We Need a Horse
Come on, you bastard!
Einar! Einar, stop.
Let's dig it out a little more and cut the roots.
We won't get it out like this.
Piece of shit!
It still won't budge.
Come on!
We need a horse. We won't get anywhere without a horse.
They lent us one to move the lumber, so why don't we have one to prepare the soil?
It doesn't make sense.
They didn't lend us a horse.
The retainers just made us do their job for them.
What do you want to do, Einar?
Should we save preparing the fields for later and chop down more trees first?
No, I'll try talking to them again.
It might be a waste of time, though.
You guys don't know when to quit.
No means no.
But we have Pater's permission.
Pater?
You mean the former slave?
In any case, no.
We're using all the horses for other work.
We don't have any to spare for you.
Come on, slaves. You're wasting your time.
Quit slacking off and head back to your woods.
Hello.
What's this? I only heard one "hello."
I see the big lad is as rude as ever.
Hey, we're taking a horse.
Sure.
Now that I think about it, you slaves are no different from livestock.
Just borrowing a plot of land and running a farm is insolent enough.
Use your own bodies to do the work.
That jerk. Our only choice is to talk to the master.
We need a horse.
Not just for removing stumps, but for tilling the soil, too.
I'm not gonna let their bullying stop me.
But even if the master's influence allows us to borrow a horse,
we'd just be upsetting the retainers.
They'll hate us even more.
What are we gonna do, then? Do all the work ourselves?
Who knows how many years it'll take for us to finally start farming?
The woods are vast.
Couldn't we wait to start farming until we've cleared more land?
It's impossible for us to level the land and start growing crops.
Thorfinn!
Why are you so unmotivated?
Don't you want to be free?
We're gonna grow crops, no matter what.
Then we'll sell them to the master and buy back our freedom.
And to do that, we need a horse!
For a guy who never eats a square meal, you've sure got a lot of energy.
You just don't have enough energy, asshole!
I think I get the picture.
Hup, and... Ow, ow, ow...
What are you doing? Over here. Come on.
Can't have a conversation standing this far apart.
Don't step on the ridges.
Hello. Um, can we help you?
What are your names?
Oh, right. I'm Einar.
I'm Thorfinn.
Shall I lend you one?
What?
A horse. You need a horse, don't you?
What?
Y-Yes, we need a horse!
Wait, for real?
That'd be a huge help.
Uh, actually...
I'm sorry, but who are you?
My back is killing me.
Uh, um... Gramps?
It's Sverkel.
Mister Sverkel to you.
Mister Sverkel, how long do we have to keep picking out these rocks?
Until the rocks are gone.
Come on. I don't see your hands moving.
Oh, s-sorry.
Ow...
Good.
So, um, Mister Sverkel!
About you lending us a horse...
Carry the basket, would you?
Once you're done chopping firewood, draw up some water.
Be quick.
Yes, sir.
He's totally taking advantage of us.
We don't have time for this.
Does that old man live in this house all alone?
Who knows? I've never met him before, either.
Is he really going to lend us a horse?
What if he's just making us work for him for free?
Either way, this is a typical day for us.
After all, we're slaves.
We're the master's slaves.
I don't care what your circumstances are.
This is our agreement.
In exchange for borrowing a horse, you'll do chores at my house
when you pick it up and when you drop it off.
Got it?
All right. Let's get the next one.
Pull!
Boy, that was easy.
I feel amazing.
I can't believe he actually let us borrow a horse.
That old man is a good guy.
Hup!
Come on, you can do it.
That's it. Just like that.
You're such a cute horsey.
All right.
Next stump.
At this rate, we might actually be ready in time for sowing season in the fall.
Maybe the old man will even lend us a plow.
I hope he'll lend us a heavy one with wheels.
What do we plant in fall?
What?
Wheat, obviously.
Really? You plant wheat in the fall, huh?
What?
Hey, hey, wait a minute. Have you ever worked on a farm before?
No.
Nobody in my homeland farmed.
And since I was a kid, I worked on the battlefield.
A land without farms...
I don't believe it.
My mom and sister would be shocked to hear that.
Well, don't worry. Leave all the farming stuff to me.
After all, I'm a professional.
Sure.
Hey, slaves.
Who gave you permission to take that horse?
Ugh, these guys...
Hello.
We didn't take this without permission.
Mister Sverkel lent it to us.
What? Who?
Mister Sverkel. He lives way down this road.
Liar! There's no Sverkel around here.
So you finally resorted to theft.
Huh? Does our farm have a horse like this?
Hey, slaves. Who'd you say you borrowed this horse from?
I told you, Mister Sverkel!
You don't know him?
He's a short bald old man.
Short... bald... old man...
Oh, the old master.
Oh, right. Come to think of it, that might've been his name.
The old master?
You're actually lying, aren't you?
He's a real crabby old man.
There's no way he lent you a horse.
He's Ketil's father.
He's the most important man on this farm.
Looks like rain.
Thorfinn, let's stop for the day once we finish this row.
Got it.
Stop, stop.
More roots.
Even though we pulled out the stumps, the deepest roots still got left behind.
We don't have a choice.
This year, we'll till shallowly.
We wouldn't want to break the plow we borrowed by overdoing it.
It's amazing.
In one day, we've turned that wasteland into this.
Look. There's one over there.
And there.
And there. Look, they've got two.
They've got a total of ten heavy plows after buying four more this year.
Our master is unbelievably wealthy.
Are they that expensive?
You bet they are.
Back in my village, eight families shared a single plow.
I'm glad the old master had one.
The retainers definitely wouldn't have let us borrow one.
It must be difficult to do the same work by hand, with hoes.
Having one of these and a horse makes a world of difference.
What an incredible invention...
It must've been invented by a farmer.
Someone unfamiliar with how difficult farming is couldn't have made this.
You really don't know the first thing about farming.
Everything's new to you.
You're like an overgrown baby.
Aw, man. It's starting to rain.
Let's hurry, Thorfinn.
Have you prepared for the rain?
Don't change the subject.
I'm worried about your health, Dad.
You're getting too old to push yourself.
When you collapsed on your farm the other day,
you got lucky because Snake happened to be around.
It's my wish to die on my farm.
Living by yourself at your age is ridiculous enough.
You're not capable of physical labor.
Mind your own business. I'm managing just fine.
Don't be stubborn, Dad.
Ketil, you and I think too differently.
If we lived together, we'd just end up arguing again.
Because you're so stubborn, Dad.
We can't go in there right now.
Think about what I said.
What are you boys doing here?
Hello.
Dad, you can't just do whatever you want.
These are my slaves.
You're wet. While you're here, wash your clothes.
Those two must not get along.
Now then, where's the washtub?
What is it?
It's Snake. Snake's here.
A snake?
What's he doing here?
Did he sleep through that argument?
What's wrong with him?
He's sprawled out all over the place.
Gramps, you're cooking, aren't you?
I'm not letting you eat by yourself again.
Damn it. I see you're awake.
What are you guys doing here? Did you come to sneak into my bed?
Good morning.
You're a hopeless man.
You're only awake during mealtimes.
Don't you think that's embarrassing?
How can a grown man like you brazenly eat when he doesn't even work?
Shut up, Gramps.
Thieves come at night.
This farm is peaceful because we patrol it every night.
That's why I've got no problem eating.
How are you guarding anything when all you do is sneak into young women's homes?
We're guarding the young women so they don't get stolen.
You've always got a comeback.
So do you, Gramps.
What are you guys doing?
Come over here and eat. You haven't eaten yet, right?
Are you sure?
Eat, eat. The food ain't so fancy that you need to be shy.
How dare you.
Have a seat. If you worked today, then you've earned the right to eat.
Is it true that thieves come to the farm?
They do. All the time.
They come for unharvested wheat, pigs, that kind of thing.
Huh.
Some of them are armed, too.
Beating up those guys and capturing them is our job.
We really do work around here.
What we'd lose to thieves is equal to what we pay you.
You really know how to piss someone off, don't you?
We could chase off thieves without your help.
We're Nordic men.
We know how to use swords and spears.
Oh? You're saying you can still fight at your age?
Don't flatter yourself, Snake.
There are plenty of fighters more skilled than you.
I'm just worried about your health, old man.
I'm not so decrepit that I need your concern.
Don't be so angry.
You'll collapse again, Grandpa.
In reality, despite what you say, this farm's fighting force is too small for its scale.
The 13 men I've got have their hands full chasing down thieves.
You could easily take over this farm with 50 to 60 men.
Right, Thorfinn?
Huh?
Oh, um... I'm not sure.
Nothing tougher than thieves ever comes to this place.
You don't know that.
It'll be too late once it's already happening.
Don't worry.
Regardless of what happens, I won't ever come crying to your lot.
Why don't you get anything tougher than thieves here?
S-Sorry.
Because of King Harald's influence.
Twice a year, Ketil sends an absurd amount of tribute to him.
Because the king accepts his tribute, he's obligated to protect Ketil.
It's foolishness.
Buying peace with money is foolishness.
What need is there to hold so much land a single farmer can't defend it himself?
How many days do you think it takes to get here from Jelling?
We're the ones actually defending the farm.
Too much wealth brings about misfortune.
You're ignoring me now?
Increasing your wealth makes you fear losing it.
You spend money to assuage your fears and then have to earn more.
And my idiot son hasn't realized yet how pointless it is.
I've had enough. Old men love giving lectures.
Hey, it stopped raining.
Now then, it's time to go out patrolling again.
Don't come back here.
But you miss me when I don't.
Get out of here!
Those two were weird.
They get along better than the actual father and son.
Yeah.
I feel like I learned a lot of things today.
Good for you, you overgrown baby.
Don't call me that.
Too much wealth, huh?
You can spread more seed than that.
What?
But isn't this all we have?
It'll be fine. Grab huge handfuls.
I'm your friend. Trust me.
Friend?
What? No way.
Why would you question that?
We're friends, aren't we?
What? We're not?
No...
We're friends.
Iron Fist Ketil
"Iron Fist Ketil."