors.
- Like Northumbria?
- Precisely. Like Northumbria.
Yes. Those closest, but unexpected,
can sow a terrible harvest.
I charge you to go to Mercia
and tell the Queen that she may be forgiven
for slaughtering our nobles,
but only if she begs mercy
and reconfirms her subjugation to Wessex.
If not,
we will show her the iron fist.
We will invade and we will destroy her,
and her limbs being fastened to four
horses, her body will be torn apart.
Or something of that sort.
But, also, tell her that we have a repugnance
for such measures, being Christians.
Torvi.
- Torvi, I should have spoken before.
- Why?
You know why.
It doesn't matter.
I am not with child, neither am I a child.
- I took advantage.
- So did I.
This is for you.
- What's that?
- Nothing.
- Let me see!
- No.
You are hurting me.
It's far too good for you. Whore!
The Northmen have been scouting
the countryside, and our defenses.
We must expect an attack any day now.
Gisla, I regret
not sending you to safety in time.
It is much on my mind.
I did not want to be sent away.
I wanted to stay here with you.
There is nowhere I would rather be than here
in Paris, beside you, in your hour of need.
But I must tell you both,
I have been much about the city.
The people of Paris are frightened
to death by this pagan army.
So far, only their firm belief
in God's grace and protection,
prevents them from becoming
hysterical and violent.
I am aware of the need to pacify
and control the population.
Thank you, Princess Gisla.
Perhaps you yourself might
have to reassure them
that we are well protected, and have
enough supplies to withstand a long siege.
Though, God willing,
it will not come to that.
You may rely upon me
to do everything possible
to persuade the people
of our ultimate victory.
Even your presence in the city, Princess,
helps them to believe in that.
Yet it is for my father
to lead us to that victory.
Is it not, Father?
I must to bed.
I am tired.
But I am glad we have
had this conversation.
And I am also very glad that I have
placed my faith in you, Count Odo,
as well as in God Almighty,
for the successful outcome of this matter.
- I must, too, go to bed.
- Of course.
And yet, I beg you to stay
a moment and listen to me.
You once refused my offer of marriage.
What did I achieve?
What could I offer you?
But then, I heard how many other
offers of marriage you had declined,
from men far richer,
far grander than me, and...
So, it gave me hope.
And my hope is that once I have
successfully managed the defense of Paris,
and the defeat of the Northmen, and
gained a new and high reputation,
you will look again at my proposal.
If you save Paris,
I will forever be in your debt.
But your first duty, Count Odo,
is to concentrate on the
defeat of the Northmen.
On that, I am sure we both agree.
Higher up.
Pull again, pull again. It
needs to be more on an angle.
Lend me a hand.
You must be hungry. I have
brought you something to eat.
I'm not hungry.
My work nourishes me.
I have so many responsibilities now, Helga.
Everyone is depending on me.
My inventions will allow us to enter Paris.
You will see, Helga.
Our warriors will storm the walls
and we will all win the greatest renown.
Especially me.
Floki, the boat builder.
Floki, the tower maker.
But, of course,
it's not me making these towers.
It's the gods using my poor hands.
Do you know why they are helping me, Helga?
Do you know why?
It's because I gave them a great sacrifice.
I appeased them.
I delighted them.
I filled them with joy.
Do you know what I did, Helga?
Do you know what I did?
I killed Athelstan!
- Who are you?
- You know who I am.
Now take me to her.
Not until you tell me the purpose of
your visit, the Queen will need to know.
Queen Kwenthrith knows perfectly well
that the son of King Ecbert of
Wessex wishes to speak to her.
She would certainly be ill-advised
if she refused to meet me.
Look, you!
Do as you're told.
We might spare your life.
Judith.
You spoke before
in the baths of the Romans.
I was surprised.
Most of our people know nothing about them.
I still know very little,
but I was always curious.
I have some words here
from the Romans themselves.
- Athelstan helped me to translate them.
- Athelstan?
"Don't ask, we may never know, Leuconoe,
what the gods plan for you and me.
Leave the Chaldees to parse
the sentence of the stars."
So strange.
As though he is here, talking to us now.
"Of expectation. Life's short. Even while
we talk, time, hateful, runs a mile.
Don't trust tomorrow's bough for fruit,
Pluck this, here, now."
Well, whoever wrote those
words must be very wise.
Judith.
As long as there is breath in
my body, I will protect you
and your son, Alfred.
Believe me.
Prince Aethelwulf.
Do forgive me for keeping you waiting.
I was bathing.
Queen Kwenthrith, I bring
a message from my father.
He condemns the murder of our nobles,
who accompanied you here in good faith.
He insists that you reaffirm the status
of Mercia as a client state of Wessex.
So much talk of business.
Come, now.
May I offer you a cup of wine?
To our alliance.
There.
Now, come.
Sit.
So...
I'm quite happy to discuss
these matters further.
What is there to discuss?
My father insists that...
My father, my father!
How old are you, Aethelwulf?
Do you always do what
your father tells you?
Don't you have your own
thoughts and your own feelings?
I have feelings of duty.
I try to do what is right
for my country and for my God.
Do you know what I wonder?
I wonder what your father
threatened to do to me.
Let's see.
Did he want to tear me apart?
Violate me?
Whip me?
Whip?
Would you like to whip me?
Would it excite you?
Come to my bed.
After all, why not enjoy
what your father enjoyed?
Princess!
Lead me not into temptation,
but deliver me from evil.
Goodnight.
Sweet dreams.
Carry on!
Everything ready, Floki?
Yes.
Everything is ready.
Tomorrow we attack Paris.
Come.
Prince Aethelwulf?
May I present to you,
my son, Prince Magnus.
Hello, darling.
That is a Northern name,
that is not one of ours.
Oh, clever you.
- Yes, he's named after his father.
- His father?
I think you may know him. Ragnar Lothbrok.
Our nobles,
before you killed them,
never reported that you were with child,
still less that the father
was Ragnar Lothbrok.
Nevertheless, he is Ragnar's son.
And nothing will stop him from
returning to these shores,
both for Magnus and for his settlement.
We have destroyed his settlement.
Then he will return
with vengeance upon you.
In which case, it will
inconvenience us a great deal
if he were to find
a ready ally here in Mercia.
So whether or not this poor
child is Ragnar's son,
makes no difference.
He cannot help you.
And you can't threaten us with him.
Guards.
Queen Kwenthrith,
you would be unwise to kill us.
It would give my father
the very pretext he needs.
A pretext to invade Mercia
and become its king.
He may even have been
prepared to sacrifice me
to attain his ends.
So, if you value your life,
and that of your son,
then I suggest you sign the
documents we have brought with us,
reaffirming the fact that Mercia
is a vassal state of Wessex
and must, in future, pay not only
homage, but also taxes to Wessex
for the privilege.
**
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**
**
**
**
**
**
It is all very well to criticize others.
If they had agreed to act,
the progress of the Northmen would have been
frustrated at every reach of the river.
But, while others have neglected their
responsibilities, I have not been idle.
Paris has been prepared for this attack.
We are well-provisioned with food and
water, enough to last the whole summer.
I am relieved to hear it.
To some extent,
we are at your mercy, Count Odo,
for you must protect us
against these pagans.
Your Highness, it is still not too
late for you to leave the city.
Many here would urge you to save yourself.
Surely, they would blame me for
abandoning our capital at such a time.
Perhaps they would think
it is a sensible precaution.
Allow me a moment to reflect, Count Odo.
- Sire.
- Your Highness.
Father?
Count Odo thinks it might be
a good idea for me to leave.
You must tell Count Odo that you have
no intention of abandoning your people.
That whatever happens,
you will stay with them, be
with them, protect them.
I am sure, Father, that that
was always your intention.
Count Odo,
I am determined not to quit the city.
Not in its most urgent hour of need.
The next few days and weeks
will test the faith of all of us.
I pray to God Almighty
that not one of us is found wanting
in either courage or belief.
Yours is a heavy burden, Count Odo.
You have many Christian souls in your care.
I carry this burden with a light heart,
knowing I share it with our
Lord, and with Your Highness.
But I must ask Your Highness
if you have appealed to
your brother, the Eastern
Emperor, for help?
He could surely provide
an army for our relief.
I will not ask either of
my brothers for help!
I must prove myself better
than my brothers, Count Odo,
and these Northmen have
provided the opportunity.
Defeat them,
and I will be seen as a worthy successor
to my grandfather,
to the Great Charlemagne.
So you see, Count Odo,
that your burden is
really much heavier than you imagined.
Raise shields!
Turn! Turn the boat!
Turn! Row!
Forgive me for asking, my son,
but how is your marriage?
It's a marriage.
It is hard to forget what happened, and
I try hard to forgive,
as our Lord requires us to do.
Even those who trespass against us.
I'm glad to hear it.
There is something I wanted to ask you.
Judith is King Aelle's daughter.
What does she think of her father?
And what would she think if
we decided to overthrow him?
- You would really do that?
- Of course.
How else would I become
Bretwalda, king of kings,
King of all England? Of
course I must overthrow him.
I just wondered how upset
your wife would be.
From what Judith has told me, there
is no love lost between them.
That is what I thought.
Do you plan to invade?
Not initially. I have certain plans in place.
Various suggestions to invite chaos.
Including, perhaps, assassination.
My God! Father, Aelle is
your ally and your friend.
Oh, no.
Not my friend.
I don't have any friends.
It's better that way.
Come here, Alfred.
Come to your grandfather.
What a magnificent boy!
I wonder how he is?
- Who?
- Athelstan.
It's that name again.
Why must you forever bring him to mind?
For when I think of that filthy apostate,
it reminds me how my wife whored with him.
And how much more she should
have suffered for it.
- Aethelwulf!
- This is not to do with you, Father!
This is between me and this jezebel!
This harlot!
Leave. Now.
Here.
You wanted to talk to me, Ragnar?
I miss him.
Athelstan.
I wish he was here with us.
Since you carry his cross,
he still is here with us.
- He would have been useful.
- We will manage without him.
We have no choice now.
Father, forgive me.
Holy Father, forgive me.
For, behold, I am a miserable sinner.
I must speak with the prince.
Prince Aethelwulf!
Prince Aethelwulf!
You have interrupted the sacred.
- There is no excuse.
- There is one, My Lord.
Death waits for no man.
Who is this?
You sent nobles with Queen Kwenthrith,
to look after our interests in Mercia.
What happened to you?
The Queen
repudiated the contract she signed with us.
She wants to rule alone.
She tried to kill all of us that were sent
to safeguard the interests of Wessex.
- She is quite mad.
- Speak no more.
Rest, My Lord.
I know we have had our differences of late.
Perhaps it is my fault,
I have not been myself.
I want you to know, Floki, that I need you.
Now, more than ever. And
I've always believed in you.
That is why
I want you to be in command of this raid.
- Me?
- Sit, sit.
Take it. Sit.
King Ragnar, we have reached Paris.
Now,
- we all want to know...
- **
The king,
my oldest friend, has
asked me to take command.
So, uh...
How do we best attack the city?
Some of us
have taken a closer look at the
city from further up the bank.
And we suggest a plan.
To mount simultaneous attacks
both from the water and from the land.
I will lead an assault on the
tower and the gates of the city.
We will attack the gates together.
I said I would lead the assault.
We may need the tools Erlendur made.
I will make that decision, if
and when we need to make it.
- I trust Earl Kalf to make it.
- I don't think you were listening.
At the same time
as the attack at the gates,
there will also be a river borne attack.
The ships will be filled with
warriors and means of scaling,
we will beach beneath the walls.
We will climb up and gain entry
to the city that way as well.
In which case, Floki,
you will be responsible for constructing
whatever it is we need
to scale these walls.
Don't you worry about me, Rollo.
I will make something truly astonishing.
Just wait and see.
All those who agree with the plan, say aye.
Aye!
- Aye.
- Aye.
Let's hope the gods bless your efforts.
Please take her.
Take my baby.
- What are you talking about?
- I cannot care for her.
- Of course you can.
- I can't.
I want her to be like your sons.
I want her to be Viking.
What does it matter what you call someone?
Whether she's Viking or not
Viking is not important.
What is important is that
you love and nurture her.
For if you are fortunate,
she will grow up healthy,
and give you grandchildren to be proud of.
Think of Bjorn.
I am.
This is why I want you
to raise his daughter.
Bjorn loves you.
Bjorn will be much happier
and better off without me.
That is not true.
It is what I believe.
It is a very selfish thing to believe.
I cannot help it.
Your daughter needs you.
She needs her mother.
You must not talk this way.
Pray to Freya.
Freya will comfort you as she comforts me.
We women bear heavy burdens.
But it is not to be helped.
And even when we are dealt with harshly,
remember, it is the gods
who have woven our destinies.
Not ourselves.
My son,
I have another mission
for you on our behalf.
You must go to Mercia and
persuade Queen Kwenthrith
that her interests and ours
are one and the same.
She has killed six of our nobles.
Yes.
That is certainly unfortunate.
And she ought to be punished.
So much for gratitude.
What kind of a world do we live in,
when the friends of our
friends, kill our friends?
But, still, there is a way for this
deluded Queen to find some redemption.
There is?
My son,
Mercia has been weakened
by years of civil wars.
She is no longer what she was,
and must acknowledge the power of Wessex.
Without Wessex, Mercia
is now more than ever
at the mercy of the Northmen.
As well as other Saxon neighbors.
- Like Northumbria?
- Precisely. Like Northumbria.
Yes. Those closest, but unexpected,
can sow a terrible harvest.
I charge you to go to Mercia
and tell the Queen that she may be forgiven
for slaughtering our nobles,
but only if she begs mercy
and reconfirms her subjugation to Wessex.
If not,
we will show her the iron fist.
We will invade and we will destroy her,
and her limbs being fastened to four
horses, her body will be torn apart.
Or something of that sort.
But, also, tell her that we have a repugnance
for such measures, being Christians.
Torvi.
- Torvi, I should have spoken before.
- Why?
You know why.
It doesn't matter.
I am not with child, neither am I a child.
- I took advantage.
- So did I.
This is for you.
- What's that?
- Nothing.
- Let me see!
- No.
You are hurting me.
It's far too good for you. Whore!
The Northmen have been scouting
the countryside, and our defenses.
We must expect an attack any day now.
Gisla, I regret
not sending you to safety in time.
It is much on my mind.
I did not want to be sent away.
I wanted to stay here with you.
There is nowhere I would rather be than here
in Paris, beside you, in your hour of need.
But I must tell you both,
I have been much about the city.
The people of Paris are frightened
to death by this pagan army.
So far, only their firm belief
in God's grace and protection,
prevents them from becoming
hysterical and violent.
I am aware of the need to pacify
and control the population.
Thank you, Princess Gisla.
Perhaps you yourself might
have to reassure them
that we are well protected, and have
enough supplies to withstand a long siege.
Though, God willing,
it will not come to that.
You may rely upon me
to do everything possible
to persuade the people
of our ultimate victory.
Even your presence in the city, Princess,
helps them to believe in that.
Yet it is for my father
to lead us to that victory.
Is it not, Father?
I must to bed.
I am tired.
But I am glad we have
had this conversation.
And I am also very glad that I have
placed my faith in you, Count Odo,
as well as in God Almighty,
for the successful outcome of this matter.
- I must, too, go to bed.
- Of course.
And yet, I beg you to stay
a moment and listen to me.
You once refused my offer of marriage.
What did I achieve?
What could I offer you?
But then, I heard how many other
offers of marriage you had declined,
from men far richer,
far grander than me, and...
So, it gave me hope.
And my hope is that once I have
successfully managed the defense of Paris,
and the defeat of the Northmen, and
gained a new and high reputation,
you will look again at my proposal.
If you save Paris,
I will forever be in your debt.
But your first duty, Count Odo,
is to concentrate on the
defeat of the Northmen.
On that, I am sure we both agree.
Higher up.
Pull again, pull again. It
needs to be more on an angle.
Lend me a hand.
You must be hungry. I have
brought you something to eat.
I'm not hungry.
My work nourishes me.
I have so many responsibilities now, Helga.
Everyone is depending on me.
My inventions will allow us to enter Paris.
You will see, Helga.
Our warriors will storm the walls
and we will all win the greatest renown.
Especially me.
Floki, the boat builder.
Floki, the tower maker.
But, of course,
it's not me making these towers.
It's the gods using my poor hands.
Do you know why they are helping me, Helga?
Do you know why?
It's because I gave them a great sacrifice.
I appeased them.
I delighted them.
I filled them with joy.
Do you know what I did, Helga?
Do you know what I did?
I killed Athelstan!
- Who are you?
- You know who I am.
Now take me to her.
Not until you tell me the purpose of
your visit, the Queen will need to know.
Queen Kwenthrith knows perfectly well
that the son of King Ecbert of
Wessex wishes to speak to her.
She would certainly be ill-advised
if she refused to meet me.
Look, you!
Do as you're told.
We might spare your life.
Judith.
You spoke before
in the baths of the Romans.
I was surprised.
Most of our people know nothing about them.
I still know very little,
but I was always curious.
I have some words here
from the Romans themselves.
- Athelstan helped me to translate them.
- Athelstan?
"Don't ask, we may never know, Leuconoe,
what the gods plan for you and me.
Leave the Chaldees to parse
the sentence of the stars."
So strange.
As though he is here, talking to us now.
"Of expectation. Life's short. Even while
we talk, time, hateful, runs a mile.
Don't trust tomorrow's bough for fruit,
Pluck this, here, now."
Well, whoever wrote those
words must be very wise.
Judith.
As long as there is breath in
my body, I will protect you
and your son, Alfred.
Believe me.
Prince Aethelwulf.
Do forgive me for keeping you waiting.
I was bathing.
Queen Kwenthrith, I bring
a message from my father.
He condemns the murder of our nobles,
who accompanied you here in good faith.
He insists that you reaffirm the status
of Mercia as a client state of Wessex.
So much talk of business.
Come, now.
May I offer you a cup of wine?
To our alliance.
There.
Now, come.
Sit.
So...
I'm quite happy to discuss
these matters further.
What is there to discuss?
My father insists that...
My father, my father!
How old are you, Aethelwulf?
Do you always do what
your father tells you?
Don't you have your own
thoughts and your own feelings?
I have feelings of duty.
I try to do what is right
for my country and for my God.
Do you know what I wonder?
I wonder what your father
threatened to do to me.
Let's see.
Did he want to tear me apart?
Violate me?
Whip me?
Whip?
Would you like to whip me?
Would it excite you?
Come to my bed.
After all, why not enjoy
what your father enjoyed?
Princess!
Lead me not into temptation,
but deliver me from evil.
Goodnight.
Sweet dreams.
Carry on!
Everything ready, Floki?
Yes.
Everything is ready.
Tomorrow we attack Paris.
Come.
Prince Aethelwulf?
May I present to you,
my son, Prince Magnus.
Hello, darling.
That is a Northern name,
that is not one of ours.
Oh, clever you.
- Yes, he's named after his father.
- His father?
I think you may know him. Ragnar Lothbrok.
Our nobles,
before you killed them,
never reported that you were with child,
still less that the father
was Ragnar Lothbrok.
Nevertheless, he is Ragnar's son.
And nothing will stop him from
returning to these shores,
both for Magnus and for his settlement.
We have destroyed his settlement.
Then he will return
with vengeance upon you.
In which case, it will
inconvenience us a great deal
if he were to find
a ready ally here in Mercia.
So whether or not this poor
child is Ragnar's son,
makes no difference.
He cannot help you.
And you can't threaten us with him.
Guards.
Queen Kwenthrith,
you would be unwise to kill us.
It would give my father
the very pretext he needs.
A pretext to invade Mercia
and become its king.
He may even have been
prepared to sacrifice me
to attain his ends.
So, if you value your life,
and that of your son,
then I suggest you sign the
documents we have brought with us,
reaffirming the fact that Mercia
is a vassal state of Wessex
and must, in future, pay not only
homage, but also taxes to Wessex
for the privilege.
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