It's bad news,
The rumours are true,
Sweyn slipped his escort outside Orleans,
He's gone to ground somewhere in France,
If he's raising an army against you, he's doing it well out of sight,
I need to know if it's true,
Find him,
When I find him,,,
,,what do you want me to do?
I want you to be absolutely sure,
The children will be in safe hands, Edith,
I'll watch over them myself,
Thank you, You don't have to go with him,
There's still time to change your mind,
If this were Godwin, and if it were this important,
wouldn't you do the same?
DOOR OPENS
Edith, the weather between us and Normandy is getting worse,
We need to sail now, or there's no telling where we'll land,
Edith, hurry up now,
They're coming! Get the wagon! Come on, they're coming!
MAN: We are under attack!
HORSES NEIGH AMID COMMOTION
OBJECT HITS WAGON
Come on, Edith!
MAN CRIES OUT
Get the knives, quickly!
Watch out!
Why do you have to deliver the message to Normandy yourself?
When William finds out, I need to see his reaction,
You told me that William doesn't even want the crown,
I need to be there, Edith,
I need to see it in his eyes, You have to be there with me,
I need you,
HE GROANS
HORSES NEIGH
Edith!
EDITH ROARS
MAN SCREAMS
ANOTHER MAN SHOUTS
William?
What's going on? We need to get back to Normandy, quickly,
Where are we? Britain,
They're coming! We have to move now! Fall back!
Harold! Harold!
Harold!
GALLOPING HOOVES APPROACH
Duke William! Alain of Brittany,
Is this your doing? My men are stood down, Lower your weapons,
What do you think you're doing, taking my guests prisoner?
This was my father's doing,
He wanted to ransom them back to you,
I couldn't let that happen,
Now that King Henry is dead,
Normandy and Brittany should not be enemies,
I agree, Does your father? I'll explain it to him,
Take your men and leave in peace,
Come, Harold,
They found us so quickly, before we'd even left the beach,
Nothing happens in the Channel without Brittany knowing about it,
Got more ships than the rest of us put together,
Well, thank you for finding us,
What were you doing crossing the Channel without escort?
Trying to keep a low profile,
Why?
Edward's named you his successor to the English throne,
Wait, he just gives me his crown? It's that simple?
No,
He's put you first in line after his death,
He's offering you something he cannot give,
Edward is king, The crown is his,
It is the three earls who decide who sits on the English throne,
Who are controlled by you,
It isn't Edward that you need to make the deal with,
I don't need to make a deal with anyone,
What makes you think I'd even want this?
Honestly, I don't,
But King Henry is dead,
All eyes are on Normandy to see who moves first,
They will be far less inclined to oppose you
if you have an alliance with England,
And then you control the throne?
I just don't want anyone else to control it,
Hmm,
Harold, we owe each other nothing,
Nothing given, nothing taken, That's a rarity for men like us,
Why interfere with it?
An alliance between Normandy and the earls of England would be strong,
It would be the strongest in Europe,
William is our friend, William is nothing,
Henry was the power,
William the Bastard won't last long without him,
You're wrong, Father,
Wrong to indulge a son who knows nothing,
More of these, You won't even listen to me,
Listen to what? Enough of this,
William is already making powerful allies,
and we'd be fools to ignore that,
So you fell on your arse and got saved by the Saxons,
Fuck off,
Now, come on, let's not feel sorry for ourselves,
We've all been there,
I haven't,
I should be dead, Well, you're not, so shut up about it,
Take a drink,
Be grateful that nothing has changed,
Four men, it would take, to replace you,
At least,
BABY BABBLES
Robert your youngest? Yes,
Do you have any more at home?
Thank you, Cecile,
With all due respect, Edith,
neither of us are here to talk about children,
So shall we talk about the crown, then?
Why are you here? Do they worry you,
the decisions Harold might make when he's out of earshot?
Harold doesn't need me to make his decisions, Doesn't he?
I find politics are rarely the strong point of a soldier,
Are they yours?
I grew up navigating the court of Flanders,
It's impossible not to pick up a skill or two,
Well, I had no such childhood,
But you're a very beautiful woman, Edith,
I imagine growing up with that look
must have taken its own kind of navigation,
It's no different, really,
It's the ability to read danger in someone else's eyes,
Well, we have that in common,
And we have soldiers for husbands,
So I suspect we speak the same language,
I have no time for riddles, Matilda, Just speak plain to me,
Very well,
What is the heart of this matter for you?
The future of my children,
Good,
It's a good place to start,
Why did you risk yourself for Fitzosbern?
What value is his life to you? What's that got to do with it?
I'm grateful, But if you'd died, you'd have died for nothing,
Last night, I slept soundly,
You like to fight, don't you?
In battle,,,
,,everything is clear,
Black and white,
Life is simple,
You're alive or you're dead, Nothing else matters,
BABY CRIES
Does he make you feel old? What?
My children, they've started to make me remember
what it was like to be young,
I remember nothing,
Nothing? Mmm,
Not dirt, make believe,,,
Why is the sky blue?
That sort of thing, "Why is the sky blue"? I don't know,
It all felt so overwhelming, Nothing fit together,
You might as well ask, why is blood red?
Ah, now you sound like my father, What did he say?
He would say, "Harold, the sky is of no concern,
"Get it gutted and skinned,"
Well, at least he taught you something,
They all teach you something, whether they mean to or not,
Men like us, William,
we should be allies,
What about your brother? Sweyn, right?
He's the eldest,
Why isn't he the Earl?
Sweyn is in the Holy Land,,,
,,reflecting on his choices,
William?
My brother's in the Church, Though, to be fair,
I doubt he's doing much reflecting,
Don't worry, I'll send word to Harold,
I've asked him to send the best midwives in Wessex to help you,
Hot or cold, outside, in - they'll have all the answers,
Harold won't let me down,
Not with this,
Until then, the Earl will look after you,
Temperature is included, Come on, Come on,
There you go,
Are you hot in there?
Kicked me,
Shut up, He's hot in there,
Just come here, Tostig, He is, Just kiss me,
FOOTSTEPS APPROACH
KNOCKING AT DOOR
Enter,
Speak,
It's the feast of Whitsun, my lord,
It was Earl Siward's tradition
for his people to receive food and shelter after the harvest,
But you are the Earl,
Your word is law,
Very well, then, My word is, let the people in,
Give them the food and shelter they need,
Make sure there is constant supervision,
Ensure everyone gets their fair and equal share,
No-one is to take more than their family demands,
and no single man on horseback is to take extra provisions
without specific reason, to be judged by me,
Yes, my lord, Consider it done,
Thank you,
Impressive, The Earl is both wise and kind,
BELL TOLLS
Excuse the chaos, It's Whitsun week,
You celebrate with sport?
With everything,
Sports, competition, carousing, whatever the people want,
And then on Sunday, the,,,Bishop of Bayeux gives us his blessing
over the holy relics, What are you doing here?
I heard you were in Brittany,
I know the Baron, You should have told me,
We didn't need your help, Baldwin, Really?
Since when?
Earl Harold, So nice to see you, How's Judith?
She's well,
This is my wife, Edith,
I'm like dawn to the sunrise -
a slave to your radiance,
How kind, Count Baldwin,
Where's the prince regent of France?
You're not at his shoulder,
Philip? No, no, He's safe in France, Normandy's no place for a child,
But what do I know? So, good day, all,
What do you think?
I think he wants to know why Harold is in Normandy,
No, Not about your father, About Harold's offer,
Can I trust him? He's right when he talks about strength,
There's not a territory in Europe
that would make a move if we're backed by England,
I can't have people thinking
I need someone else to fight my battles, Matilda,
Henry's death has got people thinking about your position,
You're vulnerable without him,
But why would Harold take all this risk
to set up a trap he could have set in a dozen different ways?
This is real,
He's offering you power, But not the crown,
Does that really make such a difference?
This alliance is good for Normandy, and it's good for us,
Come over here,
It'll give us tremendous strength -
and if it doesn't work, you just walk away,
So I suggest you find agreement,
Stop talking, Find agreement, Stop talking,
Find agreement, Stop talking, Find agreement, Stop talking,
Find agreement,
Don't make decisions for me, William,,,
Henry made decisions for me, Don't,
All right,
SHE WHISPERS: Find agreement,
We'll see,
What the hell is this? It's for your leg,
Come here,
What's my leg done to deserve that?
TALLIFER LAUGHS
FITZOSBERN FLINCHES Sorry,
If this works,
when you turn quickly,
it will take the pressure off your knee,
It'll take the fucking cap off my knee, that's what it'll do,
Take it off,
Off!
If you stopped soldiering, you wouldn't need to wear this,
Leave it,
Let's give the bastard another go,
KING EDWARD MURMURS
HE KEEPS MUMBLING
Your Majesty,
Your mother believed the ownership of the wool barge
to be a matter of the utmost imp,,,
Answer me, Lord, answer,
Lord,,,
,,answer me!
Edward,
HE KEEPS MURMURING
Edward,
HE RESUMES MUMBLING
My mother, she made me do it,
She made me,
She's with him,
That's it, isn't it?
My Lord, The Bishop of Bayeux has arrived,
What? Nothing, Nothing at all,
Your Grace,
I'm sorry I missed your arrival,
Brother William,
Explain, I'm here for the Whitsun Mass,
The Bishop of Bayeux gives that Mass, Odo,
Where is he? Uh-huh,
No! Yes,
No, Yes,
You are the Bishop of Bayeux?
Oh, yes, Your money has spread far and wide in Bayeux
and I am in, right in the inner circle,
The Church is the centre of everything
and all these years, I had no idea, None,
Jesus wept, No, Jesus defines,
He defines me,
He defines you, Yes, Look at me,
Living a life of luxury far from battle,
in a house built on pure gold,
Truly, I have found my God,
You really have, haven't you? Yes,
Tell me,,,
,,do they listen to you?
Well, the Church is built on stories, William,
They won't even blink without opening that big book of theirs
to check which eye closes first,
How do you think a tall-tale expert like me is getting on?
How much power do you really have?
How much do you need?
Does He hear me, Gunhild?
Does He?
Because I can't hear Him,
His voice is gone,
She's with Him,
That's it, isn't it?
My mother has His ear now,
She's filling Him with lies of what I did to her,
Lies,
She made me do it,
Edward,
Could you have done what you did without God's sanction?
Surely everything happens,,,
,,every single thing, it happens according to His plan,
It does,
Then there's your answer,
You did nothing wrong,
God's love, it fills this place for you,
It fills my heart, I can feel it,
Everything is to His plan,
You know it too in your heart,
Yes,
His will be done,
Harold gave me the impression they were ready to agree,
And I'm sure they will,
I'm simply proposing an alternative in case they don't,
Go on, When Harold's father was Earl,
he controlled everything,
but he did it in the name of the kings he served,
Can Harold not agree to do the same for William?
William as king? As king,
So William comes to England and he's crowned as king,
That's your proposal?
With Harold as his adviser and his most trusted proxy,
It offers peace and stability,
which is no different an outcome
to what Harold's offering William right now,
Except Harold will be second, He will never agree to that,
Neither will William, Matilda, England will not accept him,
The days of English people kneeling to a foreign king are over,
And you're so sure they'll kneel to a Saxon one?
Do you really think it makes such a difference to them
if their king is Norman or Saxon?
Well, when it makes a difference between peace or war,
And Harold will win,
It'll be bloody and terrible, but he will win,
You will be defeated,
Do you want to be Queen, Edith?
Is that what's in there, scratching away?
One week, and you think you know me?
Let us not fence,
Both our husbands want that crown,
Question is, which one of them will yield first?
That is what we must prepare for,
I have food,
They're meant to bring it to you,
Yes, but this way they give it to me,
and then it looks like I've done everything,
See?
I see, Very convincing,
I'm putty in your hands,
I forgot something,
Tostig?
But it's not time, It is time, We're having a baby now,
But Harold's midwives aren't,,, Find someone, anyone,
Someone, help! We need a nurse, now!
Hey, Hey,
JUDITH GASPS
Don't worry, Harold won't let me down,
Doesn't really make sense, does it?
When's the last time you saw a lion?
Er, never, I thought you were more of a lone wolf type anyway,
That would look good on the banner,
Yours is a,,,snake?
Oh, very good, A dragon,
I've never seen a dragon, Massive, fire-breathing monsters,
Looks amazing on a banner, Oh, you English,
William, we need to talk,
Can you and I reach an agreement?
I think we can figure it out,
So it's settled,
We can agree on control of the crown,
It's settled, After the Whitsun Mass,
we'll announce it to the world,
That's generous, but Edward needs to hear it first,
I need to tell him myself, And I need to tell my people,
You need Normandy's loyalty, Harold,
That's what you want, isn't it? That's why you came,
Loyalty comes at a price,
Did I misunderstand your offer?
My offer was clear,
I haven't been dishonest with you,
My father once told me a story about King Cnut,
After he'd defeated Ethelred,
when it was clear he would be the next king of England,
he offered the last of his enemies a choice -
remain loyal to the dead king, or swear their loyalty to Cnut,
Every man who swore their loyalty to Cnut was put to the sword,
and the ones who remained loyal to the dead king were spared,
And do you know why?
It was said he could only ever trust
the man who remained loyal to his own heart,
And that's why my father stayed alive,
We can share control, William,
We can, We just need to trust each other,
I agree,
Don't worry, Harold, Tomorrow, we'll find our agreement,
Come on,
I just wanted a straight answer from him,
but he wouldn't give me one,
He's hiding something from me, I know it,
And you'd risk taking us to war to find out?
Harold, if you make an enemy of him,
there will be a full-scale invasion,
and the whole country will get dragged into it,
Let William have the crown,
You will still have the power to do,,,
No, Edith, No, Wessex has never been conquered,
Alfred never let that happen, I can't risk that, I won't,
My father knew that,
What did you promise him?
When he was dying, what did you promise your father?
He said it had to be me,
He begged me to take the crown, Oh, my God,
I promised him this, Edith,
On his deathbed, I gave him my word,
You are just like him, No, because my father was wrong,
This is not about peace,
It is about control,
I cannot let William even think that he can take the crown,
Besides, Gunhild will provide us with an heir,
She has to,
THUNDER RUMBLES
I,,,
I hear His music,
I hear it too,
The Holy Spirit is descended for Whitsun, Edward,
He is amongst us,
For you,
F-f-for me?
Oh! For us,
His will be done,
You and I, together,
KING EDWARD GASPS
Oh!
Oh,
HE GRUNTS
Oh! Edward?
HE GROANS
No, no,
No, no, Edward! No, no, no, no,
Oh, fuck,
You bastard!
Fucking bastard! No!
Help me! Help me!
Help the king!
THUNDER RUMBLES
I don't care what Edward's reasons are,
That crown has been given to me,
Harold is still offering you the power it represents,
There's something he's not telling me,
William, do not make an enemy of him, Then what?
I'm still the heir, It changes nothing, Robert needs stability,
Do you really want him to be fighting wars
for the rest of his life?
Robert will never have to be the things I've been,
I'll make sure of it,
The crown is not important,
But if you make the wrong choice, you'll take us to war,
Make the right choice for all of us,
You're right,
JUDITH WAILS WITH EFFORT
Again, again, again, again, Judith,
Push, push, push, push, push,
NEWBORN BABY CRIES
It's a boy!
It's a little boy, It's a little boy,
Is he alive? He's alive,
He's here, he's here!
You did it,
Judith?
Judith,
What's wrong?
Judith?
HE WHISPERS: Judith,
I'm so sorry,
Judith, No, come on, Hey! Come on,
Come on, come on, come on, come on, come,,,
Judith?
Judith!
Come on, Oh, God,
Harold, where were you?
Where were you?
HE HOWLS IN ANGUISH
DRUMS BEAT
What's going on? This is the melee,
Of all the events, this is the one the men love the most,
And why is that?
They get to take a crack at the Duke,
LIVELY CHATTER
It is the final day of Whitsun!
CHEERING
This is the event you've all been waiting for,
MORE CHEERING
It is time for the melee!
It is time for the Duke himself
to step into the arena,,,
CROWD: Ooh!
,,and batter the shit out of all of you,
LAUGHTER
You all know the rules,
You fight the man in front of you,
and then when he's down, you move on to the next one and the next one,
The winner is the last man standing,
Are you ready?
CHEERING
Are you ready?
MORE CHEERING
Five!
Four!
Three!
Two! One!
Fight!
SWEYN: Make sure there's someone there, please,
So this is my strategy,,,
INAUDIBLE SPEECH
You fool,
,,and this is what I've got,
We'll get this covered,
I'm wondering, do you have provision for that amount,,,?
CROWD CHEERS
,,and as our Lord Jesus,
host of hosts, takes his place in the highest seat of heaven,
may the glory of the Holy Spirit descend on us all,
For this is Whitsun,
It is the day of the Spirit, and we are His disciples,
Here,
Now,
BLADE STABS, SWEYN GROANS
You,
Do I get a prayer?
Not where you're going,
Tell my brother I'll be waiting for him down there,,,
THOMAS STABS AGAIN
For if God is our Father and Jesus is His Son,,,
,,then William truly is our spirit,
our guiding light,
our divine force,,,
Thank you, Your Grace,
Thank you, God,
Another Whitsun spent celebrating with friends and family,
How lucky are we to be here at home?
Now, this year, we have even more reason to celebrate
as we are honoured by the presence of our friends from England,
Earl Harold, His beautiful wife, Edith,
Harold?
Come on, Harold, Come on,
Now, this man, you saw him today, I mean, what a beast,
The strongest man I ever fought,
ONLOOKERS: Hear, hear,
With Harold Godwinson at your side, you cannot lose,
Give me your hand,
You saved my life,
I saved yours,
We're bound together, forever,
Normandy and Wessex,
Together,
ALL: Together!
BELL CHIMES
Today, on Whitsunday, God has blessed Normandy,
Edward, King of England, has chosen William, our Duke,
to be his successor to the throne of England,
And now, with God as his witness,
and over the holy relics of Bayeux,
Harold of Wessex will swear his loyalty
to William of Normandy as the next King of England,
And as all of Europe knows,,,
,,a Godwin never breaks his word,
That is true,
I,,,
,,Harold Godwinson,,,
,,Earl of Wessex,,,
,,swear my absolute loyalty,,,
,,to the rightful heir of England,
I give you my word on it,