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

Trace watched Anaisa's face. It was such a relief to see her. He had half convinced himself that she was getting worse, not better, and that the doctor and Sapphira were lying.

Perhaps the poisoning had been far worse than he'd known. But now, here she was, sitting next to him, munching quietly on the bread he'd saved for her.

And talking to him! He wasn't sure she would ever speak to him again. This was already a miracle.

The conversation was strangely even, and pleasant. As if Anaisa were too tired to really fight with him. He'd seen her temper flare before and knew how intensely she could argue. He wasn't sure whether their current status was good or bad.

He hoped the lack of screaming was a good sign, though he certainly deserved it. Especially from her point of view, where he was willfully keeping further secrets rather than physically incapable of disobeying the Count's orders.

Trace's Answer