Episode 33

"Oath" (誓い) is the thirty-third overall episode of the Vinland Saga anime and the ninth episode of Season 2, produced by MAPPA.

Synopsis
Thorfinn is caught off guard and knocked unconscious in a fight with the servants. In the midst of this, he had a dream in which he sees his father, Thors, and his arch-enemy, Askeladd. What do they think and say when they see the current Thorfinn?

Summary
Thorfinn wakes up on a beautiful green hills with a young sheep jumping on him. Looking around, he figures that he had a bad dream where his father was killed and he then spend his life on the battlefields, only to become a slave in the end. In reality, Thorfinn is still knocked out by the retainers. Einar keeps on fighting them, wanting to show them that they are not really beneath them. Seeing his fierce eyes, the retainers decide to leave, but warn him that they should expect serious punishment for going this wild.

In his dream, Thorfinn sees his father and decides to tell him about his dream, however Thors states he smells blood and asks Thorfinn who he has killed with that knife. The scenery then changes and young Thorfinn sees that he stabbed young Einar in the neck, after killing his family. Thorfinn and Einar then turn old as Thorfinn holds his body. Thors state that his strength was for his own protection and apologizes as he had many more things to tell him and teach him. Thors apologizes for leaving him, but states he should understand now that he has no enemies, and that no one has enemies. Dead people come out from the ground and grabs Thorfinn. Thors states that there is no one who is okay to hurt. The bodies also grab Thors and as he drops his dagger, the ground opens up and Thorfinn starts to fall.

Eventually Thorfinn manages to grab and edge and stop his fall, right before falls in a pool of blood, where dead vikings are fighting while laughing. Bjorn is among them and he ends up noticing Thorfinn. Askeladd also appears, sitting on top of a column and greets Thorfinn. Askeladd states that Thorfinn never learns and is back here again. Thorfinn wonders if this is Valhalla, but Askeladd states that the afterlife is much nicer place than this. He tells him to look closely and he will see that this place is no different from the world of living. This is the place were all warriors get dumped, there is no end or victory, and everyone here beside yourself is an enemy. Askeladd states that Thorfinn used to live here with them, but for better or worse, he became empty, which is why he was able to escape this place. Thorfinn states he is still a warrior as he punches someone in his rage, which is why he is back here. Askeladd then points him out that dead bodies are piling up and trying to reach Thorfinn. As he attempts to kick them, Askeladd suggest that he try listen their complain and if he looks closely, they are all people he had killed.

Thorfinn sees that one of them is crying. He stops resisting and lets them grab him. He then states that he can't remember their faces, or when and where he killed them. Thorfinn then cries himself and apologizes. Dead archers then start shooting arrows at him. Askeladd then jumps down and attacks the archers. He tells Thorfinn that there is no time to cry or he will fall down there again. He needs to start climbing, even if the bodies keep hanging off him. This is his battle. He needs to take the people he killed with him and become a true warrior. Thorfinn then starts climbing up and in that moment he wakes up with his arms raised.

Thorfinn realizes this was a dream. He sees Einar collapsed and goes to check him. Einar then tells him they won the fight. The two head home with Einar stating they are in a bad situation, but seeing Thorfinn punching that guy felt satisfying. Thorfinn cries and tells Einar that he had killed many people, some of who were like Einar's family against who he had no grudges, and today he hit another person. However, he intends this to end now as Thorfinn decides to never hurt anyone again. Thorfinn wants to be reborn and atone for what he had done. Einar doesn't understand him, but states he hears him.

Ketil informs the retainers that Einar and Thorfinn won't be punished. The retainers are angry, but Ketil shows them a coat button that Pater found this morning on the ravaged farm. He then asks Trygve where is his coat he always wears. Ketil then states that the farm was ravaged by wild boars and there was no fight between the slaves and the retainers. This is the story they will be going with. As the retainers leave, Pater thanks Ketil. Ketil states that Pater is quite a strong man and isn't afraid of them turning against him. Pater states he has been through a lot, as he is a former slave.

Characters in order of appearance

 * Thorfinn
 * Einar
 * Thors Snorresson (dream)
 * Bjorn (dream)
 * Askeladd (dream)
 * Ketil
 * Pater
 * Sverkel