The Last Kingdom

I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred.

Born a Saxon nobleman, I was robbed of my ancestral lands

and raised as a Dane and as a pagan.

I am Uhtred of Bebbanburg and I shall take what is mine!

But I became King Alfred's greatest sword warrior

defending his Kingdom of Wessex and his vision of one United England,

supported by my loyal band of cut-throats, barbarians and a fallen priest.

I pray that when battle comes, I will not fail you.

I have found happiness with my wife Gisela,

who has given me two children.

Alfred has married his own daughter to the weak Aethelred,

who sees himself as King of Mercia.

But, taken by the Danes, she fell for one warrior Erik,

and is coveted by Haesten.

This Haesten has seemingly allied himself to Alfred.

He can never be trusted.

Now that Alfred's health is failing,

these are dark and dangerous times for all the peoples of this land.

Destiny is all.

Protect your King!

Father Beocca.

If what we believe is true and heaven awaits us?

Which it does, Lord, no doubt.

I fear that even if I were allowed to pass through the gates,

it would still feel like purgatory.

It will not. It cannot, it is heaven.

What has changed since I took the crown?

Danes still raid and slaughter continues

and will continue until the day I die and beyond.

What has been my purpose?

Your purpose, Lord,

is that you are God's King.

Without you there would be no church,

no Wessex, no laws,

no burhs, no havens of safety,

no idea of an England.

What you have done is laid the foundations for a great and Godly country.

Nothing has changed, no task is complete.

And after I am gone...

what then?

What you have begun will continue.

It must.

Yes.

Thank you, Beocca.

It must.

Guards! Turn away now!

No man is to show me his face!

No man is to see me before Bloodhair!

You will go on ahead and remind the camp

that Earl Sigurd must be the first to see me.

Yes, Lady.

Once he has my message, they'll be free to gaze.

My... my Lady...

I swear, I did not look at you.

I must take your eyes.

Lady, no, be merciful.

And your tongue.

Bitch.

I will kill...

No. No.

Turn away!

Only the women may look at me

until I have told my Lord what I have seen.

Sigurd, my love.

Drink me and make my vision real.

Let me give you all the strength that you will need.

I see the death of a king.

Which king?

I see the death...

of Alfred.

It has been seen.

It has been seen!

The death of Alfred and the glory of Odin's warriors has been seen!

Our path will not be simple.

The gods will demand that we earn our reward.

But I make you this promise...

From the smallest pig,

to the golden crown upon Alfred's head.

Wessex and everything it holds shall belong to the Warriors of Bloodhair!

Uhtred,

what is your opinion of Edward's sword skill?

My opinion, Lord, is that Steapa is wasting his time.

Would you care to explain?

I will lady.

Steapa, stop.

Stop this nonsense.

You should not be using swords. Skills are taught with a staff.

Thank you, Lord.

I prefer to feel the weight of a sword.

It is a sign of the aetheling's bravery.

Let us watch, my dear.

Show me what you've learned.

He learns by the day.

Mother, please.

Show me.

Lord, that grubby Dane Haesten is here.

Uhtred, you must test the boy.

Put the child on his arse.

It is not your place to speak.

Oh, bad luck, Edward.

Uhtred, we have a visitor.

An old friend of yours.

Sacrifices were made so you would live, boy.

From now on, you practise only with a staff.

You learn from being hit.

There is warrior inside you.

We will find him.

Hmm. Thank you, Uhtred.

You will do as the Lord Uhtred says, Prince Edward.

He has your safety and welfare in mind.

Bishop Erkenwald, thank you.

I trust your wife is well?

She is.

Pretty girl.

Her name escapes me.

She's called Gisela, Lord, a pagan.

She is once again with child.

A boy.

Your child shall be a boy.

Brother Godwin has a gift.

God-given.

Hmm.

If you will excuse me, Lord.

Of course.

Edward, you are late for your lessons.

Come.

I hear there are ealdormen who wish you dead.

You made a whore of a young girl and left her pupped.

She is no whore.

Bad Edward.

She is no whore.

Say it again, I dare you!

Bad Edward.

His name is Sigurd.

His men call him Bloodhair.

I do not wish to know why. Something depraved I'm sure.

I have a man watching Bloodhair's camp, Lord, but I'm curious...

he's not asked you to join him, Haesten?

He has.

I declined.

Like you, I have given my word.

Unlike you, I've accepted the King's missionary.

Your word means nothing.

Does the peace between us all not hold?

Do my wife and children not wish to become Christian?

They do?

They do, Lady. I've asked the priest to arrange it.

That is good news.

It is certainly news.

It should be an occasion, Lord.

I will consider it, my dear.

Just as soon as we are done with Earl Sigurd, Bloodhair.

Will he attack or will he raid?

He will raid, Lord. To assess your strength and readiness.

It is you who must attack.

Destroy his army and send a message to all northmen.

My Lord has eaten something that is not agreeing?

Too much wine, Lord?

Uhtred, you are right.

Sigurd landing his ships on Wessex soil is not acceptable.

We will attack, before the winter bites.

Soonest, Lord.

Then we march.

Beocca, send word to Aethelred of Mercia.

This is a threat to both our lands.

Our allies must join together with the guard of Wessex.

Yes, Lord. I shall draught the letter at once.

Inform him, we shall join him at the Burh of Aescengum.

I will now, um...

take some air.

How is the Lady Aethelflaed these days?

And the child?

Who does the girl resemble...

One more word against the King's daughter

and I will shove that food so far down your throat

you'll be shitting it out seconds later.

I have seen him do it. It's a small miracle.

I am saying nothing that her husband Aethelred is not saying.

And I would say you are in Aethelflaed's debt.

You have men and ships not because you earned them,

but solely because she did kill your lord, Sigefrid.

I have not forgotten what the bitch did.

- I will never forget. - That is enough.

Tell her,

I pray our paths will meet once again.

Haesten... no more.

Bloodhair...

has a woman you would like, Uhtred.

Skade.

Her beauty blinds you like the sun, yet she has all the darkness of the night.

She's a seer.

She's of the devil, Father.

I would say it was a pleasure to see you, Uhtred,

but it never is.

Likewise.

May God forgive me,

but I'd like to remove that man's head with a blunt axe.

The King's health, Beocca,

it worsens.

From time to time, yes.