Anne

Anne is the sole survivor of a Mercian village whose inhabitants were massacred by Askeladd's band in December 1013. The Vikings were attempting to reach the Danelaw while escorting Canute, but were caught by winter and forced to seek shelter.

Appearance
Anne is a teenage girl with medium colored hair that reaches past her shoulders. She has a tendency to blush when under emotion. She wore a long sleeved white tunic over which was a dark, sleeveless dress with patterns at the shoulders. When she left her village she had an apron over this outfit in addition to a short, hooded mantle. On her visit to the market she wore a long sleeved medium colored tunic and apron.

Personality
Having grown up in a Christian household, Anne is very religious and has a tendency to speak to God in her thoughts or out loud. However she succumbed to temptation by stealing a ring that she saw when visiting the market, and despite being conflicted after hearing about hell and the day of reckoning, could not bear herself to throw away the ring.

History
While visiting the market one day, Anne saw a ring at a merchant's stall and was so taken by it that she stole it. She afterwards kept it hidden in a tree hollow near her home.

In December 1013, Anne was admiring the ring on her finger while questioning how she could live her life purely when her mother called her in to help set up for dinner. After the family said their prayers and began the meal, her younger brother questioned the need for prayer. After her father mentioned hell and the day of reckoning, she voiced her thoughts on the latter. She excused herself and went out after hearing that the day would come in 20 years.

Anne was conflicted on what to do but went back to admire the ring again. After thinking that she would not be the only member of her family to go to heaven, she tried to throw the ring away but was unable to. At that moment, she saw Bjorn and several Vikings about to raid her family's house and heard Father Willibald attempt to warn the villagers. Anne watched from a distance as Askeladd's men gathered all the villagers together outside and subsequently massacred them.



In shock, she walked away from the village for an unknown length of time until she was alone in a field. After questioning God's plans for her out loud, she collapsed from fatigue. Anne was discovered some time later by three men who came across her and awoke when one of them tried to remove the ring. After learning from her that the Vikings had taken over her village, the local lord dispatched an initial force to attack them before Thorkell learned the news and himself set off in pursuit.