The Princess and the Peaches

The Kingdom of Dar has fallen.

The hapless Fenlin, lady-in-waiting to the exiled princess, has two talents: mildly amusing commentary and the ability to trip over the same doorstep every day.

She's nobody's first choice of spy. But there's no other volunteers.

Returning to the castle of her birth, she takes a post in the kitchens from which to observe the invaders and await an opportunity to rescue an imprisoned friend.

But beneath the roof of the once-familiar castle, she finds more than the intrigues of a foreign court: she'll cross wits with a cruel but brilliant noblewoman with a suppressed power, a troubled and tricksy mage with a tortured past, and a voice in the dungeon that knows her name. Oh, and rats. Lots and lots of rats.

Author's Note:

I wrote this novel at the age of twelve, printed all five hundred and thirteen pages for my appalled teacher, who had assigned a short story, and then buried it in the deepest, darkest bowels of Dropbox. Recently I allowed myself to be persuaded to dredge it up and (because humiliation loves an audience) post it. I suppose that makes this a tenth-anniversary edition.