Morgaine Le Fay and the Viking
Morgaine Le Fay and the Viking
by Kimbra Kasch
GENRE: YA Fantasy Romance
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Theirs
was a romance that threatened two kingdoms.
An attraction more powerful than any sword, stronger than any warrior and more magical than all the powers of Merlin:
An attraction more powerful than any sword, stronger than any warrior and more magical than all the powers of Merlin:
MORGAINE LE FAY AND THE VIKING.
Everyone has heard of King Arthur and his magical sword, Excalibur, but there’s another legendary hero who received a magical sword from the Norse Goddess known as The Lady of the Lake. Meet Holger Danske and his sword “Cortana”.
The Vikings, led by Holger Danske, invaded England. Yet somehow, even as enemies, Holger and King Arthur’s half-sister, Morgaine Le Fay, shared a forbidden love.
Morgaine’s
head was held high, her back straight, with her chin jutted forward, as she
rode like a warrior into battle. Covered in shiny mail, she sat upon her lively
white steed, much like a nobleman, but no one could be mistaken. One glance and
anyone could see simply by looking at her, this was a fine lady, with skin as
smooth as silk and clear as a summer day, her russet curls plaited and twined
around her head, forming a crown of braids befitting a high-born princess.
Raising her hand to shield her eyes
from the harsh morning light, she turned toward the mountains, searching for a
sign. Something. Anything.
Nothing was there. Still she sat,
waiting.
It was after sunset when the shadows
finally shifted across the horizon. That’s when she noticed the dark
silhouettes of men. Not peasants. These were broad-backed warriors on
horseback, sitting outlined against the blood-red moon. They were moving
closer, nearer to battle.
Arthur did not want his sister on the
front lines. “You should be in the background working your magic,” he insisted,
hoping she would heed his pleas.
She threw her head up in defiance and
gave a little snort. “Never,” she insisted.
His voice took on an authoritative
tone. “I am the King,” he reminded her with a frown etched over his face. She
turned to grin at him, “Did you think I could forget?”
With a heavy sigh, he went on, “It is
not as a King that I am asking, but as your brother. I cannot bear the thought
of you being hurt for me. I want you in the background, not on the forefront of
battle.”
She shook her head, and then reached
across the gap between them. She ran her palm over his cheek. “Do not waste
your worry. You know, death holds no fear for me.”
“Perhaps,” he nodded. “But there are
worse things than death. Please sister, if only for my sake, move to the back
and do not separate yourself from us—I beg of you.” He tried to convince her
not to ride forward from the front lines, but she wouldn’t listen.
“Do not even think of it,” she said,
with that familiar look of determination in her eyes and the stubborn tone
Arthur had become so acquainted with. Pulling back on her reins, she danced her
horse around him. “I am a symbol for the men to look upon. I must move about
for all to see.”
And no matter how much he wanted to
deny it, they both knew she was right. Sitting out in front of the knights, she
made an unforgettable impression.
“But you can inspire from anywhere, it
need not be the frontline,” he insisted.
She shook her head, disregarding his
warning as she rode ahead to act as the King’s guard over her brother. Sitting
proud and tall, she fully intended to protect him from the onslaught that was
about to begin. Arthur was transfixed. She was more beautiful than ever. An
angel blanketed in shadows but edged in starlight, no man on the battlefield
would ever forget her face.
She felt the fire burning inside her
belly. The cry of war rising up into her heart, she wanted nothing more than to
ride.
As the men moved nearer, she raised her
hand, stopping Arthur’s men—holding them back, “Wait for my signal,” she called
out, “Steady!” Finally reaching up over her head, she dropped her sword across
her body as the moonlight glistened on the shiny steel, blinding the men riding
toward them into battle.
Morgaine let out a laugh that echoed
over the field as she galloped forward, and then immediately she swung her mare
away from the men. Standing out alone and off to the side, she was a vision…
Suddenly time stood still. She was
frozen, as a warrior on their frontline came into view. His arm raised up over
his head, sword in hand, he led the charge against her, against Arthur, and
against all the people of Camelot. He was a brute of a man and her attention
was riveted.
There was no turning away; he was all
she saw, all she noticed. Opening his mouth, he let out a roar as he rode
straight toward her, this man with the golden mane.
The moonlight shimmered down on him.
His browned skin glistened and his hair gleamed like an autumn jewel beneath
the starlight. Suddenly she was reminded of hot summer days and amber pebbles
washed up on the white sandy shores. Fascinated, she was spellbound by his
glowing skin beneath the fading evening sun.
She was mesmerized.
Shaking her head to clear the fog
inside her mind, she readied herself for his blow. Raising her shield, she
steeled herself.
He was a giant among men, with ten
times the form of any god she could imagine.
Was it possible? Was this an illusion?
Could he be real?
His sapphire eyes found hers, locking
on her lilac orbs, and a blinding heat struck her like a bolt of lightning. She
could not turn away. His sword raised high in the air, his shield barely
covering his broad chest, she stared at his form. A rush of fire raced through
her, as she sat still watching this man ride with such a majestic carriage.
Giddy and out of breath, her heart beat
faster than she could ever recall.
What was happening here? What magic was
this? She wondered at her own body, feeling dizzy as a young maiden at her
first games. Someone must have cast a spell. She turned her head, searching for
the Viking sorcerer performing this magic.
There was none.
She had never had this reaction to any
man. No. Morgaine had never had this reaction to anyone.
Her breath caught in her chest, and she
could barely breathe. The air was trapped inside her throat, choking her. She
had to cough to force the air back into her lungs.
This man could not be human. He was
either a devil or a demon, she was sure of it and yet he had signaled his men
into the battle before he veered off to the side, riding straight toward the
sorceress with the flaming locks. His mouth was open as he let out a warrior
chant she had never heard before.
Another spell, she told herself, an
incantation—perhaps the same one he cast upon the knights and warriors.
She turned to her side, to see how her
men were holding up under this magic.
It could not be.
His words had no effect on them. They
were not under his spell. Their swords were unsheathed, raised, and ready to do
battle. The knight beside her let out a thunderous cry, spurring his horse
faster, as they rode past her into the throng of bare-chested men with the
horns upon their heads.
Her steed moved forward, but she did
nothing more than hold on to the reins as her mare carried her into the field
of battle and straight toward the magic man. She was unprepared, mesmerized,
and out of control…
Opposite each other they rode, one
toward the other. She saw him motion to his men to continue riding forward as
he veered further off to the side…to make his way straight toward her.
In a matter of moments, he was upon
her. Sweeping up beside her like the blast of a storm, he stole her breath
away. His thickly muscled arm snaked out away from his body, striking before
she could do a thing or even before she realized what had happened. But there
was no pain. It was not with a thrust of his sword that he struck, it was only
his arm. Quickly twisting, he shifted his weight to make room for her. His
powerful arm wrapped around her waist, grabbing her with the strength of the
ocean’s tide, he pulled her toward him.
Morgaine sat motionless as a statue in
the garden; she offered no resistance. Instead, she simply slid sideways from
her horse onto his. It happened in one swift motion.
Pressing his palm flat against her
belly, he held her in place, tightly nestled in front of him. She felt the
warmth of his breath on her neck, caressing her face. Her hands fell limp to
her side, accidently brushing against the hot flesh of his thigh. His skin
burned beneath her fingertips.
The heat rose from her hands to her
chest, and a small gasp escaped her lips as she let her hands rest upon his
thickly muscled leg. He chuckled low in his throat and she knew he understood
the effect he was having on her senses.
Pressing his firm rippled chest into
her back, she felt something she had never felt before…lust.
She could do nothing to resist him.
Leaning back, she drank in the strong, musky scent of him and felt her head
spin. He held her steady and still.
Another mesmerizing potion, she
thought, his spicy scent must be the mixture of a wizard’s tonic, worn to
hypnotize his enemies.
Unable to fight the strength of his
powerful magic, she succumbed. His tantalizing aroma made her want nothing more
than to be with him, alone.
Magic comes in many forms, as does power and influence.
In most versions of Arthurian Literature,Morgaine, Arthur's half sister, is well known as a witch, a student of Merlin. Author Kindra Kasch adds to Morgan's description, makes the reader see her more as a woman. This nontypical love story shows both the power and the danger of love.
We also see a darker side of Guinevere and a more human side to Merlin.
While there is some of the times in which they live, this is an emotional study.
In most versions of Arthurian Literature,Morgaine, Arthur's half sister, is well known as a witch, a student of Merlin. Author Kindra Kasch adds to Morgan's description, makes the reader see her more as a woman. This nontypical love story shows both the power and the danger of love.
We also see a darker side of Guinevere and a more human side to Merlin.
While there is some of the times in which they live, this is an emotional study.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
I grew up in a family with 9 kids and 1 t.v. so I spent my days
reading and, later, writing. I've always loved books. . .maybe partly because I
never got to pick the t.v. shows we watched. Although I would run home from
school every afternoon so I could watch the last fifteen minutes of Dark
Shadows...
I still love to run...or at my age, maybe I should call it wogging
(kind of a cross between walking and jogging). I get a group of girls together
for community fund raising wogs...like the Run Like Hell, here in Portland,
which is a Halloween themed run - where people don costumes and run. It's just
a lot of fun...and I know those two words don't always go together:
fun...and...run. But it is.
And, with those Halloween themed runs, I guess Dark Shadows had
more of an influence than some people might think. Even today my favorite
author is Stephen King. My all-time favorite book is Salem's Lot.
Favorite romance novels are The Hunger Games...okay, I know, it's
a book about survival but it's really all about romance. Then there were the
Twilight Books, The Fifty Shades books, and lots of others but I also really
love paranormal, Horror and even light little books like Dewey the Small Town
Library Cat... Mainly, I just love to read. . . and write.
I've just recently had my first novel published and am looking for
ways to share it with the world. It's a story I was inspired to write after
visiting Hamlet's Castle and seeing an enormous Viking statue down in the
tunnels next to the dungeons.
Purchase Link:
You
can find my book here: https://www.amazon.com/Morgaine-Fey-Vikings-Kimbra-Kasch-ebook/dp/B01L88QPTW
KIM’S AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE:
Plus,
on Instagram @kasch.kim
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Tour hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteInteresting premise!
ReplyDeleteI love the Arthurian legends
DeleteCongrats on the tour, the book looks great, and thanks for the chance to win :)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome!
DeleteThanks so much for hostessing. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hostessing. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway; I like excerpt. :)
ReplyDeleteReally great excerpt,thanks for sharing:)
ReplyDeleteReally love the cover of this book. Thanks for the excerpt too.
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