friends. my wife is with child, my heart tells me it is a boy. i want him to grow old in a land where all of us, all the tribes: pict, celt, angle, jute, saxon are at peace. this island has not known unity since the romans left. that is why i sign this treaty.
perhaps, wictred, because your last attempt to form an alliance without the knowledge of half the barons in this room has failed.
but you.
your husband?
oh sister i am so sorry.
a whole generation of men.
tristan. son of aragon. were his family now.
rebuild.
dont hold back
still won't fight?
when would you strike?
they are hoping you'll do that. on horse they outnumber us two to one. you would lead the men straight to their deaths.
donnchadh would like that even more. me to lose face in front of the other tribes. no, we must act. we must be decisive but we cannot act alone.
so. have the good men of york come to fight with us? hm? the saxons of wessex?
then why are you here?
they are one day from their boats on the old roman road. now who will ride out with tristan to fight them?
tristan?
did i love him like a son or did i misuse him for my own purposes?
donnchadh. he has offered his daughter and the lands of lyonesse as dowry to whichever english tribe wins. it is a clever way of setting us against each other.
for yourself you mean.
so be it.
ah, melot, melot, melot. you are my blood and you are a noble presence but.
how? how?
a toast! tristan! back from the dead.
what?
i fail to see how fighting with our partners keeps us allies.
if we win. if we lose we could end up following wictred. id need an infallible champion!
you are not yet healed.
what is the source of this fervour?
what if shes a hag? or maybe she wont have me!
isolde? welcome.
youre trembling. you are far from home and i am a stranger still. but you mustnt fear me. my wish is to make you happy, as a wife.  as a women and hopefully one day, the fact that i am not whole will not offend you.
thats pretty. did you make it?
ive never seen him like this before.
welcome bands of anglia, rothgar and orick. wessex: kaye and wictred.
it does. on the next full moon, all will attend.
bearing that in mind, and given the instabilities of our new land i shall be naming a second. my sister has raised one, capable of guiding you if the need should arise. he is a man of passion, fierce in battle who has learnt to tame his heart with his head. i give you tristan of aragon.
for the first time since the romans, this country stands united.
you no longer sleep at dor, and now you dont want to be my second. do you find no comfort in your home? these stone walls that you helped build?
why?
ever since you were a boy you sacrificed everything for me. all for one dream. now that you reached that dream, it is natural that you would feel some loss. it doesnt matter if you want to be second. you are. i will only be king if you are my second. id put it more gently if i could.
perhaps it is time that you took a wife!
cant live alone forever.
isolde. i was trying to explain to tristan the importance of loving. it seems he might live without it.
good. very good! come, we will be late!
the warriors ride out on the full moon. it is an old ritual. i shall miss you tonight.
nothing but for my pride.
where is isolde?
i didnt ask you were you were. your heart is beating so fast.
isolde. is there anything i can do to make you happier. i want to make you happy.
tristan? can i speak with you? is it possible.  do you think a man blinded by love.  is it possible that that man might not see treachery right in front of him?
perhaps you could follow her. i cant ask anyone else. i know. i know what you think – im acting like a child. normally i can read faces, but with hers i feel like.  i can't be objective. shes so delicate.
oh.  i do. terribly. i didnt know how empty i was. she sustains me, she thrills me. and when i see this ring, it is a ring of thorns.
 if you say so.
you bring an entourage?
my nephew, merlot of cornwall
indeed.
tristan! seems i worried for nothing.
thats right, you have never danced with isolde before!
i could still teach you a thing or two, dancing being one of them.
is something the matter?
of course.
we honour it. in half a night. ride out! wheres tristan?
isolde? there is someone.  no.
seize him. seize him.
i came to apologise. ive been selfish arrogantly thinking that perhaps id given enough. at least enough to merit if not your love then at least your respect. you have a home. a kingdom. why was it not enough? tell me. tell me! you do not know what you have done! everything is destroyed, everything! all because you did not have enough. shes loyal to you i am sure of it. you bloodsucker. what could it had been had i not stretched out my hand to save your life. how i curse that day, how i curse it. and so be with your defence. then i will go complete your punishment, donnchadh marches on us as we speak.
how long?
get the livestock and fuel undercover. put some archers on the ramparts.
and you stay?
they are waiting.
follow me!
hes trying to lower the bridge
give me your shield, were pinned down!
tristan!
no, hes with us!
tristan!
tristan! how did you get here?
in the bowls of the keep.
will you always be little men, who cannot see what was and could be again? there is no middle ground! so slay us or slay him!
bring her.
i must heed their call, i am the king.