Gilded (working title)

Seeking constructive criticism!

Athene is seventeen, Princess of Oseira, and knows exactly where her life is headed. She will take the throne, make alliances, and defend her mountain kingdom from all who would seek to conquer it - especially the lords of Lanosia, to the south, who would stop at nothing to gain the wealth that Oseira holds. But a surprise attack by a band of mercenaries leads to the murder of the Royal Counsel, the imprisonment of the royal family, and the seizing of the throne. Athe is forced to flee - not with her soldiers, but accompanied only by Aren, the heir to a Lanosian nobleman. And finding an army to help retake her kingdom is easier said than done, when Athe still doesn't know who hired the mercenaries, or who it is that will stop at nothing to have her dead. She's just got to hope it's not the very people she plans on seeking help from...