England - 957Two brothers. One kingdom.Unease runs deep within the newly formed England, the young figurehead of the Wessex kingdom, King Eadwig, doing all he can to disadvantage the ancient kingdoms of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria, (the kingdoms north of the Thames) so that Wessex and Kent can flourish, at the expense of the newer additions to the core kingdoms of ancient England.But the nobility of Mercia, East Anglia and Northumbria, only recently united with Wessex, have no qualms about separating their kingdom once more, and placing another on the throne, who has their best interests at heart. Edgar, Eadwig's brother, has been raised in the heartlands of the Northern Territories, by a man so powerful he's earned the nickname of 'Half-King', and Edgar has that special talent that his own brother has failed to grasp; he's beloved of the people.As the popular movement, headed by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Oda and Athelstan Half-King proclaims Edgar, King of Mercia and King North of the River Thames, there's nothing that King Eadwig, can do, except decry the grabbing hands of the nobility of Wessex, the men and women who've counseled him so badly, and accept the division. But the divided kingdom of England stands open to attack once more, the Scots to the North, led by King Ildulb, the diverse Welsh kingdoms to the West, where the sons of Hywel Dda vie for power, and of course, the Viking raiders to the east, never quiet and now raiding the Scots kingdom under the command of King Hakon of Norway. Can a fragmented England survive?(This can also be read as a short prequel to The First Queen of England - the story of Elfrida, the first Queen of England.)