Vikings

Previously on Vikings...

Tell me about Paris.

It has these walls all around.

This city is impregnable.

Give us the name of the father of your child?

Athelstan.

Athelstan.

The Lord has come to me.

Then you're a Christian again?

With all my heart.

It is better that I leave Kattegat now.

What do you mean? You cannot leave!

You're the only one I can trust so you must stay.

Blood must be spilled.

A sacrifice be made.

My purpose is clear.

Lord, receive my soul.

There is nothing that can console me now.

Forgive me, my friend, not for what I have done.

But for what I am about to do.

Lord Ragnar.

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.

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.

These 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!

Climb! Climb aboard!

Row! 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.

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 of how my wife whored with him.

And how much more she should

have suffered for it. -ECBERT: 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.

Well.

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.

I've always

believed in you.

Right this way.

I want you to be in command of this raid.

Me?

Sit, sit.

It's okay, sit.

King Ragnar, we have reached Paris.

Now...

Now, we all want to know... -Puh, puh, puh, puh...

The king...

My oldest friend has asked me to take command.

So...

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.

Oh, 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.