Guinevere's Gift

Guinevere's Gift by Nancy McKenzie, 2002 Knopf

   Guinevere of Northgallis is fostered to her mother's people as her father lay dying. King Pellinor and Queen Alyse take the girl and raise her alongside this daughter Elaine. Where Elaine is bold and impulsive Guinevere is studious and patient. Gwen's caution contrasts Elaine's disregard for the rules, but the young princess knows her place. Despite a prophecy at her birth that Guinevere would marry the highest king in the land, she is a penniless orphan at the mercy of her family.
     As King Arthur battles the Saxons his vassals are eager to rally behind the young warlord and his army is successful. King Pellinor joins the battle leaving Queen Alyse to manage their lands and oversee preparations for Elaine and Guinevere's marriages. Gwen sees her freedom slowly slipping away as she grows older and must take on more and more responsibilities of a lady. Gwen escapes into the hills above the castle where she discovers the hillmen guard her from harm--Llyr, as a chieftain's son, finds the princess fascinating. His interest nearly results in his expulsion from the clans, but he has promised to help the princess if she ever calls for his aid.
     In Pellinore's absence several cattle have gone missing. A neighboring prince convinces Queen Alyse that it is the hillmen who have taken her livestock. The Queen allows the prince to return with some men to hunt the offenders down. The prince is not trustworthy in Guinevere's eyes and she seeks to warn the hillmen. Llyr helps her go before the council where their lives change forever: the hillmen know of the marsh prince's treachery and warn the princess of more sinister plots. When she returns to the castle Guinevere and her cousin walk into a trap orchestrated by the scoundrel prince.
     Queen Alyse's argument for teaching the girls all aspects of home management is borne out in the concluding conflict of Guinevere's Gift. Alyse shows Gwen that she is more than a strict guardian and she can be trusted to behave in the best interests of her kingdom and family. King Arthur is a minor peripheral character in this tale from Guinevere's childhood. Her story is aimed at middle grade readers with straightforward storytelling, but a plot which can interest readers of all ages.