Guinevere: The Legend in Autumn
Copyright
Copyright © 2011 by Persia Woolley
Cover and internal design © 2011 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover design by Susan Zucker
Cover images © The Accolade, 1901 (oil on canvas), Leighton, Edmund Blair (1853-1922) / Private Collection / Photo © Christie’s Images / The Bridgeman Art Library International; cinnamonsaturday/iStockphoto.com; robynmac/iStockphoto.com; Angel_1978/iStockphoto.com
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Originally published in 1993 by Pocket Books.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Woolley, Persia,
Guinevere, the legend in Autumn / by Persia Woolley.
p. cm. — (The Guinevere trilogy ; bk. 3)
(pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Guenevere, Queen (Legendary character)—Fiction. 2. Arthurian romances—Adaptations. 3. Queens—Great Britain—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3573.O68G85 2011
813’.54—dc23
2011031257
To the children and family who understood that a deadline sometimes cut Christmas down to a phone call rather than a visit;
to my father, William C. Higman;
and to my high school teacher, John Chaney, whose comment “Of course you can” led to my tackling this entire project.
Cast of Characters
House of Pendragon
Arthur—King of Logres, High King of Britain
Guinevere of Rheged—Arthur’s wife, High Queen of Britain
Mordred—Arthur’s son
Igraine—Arthur’s mother, wife of Uther, High King of Britain
Morgause—daughter of Igraine by her first husband, Gorlois
Morgan le Fey—daughter of Igraine by her first husband, Gorlois
Cei—Arthur’s foster brother and Seneschal of the Realm
Bedivere—Arthur’s foster brother and wise counselor
House of Orkney
Morgause—widow of King Lot, half sister of Arthur
Gawain—son of Morgause
Gaheris—son of Morgause
Agravain—son of Morgause
Gareth—son of Morgause
Mordred—son of Morgause
House of Northumbria
Urien—King of Northumbria, husband of Morgan
Morgan le Fey—half sister of Arthur, wife of Urien, High Priestess and Lady of the Lake
Uwain—son of Morgan and Urien
Brittany Faction
Lancelot of the Lake—Arthur’s best friend and lieutenant
Ector de Mans—Lancelot’s half brother
Bors—brother of Lionel and cousin of Lancelot
Lionel—brother of Bors and cousin of Lancelot
Belliance—protégé of Lancelot
Melias—protégé of Lancelot
Lavaine—protégé of Lancelot
Kanahins—protégé of Lancelot
Nerovens—protégé of Lancelot
Urr—protégé of Lancelot
House of Pellinore
Pellinore—warlord of the Wrekin
Lamorak—Pellinore’s eldest son in wedlock
Perceval—Pellinore’s youngest son in wedlock
Amide—one of Pellinore’s many illegitimate children
Other Members of the Round Table Fellowship
Accolon of Gaul—Morgan le Fey’s lover
Agricola—Roman King of Demetia
Vortipor—arrogant nephew of Agricola
Bagdemagus—warlord of Dorset
Cador—Duke of Cornwall
Constantine—Cador’s son and successor
Colgrevance—warrior friend of Gawain’s from the Continent
Dinadin—Tristan’s best friend
Florence—warrior friend of Agravain
Geraint—King of Devon, husband of Enid
Gingalin—son of Gawain and Ragnell
Griflet—Master of the Kennel and husband of Frieda
Ironside—aging warrior
Lovel—warrior friend of Agravain
Lucan—Arthur’s Gatekeeper and butler
Palomides—slave-born Arab, lover of Isolde
Pelleas—husband of Nimue
Petroc—warlord from Devon
House of Carbonek
Pellam—wounded King of the Waste Land
Elaine—his beautiful daughter, lover of Lancelot
Galahad—son of Elaine and Lancelot
House of Cornwall
Mark—King of Cornwall
Isolde—Mark’s child-bride from Ireland
Tristan—nephew to Mark, Isolde’s lover
Women of Camelot
Brigit—Irish foster sister to Guinevere
Brisane—governess to Elaine of Carbonek
Enid—sharp-tongued lady-in-waiting, wife of Geraint
Lynette—daughter of Ground’s Keeper in London, wife of Gareth
Vinnie—Roman matron in charge of ladies-in-waiting
Various Heads of State
Anastasius—Emperor in Constantinople
Clovis—King of the Franks
Theodoric the Great—Ostrogoth King of Italy
Other Characters
Mr. and Mrs. Badger—gardener and housekeeper at Joyous Gard
Bercilak—Charcoal burner and prankster who is one of the Ancient Ones, half-civilized, half-wildman
Cathbad—Druid who was Guinevere’s childhood teacher
Cerdic—Saxon leader who challenged Arthur at Mount Badon
Cynric—Cerdic’s son, kept as a peace-hostage after the Battle of Mount Badon
Dagonet—Arthur’s Court Jester
Frieda—Saxon milk-maid, wife of Griflet
Gildas—past suitor of Gwen, monk and student of Illtud
The Green Man—an Ancient God who may or may not be a figment of everyone’s imagination
Gwyn of Neath—horsebreeder and builder of the Hall on Glastonbury’s Tor
Gwynlliw—representative of warlords in Dorset hill-forts
Illtud—Prince/warrior who became a monk
Kimmins—crofter in the Cheviot Hills
Maelgwn—Guinevere’s cousin, King of Gwynedd
Merlin—Arthur’s tutor and mentor, the Mage of Britain
Nimue—Priestess and protégé of Merlin, wife of Pelleas
Ragnell—leader of nomadic Ancient Ones, lover of Gawain
Riderich—Arthur’s bard
Taliesin—peasant boy who becomes a famous bard
Wehha the Swede—leader of East Anglian Federates
Wuffa—Wehha’s son
Yder—brother of Gwyn of Neath