Forsake Tradition

Oriyah:
It has been twenty years since I was whisked away from my palace in Kilverek. Twenty years living among the people of Thezban, hundreds of miles from my birthplace. And twenty years spent evading those who would punish me for the sins that caused my birth. As I struggle to keep my brothers safe and raise them as my parents would have wanted, King Thezban announces a battle where the prize is anything one could wish for. I finally see a chance to escape the shadows that haunt me. Then she arrives...the King's daughter, her name shrouded and concealed. The way she looks at me, I just can't explain it; she chases away the cobwebs from around my heart. Maybe the gods are as cruel as the kings of these lands. Why else would they bring her into my life just as I'm about to risk everything-and possibly lose her?
Ana:
There is something strange in the way her touch lingers upon my skin, a warmth that does not belong to the chill of the evening. For the briefest instant, I wonder if the gods, so often silent, have orchestrated something here-binding us in ways neither of us can yet comprehend. But I cannot allow myself to be swayed from my purpose. I must prove myself capable of leading my kingdom, repel the suitors who would claim me, and receive my blessing-even if the cost is my life. Yet still, her touch has awakened in me a creature that cannot be caged. How am I to fight these battles when my heart is already fighting for something far more perilous?