Vikings Page #5

10.

INT. RAGNAR’S HOUSE - DAY

Lagertha, carrying the bucket inside, finds Ragnar putting a

thick woollen coat over the shoulders of his son, BJORN, now

twelve years old, and a handsome, strong-looking youth.

Lagertha stops and looks at them.

LAGERTHA:

What are you two doing?

RAGNAR:

I’m taking Bjorn to the Thing.

LAGERTHA:

Not yet. He’s not old enough.

RAGNAR:

He’s twelve years old.

LAGERTHA:

Take him next year. Next year is

soon enough.

Ragnar smiles at her.

RAGNAR:

He’ll need a silk ribbon.

INT. HOUSE - EVENING

BJORN “spies” on his mother as Lagertha washes her long

blonde hair in the tub of water. The water seems to flow in

slow motion from the ends of her hair like mercury as she

kneels over the tub.

His eyes are full of love for her.

BJORN:

(quietly)

Mother.

Lagertha looks up, flicks back her hair so she can see him,

and smiles tenderly.

INT. BEDCHAMBER - HOUSE - NIGHT

Ragnar and Lagertha in bed together, cradled close after lovemaking.

She stares into his eyes.

11.

LAGERTHA:

Don’t sleep with too many women in

Kattegat.

RAGNAR:

Are you crazy? I won’t sleep with

any of them. I don’t want to. I can

do without it for a few weeks.

LAGERTHA:

Is that another way of saying you

love me?

She teases him.

RAGNAR:

I always dream of you. Last night I

dreamt you were feeding me blood

pudding.

LAGERTHA:

What does that mean?

RAGNAR:

It means you were giving me your

heart.

And they close in, and kiss passionately.

RAGNAR (CONT’D)

I love you so much I could feed you

the whole sky.

EXT. YARD - HOUSE - DAY

Father and son are ready to depart on their small, tough

horses, both wearing heavy woollen coats, tight leather

trousers, cloaks and leather boots.

Lagertha and Gyda bring out some food for the journey,

putting it into their saddle-bags.

Bjorn kisses Gyda.

BJORN:

Goodbye, little sister.

GYDA:

Goodbye, big brother. Don’t get

drunk.

12.

LAGERTHA:

Wait. I have something for both of

you.

She takes out two thin strips of colored ribbon, and ties one

around Bjorn’s head and the other around her husband’s.

LAGERTHA (CONT’D)

There. Now everyone will know you

are free men on your way to the

Thing.

Ragnar kisses her.

RAGNAR:

Goodbye my shield-maiden.

LAGERTHA:

Look after your son - and when you

come back, just tell me the truth.

I don’t care about anything else.

And then she and her daughter watch Ragnar and Bjorn set off

up the rough trail towards the trees, accompanied by one of

the hunting dogs, Ragnar armed with a spear, a sword and

knife and Bjorn with his hunting knife.

Bjorn looks back once, and raises his arm in farewell, and

then they are swallowed up into the trees.

EXT. TRACK - DAY

They ride slowly on together through a landscape of forest,

scrub and rock. There is no-one else in sight, no farms or

dwellings, for the rocky earth here is clearly unfit for

agriculture or ploughing. Is even too barren for sheep.

There are signs of spring everywhere, however, the trees a

brighter green, the gorse in flower.

BJORN:

What will happen at the Thing?

RAGNAR:

Earl Haraldson will deal, as usual,

with some criminal offences that

have happened since the last

meeting. And then everyone will

discuss the summer raids.

BJORN:

Where will you go?

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