Aethelflaed was a queen in what is now the midlands of England - known back then as 'Mercia'. It was actually bigger than the Midlands is today and had more going on - castle building, fending off Vikings... all those sorts of things.

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Aethelflaed was not only a queen ruling on behalf of her sick husband, but she championed education and the importance of well-planned towns. She built Stafford Castle and Tamworth Castle, both of which still stand today. Yet she is still notably absent from run-of-the-mill history books, even the 'Women who changed History' type of history books.

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This series was a response to the prompts of Folktale Week 2024, in which we see our heroine setting off on a quest to rescue the bones of Saint Oswald from Viking territory.