Shield of sparrows

Part 1 in the Shield of Sparrows series

The gods sent monsters to the five kingdoms to remind mortals they must kneel. I've spent my life kneeling to their will and to my father's. As a princess, my only duty is to wear the crown and obey the king. I was never meant to rule. Never meant to fight. And I was never supposed to be the daughter who sealed an ancient treaty with her own blood. But that changed the fateful day I stepped into my father's throne room. The day a legendary monster hunter sailed to our shores. The day a prince ruined my life. Now I'm crossing treacherous lands beside a warrior who despises me as much as I despise him bound to a future I didn't choose and a husband I barely know. Everyone wants me to be something I'm not a queen, a spy, a sacrifice.

But what if I refused the role chosen for me? What if I made my own rules? What if there's power in being underestimated?

And what if for the first time I reached for it?