Setting and costumes are great. The intrigues are catchy. The characters show changing personalities, you don't know what to expect except from the only one real man, the blacksmith. The plot is unclear, provides some suspense but it's not really satisfying because it's too unpredictable. I'd like to have the pleasure of trying to predict what comes next and be pleasantly surprised if it comes 'true '. Or, if it doesn't, then the plot should branch into more possibilities that would continue to entertain my fancy for predicting. What I fail to see is an actual historical connection. The fiction would be much improved if actual historical events were portrayed.