Can someone re-spoil Keyes's The Briar King for me?

[jsgoddess]

I read Greg Keyes's The Briar King over a year ago. Great book. Wonderful book.

I remember loving it, I just don't remember what happens in it and I don't own a copy.

Now I'm trying to read the sequel and I'm completely blank. I'm only five pages in, so maybe it'll all come back to me, but I'm not sure. Can someone give me a short plot synopsis, just hitting the main characters? I can't remember anyone's name! Help!

[Basandre]

It's been a while since I read this book, but I've flipped through it to try to remember what was in it.

SPOILER:

Muriele Dare is the queen of Crotheny. Her husband William is emperor of Crotheny, and he is eventually tricked into betraying an alliance by his brother Robert (who kills their sister Lesbeth, and sends ransom notes that appear to be from someone else demending the sinking of some of the allied country's ships for her return). William and Robert kill each other.

Anne is Muriele and William's daughter. She is sent to a convent for education, with her best friend Austra for company. Anne likes to run away and have fun, Austra tried to keep her out of trouble. Anne meets Cazio on one of her escapes from the convent. Cazio is an impovrished expert swordsman.

Charles is Muriele and William's son. He is simple-minded, but after William is killed he becomes king (with his mother as regent).

Aspar White is a guard of the forest. His wife was killed, and he swore revenge on the killer. He comes across Stephen Darige who needs help getting to the d'Ef monastary, and takes him there. Stephen does translations of ancient documents for the monastary. At some point, Aspar meets Winna, who he falls in love with. Aspar is the one who blows the horn that maybe woke up the Briar King (he didn't mean to).

The monastary has a group of monks that are bullies, and turn out to be more than bullies - they do evil rituals, I think they involve demons. The leader of this group is Desmond Spendlove. The monastary is destroyed by the dying head monk, to save Stephen and Aspar from Desmond.

[Basandre]

Oops, I forgot someone.

SPOILER:

Sir Neil is a knight of Crotheny, but he's from a small allied country. He becomes the protector of the queen after he saves her from one of the other knights, who attacked her. I don't remember if the knight who attacked her was a bad guy in disguise, or if he was a corrupted or bribed real knight of Crotheny. I also don't remember much of what happens to Sir Neil, except that he lives.

[jsgoddess]

Originally Posted by Basandre

It's been a while since I read this book, but I've flipped through it to try to remember what was in it.

Thank you so much, Basandre. For some reason, this book's plot completely slipped my mind, probably because I read it right after my father's death. If I had a copy, I probably would have just gone ahead and read it again.