Attacked and Taken by Vikings (Part 1)

Transcript

Hey, are you there? Hello? You know, at this point, I should just tell the fishermen that I've lost a friend at sea with how much you've been staring at it this past week.

What? You don't think they're coming, do you? Of course I mean Vansk! Don't lie to me.

I know what you're thinking about. Come on, you really don't believe the stories, do you? It was an old man and a crew that claimed they saw a ship.

No, I don't think they're lying. They saw a ship, sure, but maybe they just saw a wisp of fog roughly shaped like a ship. But a northern ship? Full of savages.

Surely you don't believe that. Of course the elders believe it. So does every old man within a hundred miles of here.

Anything they need to prove that they're not crazy. But the guards will be here soon enough. And then all of these senile grums can finally breathe again.

It's bad enough that everyone's holding their breath. Are you saying you do believe them? It's been over twenty years since the ship came back.

No Vansk has ever seen the outside of the North. The only people who've ever seen them are the ones that went there. Anything could have happened.

Who knows if Vanskeldum even had native people. The sea is not kind, nor is the winter. Men will say anything to save their pride.

A fight to the death with barbarians is a lot more valiant than starvation because you weren't prepared for nature and no crops would grow. Many men and women sailed north many, many years before we were born. No one knows their name, how many of them there were, or what happened to them.

They left with bright eyes and smiles, and they returned with quiet voices and eyes that stared down the neck of empty alcohol bottles too often. None of them would talk about what happened. Sure, some do.

Of course some do. But none of their stories are ever the same. Wolves wearing skins of man? Creatures who were offered magic by the heavens and accepted a deal with demons instead? Women painted head to toe in dark and evil tattoos that come to life and claim your soul? Stop.

I told you don't go showing off those marks, those ruins or whatever you want to call them. Your mother was wrong and insane for putting them on you. Some of these old men would want you burned at the stake for having them, you know that.

Look, dammit, I care about you. You're my friend. No, I don't think they're magical, I'm not sure where she got the design from, but what I fucking do know is that it matches the description that these old shits give when they describe the northerners' markings.

Evil or not, you would be validating every nightmare they have ever tried to spread. Let those stories die, please. We don't need to live in fear just because they did.

Thank you. Now come on, the day's getting on, and we've been away for far too long. Someone might suspect that we're trying to avoid our chores again.

Do you smell that? Do you not? There's definitely something.

It's like smoke, but not from a cooking fire or anything. It just smells like wood burning, but that makes no sense. Over there, do you see that? The fire has to be huge for there to be so much.

What do you think it is? Oh father, help us. Someone's house has to be on fire.

That's coming right from the village. Last time there was a fire, it took out half the population hours to put it out, and even then some didn't make it. We've gotta get help.

Come on, we've gotta help. Hey, are you not listening? People could be getting.

..getting hurt. Oh, oh no. Oh no.

What are those? Those ships. Those ships, they.

..that's the kind they spotted a few days ago, isn't it? Does that. ..does that mean they're here?

Does that mean. ..the fire, oh fuck, the village, the whole village! We have to go, we have to help them! I know we'd be running right into them, but our families! My brother, my baby brother, I have to save them.

My parents, please. We have to try and help. I don't know what we'll do, but we have to try something, right? What if we could help some of them escape? Wouldn't you risk it? If we could save some of their lives, I.

..I know your mom isn't. ..isn't with us anymore, but please help me. Okay, then come on, faster.

Oh god, there's so much smoke. It's not just one building, there's no way. Half the village has to be ablaze.

Fuck, it's making my eyes sting. Are you doing okay? Alright, come on, we gotta get closer.

No, the fire, there's so much of it. Was. ..was that a scream?

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, this can't be happening. Not here, not to us. No, that's my house, my family! Do you see anyone? I can't.

..I can't see anybody. Hello? Hello? Wait, what? Where did you go? Wait, watch out! Ah! No, are you okay? Can you hear me? Who's there? Who are you? Stop! Wait! No, don't come any closer.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Get up. Get up! What do you think you are, running into a fire and then acting like you're stuck? You can't act like the bravest person in this pathetic village and then lay down and give up your life at the first sign of danger.

I said get up! Good. Kill you.

Like this? Cornered, trapped, defenseless, why? That's pitiful.

Huh. Some of them ran. Some of them chose to be trapped.

Some of them just waited till their house took them along with the rafters. So what if that was their fate? It was the one they chose.

Is that what you want? Do you want me to leave you here? So that you choke to death on the smoke and feel your skin go with the fire? You were so ready to lay down your life to save others.

Why don't you do the same for yourself? Let you go. Of course, why wouldn't I? Catch.

It's a knife. Don't look at it like you've never seen one before. What do you do with it? What did I just say? Get out.

Go on. Try to. I know I'm blocking the door, you fucking idiot.

So try to get out! Fight me for it. Fight me for your fucking life! Pick it back up.

What's wrong with you? Where's your fucking fire? Do you want to die here? Then prove it! Stop dropping the fucking knife.

Swing at me! What is that? What the fuck is that? On your chest were your shirts torn.

What are those marks? Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. How can you look at me and not see it? Those are our marks, our runes.

How did you get them? Then what are you doing here? I don't care where you live.

You don't belong here. Not with those runes covering your body. Those only come from one place.

You know that, don't you? I already said I don't care where you live. Where you have lived.

Maybe you were born here. That means that your mother wasn't. Those patterns aren't just something you learn.

They're not something you create. That's a language. Our language.

And whether or not you remember it, there's more meaning and power than you could understand. I changed my mind. About letting you go.

You'll live. You have to. Now at least.

Until I get my answers. But you're coming with me. Unlike before, I'm not giving you away.

I'm not giving you an option. Go on then. Fight back all you want now.

Nothing's left here for you anyway. There! And here I thought you were beautiful before.

I knew you had some fight in you.