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Genre - Historical Fiction
Rating - PG
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My novel A Kingdom’s Cost is two things,
both a war novel and a coming of age novel in which a young James Douglas goes
from being a penniless squire to one of the most feared knights in British
history. Yet at the same time, he was known as a quiet spoken, gentle man by
those who knew him.
Purely by coincidence, page 99 of A
Kingdom’s Cost is the major turning point in the novel.
The early 14th century Scotland
of this novel was a dangerous place where survival was often in question. But
when James Douglas threw his lot in the rebel king, Robert the Bruce, his
survival became much more in question. Yet at first, as the Bruce was crowned
and gathered his forces to force the English conqueror out of Scotland, the
danger seemed distant.
Purely by coincidence, page 99 is a major
turning point. Everything in the first part of the novel leads up to this
point.
Robert the Bruce’s army is camped for the
night, not expecting combat until the next day. Suddenly, they are attacked and
battle ensues against an enemy that not only has the advantage of surprise but
larger numbers and superior weapons and armor.
In the confusion of the dark night camp
they can barely tell friend from enemy and their forces are scattered, so the
king, with James Douglas by his side, leads a desperate ride to cut through
their.
“It’s
Bruce,” Mowbray yelled. They charged.
James
went cold. The only chance was to break free. Otherwise, they were dead men.
All of the attention was on the king as they charged straight at him. James
crowded in, raising his shield to protect the Bruce’s flank as they slashed
their way through the line of attackers. One slashed at the king. James caught
the blade with his shield, thrusting under to send the man reeling from the
saddle.
What I have to show on this page is the
collapse of Scottish hopes and (by the next page) a royal army reduced to
outlaws on the run. And in doing this I need to show young James Douglas
growing from a boy into a man, a warrior whose loyalty to King Robert the Bruce
and to Scotland never wavers.
From page 99 through the rest of the novel,
at no point can any of the characters in A
Kingdom’s Cost count on survival from one moment to the next.
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