Mary Reed McCall (30 page)

T
he legend of King Arthur has roots in ancient Celtic lore: most likely he was a fifth century king of Briton who fought the invasion of the Saxons. As an historical figure, he is mentioned in numerous early texts, including the
Letter to Riothamus
, c.470;
De Excidio Britanniae
, c. 540;
The Battle of Llongborth
, c.480 (an English translation of a sixth century Welsh poem), and
The Anglo Saxon Chronicle
, 9th C. Regardless of true history, King Arthur’s legend rose among the people, particularly in Wales, where the idea that their “Once and Future King” would return when the country needed him most, to lead them to freedom from England’s oppressive rule.

The Welsh rebellion rose and ebbed numerous times through the course of several hundred years, culminating in a particularly seditious era during the reign of England’s King Henry II. In the summer of 1189, just before Henry’s death, a group of monks at Glastonbury Abbey
“discovered” Arthur’s grave between two stone pillars on the grounds; the bones—the shin of which was longer by nearly half than that of any man the monks or witnesses could find—were buried alongside those of a woman, presumably Guinevere’s. A long, blonde braid lay with the remains, though according to testimony, it disintegrated to dust once touched.

The hollowed-out oak bole containing the bones had been buried sixteen feet below the surface of the earth—apparently to prevent Arthur’s Saxon enemies from discovering and desecrating his grave—with a stone slab beneath it that bore a leaden cross with the inscription:

HERE IN THE ISLE OF AVALON LIES BURIED THE RENOWNED

KING ARTHUR
,
WITH GUINEVERE
,
HIS SECOND WIFE
. The remains and stone slab were kept safe until the later reign of King Henry VIII; after his rift with the Church of Rome, he ordered the dissolution of England’s monasteries. Shortly thereafter, the stone slab disappeared, never to be seen again; only a drawing of it remains.

Of course, many argue that the entire “discovery” of Arthur’s grave was a calculated hoax, invented by King Henry and the Glastonbury monks in an attempt both to raise money for the abbey through the visitors who would flock to the site, and to hamper the Welsh rebellion against England by issuing a death blow to the patriotic fervor fueled by rumors of Arthur’s imminent return. Whether the entire event was an elaborate ruse or not will undoubtedly be debated for centuries more. But researching the events at Glastonbury and the controversy surrounding them provided me with some wonderful inspiration for
The Maiden Warrior
.

In conceiving my story, I adjusted Arthurian legend and historical fact a bit to allow for the idea of the great king
reborn
, rather than simply returned from Avalon. In this way, Gwynne would be the infant bearing the “signs”
that marked her as the future savior of her people in battle. But I reflected the original legend on at least one major point in my tale: just as Arthur was the son of an illicit union between the warlord Uther Pendragon and Gorlois’s wife, Igrayne, Gwynne is also the fruit of a forbidden relationship between the warrior Marrok and Owain’s noble wife, Gwendolyn.

Making the “Dark Legend” of my story female instead of male also has some basis in historical fact, as ancient Celtic culture actually revered women warriors: some of the most powerful Celtic war deities were female, and they came with requisite abilities in weapons and martial arts–style fighting. In fact, it is believed that women warriors were an accepted part of Welsh society and fought alongside men as late as the ninth century.

Gwynne was an irresistible heroine for me to write, not only because of the chance she gave me to express the kind of honor, strength, and courage that I think is too often downplayed in women, but also because of the agonizing conflict it allowed me to examine through her characterization. How much more emotionally fraught can a woman be than to be torn between an undeniable duty as her nation’s most important leader—as their legendary warrior—and the fierce, unyielding desires of her still-tender heart? Then, of course, matching her up with a hero both worthy of her on the battlefield and gentle enough to win her love presented a challenge all its own—one I hope I did justice to in the person of her noble knight, Aidan de Brice.

All of it put together made for an engrossing writing experience—and I hope an engrossing reading experience as well. As always, I thank you for coming along on the journey…

My sincere gratitude:

To my dear friend and colleague, Kathie DeKalb, Registered Master Teacher, Usui Shiki Ryoho Reiki healing methods, for invaluable insights to ways of accurately portraying the healing process and its physical manifestations on the healer. I wanted to get it right, and I couldn’t have without you. Gwynne and I both thank you!

To my husband, my children, my mother-in-law Norma, Judy, Richard, Donald, and the rest of my family and friends for encouragement, understanding, and help during the often crazy times that go along with this writing life. You make it all a lot easier—and a lot more fun as well. Thank you.

And to my parents, for, as always, reading my work in its roughest form and giving me vital feedback—and for continued love and support. This book never would have made its deadline without your offer of unlimited babysitting! I don’t know what I’d do without you…

MARY REED MCCALL once studied at the University of Leningrad and considered a career in national security. However, she soon realized her calling lay elsewhere and turned to her love of books for inspiration, eventually becoming a high school English teacher and a romance writer. She began work on her first novel one week after completing her M.A. in English literature.

The award-winning author of seven novels for Avon Books, Mary lives in upstate New York with her family, sharing an often crazy but always wonderful life. Please visit her on the web at
www.maryreedmccall.com.

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