If Only Alcuin Knew...

In 793, the heathen men we know as vikings attacked and pillaged the holy island of Lindisfarne, starting off one of the darkest ages known in human history, the Viking Age. As a Frankish scribe, Alcuin, famously said, "Never before has such terror appeared in Britain as we have now suffered from a pagan race..." After a series of continuous raids in Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and England, the VIkings had had enough with raiding. After the death of legendary Swede, Ragnarr Lothbrok, his sons Ubba, Ivar, Halfdan, Sigurd, and Bjorn had visited England once more. But this time to conquer. The brothers conquered East Anglia and then York from King Ælla and King Osbert of Northumbria in 865 A.D. From there, the Great Heathen Army had arrived, mopping up what remained of Northumbria. Northumbria had fallen much like there kings and Mercia followed soon after, the vikings taking control after the arrival of Great Summer Army under the leadership of Bacsecg. Around this time, only Ivar, Halfdan, and Ubba had stayed in Britain, while the other two carved up their stories in Sweden and Denmark. Besides, Mercia had fallen and the last remaining independent kingdom was Wessex. After the Battle of Ashdown where the West Saxons had delayed the impending Danish army, one of the Danish warlords would get the closest to conquering the lat kingdom. Guthrum had Wessex on the tips of his fingers before witnessing a lost at Edington, allowing Wessex to survive in the future and later create the renown Kingdom of England. But what if Guthrum had conquered Wessex? If only Alcuin knew...