I would like to thank everyone who will take the time to read this historical-fantasy book.
The story takes place in Wales, around 1300, concerns two important families who have bonds of kinship and friendship, together with shared secrets.
Elemen...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The next morning Megan got up early as she was used to doing at home. Before breakfast she liked to take a walk in the clearing. For her, that was the best way to start the day.
The previous evening, she had barely made it in time to undress, attend to her bodily needs and evening ablutions, before falling asleep.
Her current bed was considerably wider than the one she had in 'Shadyhouse'. The room she now occupied had previously been Simon and his wife's room, so she now slept in their marriage thalamus. Fortunately, she could see that the mattress had probably been re-made especially for her, and the blankets were: fresh, clean, and beautifully made.
Sleeping in such a large space gave her a sense of vulnerability and loneliness. In addition, she was occasionally assailed by a sense of suffocation that the castle walls gave her.
Accustomed to being in complete freedom and in the midst of nature, she found it hard not to feel like a prisoner within the high walls. After washing and dressing, she decided, as they were still almost all asleep, to go exploring. She wanted to look around to get a better idea of the layout of the imposing building.
Before leaving, she opened the window of her room and looked out to see if anyone was awake outside. The air was still crisp; only a few handmaids, stablemen and soldiers seemed to have already set to work.
She thought nostalgically of her herb garden and all the flowers that surrounded 'Shadyhouse'. Caerphilly was enclosed by water, but the green plants and flowers could only be seen from a distance.
She left her room without making a sound; for a moment she stopped to look at the door of William's bedroom, which was to the left, immediately after his.
Who knows if he had already woken up or was, he still in his bed asleep? Why did she feel so agitated walking past his door? Don't think about it, silly!
She had no reason to feel out of place and apprehensive as if she were doing something wrong.
She crossed the whole corridor in the opposite direction to the staircase leading to the hall. There were probably still people resting in their beds and she did not want to wake them up with her arrival.
The corridor ended in a circular space, to the south-west, where a spiral staircase ascended to the upper floor.
On the corner, just before the staircase, was another large room. It probably belonged to the Count and his wife.
Megan walked silently past them and resolutely climbed the stone steps of the tower.
At the top, the staircase opened onto a long corridor that overlooked the western part of the castle. From there, through small windows and slits, a second, large outer door was visible. This one, with a drawbridge, opened onto an island where, one could clearly see, a training ground had been set up for the knights.
