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Prologue

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"Gentle knights were born to fight, and war ennobles all who engage in it without fear or cowardice"

Jean Froissart, French Chronicler

1086, England

In silence the knight prepared for battle He sat astride a wooden stool, stretched his long s before him, and bade his servant to pull on the steel-mailed hose He then stood and allowed another to fasten the heavy hauberk over the quilted cotton undershirt Finally he raised his sun-bronzed arhtily for it came from William himself, could be attached to his waist by means of a metal loop

His thoughts were not of his dress nor of his surroundings, but of the coy he would eain victory Thunder broke his concentration With a frown the knight lifted the opening flap of the tent and raised his head to study the heavy cloud for the dark hair from his collar as he watched the sky

Behind him the two servants continued their duties One picked up the oiled cloth and began to give yet another polish to the warrior's shield The secondthe open-faced conical for the knight The servant stood thusly for several long moments before the warrior turned and noticed the helative shake of his head, he disclai to chance possible injury in return for freedoht's refusal to wear this added protection, yet wisely chose not to give verbal argu noted the scowl upon the warrior's face

His dress co strides until he reached and lance, he rode from the encampment

The knight sought solitude before battle and rode hard and fast into the nearby forest, oblivious to the scraping both he and his destrier suffered fro reached the top of a save his full attention to the manor below

Rage filled hiht about the infidels nestled within the castle below, but he pushed the anger aside He would have his vengeance after the e to go unchecked Only then

The knight turned his attention to the layout before hi the wide, uneven walls stretching al the multiple structures within The river banked the walls on three sides and this pleased the knight considerably, for entry fro was constructed primarily of stone with but an occasional piece of sod, and was flanked on both sides by clusters of srassy courtyard When it was all once again his, he would nable, he vowed This could not be allowed to happen again!

Dark angry clouds linked together in an atteray streaks arched in protest across the sky The wind gave sound to the eerie sight Gusty howls interled with lohistled itation, but the knight quickly cal his heels as his command

He again looked to the sky, saw that the swollen clouds were now directly overhead, and thought that it was as if night would once again descend "The weather does nought to quiet my mood," he muttered Was this a bad omen, he wondered, for he was not entirely without superstition, though he scoffed at those ere ruled by it, ritualistically seeking signs before each and every battle to predict the outcome

The knight once again reviewed his bid for victory, looking for possible flaws in his battle plans, and could find none, yet still he could not feel content In frustration, he picked up the reins and turned the charger, intent on returning to camp before total darkness was full upon him And it was then that the sky exploded in a silver flash of light, and he saw her

She stood slightly above hiaze directly down at hiaze was directed beyond him to the castle below

She sat erect upon a flecked uely reses, but of what breed he knew not, since their stance suggestedHe drank fully of the picture before hi pale hair free about her shoulders, and even from that distance he could ainst the white own by the force of the persistent wind

His mind could make little order out of what he saw but that she was indeed ht receded but was replaced within seconds by another ave way to stunned disbelief, for now he sighted the hawk flying loard the girl She see overhead and in fact raised her hand as if to salute an old friend

The knight closed his eyes but for a one With a start, he goaded his steed into motion and raced toward the vision Horse and rider rounded each tree expertly and with great speed, yet when they reached their destination she was nowhere to be found

After a tiave up the search His mind accepted that what he had seen was real, but his heart insisted she was but a vision, an omen

His allop into ca his approval, he gestured for his lance and his shield bearing his coat of arms

Two servants hurried toward the watting knight, holding the kite-shaped shield between theht, and when they reached his side, they waited in silence for the warrior to lift it To their confusion, the knight hesitated, a s the corners of hisseconds at the shield below him His next action further bewildered not only his servants but his watching followers as well, for he leaned down and with his index finger slowly traced the outline of the hawk embedded upon the shield

He then threw back his head and relented to a deep resounding laugh before effortlessly lifting first his shield with his left hand and the lance with his right Raising both high into the air, he gave the cry for battle

Chapter One

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Long thin fingers of light slowly began their ritualistic climb into the darkness, uninhibited by clusters of pale and e forth the dawn Elizabeth leaned against the splintered fraress of the sun for several long htened and walked outside

A h above the trees, saw the slender figure e to a large irl His screech and vigorous Sapping of brown and gray wings announced his arrival

"There you are, reeted "You are early today Could you not find sleep either?" she questioned in a soft voice She regarded her pet with a tender smile and then

slowly raised her right arhtly above her slender waist "Coentle voice

The hawk tilted his head fro her face, and began to eled sound froold, and though there was a wildness about them, she was unafraid Indeed, she ain bid him come to her Within a whisper of a second, the hawk had landed on her bare arht or his touch His jagged claere blade sharp, yet she wore no glove Her sentleness with his mistress

"What am I to do with you?" Elizabeth asked Her blue eyes sparkled with laughter as she studied her pet "You grow fat and lazy, iven you your freedom, you refuse to accept it Oh, hter was gone fro sadness

The sound of approaching horse and rider startled Elizabeth "Go," she comed her voice as she called to her tolfhounds and ran for the safety of the surrounding forest The two dogs were at her side by the tiainst the thick bark of the nearest tree, and she gave the wildly as she waited, silently cursing herself for leaving the dagger in the hut

Marauders, entire gangs of displaced, unclaimed destitutes, roamed the countryside, and all those outside the protection of the walls were easy prey for their violence and depravity

"My lady?" The sound of her faithful servant's voice penetrated the terror gripping Elizabeth, bringing relief immediately Elizabeth slumped forward, her head bent, while she recovered her breath "My lady? It is Joseph Are you there?"

The rising alar place She quietly rounded the tree and slipped up behind Joseph, gently tapping his stooped shoulder with one tre hand

With a startled yelp the olddown his ave me quite a start," he chided, but at the look of distress on Elizabeth's face, he forced a s an absence of several teeth in the process "Even though you frown, your lovely face still has the power to humble me"

"You flatter rin, and her servant was again bewitched by the husky yet musical lilt in her voice He watched her as she turned and walked to the door of the hut and was mildly surprised that her beauty still had the power to startle hiaze upon her, for he had seen her raised since infancy