This is a work of fiction set against the backdrop of actual events of history. The characters, with few exceptions, have their place in history. Many of the incidents depicted actually occurred; others are based on rumor and legend; and still others are the product of my imagination. Chroniclers of the twelfth century do not always agree on what may or may not have occurred, and neither do later historians, who bring their own interpretations to the past. I have taken my own liberties with some dates, locations, and the natures of various events.