Vinland Saga (2019) s02e05 Episode Script
The Path of Blood
1
Is this old man hard of hearing too?
Guards, don't think about moving.
The king is within my reach.
- Seriously?
- No way
Askeladd
- You bastard! King Sweyn is
- Don't move, Thorkell!
Askeladd is not in his right mind.
Don't provoke him.
It will put the king at risk.
Put your sword down.
Then I will forgive you
for this impudence.
Forgive?
Don't get cocky with me, you barbarian.
You deserve to die for insulting
my family and my people.
This is my last warning.
Put your sword down, Askeladd.
That is my nickname.
I will let you know my real name
bestowed upon me by my mother.
Lucius Artorius Castus.
I am
the rightful king who was meant to
rule over Britannia.
That felt good.
For a time, Danish forces
had taken over hegemony in England.
But in 1014,
with the death of King Sweyn of Denmark,
the state of affairs changed drastically.
Denmark and England
took up arms once again.
Canute, the head of the English Front
of the Danish Vikings,
who succeeded his father's supremacy.
Ethelred II, who has returned
from exile in Normandy and was
restored to power
after the death of Sweyn.
With both men claiming
to be the King of England,
it once again became
uncertain as to who
the throne belonged to.
The ravages of war
left England impoverished.
Your Majesty, please stand back!
Do not worry. I did not drink from it.
Your Majesty, please have mercy!
In the name of Lord Jesus,
I swear I did not know!
I would never poison your drink!
Your Majesty, please have mercy!
King Ethelred!
Damn you
Using cowardly tricks
My goodness
this is much worse than
what I had imagined,
Your Majesty.
To think that Mercia,
a place once known as
"the gem of the Midlands"
looks like this now.
It will take a long time
for them to recover.
Gunnar, don't talk as if
it has nothing to do with you.
We are the ones who destroyed it.
What's that?
Oh, yes That is
our army's advance party
which took control of this land.
- Let go of me!
- I'm not asking about that.
I am asking you what they are doing.
Well, they're pillaging, of course.
They're picking out girls they can sell
from among the beggars.
I forbade that, didn't I?
Behead them
and display them on the streets.
What? However
collecting spoils of war
is customary during wartime.
We don't want to overly restrict them
Soldiers who disregard military discipline
are no soldiers of mine.
Behead them
and display them on the streets.
Okay Well then
- You there!
- What? Seriously?
Thank you for taking the time
to come all the way here, Your Majesty.
Floki, how are the preparations going?
Very well. We are ready any time.
I have them waiting already.
However, there is no reason for
Your Majesty to meet him personally.
You can leave it to us
It's fine. I was going to check up
on the situation here anyway.
I'll meet him.
Eadric, the earl of Mercia,
is just a spineless man.
He is not worth meeting.
His character and whether or not
he is useful are two different things.
Either way, I will decide once I meet him.
Besides, there is another reason for which
I came all the way over here.
What may that be?
Hey!
Canute!
There you are, you bastard!
Canute!
I have to calm that thing down.
I doubt you guys can handle that.
That is true
You little punk!
Let me punch you! For starters,
just shut up and let me punch you!
Calm down, Thorkell.
Hey, you little
I hate being stopped
in the middle of a battle,
even more than I hate frogs!
Huh? Frogs?
Mercia has called for a ceasefire.
The outcome of the battle here is clear.
Good work, Thorkell.
Shut your trap!
Once a battle starts,
it doesn't end until
you kill the enemy's leader.
I was this close
to chopping off Eadric's head!
Stop fussing over it.
Earl Eadric of Mercia is nothing
but a lord of a rural territory.
Take a look at the big picture.
I don't care about that!
All I care about is
living a fulfilling war-centered life.
In the east,
Ethelred's son Edmund
is showing some suspicious activity.
We ask for your assistance
in suppressing the eastern front.
Your outstanding
I will choose who and where to fight!
You dice-head!
Canute!
You better not have forgotten
about that time when I told you,
"I will be a witness to
what you will accomplish
and who you will become from now on."
You are still a nobody.
You're not even the king of England yet.
You're nothing but a kid.
Listen up, kid
It is impossible
for you to avoid fighting.
You have no choice but to
pave your path with blood and iron.
Just as Askeladd did.
Don't forget that.
From the moment you started walking
your path has been covered in blood.
Get off already!
Enough of that! Scram!
How annoying!
I'll go easy on you for today.
But there will be no next time.
Don't forget that.
How could he insult you
in front of the army!
Your Majesty, he has gone too far!
This must not be overlooked!
Why? He has a point.
It was a valuable warning.
He has nothing to hide.
It must feel great
to be able to live like him.
Let's go.
It's worth 4,000 pounds in silver.
This is everything we could
collect at the moment.
Please accept it.
If you pull your troops out of Mercia
we will offer an additional 4,000.
It's not a bad deal, Lord Canute.
So this is Danegeld?
Lord Eadric
What do you say, Lord Canute?
How cheap.
All right, raise it up just like that.
I will ask you again.
Are you saying you will pay
this gold and silver in the hope
that I will retreat from Mercia,
Eadric?
It's 8,000 pounds!
It should be more than sufficient
as compensation.
It's insufficient.
Think about what you are saying.
You are telling me,
Canute, the Bretwalda of England,
to leave your territory
in exchange for money.
And the price you pay
for disrespecting the king
is this meager amount?
I am your king.
I came here to suppress a rebellion
occurring within my own land.
Not to ask for money.
What nonsense!
Our ruler is none other than King Ethelred
of the royal House of Wessex!
It's certainly not you!
Stop that!
- But Father
- No!
This is not the time
nor the place for that!
Now that you mention it,
there is another person
who claims to be the King of England.
So?
Did Ethelred approve of you
making this deal?
If he learns of our situation
His Majesty will surely understand.
Really? How kind of him.
Even if his subject
abandons the battlefront
without permission
for the sake of his own territory,
Ethelred will be forgiving, huh?
He's so mean.
How cruel
There is no order
because there are two kings.
One must die.
Ethelred is a coward who deserted
his people and the throne
and went into exile
during the previous battle.
Putting the future of England
in the hands
of a man like that is foolish,
don't you think?
Are you telling me to
betray him?
You have already betrayed him.
I can use your help, Eadric.
I want to get rid of Ethelred.
As someone who has
served him for many years,
you must know of a good way.
You think
you can rob me
of my last remaining loyalty?
You punk!
In return, I won't take Mercia.
The price is Ethelred's head.
It's quite a bargain.
I refuse!
This ceasefire negotiation has failed.
I will fight you to the bitter end,
you despicable man!
Floki, it seems this man
isn't so spineless after all.
He has quite the backbone.
Well
Why not test it out, Your Majesty?
Let's go outside, Lord Eadric.
There is something I want to show you.
- Is it ready?
- Yes, Your Majesty!
Do it.
A fire beacon? What is it signaling?
What is this?
What is the meaning of this? Canute!
Father!
Look
Over there too!
Canute!
What is this signaling?!
This is what it means to fight me.
Imagine it, Eadric.
At this very moment,
Mercia was reduced to ashes.
Do you understand now?
If I wanted to,
I could easily set all of you to flames.
Father!
Offer up Ethelred's head
and buy yourself peace.
That is the smart decision.
The following year, in April 1016,
King Ethelred II of England dies.
Your Majesty!
It is said to be due to an illness.
After Ethelred's death,
his son, Edmund, succeeds the throne.
Edmund takes over Ethelred
and puts up a good fight against
Canute's army, inflicting major damage.
But seven months later,
in November of that same year,
he also dies of an illness.
An illness, huh?
Even King Sweyn spent ten years
fighting over this country,
but it was all settled
in just three years.
The witenagemot said
they accept Canute as Bretwalda.
His coronation will be next year.
Don't talk about Canute.
It ruins my appetite.
All right
Sweyn,
Ethelred,
Edmund
As a result of
the unnatural deaths of his rivals,
in 1018, Canute is
officially crowned King of England.
"I want a horse."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita
Is this old man hard of hearing too?
Guards, don't think about moving.
The king is within my reach.
- Seriously?
- No way
Askeladd
- You bastard! King Sweyn is
- Don't move, Thorkell!
Askeladd is not in his right mind.
Don't provoke him.
It will put the king at risk.
Put your sword down.
Then I will forgive you
for this impudence.
Forgive?
Don't get cocky with me, you barbarian.
You deserve to die for insulting
my family and my people.
This is my last warning.
Put your sword down, Askeladd.
That is my nickname.
I will let you know my real name
bestowed upon me by my mother.
Lucius Artorius Castus.
I am
the rightful king who was meant to
rule over Britannia.
That felt good.
For a time, Danish forces
had taken over hegemony in England.
But in 1014,
with the death of King Sweyn of Denmark,
the state of affairs changed drastically.
Denmark and England
took up arms once again.
Canute, the head of the English Front
of the Danish Vikings,
who succeeded his father's supremacy.
Ethelred II, who has returned
from exile in Normandy and was
restored to power
after the death of Sweyn.
With both men claiming
to be the King of England,
it once again became
uncertain as to who
the throne belonged to.
The ravages of war
left England impoverished.
Your Majesty, please stand back!
Do not worry. I did not drink from it.
Your Majesty, please have mercy!
In the name of Lord Jesus,
I swear I did not know!
I would never poison your drink!
Your Majesty, please have mercy!
King Ethelred!
Damn you
Using cowardly tricks
My goodness
this is much worse than
what I had imagined,
Your Majesty.
To think that Mercia,
a place once known as
"the gem of the Midlands"
looks like this now.
It will take a long time
for them to recover.
Gunnar, don't talk as if
it has nothing to do with you.
We are the ones who destroyed it.
What's that?
Oh, yes That is
our army's advance party
which took control of this land.
- Let go of me!
- I'm not asking about that.
I am asking you what they are doing.
Well, they're pillaging, of course.
They're picking out girls they can sell
from among the beggars.
I forbade that, didn't I?
Behead them
and display them on the streets.
What? However
collecting spoils of war
is customary during wartime.
We don't want to overly restrict them
Soldiers who disregard military discipline
are no soldiers of mine.
Behead them
and display them on the streets.
Okay Well then
- You there!
- What? Seriously?
Thank you for taking the time
to come all the way here, Your Majesty.
Floki, how are the preparations going?
Very well. We are ready any time.
I have them waiting already.
However, there is no reason for
Your Majesty to meet him personally.
You can leave it to us
It's fine. I was going to check up
on the situation here anyway.
I'll meet him.
Eadric, the earl of Mercia,
is just a spineless man.
He is not worth meeting.
His character and whether or not
he is useful are two different things.
Either way, I will decide once I meet him.
Besides, there is another reason for which
I came all the way over here.
What may that be?
Hey!
Canute!
There you are, you bastard!
Canute!
I have to calm that thing down.
I doubt you guys can handle that.
That is true
You little punk!
Let me punch you! For starters,
just shut up and let me punch you!
Calm down, Thorkell.
Hey, you little
I hate being stopped
in the middle of a battle,
even more than I hate frogs!
Huh? Frogs?
Mercia has called for a ceasefire.
The outcome of the battle here is clear.
Good work, Thorkell.
Shut your trap!
Once a battle starts,
it doesn't end until
you kill the enemy's leader.
I was this close
to chopping off Eadric's head!
Stop fussing over it.
Earl Eadric of Mercia is nothing
but a lord of a rural territory.
Take a look at the big picture.
I don't care about that!
All I care about is
living a fulfilling war-centered life.
In the east,
Ethelred's son Edmund
is showing some suspicious activity.
We ask for your assistance
in suppressing the eastern front.
Your outstanding
I will choose who and where to fight!
You dice-head!
Canute!
You better not have forgotten
about that time when I told you,
"I will be a witness to
what you will accomplish
and who you will become from now on."
You are still a nobody.
You're not even the king of England yet.
You're nothing but a kid.
Listen up, kid
It is impossible
for you to avoid fighting.
You have no choice but to
pave your path with blood and iron.
Just as Askeladd did.
Don't forget that.
From the moment you started walking
your path has been covered in blood.
Get off already!
Enough of that! Scram!
How annoying!
I'll go easy on you for today.
But there will be no next time.
Don't forget that.
How could he insult you
in front of the army!
Your Majesty, he has gone too far!
This must not be overlooked!
Why? He has a point.
It was a valuable warning.
He has nothing to hide.
It must feel great
to be able to live like him.
Let's go.
It's worth 4,000 pounds in silver.
This is everything we could
collect at the moment.
Please accept it.
If you pull your troops out of Mercia
we will offer an additional 4,000.
It's not a bad deal, Lord Canute.
So this is Danegeld?
Lord Eadric
What do you say, Lord Canute?
How cheap.
All right, raise it up just like that.
I will ask you again.
Are you saying you will pay
this gold and silver in the hope
that I will retreat from Mercia,
Eadric?
It's 8,000 pounds!
It should be more than sufficient
as compensation.
It's insufficient.
Think about what you are saying.
You are telling me,
Canute, the Bretwalda of England,
to leave your territory
in exchange for money.
And the price you pay
for disrespecting the king
is this meager amount?
I am your king.
I came here to suppress a rebellion
occurring within my own land.
Not to ask for money.
What nonsense!
Our ruler is none other than King Ethelred
of the royal House of Wessex!
It's certainly not you!
Stop that!
- But Father
- No!
This is not the time
nor the place for that!
Now that you mention it,
there is another person
who claims to be the King of England.
So?
Did Ethelred approve of you
making this deal?
If he learns of our situation
His Majesty will surely understand.
Really? How kind of him.
Even if his subject
abandons the battlefront
without permission
for the sake of his own territory,
Ethelred will be forgiving, huh?
He's so mean.
How cruel
There is no order
because there are two kings.
One must die.
Ethelred is a coward who deserted
his people and the throne
and went into exile
during the previous battle.
Putting the future of England
in the hands
of a man like that is foolish,
don't you think?
Are you telling me to
betray him?
You have already betrayed him.
I can use your help, Eadric.
I want to get rid of Ethelred.
As someone who has
served him for many years,
you must know of a good way.
You think
you can rob me
of my last remaining loyalty?
You punk!
In return, I won't take Mercia.
The price is Ethelred's head.
It's quite a bargain.
I refuse!
This ceasefire negotiation has failed.
I will fight you to the bitter end,
you despicable man!
Floki, it seems this man
isn't so spineless after all.
He has quite the backbone.
Well
Why not test it out, Your Majesty?
Let's go outside, Lord Eadric.
There is something I want to show you.
- Is it ready?
- Yes, Your Majesty!
Do it.
A fire beacon? What is it signaling?
What is this?
What is the meaning of this? Canute!
Father!
Look
Over there too!
Canute!
What is this signaling?!
This is what it means to fight me.
Imagine it, Eadric.
At this very moment,
Mercia was reduced to ashes.
Do you understand now?
If I wanted to,
I could easily set all of you to flames.
Father!
Offer up Ethelred's head
and buy yourself peace.
That is the smart decision.
The following year, in April 1016,
King Ethelred II of England dies.
Your Majesty!
It is said to be due to an illness.
After Ethelred's death,
his son, Edmund, succeeds the throne.
Edmund takes over Ethelred
and puts up a good fight against
Canute's army, inflicting major damage.
But seven months later,
in November of that same year,
he also dies of an illness.
An illness, huh?
Even King Sweyn spent ten years
fighting over this country,
but it was all settled
in just three years.
The witenagemot said
they accept Canute as Bretwalda.
His coronation will be next year.
Don't talk about Canute.
It ruins my appetite.
All right
Sweyn,
Ethelred,
Edmund
As a result of
the unnatural deaths of his rivals,
in 1018, Canute is
officially crowned King of England.
"I want a horse."
Subtitle translation by: Kiko Morita