Erik the Viking Page #6

ERIK:

Break out the oars!

Thorfinn's smile disappears and he spins round to confront Erik.

THORFINN:

What are you talking about?

ERIK:

(to his reluctant crew)

Come on, move it!

Most of the men are being sea-sick.

MORD FIDDLE:

We've only just started cooking lunch.

The crew glance at Mord Fiddle and then throw up again.

ERIK:

Move it!

Reluctantly the crew take up their rowing positions. Thorfinn buttonholes Erik (except of course that he doesn't have any buttonholes).

THORFINN:

It's Halfdan the Black!

ERIK:

I know. Snorri! Get your oar out!

Snorri is sitting in position but without his oar. Keitel has meanwhile joined them. He, too, stares at the horizon. He is a little puzzled by this turn of events. Loki has said nothing about Halfdan coming after them.

KEITEL:

(uneasily)

Do you suppose he wants to stop us waking the Gods?

Erik looks at Keitel with a certain amount of contempt. Keitel is not renowned even amongst these Vikings for his brain-power.

ERIK:

What do you think?

KEITEL:

But how could he know... unless...

Keitel stops in mid-sentence as he realizes it must be Loki's doing.

THORFINN:

(scornfully)

So are you going to run away from him, Erik?

Erik turns to Thorfinn.

ERIK:

Row, Thorfinn Skull-Splitter.

Thorfinn hesitates.

ERIK:

And you, Keitel Blacksmith.

KEITEL:

But...

Keitel shrugs and turns to take up his rowing position. He is still a little confused by this turn of events. Erik confronts Thorfinn.

ERIK:

I gave an order. Or didn't you hear?

There is something about Erik's manner that carries an authority that Thorfinn cannot argue with.

ERIK:

Come on, Ivar.

Erik manhandles Ivar over to his drum and thrusts his drumsticks into his hands. Halfdan's ship is twice the size of Erik's and, as Erik is only too well aware, consequently travels at twice the speed. There is no real chance of them escaping, unless... Erik suddenly catches sight of a thick bank of mist in the distance, and steers his ship towards it.

IVAR:

(still feeling ill)

I want to die...

(then, suddenly catching sight of Halfdan's ship behind him)

No, I don't!

ERIK:

Row! Row! Row!

Ivar tries to get into the new rhythm, but has a bit of difficult. As Halfdan's ship gains on them inexorably, GOLDEN DRAGON glides into the sea mist. There is a tremendous roll of thunder very close. All the Vikings look scared. Erik, however, grins.

ERIK:

Row! Row! Row!

He doubles the speed. The drum beats faster.

SVEN'S DAD

(shouts out angrily)

We can't keep this up!

Erik grins and then leans on the steering oar. GOLDEN DRAGON curves around to its left. Then Erik lays his hand on Ivar's drum and silences it.

ERIK:

Oars up!

The Vikings ship their oars and sit there in the mist listening to beating of Halfdan's drum getting closer and closer. At the final moment, however, Halfdan swings his ship in the opposite direction from Erik's and the sound of his drum disappears into the mist. Erik's men breathe a sigh of relief... even Keitel Blacksmith... Fade. Fade up some time later. GOLDEN DRAGON is still drifting in the mist. Erik has his fish-lodestone and is trying the direction, but the lodestone is just swinging round uselessly. After trying a few times, Erik gives up and throws the lodestone away into the boat. The men peer into the thick mist; they are lost. Suddenly Erik sees something ahead.

ERIK:

The Gates of the World...

MORD FIDDLE:

What?

GOLDEN DRAGON silently guides between two weird islands.

ERIK:

We have passed through the Gates of the World

(he looks around at the other)

No we are in the Unknown...

GOLDEN DRAGON drifts on and the mist gets thicker. There is a crash of thunder. Then a series of flashes lights up the mist around them. The Vikings are uneasy, sensing a storm brewing. Suddenly Erik points above them. The others look up too. They all gasp.

ERIK:

(hardly daring to breathe)

So THAT is what the sun looks like!

Above them hangs a luminous yellow globe, its light just breaking through the mist.

VIKING:

(to each other)

The sun! It's the sun! Look!

SVEN'S DAD

(in wonderment)

I never though I should live to see the sun again.

HARALD MISSIONARY

Where?

The Vikings all gaze up above them in awe. Harald looks from one to the other and then tries to follow their eyelines. He clearly can't see it. Magic music fills the air. Suddenly the "sun" swoops off to one side and starts swaying from one side to another.

ERIK:

Should the sun do that?

HARALD MISSIONARY

What are you looking at?

ERIK:

Look out!

VIKINGS:

Ah!

The Vikings scream and flatten themselves against the sides of the boat, as the "sun" suddenly lurches down on them out of the sky, revealing for the first time that it is NOT the sun at all but a strange monster with a long neck that disappears off into the mist and a glowing globe for a head, and huge chomping jaws. The Vikings are, understandably, terrified.

VIKINGS:

It's not the sun! It's not the sun!

HARALD MISSIONARY

What is it?

SNORRI:

It's the Dragon of the North Sea!

HARALD MISSIONARY

(knowingly)

Ah! THAT'S why I can't see it.

As the Dragon of the North Sea rises up again, however, its jaw apparently drops off and falls to the deck, and lands on Snorri.

SNORRI:

Aaah!

Keitel nervously picks it up and holds it up for everyone to see. I is a strand of sea-weed. The Vikings are non-plussed. They look back at their now jawless monster. Harald Missionary picks up the sea-weed.

HARALD:

Some dragon! Ooh!

He tosses it back amongst his terrifies companions. Suddenly there is an incredibly loud clap of thunder and flames shoot out of the mist.

SVEN:

Look out!

As... unbelievably... a huge monstrous visage looms out of the mist... It is a creature from the nethermost depths of the ocean... and the incandescent globe is no more than a sprouting on the end of its nose! More fire shoots out from its nostrils and sends all the Vikings (and even Harald Missionary) diving for the deck. Then the monstrous head disappears back into the mist as quickly as it came, taking its light with it... The Vikings are paralysed with fear for one brief moment.

ERIK:

Row! ROW!

They all scramble for the oars in a determined hysteria. Ivar the drummer, in his panic, has set a ridiculously fast rate and nobody can keep up with it.

ERIK:

Slower! Nobody can row at that speed!

IVAR:

(hoarsely)

Sorry.

HARALD:

What's all the panic about?

SVEN'S DAD

(in a panic, shouting back over his shoulder)

The Dragon...

Harald gives a patronising smile.

HARALD:

Children afraid of the dark...

Suddenly there is another roar, and flames shoot out of the mist and across the deck of GOLDEN DRAGON. One man, Ornolf Fishdriver, who hasn't had much to say so far, is set on fire. Another, Bjarni Jerusalem-Farer, who has and will have even less to say then Ornolf Fishdriver, leaps out of the way of the flames and falls over the side.

THORFINN:

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