The Return of Sir Percival (38 page)

“I would have you call me Guinevere, as you did the night we dined … and danced together.”

“Yes … Guinevere, and yes, it is a beautiful garden.”

She walked across the room and stood beside Percival at the window and looked down at the garden below. A distant look came to her eyes.

“I used to walk alone in the forest near my father's castle on days like this, when the leaves were just turning and the sun was still warm. It was one of my most favorite things to do. Did you ever walk in the woods thus when you were a boy, just for the joy of it?”

“Yes. On many a day. It was a habit that my father was not fond of,” Percival said with a wry smile.

“Oh, I cannot imagine an errant Sir Percival,” Guinevere said with a laugh. “Tell me of your favorite place there. I should like to visit.”

Percival looked into the distance and then spoke in a soft voice.

“There is a vale two leagues or so from my home that is surrounded by a stand of oaks … trees that are as mighty as they are old. When times were hard and I sought a measure of peace, I would go there and watch the rays of sunlight break through the clouds and touch the ground, and then disappear. It … was as if I were watching a window to heaven open and close. As a boy, I believed that if I were lucky enough to be standing in the spot where the light touched the earth, I … I would receive a gift from heaven.”

Guinevere looked up at Percival. “And what do you believe that gift would be, if that came to pass?” she said.

Percival turned and faced Guinevere, who was now but a step away from him.

“It has come to pass, and that gift, Guinevere, was you.”

A tear rolled down her cheek. “Percival,” Guinevere whispered, gazing into the Knight's eyes. “Arthur Pendragon asked for my hand, and that was given, but he never asked for my heart.”

Percival slowly knelt down on one knee and took the Queen's hands, his eyes meeting hers.

“I am not worthy, my Queen, but I … I would have both your heart and your hand if you would have me as your husband.”

A smile as radiant as the beams of sunlight Percival remembered from that distant vale lit Guinevere's face. “Then they are yours,” she said, “and you are mine.”

P
EN
D
INAS

eil, Torn, and four of the Queen's guardsmen raced to the top of Pen Dinas in the last hour of the day, their horses lathered with sweat.

“Make haste, Keil,” Torn said. “We will lose the sun in moments!”

Keil dismounted and opened the parchment map Sister Aranwen and Cadwyn had painstakingly drawn for him a week earlier. His hands were shaking as he recalled the testy exchange between the two women that day.

“It … it was so long ago, Cadwyn! Wait … wait, I do remember. We were staying at Pen Dinas. It was a moonlit night … the Queen didn't know I was watching. She walked down to the wall, the one that encircles the tower. She put something behind a rock. It must be the ring. Yes! It is in the wall.”

“In the wall? Sister, there are a thousand rocks in that wall. We have to know which one,” Cadwyn had said with exasperation.

“Patience, child. It is coming back to me. The Queen … she stopped at the rock on the hill … the big one, and then walked straight down from the rock to the wall. She walked with some care, as if—”

“—she was marking the spot! The ring is there!”

Keil scanned the hill below the old tower and spied the large rock embedded in the earth ten paces from the wall marked on the map. He ran down the hill, glancing at the fading sun as he did so. After circling to the side of the rock facing the wall, he walked down the hill in a straight line and knelt beside the wall.

The mortar holding the rocks in place was crumbling and much of it was covered with moss, but there was nothing there to give him a clue as to which of the hundreds of stones could be the right one. The guardsman reached for a square stone and tried to pull it free. It would not move. He tried another and another. All were still held fast by mason's mortar. Then his eyes fixed on a rock farther to the right, a rock with a slight discoloration in the center. He reached for the rock and gave it a tentative push. It moved.

The guardsman drew in a breath as he placed both hands on the rock and pulled. It came free. He reached into the space behind the rock, and his trembling hand closed on a small wooden box. He drew the box from its hiding place and opened it. There was a golden ring within.

Keil gently closed the box and stood. He turned to Torn and the other guardsmen waiting on the hill above.

“We have done it!”

The taciturn Torn gave him a rare smile and then glanced at the sun, just passing below the horizon.

“Replace the stone, Guardsman Keil, and make haste! We don't want to be late for the wedding, do we?”

A
BBEY
C
WM
H
IR

As Percival stood at the altar beside Capussa, waiting for the Queen to emerge from the sacristy, he glanced out the window across from him. Thousands of tents covered nearly every patch of open grass within a half league of the abbey, ranging from the grand and stately shelters erected for the wealthier nobles and knights, to the modest shelters cobbled together by farmers and herdsmen. All desired to gain just a glimpse of the royal couple and to be able to say to their children and grandchildren that they were there on that historic fall day.

Although the church could only hold a fraction of the people desirous of attending the ceremony, the first row had been set aside to honor the members of a departed brotherhood. Thirty gleaming swords anchored in blocks of stone stood in the pew, each engraved with the name of a deceased Knight of the Table.

When Guinevere emerged from the sacristy with the bishop, followed by Sister Aranwen and Lady Cadwyn, the quiet murmur in the church fell silent, and Percival and Capussa dropped to one knee. The Queen, resplendent in a magnificent white dress, walked over to the two men, a radiant smile on her face.

“Please rise,” Guinevere said and extended her hand to her betrothed.

Percival took her hand, and the couple walked over to the waiting bishop. When the marriage vows had been said, Capussa, standing beside Sir Percival, handed the Knight the wedding ring. Guinevere's eyes widened as Percival slipped the golden ring on her finger, and for a moment, she stared at it, remembering a wish made long ago, one that now had been granted. She glanced over at Sister Aranwen and Cadwyn, seated two paces away, and smiled, a look of profound gratitude on her face.

Guinevere turned to Percival and the couple kissed. When they parted, the Queen and the Knight stared into each other's eyes in silence, as if willing the moment to last forever. Then the royal couple turned and faced the assembled notables in the church, and they were met with a thunder of applause that shook the very walls of the old chapel.

As Sir Percival waited for the joyous clamor to die down, he looked over at the line of swords standing in the front pew, silently witnessing the ceremony, and for a moment, they were standing there—all of them. His gaze moved from Lancelot to Kay, to Tristan and Gawain, and each of the others, until at last, it came to rest upon the knight at the end of the pew—the knight with the rogue's smile and the devil-may-care look he would never forget.

Then, in a heartbeat, the Knights disappeared. As he stared at the line of steel sentinels left behind, Percival said a silent prayer for his departed brethren and asked for their prayers as well, for he knew he would need them in the days to come.

Guinevere saw the look on his face and whispered, “Percival, what is it?”

The Knight looked down at his beautiful wife and Queen and smiled. “I was just saying good-bye to my brothers.”

THE END

E
PILOGUE

 

organa stood on the crest of a hill a half a league distant from the abbey and watched Guinevere and Percival emerge from the church. Rage flared in her eyes at the applause of thousands of nobles, knights, soldiers, and peasants waiting outside. As the sound of trumpets and cheers reached a crescendo, Morgana turned to a woman waiting a pace behind her, dressed in the habit of a nun. She handed the woman a tiny glass bottle.

“A drop is all that is necessary. You will wait until I give the word.”

Percival's character unfolds before our eyes throughout the story. What do we know about him at the onset of his journey? How does that view change as the story progresses?

Arthur Pendragon and all but two of the Knights of the Round Table have perished before
The Return of Sir Percival
begins. What role does Arthur play in the story in spite of his physical absence? How important is that role to the outcome?

During a typical “hero's journey,” the main character is often helped along their quest by a guide. Who plays that role for Percival?

We eventually learn that Bishop Verdino is actually Merlin the Wise. Early in the story Bishop Verdino's character is painted as being dishonest, a trickster, and possibly even as stealing from the Queen. Cadwyn describes the bishop as a “pompous old thief.” In what ways are the Bishop's acts misrepresented? And how does he redeem himself?

Sir Percival and Queen Guinevere's relationship blossoms over the course of the novel. What are some clues early on of Percival and Guinevere's feelings for each other?

How does Percival's guilt over King Arthur's absence affect his feelings and actions toward Queen Guinevere? Do you think Sir Percival was returning to Queen Guinevere all along?

We see two different versions of Lord Aeron over the course of the story. What are these two different identities and how do they differ? Is Lord Aeron's ending a happy one?

Morgana is an interesting and powerful character. What are her motives and what is her ultimate goal? For example, is she simply seeking vengeance or is it power she desires?

How is the theme of identity woven into the story? How are Sir Percival and Lord Aeron both symbolic of the quest to define and understand one's identity?

Did Sir Percival's recounting of his time in the land of the Moors surprise you? In what ways?

Cadwyn, Queen Guinevere's handmaiden, and Aranwen, Queen Guinevere's spiritual attendant, have an interesting and often humorous relationship. How does this relationship move the plot forward?

What is the significance of Sir Percival's story about Princess Sumayya? How does that story affect Sir Percival's story?

How does Jacob the Healer aid Sir Percival in his quest for the Holy Grail? And how does Jacob the Healer affect the lives of Lord Aeron and Queen Guinevere?

Q: Can you share what inspired you to write an Arthurian legend? For example, how did you become interested in this genre and what are some of your favorite books?

A: I have been fascinated by myths and legends since I was a little boy.
Bullfinch's Mythology
was a fixture in my personal library, and I made a trip to the library almost weekly, for years, seeking new material on this subject. After reading every book I could find on ancient Greek myths, I moved on to Norse myths and Celtic myths, and finally arrived at the legends and myths unique to Britain. The Arthurian legend is the most prominent and fascinating in the latter genre.

As far as favorite books within the Arthurian genre, I enjoyed Thomas Malory's
Le Morte D'Arthur
, which I read decades ago, and I also enjoyed Geoffrey of Monmouth's
History of Kings of Britain
, which I read just before writing
The Return of Sir Percival
.

Q: You take a very different approach to your tale. What inspired you to begin your story after the fall of Arthur Pendragon?

A: The central themes at the heart of this tale could only come to life in an Albion where Arthur and all but one of the Knights of the Round Table have died and Camelot has fallen. Moreover, this time frame allows Guinevere, Percival, Capussa, Merlin, and Lord Aeron to take center stage and fulfill the roles assigned to them, without being overshadowed by Arthur.

The timing of the story also gave me the flexibility to let each character look back upon the lost magic that was Camelot through a series of flashbacks. These periodic reminiscences tell the story of yesteryear through the eyes of each character, thereby deepening the reader's insight into, and connection with, each character's persona. They also forge the links that tie the past to the travails of the present.

Q: This telling of the Arthurian legend seems to have more history and less magic. What inspired you to go that route rather than the potions-and-wands approach, as other authors in this genre tend to do?

A: The real Arthur achieved fame struggling to defend the Celtic Britons from Saxon invasions. His story is the story of a people's fight for survival. To the extent possible, I wanted this same existential struggle to be at the heart of the tale told in
The Return of Sir Percival
. Insofar as magic is concerned, I think readers will find that magic and mystery have been woven throughout
The Return of Sir Percival
, both human and divine, in ample measure.

Q: Your knowledge of the time period seems significant. Did that knowledge lead you to the story, or did the story lead you to that knowledge?

A: I am an obsessive history buff, and I have a particular passion for Roman and post-Roman Britain. However, the historical threads that appear in
The Return of Sir Percival
are only there to enrich the story and to enhance and provide depth to the backgrounds of the characters (such as the dynastic struggle in Constantinople). They were not the inspiration for the tale.

In truth, the story came to me when I was recovering from an eye operation. The idea became such an obsession that I set aside another book that I was three quarters of the way through (a second thriller) and started writing
The Return of Sir Percival
.

Q: Geography plays a major role in this story. What kind of research did you do while writing the novel? Did you encounter the map during your research, or is it something you were inspired to create as a result of your findings?

A: I love geography. The room where I sit and write is full of maps, both historical and modern, and I spent a good deal of time trying to place Sir Percival's journey across the Land of the Britons within a viable historical reality. One of the key sources that I used as a reference was
Roman Roads In Britain
, by Ivan D. Margary. The references and maps in
Oxford Illustrated History of Roman Britain
, by Peter Salway, were also helpful.

Some of the other books that I read while writing the book were
Foundation
, by Peter Ackroyd;
History of Britain
, by Simon Schama;
A Brief History of Roman Britain
, by Joan P. Alcock;
History of The English People
, by Paul Johnson;
Empire of Gold: A History of The Byzantine Empire
, by Thomas F. Malden;
The Ruins of The Roman Empire
, by James J. O'Donnell;
How Rome Fell
, by Adrian Goldsworthy; and
The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History of Rome and the Barbarians
, by Peter Heather.

All of these were fascinating and informative reads, and they provided great insight into the Roman and post-Roman reality that existed in Britain. However, the seventh-century universe that I used in the story is entirely fictional, with certain limited exceptions. For example, the roads Percival travels in the story are Roman roads, and, where possible, I used historical landmarks to add context and color, such as the site of Walton Castle in Felixstowe (this was originally built by the Romans as a Saxon coastal fort and now lies in the ocean), and the Roman signal station at Filey (which is just ruins now).

Q: What was your favorite chapter to write in
The Return of Sir Percival
and why? And on the other side of the spectrum, were there any chapters that were particularly challenging for you to write? If so, can you share what it was about these parts of the story that challenged you?

A: The chapter where Sir Percival walks into the arena in Londinium was great fun to write, as was the scene where Cadwyn bursts into Guinevere's quarter's pantomiming a sword fight. The most challenging chapters were those where Guinevere returns to the past, in a series of conversations with young Cadwyn, or where she returns to the past alone, in a series of solitary reveries. Each reminiscence is intended to give the reader an empathetic insight into the personality of this intelligent, complicated, and fascinating woman, so it was critical to get them right.

Q: Do you have a favorite character in the story? If so, what is it about this character that you most appreciate?

A: Yes. That would be Capussa, the Numidian mercenary. He is older than Percival, and in many ways wiser. He sees the world as it is—a Hobbesian universe where life is truly “nasty, brutish and short.” (quoted from
Leviathan
, Thomas Hobbes). And yet, this realization does not suborn Capussa's innate goodness or his patient and positive outlook on life, nor does it dull his wonderful sense of humor.

Lord Aeron also has a special place in my pantheon of magnificent characters. In the story, Lord Aeron, as the magnificent young Galahad, is the most handsome man at court and the life of every party. Although these antics often place his loyal friend and fellow knight Percival in the awkward position of having to explain his early morning absences, Percival nonetheless holds his roguish brethren in the highest regard.

After the disaster at Camlann these two men travel very down different paths, but both are forced to endure cruel hardships and carry terrible burdens in the service of their King and Queen. In the end, these two knights come to epitomize, in different ways, what was most noble about the brotherhood of the Knights of the Round Table.

Q: In a similar regard, which character in
The Return of Sir Percival
do you most personally identify with and why?

A: Cynric the Archer. He is a man who rises each day and “gets the job done,” without complaint, despite the setbacks and tragedies he has endured during his life. He is also a man who is not afraid to resist what may be a noble, but foolhardy venture. Yet, once the decision is made to attempt the near impossible, he steps across the proverbial line in the sand along with everyone else.

I identify with Cynric on account of his quiet perseverance and exceptional, but hard-earned skills. In my humble estimation, the world rides on the backs of men and women who have these characteristics.

Q: How do you get in the mood to write? Is there anything in particular that helps you stay focused? Do you have any writing rituals, for example?

A: Due in part to vision problems, I try to write early in the morning. This is the time when my mind is clear, my eyes are fresh, and when the constant harassment inherent in the practice of law is least intrusive.

I also try to write every day. Writing a book is somewhat like climbing a mountain. When you stand at the bottom, the idea of climbing to the top seems daunting, even irrational. However, with each step, the end goal seems more attainable. If I write every day, then the internal “you are never going to get there” voice becomes less persuasive with each sitting.

Q:
The Return of Sir Percival
ends with quite a cliffhanger. Did you know how this first book in the series would end when you started to write it? Or did the ending come to you as you were working on the book?

A: Unlike other books that I have written, or that I am currently working on, I had a pretty clear vision of where the road was going when I sat down to write
The Return of Sir Percival
. There were many side roads, diversionary paths, and secondary characters who were conjured into existence as the tapestry was woven, but I knew the destination from the beginning. I wish every book came to me with that singular clarity.

Q: And lastly, because readers will be curious about what your next book holds, can you share what readers can expect from Sir Percival and Guinevere in their next adventure?

A: I am working on the prequel. It will capture Sir Percival's early life and adventures as a Knight of the Round Table before the fall and his travails and trials in the Holy Land. It will also chronicle Guinevere's life in the last years before the fall and provide a window into the Camelot that was lost. Then, I will write Book II.