Erik the Viking Page #3

ERIK:

The winter is past, thank goodness, Freya. It is summer.

Freya puts her face close to Erik's and peers into his eyes.

FREYA:

Have you ever seen the sun, Erik?

ERIK:

The sun is up beyond the clouds - where it always is.

FREYA:

But have you ever seen it? Think back...

ERIK:

Of course not... but... when I was a child.... I remember a dream.... it was as if the whole sky was blue...

FREYA:

The sky WAS blue, Erik... once.

Erik looks at her.

FREYA:

The Old Stories tell of an age that would come such as this - when Fenrir the Wolf would swallow the sun, and a Great Winter would settle upon the world. It was to be an axe age, a sword age, a storm age, when brother would turn against brother, and men would fight each other until the world would finally be destroyed.

Erik looks out across the bleak and gloomy landscape and the black, boiling clouds in the sky.

ERIK:

(almost to himself)

Then... this is the Age of Ragnarok?

Freya turns to go back into the cave.

ERIK:

Wait, Freya!

Erik re-enters the cave.

ERIK:

Is there nothing men can do?

FREYA:

The Gods are asleep, Erik.

ERIK:

I will go and wake them up!

Freya turns and looks at him. She clearly enjoys his earnest enthusiasm, but is afraid he doesn't know what he is talking about.

ERIK:

Tell me what I must do, Freya!

Freya thinks for some moments. The she speaks.

FREYA:

Erik... Far out in the midst of the Western Ocean there is a land... men call it Hy-Brasil. There you will find a horn that is called Resounding. You must take the Horn Resounding, and three times you must blow it. The first note will take you to Asgaard. The second will awaken the Gods, and the third note will bring you home. But remember... once you are in the spell of the Horn, hatred will destroy you.

Erik turns to go and then hesitates.

ERIK:

And will the dead ever return, Freya?

FREYA:

That I cannot tell you.

Cut to a big close-up of a head being banged on the ground. It is Thorfinn Skull-Splitter's. The person doing the banging is an enraged Sven the Berserk. Suddenly Erik pushes his way through the crowd and separates them. There is general disgruntlement all round, and murmurs of: "Who does he think he is?"

ERIK'S GRANDAD

What are you doing, Erik? Thorfinn just said SVEN'S GRANDFATHER

died of old age.

INGEMUND THE OLD

They must fight to the death.

THORFINN SKULL-SPLITTER

That's right! Sven must kill me.

OTHERS:

Yes. Stay out of this. What's it to do with you?

(etc)

Sven grids his teeth and struggles to get at Thorfinn, but Erik still keeps them apart.

ERIK:

Aren't you afraid of death, Thorfinn Skull-Splitter?

Thorfinn shrugs.

THORFINN:

Not death by the sword! It means I shall drink in Valhalla with the great warriors.

Cut away To Harald Missionary engaged in his usual business of chatting up any available female.

HARALD MISSIONARY

You don't still believe in all that Valhalla stuff, do you?

THORHILD THE FEMALE

Go away.

HARALD:

Fine... right... just checking.

He moves off.

ERIK:

And you, Sven, aren't you afraid of crossing the Rainbow Bridge to Asgaard?

SVEN:

I will join my grandfather there.

THORFINN:

He's not in Valhalla! He died of old age!

SVEN:

You liar!

They start trying to kill each other again, and crash through a fence into the pig-sty. Pigs squeal and run in all directions.

ERIK:

Stop it!

OTHERS:

Leave them alone! Keep out of it, Erik!

The others pull Erik away.

GRANDAD:

There's only one way to settle it.

EVERYONE:

Yes!

THORFINN:

He MUST kill me!

EVERYONE:

Yes! That's right!

(etc)

Sven struggles again to oblige, and they both topple into the duck pond. Erik dives back to keep them apart.

ERIK:

There is another way.

GRANDAD:

Who gets killed?

ERIK:

Nobody gets killed.

THORFINN:

Oh, well...

He starts attacking Sven again. Erik decides there is only one way to make his point. He lets fly with his fists and lays both the antagonists out for a moment.

ERIK:

But it will be dangerous. Maybe none of us will return.

SNORRI THE MISERABLE

Ah well, that's much more sensible than just Thorfinn getting killed. Shall we all go and pack now?

SVEN:

What are you talking about, Erik?

ERIK:

What if we could find Bi-Frost the Rainbow Bridge?

This causes a sensation amongst everyone watching, on the lines of "You can't do that" and so on. They scoff at Erik.

THORFINN:

(in disbelief)

FIND the Rainbow Bridge?

ERIK:

Find it... AND cross it!

Super-sensation amongst everyone - except for Harald Missionary who shakes his head sadly.

HARALD:

Look! You can't find somewhere that doesn't exist.

GRANDAD:

(to Harald)

Shut up!

Harald shrugs.

SVEN:

Only the dead reach Asgaard, Erik.

ERIK:

What's the matter? Are you afraid to try?

Thorfinn and Sven are put on the defensive.

THORFINN:

Of course we're not afraid to try, but...

Erik rounds on Thorfinn, sensing he had the advantage.

ERIK:

"But" what?

THORFINN:

But...

ERIK:

What?

Thorfinn's mental powers find it hard to articulate any proposition on such a vast metaphysical concept. Sven comes to his rescue.

SVEN:

Nobody's ever crossed the Rainbow Bridge to Asgaard.

ERIK:

We'd be the first!

SNORRI:

You mean we'd be dead?

ERIK:

No! We'd be the first living men to set foot in the Halls of the Gods.

Pause. Uncomfortable shifting.

SVEN:

But HOW?

ERIK:

I don't know - but I'm not afraid to try.

THORFINN:

Well I'M certainly not, either.

SVEN:

Neither am I.

ERIK:

Then you'll come.

HARALD:

But there isn't such a place as... Look...

THORFINN & SVEN

Shut up!

ERIK:

What d'you say?

SVEN:

Well... I'm game.

THORFINN:

Me too.

Erik grins. He has persuaded them against their will.

GRANDAD:

Aren't you going to go on fighting?

SVEN & THORFINN

No.

OTHERS:

Oh...

There is general disappointment all around.

IVAR THE BONELESS

Oh, go on...

GRANDAD:

Just have a bit of a fight.

INGEMUND THE OLD

I'LL fight someone.

GRANDAD:

You're too old.

INGEMUND THE OLD

No, I ain't.

Cut to an adze striking timber. The Viking's ship, GOLDEN DRAGON, is being repaired and fitted out for a JOURNEY. Erik is there, directing operations. The camera tracks through all the activity and finally comes to rest on Keitel Blacksmith. He is a magnificent mountain of a man in an Arnold Schwarzeneggarish sort of way. He hammers a sword, and sparks fly, but his eyes keep returning to the preparations for the voyage. Clearly something is worrying him. His assistant, Loki, sidles up to him.

LOKI:

Wish you were going too?

Keitel grunts angrily and plunges the sword into cold water. Steam and bubbles.

LOKI:

But you CAN'T because you're too busy.

Keitel pulls the sword out of the water and tests it. It slices like as razor, Loki watches.

LOKI:

Ooh, that's a good one! You could charge Halfdan fifteen for that one.

KEITEL:

Yes, it is good. But I told him ten.

LOKI:

You could charge him what you like.

Loki takes the sword from Keitel and stacks it alongside a lot more freshly made swords.

LOKI:

You just can't make enough swords and spears and knives and daggers to satisfy the demand. You could charge Halfdan twenty and he'd pay it.

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