Before the Thaw
The iron bit into the well stone, and Maeve Ashbourne's world cracked open with it. A farmer's daughter with callused hands and a stubborn heart, Maeve has spent her life breaking frozen earth and keeping her younger brother Torin fed through the cruelest winters. She knows nothing of thrones, bloodlines, or the feuds that shape kingdoms, until a royal summons arrives from Winterhold bearing the seal of King Aldric himself. What Maeve discovers in the frost-laden halls of power will unravel everything she thought she knew about her family, her future, and the brooding lord whose gaze lingers a moment too long. Cael Ravencrest is honor-bound to guard a secret that could ignite war across the realm. Lady Edwina schemes to bind their house to the crown through marriage, while Sera, watchful, overlooked, sees more than anyone gives her credit for. Trapped between Lord Harmont's ruthless ambition, Sir Varyn's quiet loyalty, and a king who does not forgive disloyalty, Maeve must navigate a court where every smile hides a blade. When the thaw finally comes, it will not bring peace. It will bring fire, and Maeve must decide whether love is worth the ruin it promises, or whether the only way to save the people she loves is to walk away before the ice melts.