In order to defeat the Saxons invading his land, Lord Artos - who will one day be known as King Arthur - needs to develop a swift, mobile cavalry, the first ever on his island. This means he must breed Libyan horses - the only ones large enough to carry his armed warriors.
Enter Galwyn Varianus, son of a bankrupt and dishonored aristocrat and a runaway from his tyrannical uncel' ship. With his gift for languages and his knowledge of horses, young Galwyn becomes invaluable to Lord Artos as an interpreter at the horse fairs on the Continent, and later, as the first farrier to accompany him into battle to repair and replace his horses' iron sandals.
This fast-moving historical novel - the story of King Arthur as it has never been told before - is about the beginnings of the British cavalry and the shoeing of horses, as recounted by a boy growing up in exciting and perilous times.
Enter Galwyn Varianus, son of a bankrupt and dishonored aristocrat and a runaway from his tyrannical uncel' ship. With his gift for languages and his knowledge of horses, young Galwyn becomes invaluable to Lord Artos as an interpreter at the horse fairs on the Continent, and later, as the first farrier to accompany him into battle to repair and replace his horses' iron sandals.
This fast-moving historical novel - the story of King Arthur as it has never been told before - is about the beginnings of the British cavalry and the shoeing of horses, as recounted by a boy growing up in exciting and perilous times.