Sir Edward

A legacy is not always born in a castle. Sometimes, it begins in the dirt. Twelve-year-old Mary is used to the heavy work of keeping her family’s farm alive. With her father away at the King’s wars, life is a cycle of hard work and grit—until a wounded knight named Sir Edward of Kare...

Hillary, a 13-year-old girl living in King Henry II's 12th-century England, has some unusual quirks. For one, she is an expert at swordplay, having learned from her father, Jacob, the blacksmith. Jacob, in turn, learned his skill from Sir Henry, whose life Hillary's mother saved during a recent Viking invasion. Hillary is also just as good at chess and horsemanship, while still possessing her feminine characteristics. All of this comes into play when Sir Edward, who is like an uncle to her, visits Hillary's mother, Mary, in search of a page. Oh-Ho! 

When Hillary is summoned to join the Third Crusade, she leaves behind the life she knows and enters a world of war, faith, loyalty, and danger. Accompanied by her young squire Jeffrey, she journeys across Europe and the Mediterranean, facing powerful armies, uncertain alliances, and challenges...