Prince Amery Llewellen is the only son of King Adin of Pharr and heir to the throne. When his father is lost in battle with the barbaric tribes invading the northern Pharrisian border, Amery becomes regent in his father’s stead. The royal advisers pressure him to take the crown and assume the throne, but doing so will force him to take a wife as well. Amery is loathe to do that, because he’s deeply in love with one of his knights, Sir Tovin Raimus, from the southland.<br><br>Such a relationship is forbidden -- both because Tovin is another man and because he is a knight, much below the station of a prince. After King Adin forbid their union, Tovin and Amery masked their love with fights and arguments designed to make the servants believe they loathe each other. The whole castle dreads the news that the northern border has been breached, because when Tovin is assigned the position of castellan, that makes him head of castle security. His being stationed so near the regent has the servants believing the two will fight to the death.<br><br>That’s just a farce to keep their love a secret. But Pharr needs a crowned ruler, and Amery must decide whether to take his rightful place on the throne or forsake his kingdom for the love of one man.

The Regent's Knight

At the parapets, Tovin looked down over the northern face of the castle and frowned at what he saw. The night below him was alive with bonfires, their shadows flickering in the light and the trees. He couldn’t tell how large the army was, how many men he was up against, what weaponry they had…splashing in the moat told him their border had been breeched, and as he stood there, assessing the situation, one of the courtyard walls was pulled to the ground. “This is no good,” he muttered. 


Berik laughed, a short, rough sound that scared him. “You wanted to fight,” he reminded Tovin. “Here’s your chance. They came knocking for you…shit.” 


Chapter 12