On the way to Jerusalem

In the year of grace 1150, Arn Magnusson was born in the village of Aranäs, located near a beach on Lake Vänern, one hundred kilometers northeast of Skara, Sweden. He was the son of Sigrid and Magnus, both descendants of powerful traditional families related to the Norwegian and Swedish dynasties. Arn was now under the care of the Cistercian monks of the Varnhem monastery, receiving the most refined spiritual and secular education of his time. At the hands of his very strong Brother Guilbert, he also learned to wield both the bow and arrow and the sword, becoming a fearless and resolute knight, for the Cistercian monks concluded that Arn was not destined for monastic seclusion—he was born to be a knight of Christ and a defender of the faith in the Holy Land. However, Arn remains oblivious to these plans when, at the age of 17, he returns to his parents' home, where he becomes involuntarily embroiled in the constant intrigues between rivals seeking the throne of a Sweden devastated by power struggles. After his stay at the monastery, he now encounters, for the first time, women, desire, and love. Two young women ignite this flame, but they are both sisters! Something that, according to the laws of the land, in Western Götaland, is a crime demanding the harshest punishment. Thus, young Arn, because of his love, is condemned by the Church to redeem his sin by becoming a Knight Templar in the heart of the Holy Land. The road to Jerusalem had begun. *On the Road to Jerusalem* is the first volume of the fantastic trilogy *The Crusades*.