Last Tales of Mercia 1: Emma the Queen
By Jayden Woods
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About this ebook
To prove her innocence of crimes against her own son, King Edward, Emma of Normandy must walk barefoot over nine scalding ploughshares and come out unscathed.
Set in the Dark Ages of Engla-lond, the "Last Tales of Mercia" are ten short stories featuring real historical figures and characters from the "Sons of Mercia" series. Though strongly connected to the series, they can be read independently.
Jayden Woods
Jayden Woods is the author's pen name. Jayden is a graduate of the University of Southern California's Writing for Screen and Television program. She lived and worked in Los Angeles for five years before leaving Hollywood to pursue her passion of writing prose and novels. Her published works include the various Tales of Mercia and the related "Sons of Mercia" trilogy, beginning with "Eadric the Grasper."
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Lost Tales of Mercia The Prince and the Pretender Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrand Traitor Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 1: Emma the Queen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Titles in the series (11)
Last Tales of Mercia 2: Richard the Norman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 1: Emma the Queen Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 3: Elwyna the Exile Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 4: Ralph the Knight Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 6: Hereward the Outlaw Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 5: Osgifu the Sister Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 9: Sigurd the Gleeman Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 7: Godric the Thegn Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 8: Audrey the Slave Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 10: Osbern the Son Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLast Tales of Mercia 1-10 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
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Last Tales of Mercia 1 - Jayden Woods
Last Tales of Mercia 1:
Emma the Queen
Jayden Woods
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Jayden Woods
Edited by Malcolm Pierce
Cover design based on the Bayeux Tapestry
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The ten Last Tales of Mercia are stand-alone short stories featuring real historical figures and characters from the Sons of Mercia series. You may read them independently as quick glimpses into an ancient world, or as a preface to the novel, Edric the Wild. For more news and updates on the Sons of Mercia series, visit www.jaydenwoods.com.
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"And this year, fourteen nights before the mass of St. Andrew, it was advised the king, that he and Earl Leofric and Earl Godwin and Earl Siward with their retinue, should ride from Gloucester to Winchester unawares upon the lady [Emma]; and they deprived her of all the treasures that she had; which were immense; because she was formerly very hard upon the king her son, and did less for him than he wished before he was king, and also since ..."
—The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Entry for Year 1043
WINCHESTER
Late 1040’s A.D.
Is the tomb secure?
Queen Emma’s question hung in the air for a few moments, sending a coarse echo through the chilled stones of the underground hallway. The abbess of Wherwell, who had served as Emma’s prison warden before following her here to Winchester, blinked at the queen through tightly-narrowed lids. Abbess Mildred’s woolen wimple wrapped her hair and neck completely, leaving nothing but a small weaselly face to peer out at the queen. The manner of cruelty suggested by Mildred’s beady eyes never ceased to amaze Emma, especially when compared to the kind but sharp-witted soul that actually lurked behind them. Those same eyes now twinkled with a combination of daring and caution.
I suppose that depends on what you mean by ‘secure,’
said the abbess with her nasally voice.
Queen Emma stared into the flickering shadows of the Old Minster before her. Once upon a time, this hollow chamber full of shifting shadows and the ghostly echo of silence might have sparked her imagination and ignited many nightmares. Now, as an old woman of nearly sixty years who had seen murder, war, and treachery of