The Last Kingdom Season 3 Episode 3 Recap – Episode 3

Aldhelm quietly makes his way into the room of Lady Aethelflaed in her estate. He covers her mouth with one hand as he holds a dagger in the other. He tells the lady to be quiet and to listen to him.

As soon as Aldhelm lets go of her, Aethelflaed grabs a sword and points it at him. Aldhelm tells the lady that she has to leave Mercia because her husband wants her dead. He says Aethelred will have the lady killed and will blame the rogues for it.

Aethelflaed refuses to believe him knowing he is her husband’s commander. But, Aldhelm says he knows Mercia will be poorer without the lady of Mercia. He says that though Aethelred is a good warrior, he is not the king he expected him to be, nor he is the husband that the lady deserved. Aethelflaed thinks of going to her father, but Aldhelm tells her not to. He says the alliance should not alter.

The king is getting weaker, times are changing, and Uhtred has left to go to the north as a traitor. Aethelflaed doesn’t want to believe that Uhtred will break his oath but decides she will follow Aldhelm’s advice and leave her estate. Before she leaves with her guards, she leaves a letter to her servant, Sable. She tells her to deliver the letter to Father Beocca. Then she and her guards depart to go to the nunnery at Wincelcumb.

When the assassin arrives at Aethelflaed’s estate he doesn’t find a single person there. Aethelred accuses the assassin of betraying him and letting his wife flee, so he kills him. Then he tells Aldhlem to look for the lady and then inform any Dane about her whereabouts. 

In Winchester, King Alfred has asked Father Beocca to look for a suitable match for prince Edward. The king’s wife, Lady Aelswith, tells the priest that it is not the daughter they are picking, but the father. She tells him to pick Lord Aethelhelm, an Ealdorman with wealth and a fyrd of more than a thousand men.

However, they soon find out from the bishop that the prince is already married. The bishop says the prince told him about it. Alfred gets angry and says Edward’s wife will be dealt with. And then he sends Edward to pray with the bishop until the prince realizes that being a king is not a choice but a duty.

After he prays, King Alfred tells Father Beocca that Coccham is no longer Uhtred’s estate, so his children can no longer live there. He tells the priest to have the children brought to Winchester, arrange for their welfare and education, and then introduce them to God. Sable arrives and delivers the letter to Father Beocca. She asks the priest not to tell anything to the king because that is the wish of the lady Aethelflaed.

In Dundholm, Ragnar is having fun with his men. He and Uhtred are playing games in the middle of the night when a group of men arrives at the gates of the fortress. It was Bloodhair, Haesten, and Aethelwold. They say they are tired and are only looking for a place to rest. Brida says they can’t refuse the visitors and so they let them in.

Uhtred immediately confronts Aethelwold. He asks Aethelwold what he is doing in the north with the Danes, instead of being in Winchester. Aethelwold admits that he wants to take back the throne because it’s supposed to be his.

Skade tells Uhtred that she wants to be a part of his life. She says that Uhtred should take Alfred’s place and be king, and she will be his queen. Skade remains imprisoned in a cell. Bloodhair walks into the cell and catches the two talking so close. He tells Uhtred that Skade is his woman. He says he will kill Uhtred if that is what he has to do. To taunt Bloodhair even more, Uhtred kisses Skade.

Bloodhair goes to Ragnar and asks for permission to fight Uhtred in a duel. Ragnar tells him that it is not the time for them to fight so he cannot allow it. Then they talk about attacking Mercia, Wessex, and then killing Alfred. Uhtred says they should be one army with Ragnar as their leader. He says Ragnar is the only one they all trust. So, Ragnar says he will be happy to lead the army if everyone agrees with it.

Bloodhair, Haesten, Cnut, and  Aethelwold all give their word to Ragnar. When Brida asks Uhtred if he thinks the same, Uhtred says his sword is Ragnar’s. Uhtred’s men, however, are worried because all of their friends and families are in Wessex. They tell Uhtred that the battle cannot and should not happen. Finan tells Uhtred that they should just head to Bebbanburg. 

Father Beocca leaves Winchester with Thyra. They travel to Dunholm but lie about the reason why they came. Thyra says she came because she wants to see her brother and Father Beoccca is only accompanying her. The priest says he is also there to deliver King Alfred’s message that Uhtred is formally banished from Wessex.

Father Beocca sees Haesten on the road and meets Aethelwold in Dunholm, so his suspicion only grows stronger. He tells Uhtred that Aethelflaed is the one who sent him. He says that the lady is hiding in a nunnery because her husband wants to kill her. Then, the priest asks if Aethelwold arrived at Dunholm alone. Uhtred replies that Aethelwold arrived with both Bloodhair and Haesten. So the priest reveals that Aethelwold paid a visit first to the lady’s husband, Aethelred, before coming to Dunholm.

Father Beocca is now assuming that the battle will put Aethelwold on the king’s throne. Uhtred says the safety of the lady Aethelflaed is not his concern because she has the king and her own guards. Father Beocca reminds Uhtred that he is sworn to the lady, and he had promised to come to her aid if ever she needs help. And then the priest says the lady is now releasing Uhtred from that oath. She only asks him to come and save her because Uhtred is the person she trusts the most. 

Uhtred confronts Aethelwold and asks him what he told Aethelred. Aethelwold says he asked the lord to cause division, and chaos and also suggested that he kill his wife. Uhtred wants to kill Aethelwold so he asks for Ragnar’s permission. But, Ragnar only tells him to ignore Aethelwold.

Aethelwold tells everyone in the hall that Uhtred will desert the army they have created to save the lady Aethelflaed. Ragnar asks Uhtred in front of all the warriors if he is with them or against them. Uhtred says he will be leaving to save a princess though he will not go to Wessex. Ragnar tells Uhtred that they are no longer brothers and that Uhtred should leave before Ragnar kills him.

Thyra tries to stop Ragnar, but he has already made up his mind. Bloodhair says Skade belongs to him and Uhtred can’t take her. By Bloodhair’s request, Ragnar says Uhtred and Bloodhair will fight to the death and the winner will have Skade. 

Our Thoughts:

This is the only time when Uhtred’s men questioned his actions. They always fight beside him in any battle. But this time, they made it clear that they don’t want to be part of the army that will attack Wessex. They can’t even go back to Coccham because that is no longer Uhtred’s estate.

We know that Uhtred was also having second thoughts about whether he wanted to be a part of his brother’s army. He has served Alfred all his life, and now, he will attack everything that Alfred has built. We can assume that it was more difficult for Uhtred to say no to Ragnar because everyone was waiting for him to take his brother’s side. Father Beocca and Thyra arrived just in time. Will King Alfred finally forgive Uhtred if Uhtred will save the king’s daughter? We doubt.

Aldhelm informing Aethelflaed that she is about to be killed is unexpected. Aldhelm has always been loyal to his lord. This is the first time he betrayed him. It is also the first time he admitted that Aethelred is not the king he expected him to be. And his decision to save the lady’s life has caused changes in the lives of different people.