The Highest Authority

 by Charlotte Bennardo

In every life, every story, there are parents and/or authority figures. Those with authority exist on several levels. 

In my book, The Excalibur Vow, the main character, Wystan, has only a mother, having been abandoned by his father. So Fayra, his mother, is the highest, and only, authority. Then Wystan and Fayra are rescued from starvation by Morten the blacksmith. When Morten gives them both jobs, Fayra as housekeeper and Wystan as a blacksmith apprentice, Morten becomes the higher authority over both of them. Enter King Arthur, who is the highest authority in the land; all owe allegiance and fealty to him. After Wystan breaks off a piece of Excalibur, he rashly makes a vow to return the sliver to the king or the Lady of the Lake, but Arthur dies in battle, so the magic in Excalibur becomes the highest authority. Wystan must honor his vow or face dire consequences because his oath was made on the sword and bound him through blood and magic. Ana, a secretive witch also interested in finding Arthur's heir, now becomes an authority figure because Wystan, thrown into present day England by the sword's magic, is wholly dependent on her, much as he was with Morten. Wystan now has multiple authority figures: the magic in the sliver which directs his actions; Ana, who has the resources he needs and thus controls him, his own vow, which he dare not break, and eventually, the British Crown. Overlaying all these figures is the ultimate authority: the moral and just thing to do. 

Illustration by Grady Earls

Characters, like us, are subject to multiple authorities; some we choose to ignore, or outright rebel against one or more, take them down, live by them, and sometimes we become an authority. 

And therein lies the story: of our life or a characters.

Charlotte is busy with the debut of her new YA fantasy, The Excalibur Vow, out now. She writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels and short stories in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, horror, paranormal, and romance genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy: Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has several short stories in anthologies and online, along with newspaper and magazine articles. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned, and is working on several children's and adult novels and short stories. She lives in NJ but dreams of a Caribbean beach house. And more cats.