The Path of the Hero King

Robert Bruce begins the second volume as a crowned king in little more than name. Defeated, excommunicated and hunted by English forces, he has lost his army, his strongholds and almost every sign that Scotland still believes in his cause. His wife Elizabeth de Burgh and other members of his family are captured, while Bruce is driven into the western islands and Highlands with only a small circle of companions. Refusing to surrender, he learns to replace the methods of a feudal army with speed, surprise and intimate knowledge of the country he is fighting to regain.

Supported by James Douglas, Thomas Randolph and his brother Edward Bruce, the fugitive king rebuilds the resistance one castle and district at a time. The death of Edward I removes his most formidable enemy, but Edward II still commands resources far greater than anything Scotland can field. Years of reversals, family suffering and hard-won victories lead at last to the English invasion of 1314. At Bannockburn, Bruce must risk his crown, his followers and Scotland’s future in a battle that will determine whether the outlaw can become the acknowledged hero-king.