Britannia (2017) s01e06 Episode Script

We have a spy inside the Cantii citadel.
This spy tells me Kerra came to see you.
What deal did you make with her? Lokka himself is here.
So why did the Druids cast you out? Because I was possessed by Pwykka.
He's one of the three Demon Kings.
So he's still inside you? Pwykka's been asleep for a year now, but with all these rumblings, I feel him.
If Lokka is here, Pwykka won't be far behind.
Veran took the Roman General to the Underworld.
Follow his footsteps.
Only then will you know what it is he seeks, and what might save us.
It's you.
You will defeat them.
I must hurry.
Pwykka! Go on, see what's happening.
I pledge eternal loyalty, my queen.
May the gods protect you.
Lindon of the Gaul, come forward.
You have proved yourself a noble warrior in the service of my father.
If you agree, I would have you serve as General of all our forces.
Help me.
May the gods protect you.
My queen.
I pledge my undying loyalty.
May the gods protect you.
- Thank you.
- Next.
Two, please.
Two.
- There you are.
- Thank you.
There we go.
Thank you.
So? Come on, paint me a picture.
Tall.
Pale skin.
Long hair like a proper queen.
Does she look wise? Very.
She's going to need to be.
What colour hair? Red, like fire.
I knew it.
Your mother had red hair.
Islene had a touch of it, too.
The gods only give their fire to their favourites.
Only for the special ones.
It doesn't make sense.
What doesn't? When I was out there on the rocks, day after day, dragging wet salt up that hill, one thing kept me going, that I was raising someone special, that the gods gave me Islene to raise for them for a special purpose, and I'd better not mess it up.
So why did the gods punish me? Your brother spoke to the Roman, then freed the girl and they left together.
Whatever you're thinking right now, it's wrong.
Your brother is now your enemy.
There's is no love left between you.
Phelan would never betray his tribe.
Summon the Roman.
My brother came to see you.
What did he say? What did he want to know? Your father asked me questions, too.
Where did that get him? Rome kept its word.
You're free to go.
But with this message.
Tell your General that I will speak with him.
But he comes here, to me.
I'll pass your message on.
I think he's going to like it here.
After all, it is a fine fortress.
What are you doing in here? The queen demands that we remain together, for the stability of the tribe.
Then we must do as the queen demands.
I'll find somewhere else to stay.
If we're going to pretend, we might as well make it convincing, for the good of the tribe, and all.
I don't hate you, Amena.
In fact, I feel sorry for you.
Thank you, Lindon, but there's really no need.
I've always been very resourceful in adversity.
Your hands protect me from Dark Moon to Dark Moon Your sword covers me from Dark Moon to Dark Moon.
Your care shelters me from Dark Moon to Dark Moon.
All love and honour to the Dark Mother Nehellania.
She shall be blinded by the fear Blinded by the pain.
Bound by me, cursed by me Dark Mother, send me a demon to do my will Praefectus.
That night the prisoner escaped, you were in the sickbay, had a clear view of where he was tied up.
That's right, Praefectus.
Did you see anything? What like? Like a blind man freeing himself and escaping from a heavily-armed camp? There was something What? A small girl.
Pale.
Mousey hair.
She called him "father".
She freed him.
And you didn't think to mention this before? Shit, shit, shit! Get up.
Get on your feet.
We're getting out of here.
Move.
She wants to talk.
Not in the field, in her fortress.
Then talk we shall.
What, so we just let this pass? Roll over, let her tickle your tummy.
We're dealing with a new regime now.
What do you think, Vitus? Do you think we can persuade the new queen of a golden future inside the Empire? She's not like her father, is she? I mean, why waste Roman lives on the battlefield when common sense can win? No skin off my nose.
That's the spirit.
Vitus, the day of the ambush, we've a legionary here who was with you, claims Vespasian sent him back here.
Is that his story? Oh, dear.
Assemble an advance party.
We'll march to Crugdunon and parlay with Queen Kerra.
Before I forget, the blind prisoner.
Laughing Boy says he knows how he escaped.
Oh? How? A little girl.
His daughter.
She broke into camp and freed him.
What? A little girl? He's a bullshitter.
I swear, when I find him, I will fucking kill him! Did he say what she looked like? Small, pale, dark cloak, mousey hair.
She called him "father.
" Oh, he saw this happen? I told you, he's a bullshitter.
But I know this much, someone freed that Cantii.
I fed his fucking eyeballs to the crows.
A blind man A blind father.
Right Where are you? Over here.
Whoever has the stick, make a noise before I toss this.
What kind of noise? Like a pig.
Squeal like a pig, give me something to aim at.
What happened? Too high, Dad! Sounded like a very tall pig.
All right, let's try again.
Again? Where'd it go? Ow! Looking for this? Your queen speaks to you.
What's your name? I don't have a name.
Don't be scared.
I gave it away at the Solstice.
The Romans attacked before I had my new name.
Come with me.
Follow me.
Come.
Come.
My mother made this.
I wore it the day after my solstice.
My first day as a woman.
It's beautiful.
Try it.
I can't take this.
It's yours.
It's for somebody important.
Well, soon be covered in mud, if you're anything like me.
Do you have family here? Just me and Dad.
Islene was killed by a Roman.
Islene? My big sister.
I'll see her again when I die.
Dad said there's a place for the ones the gods love most.
It sounds like your father misses her very much.
He does.
She was special.
Well, that can't be easy for you.
How do you mean? Well, sometimes, fathers, they decide who their children are, for their own reasons.
It doesn't mean it's true.
Islene was special.
What do you think? Is that me? That's you.
I'm back! Ah, we were worried.
Where are you? That's my girl.
Afternoon.
Lovely day.
Aren't they all? You look well.
Have you put on a bit of weight? I take it they've met before? Apparently, yes.
I thought so.
I need to thank you, for sticking to your part of the bargain.
Was there one? Well, Pellenor's dead, Kerra's queen.
And the sky is blue, thank the gods.
Why don't you thank them for me? You were followed.
On your journey.
Or did you think you were alone down there? That it was just for you? And how do you know, were you there, too? You were careless, Rome.
Or perhaps too eager.
Either way, someone else was there, saw what you saw, knows what you know.
Don't you want to know his name? I know his fucking name.
Of course.
You've met before.
You've been most accommodating.
Very helpful.
But from now on, let's say we strike another deal.
And what's that? You keep away from me, and I'll keep away from you.
You stay away from the Citadel.
You have no power there.
Not anymore.
Are you threatening the Druids? I'm warning you.
You remind me of someone, someone I met a long time ago.
And who's that? Julius Caesar.
What happened to him? Do we have a deal? The gods don't deal, Rome.
The gods don't deal.
Is he ready? Nearly.
Very nearly.
Who's your skinny friend? He's no friend of mine.
Forward! Halt! Help me, please Help me, please It's all right.
Who did this to you? His name is Pwykka.
Forward! You're late.
Yeah, sorry about that.
Where's my present? Present? The Druid's head On a stick.
Yes, I'm working on it.
How many? 5,000.
They're all standing by across the river.
I can muster twice that by the next moon.
My warriors are drawing lots to cut the copperknob's throat.
They'll have to wait in line behind me.
I'd like you to stand your army down, until I've spoken to the new queen.
You'll all die in this field before that happens.
It will take four days to march three legions here.
Tell me, how will your 5,000, 10,000 warriors fare against 20,000 of us.
Like it red then, do you? Do you want to bed her before she dies? Stand your army down until I give the order to attack.
You'll have to kiss more than my foot to sell that one to me.
Once the Citadel has fallen, the emperor will recognize you as queen of all the Cantii lands.
Does that hit the spot? One day, and it will be sooner than you wish, you Romans will be no more than songs and ruins in our land.
We don't want you.
We don't need you.
That is how the story ends.
But until then, you will stand down your army? Until dawn.
Then you can lick my crack.
Get in my way, and we'll kill you all.
Is anybody there? Amena Are you my demon? I beg your pardon? - Amena - Who is this? Don't speak with her.
She's an imposter.
Amena, that's enough.
It's me you should speak to.
I'll do what you want - Guard.
- Anything you ask.
Anything.
This way.
Sorry for your loss.
We Romans have no truck with sacrifice.
It's abhorrent to us.
Are the consequences less abhorrent? A new queen means new times.
A new way of doing business.
A new future.
I presume that's why you've asked me here, to talk about the future.
Who's that? Who are you? Where are you going? To the Citadel.
I've come to send her to the underworld.
Then it's you.
Can you take me to her? Can you get me inside? When we show up with our ships, and troops, and camps, it can look, um Bad? Misleading.
It's not what the Empire's about.
Oh? What is it about? One thing.
Taxes.
Reasonably levied, efficiently collected, funneled back to Rome, that's it.
That and a few million slaves.
War is the enemy of the tax collector.
That's why we like to get to the peace part as quickly as possible.
Which is where your fortress comes in.
Roman soldiers stationed here with your permission could keep the peace for a hundred years.
Maybe even a thousand, and that's a lot of peace.
And a lot of taxes.
You get the idea.
And the safety of my tribe can be guaranteed? That's the deal.
So you're here to help.
I think I've made that clear.
So, why are you lying to me? I don't understand.
You made a deal with the Druids, and you made deal with my enemy.
Antedia's army is standing by if this doesn't work out.
Do you deny any of that? And you want me to trust you? May I be frank? I don't know my fucking Cantiis from my Regnis, and I genuinely don't care.
We both want the same thing, the safety and security of these lands, and these people.
Or do you trust your Druids with that? We're the future, you and I.
Chaos, sacrifice that's the past.
That's quite a trick they have to know your story before you've lived it.
Do you believe it? I will be my own queen.
So, we have a deal? I will retain control of my warriors.
Your soldiers will protect my borders, and no Cantii will ever be a slave to a Roman.
If the agreement holds in five years, we can talk about taxes.
Agreed.
What else? I need to speak with my elders.
You'll have your answer by dawn.
The Empire is cemented by many things, not just war.
If things go the right way, I'd like us to become much closer.
I left my last suitor scrabbling on the floor for his balls.
Well, I've never shirked a challenge, but if it comes to that, just give me a few yards head start.
I made you smile.
You should do that more often.
What do the Druids say about me? That Rome is a demon.
What do you think? I suppose I'll find out.
Oh, one last thing.
You've lots of people here looking for safety.
Lost their family, lost their homes, it's most unfortunate.
We came across a couple, a young girl and a blind man.
We think it's his daughter.
Have you seen them? What interest do you have in them? Are they here? I'd like to meet them.
There is no one of that description here, no.
Well, if you see them, I'd very much like to know.
By dawn then.
It's been a pleasure.
Anyone can make birds disappear.
Even your fat, old dad can do that.
The trick is making them come back, right On cue.
Hey! Get up now, wake up! We have to go! We have to go now! Move! This way.
Wait Please, he's going to kill us.
Is he your father? Yes, and we have to get out of here now! - Come with me.
- Thank you.
Halt! Seize them! Stand aside! Those prisoners belong to us.
You came here to parlay.
Leave now! Take them! Guards! Protect the Queen! Come with me! It's a trap! Stand your ground! Protect the General! Stay close to me.
Hurry.
Quick.
Keep left at every turn, otherwise you'll lose your way fast.
You'll come out south of the castle.
Thank you.
Listen to me.
You are the one.
It's you.
Now go.
Run.
- Thank you.
- Run! Thank you.
Let them go.
You have made a big mistake here today.
Are you all right? Veran told me what he put here, the night he took my mother away.
He said it means, "Hope is the small daughter of a blind father.
" That's you.
I thought it was.
But not anymore.
They've sealed the gates.
So that's a big "fuck you" from your new queen.
Things change.
Send word to the Regni.
They can start their siege.