I am enjoying the hell out of the Swedish movie/mini-series (not sure which) Arn the Knight Templar, based on a trilogy by Jan Guillou. Set in the 12th-century, our protagonist Arn is a son of a noble Swedish family who is punished for loving the wrong woman by being ordered to do penance and fight as a Knight Templar for 20 years before he can return. (She is punished by being stuck in a convent for 20 years. This thing can serve as an abstinence lesson bar none). So now Arn must survive in the Holy Land until he can return home and find Cecilia again. The story deals with politics of Sweden in the 12th century (short version - civil war! civil war for everyone!) and the Crusaders' fight against Saladin.
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In the middle of it all are Arn and Cecilia, tragic lovers who learn the lesson, respectively, that (a) If you are childhood BFFs with Canute I and help him in the fight to get the throne back from the Sverker family, the Sverkers will try to make your life miserable by locking up your girl in a convent and sending you off to probably die in the Holy Land and (2) since there is only enough dowry for one, your sister will do anything so she will be married and not you, even if it includes wrecking your life and lying about mortal sins. Oh, and generally, life in 1100s sucks.
They are totally cute:
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Yeah, enjoy this happy moment, you ain't getting many!
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He finds her as she is about to be dragged off to the convent and promises her to come back for her, and she gives him her cross as a keepsake. And then she gets dragged off...
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He asks his monastic instructors about how can it be God's will that he killed men and is praised for it but for loving he is punished. 12th century is really not the time for a crisis of faith, especially as you are being shipped off to the Crusades, you poor thing!
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And here they are, separate but still sexy:
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Oh, and this is my favorite secondary character, Knut (Canute I), who my husband has christened 'Emo Kid' and I cannot unsee it now. I love him in his Goth glory:
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Where I am at with the story, poor Arn is about to be sent off to the Holy Land. Look on the bright side, kid! At least it will be warm!
Have a shippy MV:
In the middle of it all are Arn and Cecilia, tragic lovers who learn the lesson, respectively, that (a) If you are childhood BFFs with Canute I and help him in the fight to get the throne back from the Sverker family, the Sverkers will try to make your life miserable by locking up your girl in a convent and sending you off to probably die in the Holy Land and (2) since there is only enough dowry for one, your sister will do anything so she will be married and not you, even if it includes wrecking your life and lying about mortal sins. Oh, and generally, life in 1100s sucks.
They are totally cute:
Yeah, enjoy this happy moment, you ain't getting many!
He finds her as she is about to be dragged off to the convent and promises her to come back for her, and she gives him her cross as a keepsake. And then she gets dragged off...
He asks his monastic instructors about how can it be God's will that he killed men and is praised for it but for loving he is punished. 12th century is really not the time for a crisis of faith, especially as you are being shipped off to the Crusades, you poor thing!
And here they are, separate but still sexy:
Oh, and this is my favorite secondary character, Knut (Canute I), who my husband has christened 'Emo Kid' and I cannot unsee it now. I love him in his Goth glory:
Where I am at with the story, poor Arn is about to be sent off to the Holy Land. Look on the bright side, kid! At least it will be warm!
Have a shippy MV: