Semper Fidelis · Squire of Middleham

1468 - After seven years of peace in England, the future for the House of York looks assured. King Edward IV rules the land with charm and bonhomie, confident that he has seen the end of the Lancastrian dynasty that thwarted his father's claim to the throne.

Many families have been ripped apart by over decade of warfare and strife, with lands and fortunes there for the crown to dispose of at will. To buy favour and affinity and bolster up a network of powerful allies to deter any future challenge to the throne.

The young son of a deceased Lancastrian lord, Francis Lovell, finds himself part of such a bargain when his wardship is granted to the all powerful Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, King Edward's most trusted councillor and cousin. Dispatched from his home to learn a knight's trade at the northern stronghold of Middleham Castle, he is a Lancastrian sheep in a den of Yorkist wolves. But in one chance meeting, he makes an influential ally of his own, the king's youngest brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester. But there are clouds on the horizon at the court of the 'Sun in Splendour.' King Edward has shunned a profitable foreign marriage in favour of a beautiful Lancastrian widow, causing ripples throughout the land and shockwaves amongst his most loyal supporters. As a Squire of Middleham, none of this has yet had much affect on Francis. His friendship with the king's brother grows, and his loyalty to the House of York deepens. But soon, both are to be fully tested. The Earl of Warwick fans treasonous fires and Richard introduces Francis to Lady Caitlin Desmond. Love and Loyalty are about to be tested to the limit.