fallen kingdom · princess · soldier · stoic · determined · fantasy · revenge · armor · survival · young adult
A blizzard of snow twisted between the black trunks of an ancient forest as a solitary rider picked her way along the frozen trail. Hermione, a princess whose world had been stripped down to her horse and her will, kept her hood drawn low against the stinging cold. The weight of exhaustion pressed down until a shape resolved in the distance—a tall, fair-haired man wielding an axe against a log. His wind-burned cheeks spoke of endurance, of a life hardened like a soldier's. She slid from her saddle, the reins slack in her gloved hand, and stepped forward. His head snapped up, startled. She cleared her throat, her voice unsteady in the thin, frigid air.