William de Braose Squire of Winchester (The Last Tournament)

William was aware that something had gone terribly wrong. This tournament, which was supposed to be friendly, had suddenly turned deadly. Sir John de Elton came riding up the hill at full gallop. He reined up at the brink of the hill, where William was kneeling, and drew his sword. "Thomas," he yelled. "Protect the Lord de Braose!" The Lord de Braose? William thought, as he opened his eyes and looked up at the young knight. My father is the Lord de Braose, not me. "What are you doing?" William demanded. "Where is my father?" "He has fallen, My Lord," Sir John replied. "Your father has been murdered." William de Braose, age eleven, had ridden beside his father, a powerful Norman Lord, to his first tournament. Isolde had warned him before they left home that his father was in great danger, but what did she, a little girl, know? Some said she had the second sight, but for William she was nothing but a pest. Very few people were aware of the great storm brewing that summer of 1232 within the English court. Little did William know that he would soon be thrust into the center of that storm. Book one in this fourteen-book series, William de Braose, Squire of Winchester, describes William's adventures on his way to the tournament that will change his life forever. At each castle where the Braose entourage stops on its week-long trip to the Salisbury tournament, it is treated to the finest food and best stories in the land. William thrills to the tales from Britain's rich literary heritage. His excitement can hardly be contained as the entourage finally reaches Salisbury and the Last Tournament begins. Trent Stephens