#i just felt bad for uhtred this season like the man never gets what he wants and is constantly fucked over by people

[softlyfiercely]

okay! time for my thoughts on Seven Kings Must Die.

under the cut for spoilers and length.

Lots of folks have previously said that the movie really suffers from the shortened length, that it should have been expanded into a sixth season to allow for all the stuff that makes the show so spectacular, and i really strongly agree.

The show is, in many ways, a show about faith. Not just about religious faith and how different attitudes about the afterlife influence people's decisions and leadership. It's also a show about individual faith, with Uhtred at the center of this theme.

People either have faith in Uhtred, or they don't. Trusting Uhtred is almost always depicted as A Very Good Idea, and those who don't have faith in Uhtred typically meet bad ends, giving the audience - if not Uhtred - a nice ToldYaSo moment.

I have to say, I really liked this aspect of the show. I know some people had issues with the way the narrative centers around this brilliant, strategic, unkillable protagonist - but to me, his character is the fulcrum around which the entire show turns. It's sort of like a story told from the POV of the deus ex machina.

and as a person who works in a field where people who are strategic and trustworthy are almost never listened to, and where there is no audience present for the ToldYaSo moments, no validation, no celebration, I really enjoyed the way the show clearly demonstrates that Uhtred is thinking clearly, he's not blinded by ambition or sentiment. Listening to Uhtred is almost always a very good idea. People who trust him are rewarded, and people who don't trust Uhtred suffer as a result, and Uhtred is vindicated at nearly every turn by the narrative.

The show doesn't just tell us this, it shows us, over and over, with the advice Uhtred gives, the thoughtfulness of his decision making, his consistency and sacrifice and skill. We see his plans play out. We see him navigate the faith and mistrust of others. We grow to trust Uhtred too. Even in moments where he makes the 'wrong' choice, we understand why, and where he's coming from.

It's satisfying, and it means that Uhtred fully earns the rewards the narrative gives him, from his 'plot armor' to the endings of both the series and the movie.

The movie doesn't do as good of a job with this. When Uhtred tells Aethelstan about Ingilmundr, Aethelstan doesn't believe Uhtred, but ultimately there isn't much of a a ToldYaSo Moment, and he soon discovers the truth on his own, and the plot moves forward. It's not clear how much would have been different or improved had Aethelstan believed Uhtred right away, nor do things change much after Uhtred is proven right.

It does do this much better at the final battle. The moment where the 'seven kings' say "Something's wrong - we've been turned around!" is such a great moment. We get to see how Uhtred's thinking and strategy AND his leadership in getting his men to execute this plan are ultimately what gives them the victory.

I also liked how the subtleties of Uhtred's wisdom and experience continue to serve him, again, in a more shown than told sort of way. The reveal when he notices that Ingilmundr still believes in the Dane gods and afterlife, and his ability to recognize what's going on between Aethelstan and Ingilmundr, because Uhtred is quite familiar with love and with that sort of forbidden-love situation.

WHERE IS STIORRA, THOUGH???

And Uhtred making Aethelstan promise never to marry and have an heir, I LOVED that. It felt like a subtle but strong way for Uhtred to give Aethelstan the space he needed to live his life as someone who loved men - him never taking a wife would be perceived as a noble sacrifice rather than a scandal. It feels like such an Uhtred thing to do and I don't think it gets enough attention or credit.

I was really disappointed that we didn't get more of Osbert and Edmund, because the show missed another great opportunity to show us what kind of man Uhtred is. Osbert clearly learned from his father how to be a mentor, how to lead and protect and train and support and raise up a young man. And we got hints of this legacy Uhtred is building, in the way Osbert looks after Edmund, but we needed like. Way tons more.

The general plot of the film - just too much in too short time. Too many villains, not much fleshed out, scrambled up stakes, things not really meaning anything, Uhtred in exile, then behind enemy lines, then picked up by Sihtric and Finan - ...okay? I agree with what's already been said that we needed more time with the schemes, the stakes, the motives, the characters, everything.

The deaths - I knew Aldhelm would die early on in the movie, because the show almost kills him in the series finale, and it's kind of unclear to me why it didn't. I was somewhat surprised and disappointed that no important and beloved characters died at the final battle in the show - the stakes and tone pulled hard toward 'lighthearted' right at the end, which I guess was so all the actors would have a shot at being in the movie, but it doesn't fit with the rest of the show.

People die. In the show, people die suddenly, unexpectedly, people die to sacrifice for a larger cause, they die for petty reasons. Throughout the show, Uhtred loses so many people for so many reasons. So the fact that none of the main characters (except the merchant dane whose name escapes me) give their lives for Uhtred to take Bebbanburg rings sort of...poetically unbalanced.

Don't get me wrong, as a person, I wasn't exactly rooting for us to lose Sithric, or Finan, or Hild, or Aldhelm, or Pyrlig, etc. But come on. We've been through this huge journey of loss and sacrifice and death on the way to Bebbanburg, and then we take Bebbanburg with no grief, no sacrifice? Hmm.

Aldhelm was marked by the narrative for death after Bebbanburg, and so the fact that he loses his life to save Uhtred's, not in a blaze of battlefield glory but just as a man ground between the cogs of politics and ambition, made sense.

Ingrith's death also made total sense. When she says "...and the woman you love" TO FINAN as well as to Uhtred, it's sort of like the "...the world will turn to ash" prophecy in the pokemon movie (shut up, it was formative). It was so clearly going to be her. The tomb thing, with the Christian imagery, and it being previously opened for Uhtred to be lured into a trap, and Ingilmundr using the Christian faith to tear the Saxons apart - it gets a C+ from me. Interesting thematic work, not super well executed.

Alfweard's death was...nothing, idk. He wasn't much of a character, and all it did was set up the break between Aethelstan and what he had learned from Uhtred, and establish how corrupted Aethelstan had become.

The prophecy - I didn't really like the way the prophecy was handled. I thought in the first few seasons, the show did a GREAT job of balancing the element of the supernatural. All the characters believe in some form of supernatural, prophecy, curses, miracles, Divine, afterlife, etc. but they are all interpreting things differently.

I appreciated the way the show never really came down on one side or the other, never 'proved' someone right or wrong. The "bridge" Brida sees when Ragnar is going to Valhalla, the "curse" from Skade, the "signs" from God, the 'dead man' trick - the only thing that prickled was the healer saving Edward's life, and that was never really clarified whether she was using some specific healing method for sick infants or what.

But then Brida ends the curse and miraculously is able to bear a child after a lifetime of not being able to, which...there's really no other explanation besides a narrative validation of her faith, which I thought was a bit of a cop-out. (Reign did this too - did an excellent job for a while balancing multiple different faiths and worldviews within the reality of the show, then just went 'fuck it, the Seer is Right and the Visions are Real').

So I wasn't too thrilled with how the show ultimately handled the prophecy. Numbering the kings in their captions was a bit much. But I did like the ambiguity of whether Uhtred 'counted' as a King.

The ending was lovely, though I would have preferred if they just sort of committed to Uhtred going to Valhalla. It's the end of the thing, we know Uhtred will die at some point anyway, having Finan do the voice over - instead of having an 'ambiguous' ending, I wish we'd have gotten to see more of him stepping into Valhalla, the bittersweet ending, the reward, him seeing more of the characters he's lost over the years rather than just the three who were there, etc.

This might be at odds with me not liking when the narrative establishes the reality of someone's beliefs, but it's different here.

Overall I liked the film, was glad to get to spend more time with characters and world I fell in love with over the course of the show, but it really ought to have been a sixth ten episode season rather than a two hour movie. Or it should have been 'zoomed in' to focus specifically on Osbert and Edmund, or Aethelstan and Ingulmundr, or whatever.

[shrikeofcreyden]

just finished the last kingdom and whew boy

you’d think after saving both kingdoms, saving both of edward’s heirs, and relinquishing leadership to athelflaed uhtred would be gifted the armies to retake bebbanburg but nope. as much as i love alfred, his kids certainly took his jackassery and continue to fuck over the one guy that’s gotten them to where they are lol. and then threw his daughter to the wolves (her compliance aside) because it was convenient to them

which is probably why i don’t like athelflaed and edward anymore as much as i did last season. there were moments where i felt pity for edward and where i loved athelflaed for being a bamf, but at the end of the day they continue to not realize uhtred’s sacrifices over their own.

like im probably pissing off a lot of people here but uhtred deserved better than athelflaed lol. esp with her riding on his ass about being chosen as lord, because uhtred really wouldn’t have been bad at all although im glad he handed over the reins to her.

furthermore, her attitude towards eadith was kinda gross and im not for it. you’d think as a woman during that time who had faced sexism and forced circumstances athelflaed would understand eadith and be kinder to her, but nah. and tbh she didn’t have any reason to hate eadith bc even though she was seducing aethelred there was clearly no love there and she was literally raped by him so like. wtf?

[solarlotus]

The Last Kingdom S5 thoughts

Spoilers below the cut

So, just wow! I thought S4 was the weakest season so tried not to get my hopes up for S5, but it was amazing, best season since S1 imho. Things I loved:

- Uhtred! My main man on form, full range of emotions, he was and is the best.

- Brida and her story, her end broke my heart and Uhtred and Brida are now my otp, I feel a fix it fic coming. She meant so much to him, all that he had left from his childhood. Poor Uhtred (PU)

- Finan and his wife were sweet, some lovely Finan and Uhtred moments too. Finan and Ingrith would have lived happily with Uhtred and Brida, Finan always liked Brida

- Aelswith was bloody brilliant, Eliza so versatile and I really enjoyed her being comic relief, but still retaining her venom and phenomenal screen presence.

- Aethelstan was a pleasant surprise, decent actor

- The Scots! Having a weakness for a Scottish accent myself I was very into Constantine and hope we see a lot more of him in the movie

- Edward was well done, what a dick, but he is becoming his father’s son, just a lot less smart

- Pyrlig and Brida

- Rongvaldr was brilliant, I really enjoyed his character, I hope we see him again.

- Cheered when Haesten showed up, he is such a great character and was kind of pleased he got a good end. 

- I love that Hild showed up too

- Liked Young Uhtred this season

- Aethelhelm was deliciously evil, you could tell the actor was really enjoying the part and he played him so well.

-Quite like Eidgifu, though she’s almost too wise to be true! In the books Finan later christens her lavender tits, I hope we get that in the movie

- Felt a bit sorry for Aelweard, but that haircut justifies Edwards actions alone

-Aelfwyn wasn’t as bad as I thought she’d be. I actually liked Cenlaef too

- Stirling actually looked a bit like it might be Stirling, an awesome place and castle I recommend everyone visits.

What I wasn’t keen on:

- It was well done, but I found Aethelflaed dying like that extremely hard to watch as a close family member as terminal cancer

- Brida’s child dying, since I’ve had my own children I can’t cope with that, especially because of the point above.

- Stiorra, increasingly annoyed me, better acting than last season, but still not amazing. Killed Brida ending my OTP, which I never had until that moment.

- Unpopular opinion alert, not that fussed with Sigtryggr, though the ship burial very cool and his end at Uhtred’s sword moving. 

- The Bebbanburg landscape!! OMG, we went on holiday last year there and even accounting for sand shifting over time it could not be more wrong, The sand is beautifully pale, there are no cliffs, the Farne Islands are a thing, the castle stands on a single rock and there is a STEEP hill to the gate and it would have been steeper then. It actually made me laugh. I know most of the worldwide audience won’t go there, but it’s a famous castle they could have made a little more effort.

-Uhtred in Bebbanburg was brilliant and I loved how he just dismissed Witgar’s babbling about cursed family.

- Utterly delighted they remembered baby Osbert, I joked that the end would be Uhtred getting Bebbanburg then going ‘oh shit, I just remembered I have another son in Wessex’ And it kind of was

- the last scene was perfect, I loved Uhtred’s flashbacks to those key moments

What I want from the movie:

- Uhtred to find true love, hopefully they’ll keep the Benedetta character from the books

- Finan and Uhtred soft moments

- Brida’s ghost, Leofric style

- Dead Ed

- More Scots, lots and lots more, preferably ruggedly handsome

- Some ruggedly handsome Danes

[fan-fantasies]

Weakness

A/N: hey guys! I hope you like this piece for Sigtryggr! There will be some spoilers for season 4 so don’t read if you haven’t seen past like episode 5 or 6. Destiny is all! -Heather

Summary: you’ve had a secret relationship with Sigtryggr for a while but the feeling of being hidden starts to eat away at you. Plus, you have a big secret you’ve been meaning to tell him. But what happens when you hear him saying that a wife and kids makes a man weak? Will there be hope for your relationship or will victory always come first?

Pairing: Sigtryggr x Reader

Warnings: mentions of death, pregnancy, general angst

Masterlist

Part Two

You sat in the young queen’s chamber in the palace at Winchester. You thumbed through the luxurious clothes and jewels that she had collected. The halls outside the door were quiet but you knew that wasn’t going to last.

You jumped as the door opened revealing Sigtryggr. He closed the door behind him and flashed you a sweet smile.

“I thought I might find you here, hidden away from the celebrations,” he said. He sat next to you on the bed and took your hand in his.

“I’ve had my fill of ale for a while. I’m just waiting for the Saxons to come and reclaim their fallen kingdom,” you admitted. He gave your hand a reassuring squeeze. 

“And when they come, we will talk. I wish for no more bloodshed than has already occurred. If they want to fight, then we will fight, but I’m hoping it will not come to that.” 

“But what if-” 

“There’s nothing to worry about, my love. No harm will come to you,” he said. 

“It’s not me I’m worried about,” you whispered. He placed a sweet kiss on your forehead and sighed. 

“You know that this life is not guaranteed. Death can take us at any moment. Try not to worry about something you cannot control. The Gods will not lead us astray,” he told you. You conceded with a nod and a sad smile. 

The thought of losing him was always too much to bare but loving him was worth every moment of anxiety. No one knew that the two of you were together for your safety, or so he claimed. You had picked him up after his defeat in Ireland and helped him come to a new land and find wealth. You knew that other Danes talked about the two of you, often calling you his whore. 

Maybe that was true. You were not his wife, you had given him no children. There was no commitment to you other than knowing that he would find you most nights and slip into your bed. 

He left you that evening to go back and plan strategies for when the Saxons would return. And return they did. They stormed the gates and were met with defeat. You stayed within the palace walls but you could hear the cheers of the men returning from the walls. The boy king was thinking irrationally and you had seen firsthand how that can lead to a man’s demise. 

“(Y/N), Sigtryggr is asking for you,” one of his warriors called to you. You made your way to the main hall where you found the ever-happy man that held your heart. 

“You called for me?” The words had no sooner left your mouth when you were pulled into his arms and into a passionate kiss. You responded immediately by wrapping your hands in his hair and giving it a tug. He growled in response and nipped at your bottom lip. Victory always excited him and you knew where this was going. 

He sat you up on a table and stood between your legs. His hand traveled between your bodies but you were both snapped back to reality when you heard someone clear their throat. Sigtryggr pulled away from you immediately and left you feeling cold. 

Haesten stood there with a huge grin on his face. 

“Please, don’t stop on my account,” he chuckled. “I always knew there was something special about you.” He pointed to you and winked. You stood up and brushed your dress down. 

“What is it, Haesten?” Sigtryggr asked, standing in front of you to shield you from the other man’s hungry gaze. 

“The Saxons are planning to fire the walls, burn this place to the ground. We need to do something to prevent that from happening,” he said. Sigtryggr nodded and paused to think. 

“We show him his heir. We show him what he has to lose if he burns this place down. That should hold them off long enough to prep the walls for a fire attack. Haesten, go to the gate and start the preparations. I’ll get the boy.” Haesten nodded and left. Sigtryggr turned to you and pressed a kiss to your lips. “This isn’t over.” 

“I know,” you smiled. “Go. Negotiate. Show everyone what a fantastic leader you are. Be strong.” 

“You are my strength,” he whispered with his forehead pressed to yours. He kissed you once more before going off to fetch Edward’s heir. You left the hall shortly after and nearly shrieked when someone grabbed your arm. 

“Haesten? What are you doing?” You asked. 

“Does he know?” He questioned. 

“Know what?” You yanked your arm from his grasp and took a step back. 

“About the babe,” he said gesturing to your stomach. You arms quickly wrapped around your torso to cover your belly. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you gasped. 

“It’s the tits.” He winked before walking away. Something had been feeling off lately and you wondered if he was right. You cradled your stomach and tried to calm your heartbeat. How would Sigtryggr react? Most Danes wanted to have as many children to carry on their name as possible but he was different. He never showed interest in having a wife, never mind a child. 

You decided that you wanted to see what happened with Edward and the heir so you went to the wall. You stood hidden away from wandering eyes as you watched Sigtryggr stand before the Saxon king with the two boys. 

Edward approached with his men behind him.

“Give me my children or I will find yours and take their eyes,” Edward threatened.

“I have no children. Nor a wife. This is why I’m stronger than you,” Sigtryggr replied. Your heart sank into your stomach when you heard his words. You realized then that he would never make you his wife nor would he want the child growing inside of you.

You heard nothing else that was said, it was as if time was frozen. You rushed from the ramparts and back to the palace. Haesten saw you leave and he almost felt bad. Almost.

You gathered some of your things from the room you settled in and threw them in a bag. You armed yourself a dagger and your ax before setting off to find food for your journey. You had heard of other Danes living in East Anglia so you figured that would be your best bet. You’d even settle with Saxons if that meant you could keep you and your babe safe.

You knew you had to hide somewhere until you could leave under nightfall. Sigtryggr would certainly be looking for you to finish what was started earlier but you couldn’t bare to face him. You couldn’t be the cause of his weakness.

You grabbed bread and fruit, shoving them into your bag. You had to figure out how to get out without anyone seeing you. You’d just have to lay in wait for your opportunity.

You found refuge in a small abandoned house near the gate. You didn’t have to wait long before smoke was filling the air. You heard pounding at the gate before it was broken down. Fighting soon began right outside the door of your little safehouse. You waited until the fighting had progressed inward to take your leave.

You slowly opened the door, peering out to make sure no one was looking. Satisfied that everyone was preoccupied with the fight, you ran. You ran through the gate and past the bodies laying lifeless on the ground. You saw horses tied to a tree and figured stealing one wouldn’t do too much damage.

You were unfamiliar with the area but you knew that you’d find a village eventually. From there you could find a way to other Danes.

You didn’t look back at the smoke filled kingdom. You knew that there was nothing but pain there for you. So you rode through the night, only stopping to water your horse and eat something to keep your strength up.

You eventually stumbled upon a nunnery. The women were weary of you at first but you promised you meant them no harm, you were just seeking safe passage.

They fed you and allowed you to rest there for a bit before directing you to the nearest Dane settlement. Apparently they had been living in agreed peace for some time much to your surprise. You decided to stay with the nuns for a bit longer, not ready to face your own people.

Back in Winchester, the dust had settled and the smoke cleared. Sigtryggr and the royal siblings were working to come to a deal that satisfied all sides. Unable to come to a compromise for the first few hours, they decided to take a break.

Sigtryggr went first to the queen’s chamber where he thought you might be. When he didn’t find you there, he went to the reading room. Empty, he sought out a warrior who he knew you were familiar with.

“Can you fetch (Y/N) for me?” He asked.

“I haven’t seen her, lord,” the man told him.

“Well can you try to find her for me?” Sigtryggr signed. The man nodded and set off to find you. Sigtryggr sat on a bench with his head in his hands. He wasn’t sure he was ready to be the Dane to break the feud between Saxon and Dane. He needed you to calm him down, to reassure him that he was doing the right thing.

“You seem uneasy, lord,” Haesten said as he entered the room. Sigtryggr ignored him- he didn’t have the energy to deal with Haesten right now. “Missing your wife? Oh wait, you don’t have a wife.”

“What are you on about?” Sigtryggr finally asked.

“(Y/N), I assumed you knew she had left by now. I don’t think she took too kindly to your little speech earlier,” Haesten chuckled.

“She left the palace?”

“She left Winchester, lord. Took your babe with her too,” the gruff man smirked. Sigtryggr felt like he was going to be sick.

“You knew and you let her leave?!” Sigtryggr charged at Haesten and pinned him to the wall.

“She’s not my responsibility. She’s not my wife, nor is she yours.” Sigtryggr let the man go as he stormed out of the room. He went into the garden and found Uhtred who was talking with Edward and Aethelflaed.

“Uhtred, I need your help. You know the land, I need you to help me find someone. Forget Ethelwich. Keep it. I will keep my land in Wales and a portion of East Anglia if you accompany me, Uhtred,” Sigtryggr said. The three looked at each other and nodded.

“Yes, this sounds agreeable,” Edward answered.

“Then we shall abandon Winchester at once. Uhtred, find a horse and meet me at the gates. I won’t let her get away.”

------------------------------------------------------

The Last Kingdom Taglist: @cornervase

Sigtryggr Taglist: @ivarinleatherpants​