The Last Kingdom

I am Uhtred, son of Uhtred...

born a Saxon and rightful heir to the great fortress Bebbanburg.

For many years, I fought for King Alfred of Wessex...

...and for his vision of the kingdoms as a single union... England.

But my loyalty was never rewarded.

You are not the best of fathers.

My children were taken from me and my son handed to the Church.

Finally, we made peace...

although the reconciliation was brief.

The King is dead and so together we pray for his soul...

for his successor Edward.

The new king has much to learn.

Wessex appears to be in a land of chaos and doubt.

God is with us.

However, Alfred's widow, Lady Aelswith,

alienates men who were loyal to him.

You were the King's priest and, as such, you no longer have a role.

And Lord Aethelhelm has ambitions of his own.

Why was I not told that Edward had been married previously?

Aethelflaed's marriage has also not brought harmony.

I want her dead.

She holds a place in my own heart.

Brida's great love Ragnar is dead.

She has made a new alliance with the Dane Earl Cnut.

You should be under furs, woman, with me.

And I want to enjoy all of you, while there's time.

Whilst the warrior Haesten schemes to gain influence.

I also have scores I must settle.

Throughout all my victories, defeats, loves and losses,

I have stayed true to my conviction

that I will one day return to Bebbanburg and overthrow the man

who will stop at nothing to have me killed...

my uncle Aelfric.

Destiny is all.

Bastard Scots! Kill them!

Slay them all! Don't spare a single one of them!

Sons of whores!

They're weakening. Forward!

We have them! Advance!

Don't let them escape!

Advance, you cowards! Kill them all! Do not let them escape!

What in God's name...

Retreat!

Retreat to Bebbanburg!

Open the gates!

Open the gates!

Open the gates!

Go! Go!

Open the gates!

How many did we lose this time?

Over half, Lord.

Then we need more men... Or it'll be our heads on the ramparts.

Will they go back across the border?

They'll gather reinforcements in Scotland,

keep attacking till they whittle us down to nothing.

If they take Bebbanburg, they have a gateway south.

They want all of Northumbria.

-Lord, where do we bury the dead? -Leave them for the scavengers.

On your feet!

The last men standing.

My greatest fighters.

Or the most fearful, the ones who cowed and hid and ran?

The Scots will return!

They want to take our land and see us gone.

So unless you want to end up rotting on a slave ship,

I suggest you find the stomach to fight.

To fight!

Or leave!

Go on, leave now!

There is no place for doubt...

or weakness.

I will never surrender to invaders!

My men can be destroyed! The villages starved!

They can dig a trench a mile wide!

But while I live, these walls will not be breached.

This fortress will not fall!

I will never yield my birthright, nor seek peace with those who attack us.

We fight on, until they are all butchered.

It's time we're heading south, Osferth.

We fight on for Bebbanburg!

For Bebbanburg!

What?

Outside.

No one knows I'm here.

The people that know will not betray us.

Wait.

Who is there?

It is Aldhelm.

Lady Aethelflaed's absence has been noted by her husband.

She should leave here before she is discovered.

Stay with me.

-I cannot. -Yes, you can.

If Aethelred sends soldiers, we will fight them.

Please, he has tortured you long enough.

I know, but men should not die, so I can love you, Uhtred.

Men have died for less.

Not the ones who serve me.

I will not be the cause of bloodshed.

Aethelred would seek Edward's help. We would be outnumbered.

So, you'd take chastity while your husband is chasing another woman?

We both know that's different.

Do not return to him and be humiliated.

You are more than that.

I know.

And, hopefully, in time, things will change for us.

I will go to Winchester to comfort my mother

and come back here as soon as I can.

Your men will return from the north soon.

Lady, you know, I do not speak in envy, but, please.

Your husband would take great pleasure in punishing you for adultery,

should you give him the excuse.

He takes great pleasure in punishing me for whatever I do.

So, I must try to live with a little happiness.

Besides, I have good men to protect me.

And I know you do not speak from envy.

-Any word from Finan? -Nothing, Lord.

Do you want to give up your gods for your life?

Do you want me to show you mercy?

No!

No. Mercy is for Christians. What will you do?

Good boy.

If they capture you, you do exactly this.

Hey, careful, Cnut!

It means they like you.

They're good boys, Cnut.

-Yes. -You're blessed.

Come, they'll have taken down the camp without us.

To the settlements until the winter.

We must hide you away, while the men go to war.

Any of you caught humping a Saxon will be executed on our return.

Go!

Arse-Licker.

You are the man they call the Arse-Licker?

I am Eardwulf of Mercia, commander of the King Aethelred's guard.

His latest new commander.

I heard you wormed your way back from a family disgrace.

And that your father lost his lands for humping his horse?

I heard there was a Dane who was willing to betray his kinsfolk for money.

You are steel-eyed for a turd.

Perhaps we are fated to work together, Lord Arse-Licker.

They've been loading ships for three days.

Leaving land they fought so hard for?

It's unlike the Danes to slink away.

-Where is Cnut taking his men? -Irland.

A cousin Sigtryggr is being held captive by the natives.

That will take at least a winter.

Will they come back?

The women are going to local settlements,

so, there will be warm tits to return to.

Why do you tell us this?

Because, unlike you, I'm not rewarded for my service.

-You should have licked more asses. -Perhaps.

And ...

I no longer want war.

I'm too old to sleep in the dirt.

I want silver and Lord Aethelred has it?

Makes his own coin?

How ambitious.

-How is the weasel? -Still a man of wisdom and honor.

Who promotes an ambitious soldier... brave.

Who rewards loyalty.

I hear he takes your sister as his whore.

Then you heard wrong, Dane.

She's not a whore and he does not take her.

This is good work. -Thank you, my Lord.

There's a boat down river, Lord.

Women of Coccham!

We are back!

They know, Finan. They can smell you from here.

You look like shit.

What have you done to my ship?Now, that was Osferth's fault.

-What news from Bebbanburg? -Good news, Lord.

My Uncle Aelfric is dead and you have his balls to prove it?

No, but he is being attacked by the Scots pushing south.

He lost half his men in the most recent assault.

-So, Bebbanburg's weakened? -For now, yes.

Until he finds more men.

Or is slaughtered by the Scots.

So, we could take it.

With an army... we could take it.

Well, perhaps. It will not be easy.

-How many men does he have? -Barely 40.

-Can he raise a fyrd? -Oh, God, no. Local lords think he's--

That he's a turd, yes. And they're right.

-We should not delay. -No.

Go before he buys more men.

We head to Bebbanburg before the Scots return.

The gods are telling us to strike and take back what is mine.

Now, Lord, it'll take ships and men.

The venture could cost you all your silver.

Finan, if we take Bebbanburg,

we'll have all the silver we ever dreamed of.

You will all be rewarded for your service, even you baby monk.

Amen.

-How many men remain here? -Not enough.

We will ride to Winchester and raise an army.

It's time for Wessex to repay all that I have given.

What are they doing with Father's books?

Lord Aethelhelm wants this room given over to planning our defenses.

Apparently, it has the best light to work by.