To The Victor Goes The Toils

Welcome to "To The Victor Goes The Toils", the fourth book of the historic Medieval fiction saga Tales From The Lands Of Arlington Green. Fighting for his life due to battle wounds suffered when he led his vastly out-numbered Arlington Green Militia onto the field to face a more powerful invading army, Dylan must escape the threshold of Death's Door to come back to the land of the living. Nursed back to life at the hands of his beautiful young bride Robyn, the simple Teller-of-Tales discovers that it is not his old life which he has come back to. The King, on behalf of a grateful nation, has bestowed upon him the title of The Earl Of Barnstable The celebration is short-lived when it is discovered that Barnstable is a town which has been virtually destroyed by the invading army and lays in ruins Upon their arrival, Dylan and Robyn are horrified once they witness the utter devastation which meets their eyes Homes have been burned to the ground, forcing the surviving women and children to take refuge in tents erected throughout the village green with little more than the clothes on their backs. Animals which the people have utilized to work their fields or have counted on to provide food for their families have disappeared at the hands of the enemy soldiers, leaving them little to eat and no way to get a new crop into the ground. And winter is coming Daunted by the scope of what it will take to help the people survive even the immediate future, Dylan is convinced that he is not the man for the job; after all, isn't he just a Teller-of-Tales? Reminding him that it was not a simple Storyteller but a great man who rose above himself in saving Arlington Green from similar destruction by his victory, Robyn is able to get his confidence back. Never one to back away from any challenge before, he throws himself into the task of saving Barnstable.But does Barnstable want to be saved? Having witnessed family members and loved ones killed at the hands of enemy soldiers, losing their homes and possessions in the flames which had engulfed the town, and on the verge of starvation, the people have lost all hope. What trust can they possibly put in some new Earl whom they do not know and who doesn't know them?Would you think that having a gigantic bonfire amidst a town whose homes and businesses have been burnt to the ground could be a good way to start? Dylan does.How about starting a shipping business with a vessel missing its complete bow section? Not a good idea...or is it? When one considers that the ship is none other than 'The Good Luck Charley' which Dylan rammed into a dock months ago...Who would be crazy enough to fight a duel carrying a sword while up against a veteran soldier armed with the latest in weaponry...a matchlock firearm? Nobody would be that stupid, right? Suppose the man wielding the gun is none other than the enemy Commander of the invasion forces preparing yet another incursion and you are willing to take drastic measures to stop another inevitable war? Still doubt that anybody would be that foolish? You haven't met Dylan then, have you? If he should be lucky enough to survive that duel, what do you suppose would be his chances of surviving telling Robyn about it afterwards? Nah...nobody could be that foolish Who but Dylan would surround himself with a Staff consisting of the indomitable Lefty Wright, his newly-introduced brother Ship (all of the Wrights have interesting names), a cook named Bull Chutney, a school teacher without a school to teach in named Christine Waltham, Barclay Charles...a former Royal Army Officer to whom Dylan gives the impossible job of orchestrating the rebuilding of the town, a new Master of The Stables-once they get re-built that is-named Jamie Tory, and perhaps the most interesting individual of all; a Master Healer who claims to be able to see the future named Leo Aquarius."To The Victor Goes The Toils" is an exciting adventure, often humorous, and always difficult to put down.