17. The Most Terrible Thing

Complete story — includes the ending

Aethelred is buried as Alfred regains his health. Judith reveals that she had poisoned him to death; Alfred is furious but Judith maintains that doing terrible things is necessary to stay in power. Hearing that a large fleet of Danes is approaching Wessex, Ubbe convinces the king to make him leader of his army. In York, Harald makes the same deal with Bjorn that he had with Ivar: when Bjorn dies, Kattegat will be Harald's. Harald approaches Gunnhild in private and admits his feelings; Gunnhild implies she will marry Harald when he is king of Norway. In Kattegat, Ivar grows anxious about Hvitserk, and forces him to go on a diplomatic mission to his ally Olaf the Stout. In Iceland, the rescue party finds Eyvind and his family in a terrible state. While Floki is held at knifepoint, Kjetill and Frodi massacre them. Floki begs for Helgi's life, but Kjetill decapitates the latter and places his head on a spike. When the group returns home, Floki recounts the bloodbath, and Aud throws herself into Gullfoss.