The Price of Loyalty
By Malve von Hassell
In a time of kingdoms and crusades, one man's heart is the battlefield.
Cerdic, a Saxon knight, serves Count Stephen-Henry of Blois with unwavering loyalty-yet his soul remains divided. Haunted by memories of England, the land of his childhood, and bound by duty to King William, the conqueror who once showed him mercy, Cerdic walks a dangerous line between past and present, longing and loyalty.
At the center of his turmoil stands Adela – daughter of a king, wife of a count, and the first to offer him friendship in a foreign land. But when a political marriage binds him to the spirited and determined Giselle, Cerdic’s world turns again. Giselle, fiercely in love with her stoic husband, follows him across sea and sand to the Holy Land, hoping to win the heart that still lingers elsewhere.
As the clash of empires looms and a crusade threatens to tear everything apart, Cerdic must confront the deepest truth of all-where does his loyalty lie, and whom does his heart truly belong to?
A sweeping tale of passion, honor, and impossible choices-perfect for fans of The Last Kingdom and The Pillars of the Earth.
Publication Date: August 21st, 2025
Publisher: Historium Press
Pages: 379
Genre: Historical Fiction
Exile
1080 Caen
“My Lady?” Cerdic stared at the queen.
“Yes, you heard me. I need you to ride to Gerberoy with a letter and this bag for my son.” She pointed toward a leather satchel on the table. Matilda’s face was blanched. Despite the warmth from the brazier, she had draped a shawl around her shoulders. “No one must know.”
Cerdic took the bag gingerly. He remembered Samson lying on the ground, beaten to a pulp, his face swollen beyond recognition.
“Here are the directions.” Matilda held out a small piece of parchment.
“My Lady,” Cerdic blurted out. “Where is Samson?”
Matilda turned away to look at the pile of abandoned needlework on her chair. “Samson is in a monastery; he is well taken care of.” Then she faced him again, her back straightened, and her voice hard. “Don’t ask me anything else. I will protect you as best I can, but be careful. Don’t let anyone see you.”
“What should I say to Squire Matthias?”
“Don’t tell him anything; just ride out early. I will tell him I sent you to the Holy Trinity Abbey with a message for Lady Cecilia if he asks.”
“But that’s right here.”
“He probably will forget all about you or think that my daughter needed you for something.”
By the time Cerdic returned from Gerberoy several days later, he was dusty, tired, and sad. It had been a long ride on muddy roads through slush and remnants of snow. At least the days were getting longer. It was March.
Robert had treated him as if he were a stranger. He perused the letter quickly as if it was of no more importance than a list of provisions. “Tell my lady mother that I will consider her thoughts carefully.” He glanced at Cerdic for a moment. “Wait, I’ll write a note to her; it will be ready for you when you leave.” He rang a bell and curtly gave his order to the servant. “Ask the steward to arrange for a place to sleep for this messenger. He’ll resume his journey in the morning.”
The courtyard of Caen was quiet when Cerdic rode in. The guards recognized him and waved him on. He dismounted and led his horse to the stable. Once he had settled it in an empty stall, he went inside. Cerdic didn’t want to wait to get rid of the letter Robert had given him and walked toward the stairs that led to the queen’s apartments.
“Where are you going?” The king’s voice boomed behind him. He was coming out of the great hall. “You have no business upstairs.”
“Sorry,” Cerdic stammered. “I was going …” His voice petered out. He tried to hold his hand with the letter out of sight.
“What’s that?” The king reached out and grabbed his hand, taking the letter from him. “Who wrote this?”
Cerdic flushed. What could he say? He knew the king didn’t read; he usually had a scribe read messages to him.
The king had turned over the folded parchment with its seal prominently displayed. His face got red.
“My lord, that is for me.” The queen’s voice was clear and firm. She was coming down the stairs, her long gown sweeping behind her.
“You?” A vein on the king’s temple was beating.
The queen glanced at Cerdic. “You may go.”
Cerdic didn’t hesitate. He backed away as quickly as he could and walked back outside into the courtyard. It had begun to rain, and the flagstones were slippery, but he didn’t notice. He ran toward the stables and into an empty box at the end. The smell of old hay, horse piss, and dried horse apples was comforting.
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Malve von Hassell
Malve von Hassell is a freelance writer, researcher, and translator. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the New School for Social Research. Working as an independent scholar, she published The Struggle for Eden: Community Gardens in New York City (Bergin & Garvey 2002) and Homesteading in New York City 1978-1993: The Divided Heart of Loisaida (Bergin & Garvey 1996). She has also edited her grandfather Ulrich von Hassell's memoirs written in prison in 1944, Der Kreis schließt sich - Aufzeichnungen aus der Haft 1944 (Propylaen Verlag 1994).
Malve has taught at Queens College, Baruch College, Pace University, and Suffolk County Community College, while continuing her work as a translator and writer. She has published two children’s picture books, Tooth Fairy (Amazon KDP 2012/2020), and Turtle Crossing (Amazon KDP 2023), and her translation and annotation of a German children’s classic by Tamara Ramsay, Rennefarre: Dott’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures (Two Harbors Press, 2012).
The Falconer’s Apprentice (namelos, 2015/KDP 2024) was her first historical fiction novel for young adults. She has published Alina: A Song for the Telling (BHC Press, 2020), set in Jerusalem in the time of the crusades, and The Amber Crane (Odyssey Books, 2021), set in Germany in 1645 and 1945, as well as a biographical work about a woman coming of age in Nazi Germany, Tapestry of My Mother’s Life: Stories, Fragments, and Silences (Next Chapter Publishing, 2021), also available in German, Bildteppich Eines Lebens: Erzählungen Meiner Mutter, Fragmente Und Schweigen (Next Chapter Publishing, 2022).
Her latest publication is the historical fiction novel, The Price of Loyalty: Serving Adela of Blois (Historium Press, 2025).
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