The might of West Seax and Mierce stretched out behind us in the form of our elite fyrd. the enemy had sailed from Dublin, from the Western Isles, and from Strathclyde to form a vast fleet. So, it was a comfort to have such men at our backs.
We needed reassurance because yesterday afternoon our plans became confounded. An abrupt change of direction forced us to think again. We were sure the Norse invasion would come through the well-worn Danish route of the five boroughs to the east. But we had reckoned without the cunning of Olaf Gofraidsson. We knew he intended to reclaim his ‘birthright,’ the ‘kingdom of Jorvik,’ which he maintains Athelstan stole from his father. Why would we expect an attack from the west? Owing to the foresight of Aethelflaed and her network of informants, we receiv
