"No man knew how many men died that day, how many swords painted with blood, or how many carriages that will clean up the battlefield as a maid cleans up her king's meal. However, when Alfred, last true king of Wessex was dragged on his knees before Guthrum, the hell-sworn Danish usurper, his single swing will end an era, a land ruled by true nobility turned to a land where Lindisfarne's cries would be heard til the next age arrives." - Asser (biographer of King Alfred)
King Alfred of Wessex
1. The Fall of Alfred (878 - 879 AD)
When Guthrum dethroned King Alfred of Wessex on January 878 AD, Alfred and his followers took to the Sommerset marshes for hiding. As time pasted, the nobility soon began approving Guthrum's claim. However, loyal soldiers of Alfred's army constantly attacked nobles who saw coin more valuable than their king, and before that, they were raiding camps for supplies. Guthrum was still facing issues unifying the entire Wessex territory, but when news came around that Alfred was assembling an army at Egbert's Stone, Guthrum leaped for the chance to crush the last of the Anglo-Saxon kings, to end an era and to secure his conquered realm.
- - -
The armies of Guthrum and Alfred approached one another, meeting at Edington. A man howled an insult about Alfred and "his crown of the mud". His comrades laughed. Then another insult from the other side, calling the men of Denmark sons of fish. Both sides flared, but a pair of soldiers in the fourth row fighting for Guthrum begin speaking to one another.
"Oh Eiríkr, hasn't Odin given us such honorable battle to join Valhalla?" Rolf said next to his brother, Eiríkr. Rolf had always been most like their father, ever since he was born, eager to die in battle and enter Valhalla, not attached to this world and waiting for the next.
"Of course Rolf, today shall be glory no matter our fate my brother," Eiríkr replied, javelin in hand before he faced the front lines. His helmet shined to perfection, always having an urge to clean the blood off my weapons and armor, which was why most of his comrades gave him the title "Cleansteel".
"Shields up! Shields up!" a soldier howled before being cut down by a javelin to the belly. Instinct took over, and in a few moments, the two brothers could feel the bumping of thunder hitting their round shields. Guthrum's army returned the gift with their own, even prying the javelins from their shields when running out. As men marched forward, so did the brothers. Eiríkr turned his head to see Rolf still in the action. He sighed with relief.
However, before the thump of war could be heard before them, the army halted. Eiríkr tapped the man in front of him and motioned what was going on, I remembered his name. "Gunnar."
"Some wildy commander of Alfred's wasn't taught discipline," the man across from Gunnar grumbled. "This battle is already won, I can already see much of Alfred's marsh army following the fool. So far, they look like a line of twigs."
"Bet the other commanders' orders are being flooded out by the cries of glory," Gunnar joked, striking his shield with his axe.
"Shieldwall!"
The brothers took two strides forward, as the men of Guthrum readied their shield wall. A final wave of javelins before the first wave of men came in, and they became the horde with no need of numbers. The enemy clumped up so much at the battle-line that no matter where our front line hit, it hit. The first man of Guthrum's men fell to the ground, Harald. He was to have his second child soon after May ended.
Then, the brothers waited. For nearly an hour, as Rolf's and Eiríkr columns stood strong, men began to fall every bunch of moments. Rolf was already in the fighting, and it soon became Gunnar's turn on the front line. Then after Gunnar, it was Eiríkr.
Much time passed as the two sides hacked down the other, with many Danes dying to gain a favorable position. Then, a opening laid in front of Eiríkr. Men swarmed inside splitting Alfred's army into two, and as rumors sprung on the other side that Alfred had abandoned them, it was soon where the remaining army of Alfred broke.
As the victorious army swarmed the enemy cutting them down. Eiríkr did not see Rolf. He looked left and right, then down to his feet. Soon, Eiríkr found him laying on the ground, a spear lodged into his neck. Silent grief filled him. "See you in Valhalla brother."
- - -
With a premature attack made by one of Alfred's commanders, the army of Alfred was defeated and scattered, but not without a cost. The king himself was caught by Guthrum's men as he was fleeing, brought before Guthrum, and was killed, with Alfred likely cut down by Guthrum. With the former king of Wessex dead, eastern lords submitted to Guthrum's rule. Guthrum would travel to East Anglia to assert his conquered claims, and eastern Wessex dependencies swore fealty to Guthrum in exchange for autonomy, which Guthrum agreed to. Many Danes found this idiotic for Guthrum to agree to, wishing to just replace the Anglo-Saxon rulers with Danish ones.
Either way soon afterwards, Guthrum is proclaimed King of the Kingdom of Guthrum, later to be known as the Kingdom of Wessex & East Anglia after his death. The north of his realm would stretch from the coast of East Anglia to Chippenham, having a chunk of eastern Wessex under his control as well. For the lands of west Wessex, they would fall into multiple duchies and petty kingdoms, their fate looking grim as the Danish kingdoms corner them.
The Kingdom of Guthrum (Kingdom of Wessex & East Anglia)
Sources:
The Danelaw - Alfred vs Guthrum - Extra History - #1 (by Extra Credits)
Battle of Edington |Summary (by Simon Adams, Britannica)
WI: Guthrum beat Alfred The Great at the Battle of Edington? (thanks to all the cool people who helped out!)