Blackwater Castle

By Alyss Morgan

Sir Guy is a knight in medieval England. He is strong and valiant but owned no lands. In appreciation for his years of service to King William, he is awarded the land upon which Blackwater Castle was erected. It is said that the previous owners had been slain in battle protecting the castle, except for the daughter.

 

The myster

• Language: English
• Publisher: Book Vine Press
• Release date: Jun 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781950955152

Alyss Morgan

Alyss Morgan is a fiction devotee. She spends most of her time reading romance and historical novels, as well as mysteries and science fiction. She currently resides in Vilonia, Arkansas, with Frank, her husband of forty-seven years, together with their cocker spaniels and cats. She has been enjoying the serenity of the country for more than three decades.

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Copyright © 2019 by Alyss Morgan.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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CHAPTER 1

It was the year of Our Lord 1067, and Sir Guy of Remington was on his way to take possession of his castle.

He had been fostered by a distant cousin of his father’s, Sir William of Peterborough. He had entered the service of King William of Orange after he was knighted. Sir Guy was just one of many landless knights in the service of their king in hopes of living long enough to be awarded lands of their own. He favored his mother’s side of the family.

He had light brown hair almost bleached blonde from fightng in sunny climes. His face was too strong with the aristocratic nose and sharp set features of the Normans to be pretty, and his skin was leathery and full of scars telling the story of his life fighting under William’s banner. He was 32 years old and ready to start his own dynasty. His service to his king and his participation in the various tournies here and in France gave him enough wealth to support a desmaine comfortably.

When he left William’s service, the king had awarded him a contested piece of land that was strategically situated, but had been neglected for several months. He was more than capable of setting his desmaine to rights before Winter set in. He was well on his way to living his dream.

Sir Guy was to take possession of his land today. It lay in the Cotswolds of England. Guy had ridden through the Cotswolds during his travels and remembered it as a fair land. He was looking forward to surveying all he had been awarded. Most of the family who had formerly had possession had been slain during the war. There was a daughter who was reported to still be alive and living there who was unaccounted for. She was presumed to have died. He wouldn’t even have to marry into the family in order to strengthen his claim. He would have to marry for heirs, but he would have the time to get his desmaine in order before approaching his father for a match. If he had read his maps correctly, he was on a road that led straight to Blackwater Castle as it was named. He had looked at the countryside as he rode to Blackwater Castle. There were healthy forests and verdant meadows, indicating rich soil and plenty of rain. It was early spring and time to sow crops. That would be the first thing on his agenda. Food needed to be stored for the winter for both man and beast. He had let it be known he was looking for some likely knights and men at arms to serve under his banner. When he accepted them, they would be spending a goodly amount of their time hunting in order the have meat salted and stored. He had responsibilities now. People who lived on his land and looked to him for leadership. He was ready for the challenge.

Sir Guy finally saw Blackwater castle looming out of the fog. It had a sinister look from his distance. It towered over the countryside. It was built on a mountainous rise which made it easily defendable, as it was hard to reach without being seen by the watch from miles around. Then structure looked sound but he would need to inspect it thoroughly after he settled in. From what King William said the castle had been deserted for months so there would be a deal of work waiting for him and he was eager for it. Just as he was approaching the drawbridge, he caught sight of some movement of to the right. When he looked, the bushes seemed to be shaking as if someone had been watching him.

He puzzled over it briefly, but shrugged his shoulders. It was probably a woodland creature that had been startled and ran away. He noticed the castle doors were open and unguarded as he trotted over the drawbridge. He urged Lightning through the castle gates.

As he entered the bailey. he noticed a lack of activity/ There were no men at arms, no blacksmiths, no maids or any one else that was expected to be bustling around a busy castle. Guy decided that the first thing he would have to do was visit the village and recuit some of the people to work at the castle. He dismounted Lightning, removed his saddle bags from the horse’s back and approached the entrance to the keep. The door swung open at its own volition. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. This was beginning to look like a major