The Royal Pavilions Series by Linda Lee Chaikin

Framed for a murder he didn't commit, Tancred Redwan is a knight torn between his father's Norman blood and the Moorish blood of his mother. Forced to flee for his life, Tancred travels the golden hills of Palermo to the seven jeweled hills of the Byzantine capitol. Caught up in the turbulent events surrounding the Peasant Crusade, he is again forced to make a difficult choice as Christian Europe arms for the First Crusade to rescue the Holy Lands from infidels.

Clothed with the promise of salvation, the knights of the first crusade fight gallantly to reclaim the Holy Land-but only their courage can save them from the infidels. Helena of the Nobility has long resigned herself to the control of her aunt Lady Irene, a woman for whom betrayal is commonplace. Having banished Helen's mother from Constantinople, Irene stalks the palace courtyard while Helena secretly plots her escape... moreClothed with the promise of salvation, the knights of the first crusade fight gallantly to reclaim the Holy Land-but only their courage can save them from the infidels. Helena of the Nobility has long resigned herself to the control of her aunt Lady Irene, a woman for whom betrayal is commonplace. Having banished Helen's mother from Constantinople, Irene stalks the palace courtyard while Helena secretly plots her escape. Determined to dissolve any thoughts of a union between Helena and her son Philip, Irene is now intent on securing Helen's hand in marriage to a Muslim prince. Helpless to elude the powerful Lysander family, Helena turns to one man she believes loves her enough to prevent her demise. But Philip Lysander is no match for the cunning temptations Irene plants in his path. Betrayed and heartbroken, Helena has no other choice but to turn to the rebel Tancred Redwan, a man in whose heart she fears and in whose honor she finds safety. When war and treachery threaten to tear them apart, only his sword offers a way of escape-. less

Amid the devastation of war, the crusaders face a formidable foe. . . . But their strength of mind and trust in the Almighty give them the perseverance to endure. Confident in Helena Lysander's safety at his family's castle, Norman warrior Tancred Redwan prepares to travel on to Antioch in search of his Moorish cousin Mosul, assassin of Tancred's brother. But a message from Helena's bodyguard reveals that her entourage was overtaken and she never reached the castle... moreAmid the devastation of war, the crusaders face a formidable foe. . . . But their strength of mind and trust in the Almighty give them the perseverance to endure. Confident in Helena Lysander's safety at his family's castle, Norman warrior Tancred Redwan prepares to travel on to Antioch in search of his Moorish cousin Mosul, assassin of Tancred's brother. But a message from Helena's bodyguard reveals that her entourage was overtaken and she never reached the castle. Held captive by the corrupt Bishop Constantine, Helena now faces marriage to a Moslem prince, arranged months earlier by her scheming aunt Lady Irene Lysander. As the crusaders race to overtake Moslem-controlled Antioch, Tancred plots Helena's rescue. Betrayal and intrigue precede him, but the obstacles give way to courage, leading Tancred to the most important battle of his life one that will determine his destiny both in honor and in love. Will Tancred triumph over the evil that surrounds him? A final showdown will decide that fate of a noble warrior, his mortal enemy, and his beloved -. less