The tales continue in the reign of King Edward II. Edward enjoys the trappings of kingship, but not the duties. Under his careless and inept rule, England sinks into a quagmire of lawlessness unheard of in his father's day. Nobles are flung into prison on the flimsiest of pretexts. Their wives and daughters are hunted down, harassed and even tortured into turning their estates over to the pack of base-born jackals who have befriended the foolish king. The noble families of the realm are reduced to ragged fugitives, sheriffs and bailiffs are given free rein to rob honest folk, peasants are driven off their fields and forced to beg, steal, or starve. It is a time of hopelessness and despair. Who can possibly save a kingdom on the brink of total ruin?
The generation of knights forged in the terrifying and dangerous times of Edward II become the most powerful and admired warriors in Europe under the reign of Edward III. One of the most revered and chivalrous of these is the king's own son, Edward the Black Prince. It was during the reign of Edward III that the Hundred Years' War began at the Feast of the Heron; the Order of the Garter was founded; and the terrible Black Plague swept through Europe.
As in Volume I, not every tale ends happily. Heroes do not always win, and some damsels are doomed to their fates. After all, these are the fairy tales that REALLY happened...
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