Guardian of the Crown

Victory is theirs, but are they safe? With the dark host defeated, peace finally descends upon the war-weary land. Even as the fragile truce keeps conflict at bay, each kingdom must deal with rising tensions within its own borders. An arranged marriage in the Clanholdings promises to bring an end to centuries of in-fighting, but only if ancient animosities can be set aside. Opposition erupts against Alric as the Weldwyn earls gather to select their new king, threatening the shattered realm's future. After an untimely death in Merceria, a new claimant to an old title forces the queen to choose between friendship and the law of the land. As hostilities increase on all fronts, a new danger emerges in the east. Can they look beyond their inner turmoil to realize the true threat, or are they sowing the seeds of their own destruction?