Alca

The Crown Beneath the Waves
A Novel of Memory, Loss, and Return
For centuries, the island of Alca endured at the edge of the North Atlantic — a kingdom shaped by faith, sea, and memory. Its history was forever changed during the Cryere Campaign, when invasion shattered the island’s peace, King Edward V fell defending his people, and a soldier named Trinco rose to save what remained. The great abbey at Cryere burned, the monarchy was transformed, and the Promissory Chalice — symbol of the island’s continuity — was carried into legend.

More than a century later, a state vessel bearing Trinco’s name sailed from Alca on a ceremonial mission to the continent. Returning home through a widening storm in 1682, the Trinco vanished off Divers’ Bay. Her loss became one of the island’s enduring mysteries. A cannon discovered far from Alca convinced historians the ship had sunk near the continent, and the truth slipped quietly into folklore, preserved only in the stories of lighthouse keepers who spoke of the vessel’s “Last Passing.”

Three hundred years later, Gabriel Simms returns reluctantly to the island of his childhood. The son of an amateur historian who spent his life searching for the lost ship, Gabriel has built his life elsewhere — on the continent, far from the burdens of history. But alongside his lifelong friend Christina, whose roots on Alca run deep, he begins to reconsider the past. What they discover challenges everything believed about the Trinco and leads them back to the dangerous waters of Divers’ Bay — closer to home than anyone ever imagined.

As the wreck is found and its treasures recovered, old wounds resurface and forgotten stories return to light. The Simms family donates their ancestral estate, a museum rises beside the ruins of the abbey, and the island begins to reclaim what was lost centuries before. Yet the most sacred object recovered from the sea is not destined for display. When the Promissory Chalice is returned to the altar at Cryere, history closes a circle begun in war and completed in peace.


EARLY KINGDOM

1313 — Edward (The Monk) II crowned King of Alca
(Promissory Chalice enters coronation tradition)

1351 — Edward III crowned

1388 — Edward IV crowned

REIGN OF EDWARD V AND THE INVASION

1431 — Birth of Edward V

1443 — Edward V crowned King of Alca
(Promissory Chalice used at coronation)

1454 (Spring) — Invasion of Alca begins

1454 (Summer) — Marriage of Trinco and Lady Amelie at Parliament Hill

1454 (Late Summer) — Cryere Campaign

1455 — Trinco drives invaders from Alca

1465 — Coronation of Emperor Trinco (Promissory Chalice used)

1482 — Death of Matthias Simms

RESTORATION ERA

c.1460s–1500s — Political reforms begin under Emperor Edward (son of Trinco and Amelie)

1520 — Death of Emperor Trinco

1536 — Death of Lady Amelie (age 92)

Mid–16th century — Constitution ratified at Cryere Vale (monarchy becomes ceremonial)

September 1682 (Late August / Early) — Trinco departs Alca for the continent

17 October 1682 (traditionally accepted date) — Trinco lost in storm off Divers’ Bay while approaching Alca

MISDIRECTION AND MEMORY

1789–1795 — Cannon from Trinco recovered near continental shelf
(Leads historians to believe wreck lies near continent)

1844 — Construction begins on Divers’ Bay Lighthouse

1 May 1846 — Divers’ Bay Lighthouse first lit

THE SIMMS FAMILY AND THE SEARCH

1894 — Birth of Henry Simms at Theleme Estate

4 April 1958 — Henry Simms attempts exploration of Divers’ Bay aboard Ariane; search abandoned due to dangerous waters

1955 — Birth of Gabriel Simms

1977 — Death of Henry Simms
(asks Gabriel to continue the search; suggests wreck may be “closer to home”)

RESTORATION AND REDISCOVERY

1990–1992 — Early Church Concept & Reconnection

  • Gabriel undertakes early research into historic church design and stained glass traditions.
  • Through historical inquiry connected to Cryere and the Simms family history, he reconnects with Christina.
  • Their collaboration initially centers on history and preservation rather than the Trinco specifically.

1991 (Spring) — Groundbreaking for Cryere Memorial Church and stabilization of abbey ruins

14 August 1993 — Wreck of the Trinco discovered off Divers’ Bay

12 January 1994 — Simms family donates Theleme Estate to Alca Historical Society
(National Museum and Visitor Center announced)

1994 (Early) — Promissory Chalice identified among recovered artifacts

19 September 1994 — Ship’s bell recovered (final major artifact)

RETURN AND COMPLETION

1995–1996 — Construction of Museum and Visitor Center
Restoration of stained glass completed in new church

11 May 1997 — First Mass at Cryere Memorial Church
Promissory Chalice returned to liturgical use
(Gabriel and Christina present)