Vikings

Previously on Vikings...

These are the sons of Ragnar Lothbrok.

They want revenge for the death of their father.

So it seems inevitable

that they are marching towards Wessex.

They are here.

A great heathen army that are come to destroy us.

The Saxons are as timid as frightened women.

What is a warrior without his honor?

I don't know. You tell me, brother.

Ivar, if you break up this brotherhood,

we shall not succeed.

Now this is the time of war!

This is the time to hate!

They will expect us to fight in a certain way.

We should stretch the battlefield

across a large area, many miles.

Ditches, hills, woods.

Charge!

Your Highness?

Charge!

Charge!

Save yourselves!

Save yourselves!

Pull back!

For the love of God, save yourselves!

Retreat.

Retreat!

Retreat!

Run!

Yeah! Yeah, they run!

Yes!

- Ah, we won! - Yes!

What are you so happy about?

Yeah!

It is not over yet!

Open the gates!

Hurry!

We are defeated.

They'll be here soon.

Father, Sire, wife, we have no choice.

We have to leave here at once and find safety elsewhere.

- Go! Now. I will pack a few things.

Come on, boys.

Father, did you not hear me?

We have to go. Now!

I cannot leave this place.

Father, you are the king!

I cannot allow the king of our country to fall into the hands of our enemies!

I'm not talking about you as a man but as a king.

I will renounce the crown in your favor.

We'll have a short ceremony.

Quick. Go fetch Bishop Edmund.

I can't begin to understand your thinking, but...

I can't just leave you here to die.

My son, I ask you to trust me this one last time.

This is God's will.

It's also mine.

Now go fetch Bishop Edmund.

Do you, Ecbert, anointed King of Wessex, Mercia, East Anglia,

Cornwall, Bretwalda, king of kings,

in the sight of God almighty renounce all your thrones

and kingdoms in favor of your son and heir, Prince Aethelwulf?

I do. So help me God.

And so, let me remove from you the sacred emblems and signs of your kingship.

I give this holy scepter into your hands, Prince Aethelwulf.

And with this ancient crown,

I do make thee king over all those places and kingdoms

once ruled by your father, but now by you instead.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

I crown you King Aethelwulf.

May God save and protect you, all the days of your life.

Sire.

Now, please hurry.

I want you to go, get them in the cart. Go! Go!

Formation!

- Sire. Sire! - What?

Father!

My son.

I know I have placed my kingdom in the safest hands.

Now, you go now. You save yourself and your family.

But only that you can regather your strength, and take back what is yours.

It's all my plan.

God help me!

Boys, straight into the carriage!

My sweet Judith!

Come on! Hurry! - Hail and farewell.

I think I know what it is that is left for me to do.

I cannot run away from it now.

Thank you. For loving me.

Love is everything.

All shall be well.

All shall be well.

Now, now you... You have a destiny, Alfred, that you cannot escape.

So you better get used to it.

In the meantime, listen and learn.

Listen to the highest and the lowest.

Learn from the prince, and from the shepherd.

And, remember,

the greatest Christian virtue, Alfred, is humility.

Thank you, grandfather.

I love you.

And I you.

Now, you take care of your brother for he is special too.

And your mother.

- We have to go. - Yes, yes!

Go, go! Go, go!

And farewell, Bishop Edmund.

My dear vintner.

May God bless you and keep you.

I am going nowhere, Sire.

I am staying here with you.

Thank you.

This is a sacred site.

Now, how should I, a bishop of God's holy church, abandon him now?

Besides, the cellars are still stocked

with some of the finest wines in Christendom.

- Mmm. - Am I supposed to leave them to the pagans?

Who don't know the difference between one grape and another?

Let's go!

May God be with you all!

Now and forever!

Let's move!

Go!

Mmm.

Mmm.

Charge!

Go!

Move!

Be careful. It could be a trap.

You! Follow us.

It's empty!

They've gone!

Burn it!

Break it all!

- Rip it! - Let me have it!

Rubbish!

That one is good, to me!

Oh! It's valuable!

Stop!

This is King Ecbert!

I order you to spare him.

Don't be afraid.

Trust me. You must trust me.

I love you.

I love you.

Helga.

Helga!

Helga!

No, no!

You are not like anybody else.

Be yourself, Floki.

This world. It is too small for you.

What...

No, Helga!

When Balder, Odin's beloved son, died,

not only did people weep.

But fire wept.

And iron and all the other metals wept.

The stones wept.

Earth wept.

Farewell,

voyager.

Farewell, my heart.

Farewell...

For now.

We have to decide

what to do with King Ecbert!

I don't understand.

What is there to discuss?

We Blood Eagle him.

Ecbert is as guilty as Aelle so we should do the same thing to him.

I've told you this too many times, brothers. I was here!

I saw Ecbert hand father over to King Aelle.

We all understand those feelings, Ivar.

No one is denying what you are saying.

But sometimes...

Sometimes.

We have to consider things beyond our feelings.

And think what is best for our people!

I know what our people want, Bjorn.

And they want what I want.

We have to consider our position of strength.

And use that to our ultimate advantage!

You always like to complicate things, Bjorn.

You think it makes you look clever.

And what if we kill Ecbert, Ivar? Huh? What then?