Lords of the North by Bernard Cornwell

Lords of the North is the third book in the Saxon series by Bernard Cornwell, writer of historical fiction.

This is a continuing saga of Uhtred, a warlord and ousted lord of a piece of land in northern Saxon England in the 9th century, during the reign of Alfred the Great. Uhtred has helped King Alfred defeat the Danes in parts of England and is now on a quest to reclaim his land, but many things stand in his way.

He has a blood feud with a Dane named Kjartan, who resides in Dunholm, between Uhtred and Bebbanburg, his land. Also in his way is Ivarr, nephew of a Danish warlord that Uhtred has already killed.

Uhtred is also hindered from his quest by slavery and then being coerced into oaths to King Alfred, whom he doesn't like due to his pious Christian ways, but their fates seem to be tied to each other. "Fate is inexorable" is the theme that seems to resonate through Uhtred throughout the story.

The fourth book in the series is called Sword Song.