Vikings: Valhalla season 3 episode 2 starts with the Varangians streaming into the Syracuse citadel. Emperor Romanos (Nikolai Kinski) offers a deal to the Emir (Christian Vit) to save his people from slaughter. If the Emir hands over the citadel peacefully, Romanos will let the people go.
But the Emir counters. He says an army is coming from Cairo that will stop Romanos' and save the citadel. It's a bluff, and both leaders know it. The Emir then offers a one-on-one fight, with the winner taking the citadel. The Emir says he will fight for his people, and Romanos names Harald (Leo Suter) his champion. Mariakes (Florian Munteanu) isn't happy about this, upset he wasn't chosen to fight for the glory of Rome and Christianity.
Who will win, and what else happens in Vikings: Valhalla season 3? Read on to find out.
More than a hangover
In Jomsborg, Freydis (Frida Gustavsson) wakes up to find Stigr (Leander Vyvey) has started young Harald's (Luke Harmon) fight training. But Harald isn't feeling well. He tells Freydis he feels dizzy and she sends him to bed to rest.
In the community square the residents of Jomsborg are cleaning up after the feast. Hrefna (Amalia Holm) appears, looking upset and unwell. She needs water for Kolr who is very sick. When she brings the water back to their home she screams. Kolr is white, sweating and convulsing.
Stigr examines Kolr and asks what he had to eat while Freydis runs to check on Harald. One of the cooks shows Stigr the community kitchen and tells him they hunt or grow all their food except for flour, which they get from Kattegat. When Stigr examines the bag of flour he finds mushrooms in it. The flour from Kattegat was poisoned.
Stigr says there is a remedy for the illness, if he can find it. He runs off to find the plant as the entire community falls deathly ill, including Freydis and Harald.
A visitor arrives in Kattegat
Magnus Olafsson (Set Sjostrand) arrives in Kattegat with a group of priests. He's come to seek the permission of Svein (Jakob Femerling Andersen), the son of King Canute, and his mother Queen Ælfgifu (Pollyanna McIntosh) to put a religious shrine to his father in Kattegat.
One miracle has already been attributed to his father. If a second one occurs at the shrine the Pope will declare him to be Saint Olaf, the first canonized Viking. Queen Ælfgifu is suspicious, because her son Svein is the only thing standing between Magnus and the throne right now.
Magnus feasts with Svein and the Queen. The shrine isn't all that Magnus wants; he also wants an introduction to Freydis, to negotiate the return of his father's bones, which currently lie in Jomsborg. Freydis was the one who killed Magnus' father. She returned Svein to the Queen in exchange for peace between Jomsborg and Kattegat.
Later that night, a merchant who sold the poisoned flour brings Magnus a sword from Jomsborg. The merchant reveals was the otne Magnus hat gave him the poisoned flour to trade with Jomsborg.
While all this is happening, Stigr finds the plant and hands out the remedy in Jomsborg. Kolr and several others die, but Stigr does save Freydis and Harald. However, Magnus is now on his way to Jomsborg.
The fight for the Citadel
In Syracuse, Harald prepares to fight the Emir. Leif is worried Harald won't take the risk seriously and will end up getting killed. But Harald reassures Leif he's ready.
In a tense fight, the Emir draws first blood, cutting Harald badly on his arm. When the Emir lunges at Harald, the Vikings drives a short sword through his armpit into his heart, killing him. Harald has won Syracuse for Romanos, and riches for himself. Maniakes is not happy, because he was not the one to achieve this feat.
At the Varangian camp, the soldiers pick over their plunder. Leif heads for the library of the citadel, looking for a special book and a map. A soldier sees Leif's tent and points it out to Mariakes. Mariakes goes inside and sees Leif's drawings, plans for a trebuchet and explosive powder. He forms a plan.
Don't underestimate the queen
In Rome, Emma (Laura Berlin) tries to intercede for Canute (Bradley Freegard) with the Pope (Paul Ward), but the Cardinal (Cosimo Fusco) insists all communications go through him. Emma, savvy queen that she is, reveals in her audience with the Cardinal and the Pope that the Cardinal took a bribe from Godwin (David Oakes) for access to the Pope. The Cardinal is furious.
Later, Emma and Canute get their audience with the Pope, without the Cardinal. Godwin tries to delay until the Cardinal arrives, but the Pope tells Godwin to translate instead. Emma has a special gift brought in for the Pope in an ornate box as an offering of friendship to show how valuable a Viking friend can be to the Church. It's the Cardinal's head. Godwin is visibly shaken, but Emma and Canute secure the deal with the Pope they wanted.
Broken promises
While Leif is in the library trying to find the map he wants, Maniakes and a group of soldiers enter the citadel, barring all the doors and gates. He launches trebuchets loaded with explosive powder into the square from outside the gates, made from the plans in Leif's tent. Then the Roman soldiers fire lit arrows into the square. The people inside the citadel burn to death, horribly, breaking Romanos promise that residents wouldn’t be harmed. Leif is also in trouble trapped inside as the episode ends.
All episodes of Vikings: Valhalla season 3 are now available to stream on Netflix.
