Shieldwall, Army Banners and King Alfred

So the Analogue Hobbies final bonus round challenge for 2014 was Last Stand. I had this idea to create an iconic Dark Ages shield wall with King Alfred making his last stand before his retreat to a hill in a swampy wetland area. It's also my last stand as a painter for the Challenge as I may not submit any more with only a few days to go. I started with the idea of how do I get that overlapping