England 1064: A raid by Danish pirates puts an abrupt end to the carefree childhood of young Cædmon of Helmsby: an arrow wounds him so badly that he becomes a -useless cripple? His father deports him and sends him to his mother's Norman homeland as a translator for an English legation. Two years later, Cædmon, healed and marked by Norman influences, returns with Duke William and his conquering army. After the Battle of Hastings and William's coronation, Cædmon, as the king's translator and teacher of princes, finds himself in a key position he never wanted: he becomes the mediator between conquerors and conquered, without ever knowing where he himself stands. In this thankless role he creates bitter enemies for himself. But while new Viking invasions and uprisings plunge the country into turmoil, he uses his growing political influence in his quest for reconciliation, for he has the ear of the despotic, often cruel king. Until the day William learns who the Norman lady Cædmon loves is...
