The High King of the Mortal Realm requires a beautiful wife. She should be without flaw, untainted by curse. And he's forced, by law and magic, to select her from the next province in the line of succession...
A handsome young king has ascended the throne of the High Kingdom of the Mortal Realm. An untested, unmarried king without an heir is a dangerous situation for a kingdom under siege by the dark powers of the Fairy Queen, ruler of the Unseelie Court. The truce that ended the Great Magic War between the mortal and fae realms many years ago specifies that the king must marry a woman from the next province in the line of succession. But King Kylan has his eye on a princess from a lesser kingdom four provinces down the list...
Originally, the four provinces stood in his way, but three of the king's betrothed have died under mysterious circumstances without becoming queen. Now there is only The Outlands, a province of cursed outcasts and misfits. The nobles of The Outlands are happy to sacrifice a daughter for the power and wealth it will bring. However, the king wants a beautiful wife, not a misshapen misfit. If only there were a way...
Maisie is a plain-looking misfit among misfits. She has no desire to be queen. But she promised her mother before she died that she would do everything she could to find a cure for her younger sister who has the aging sickness. A rose that blooms once in a blue moon deep in the heart of the dark forest controlled by the Fairy Queen is rumored to have the power to heal. But it also bestows great beauty and removes curses. Everybody wants it...
