Sleeping Wildflowers

Asellan of Cyne was given life twice, and neither time by choice. Being a prince has its perks, at least until faced with the punishment of being in the public eye, and at the point of the public knife. Lamentably still alive after his ninth birthday, Asellan finds himself in high demand as desirably mutilated, and capable of curing all physical ills. Except, of course, his own.

Far from the comforts of the palace, or a warm bed, the squalid streets of Syshla are filled with the issue of those who perpetuate the cycle of misery built into the city. Riam Ecorai joins the ranks of children no better than mice. Sure, she can't read, write, or run from a fight, but a girl can dream, and Riam knows exactly what she dreams of: the coveted crown of Coéndoré. Kings and queens usually don't find themselves in the corners of crumbling hospitals, but a certain prince does. With their records of misfortune, a meeting must have been devised by the gods, ever-seeking to satisfy their insatiable schadenfreude.

And so, joined by a former navigator who can hardly point himself on the right path, Asellan and Riam make their way through the country condemned to inevitable oblivion, searching for some semblance of sense in the suffering and, as always, a peaceful night's sleep.

CW: violence/gore, strong language, substance abuse, death, suicide