A Daughter of Kings, Part I

Alirah has grown up sheltered and happy among the Kwi’Kiri people of the far west. Her father is not one of the Kwi’Kiri, however. He is the rightful high king of Arandia, living in exile, and she is that kingdom’s princess. When one day a messenger comes from Arandia, begging for help, Alirah knows she must answer his call. She takes up her father’s sword and rides off to save her dying realm.As a boy, Prince Ethyrin fled in exile from the mighty kingdom of Arandia. He fled not only to save his own life, but also to save Arandia from a ruinous civil war. With the girl Nuara, he escaped and found a new home among the Kwi’Kiri people of the far west.Now thirty years have passed, and Arandia is in peril. Its people suffer under the rule of the Tyrant Kings, and the forces of Darkness are rising once more to destroy it. At long last a messenger has come in search of Ethyrin, begging him to return and save his dying realm. But Ethyrin is a man of the Kwi’Kiri now, with a family of his own that he will not abandon. When he refuses the messenger, his daughter Alirah knows that she must go in his place. She takes up her father’s sword, and accompanied by a young Druid named Kelorn, rides off to save his kingdom.Just getting there will be difficult enough. Arandia lies halfway across the world. To reach it, Alirah and Kelorn must evade evil barbarians, murderous brigands, and even the restless spirits of the dead. And saving Arandia will prove more difficult than they imagine. Many there are loyal to the Tyrant Kings. By trying to help, they may plunge the kingdom into the very civil war which Ethyrin sought to forestall. Too late, Alirah realizes that the only way to save her people may be to betray her father.