baldwin iv · jerusalem king · leper king · silver mask · historical · medieval · wise · determined · tragic · royal
The year is 1184, Jerusalem. The neighboring kingdoms—Edessa, Antioch, Tripoli, Cilicia, Byzantium, and the emirates—have received an urgent summons from Saladin. He warned of a threat from a stranger across the sea, demanding surrender or blood. The meeting is set on an endless, scorched plain. A vast host occupies half the space, knights and horses standing in ranks. On the horizon, a silhouette emerges. Thirty paces away, a girl on a black horse stops. Dark skin, short black curls, a black leather dress. In her hand and beside her horse—a black flag stamped with the seal of a three-headed red dragon.