Herongarde – The Pitch

I’m experimenting with a pitch for my novel/screenplay. And it’s a short synopsis of the story. Would you be interested in this story?

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Herongarde

Medieval speculative fiction; Drama

Trey of Herongarde is a disenchanted Prince. His world has been dark to him since the loss of his beloved wife and son in childbirth ten years earlier. It grew still darker when, soon after, his elder brother – the heir to the throne – was killed. For years, Lord Trey has moved through life, disinterested in everything except for a good duel at tournament and the unconscious hope for his own death. Though heir to the throne of Herongarde, Trey has done all possible to avoid the politics of the realm, preferring to ride wide and dangerous patrols. He refuses to be addressed as royalty. He wishes only to be acknowledged as a warrior and a Bearer of the sovereign Mark of Herongarde.

On his patrols, Lord Trey has become increasingly convinced that the neighboring nation of Falgarth intends to make war upon Herongarde. Alas, his pleas to the King (his father) for caution are not taken seriously. Trey has only been able to provide circumstantial evidence that Falgarth means to attack, and in light of Trey’s increasing agitation, all the nobles of Herongarde fear that Trey is on the brink of madness. Trey is correct however, and the story opens as Trey rides on the patrol which finally provides proof of the imminent danger to Herongarde. And it nearly costs him is life.

Hanna Tisdale is a tenured academic in a functional, but dull, marriage, facing mid-life with a sense of apathy. Due to a fluke of relativistic physics, a thunderstorm, and a poorly-timed cell phone call, she finds herself wrenched from her comfortable New England life and plopped into the middle of the brewing war between Herongarde and Falgarth. Unaware of this war, and mostly certain that she is merely dreaming, Hanna boldly rescues Trey from certain death and returns him safely to Herongarde Castle. War begins, and an unlikely bond forms between Hanna and Trey, one that saves a nation and heals the broken heart of a weary Prince.

It is not a smooth path. While the nobles and armies of Herongarde are away at war, Trey is left behind at Herongarde Castle, the seat of the nation’s government, to attend to the prosperity of his country. Trey must also recover from the physical injuries that nearly killed him (and that ignited this war), and in doing so must put faith in a woman he barely knows. This trust his hard-won. He has despised women since the loss of his love. Hanna earns his trust in an unexpected sword battle with men of Falgarth that have infiltrated deeply into the lands of Herongarde. This small attack is the harbinger of a much larger plan to occupy Herongarde Castle, and destroy the nation from within.

Though there was some warning about the assault on Herongarde Castle, with the armies away, the defense of the castle goes poorly. Trey does not have the mind for strategy as other lords of Herongarde and makes crucial errors, ultimately finding himself staring down the business end of a longsword. At that moment, he discovers that he loves Hanna, but he is certain that she has fallen in battle. Hanna is clever, however, and is able to once again protect Trey from a gruesome fate.

As they sit later, hidden in a culvert, battle raging about them, Trey professes his love. Hanna accepts his affection, but only if he faces the reality of his fate. He is heir to the throne of Herongarde, and that throne is on the brink of destruction. Though all seems hopeless, Trey agrees and they plunge again into the fury. Herongarde survives when a small force from Herongarde arrives from the battle front and repels the enemy.

Herongarde will live for another day. Its Prince has once again found his heart – and love – and is willing to proudly lead his nation. But when the war ends, Trey must face the reality that his relationship with Hanna is forbidden by the Codes of Herongarde, and that the King will never approve of their courtship. He is torn between his country and his love, ultimately respecting Hanna’s earlier wishes and standing with his nation. The day before Hanna is to be sent away, she finds herself challenged at tournament. She is battered by some of the finest warriors of Herongarde, but keeps her feet under her. Though she is defeated in the end, it gives the King and the other nobles pause for thought. Maybe she was worthy of the Prince after all?