TheOtherNoble

“You are the least objectionable groom of all the ones I’ve seen,” Anaisa replied seriously. 

“Thank you for the glowing compliment,” Trace grinned, “but that didn’t quite answer my question.” 
___

Anaisa is an orphan and a pariah. In an ultimate act of betrayal, her father, a Count of the Realm, is accused of deserting and betraying the army in a time of war. Not only is he immediately executed for the offense, but the king declares he must have been a fake all along! His two daughters are stripped of their titles and inheritance, replaced by a distant cousin and cast out of their home with nothing. Anaisa swears someday she will get her title and lands back, but in the mean time, she and her sister Katia have to figure out how to survive. 

Trace is an anomaly among his people; instead of revealing their son as a magic user and thrusting him into the public eye, his parents kept it a secret to allow him to choose the kind of life he wanted. Trace found himself content to rest and play in his own dream world instead of invading the nighttime visions of others.

As an adult, his choice to remain unknown is thrown into jeopardy when a mysterious blackmailer forces Trace to enlist in the territorial war between nations, threatening to reveal his secret if the demand is not met. With the war now over, Trace believes he can finally go home to his farm and live the simple, unremarkable life he’s always desired. 

When Anaisa and Trace are thrown together by a royal edict, the sisters find themselves unwittingly tangled in the web of mystery and intrigue that surrounds the blackmailer’s escalating assignments for Trace. Anaisa begins to suspect it may be connected to the plot to replace her family in the noble court. As the scheme continues to unfold, lives, loves, marriages, and magic will be put to the test to see what forces in the world are strongest.

Dreamwalker's Bride

"Go where?" Trace asked Sapphira suspiciously.

"Magical help?" Anaisa questioned.

"Yes," The Princess shook her head, answering her servant's question while ignoring the new bodyguard's query. "You think I could be this beautiful without it?"

Trace suppressed a grin. The royal's magically-assisted glamor was not quite on par with his wife's natural beauty. In his eyes, there was no real comparison, and he felt a small wave of compassion for the princess. To be outshined by a servant, even though she would not admit it, must be a very upsetting thing for someone so spoiled.

"Well, I–" Anaisa paused, likely realizing that any answer had the possibility of offending, one way or another. "You are very beautiful, Your Highness." She finished lamely.

"And we will keep it so!" Sapphira beamed. "Now, hurry, time is of the essence, the ball is less than a week away!"

A walk around the palace