SHOUTING, WEAPONS CLASHING
They are getting closer,
Look at you - the King so confident in his plan,
Oh, shut up, Mother,
Those reports of the Godwins
invading in the North were a diversion,
Shut up, Mother! Shut up! I told you,
I screamed it from the rafters
but still you committed every force, every strength we had to it,
God believed it was true - I cannot defy him,
You cannot hear him,
It's in your head, Your tiny, little head,
BANG ON DOOR
Edward!
You've lost us everything,
BANGING
Open this door!
Argh!
BANGING CONTINUES
Let me in!
Open the door now!
No, no, no, no,,,
Where's my wife?
Edward, where is my wife?!
You will address the King as "Your Majesty"!
Don't test my patience,
Where is she?! Northumbria and Mercia
will not stand for this invasion,
The army you sent north didn't even put up a fight,
They were looking for an excuse,
The Earls of England stand against you,
No, don't, No, no, no!
Don't kill him, I have no desire to depose a king and ignite chaos,
This country needs stability and a legitimate heir,
You give England an heir, Edward, and I will let you live,
Now, where is my wife?
No!
Edith?
SOFTLY: Harold?
Edith?
Edith,
Edith, I'm sorry,
I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry,
You're alive! You're here!
I'm here, I'm here, You're here,
I'm here, I'm here,
Is it healthy? The children, are they,,,?
They're at home, Wessex is ours again, Edith,
Her name is Fraya, She is healthy,
Hello, Fraya,
Magnus, Estrid,
look who's home,
Come on, Estrid, Magnus, Say hello to your mother,
Magnus,
I've missed you so much,
I'm so sorry I've been gone so long,
Estrid, would you like to meet your sister, Fraya?
I remember a little girl who loved horses,
And, in fact, she had her own little one made of wood,
and its name was Agnes,
It's Edith,
Here,
Did you know about Fraya before you were taken?
Then I'm glad you didn't tell me,
When you weren't there on that beach
and I had to keep the twins safe, but I didn't,,,
,,I didn't know what I was doing,
leaving you behind,
I couldn't see or,,,
You,,,you did the right thing, you know,
Made sure the children were safe,
Do you remember?
You know a feather doesn't make everything all right,
Ah, but you like this,
I like how it gives you goose bumps,
You really think so highly of yourself, don't you?
Whatever being apart has taken from us,,,
,,they can't take this,
Us,
That fucking feather,
I prayed to God most fervently today, Your Highness,
Oh, he'd be glad to hear that,
I prayed for him to bless us with a son,
He doesn't need your prayers,
I thought I might visit your chamber this evening,
Er,,,
Not tonight,
Your Highness, my brother's wishes for an heir were very specific,
Oh, do shut up,
I am Queen,
Wife to the King and sister to an earl,
You, however, are simply mother to the man who lost,
So I suggest you reconsider your tone, Emma,
Your brother won't last long, Be sure of that,
And your King answers only to the Almighty and to me,
Why don't you fuck someone else?
You do amuse me,
One tiny prick to the skin and the Norman lady peels back
to reveal the gutter Dane I suspect you've always been,
Don't make an enemy out of me,
Or what?
Mother,
What? Have you got something to say to me, have you? What?
It is time for the King to name a successor,
Someone strong enough to do what you could not,
I, erm,,,
I,,,I see no need for that,
EMMA LAUGHS SCORNFULLY
He couldn't find his way into your undergarments anyway,
Let alone what lies beneath,
I'd have to draw him a map,
How kind of you to offer,
But no map necessary,
I'll see to that,
SLURPING
Well? Did you find Henry?
He got away,
But the trap at the River Dives worked,
The barons played their part,
ARRRGH!
Let him run,
Henry knows he's finished,
When Henry's dead,,,
,,that's when this is over,
Where's my brother?
Find Odo,
HAROLD: It's good to see you, Father,
How's your health?
Shut up, You sound like your mother,
I'm just glad to be back,
Have you heard the news from Northumbria?
Earl Siward is dead,
Yes, You should name the temporary successor at Tostig's wedding,
And steal Tostig's thunder?
Tostig's thunder?
You mustn't allow this to fester,
Northumbria needs a leader and it will do Sweyn good,
Tostig is the better choice,
What ARE you talking about?
Tostig?
He's keen and he's loyal,
My dog is loyal, That doesn't mean I'll make him an earl,
Sweyn needs to be busy,
Northumbria will keep him out of trouble,
Plus it was promised to him,
He's the eldest,
It will be the Earl of Wessex who decides,
You know, the title doesn't make the man, Harold,
You swung a good sword in battle these past months,,,
,,but that was just the beginning,
There's a long road ahead for you,
It's just as well that I'm back,
Odo,
I'm told you fled,
For what it's worth, I wasn't fleeing the country,
I was actually coming back into the country,
This is all just a misunderstanding, Enough,
SIGH
What am I going to do with you, eh?
Send me on my way with a pouch of gold?
I don't think gold will do you any favours,
I think,,,
,,you need some guidance from a higher calling,
Yes,
I've made a decision for you,
What kind of decision?
You're a storyteller, Odo,
I'm sending you somewhere,,,
,,your imagination can run wild,
Where lies don't matter,
I'm sending you to Bayeux to become a churchman,
To Bayeux?
No,
No, they'd never let me in there,
The amount of money I'll pay them, they'll let you in,
Oh, William, please, not the church,
This may come as a shock to you, but I'm not exactly a godly man,
QUIET CHUCKLE
You promised our mother you'd protect me,
And where better than in the bosom of the church?
William, please, Good luck, Your Grace,
William, just listen to me for a second, William, please!
Just listen to me,
William,,,! Next,
Bayeux, William? Really?
Daughter,
You're early,
Charming spot to discuss the murder of a king,
We know Henry is in hiding while he rebuilds his forces,
Our spies suggest Vitry,
Do you disagree?
Why did you use me to feed false information to Henry
before you attack?
Why did you lie to me in Flanders about not being in contact with him?
What would you say if I told you that if Henry should die,,,
,,I would become the guardian to his son,
and, thus, his closest adviser?
Would that be something of interest?
Is this true?
Your mother agreed it with him,
If Henry dies, then our family
assumes the role of protector to his son, Philip,
And you need William to do your dirty work,
I always believed in your husband,
He gets things done,
Between the three of us,
we will control everything,
Find Henry,
Charming daughter,
WILLIAM: Hey,
Can your father help us?
I believe he can,
And he's made us an offer,
If Henry dies, Baldwin becomes guardian to his son, Philip,
Control of France?
Did you know about this?
Not until this morning,
Will he betray us? I don't think he'll betray you,
I think, deep down, Baldwin is more afraid of you than he is of Henry,
That's why he needs you to kill him,
And then what? And then you'll be the only person he's scared of,
Good, I can work with that,
Soon this will be over,
Ooh,,,
Will it?
Will what? Be over?
When it's done, it's over,
Then you kill Henry,
Kill him, then we'll be free,
BABY FUSSES
Everybody, the bride and groom!
Here, It's a small wedding gift,
Keep Wessex close to your heart,
Edith, that's so kind of you,
Listen, brother, you fought well against,,,
Yes, I know I fought well - I was there, and everyone saw it,
I fought alongside you because I'm loyal to Wessex, not to you,
Sweyn, this can't go on,
Oh, can't it?
Well, you're my Earl now, Harold, so why don't you order me to stop?
Or don't you have the balls enough for that?
Sweyn,,,
Aha!
Look who's deigned to bless us with her royal presence,
Hello, sister,
Has the King tucked you yet?
Ha-ha! Very funny,
Come on, you lazy fairies!
MUSIC BEGINS Let's get this thing started,
Judith, Well, if you can't marry a proper man,
the least you can do is dance with one,
If you can call it dancing, Mind your feet, Judith, Ha!
Let me down!
Tostig, I have a gift for you,
Wow, that's just like,,,
It's a replica of Alfred the Great's,
Every Godwin man should have one,
Thank you, brother, Thank you,
Here,
Why don't you go and say hello to Father?
MUSIC AND SINGING
CHEERING
Nice to see you again, Thomas,
As always,,,
,,Your Highness,
Oh, how formal,
I'd much rather you called me what you used to call me,
Then you shouldn't have married the King, should you?
Kings not are all they cracked up to be,
Quiet, please, Everyone, quiet,
It is customary on occasions such as these
for the head of the family to make a speech,
For too long now, we have been away,
and to be home again,,,
,,is truly a gift,
Just as my new daughter, Judith,
is a fine gift to welcome us home,
And so on this day
is a blessing of the Christian marriage
between my dear son, Tostig,
and my new daughter, Judith,
allying the great houses of Wessex and Flanders,
And any father would be proud of such a noble union,
A drink,,,to the bride and groom,
ALL: To the bride and groom,
We are,,, We are happy for Tostig and Judith, Thank you, Father,
Not only because of their,,,
,,noble union, but also because of their love for one another,
I have watched my little brother grow from a boy to a man
since meeting you, Judith,
We may tease you as a fighter, Tostig,
We may mock you as a rider,
You are, as we've just witnessed, a terrible dancer,
LAUGHTER
But, Tostig, you have a strength within you,
a goodness that none of us can deny,
And so I know that Tostig will be well supported by all of you
in his duties as the new Earl of Northumbria,
APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
No, no, no, I think you're mistaken,
The Earl is mistaken, The Earl of Wessex is never mistaken,
And the Earl of Wessex appoints Tostig
as the new Earl of Northumbria,
To the Earl of Northumbria,
CHEERING
Congratulations, brother,
Harold, this isn't what we talked about, I,,,I'm not up to this,
I don't,,,I don't want this,
We do, The family needs this,
I thought we always wanted to be more than just a baby,
Yes, I do, But,,, Once Earl Siward's grandsons are grown,
our agreement will be settled, I need this from you only until then,
Listen, you can do this, Tostig, I will support you,
It cannot be Sweyn, Yes?
Yes? Yes, Yes,
Harold, you will announce you were mistaken
and Sweyn will be named Earl, I don't think so,
Tostig's not ready yet, You must know that, He will be fine, Mother,
Judith will guide him, just like you do with Father,
Harold, you've got to see this,
TRICKLING
Ah,,,
Leave us, Leave us!
Sweyn, what are you doing? Not in the graveyard,
Not on the people of Wessex, Tostig?
The people whom I was born to serve?
Whom I live to please?
To be passed over for one younger brother is a slight,
But for both?
I will not be humiliated like this!
This wasn't my doing,
Sweyn, this is not personal,
Well, it feels pretty fucking personal to me, Tostig,
You're still part of this family,
Harold will find a place for you,
Oh, yes, I know, Here,
In the ground with all these other dead men,
With everyone else he has no further use for,
To stop me getting in the way of his march to power!
Sweyn, that is enough! That is enough!
Stay useful to him, Tostig,
That's my advice,
Stay fucking useful to him,
I'm supposed to bend the world to his ego, am I?
Is that good politics?
He needs time to adjust,
I mean, he's always believed that he would be Earl,
What has he ever done to earn it, Father, Huh?
I've dedicated my life to Wessex,
I've studied you, I've listened, I've learnt,
You have always, always dismissed me,
Well, I'm sorry you think that way,,,
GODWIN COUGHS
Father,
I'm fine,
Tell me this,
As one earl to another, what would you do with Sweyn?
We cannot give him power, Not real power,
I promised Siward I would protect his people,
not let Sweyn loose on them,
All right, but you have to give him something,
No, Father, I don't,
This is my responsibility now,
COUGHING
I hope you make the right choice,
because one thing you do not want is Sweyn as your enemy,
Power is like a fire, Harold,
It will warm you and protect you,
but if it burns unchecked, it will destroy everything in its path,
Excellent, Good,
DOOR CREAKS
Your Highness, How may I,,,?
I would like to see all monies belonging to the Crown
that were paid to or on the command of Lady Emma in the last year,
Do you have her permission?
You are the Royal Treasurer,
The Queen needs no such permission,
But,,,but I really should ask Lady Emma,,,
Lady Emma is old,
but I will be your queen for many years,
So if I tell the King you've been stealing from him,
do you think he'll cut off your head
or just your hands?
I'll,,, Get it done,
Just realised how shit our wine is,
You pissed on our ancestors,
That's all that the people will hear,
You've tarnished our names,
Oh, you bore me now, Harold,
EXHALES
You bore me with all your
righteous bullshit,
So I'm going to keep doing whatever I want,
Aaargh!
SWEYN LAUGHS
Go on,
WHISPERS: Go on, Go on, go on, go on,
Let's have a war,
You always wanted this to happen, didn't you?
You always had to be the best,
You don't care about anything,
Our family, our people, Alfred's legacy,
SWEYN LAUGHS
Alfred's,,,Alfred's legacy?
Oh, listen to yourself, Harold!
It's a mist,
It's a cloak you weave around yourself to make yourself
feel more important,
But you're not the important one, Harold,
WHISPERS: You never were,
Alfred's legacy, this, Alfred's legacy, that,
It's all an excuse,,,
,,for all of your sins,
Ah, you're making this easy for me, Sweyn,
I'm sending you on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem,
SWEYN LAUGHS
And you're going to stay there,
Wessex doesn't need this,
You have endangered our family,
I'm the fucking earl!
This is all mine!
It was supposed to be mine!
And one day, I will take it,
One day, I will take what was promised to me!
Father will not live forever,
He will not live forever!
EDWARD: Mother!
Where is she?
Mother!
You summoned an army without asking me,
What are you talking about?
A vast sum was paid from the treasury and sent to Norway,
King Hardrada in Norway!
Clever,
You're a snake, like your father,
When did you make this plea?
As soon as Godwin left Flanders,
Before I even fought him!
You didn't fight him, You lay down like a dog
to have your belly tickled,
Why King Hardrada?
Because,,,
Because he's the greatest warrior in the world
and we need a real king,
Someone who can take charge of this mess
and wipe out the Godwins for good,
You had no right! I am King!
King?!
You're barely a man!
Tricked and beaten by the savages who murdered your brother!
I was chosen,
I was chosen by God!
Chosen by God? You think God would choose you? Do you think
that the,,,the All-Knowing would pick someone so deficient,
so weak? Do you think you have God's ear?
Stop it, Mother, stop it, God's laughing at you,
God's laughing at you! He's laughing at you!
WHISPERING: Please, stop it, Stop it, Mother, Please, stop it,
It shouldn't have been you! Stop it, stop it,,, It shouldn't have been you, Edward!
Argh!
Agh!
EMMA PANTING
Edward?
EMMA SCREAMS
No! No! NO!
THUDDING, GRUNTS, EMMA SCREAMS
It is,,,
It is so quiet,
isn't it?
It's,,,
It is,,,
It's a,,,a godly calm,
Let us pray,,,
,,Your Majesty,
Let us pray,
You can leave it there,,,
,,er,,,
My lord?
I was asking your name,
It's Jan, my lord,
Thank you, Jan, You can leave it there,
Well, it's not exactly how I imagined a place
where an earl might live,
I'm sorry, Judith, Er,,,
Tostig,
I'm here because I'm your wife,
And you are here because you are Harold's brother,
It is about duty,
But,,,
,,that bedspread has got to go,
And you think I'm washing in that thing?
We can make this work,
We'll make it work, We will,
She was nice - Edith,
And pretty too,
What? No, you think?
I, um,,,
I never really noticed it,
You're actually blushing,
Judith,,, Tostig, Judith,,,
It is fine,
Men are men, I know how it goes, I know how you think,
But you're mine now,
So that is that,
I most certainly am,
A husband should be dedicated,,,
,,as should a father,
No,
Yes?
You're,,,you're,,,?
Yes, I am,
You are? You are!
TOSTIG LAUGHS SOFTLY
You are,
Henry has fled to the Chateau de Ferrette in Alsace,
Tell William he's well guarded, but he still insists on hunting,
Old habits die hard,
You're absolutely sure of this?
Yes,
Henry's in Alsace,
And he's vulnerable when he hunts,
Thank you,
There you are, then,
We have agreement?
We have agreement,
EDWARD: I have sinned,
What happened was God's will,
Then why can't I hear him?
His voice is gone, Gunhild,
But that's a good thing,
No, I hear nothing,
I hear silence,
I am all alone,
You are not alone,
I am here,
I'm with you,
We are together,
But if God is to speak to you again, perhaps,,,
,,perhaps your mother was right,
Perhaps what He truly desires is a successor,
A successor?
To keep England godly,
Yes,
Yes, you're right,
Perhaps she was right,
BIRDSONG
HOOVES, TWIGS CREAK
MUFFLED SCREAMING
Your Majesty? Assassins!
Your Majes,,,!
It's just the two of us now, William,
I knew you'd come for me,
Then you should have brought more men,
I don't need more men,
GRUNTING
There he his,
A king is born, He's not made,
But you, you're just another bastard who dies in the mud,
GRUNTING
HENRY CRIES OUT
You'll always be William the Bastard,
and you'll never be free of me,
Just like your father, you'll never be,,,
,,my equal,
GRUNTING
You'll never be a king,
You'll never be me,
PANTING, SOUND DISTORTS
HENRY GRUNTS
Aaargh!
RASPY EXHALE
MONKS SINGING IN DISTANCE
There's something you should know, Your Majesty,
Wait!
My Queen, The King has asked me to inspect the letter he gave you,
Do not play games,
The King believes something vital has been omitted, so give it to me,
Just give it to me,
As he suspected,
Here, a coin for your troubles,
HORSE WHINNIES
Philip likes hunting,
Like father, like son,
Your Majesty, King Philip, I present the Duke and Duchess of Normandy,
Duke William, What a nice surpise,
I'm sorry to hear of the King's passing, Your Highness,
We had our differences but a death is never to be celebrated,
I'm here to offer my protection, alongside your uncles,
PHILIP: Thank you,
Here,
We have already ascertained who murdered the late King,
God rest, God rest, God rest,
What a relief, My men apprehended a small gang from Bavaria,
Thieves, we think,
Opportunists who thought Henry just a rich noble,
They confessed
and have been executed with full ceremony,
Excellent,
Philip and I, we have a lot to discuss,
but you're welcome to join us before your return to Normandy,
Please,
It's a kind offer, Your Majesty, but you're in safe hands,
Our sincerest condolences,
Father,
WHISPERS: Everything, Just as I promised,
LABOURED COUGHING
DOOR OPENS
Brother,
Gunhild,
How's Father?
Not well,
What's this?
Read it,
This can't be real,
It can't be,
What are you going to do?
What?! This is Edward's wishes? Edward really wrote this?
Harold,
He's asking for you,
How is he?
Choose your words carefully,
Father,
What happened with Sweyn?
I sent him away on a long pilgrimage,
The people are reassured,
I see a storm,,,
,,in your head, Harold,
Edward has named his successor to the throne,
It is William of Normandy,
Emma's nephew, William?
Yes,
I've failed,
My life has failed,
That is not true, We have Wessex,
We have,,, We have,,, We have nothing,
Danish invaders,
Norman kings,
The people have endured misery,,, ,,from every shore,
Father, I know William, He has no desire to be a king,
He will support our control of England,
You cannot trust a Norman,
You cannot,,,trust him, You cannot,
COUGHING
Here, Father,
The people,,,
,,will not accept a king,,,
,,born on foreign soil,
There will be war,
It will destroy this country,
You have to stop them,
You have to take the crown from them,
Wessex blood on the throne, You have to take it for me,
For the people,
For peace,
Harold,,,
,,I always knew,
Father,,,
Father, Mother!
It has to be you,
WHISPERS: It has to be,,,
Father?
Father,
Father, no,
Father, listen, I will take it, I will take it from them,
I will take it for you, I give you my word, Father,
I give you my word, I will take the crown,
SHE SOBS
Harold,
My darling boy,
Harold,
Now you are the Earl,
You understand me?
What?
Say something,
You did it,
Are you not free?
Henry's dead, Let him burn,
I bring a message from England,
Where is King Hardrada?
My King, a message,
from the Lady Emma in England,
The widow of King Cnut,
She says his promise still stands,
That the crown of England
belongs to any son who has united Norway and Denmark,
and she call upon you to claim your rightful throne,
So,,,
,,destiny makes a new voyage,
One last great saga awaits,
and King Hardrada must write it,
England will be ours,