Destiny rules all. Few are kings. One was chosen. King Brute is an epic tale of the first king of Britain.
In 1200 BC at the conquest of Troy by the Greeks, the Trojan king Aeneas escapes to Italy. Two generations later, his descendant Brute is born. Banished from Italy after accidentally killing his father, he is captured at sea by the Greeks. He then struggles to win his freedom as an athlete and unite the captive Trojan people to defeat their captors. He succeeds and then goes on a quest to find a new homeland, eventually landing in what was to become Britain. Based on Geoffrey of Monmouth‘s 12th Century, Historia Regum Britanniae, King Brute brings back to life this old legend, as Brute and his band of countrymen battle huge armies, bloodthirsty pirates, fire breathing sea dragons, tattooed pygmy Picts, hideous giants, cruel natural forces and time itself.
Excerpt
Chapter 1
Around 1200 BC, when life was young and there was less than fifty million people walking the face of the earth, a ten year war came to a bitter end between the Akkadian Greeks and the Phoenician Trojans. The Greeks had conquered the Trojans, but a few of them managed to escape to Latinium, a province in Italy where Rome now stands.
A flotilla of a hundred Trojan ships have anchored at the mouth of the Tiber river. On the banks of the river King Latinus, the corpulent jovial ruler of the Latin tribe, greets Aeneas the leader of the surviving Trojans. His face is chiseled by years of ceaseless combat as he stands with his son Ascanius, who is a fair haired young man with gentle eyes. The Latin King is surrounded by his noblemen as he balances himself with a big jeweled staff crowned with the head of a golden lion.
"Welcome to the land of the Latin’s, my Trojan friends. I too have been plagued by the Greeks and have heard of your troubles. You're welcome to stay in my land for as long as you desire. Secure your ships and follow me to my village. After you have rested, we will have a great celebration."
"King Latinus, I thank you from the bottom of my heart." Aeneas says as he shakes the king's hand. "My name is Aeneus and this is my son Ascanius. Yes, my people have suffered greatly at the hand of the Greeks. My wife and daughter were killed in the final siege. My son and I barely escaped with our lives. Once our people numbered in the tens of thousands but now there are barely a thousand of us. Yes, we graciously except your hospitality."
"Well then, follow me to the village. But have a little patience with me, as my gout is acting up again. What a dreadful bother it is." Latinus says as he painfully leans on his staff. Then he ambles off with Aeneus and Ascanius' at his side. A thousand tattered and weary Trojan folk follow in a long procession behind them. After they've rested and refreshed themselves, the Trojans make their way to the large Latin dining hall. There they find long banquet tables loaded with food and drinks of every description.
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