{Opening}
Water running
Stronger, rougher
Holding on to anything
{shift}
All I want is to survive it
If I let go, will it be the end of me?
Got to move on
Held on too long
Sweep me away
Out into the ocean
Mighty river, release my soul
I need to see the world
To the unknown, I'll go against my sorrow
Mighty river, release my soul out to the open gold
I can't stay here forever in this hollow
Oh, river, take me out
Take me away, river
Oh, river, take me out
Take me out to the unknown
Oh, river, take me out
Take me away, river
Oh, river, take me out
Take me out to the unknown
Out into the ocean
{Part A}
Path of Blood
Come now, grandpa, are you hard of hearing as well?{S1 lines}
Don't move, guards.
The king is within my reach.
Is he serious?
Whoa now.
Askeladd.
You son of a bitch! King Sweyn is mine—
Don't move, Thorkell!
Askeladd has gone mad.
Do not agitate him!
The king mustn't be harmed.
What?
Put away your sword and I'll forgive your sin.
Forgive me?
Do not presume to judge me, barbarian.
Insulting my family and my people
is a crime worthy of death!
This is my final warning.
Put away your sword, Askeladd.
That's only a nickname.
Do you want to know my real name? The one given to me by my mother?
Lucius Artorius Castus.
And I am the rightful king that rules the land of Britannia.
That felt good.
For a period of time, it seemed that Denmark had successfully annexed England.
But with the death of King Sweyn of Denmark in the year 1014,
the balance of power was thrown into chaos.
Denmark and England crossed swords once again.
Canute assumed control of his father's siege of England on behalf of the Danish Vikings.
Meanwhile,
Ethelred II returned from exile in Normandy to reclaim his throne after Sweyn's death.
Both men styled themselves King of England,
and control of the realm was uncertain once again.
The long period of war had left England exhausted.
Stand back, Your Majesty!
Have no fear.
I did not drink of it.
Y-Your Majesty! Have mercy!
I swear to our Lord Jesus Christ that I had no idea!
I had no idea the drink was poisoned!
Your Majesty, have mercy!
Please, my King Ethelred!
Curse your wretched hide...{this line goes hard}
Such underhanded means...
My, my, my.
The desolation is even worse than the tales say,
King Canute.
Mercia was styled the "Jewel of the Fields,"
and look at it now.
Only time will allow the land to heal.
Gunnar, do not speak as though this was an act of nature.
We laid waste to this region.
What is that?
Huh?
Ah, yes.
This is the vanguard of our conquering force.
That's not what I meant.
I'm asking what it is that they're doing.
Why, they're pillaging the land, of course.
Searching among the beggars for women who might fetch a price.
I already forbade that.
Put their heads on spikes along the road for all to see.
What?
B-But collecting the spoils of battle is a time-honored tradition of war.
To crack down on it so suddenly...
Men who can't maintain discipline are no soldiers of mine.
Put their heads on spikes along the road for all to see.
Er, I hear... and obey...
Go on!
What, are you serious?!
I am honored by your visit, Your Majesty.{include King Canute?}
How goes the planning, Floki?
Very good, my king.
They are ready and waiting.
However, it is not necessary for Your Majesty to meet with them directly.
You could have allowed us to handle the matter.
It's fine.
I was already here observing the military situation.
I shall meet with them.
Earl Eadric of Mercia is a spineless man. {not sure about 'small-hearted' (doesn't return many google results). maybe "faint of heart" or "faint-hearted"}
He is not worthy of your presence.
His character and his worth to me are two separate things.
In any case, I will be the judge of this matter.
And besides, I have other reasons for coming all the way to the front.
What do you mean?
Hey!
Canute!
There you are, you little bastard!
Canute!
I must soothe the savage beast.
No doubt he was more than you could handle.
Yes, indeed.
Now see here, you little shit!
One good hit!
That's all I want! Just one solid punch!
Calm yourself, Thorkell.
Why, you friggin' fraggin' little...
Listen to me!
There's only one thing I hate more 'n frogs, and that's bein' stopped in the middle of battle!
What?
Frogs?
Mercia has pleaded for a truce.
Our victory in this region is all but assured.
And it's thanks to your work, Thorkell.
Shut your pie hole!
Once a war starts,
it doesn't end until you've taken the other leader's head!
All I needed was a bit more time, and I'd have cut Eadric's ugly mug off his shoulders!
Don't get carried away.
Earl Eadric of Mercia is only a local lord.
Look at the bigger picture.
You think I give a shit about that?!
I just want to enjoy a fulfilling life of warfare!
There is trouble brewing in the east thanks to Edmund, son of Ethelred.
We ask that you help pacify the eastern region.
Your overwhelming strength in battle is—
The only man that decides who and where I fight is me!
Fuck you, Dicehead!
Canute!
I assume you haven't forgotten what I told you then.
"I want to see what you do and what you become with my own eye."
You're nothing yet.
Not the King of England!
Just a boy.
So listen to me, boy.
You cannot avoid war, no matter what you do.
Your path must be forged with blood and iron!
Just as Askeladd did for you.
Don't forget that.
The path you walk has always been stained with blood, from the very start!
How long are you going to keep hanging onto me?!
What a pest! Buzz off!
Boy, I'm pissed.
I'll back down for today, as a courtesy!
But it won't happen again!
And don't you forget it!
S-Such insolence in front of the men!
Majesty! You must not let this wanton behavior pass!
Why not?
It makes sense.
He offered a valuable warning.
In public or in private, the man has one face.
Outta the way!
It must be quite an experience to live as he does.
Clear the way!
Let's go.
4,000 pounds of silver.
It is all that we can gather for you at this time.
Please accept this offering.
I can arrange for an additional 4,000 if you withdraw your forces from Mercia entirely.
Surely it is an offer worth considering, Lord Canute.
So this is Danegeld? Our appeasement, Lord Eadric?
What is your answer, Lord Canute?
This is nothing.
{Part B}
Okay, go ahead and lift 'em up.
Hup.
I ask you again.
You would pay me this tribute in the hopes that I will leave Mercia, Eadric?
I-It is 8,000 pounds!
Surely that is not an inadequate price for withdrawal!
It is.
Think carefully about what you are saying.{lmao gunnar shitting his pants}
I am Canute the Bretwalda, rightful king of all of England.
And you give me gold with a demand that I leave your lands.
And the price you attach to such an insult to the king is this miserable pile?
I am your king.
I have come to this land to quell the rebellion within my realm. {when talking about a rebellion, i think 'quell' instead of 'calm' would be more common}
This is no idle journey.
This is nonsense!
Our rightful king is Ethelred of the honorable House of Wessex, not you!
Shut your mouth!
But, Father!
No! This is not the time or place to speak!
He does have a point.
There is another who lays claim to the throne of England.
Well?
Did Ethelred authorize you to offer me this deal?
I-If he learned of our plight,
he would surely understand.
Ah, how very magnanimous of him.
So this Ethelred will forgive his own subjects for abandoning the war
and paying the enemy to save their own lands?{holy length}
Now, this is very cruel.
Don't pick on the poor sap.
The realm is in chaos because there are two kings.
One must die.
And your Ethelred is a coward who abdicated his throne
and abandoned his people to flee into exile in the last war.
Don't you think it's foolish to entrust the future of England to such a man?
You are saying that I should betray him?
You already have.
I'd like for you to assist me, Eadric.
I wish to get rid of Ethelred.
As you have served him loyally for many years,
you must have some ideas for me.
You would even take my final shreds of allegiance and dignity?
Insolent boy!
In return, I will not need to conquer Mercia.
That is my offer for Ethelred's life.
I think you will find it agreeable.
Absolutely not!
The truce is off!
I would rather fight to the bitter end than work with a devious man like you!
Floki.
This fellow does not seem so spineless. {if you changed the earlier line, change this one too}
On the contrary, he has great courage.
Well, why not test him and be certain, Your Majesty?
Come outside, Eadric.
I have something to show you.
Is it ready?
Yes, Your Majesty.
Light it.
Signal fires?
What are they signaling?
What is this?
What are you doing, Canute?
Father!
L-Look!
Ah! Over there too!
C-Canute, what are you signaling?
This is what it means to go to war against me.
Let your imagination paint the picture, Eadric.
You have just reduced Mercia to ashes.
Do you understand now?
If I so desire, I can burn you all into ash with a single word. {i'd probably do 'burn' -> 'turn}
Father!
Buy your safety from me by offering Ethelred's head.
That is the smart choice.
In April of 1016, the following year,
King Ethelred II of England would die.
Your Majesty!
The cause of death: "disease."
After Ethelred's death, his son Edmund assumed the throne.
As his father's successor,
Edmund sorely vexed Canute's forces in a valiant battle, but...
Seven months later in that same year, he too succumbed to this "disease."
"Disease," they call it. {maybe "they say"}
King Sweyn fought this war for ten long years,
and in less than three, it's over.
They say the Witenagemot will recognize Canute as Bretwalda. {and maybe move "They say" to the beginning here, or change it to "Apparently"}
He will assume control as soon as the new year.
Don't talk to me about Canute.
You're ruining my beer.
Fine, fine.
Sweyn,
Ethelred,
and Edmund.
After the untimely deaths of his rivals,
Canute would officially become King of England in 1018.
{Ending}
Time and time again, my hopes are gone
{shift}
It's like a never-ending marathon
I hear voices every night of the ones I left behind that I love
I'm trying to find the place where I belong
Until I do, I guess I'll carry on
Trapped in every sacrifice
Feel like I'm gonna lose my mind
No freedom
Without love
I played the game of life and had a ball
Crazy of me to think I had it all
I kept holding on to the power and lost my freedom
I guess I had to learn there is no freedom without love
{Preview}
We Need a Horse
"We Need a Horse."