After her palace is brutally attacked, resulting in her father's murder and her mother's kidnapping, Sylvia Valentinius ascends to the throne of Yuglaesil.
Sylvia's love for her younger sister, Thalya, and brother, Julyan, fuels her determination to protect them. At the same time, her heart belongs to the kingdom, striving to keep the peace within it's borders.
The neighboring empire of Colldeen, although led by the peaceful Emperor, Freed Calva, poses a grave threat. Colldeen's princess, Elin, seeks war, and her younger brother, Ellroy, is desperate to prevent it.
As Sylvia navigates treacherous waters, she finds herself at the side of a flirtatious pirate and an assassin with a golden heart, leaving her torn between her sworn duty and her freedom.
Alliances forge and shift as the threat of war looms over Yuglaesil, Sylvia finding herself desperate to be free of the shackles the children of Colldeen put around her.
⚠️ This story contains triggering topics such as suicide, mutilation and abuse.⚠️
"In a land of enemies and betrayal, only the strongest can survive."
BOOK ONE OF THE 'QUEENS AND PAWNS' SERIES
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A story can begin when the balance between protagonist and antagonist is tipped, and even the most noble flinch away from chivalry. It can begin when spies lurk in every nook and cranny while people's loyalties grow frailer, or when enemies murmur among each other with rumours of an impending war.
The story has already begun when the rightful king of the South is cast from his throne by a usurper and forced into exile. It has begun when people take up arms and call for war in his name. It has already begun when trust proves scarce, especially as the East and West remain unresponsive against it all; when even the most oblivious can sense the beginnings of a war emerging on the horizon.
The story can turn down another path when King Lucian of the North refuses to acknowledge the notion of war. He knows that if war truly began, his attempts at peace amid the massacre would be futile.
While he remains trapped in a cage of denial, an enemy in the shadows starts to don armour.
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Credits to @km_sandoval for the cover
RUNNER UP FOR THE CREATIVITY AWARDS 2019
FIRST PLACE IN THE PAPER AWARDS 2020
FIRST PLACE IN THE BELLES LETTRES AWARDS 2020
JOINT FIRST PLACE IN THE BUTTERFLY AWARDS 2020
WINNER IN THE PASSION AWARDS 2020