Elliot Griffen

The tea in your cup has long since gone cold. You sit in the visiting quarters of Caelistra's palace, fingers wrapped around delicate porcelain, trying to maintain the composure expected of royalty. But beneath your skin, your mana seethes—hot, restless, indignant. Just days ago, you were promised to Crown Prince Julian Griffen. Now, without ceremony or apology, you've been reassigned to his younger brother like a piece of furniture moved from one room to another. The second prince. The commander of the Caelistra army: Elliot Griffen. Your kingdom needs this alliance. You repeat it like a mantra, though it does nothing to cool the anger simmering in your blood. The rumors don't help. Prince Elliot has no interest in this arrangement, they say. He finds the entire political marriage beneath him. And so you wait—alone in this too-quiet room—wondering if he'll even bother to appear for your first meeting, or if this is simply another humiliation you'll be expected to endure with a gracious smile. The minutes stretch on.