Princess Arabella Celestine Idris
Jezella is the First Daughter of the House of Morrighan. She is expected, like
all First Daughters, to have the gift of sight. She does not. Her father, the
King, has signed a marriage agreement with the elderly King of Dalbreck to marry
his son. The two kingdoms would be joined in a political alliance to better
defend against the Barbarians. Lia, as she likes to called, is unhappy at the
prospects of being forced into a marriage to a prince she has never seen. Based
on the age of his father, he is likely much older than herself. She just wants
to be with someone who loves her. On her wedding day, Lia and her maid,
Pauline, flee the kingdom as they were leaving to join the processional. The
two girls are heading to Terravin, a town Lia has never been to and Pauline
hasn't visited since she was a young girl. Lia knows that by running away she
has disgraced her father. Even though she is the king's daughter, she knows
that she will be hunted and punished for treason.
After almost two weeks, the girls
arrive in the bayside town of Terravin. They go to see an "aunt" who
helped look after Pauline as an infant when her father died. Knocking on the
door of the inn, Berdi hugs Pauline when she realizes who she is. She is
willing to help the girls, especially when she finds out who Lia really is.
After a few days, she begins to put both of them to work. Since no one has come
to Terravin looking for them, Lia begins to relax and dream of what her life
will now be like as a normal person instead of royalty.
The prince of Dalbreck is leaving to
find Princess Arabella. He is not angry at being stood up but angrier at
himself for not having thought of it first. A trained, but untried soldier, his
father, the King has no idea that his son and only heir is leaving. More than
capable of finding her, he has no plans to talk with her. Princess Arabella
sent him a note a month before their wedding. It stated that she "would
like to inspect" him before their wedding day. The prince has decided
that she can do just that.
The assassin has been sent after
Princess Arabella by the Komizar, the ruler of Venda. An alliance between
Morrighan and Dalbreck would make all of Venda's efforts futile. Rumors have it
that the Princess is sighted and while they don't believe in such magic, others
do. Her flight is Venda's good fortune. If the assassin can make the princess's
death look like Dalbreck did it, even better.
The assassin arrives at the inn
after weeks of following dead ends in an attempt to find the princess. He
struck pay dirt along the way when lips loosened after a few drinks. After
questioning the stable hand about some donkeys for hire, he surmises that he
has finally caught up with her. Walking towards the inn, he sees a young man
his age cleaning up. Knowing if he goes in alone that he will draw more
suspicion, he strikes up a conversation with the man, who turns out to be the
jilted prince but neither know who the other one is. They enter the inn’s
tavern together and sit in the corner at the last empty table. Berdi thinks
they are soldiers and doesn't want Lia to wait on anyone but she relents when
Lia doesn't feel the need to hide. Gwyneth, a barmaid, tells Lia to wait on the
two men since they are close to her age. She also guesses that one is a fisherman
and the other a trader. Gwyneth also tells Lia that they will both want a dark
cider. She saves Pauline from being groped by a soldier and the former maid
runs off. Lia heads to the table and begins to strike up a conversation. She
finds put that their names are Kaden and Rafe. Gwyneth comes over and tells Lia
that she is needed in the kitchen. Berdi berates her for what she said to the
soldier. She needs to keep a low profile. At the end of the night, Berdi tells
her that she said what needed to be said and sends her to the cottage behind
the inn.
Walking up the hill, Lia is
surprised to find Kaden waiting for her. He tells her that he wanted to make
sure she got back safely after the incident with the soldier. She realizes that
he isn't a trader and discovers that he is staying in the barn loft since the
inn is full. He goes to accompany her home when Rafe appears. He has come to
let Kaden know that his horse is spooked in the stable. Kaden leaves. Lia turns
to go when Rafe hands Lia her hat that she dropped. He comments on her hidden
dagger and she assures him at she knows how to use it. Lia realizes that she
has unsettled him and goes to the cottage. Lia has confused both the
assassin and the prince after seeing her in the tavern. She is not quite what
they expected.
The next morning, the girls help one
another with their hair. Pauline begins to gently tease Lia and the two boys
from the night before. She tells Lia that neither one could keep their eyes off
of her and looked hurt when Berdi banished her to the kitchen. Lia tells her
that she knows their names. Pauline asks about the third man. He came in after
the first two. He didn't even finish his cider when she left the floor. Lia
never saw him. Pauline tells her that she needs to stop being afraid; she is no
longer under her father's thumb. Give the boys a chance; she knows one of
them has haunted Lia's dreams. She finally admits that one of them did visit
her dreams.
Who are Kaden and Rafe? Who was the
third man to enter the inn that night? Is Kaden the Prince and Rafe the
assassin or vice versa? Can Lia remain hidden from her father? What was the
reason the prince went looking for the girl who left him at the altar? Can the
prince keep his identity a secret? Why did Pauline flee with Lia? Will the
assassin be able to kill Lia? Does she have the gift of sight? Which boy caught
Lia's attention and does he reciprocate? What happens when her true identity is
discovered?
Readers will be left hanging to see what happens to Lia,
Kaden and Rafe in the next installment of the Remnant Chronicles, The Heart of Betrayal, coming in 2015.
