Wanir

The runaway princess is back in her cage.‎

In ‘Arion’, Princess Irilayne, who had run away from ‎the palace before her father the King could force her to ‎marry Lord Griblon, had to leave the life she loved when ‎her father was assassinated. Her brother, the heir to the ‎throne, had disappeared, and Lord Griblon was trying to ‎force the Royal Council to give him the regency on the ‎basis of his supposed betrothal to Irilayne. Her only hope ‎of saving either herself or her country had been to find ‎her brother and help him to his throne. ‎

Now, she and her brother have arrived in the capital, ‎Wanir, to the acclaim of the people. Irilayne is back ‎where she’d hoped never to be again, in the palace, living ‎the life of a princess of the realm. She doesn’t want to be ‎there, but she has no choice. Her father’s death, ‎Griblon’s machinations, and the general disruption ‎caused by there being no ruler to take the helm have ‎destabilised the country. Her brother will need her help ‎to consolidate his rule and put the country back on a ‎stable footing.‎

It’s a difficult and even dangerous task. Everyone is ‎nervous. Those nobles who supported Lord Griblon now ‎face losing everything, and they’re scrambling for cover. ‎The new king is changing things, and the conservative ‎Xanarans don’t like it. For some reason, it’s Irilayne, ‎rather than the King, who is blamed for the changes. The ‎recent upheavals have put the idea of treason in people’s ‎minds, and someone is trying to kill her. And, to top it all ‎off, Lord Griblon is still out there somewhere.‎

As Irilayne struggles to both help her brother and ‎adapt to being back in her old life, the security reports ‎begin to indicate that Griblon is back in the country with ‎Athreeli magicians at his back and heading by inexorable ‎degrees for the capital. There is still only one person ‎standing between Irilayne and the throne. Griblon’s plan ‎of conquest by marriage can still work. ‎

Once again, the net is closing around Irilayne. And ‎this time, there’s nowhere left to run.‎