A medieval tale of pride and strife, of coming-of-age in a
world where chivalry is a luxury seldom afforded,
especially by men of power.
England, 1148---ten-year-old Brunin FitzWarin is an
awkward misfit in his own family. A quiet child, he is
tormented by his brothers and loathed by his powerful and
autocratic grandmother. In an attempt to encourage
Brunin’s development, his father sends him to be fostered
in the household of Joscelin de Dinan, Lord of Ludlow.
Here Brunin will learn knightly arts, but before he can
succeed, he must overcome the deep-seated doubts that hold
him back.
Hawise, the youngest daughter of Lord Joscelin, soon forms
a strong friendship with Brunin. Family loyalties mean
that her father, with the young Brunin as his squire, must
aid Prince Henry of Anjou in his battle with King Stephen
for the English crown. Meanwhile, Ludlow itself comes
under threat from Joscelin’s rival, Gilbert de Lacy. As
the war for the crown rages, and de Lacy becomes more
assertive in his claims for Ludlow, Brunin and Hawise are
drawn into each other’s arms.
Now Brunin must defeat the shadows of his childhood and
put to use all that he has learned. As the pressure on
Ludlow intensifies and a new Welsh threat emerges against
his own family’s lands, Brunin must confront the future
head on, or fail on all counts....