The King's Traitor (Kingfountain #3)(115)

I love reading biographies. I read one once about the first American president, George Washington, and learned that he had a first love whom he did not end up marrying. So did Abraham Lincoln. If you look through the nooks and crannies of history, you’ll find plenty of instances of this. While I prefer stories where the main characters do get together in the end, sometimes things just don’t work out that way. So if you are one of those readers who were disappointed by Owen’s choice of partner, I beg your pardon. This was the story that has been metamorphosing inside me for years.

And it’s not over. As I wrote this novel, I saw more light farther down the tunnel. The setting was obviously inspired by the Arthurian legends. As I read many of the classic older texts, I kept seeing recurring themes, even though the details often differed. The whole mythology around Our Lady was inspired by the myths of the Lady of the Lake. The prophecy of the Dreadful Deadman wasn’t invented. Europeans in the late-fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries believed that King Arthur would return someday and defend England. Henry VII named his firstborn son Arthur to invoke that legend. He claimed to be Arthur incarnated himself when he fought Richard III at Bosworth Field. The legend of the Dreadful Deadman is a fascinating historical tidbit. I based my version of the Arthurian plot on the writings contained in the Mabinogion. That’s where I learned about Sir Owain who betrayed the Lady of the Fountain. That’s where the silver bowl and the magic hailstorm had their source. And it’s also the origin of the magic chess set that belonged to King Arthur.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this new world. I have a few more stories to tell before I’m done with it. I think the children of these main characters need a turn on stage.

And if a movie is ever made about this series, I politely request Richard Armitage to play King Severn.