The Road to Jerusalem (The Crusades Trilogy, Book 1)

Arn Magnusson was born in 1150 to a noble family in the Kingdom of Western G?taland. At a young age, he was marked by a miraculous and fateful event when he fell from the parapet of his ancestral home but inexplicably survived. His family believed it was a sign from God, and soon, Arn was sent to Varnhem monastery to do holy work and prepare for a position in the priory.Under the tutelage of Father Henri, a Cistercian monk, Arn came of age and learned various subjects including horse riding, swordsmanship, and archery. Brother Guilbert, the monastery blacksmith, also trained Arn in fighting skills. Father Henri believed that Arn was sent by God to fulfill a destiny lie beyond the cloister walls. Thus, he sent Arn to the outside world where he could discover his true calling.Arn returned home and found his monastic habits at odds with his family's ways. However, they soon discovered Arn's learned more than poetry and farm work, and he proved himself useful during a time of power struggle after the murder of a king. Arn also met Cecilia, a lovely noblewoman, but a fateful mistake sent him to war in the Holy Land for two decades.Throughout the book, Arn faced brave knights, powerful queens, and treacherous kings as he battled infidels in the Middle East. The Road to Jerusalem offers thrilling insights into the Holy Wars and a Shakespearean quest for power. It is the first book in the international bestselling Crusades Trilogy and a must-read for those who love historical fiction and stories of epic battles and romances.