Shadow of the King

by Helen Hollick

  But of course, whether that battle was Arthur’s Camlann, only Arthur, Cerdic, and those who lived and died at that time know for certain. We probably never will.

  If dates cannot be agreed upon, the matter of Arthur himself is even more debatable! There is much passion and heated disagreement concerning the various theories of Arthur’s how, when, and where. Indeed, it has not even been established whether he ever truly existed outside the realm of the imagination.

  Cerdic is also an anomaly. He is named as a leader of Saxons – those men who were the founders of Wessex – but his name is British. It has been widely assumed that his father was British-born. I am not the only person to suggest his father could have been Arthur.

  Ambrosius Aurelianus existed. Gildas writes fondly of him as ‘the last of the Romans’. The fortresses I have named after him in my story may, in fact, have nothing to do with him, but again, I am not the only one to have suggested it. I decided to use them because those in modem Epping Forest (Ambersbury Banks and Loughton Camp) are near to where I live – anyway, why not?

  Gildas lived. Although again, my dates may not be accurate. We know he wrote some time during the early sixth century. His book complains about the moral decline of religion; it is not a history. He does mention the siege at Badon, although his dating is frustratingly ambiguous – and who was his ‘filthy lioness’? He rebukes her son for murder in a holy place, but that is all we know of her. I have made her Archfedd, Arthur’s daughter, but obviously I have no evidence whatsoever to back this. He probably knew Ambrosius, most certainly knew Maelgwyn of Gwynedd, Aurelius Caninus and Vortipor, for he soundly rebukes their crimes and sins. Why did he not mention Arthur? I believe because by the time he was writing, Arthur was already dead and was irrelevant to his narrative. It might also have been because Gildas’s loyalty could not lie with the Pendragon because of his eldest brother’s death… the Stone exists at Rhuthun (Ruthin), the legend of Hueil’s execution by Arthur along with it.

  Geraint’s death at the battle of Llongborth is fact. An early Welsh poem describing the event is highly dramatic and so sad. After the war-cry, bitter the grave. It was a battle that heavily featured cavalry, and is one of the first poems to mention Arthur’s men. For the Saxons involved, Port is probably a fabricated name, but I have used it anyway. From the Saxon Wihtgar, the Isle of Wight apparently gets its name. Ambrosius did fight Vitolinus and gain a rather doubtful victory at Guoloph, and Aelle was the first Saxon Bretwalda, and did attack Anderida (Pevensey).

  My version of the story of ‘the Loathly Lady’ – Ragnall – does not quite follow the known tale, for mine is more of an interpretation on a theme; and of course I have substituted Cadwy, Ambrosius Aurelianus’s son, for the Sir Gawain of the more familiar medieval legend.

  As for Medraut, the Mordred of later tales, he is usually portrayed as the traitor, the one who fought against his father, but an early poem does not support this. The battle of Camlann in which Arthur and Medraut fell… There is nothing here to suggest they fought on opposing sides. For once, and to be different, I have made Medraut more of a ‘good guy’ – if a somewhat misguided one.

  The contagious disease we now call strangles is as much a worry to horse-owners of today as it was in the past. The illness is mentioned in Chapter V of Pelagonius’s veterinary notes under the heading Cures and medicines for head ailments’. The majority of cures appear only once in this section, but strangles is mentioned on seven occasions, indicating how prevalent this illness must have been during Roman times. Perhaps my one questionable fact would be that this disease mainly affects young horses and only occasionally the old. However, given the lack of knowledge about contagion in the fifth century, I do not think it unreasonable to suppose that a horse like Onager could contract it.

  As with many totally unconnected legends, the Wookey Hole Witch came to be associated with the stories of Arthur. She was a reality, an old woman living in the caves whose skeleton was found with an alabaster ball. She actually dates from the early eleventh century and so could not possibly be Morgaine. Poetic licence can be allowed to stretch the imagination occasionally; and besides, people are known to have lived in the caves from about 2500 BC. It is not unreasonable to suggest a lone woman could have been there in the fifth century.

  And a note here on the difference between British and English. The British were the Britons – the Romano Celts. The English were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes – basically foreign invaders and settlers. Sixth Century immigrants. The British Celts are the true inhabitants of what we now call ‘England’, not the English! The modern ‘Welsh’ are also Britons. Wealas is a Saxon word for ‘foreigner’.

  Many of the British place and river names have been lost to us. On the whole, I have used what I have felt comfortable with, although these may not always be totally accurate. To the historian or professional, I apologise for any liberties; but again, I emphasise this is a story, a novel. It is not meant as a scholarly, historical work.

  Geoffrey Ashe’s book The Discovery of King Arthur put the idea of a campaign in Gaul into my mind. Not everyone agrees with his theories, but I am grateful for the inspiration behind what – I hope – proves to be a good story! Shadow of the King follows his theory, in which he suggested Arthur could have been Riothamus, a war leader who did exist. We have several references to prove that fact, in particular, a letter to him from Sidonius Apollinaris – a letter which I have used in my story. Riothamus was King of the Britons – but does this mean the British or the Bretons? Riothamus, like so many names of this period was a title meaning something like King Most or Supreme Leader. Today, the title Prince of Wales refers to Prince Charles, but could equally mean the notorious Prince Regent or the Welsh Llewelyn ap Gryffydd, the only true Welsh Prince of Wales!

  The battle at Deols (Vicus Dolensis) was fought between ‘the British’ and the Goths. Syagrius’s army did fail to arrive, and the British were slaughtered. Riothamus fled into Burgundy and was never heard of again.

  Was he Arthur? Mr Ashe’s theory has been hotly disputed, but I think it is as plausible as many alternative suggestions regarding Arthur. And there is no faultless evidence to prove Riothamus was not Arthur! The one, major factor again is the dating. Sidonius was already Bishop of Clermont Ferrand when he wrote his letter to Riothamus. Was he inaugurated as Bishop before 469 or after the battle of Deols? Or perhaps Riothamus was just a nuisance, a minor warlord who plagued that area for several years. Perhaps he was Arthur. It is up to the individual to decide.

  As for the man, Ecdicius, and the siege of Clermont Ferrand (Augustonemtum), eighteen men against several thousand Goths? Surely not! Well, we have another letter from Sidonius Apollinaris praising his brother-in-law for just such a wondrous victory! The letter was written before 475 and there is no reason to disbelieve its contents. Well-armed cavalry can wreak havoc among poorly equipped, startled infantry.

  But was Ecdicius trained by Arthur?

  If Arthur truly lived, and if he was Riothamus? Who knows?

  Helen Hollick

  2011

  Place Names

  Britain

  Alclud Dumbarton

  Ambrosdun Prima Ambersbury Banks (Wooded Ridge)

  Ambrosdun Secunda Loughton Camp (Wooded Ridge)

  Ambrosium Amesbury, Wiltshire

  Anderida Pevensey

  Badon Liddington (Castle)

  Caer Cadan Cadbury Castle

  Caer Dydd Cardiff

  Caer Gloui Gloucester

  Caer Luel Carlisle

  Castellum Prima Barbury (Castle)

  Cerdicesford/Camlann Charford, River Avon

  Cerdicesora Christchurch Harbour

  Ceredigion Area around Cardigan Bay

  Chalk Hills Chilterns

  Cille Ham Chillham, Kent

  Corinium Cirencester

  Cornovii Cornwall

  Cunerio River Kennet

  Cwm Dolydd Lee Valley

  Deva Chester

  Din Der
gel Tintagel

  Dolydd River Lea

  Durnovaria Dorchester

  Durobrivae Rochester

  Durotrigia Dorset

  Durovernum Canterbury (Canti Byrig)

  Fortress 3rd Ambrosiani Higham Hill, Walthamstow

  Great Wood New Forest

  Guoloph Over Wallop, Hampshire

  Gwy River Wye

  Hafren River Severn

  Hibernia Ireland

  Iceni Way Ickneild Way

  Less Britain Brittany

  Lindinis Ilchester

  Llan Illtud Fawr Llantwit Major

  Londinium London

  Meduway Medway

  Môn Anglesey

  Muchinga Mucking, Essex

  Noviomagus Chichester

  Radingas Reading

  Rutupiae Richborough

  Tamesis River Thames

  Vectis Isle of White

  Venta Bulgarium Winchester (Winifred’s Castre)

  Vercovicium Houseteads Fort, Hadrian’s Wall

  Vicus Wickham

  White Hills Mendips (The Caves – Wookey Hole)

  Wooded Ridge Epping Forest

  Yns Witrin Glastonbury Tor

  Gaul

  Antessiodurum Auxerre

  Avaricum Bourges

  Augustonemtum Clermont Ferrand

  Bononia Boulogne

  Caesarodunum Tours

  Condivicnum Nantes

  Dariorigum Vannes

  Ligre River Loire

  Juliomagus Angers

  Lutetia Paris

  Place of the Lady Vezelay

  Place of Stones Carnac

  Rhenus Rhine

  Vicus Dolensis Deols

  Acknowledgements

  The original version of Shadow of the King was written in 1995/6 yet I still have many of the same friends to thank. Mal, for his opinion and judgement; the many happy hours standing in a windswept stable yard discussing horses and history with Joan. Authors Sharon Penman, Elizabeth Chadwick and Bernard Cornwell for their support and Sue for the ponies. ‘Briallen’ (Welsh for Primrose) appears in this story especially for her.

  Thank you to some other ‘new’ people – Jo for her editing skills and advice. Kelly and Stuart for heroically offering their time as readers. My US publishers, Sourcebooks Inc have played a part, I am thrilled to have reached Best Seller Status with one of my other novels in the US.

  Cathy Helms, my graphics designer – and my friend – deserves a special mention. We ‘met’ because of this trilogy. As an Arthurian fan Cathy e-mailed me to say how much she enjoyed the series, but mentioned that the previous (not very striking) covers could be improved. She has proved her point with the present wonderful designs!

  My thanks to Helen Hart and her team at SilverWood Books for producing this fabulous edition of the Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy. I have waited many years for my books to receive the attention to detail that they deserve – I look forward to a long and happy partnership with SilverWood.

  Researching the background details of my books takes time. I remain grateful to those who were kind enough to give their expert help: Dorset County Museum, Winchester Museum and my local library in particular.

  My love goes to Ron, my husband, and to Kathy, my daughter. They never (well, rarely!) complain at the monopoly over my life that my novels and characters take. I think the rewards are, at last, beginning to show.

  Two of my dear friends, Hazel and Derek, undertook the organisation and navigation of a memorable time during the summer of 1995 touring northern France and Brittany. For me it was a working holiday researching the details of Arthur’s campaign there but I would not have undertaken the trip without their help. To say thank you, Shadow of the King was originally dedicated to them both, but sadly, Hazel passed away on October 31st 2001. I miss her laughter very much.

  The dedication is in her memory

  Helen Hollick

  2011

  To My Readers

  A personal message from Helen Hollick

  Writing can be a silly occupation. Solitary, often hard, tedious work for few rewards. But it is compulsive, and those few rewards can be great indeed: seeing your novel on a shelf in a bookstore; receiving an e-mail from an appreciative fan; a fabulous review; a nomination for an award. There is the sheer pleasure of starting with a blank page and experiencing the excitement of bringing a character to full and glorious life. Of delving beneath the facts of what happened and when, and filling in all the missing bits of why, how and with whom. That is the joy of writing!

  Having a book published, however, is not always plain sailing. Several years ago my backlist was dropped by William Heinemann – historical fiction had gone out of fashion – and simultaneously my agent abandoned me. I was on my own and facing the prospect of not writing another novel. I spent two weeks sobbing, then pulled myself together and set out to find an alternative publisher.

  I discovered an independent company who, as a part of their small mainstream imprint, took my backlist and my new venture: the first of the Sea Witch voyages. There were hiccups, but the office staff were enthusiastic and I had high hopes for the future. Sadly, the current economic climate is not kind to small firms, and for a second time I found myself facing the prospect of being out of print. I had four choices:

  Give up writing

  Find an alternative mainstream publisher

  Go self-publish (produce my books myself)

  Find a company that provided assisted publishing

  For me, 1 was not an option. I cannot give up writing, not while I still have a story in my head to share. Choice 2: I am mainstream published in the US and other countries, but approaching a similar UK publishing house, with their full lists and tight printing schedules, could have resulted in my novels being unavailable for several months. I have many friends who would be so disappointed to see them temporarily disappear, as would I. Lacking the technical knowledge, or time, to go self publish was not viable or practical, although the thought of running my own company was tempting. However, excited by the prospect of being in control of my destiny – and my books – I decided to opt for choice 4.

  I have known Helen Hart of SilverWood Books for several years and it was therefore an easy choice to send my precious novels into her good care, confident she would produce quality editions, quickly and efficiently.

  Transferring my list of seven books has been hard and dedicated work, not just for me, but for the team at SilverWood Books, my graphic designer Cathy Helms of AvalonGraphics, and my editors Jo Field and Michaela Unterbarnscheidt.

  Nor have the production costs been cheap – more on the ‘gulp’ level – but the quality result has been worth it…I love my characters and have great respect and fondness for all my followers, fans, friends and readers. Your encouragement and enthusiasm was all the incentive I needed to make the decision to keep my characters alive and well. And in print.

  For that, I thank you.

  Helen

  About the Author

  Helen Hollick lives in north-east London on the edge of Epping Forest with her husband, adult daughter and a variety of pets, which include several horses, a cat and a dog. She has two major interests: Roman / Saxon Britain and the Golden Age of Piracy – the early eighteenth century. Her particular pleasure is researching the facts behind the small glimpses of history and bringing the characters behind those facts to full and glorious life. She has an Honours Diploma in Early Medieval History, and may one day, if ever she finds the time, to go on to obtain her full degree.

  For up-to-date information, you are invited to visit: www.helenhollick.net

  Praise for Helen Hollick

  If only all historical fiction could be this good

  Historical Novels Review

  I am so completely and thoroughly obsessed with this author right now. This trilogy is just beautiful. I love how the author turns King Arthur into a man and then the King of legend. The amount of research Ms. Hollick must have done is astounding becaus
e the detail in this book is wonderful.

  bibliophilicbookblog.com

  Hollick’s writing is one of the best I’ve come across – her descriptions are so vivid it seems as if there’s a movie screen in front of you, playing out the scenes.

  passagestothepast.com

  Uniquely compelling… bound to have a lasting and resounding impact on Arthurian literature

  Books Magazine

  Helen Hollick is an author who is conquering the world one country at a time with her intricate way of bringing the past to life.

  Suite 101 Romance

  Hollick adds her own unique twists and turns to the familiar mythology

  Booklist

  Helen Hollick brings history to life… she weaves fact with fiction in such a way that keeps you spellbound and turning the pages as quickly as you can to find out what will happen. From love and loyalty to fighting raging battles there is never a boring moment.