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 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
- Edward V holds ground and is killed in battle
- Cryere Abbey destroyed
- Brother Tim saves the Promissory Chalice
1455 — Trinco drives invaders from Alca and pursues enemy across the sea
1465 — Coronation of Emperor Trinco
(Promissory Chalice used)
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)
Mid–16th century — Constitution ratified at Cryere Vale
(monarchy becomes ceremonial)
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
5/1/1846 — Divers’ Bay Lighthouse first lit
THE SIMMS FAMILY AND THE SEARCH
1894 — Birth of Henry Simms at Theleme Estate
4/4/1958 — 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
1991 (Spring) — Groundbreaking for Cryere Memorial Church and stabilization of abbey ruins
8/14/1993 — Wreck of the Trinco discovered off Divers’ Bay
1/12/1994 — Simms family donates Theleme Estate to Alca Historical Society
(National Museum and Visitor Center announced)
1994 (Early) — Promissory Chalice identified among recovered artifacts
9/19/1994 — 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
5/11/1997 — First Mass at Cryere Memorial Church
Promissory Chalice returned to liturgical use
(Gabriel and Christina present)