In the fall of the year of Our Lord thirteen hundred and seventy, with the grace of God, Kieran Annchie MacLeod was born to the Lord of Dunfrey in the highlands of Scotland. He was raised as a traditional child in the household of a Scottish Lord, and was sent away at the age of twelve to serve in the court of Richard II.
No sooner had young Kieran arrived that he was thrust into the role of a soldier. At the age of 14, Kieran served Richard in the Peasants Revolt of 1381. He gathered arrows, fetched water and cared for the arms and harnesses during the Kings campaign. During the rebellion, Kieran even served as an archer at the battle of Smithfield. Kieran was witness to the execution of Wat Tyler one of the leaders of the revolt, and soon after the death of Tyler, the rebellion was crushed. Later, Richard began to have increasing problems with parliament, and as Richard fell out of favor, Kieran's father moved him to the court of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster in 1386. Then a boy of sixteen summers, this proved to be a boon to young Kieran, as he became a good friend of Henry Bolingbroke, the Dukes son.
When Kieran's father died in the fall of 1389, Kieran returned to Dunfrey and began to manage his estates. Kieran found his new life to be one of boredom, and nothing compared to the exciting life of a soldier. He set about using the skills and prowess gained in his years of soldiery to expand his estates in Scotland. His backing by the Duke of Lancaster made Kieran a powerful player in Scottish affairs. However, it also made him less trusted in his native land, as memories of Edward I "Hammer of the Scots" were not so easily forgotten.
In 1397, Henry's cousin Richard exiled Henry to France, and Kieran traveled with him there. In 1399, Henry returned from the exile imposed upon him by Richard, and Kieran quickly threw his support behind his boyhood friend Henry. Kieran participated in the deposing of Richard II in 1399. Kieran was also present at the coronation of Henry, who then became Henry IV, and later the arrest and murder of Richard II in Pontefract Castle.
Shortly after the Coronation, Henry granted permission for Kieran to wed the second daughter of the Earl of Surrey, Briala Hawkwind, at the abbey of Melrose in Scotland. Shortly after the wedding, Henry IV once again called on his friend for aid. As a staunch supporter of his long time friend, Keiran has agreed to aid Henry fight Owen Glendower, who was leading a rebellion in Wales. Kieran's company of professional soldiers has campaigned in Wales for nearly a year, and even after several victories on the field, there seems to be no end in sight to the uprising. An uneasy alliance with the Percy's of Northumberland has Kieran and his company uncertain of their future, and the future of their King. |
