King Arken has convinced Gaelynn to marry him. What the King doesn't know is that the ghost of her late husband, Braeden, played a part in the final decision. Part of the marriage contract allows Gaelynn to select eleven men loyal only to her as Queen's Knights. On the advice of Kevin du Faucione, she picks nine men with two more to be chose when she arrives in the Capitol. Ranulf de Corbeau is to be her Captain. Arken's personal priest, friend, and counselor, Walthen of Campo is not pleased with his liege's choice of new wife. Deep in his heart he knows Gaelynn and Ranulf are lovers. He aches to prove she brought Ranulf with her to continue the alleged affair but Arken won't hear the accusations against his wife. The priest decides to do all he can to discredit the new Queen. If this means arranging her assassination, he will do so. Campo feels she is standing in the way of his being named High Priest of Foxwarre. Court is a hellish place. No one is sincere. Gaelynn hates the phony smiles and lack of privacy. To make matters worse, she and Ranulf are pawns in game played by the Gods and two of her own men: Sir Otto of the Sacred Swords and Sir Anselm of the Silver Serpents. Both knights work to secure the Greycliff succession, which is in danger of dying out. Famine, plague, and war threaten the land. Treachery wraps itself around the Queen's men. Gaelynn can't catch a break. Only the loyalty of a few trusted friends and a surprise person from her past keep Gaelynn sane. When Arken turns to another woman and Ranulf is poisoned, Gaelynn's fortitude is put to the ultimate test. Will she and Ranulf have their happily ever after?