War approaches, like the sound of distant drums in the darkness.
Its Ivar and Hvitserk, two sons of Ragnar allied against another.
Ivar comes to Harald asking for an alliance.
Credit: Jonathan Hession/History Channel
But why should the ambitious whaler king fight to put the boneless boy on the throne of Kattegat?
What is to stop you from ruling Kattegat when I am dead and gone?
Im not a healthy person.
A pact is sealed, a new alliance formed.
No doubt he expected to be next in line behind his brother.
What is it you really want, Ivar?
he asks his brother.
To be the most famous man who ever lived, Ivar says.
In time, the name of Ragnar Lothbrok will fade and be forgotten.
No one will ever forget Ivar the Boneless.
Will Ivars prophecy come true?
Hes mad enough to try.
No one understands why hes kept Bishop Heahmund alive.
The warrior priest himself prays to his Christgod, seems ready to die.
Ivar tantalizes him with another strange alliance.
Why not join the fight against Kattegat?
Its a simple offer: Fight with us, or die.
In the public square, Ivar points a dagger at the bishops stomach.
The men and women of Haralds village chant his name,Heahmund,Heahmund,Heahmund!
He is already legendary in a culture he seeks to destroy.
Harald and Ivar make a plan.
They shall attack in two full moons.
Astrid is troubled by these movements to war.
She seeks out a whaler and asks him to deliver a message to Lagertha.
He asks for a great reward in return, in the form of richesand her own body.
Then, the terrorizing twist: He demands she have sex with his whole crew.
The Queen of Kattegat has been warned.
Lagertha has much to worry about already.
She caught Floki and his pilgrims trying to leave.
Lagerthas actions were the topic of much debate.
Ubbes wife thinks its proof of her weakness.
Perhaps Lagertha remembers her long-ago husbands dream of a land of Viking farmers.
Perhaps she is forming an escape plan, if her enemies break through to the heart of Kattegat.
Help approaches on the horizon.
Hell return to Kattegat soonbut what will he find there?
And who will he ally himself with?
Does Bjorn even care about the towns future?
He wasnt raised in Kattegat, like his half-brothers.
Perhaps his soul belongs to the sea.
Young Prince Alfred of Wessex is in a different bind.
Hes surrounded by father figures, living and dead.
Alfred has a grand destiny, but his family line is tangled.
His father Aethelwulf is seen training Aethelred, the son of his own blood.
You have the makings of a great warrior, he tells the young man, And a great king.
How many Kings can Wessex hold?
In the distant dark land, Floki and his colonists arrive on a windswept shore.
The other Northmen arent impressed.
The land isnt fertile.
They hike inland, seeking Flokis promised land.
Floki seems assured of his course.
Life here will be hard, he tells his people, and yet they will thank him someday.
Maybe Floki is right, and his people will learn to love this land.
But will they kill him first?
