AN INVOLUNTARY KING

A Tale of Anglo Saxon England

By Nan Hawthorne

Shield-wall Books

http://www.shield-wall.com

Smashwords Edition

Dedication

I dedicate this novel to Jim Tedford, my beloved husband of many years, for bringing my darlings back to me by first making it possible for me to read their stories again and thereafter for encouraging my writing this novel. Jim, thank you for the most precious gift. coming to love these folks as I do. Peter is right, some things do last forever.

To Josephine's and Elerde's creator, Laura Burr Delisle, who prefers I call her The Muse. We have diverged widely but oh how sweet the crossroads.

Introduction

The very fact that you are reading these words means I have accomplished what I set out to do by writing An Involuntary king. Let me explain.

My parents sent me to a one-week summer camp run by our church out the road from Juneau, Alaska, when I was twelve. By some happy chance, they asked if I could stay for the second week as they were going away. During that second week, I met a girl a year younger than I named Laura. We both loved to play act, and we and two other girls started playing Indian princess. Laura was Princess Sunshine.