Dusza knelt next to her and lifted up the child as much as the umbilical cord allowed.
“Turn it upside down,” Arnora ordered, when Melkorka was struggling to rise. “Pat his back so he coughs it up.”
Wrzask whimpered. The child made a quiet sound. Olof had screamed from the first moment. Harald had shouted as much as he could. But this one only mewled.
“Dusza, hold the child, and the queen can have the afterbirth.” Arnora took over without rising from the bench.
She was right, the afterbirth splashed out onto the floor.
“Give him to me,” Świętosława ordered.
“Lie down first, in case you get dizzy.”
Goat offered an arm and helped her to the bed.
“Maybe the next one will be a daughter, hmm?” She sighed sadly. “Unless our queen plans to have an entire troop.”
“My knife,” Świętosława said, once she felt the softness of the bed under her back.
Dusza lay the child on her chest, along with the cooling placenta. Świętosława cut through the cord and hugged the child tightly. He found his way to her breast himself, and began to suck.
“How quiet,” she said. “How quiet.”
“A war dog doesn’t bark,” Arnora said, and clinked her goblet against the bench.
Goat ran off to find the king, Dusza and Melkorka began to clean the bedchamber, and Świętosława closed her eyes, holding the child close. She woke when Sven entered. Arnora was no longer there.
“A son? Really, a son?”
“See for yourself.” She smiled sleepily. “The boy conceived from a knot.”
“Then let’s name him Cnut. From the old tongue, meaning knot, and may he tie us and our kingdoms together as tightly. May I?” he asked, reaching out for him.
“Take him,” she said. “He’s the queen’s son, but yours, too.”
She saw people crowding the doorway. Jorun, Gjotgar, Haakon, Stenkil, Great Ulf, little Wilczan, others.
The shouts of the axemen reached them from the depths of the manor.
“The queen’s son! The queen’s son! The queen’s son!”
Sven took the child carefully and lifted him high, saying:
“This is my son, Cnut!”
And Cnut urinated on him, tensing.
Melkorka burst out laughing, Dusza too, and the rest followed suit. And Sven himself. Sven laughed so hard that tears streamed down his cheeks. Świętosława had no strength left to laugh. Little Cnut fell asleep in the air, held by his father. The chanting didn’t wake him.
“The queen’s son! The queen’s son! The queen’s son!”
Sven handed her the child back carefully, whispering:
“Rest now. I’ll come back later.”
At the same moment, they heard noise from within the manor. Shouts and the clamor of running soldiers. Sven grimaced.
“Quiet! My wife and son…”
“King!” someone from the hall shouted. “Princess Tyra has disappeared. She’s gone!”
Author’s Note
In Poland, Mieszko and his son, Bolesław the Brave, the first king of Poland, are very well known; they even appear on bank notes. Kids are taught about them. But nowhere in the textbooks is it mentioned that Mieszko had a daughter. When I stumbled across a mention of her in a historical source, I was surprised to learn that her history is so amazing. She is mentioned in a few serious medieval chronicles, however none of them covers her entire, rich life. They describe only moments of her life, as a wife, mother, widow, banished or returning queen.
When I folded these into a sequence of events, a remarkable, strong character was revealed, a woman whose life was full of astonishing plot twists and who defeated adversity to win in the finale. She flashed through the chronicles unnoticed; not one of the chroniclers wrote down her name. For them, her husbands, father, brother, and sons were more important. For them, those were the true warriors and rulers. The truth is different—she, Świetosława, was the one who unites the stories of them all. It was her life. Stories of the men were just a part of it, they were just episodes in her great, epic story.
With this book, I wanted to change the way of looking at that part of Polish, Scandinavian, and English history between 985 and 1017. Events in the history of several kingdoms which previously seemed to be unrelated get their guiding thread—Świetosława, the causative axis of events. Writing this novel, I wanted also to return her what the chroniclers took from her—her name.
* * *
Next year, the continuation of The Widow Queen, a novel under the title of The Last Crown comes out. New players, and a new dimension to the story. I invite you to join me on a journey from Roskilde to the lands of northern lights. From Poznań through all Bolesław’s great wars. From Prague to Kiev. From Gniezno, across the mysterious Kałdus. And to England, because perhaps you know who “the queen’s son” will grow up to be?
But don’t think you know everything about the Bold One.
Now, it’s time for The Last Crown.
Acknowledgments
The acknowledgments are the most pleasant chapter in any novel. They are a sign that the work has ended, and I can return to those who have helped me, not to badger them with further questions, but to honor their contributions.
The Widow Queen would not exist without Andrzej Zysk’s conviction that Świętosława’s story might interest American readers. And, of course, it would not have been possible if Andrzej hadn’t met Lindsey Hall. Lindsey’s commitment, coupled with her incredible enthusiasm, have allowed Świętosława to sail across the ocean as The Widow Queen, even though during her lifetime she only crossed the seas. And finally, Maya Zakrzewska-Pim; her sensitivity and imagination guided Świętosława’s story across the language barrier.
While working, I always rely on the expertise of historians. Thank you to Professor of Archeology Przemysław Urbańczyk, who shares my passion for the Piast dynasty. Thank you to Doctor Jakub Morawiec, an investigator of the Scandinavian Middle Ages and a master of Icelandic sagas. I am also grateful to the excellent Polish medievalists Tomasz Jasiński and Tomasz Jurek, as well as the experts in old kitchens, hunting, riding, fashion, sailing, building, and weaponry. This book would not have been so complete without you.
Finally, I would like to thank my husband, Darek, and our daughters—Julia and Kalina. We have been on so many journeys together with Świętosława, Olav, Sven, and Eric, that the novel’s heroes have become part of our family and our lives. Thank you for accepting their presence under our roof.
About the Author
Elżbieta Cherezińska is the #1 bestselling and award-winning author of fourteen novels. She was born in Pila, a small town in the west of Poland, and currently resides on the Baltic coast in Kołobrzeg, Poland. The Widow Queen is her first novel to be translated into English. You can sign up for email updates here.
About the Translator
Maya Zakrzewska-Pim grew up in Warsaw, Poland. She studied English at Trinity College and has a Ph.D. from Cambridge. Her previous Polish-to-English translations include Ignacy Karpowicz’s Gestures and Sońka.
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Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Maps
Epigraph
Part I. Lambs to the Slaughter
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Part II.
To All the Crowns We Will Wear
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Part III. A Storm from a Clear Sky
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author and Translator
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE WIDOW QUEEN
Copyright © 2016 by Elżbieta Cherezińska
English translation © 2020 by Tor
Translation by Maya Zakrzewska-Pimp
Originally published as Harda in 2016 by Zysk i S-ka Wydawnictwo s.j. in Poznań.
All rights reserved.
Cover art by Lia Koltyrina / Shutterstock.com
Cover design by Katie Klimowicz
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Published by Tom Doherty Associates
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The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-21800-1 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-21798-1 (ebook)
eISBN 9781250217981
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First Edition: 2021
* An area of dispute between the Kingdom of Poland and Kievan Rus at the turn of the tenth and eleventh centuries.
* Name given to the Vikings who ruled the state of Kievan Rus. They first settled there under Rurik, who was of Scandinavian descent.
* City in modern-day Belarus, on the Dvina River.
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