Outremer, the distant lands. The troubadours sing of its mystical loveliness and tell tales of love and honour woven around the constant battles between Christendom and Islam.
For Honfroy, a young squire in the service of the Knights Templar, the reality is less poetic and far grimmer.
The Kingdom of Jerusalem tenaciously holds onto the ribbon of land between the River Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt and Syria, has united his warring factions. He is now determined to wipe the stain of the first crusade from the honour of Islam and regain the Holy City of Jerusalem.
When Saladinโs army invades, Honfroy is catapulted into a world of treachery and deceit, where his life is in danger from both Moslem and Christian alike.
From the blood-stained sands of the Holy Land to the intrigue of the court in Jerusalem, Honfroy grapples with his meteoric rise in fortune. His friendship with the new king, Baudoin, comes increasingly under threat from the political wiles of his mentor, Odo the Templar Grand Master, and the kingโs mother, Agnes of Courtenay.
Honfroy is enchanted by the beautiful but older Agnes. Not even the power of the Grand Master, however, can protect him when their secret liaison comes to the attention of the king.
Banished from the court, Honfroyโs courage and skills are honed on the kingdomโs frontiers until the day when Odo summons his apprentice once more.
Set against the turbulent background of the crusades, the Templarโs Apprentice is a gripping and enthralling tale of courage, friendship, love and treachery, reaching its blistering climax at the battle of Marj Ayyun.
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