Doran Series by Monica Furlong, Karen Cushman

In a remote Scottish village, nine-year-old Wise Child is taken in by Juniper, a healer and sorceress. Then Wise Child's mother, Maeve, a black witch, reappears. In choosing between Maeve and Juniper, Wise Child discovers the extent of her supernatural powers - and her true loyalties.

The only child of the king of Cornwall, Juniper lives the life of luxury and ease that befits a medieval princess. Still, something compels her to leave the palace to take up a difficult life of study with godmother, Euny. The harsh but wise woman proceeds to teach the girl about herbs, healing, and the magic within nature.It is not until Juniper returns home a year and a day later that she begins to understand the purpose of her training... moreThe only child of the king of Cornwall, Juniper lives the life of luxury and ease that befits a medieval princess. Still, something compels her to leave the palace to take up a difficult life of study with godmother, Euny. The harsh but wise woman proceeds to teach the girl about herbs, healing, and the magic within nature.It is not until Juniper returns home a year and a day later that she begins to understand the purpose of her training. Meroot, her power-hungry aunt, is using black magic in an attempt to seize the throne. Meroot has not only placed a terrible curse on the countryside but also threatened the life of Juniper's unborn brother--the future king of Cornwall. Armed only with her new, untested powers, Juniper must find a way to stop Meroot--before the kingdom itself is destroyed.The prequel to the spellbinding fantasy Wise Child, Juniper evokes a distant era when spiritual and earthly powers were inextricably entwined. less

Set in very early Christian times, Colman is a spellbinding fantasy of a faraway age, when the mystical and the commonplace walked hand in hand. The healer, Juniper, and her apprentice, Wise Child, are accused of witchcraft and forced to flee their small town. Wise Child’s devoted cousin, Colman, escapes with them. This is his story of their arrival to the land of Juniper’s birth, where she is, in fact, a princess.From the Hardcover edition.