Book 3, Chapter 51: Dust To Dust
On the topic of the Red King, Mac Bethad mac Findlaích, the man is primarily notable in terms of the legacy he left behind, as opposed to his immediate actions. Even his apologists, of whom he has few, admit that their primary defense of the man is to plead ignorance and lack of awareness on his part of the possible outcomes of his deeds, for the facts are indisputable in how the Red King's legacy was, on the whole, a negative one. He fomented wars and mistrust, attempted to cripple and attack out of needless suspicion and fear, and many of his deeds directly led to an escalation of conflict.
One area of argument is the point that, if not for his actions, the Norse Reformation might not have happened, as he spread the seeds of conflict that began to sprout the year after his death, seeds from which the Norse Reformation sprang. However, even among those Norse adherents who subscribe to this viewpoint, the sore point remains in how much his behavior was antithetical to their faith's teachings. And his actions also helped accelerate Berk's territorial growth, by setting Harthacnut the Dane upon his perceived foe, as well as other such actions that stemmed from his time.
But, ultimately, he failed in his goals. Alba became an integral and important province of Berk's territory, and eventually became a core component of the North Sea Empire in the coming years. His family line ended with him, and his stepson never ruled. All the Red King arguably succeeded in doing, in the end, was adding to the casualty counts of the coming wars that he helped spark and escalate, and adding a morality lesson for parents and entertainers on the costs of baseless suspicion, and how such things can spiral into chaos and death.
—A History Of The Isles, Oxford, England, 1591
Tropes that appear in this chapter:
- Cliffhanger: The final scene of the chapter is a summit of the Thengills in the Northern region of the world, with one, Furious, brother of the Green Death, advocating for either eradication or enslavement of humans in response to the humans enslaving them.
- Damned by Faint Praise: In the future, the best defence Mac Bethad's apologists can come up with is that he was ignorant of the consequences of his actions.
- Defiant to the End: Kormak, after being given an offer of employment by Drago, rejects it emphatically, spits at him and gets killed for it. As he dies, he laughs.
- Elective Monarchy: The remaining Mormaers of Alba agree to table a vote to be held in four years time to decide who will succeed Fergus as King of Alba from among the claimants, Fergus' sons, Máel Coluim, or Lulach. The epigraph mentions that Lulach never ruled though, so he evidently never became king as a result of that future vote.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: As tyrannical as Fire-Hunger was, her brother, Furious, mourns her death and wishes vengeance on those that killed her.
- Evil Can Not Comprehend Good: Part of the reason Rodhlaug flees is because of the fear that Berk will treat her how her father treated his prisoners even though Berk is not like her father.
- Go Out with a Smile: Kormak dies with a smile on his face.
- Heinz Hybrid: When Stormfly, Mistletoe and Fearless' eggs hatch, Fearless's child is a Skrill while Mistletoe's just looks like a Razorwhip with black-tinted armour, while Stormfly's child is a Night Fury with hints of blue in its scales.
- Improperly Paranoid: Discussed. The epigraph mentions that Mac Bethad becomes a morality story on how baseless suspicion can spiral into chaos and death.
- Killed Off for Real: Kormak is killed by the Pechenegs for spitting at Drago.
- Morton's Fork: When Valka tries to stop Furious' idea of enslaving humans from gaining ground, Furious responds that she could either help them, or be killed and they'll go ahead and enslave humans anyway, with more people dying without Valka to act as translator.
- Mythology Gag: Furious speech when he first advocates destroying humanity is the dragon-rebellion chant from the book series, adapted for how dragons talk in this story.
- Offered the Crown: In the aftermath of Mac Bethad's death, the two strongest claimants for his titles are Máel Coluim, who is too young, and Lulach, who is too tainted in the aftermath of his stepfather's crimes. For that reason, the crown of Alba is given to Fergus as regent.
- Related in the Adaptation: Neither the Green Death from the movies nor Furious from the books had any known blood-relatives. Here, they're siblings.
- The Reveal: Savage was the one who hired the pirates who raided Heather's village, albeit with the intent to kill her instead of selling her off as a thrall.
- Sacred Hospitality: The surviving Mormaers of Alba are not happy to learn of Mac Bethad's crimes, with special emphasis on the crime of violating hospitality to do an ambush.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Rodhlaug flees Alba once Berk starts to move in.
- This Is My Human: Played for Drama. Furious derogatorily calls Valka Good-Cold's "pet walker", which highlights the fact that she's a prisoner who's not allowed to return home.
- This Means War!: Having a predisposed hatred of humanity, and with the perception that all humans have started enslaving dragons, and upset at the death of his sister at the hands of humans, Furious begins advocating for either wiping out or enslaving humans in response.
- Wham Episode: There are a lot of major developments in this chapter:
- The Nest Lord of the Black Sea Nest allies with Theodora and the Byzantines in response to the Pechenegs enslaving her subjects and brings her remaining subjects and eggs to them.
- Dagur abdicates his position as Mormaer in favour of Heather and the Agreeables faction of the Berserkers support her.
- Fergus becomes regent of Alba with a plan for the Albans to hold a vote in four years time for them to decide who will be their permanent Ruler from among the claimants.
- It turns out Drago and the Pechenegs have captured over three-thousand dragons from the Black Sea Nest.
- The eggs on Berk hatch, and Toothless' and Mistletoe's egg hatches into a Razorwhip, Toothless' and Stormfly's egg hatches into a Night Fury, and Fearless' egg hatches into a Skrill.
- Viggo finds a Dragon Nest on Ninguaria, Canariae Insulae, right where Pliny said they were in his millennium-old works.
- Taskill is captured and Heather begins questioning him.
- The Green Death has a brother named Furious, and he advocates enslaving humans in response to humans enslaving dragons.
- Villainous Legacy: The epigraph mentions that the legacy Mac Bethad left behind is a negative one with his machinations surviving him. He may be dead, but he planted the seeds for future conflicts. By having Mildew enthrall dragons, Mac Bethad caused many Thengills to start banding together to attack humans while the epigraph mentions that the conflicts that led to the Norse Reformation was also partially his fault.
- Worthy Opponent: Drago orders that Kormak be buried with honours as he respects the other man's courage even if he was an enemy.
