Vinland Saga (2007)

[ヴィンランド・サガ]

Volume 4

Author/Artist: Makoto Yukimura
Publisher: Afternoon KC

Synopsis:
Askeladd launches an attack on Thorkell's men in a bid to rescue the captive Prince Canute.

Story/Characters:
We start with the forest burning all around Thorkell, but he immediately sees it for what it is and, being Thorkell, he's excited by the prospect of a third party joining the fight. Askeladd sends Thorfinn on ahead to extract Prince Canute. (It doesn't do the horse he's given any favors running into the flames.) Thorkell catches up to them though and he couldn't be more delighted to be reunited with Thorfinn. He reveals that he knew Thord, but their conversation gets cut short when a burning tree falls between them. Being the sport he is, Thorkell makes a game of it. They're both headed to King Sweyn, so if Thorfinn can get there first without being overtaken, he wins. Thorfinn reunites with Askeladd and Ragnar is furious at the losses to his forces but is nevertheless forced to restrain his criticism as Askeladd's strategy did succeed in rescuing the Prince and now he has no one else to turn to for the Prince's protection. Askeladd, smooth operator that his is, plays the part of the humble servant, showing that he could move about in a royal court just as easily as he can hang with brutes and ruffians.

Askeladd makes a detour to get a message delivered by a ferryman at the River Severn, and we're introduced to Ears, one of Askeladd's men who has near-supernatural hearing who is keeping an ear (or two) out for Thorkell's men in pursuit. They manage to get away by crossing over into Morgannwg in Wales with the help of the legatus Gratianus. Gratianus' terms are simple. He'll assist Canute's escape if he will become the King of England and not interfere with Wales. Ragnar chafes at Gratianus' attitude, but he doesn't seem to realize how inferior his standing is at the moment.

On the march, Askeladd's men are getting hyped up about the kind of rewards they can expect from King Sweyn, so they ask Willibald about the luxuries of the capital, but he wasn't impressed, compared to the thing he's seeking: love. (We're to assume he means in the agape sense, but that doesn't get clearly conveyed in the Japanese.) While most of the men just shrug him off as talking nonsense, he does pique the curiosity of a few of them. (We'll be coming back to Willibald's philosophy later, so keep it in mind.) Meanwhile, Gratianus and Askeladd are talking about their plans (in Welsh so as not to clue in anyone else) and Askeladd makes reference to the legend of Artorius (i.e. King Arthur) and what it means for the remnants of old Britannia. (You may recall that Askeladd identified himself as a descendant of Artorius during his duel with Thord.) They meet a less warm reception as they cross into Brycheiniog and Askeladd's horse gets turned into a pincushion just to set an example. Askeladd tries to keep the situation under control, but the Brycheiniog emissary has nothing but hatred from the Danes in general and King Sweyn in particular, ergo he has no good opinion of Sweyn's son. Askeladd tries to get Canute to say something that he can then interpret to his advantage, but the timid Prince shrinks behind Ragnar. Askeladd starts to lose his patience with Canute as he really needs the Prince to stand up, but this angers Ragnar, who insists that Askeladd understands nothing of what Canute went through in the bloody royal court, where laying low was the only way for him to avoid becoming a target. Askeladd still manages to work things out and gets Gratianus to agree to letting Bycheiniog in on their plan. As they're approaching the emissary, Gratianus notes that Canute is never going to grow up as long as Ragnar is hovering over him like a mother hen and Askeladd replies that he's all too aware. When talking with the emissary, Askeladd reveals that he's half-Welsh, the son of a Welsh princess taken as a concubine of a Dane. He first met Gratianus when he brought his dying mother back to her homeland. Askeladd explains the advantage of him being a halfblood, being able to use his connections among the Danes for Wales' advantage. The emissary questions a halfbreed raised among the Danes having the ability to surpass the legendary Artorius, but Askeladd tells him that regardless of his blood, he despises the Danes. Askeladd's men have to give up their weapons while passing through the country, with the sole holdouts being Ragnar and Thorfinn. Canute ends up speaking for the first time to respond to Thorfinn calling him a coward, insisting that he's just careful about when he speaks, but Thorfinn continues to provoke him to the point of actually having an angry outburst, surprising Ragnar.

Later in the march, while setting up camp, a couple of Askeladd's men pick up on Willibald's conversation from before, asking if their love for each other as brothers is the sort of thing he's looking for. He doesn't seem to think so, and so they bring up the man who fought them off barehanded and declared that a true warrior doesn't need a sword. This stirs Willibald, who asks for more information, but when it isn't forthcoming, he's left to ponder what he's heard, much to the bafflement of the Danes.

We're well into winter with quite a bit of snow piling up when we return to Mercia to see an English peasant family. The daughter has squirreled away a ring she stole and wrestles with the guilt of what she did given that her family is rather pious and she fears the eternal consequences of her actions. However, it's because of her attachment to this ring that she's away from home when Askeladd's men arrive. Willibald tries to warn the villagers and gets beaten up for it (and Askeladd threatens to kill him if he ever tries something like that again). Because the villagers can't survive without their winter stores and because Askeladd doesn't want any witness to inform their enemies, he has every man, woman and child butchered in short order. This leaves the poor girl who is the sole survivor in awe of such wicked people with no fear of God (and her being left behind isn't framed as example of God's grace either but rather of her being left behind on account of her sins).

Art:
The burning forest makes for a good set piece. The effeminate Canute is rather striking, especially in contrast with Thorfinn. Speaking of striking, Willibald's haunted look as he ponders the story of Thord leaves an impression.

Other:
We get the travel map and a couple 4-koma featuring Ylva.

Conclusion:
It's not like things haven't been interesting up until this point, but learning about Askeladd's master plan really kicks it up a notch. Canute starts to become more fleshed out as a character and Willibald pursuit of love ties into the overall themes of the story. There's plenty to chew on here and it's well worth a place in your collection.

Rating:
Own It