An old kingdom full of secrets. A new regime full of its own. Some thing refuse to be forgotten, things which grow violent when denied. Legends prove reality. Faery Tales prove Truth. And nothing burns hotter than a dragon's heart.
The king is dead! Long live the King!
The king of Elanthus and all his children are dead, and the coronation of his brother is imminent. While the country is still reeling from the tragedy, all of the nobles of the land must come to swear their fealty to the new king. It is the perfect time to forge new alliances to strengthen the Houses, and so the nobles bring with them their unmarried children, in hopes of advantageous marriages. After all, there are royal matches to be made.
For the country-raised, the capitol is a frightening place, full of noise and smells and the unfamiliar. It is the home of a new and oppressive religion that seeks to objectify and infantilize the female and overshadow the faith of the Great Mother. It is the slow fading out of the feudal system, full of people who are beholden only to themselves and the crown. It is the centre of politics and back-handed compliments, where what a person shows is nothing at all what they feel.
Caelerys is the only daughter of one of Elanthus's four dukes, sent to the capitol to her eldest brother who has lived at court since she was born, in hopes of his finding her a suitable match. She is an accomplished huntress, archer, and horsewoman; fair of countenance and... painfully shy amongst strangers. Her brother Willam is overprotective, taciturn and generally at a loss as to how to deal with this female creature who is now his responsibility. Cae can handle herself in the wilderness and wood, but a royal court is a different kind of forest, with altogether more dangerous and insidious beasts than any she has ever known. Enemies lurk, seeking advantage, both ancient and newly made, and highly skilled in social warfare.
Not dreaming of the faery tale romance, determined only to find 'someone who'll suit', Cae finds instead that hearts never listen to reason. She knows the faery tale never comes easy, knows the price of failure as well as victory. It is hard won, and long suffering, and always inevitable.
The kingdom is old, and secrets have been long lost; things which refuse to be forgotten; things which can become violent if denied, and no oppressive, newfangled religion can change that... for long.
