GREAT PRINCE

The Great Prince

Before they even had time to rejoice in this turn of events, there was yet another bright flash of light, even more brilliant than the first one, and instead of the magnificent stag, a glorious prince stood before them, a gold crown on his head.

Very tall, broad-shouldered, and muscular, he had a tanned face and a full beard, and he was armed for  battle. A bronze breastplate covered his red tunic of the softest silk. In his left hand, he held a throwing spear made of iron, with a leaf-shaped spearhead of obsidian. His right hand rested on the hilt of a two-handed, double-edged sword, its point on the ground. A wide leather belt with a large, ornate buckle encircled his waist. The ebony hilt of a dagger protruded from a sheath, lavishly decorated with silver embellishments, that hung on a leather strap from his belt. On his shoulders, he wore a purple mantle, fastened in the centre with a bronze brooch pin in the shape of two snakes and a sword, inset with an onyx gemstone. 

Instantly, Button dropped to his knees. “Hail, my lord, Great Prince Alexander, son of King William Glenn, Chief, Lord, and Captain of the Darach realm.”

Excerpt from Dagger of Urachadh: Attack from the Underworld, p. 141-143.

I used to spend one week every summer in junior high out on the farm near Fiske, Saskatchewan with my uncle Gordon Alexander Weenk. The character the Great Prince in my book is based on his life.  

My favorite memories are riding on the tractor with him while he did the summer fallowing. We would crank up the country music on the radio. His favorite song was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney. We would have the AC cranked up and share a hot Coca Cola. The sunshine penetrating through the glass of the cab’s window heated up the Coke almost to the boiling point. Uncle Gordon Weenk was the best listener in the world and we could talk about anything. Then in the evenings we would go outside after dark, look up at the stars, and find the different constellations like the Big Dipper, Little Dipper, Cassiopeia and Orion’s belt.   

He died on December 6, 2008. I have no words to express how much I miss him and how much he meant to me. The teenage years were a very tumultuous time for me so I will never forget the time that he spent with me and the peace that I felt being out on his beautiful farm.  

​Karen E. Mosier