Music, Passion, Love and Past Lives collide within the cobbled walls of Castle Pioneer on the magical island of Samso, Denmark as Lady Marewyn and King Jann struggle on their path to happiness.
Marewyn and King Jann meet in medieval England, where their love grows from the seeds of deep friendship. After a platonic courtship, Jann moves Marewyn to his Castle Pioneer on Samso Island in Denmark. Memories of their past lives explode, and the couple learns they’ve been soul mates for eternity.
But his estranged queen on the mainland decides to make life difficult and moves back into the castle, triggering royal trouble. Marewyn refuses to hide or accept abuse from the Queen. The drama builds when Jann turns his back on Marewyn, forcing her into the arms of Erick, a Viking ship commander and Jann‘s friend.
Will Jann continue to live unhappily with his difficult wife, or will he follow his heart and find Marewyn, his true queen?
Excerpt
After one very trying debate, which ended with the Duke of Germany storming out angrily, Jann stayed behind and approached her. His guards stood by the door, but otherwise the court was empty. Marewyn had been in low spirits, head bent as she gathered together her belongings.
“Smil min dame, det vil blive bedre. Smile, my lady, it will get better,” Jann said softly as he watched her pack. Her mannerisms could at times be so childlike. While he watched her, she tired of carefully placing each piece of parchment into her sack and eventually just shoved them all in. Her shoulders rose and fell as she flung the pack over her shoulder, and looked into Jann’s hazel eyes. She didn’t lower her eyes or fumble for words like others who were awed that he was a king. And while her words stung him at first, she was wise and made sense. “I’m tired, my king. I simply want peace for all. Mayhap you could help by trying a bit harder to ally with the Germans instead of behaving like a child that needs a spanking.”
He’d smiled down at her with a twinkle in his eye. “I’ll try harder to be nicer, if only to see my lady smile again. And from now on you shall call me Jann when you verbally spank me.”
“Ja, Jann. I will address you correctly when you are naughty from now on.” Marewyn smiled. And that little exchange had started a friendship so deep and unexpected that neither one would ever be the same.
Jann wanted to know more about Marewyn, so he instructed his lead guard to conduct an inquiry. He discovered that she was thirty, fifteen years younger than him, even though she looked and acted a lot younger. She had no children. He was told she came from a mysterious background and had been raised in the woodlands of England and taught the extensive use of herbs and roots to heal, and Galdur, the ancient Icelandic chants. Marewyn used her herbal knowledge and intuitive powers to help women.
When Marewyn married, she’d relied on her husband as all women did. The guard told Jann that he had been a heavy drinker, and fighting had been a common noise coming from their cottage. After his death, she’d made enough money as a midwife, lived on her own, and didn’t remarry.
Marewyn blended her pagan roots with the present-day world beautifully. He was drawn not only to her beauty and brains but also to the magical aura that surrounded her. The more he learned about her, the more taken he became. She had the intelligence and determination far greater than anyone he had ever met. He spent as much time with her as possible.
“Don’t you get scared or lonely out here all alone? And why don’t you have children, Mare?” he asked while they were lying behind her cottage and looking up at cloud formations. Jann made it part of his routine to visit her daily. Each day it was his goal to learn something new about her.
“No, I enjoy my own company,” she said while chewing on a blade of grass. “As for being scared? It’s mankind that scares me, not nature. Men are unpredictably violent. I feel much safer amongst the animals and trees.” She took a deep breath before continuing.
“As for children, I was pregnant once. I lost the baby in a fall. My husband died shortly after that,” she said quietly. “Being a midwife and helping women with their newborns has filled my needs for now. That, and my writing.”
“I see.” He absorbed her words. Her pronouncement that she lost the baby in a fall didn’t ring true for him. He wondered what other pain had been inflicted on her. He reached out and squeezed her hand. “I’d never hurt you, Mare. I hope you know that. Whatever that husband did to you was unforgivable. I hope you see someday that not all men are like that.”
“I know you would never purposely want to hurt me,” she said quietly, squeezing his hand back. “People usually have the best intentions at first, and then things go wrong. I just find that being alone prevents anyone from getting close to me in the first place. I can’t handle any more pain. I just want to live my life in harmony and feel safe.” The mood had grown somber, and Marewyn tried to lighten it.
Jann took a deep breath and was about to say something, but Marewyn stopped him with a giggle. “Look, Jann. That cloud looks like a, um, you know, a man’s organ!” She laughed out loud when she tilted her head and saw the comic look on his face.
“I can’t believe you said that!” He laughed out loud. Then he tilted his head and looked at her. “And I hate to admit it, but I was thinking the same thing!”
“You are my twin, Jann, 'tis no denying it!” Her eyes twinkled with laughter. He looked at her lush body lying next to his big stocky frame.
“Yes, people can’t tell us apart,” he whispered and pinched her cheek playfully. Never had he met anyone quite like Mare. Her jokes and comments still surprised him at times, but he now took them for what they were. As long as she didn’t speak that way in public, it was acceptable to him. And she knew this for in public she was the perfect companion. She was a delight to be around. Marewyn began to accompany him to various political functions and social gatherings. The two of them became a common sight. But what he looked forward to most was his alone time with Marewyn. Then he could literally and figuratively take off his crown and be himself.
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