The Last Kingdom - 04 Sword Song, 05 The Burning Land, 06 Death of Kings
Bernard Cornwell05 King Alfred of Wessex is in failing health, and his heir is an untested youth.The Danes, who have failed so many times to conquer Wessex, smell opportunity! First comes Harald Bloodhair, a savage warrior leading a Viking horde, who is encouraged to cruelty by his woman, Skade. But Alfred still has the services of Uhtred, his unwilling warlord, who leads Harald into a trap and, at Farnham in Surrey, inflicts one of the greatest defeats the Vikings were ever to suffer. That Wessex survived to become England is because men like Uhtred defeated an enemy feared throughout Christendom.
06 King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain to renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.
Uhtred's loyalty - and his and his vows; were to Alfred and not to his son and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon