The Champion

In the spring of 1193, seventeen-year-old Alexander de Montroi flees the monastery where he'd been training as a novice, and joins his soldier brother, Hervi, in Normandy. Alexander has ambitions to become a great knight among the men who earn their living by hiring their swords and taking part in jousting contests. For those who show exceptional talent, there are fortunes and hearts to be won, and Alexander soon proves himself adept at both.Monday de Cerizay is the only daughter of Arnaud, a friend of Hervi, and his wife, Clemence. Her parents are poor, but they work hard, and live a happy life. Monday, who is three years younger than Alexander, is smitten with the dashing young soldier, but he is too busy pursuing his own career and glory to pay her much attention.Suddenly, Arnaud is killed, and Hervi becomes Monday's guardian, drawing her even further into Alexander's life. One night, after too much wine and too little self-control, Alexander and Monday lie together, but, proud and headstrong, Monday is determined not to become just another of Alexander's conquests. Pregnant, confused, and betrayed, she flees, determined to make a life for herself beyond the tawdry squalor of the tourney circuits. Alexander is devastated by Monday's sudden flight.From the mud-soaked fields of France to the refinement of the royal court, from moments of breathtaking passion to the cold-hearted machinations of medieval politics, "The Champion" is an epic, unforgettable tale of love, injustice, and revenge, as page-turningly dramatic as it is historically valid.