So our little ruse succeeded. Thank you.
And while this upstart awaits my arrival in York,
my forces will have arrived in Edinburgh behind him.
You spoke with this Wallace in private?
Tell me, what kind of man is he?
A mindless barbarian, not a king like you, my lord.
You may return to your embroidery.
Humbly, my lord.
You brought back the money, of course.
No, I gave it to ease the suffering of the children of this war.
Ha! That's what happens when you send a woman.
Forgive me, sire. I thought that generosity might demonstrate your greatness to those you mean to rule.
My greatness will be better demonstrated when Wallace returns to Scotland and finds his country in ashes.
William, there's riders approaching.
Personal escort of the princess.
Aye
You must have made an impression.
Nye.
I didn't think you were in the tent that long.
Miss.
A message from my mistress.
Thank you.
It's true. The English ships are moving up from the south. I don't know about the Welsh yet, but the Irish have landed.
I had to see it with me own eyes before I could believe it.
What the hell are the Irish doing fighting with the English?
I wouldn't worry about them. Didn't I tell you before, it's my island.
Hamish, ride ahead to Edinburgh and assemble the council. Order it.
Aye..comeon
Your island?
My island! Yup! Our butts in a bush.
No, please. Gentlemen. Lords, Craig is right. This time our only option is to negotiate.
Not unless you want to see Edinburgh razed to the ground.
My army has marched for more days than I can remember, and we still have preparations to make. So I'll make this plain.
We require every soldier you can summon. Your personal escorts, even yourselves. And we need them now.
With such a force arrayed against us, it is time to discuss other options.
Other options?
Don't you wish at least to lead your men onto the field and barter a better deal with Longshanks before you tuck tail and run?
Sir William.
We cannot defeat this army.
We can.
Sir William.
And we will.
We won at Stirling, and still you quibble.
We won at York and you would not support us.
If you will not stand up with us now then I say you're cowards.
And if you are Scotsmen, I am ashamed to call myself one.
Please, Sir William. Speak with me alone.
I beg you.
Now you've achieved more than anyone ever dreamed,
but fighting these odds it looks like rage, not courage.
It's well beyond rage.
Help me.
In the name of Christ help yourselves. Now is our chance, now.
If we join, we can win. If we win, well then we'll have what none of us have ever had before...
a country of our own.
You are the rightful leader, and there is strength in you. I see it.
Unite us.
Unite us. Unite the clans.
Alright.
Right.
This cannot be the way.
You said yourself, the nobles will not support Wallace.
So how does it help us to join the side that is slaughtered?
I gave him my word.
I know it is hard. Being a leader is.
Now son, son, look at me.
I cannot be king.
You, and you alone can rule Scotland.
What I tell you, you must do.
Not for me, not for yourself, but for your country.
[FALKIRK]
Eh, lads. Make way. Coming through here.
Make way lads. Make--.
The Bruce is not coming, William.
He'll come. Mornay and Lochlan have come.
So will the Bruce.
Quite a lovely gathering.
Wouldn't you agree?
The archers are ready, sire.
Not the archers. My scouts tell me their archers are miles away and no threat to us. Arrows cost money. Use up the Irish.
Their dead cost nothing. And send in the infantry and cavalry.
Infantry, cavalry, advance.
Ah, good to see you this morning.
Irish!
Glad to have you with us. Watch this.
Mornay, Lochlan?
I gave Mornay double his lands in Scotland and matching estates in England. Lochlan turned for much less. Archers.
I beg your pardon, sire. Won't we hit our own troops?
Yes, but we'll hit theirs as well. We have reserves.
Attack.
Archers.
Loose!
Send in our reinforcements.
Send in the rest.
Bring me Wallace.
Alive if possible. Dead, just as good.
Send us news of our victory. Shall we retire?
Protect the king.
Get up! Get up!
Get him out of here.
Jesus!
Go!
I'm dying.
Let me be.
No, you're going to live.
I've lived long enough to live free
proud to see you become the man you are.
I'm a happy man.
I'm the one who's rotting but I think your face looks graver than mine.
Son
we must have alliance with England to prevail here.
You achieved that. You saved your family, increased your land.
In time, you will have all the power in Scotland.
Lands, titles, men, power, nothing.
Nothing?
I have nothing.
Men fight for me, because if they do not, I throw them off my land and I starve their wives and their children.
Those men who bled the ground red at Falkirk,
they fought for William Wallace, and he fights for something that I've never had.
And I took it from him when I betrayed him and I saw it in his face on the battlefield,
and it's tearing me apart.
Well, all men betray. All lose heart.
I don't want to lose heart.
I want to believe as he does.
I will never be on the wrong side again.
There he is. After him!
Lord Craig, is it true about Mornay?
Aye, Wallace rode into his bed chamber and killed him.
More a liability now then ever he was.
And there's no telling who'll be next.
Maybe you,
maybe me.
It doesn't matter.
I'm serious, Robert.
So am I!
Christ! Shit! Search the place.
Lochlan!
William Wallace killed 50 men. 50 as if it was one.
100 men, with his own sword.
Cut through them like
Moses through the Red Sea.
His legend grows. It will be worse than before.
He rallies new volunteers in every Scottish town.
And when he replenishes his numbers, --
They're sheep, mere sheep.
Easily dispersed if we strike the shepherd. Very well.
Take a flock of your finest assassins and set a meeting.
My lord, Wallace is renowned for his ability to smell an ambush.
If what Lord Hamilton tells me is correct, he warmed to our future queen and would trust her.
So we'll dispatch her with the notion that she comes in peace.
My Lord, the princess might be taken hostage, or her life be put in jeopardy.
My son would be most distressed by that.
But in filth, if she were to be killed,
we would soon find the King of France a useful ally against the Scots.
You see, as king, you must find the good in any situation.
It's William Wallace sure.
And he's given up his sword.
Be ready.
My lady.
I received your message.
This is the second time you've warned me of danger.
Why?
There will be a new shipment of supplies coming north next month. Food and weapons, they will travel-- / No, stop.
Why do you help me?
Because of the way you are looking at me now.
Just when we thought all hope was lost, our noble saviors have arrived.
Off with their...hoods!
Sir William, we've come to seek a meeting.
Well, what's the point?
You've all sworn loyalty to Longshanks.
An oath to a liar is no oath at all. Every man of us is ready to swear loyalty to you.
So let the council swear it publicly.
We cannot. Some scarcely believe you are alive. Others think you'll pay them Mornay's wages.
So we bid you to Edinburgh.
Meetus two days from now. Give us your pardon and we'll unite behind you. Scotland will be one.
One? You mean us and you.
No, I mean this.
It's the pledge of Robert the Bruce.
You do know it's a trap. Tell him.
I think if the Bruce wanted to kill you he'd have done it already at Falkirk.
Aye.
I know, I saw.
I ain't leaving him aside. What about the others? The nest of scheming bastards couldn't agree on the color of shite. It's a trap, are you blind?
Look at this...,
We've got to try. We can't do this alone. Joining the nobles is the only hope for our people. You know what happens if we don't take that chance?
What?
Nothing.
I don't want to be a martyr.
Nor I. I want to live. I want a home, and children, and peace.
Do ya?
Aye, I do. I've asked God for these things. It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom.
That's all a dream, William.
A dream? Just a.....? Ha! What we've been doing all this time...
we've lived that dream.
You dream isn't about freedom. It's about Murron. You're doing this to be a hero because you think she sees you.
I don't think she sees me. I know she does. And your father sees you, too.
Jesus?!
Get up. Give us your hand.
Shall I come with you?
No, I'll go alone.
I'll see you after.
Right.
Sooner rather than later, I hope.
He won't come.
He will.
I know he will.
My Lord, he approaches.
NO!
Stay out of it, Robert.
Aah! You lied! Get away! Get away!
The Bruce is not to be harmed. That was the arrangement.
Father!
You rotting bastard. Why?! Why?!
Longshanks acquired Wallace. So did our nobles.
That was the price of your crown.
Die!
I want you to die.
Soon enough I'll be dead. And you'll be king.
I don't want anything from you. You're not a man, and you're not my father.
You are my son, and you have always known my mind.
You deceived me.
You let yourself be deceived. In your heart, you always knew what had to happen here.
At last, you know what it means to hate.
Now you're ready to be king.
My hate will die with you.
William Wallace, you stand in taint of High Treason.
Against whom?
Against your king.
Have you anything to say?
Never in my whole life did I swear allegiance to him.
It matters not. He is your king.
Confess, and you may receive a quick death.
Deny, and you must be purified by pain.
Do you confess?
Then on the morrow you shall receive your purification.
Your Highness.
I will see the prisoner.
We've got orders from the king that no one--
The king will be dead in a month and his son is a weakling.
Who do you think will rule this kingdom?
Now open this door.
Majesty.
Come on filth, up on your feet.
Stop it. Leave me.
I said leave me.
My lady.
Sir,
I come to beg you to confess all and swear allegiance to the king, that he might show you mercy.
Will he show mercy to my country?
Mercy is to die quickly, perhaps even live in a tower. In time, who knows what could happen.
If you can only live?
If I swear to him, then all that I am is dead already.
You will die. It will be awful.
Every man dies, not every man really lives.
Drink this.
It will dull your pain.
No. It will numb my wits, and I must have them all.
For if I'm senseless or if I wail, then Longshanks will have broken me.
I can't bear the thought of your torture.
Take it.
Alright.
I have come to beg for the life of William Wallace.
You're quite taken with him, aren't you.
I respect him.
At worst he was a worthy enemy. Show mercy, O thou great king, and win the respect of your own people.
Even now you are incapable of mercy.
And you.
To you that word is as unfamiliar as love.
Before he lost his powers of speech he told me his one comfort was he would live to know Wallace was dead.
You see, death comes to us all.
But before it comes to you, know this.
Your blood dies with you.
A child who is not of your line grows in my belly.
Your son will not sit long on the throne, I swear it.
I am so afraid.
Give me the strength to die well.
Here he comes!
Now behold the awful price of treason.
You will fall to your knees now.
Declare yourself the king's loyal subject, and beg his mercy,
and you shall have it.
Rope!
Stretch him!
That's it, stretch him!
Pleasant, yes?
Rise to your knees, kiss the royal emblem on my cloak,
and you will feel no more.
Rack him.
Enough?
It can all end, right now. Peace. Bliss. Just say it.
Cry out mercy.
Mercy!....mercy...!
Cry out.
Just say it... Mercy.
Mercy, William, mercy....!
Jesus, now say it.
The prisoner wishes to say a word.
FREEEEE-DOMMMMMM!
After the beheading, William Wallace's body was torn to pieces.
His head was setted on top on London Bridge,
his arms and legs sent to the four corners of Britain as a warning.
It did not have the effect that Longshanks planned.
And I, Robert the Bruce, rode out to pay homage to the armies of the English king
and accept his endorsement of my crown.
I hope you've washed your arse this morning.
It's about to be kissed by a king.
Come. Lets get it over with.
Stop.
You have bled with Wallace,
now bleed with me.
WALLACE, WALLACE, WALLACE, WALLACE. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!
In the year of our Lord 1314, patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields at Bannockburn.
They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen.
And won their freedom.
- The End -