Mirza Aaqib Beg
In the twenty-second episode of ‘Vinland Saga’ season 2 titled ‘Emperor of Rebellion” / “The King of Rebellion,’ Thorfinn is brutally beaten by one of King’s guards who tries his best to make him quit. But despite his injuries, Thorfinn not only prevails but also convinces Wulf that he deserves the chance to meet Canute. When the King and Thorfinn greet each other, Einar and Wulf are shocked to learn that the latter once cut the former’s face a few years ago.
Thorfinn Resists Violence
Thorfinn allows one of the King’s guards to beat him up on the condition that he will be allowed to meet Canute if he manages to withstand 100 hits. As Einar watches in horror, Snake finally reaches there and realizes what is happening. All of a sudden one of the punches knocks Thorfinn out and Snake immediately goes to check on him. He realizes that Thorfinn has put his body on the line for the sake of the farm and could barely believe that he went that far.
Wulf watches everything from a distance and tries to understand what kind of man Thorfinn is. He eventually stands back on his feet and asks the guard to continue striking him. The guard is naturally angered as he feels belittled but despite his best efforts, he fails to make Thorfinn give up. When Wulf later asks why someone as talented as him did not prove himself by beating the guard up, Thorfinn reveals that he cannot engage in violence if he has come with the message of peace.
Does Canute Accept Thorfinn’s Peace Proposal?
After Wulf gives permission to Thorfinn to meet the king, he goes to Canute to tell him what had just happened. Once he listens to the whole story, Canute finally agrees to meet Thorfinn. A few minutes later, the two finally face each other after many years. Canute appears regretful and opines that Thorfinn must hate him as he made him a slave. Then he also recalls what happened to Askeladd as if to express even more remorse.
Thorfinn does not have any resentment in his heart for the King and he expresses his gratitude for being alive even after drawing a blade against Danish royalty. That’s when Wulf realizes that he just introduced Canute to Thorfinn Karlsefni, the man who was considered an even match for Thorkell in combat. Thorfinn apologizes for the scar on the King’s face. Even Einar is shocked that his calm and peace-loving friend had once raised a weapon against royalty.
After they have greeted each other, Thorfinn politely requests Canute to leave the farm. The king is almost adamant and refuses to comply. Canute goes on to point out that it was Ketil and his men who started the entire conflict. Thorfinn does not defend his action but argues that Canute has already killed hundreds of men on the farm and has done irreversible damage that will require years to fix. Einar is also quite furious and tells Canute that he won’t allow him to take the farm away too as he has already lost too much to the royalty.
Thorfinn then inquires whether Canute still believes in his dream of creating a heaven on earth so that people could live peacefully. The King does not reply directly but he then points out that he is the chief of the Viking chiefs. He proclaims that he has powers well beyond human comprehension and then goes on to order the sea waves to stop. Naturally, the waves are unaffected by his empty words and Canute then points out that they are controlled by God himself, as if to showcase his powerlessness in the grand scheme of things.
Canute argues that he and his men are savages who cause chaos and destruction. Therefore, he feels that they do not deserve heaven in any way. The King declares himself the savior of the Vikings and refers to them as the people abandoned by God. Thorfinn realizes that Canute is a great man and it has never occurred to him to unify the Vikings. Meanwhile, Einar can barely control himself and he wants to kill the King. Canute asks Thorfinn what he will do now that he rejects his peace proposal and is adamant about taking the farm.
Read More: Vinland Saga Season 2 Episode 21 Recap and Ending, Explained
