Artorius

Another character sketch for for my daughter Annika's new novel. It's a re-telling of the story of King Arthur, meticulously researched but with the twist that Arthur is a woman named Artorius, from a Roman family in early Medieval Britain. 

This is Artorius herself: She is educated and literate, but also recklessly ambitious, fierce, and charismatic. Unusually tall and strong for a woman, she became an adept fighter, and is fueled by her own sense of duty and destiny as the defender, even savior, of Britain. Although she constantly encounters disrespect and disapproval because of her gender, she also inspires both loyalty and fear in those close to her.

From the novel:
She let out a cry of rage and frustration, and mounted the hill once more, crying out to those that had descended to the forest. "Cravens! Deserters! Would you flee, abandon Egremont to heathens and barbarians?" A few turned their heads, and stopped their meandering flights. "Traitors!", she shrieked at the top of her lungs, her voice tearing in its passion. "I will ride into that vale, whether it be alone or with my sworn warriors at my side! I, a single woman, would die for Egremont, for lands that I do not even know. And if you would not do the same, then you are not worthy of your swords!"

Here are Bedwyr and Cai, from the same story