THE LAND ON THE FAR BANK
Are the fish biting?
The fish are already in hibernation, right?
I don't care if I don't catch anything.
My real job is operating the ferry.
You guys are Danes, right?
You speak good English,
but you have a bit of an accent.
Your accent sounds just like people from my country.
How much would it cost to take us to the opposite shore?
Two silver pieces.
If you don't have silver, I also take alcohol. Well, then...
I wonder how many days it would take me to bring all of you.
No. I only need you to bring this letter.
I thought you were customers. That's too bad.
So, who do you want me to deliver it to?
To any one of the elders. It's urgent.
Please tell them it's from Askeladd, son of Lydia.
Understood. I'll hurry.
Askeladd!
Askeladd! Where are you? Hey!
Ragnar. Please be quiet.
Why did you stop the march?
Thorkell is going to catch up!
We're not supposed to make noise while The Ear is at work.
Ear?
Bjorn.
Don't let that conehead breathe.
Ear! What’s the status?
They've gotten closer since yesterday.
I can hear soldiers and horses marching.
There's about 500.
They're close behind us.
They're only one day away on foot.
Are you serious?
Yesterday, you said they were two days away.
You don't trust my ears?
That was fast.
They're marching fast.
They'll catch up to us in just a few days.
Quiet, you guys.
Horses. On the hill. Two of them.
They've got us now.
What do we do?
If we're going to meet them in battle, we must take positions!
No, that's impossible. We're no match for them.
But if we don't do anything...
I've sent a request for reinforcements.
We'll keep running until they arrive.
-What? -Reinforcements?
NOVEMBER 1013 AD WEST ENGLAND DOWNSTREAM EAST BANK OF SEVERN RIVER
Reinforcements?
We're deep in enemy territory!
That's what Askeladd said, though.
He's never lied to us about something like that before.
Well, you're right.
But where's the closest fort?
It's Leicester.
Seriously? It'll take two weeks to get there!
I wonder if the reinforcements will be in time.
If we ask for reinforcements, we have to split the plunder, right?
Askeladd said we could handle it ourselves with just the hundred of us.
I'm so tired! I want to get back on a ship!
Yeah.
A ship would be nice...
What? Do you need something?
Everyone's worried.
You should give them an explanation.
Let them worry.
Worrying will make them march faster.
What?
If that's all, then go to sleep.
You've been acting weird the last few days. What are you up to?
Ever since you saw the prince's face. Right?
I've been living among criminals for 40 years.
I can tell what a man is like,
whether he's a big shot or a nobody, whether he's smart
or stupid, just by looking at his face.
When I saw the prince's face, I could tell.
"That's not the face of a king."
True. He looks like a girl.
But he's still a kid, you know?
That's true. He's still young. His future still awaits.
What? His future still awaits?
All right! Wake up, guys!
Get ready to march! If you're slow, Thorkell is going to catch up!
Seriously?
It's still dark.
Hey.
-Yeah? -Were you able to sleep?
No.
Hey.
Shut up. Be quiet.
But if I don't keep talking,
I'm going to fall asleep.
This is bad, Askeladd. They're right behind us.
Yeah. I know.
They're going to catch up.
I said, I know.
We're almost to where the reinforcements will come. Right there.
-Reinforcements? -Them? Just the two of them?
Maybe it's just an illusion made by the fog.
I'm so honored that the commander has come himself.
It's been a long time, Askeladd.
So,
you're saying a ship carried them across the river?
Do you know whose ship it was?
No. I'm not sure.
The fog was as thick as goat's milk.
It wasn't a Norse ship. It didn't have a dragonhead.
It was kind of pudgy.
It had an eye drawn on it. On the bow. Big, like this.
That doesn't sound like one of King Sweyn's ships.
In any case, we can't follow Thorfinn anymore.
I underestimated them.
I didn't think that the people across the Severn River were their allies.
Does that mean the people across the river switched sides from England to Denmark?
You idiot! You don't know anything!
The land on the other side of this river isn't part of England in the first place!
It's Wales.
Wales is a mountainous region to the west of England.
The steep mountains had few natural resources.
Flat land suitable for agriculture was scarce.
The land was poor compared to England.
After the end of rule by the Roman Empire,
Wales was never unified under a single country.
The region was divided into many small, rival kingdoms for hundreds of years.
Askeladd's request for reinforcements was answered
by one of those small kingdoms.
EAST OF MORGANNWG KINGDOM WALES
I want to compliment you for this, Askeladd.
Thorkell must be clenching his teeth in anger on the other side of the river.
If we continue going by sea,
we can return to Gainsborough.
No. We're going to go by land.
What are you talking about? There's a ship right there.
Don't look at it from the perspective of a large nation.
For this country, even three warships are a valuable asset.
We have to be thankful that they helped us escape from Thorkell in the first place.
Then we can make do with only two ships! We can all fit!
No. If you keep acting selfish, I'm going to leave you behind.
Are you telling me to walk across Wales? That's ridiculous!
The people in this land hate us!
I can't allow you to endanger His Highness any further!
A hawk.
It's so low.
Ragnar. Catch it.
Pardon me, Your Highness, we're in the middle of something important.
It's better than moving north through England with Thorkell at our heels.
Anyway, this country is an ally of mine.
If you're still worried...
Thorfinn!
I'll assign him to guard Canute.
Wow! You're the guy from back there...
Don't make the decision for me.
He's small, but he's good.
And he's the same age as His Highness. I'm sure they'll get along.
Say your greetings, Thorfinn.
Are you an idiot? What are you glaring at him for?
You're going to reward me for this, right?
All right, all right. When we get to Gainsborough, I'll duel you.
Askeladd. Are you ready?
Yes. We just finished. Oh, my. We're so busy.
This is the general of the Kingdom of Morgannwg, Gratianus.
He's going to show us the way.
You have a threatening look about you, but you have a good face.
Commander, that's one of my men.
His Highness Prince Canute is over there.
His eyes look weak.
Is he really going to be the next ruler of England?
What? You bastard! How rude!
There's only one reason we're helping the Danish prince escape.
It's so that we can enter a treaty of non-aggression.
It's all up to you. Prince, swear
that once you become the king of England,
you'll never interfere in the matters of Wales.
Yes. Leave it to me.
His Highness says,
"If you give us three ships--"
I asked the prince.
What?
Never mind. I'll ask again later.
I'll prepare a written document in the meantime.
Get ready to depart.
What's wrong with that arrogant snob?
He's taking advantage of us!
Does he think he's an equal to the prince?
That country bumpkin!
Marching, marching, and more marching! Now we're marching in the mountains!
Mountains are better than Thorkell.
Let's talk about something more fun.
Like what?
Our reward from King Sweyn.
We saved the prince from Thorkell.
I want a farm!
I want a cool sword.
No. It's all about the gold. Nothing's better than gold.
Yeah.
I heard the king has
a hundred beautiful slave women from around the world in his bedroom.
Come here.
I'm so excited! Is there anything else?
Hey, priest!
You've been to the palace, right?
What does the king have in his house?
Well, there was nothing of value in particular.
No way! Not even beautiful women?
Well, he did have a lot of slave women.
What? Aren't you interested?
You don't like women?
No. Gold, silver, and beautiful women are all nothing
compared to the thing I seek.
Please tell us! What is it you're seeking?
Love.
-What? Love? -Yes.
What's that? I've never heard of it.
I know what it is. It's like a spell that the Christians are always chanting.
Isn't it some kind of food?
How many pounds in silver?
It can't be measured in silver,
because love is what gives value to silver.
Without love, gold, silver, and beautiful women are all worthless.
"Gives value"?
That doesn't make sense.
Silver has the value of silver.
Don't make it so difficult.
He's bluffing.
Just ignore him.
Hey, priest.
Keep talking. I want to hear more.
We're about to enter the Kingdom of Brycheiniog.
Don't worry. I've talked to them already.
Thank you for your help.
We're not doing this for you. It's just that our interests are aligned.
The Welsh kingdoms have always been
threatened by invasions from England.
If you Danes can make them stop,
it would be good for us.
I'm sure His Highness the Prince will promise you that.
So, is that your king, Askeladd?
He's from a good bloodline.
As for the rest, I have high hopes for him since he's young.
The more you fall for a man, the less things go how you want.
Maybe someone like him is just what we need.
We're the descendants of Britannia.
We're not going to follow the king of the Danes.
Gratianus.
Do you still believe in the legend?
The legend that Artorius will return from Avalon to the west
and restore the Britannia of old.
Askeladd!
Are you sure?
That's what The Ear says.
Thank you for coming, prince of the Danes!
They're messengers from Brycheiniog.
Thank you for coming!
Wait! Gratianus.
Did they notice?
How can you tell?
One of my men has good hearing.
But it's too late.
What's wrong, Thorfinn?
Get up! Hurry up!
Let's go.