A Prince of Wales
Page 33
As for this story, while there are historical records that show Llywelyn allied himself with Earl Ranulf of Chester later in his career, I’ve found nothing to suggest that the Earl supplied the rebel Prince with any men prior to his assumption of rule over Gwynedd. But we don’t know that he didn’t—do we? And if so, who better to send than Roland Inness and the Invalid Company?
Haakon the Black is a fictional character, but Roderic was wed to the daughter of the King of the Isles and did hire Gaelic/Danish mercenaries from Ireland on other occasions.
Some interesting geographic/historical facts:
There was a fortress on the two rocky hills that still look down on the mouth of the River Conwy at Deganwy. It was probably of timber construction with some stonework around the foundation. It was built by a Norman, Robert of Rhuddlan, only a dozen years after the Conquest, but was later destroyed to keep it from falling into English hands.
There is a fine ruin that can still be visited at Dolwyddelan, though it is what remains of a later castle that Llywelyn built after he became ruler of Gwynedd.
Aberffraw still exists today as a sleepy little village in Anglesey. Save for the royal Llys, it was not much more than that in the 12th century.
Ynys Llanddwyn, “Saint Dwynwen’s Island” is still there today and still cut off from Anglesey at high tide. Saint Dwynwen is the Welsh patron saint of lovers.
The Menai Strait has some of the most treacherous tidal action in Britain, particularly the stretch just west of Menai Bridge—known as “The Swellies.”
Legend does claim that 20,000 saints are buried on Ynys Enlli or Bardsey Island.
Books by Wayne Grant
The Saga of Roland Inness
Longbow
Warbow
The Broken Realm
The Ransomed Crown
A Prince of Wales
Four years ago, I set out to tell the coming-of-age story of a fourteen-year-old boy with a longbow. The first four books in The Saga of Roland Inness—beginning with Longbow and concluding with The Ransomed Crown—encompass the coming-of-age story I set out to tell.
Having told that tale, I intended to move on to other stories, but something unexpected happened. Readers all over the world found something special in Roland Inness and his companions and wanted more. And I'll confess, I'd grown rather fond of my boy with the longbow as well. I also knew there were more stories to tell. So, the Saga continues with A Prince of Wales.
To learn more about The Saga of Roland Inness, visit my website at www.waynegrantbooks.com or the Longbow Facebook page.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I grew up in a tiny cotton town in rural Louisiana where hunting, fishing and farming are a way of life. Between chopping cotton, dove hunting and Little League ball I developed a love of great adventure stories like Call It Courage and Kidnapped.
Like most southern boys, I saw the military as an honourable career, so it was a natural step for me to attend and graduate from West Point. I just missed Vietnam, but served in Germany and Korea. I found that life as a Captain in an army broken by Vietnam was not what I wanted and returned to Louisiana and civilian life. I later served for four years as a senior official in the Pentagon and had the honour of playing a small part in the rebuilding of a great U.S. Army.
Through it all, I kept my love for great adventure stories. When I had two sons, I began making up stories for them about a boy and his longbow. Those stories grew to become my first novel, Longbow. The picture above was taken on Kinder Scout.