Sea Rover

A Bribe Ruler

Man: Make way there! Come on! Make way! Make way!

Edward: Brother! Bother! Where are you?

King Anna: Edward! Thank God you are come.

Edward: What on earth made you think I would not, sire?

King Anna: No, I never doubted you, but others…our own youngest brother fled to Mercia.

Edward: He was always the runt of the litter. Our parents should have drowned him at birth. Where are the heathens now?

King Anna: Only one, perhaps two days away.

Edward: And your forces are ready and armed?

King Anna: Yes, if you are ready to lead them.

Edward: I would regard it a great honor, sire, to defend our kingdom and our homeland.

Eadric: And there is no man better, Lord Edward. The poets sing your battle praises in the halls.

Edward: That’s because I paid them. If you paid them, they’d sing your praises too, that’s poets for you. My Lady, pray, have you no time for laughter?

(All laughing)

Eals: No, My Lord Edward, only for fear.

Jordan and his companions reach out the Kingdom of Northumbria for their third raid. Stanley asks Jordan;

Stanley: How soon will they come?

Jordan: Soon enough.

Tostig: I hope so, I can’t wait for Valhalla.

On the other hand, Jordan is on raid and Abigail listens to the problems of the Kattegat people behind him, People come to her for help. Folk takes his wife to Abigail and tells her his problem.

Abigail: Good day to you, folk. What is the problem here?

Folk: The problem is her.

Abigail: What has she done?

Folk: She has had a child, the boy in her arms.

Abigail: What of it?

Folk: He is not my child. We tried for many years to have children but without success, and then just over a year ago, a young man came to the door. I remember the day. I was making a loom. The young man said his name was Rig. He gave us some good advice on our work and stayed our house. After three days, he left, and then nine months later, she gave birth to a son.

Abigail asks Folk's wife: Whose child is it?

Folk’s wife: I don’t know, My Lady. We were all in the same bed. I was too scared…

Folk: You see? She is not an honest woman. She had s*x with Rig, and could not bring herself to tell me the truth!

Abigail calls Folk's wife, come here and ask her, do you know? Who this Rig was?

Folk’s wife: No, he was just a young man.

Abigail: On the contrary, we know from our ancient stories that Rig is another name for Heimdall.

Folk’s wife: The god Heimdall?

Folk: My Lady!

Abigail: Yes, the god Heimdall! You are fortunate that he choose your household to appear in.

Folk: That’s just a story.

Abigail: Our whole lives are just stories. You should be ashamed, you did not trust your wife, despite the joy and comfort she has brought you, and the fact that a god chose you of all people to visit. Do not punish her, but rejoice with her, drink wine with her, and sacrifice one of your animals to Heimdall, the god, but I hear you have harmed this woman or this child; you will answer for it to me.

Folk goes from there after hearing Abigail's decision, and his wife follows him. 

Next day, Edward leads the Force at the behalf of his elder brother King Anna, set out to attack on Jordan and his companions.

Edward: It seems they intend to stay here a while, I had not expected that.

Barbury: My Lord, why don’t we attack?

Edward: They have a strong position, perhaps if we can make them leave their position and attack us.

Barbury: How could we force them to do that?

Edward: They’re scavengers, little more than beasts. We must be able to out think them

Barbury: If we leave it much longer, they will be even better dug-in. My Lord, if a wolf comes into your sheep fold, you don’t try to out think it.  You go in and drive it away or kill it!

Edward: How dare you argue with me?

Barbury: Lord Edward, forgive me, I only meant…

Edward: I know what you meant. You meant that you are already greater warriors than I am, although only yesterday you were still green, sucking on your mothers’ breasts. Go do your jobs, set up camp.

 Edward stops his team from an immediate attack. He finds out the whereabouts of Jordan and his companions stays and return back.

On the contrary, Jordan and his companions make impenetrable fort ready using trenches. They have a lot of work ahead of them. Stanley tells Jordan.

Stanley: You see them up there?

Jordan: Yes, I can see them.

Stanley: What are we waiting for?

Jordan: Too see, what they will do.

Stanley: So you want to hand them the initiative?

Jordan: We cannot afford to lose half our men by being stupid and attacking. We wait until the odds are in our favor.

Stanley listens to Jordan and leaves. Jordan and his companions attack King Anna's force at night, King Anna's people start making loud noises

Awake! Awake! Under attack!

Man 1: Arm yourselves!

Man 2: Rise! Rise!

Man 3: Throw! Throw!

Man 4: They’re on us! Weapons!

Suddenly, Edward is awakened from sleep when it sounds come out fighting, he pray to his god, Barbury calls King Edward, My Lord! We are being attacked! After praying, King Edward comes out with his sword, during the battle, Jordan and his companions capture King Anna's brother and some slaves. After being free from battle, Jordan asks Edward.

Jordan: Who are you?

Edward: I am a brother of King Anna.

Jordan: You are a brother of King Anna, yet you lead his army? Hmm…does he send you to fight all his battles? In the bedroom too?

Herbert: Jordan! Come and see!

Stanley: Their iron is stronger and better than ours.

Housecarl: And we have captured a dozen of their horses.

Herbert: I am hungry already.

Jordan: Tostig what ails you, my friend?

Tostig: The gods won’t lift my curse. I am fated to live forever on this miserable earth.

Jordan kisses Tostig, and walks with Edward .Stanley asks Jordan who it is.

Jordan says this...This is King's brother. Jordan tells Edward.

Jordan: What do you say? Shall we visit the king?

When King Anna finds out, that Edward went to Jordan's grip, he gets very angry.

King Anna: God help us! My brother defeated, dead.

Barbury: God help Northumbria

Syre: We do not know if your brother is dead.

King Anna: But we do know, My Lord, that he was defeated! Who are these barbarians, these savages? Why they have come to torment us?

Syre: Some learned and wise men say that these North man have been sent here by God…to punish our people for their many sins and transgressions. That we departed from the path of righteousness that our Lord set out, so now he is holding us to terrible account.

Syre: Forgive me, Lord, but what if god has not sent these North man here to plague us?

King Anna: Then who has, pray?

Syre: Could it not sire, rather than be the work of the devil? Go on then, My Lord.

King Anna: What is your advice?

Syre: My advice is that, as we are facing the forces of Satan, we must resist them at all costs. Even at the cost of all our lives if necessary. For evil cannot be accommodated nor yet even bargained with.

Man: Aye!

Barbury: Lord, if I might speak?

King Anna: Yes.

Barbury: I put it to you that it might be that these pagans have come here by their own account, that they are neither of god nor the devil. They are just savage men, more interested in robbery and plunder than in matters of the spirit.

King Anna: Then what is your advice?

Man: Listen to him!

Barbury: Lord! Since they have come for gain, then let us offer them enough money or whatever else they desire to go away and leave us in peace!

(Crowd Protesting)

Crowd: Shame! Shame on you! Shame on you!

Man 1: He is right! Why waste more blood? Let’s pay them off!

Man 2: Foolish!

King Anna: Let me think on it just a little while. In the meantime, let it be known, I have sent envoys out to raise more men to arms for our use if need be.

Crowd: Long live the king! Long live the king!

King Anna: Contend, O Lord, against those who contend with me, fight against those, who fight against me. Draw the spear and javelin against my pursuers. Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”

Next day in early morning, Barbury comes to King Anna and says, Lord, they are here. King Anna’s slaves come out of the hall and said, “King Anna invites your leader to meet him in his villa to talk” who is your leader? The king did not know that his brother was still alive. He would like to talk to you about what he can give you to set his brother free. Do you accept the king’s invitation? Jordan does not respond to King Anna's force, and grabs Edward’s hand and returns. King Anna's force people calls out to Jordan, why are you all going back? But Jordan doesn't answer them. Jordan returns to his place of stay, and tells his companions.

Jordan: We should attack, while they are weak.

Stanley: How long will it take them to raise another army?

Jordan: “Attack, attack, attack!” that’s all he ever says. I want to talk to the king.

Stanley: What is there to talk about? Imagine the treasures the king keeps in his household.

Jordan: I want them. I want to see how he lives, what manner of men they are, and I’m hungry.

Stanley: Listen to me, if we agree to walk into his house, he can kill each and every one of us.

Jordan: You forget, we hold his brother hostage.

Stanley: Why should he care about his brother?

Jordan: Do I not care about mine?

Jordan goes back to King Anna's palace to meet him.

Man 1: They are coming

Man 2: My Lord Eadric!

Barbury takes Jordan and his companions to King.

Eadric: This man is Jordan Korg, his brother Stanley, and their companions.

King Anna: Ah, yes, Jordan korg. We have heard that name before. We are pleased you have decided to talk to us.

Eadric: Perhaps, you should invite them to eat first.

King Anna: Forgive me. Let us feast together and then talk.

Herbert: This table is very well made.

Torstein: So are the women.

Man: The king!

King Anna: Jordan korg, may I present my wife, Eals, and my son Bert.

Jordan: Hello Bert!

Eals: Go on now!

King Anna's slaves and Jordan's companion all sit at the dinner table, Jordan and all his companions break down over food, King's people, it all seems very strange, and Jordan tells his slaves we need more.

King's servants begin their prayer, In the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

All: Amen

Jordan: What a terrible noise.

Tostig: These people are so strange.

The pot seems a strange thing to Jordan and his companions; Herbert breaks the plate, and laughs. The Tostig plate hits his head, and start laughing. Jordan stops everyone.

Jordan: Stop it! Stop laughing! Shall we talk, king?

King Anna: Very well! What do you want, for the safe return of my brother, and for leaving my kingdom?

Jordan: Is he a priest?

King Anna: He is a bishop of our church, a man of god.

Jordan: I too have a man of god at home, two thousand pounds in gold and silver.

Bishop: What did he say?

Jordan: Two thousand pounds.

King Anna: I do not think I heard you properly, Jordan korg.

Jordan: Hmm… two thousand pounds in weight, that is the price.

King's people begin to look at each other as they listen to Jordan, because they are too many of them. 

King Anna: I agree to the terms.

Jordan: Good.

King Anna: But first, you return my brother.

Jordan: When we receive p*****t, you shall have your brother.

King Anna: You must give me time to collect such a vast amount, and in the meantime, you and your men must remain in your camp, and make no further attack on my people or their property.

Jordan: Agreed.

Barbury: Lord, How can we trust the word of a pagan?

Bishop: Let me baptize one of them.

King Anna: There is one further condition. I desire that either you or one of your companions agrees to be baptized into our faith, that way; I can make peace with a friend and fellow Christian, and not an enemy.

Jordan: You want one of us to become Christian?

King Anna: Yes.

Tostig: What he is saying?

Jordan: He wants one of us to become Christian.

Stanley: I will be a Christian.

Jordan doesn't like what Stanley says to them, because he does not want them to change their religion.

Michael, on the other hand, takes Debby to Abigail.

Michael: My Lady Abigail, I hope you can find it in your heart to speak to the wife of the late Earl Chetwynd.

Abigail: Of course. Hello, Debby, please sit down and join us.

Mason enters and tells Debby to stop there, and he says to his mother that Earl Chetwynd tried to kill my father.

Abigail: I know, and if he has succeeded, I would be standing where Debby’s standing now, so what would you like me to stay to her?

Mason: I would ask her to sit down.

Debby: Thank you, Mason.

Abigail: What can I do for you?

Debby: It is what I can do for you. I want to serve you.

Abigail: That is not necessary.

Michael: I remember very well how I served the father of my church, and it did me no harm. In fact, I found in service a great freedom and honor, when I accepted that I should forget about myself and serve father, well then I became happy.

Abigail: If it’s really what you want, I accept your offer.

Debby: Thank you.

Debby: You and your daughter are now under my protection, but I will never treat you as a servant.

Next day, King Anna Force and Jordan companions face each other’s; bishop tells Stanley about his religion, the bishop asks Stanley to take an affidavit.

Bishop: O lord, Holy father, almighty and eternal god, expel the devil and his kin from this person, from the head, from the hair, from the brain, from the brow, from the ears, from the nostrils, from the mouth, from the beneath tongue, from the throat, from the neck, from the chest, from the heart, from the entire interior of the body, from the thoughts, from the words, and from the deeds, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

All: Amen.

Bishop: I anoint the in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. I now pronounce you baptized and born again with the new Christian name of Rulf. May the Lord bless you and keep you from this day hence and forever. Amen.

King Anna: We witnessed a true miracle, now I ask you to fulfill your promises, return to your ships, and await your p*****t in peace, agreed Jordan korg?

Jordan: Agreed!

In night, Abigail sleeps in her room, Fanky arrives and Abigail wakes up suddenly.

Abigail: What is it?

Fanky: I cannot sleep.

Abigail: Come here beside me, daughter. What worries you?

Fanky: I fear for father so far away.

Abigail: Our lives are fated, Fanky. We all have to accept that.

Fanky holds her hand on mother's belly; I can feel it moving underneath my hand.

Abigail: Mmm-Hmm. He has a strong kick.

Fanky: He? Are you so sure it’s a boy?

Abigail: A long time ago, the oracle prophesied that your father would have many sons. That’s how I know it’s a boy, now sleep.

Next day Jordan and his teammates are playing in their camp, Rulf wins in ludoo.

Herbert: Well done, Rulf.

Rulf: What’s wrong with you, Herbert?

Herbert: There is nothing wrong with me; I did not renounce the gods in front of everyone.

Rulf: It was a joke, I did not believe it, and I did not know what the old fool was saying.

Herbert: It does not matter; surely you have made them very angry.

Rulf: Don’t be stupid.

Herbert: No, you are the stupid one to risk the wrath of the gods. How will you ever get Odin to forgive you now?

Rulf angrily goes to Herbert, in the mean while King Anna's force throws away the bags; all the companions shout and call each other, they are here! Come and see! Jordan's companions think that there is gold and silver in it. Jordan sends his four companions to pick up the bags, when the bags are opened, all the bags are empty. Suddenly, king Anna's forces attack on Jordan and his companions, but Jordan was mentally prepare for attack and Jordan’s team already ready for reverse reaction. They used impenetrable fort made of trenches. Jordan and his companions fight King Anna's force; King Anna forces suffered a major defeat. During this fight, Jordan's friend Tostig is killed, which makes Jordan very sad. Rulf kills many Christians so, that he can tell everyone that his religion is only a show of revenge.

Rulf: How many Christians did I kill, Herbert? How many? Do you think Odin is still angry with me now?

Herbert doesn't respond to Rulf except with a slight smile.

Jordan goes to the captive King's slaves, and Edward is also tied with ropes, Jordan tells Edward, it seems your brother, the king, does not care if you live or die.

Edward: If you let me talk to him, I will persuade him to honor his pledge.

Jordan: Why should I not just kill you now?

Edward: Then you will have nothing left to bargain with.

Jordan beats Edward and leaves him outside King's house, and takes two thousand pounds of silver and gold from it, when King Anna finds out that his brother has been killed by Jordan, and by deceit he has brought two thousand pounds of gold and silver, he swears by his god, I swear before God almighty, I declare war eternal on the North man, Jordan korg. I swear to our Lord Jesus Christ and to the blessed virgin, one day, I will avenge myself on him and bring him to justice and to death, so help me god. After looting all gold and silver, Jordan returns home with all his companions.