as Geoff Carthy:
The Crown and The Arrow
A historical adventure saga set in the tumultuous half-century leading up the the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
In the times of Aethelred the Unready, Edward the Confessor, Lady Godiva and King Knut, the son of a traitor rose from ignominy to kingmaker. Godwin Wulfnothson became the most powerful man in the land.
With a warrior’s courage, a spy’s cunning and a seducer’s charm, Godwin faces Vikings, Normans, and vicious internal feuds among the Saxon nobles.
PART ONE
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A Traitor's Son
​vol 1
After his father's treason, young Godwin Wulfnothson fights to save his village from retribution by the ruthless Brihtric of Mercia.
Meanwhile, shepherd boy Walt struggles to survive after Vikings kill his family. Handmaid Fleada is tied to the fortunes of her mistress, herself a pawn in the manipulations of the cunning Eadric 'The Grasper' Streona.
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Prince Edward wrestles with his feelings for his best friend. His mother, the redoubtable Queen Emma, endeavours to guide her husband Aethelred, the King of Handflapping, while being tempted by Stigand, 'the most handsome priest'.
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And Eadric makes an offer to the Danish King Sveyn that will change England forever.
PART ONE ​
A Traitor's Son
vol 2
Impressed by Godwin's courage and resourcefulness, Prince Edmund 'Ironside' has recruited Godwin to his fyrd (army). But Godwin has already made enemies among the ranks.
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Godwin is sent as part of a small troop to guard Queen Emma and the young Princes, Edward and Alfred, in Rye on the south coast. They are about to be caught up in the invasion by two thousand Danes under the feared Thorkell 'The Tall'. Can Godwin save Prince Edward?
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It is Eadric who is sent to negotiate with Thorkell, and the Christian-hating Vrangr. The mission is unwittingly imperilled by Eadric's own brother, Brihtric.
PART TWO
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Thegn
Godwin is granted his father's Thegnship, and becomes ever more trusted by Prince Edmund.
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He is sent north on a secret mission for Edmund, and faces dangers on the road. After Sveyn takes London and declares himself King of England, he is embroiled in Edmund's counter attack.
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Eadric builds alliances, and has plans of his own to deal with Sveyn. Fleada is forced to spy in Knut, and finds herself alongside Walt as pawns in bigger games.
Prince Edward feels abandoned by his mother, when sent to safety in Normandy. He is bullied by an older cousin, and learns some uncomfortable history that makes him question his father's right to be king.
PART THREE
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The Sparrow Master
The sudden and unexpected death of King Sveyn 'Forkbeard' marks a turning point for all.
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Fleada and Walt are now sparrows, or spies, in the court of the young Danish King. Once merely the Queen's handmaid, Fleada gets closer to Knut in her own right.
Walt fears what will happen when the vengeful English attack the weakened King, but he's trapped in the doomed town of Gegnesberh.
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Eadric, Edmund and Emma plot and counter-plot in their efforts to control the Five Berhs in the heart of England. Betrayal, extortion and murders are plotted, and that's before the invasion.
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