Chapter II

 

The Year 1119

Gloucestershire, England Early Spring

 

Thomas Fitz Stephen packed his plans, the drawings and specifications he had been working on, and a bag full of gold. He looked fondly at the toy boat with the red and yellow striped sail which sat on the mantle over the fireplace. Each day brought him closer to his dream, and each year his dream grew clearer in his mind.

The rising sun flooded the room. It would be a fine day to sail. If the wind and the current were favorable, he would be in Normandy in good time. Normandy in springtime, with its alabaster cliffs and apple orchards heavy with blossoms as far as the eye could see. Soon he would see his two dearest friends again, Martin and Wandrille. They had been children together, and none knew him better, for he had shared his dream with them since the day the three children set his toy boat on the river and raced it downstream.

One long ago summer, Martin and Wandrille helped him build his first real boat with a blue sail stitched by Wandrille and the figurehead of a dragon carved by Martin. They navigated that boat through the marshes all that glorious summer, pretending to be the Vikings who had conquered and settled Normandy so many centuries ago. What adventures they had. Thomas could not wait to see Martin and Wandrille again and to tell them the exciting news that the time had finally come to build his ship of dreams.

Thomas Fitz Stephen was a rugged-looking man. His tanned and weathered skin made him look older than his years, as did his air of intelligence and authority. He wore his brown hair pulled back in a single braid. His handsome face was clean-shaven. Thomas carried himself with a proud bearing. He favored well-made practical clothing and finely crafted deerskin boots.

Thomas picked up a coin that sat on the mantle next to the little boat. Both treasures had come from his father, Airard. The gold coin represented the family fortune. William the Conqueror had presented this piece of gold with his likeness on it to Airard in gratitude for building and sailing the ship that carried him from Normandy to England in 1066, and Airard in turn had passed it down to Thomas. That voyage had made William not only king, but also one of the most powerful men in the world. The Conqueror had rewarded Airard and his heirs richly. Now the legacy belonged to Thomas.

Thomas knew he had only to present the coin to William the Conqueror’s son, King Henry the First, and any favor he asked would be granted. Such a small bit of metal, he thought, yet it holds more value then all of my family’s lands and assets combined.