There is something about me which does love a warrior,
particularly a battle-scarred warrior. I like exploring a psyche which has gone
through a baptism of fire. Battle
inevitably dehumanises people. People have to behave in ways that might be
honourable in war, but are not necessarily honourable in normal life. When they
step outside the bubble which war creates, they have to confront their old
life. Or at the very least encounter people who have not been through the hell
they have suffered.
Once someone has gone
through a battle, they are forever changed. The innocence is gone. They have experienced death. They may have
killed. They have seen people be killed.
They may have lost a limb or be marked
in some way. They may be in constant pain because of their injuries. And they may
have learnt that while physical injuries heal, mental anguish can continue
unabated.
They have to ask -
-why did I survive? Why (perhaps) did my best friend die? Why did someone I
thought better than me die? Could I have done more to save him? Could I have
done more to save people who depended on me?
For me, my warrior heroes are not coming from an easy place
but as they get to know the heroine and fall in love with her, they inevitably
find their humanity returns. His growing love for her means that he can long
for a life which is different from the one he has known. He can also worry that
his growing love makes himself vulnerable in away he wasn’t vulnerable before
and to a warrior, being vulnerable can be a fate which leads to death.
I also love the fact that warriors are inevitably self-made
men. A warrior can inherit titles, prestige and wealth. His father or
grandfather might have been great. But a warrior is only as good as his
fighting ability. He has to prove
himself. I find these sorts of heroes are more interesting as they have done
beyond being born to deserve their good fortune.
Good warriors are also intelligent. They have to be able to
understand the intricacies of battlefield strategy, for instance. They also
have to know how to work with other people. One warrior cannot stand alone against
a hundred but several warriors working together can. History is littered with
examples.
A warrior believes in something. He has some reason to
fight. He has a code of conduct. It might not be something we would want to
adhere to today but it exists for him.
With my heroes, before I started writing Viking warriors, I had to be
clear in my own mind that my heroes were not into raping women. They had their
own code and knew where the lines were drawn. This is not to say that others
did not indulge, just simply that I had to be able to write a warrior that I
could fall for.
Do why do I love a warrior? Because they are complicated but
rewarding. And they stand the test of time.
Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romances
for Harlequin Historical. Her latest Return of the Viking Warrior is out now.
Her next book Saved by the Viking Warrior will be out in September 2014.You can learn more about Michelle and her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk
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