Rosley Fair — John Wyllie

This historical novel, set in the early years of the 1300s, is an account of a young Scottish Borderer who falls foul of the English authorities. Decreed an outlaw, he has to flee the country, with his friend and mentor, a Knight Templar who has trained him as a warrior monk at the Cistercian Monastery of Holm Cultram . His journey takes him far from the rolling fells and heaths of his homeland, across the known world, to exotic cities, Rome, Baghdad, Samarkand and then into India; Along the way, as he encounters the barbaric and the beautiful, in equal measure.The backdrop to novel is the global upheaval of the Mongol invasions from the East. Tom makes his stand for freedom but in his escape from the retribution of an incandescent English monarch, does he simply swap one absolutist ruler for a despotic tyrant.The young man is Tom Johnston, scion of the Johnston Clan of Annnandale, who refuses to pledge allegiance to the reigning king, Edward the First (Hammer of the Scots). Edward, who has moved his Court to Carlisle, in preparation for an invasion of Scotland, sentences Tom to death at Harribee Hill, only to see him rescued from the gallows, by his tutor and mentor, the Templar Knight, Richard de Charney. De Charney has schooled Tom, in martial combat and scriptural studies, preparing him for acceptance into the Templar Order.Escaping the gallows means that he must flee to foreign lands to survive. On his flight from the Scottish and English Border to the Plains of India, Tom uses his prowess with weapons of war to survive while developing an understanding of a world in turmoil. Throughout the changing landscapes, Tom finds friendships and witnesses extreme barbarity but holds fast to the teachings of his faith and heritage.To&mgrave;s stance is the one that resonates with anyone who sees good in the world and prays for a better future where all are free to live in peace and brotherhood.