Queen of the Darkest Hour

Family Strife Imperils the RealmFrancia, 783: Haunted by the Saxons' attack on her home fortress, Fastrada obeys her father and marries Charles, king of the Franks and a widower with seven children and an eighth on the way by a concubine. As more wars loom, Fastrada's greatest peril lurks within the castle walls: Pepin, Charles's son by his embittered former wife. Blaming his father for the curse that twisted his spine, Pepin rejects a prize archbishopric and plots with his uncle and mother to seize the throne. Can Fastrada stop the conspiracy before it destroys the kingdom?Based on historic events during Charlemagne's reign, "e;Queen of the Darkest Hour"e; is the story of a family conflict endangering an entire country—and the price to save it.