Broken Throne

New Body, new universe, deadly problems.As if waking up in the body of a young teenage girl wasn't bad enough, I couldn't remember my own name.Worse, it turns out I'm the princess, second heir to the throne, in a kingdom full of infighting and on the brink of collapse. Advisors, nobles, people supposed to be on my side, have their own plans for the throne – the only thing keeping me alive.I don't know why I'm here, what's going on, or what to do. But if I don't figure it out quickly, I'm not going to remain a living princess very long.And, yeah, I awoke tied to a tree in the enemy army. The one that just killed the king, this body's father.---In a gritty, realistic medieval world that doesn't pull punches, Princess Cayce struggles to adjust. A land of terrifying magic, ever-present warfare, deeply rooted patriarchy and, well, a lot of limitations on how a princess can behave.

Firmly in control of Bechalle's castle and duchy, autumn and winter looked to be safe and secure, time to recoup and recover. To train hard, introduce new weapons technology, to strengthen my army.Yet the upcoming coronation brought trouble and danger. The powerful Laemacian emperor to the northeast demanding I marry him, or he'll conquer my lands. The mighty Barclay church, whose Father Inquisitor I killed, demanding a harsh penance. My own earls, enraged that a girl leads the kingdom, working behind my back to rid themselves of me.Worse, if you're me, suitors from all over the kingdom began arriving, making their case for marriage. Because of Brin, that meant wearing hated dresses and make-up and being a cute girl princess to grumpily receive them.On top of all this, uncontrollable magic growing inside me threatened my very existence and everyone around me. If I told the mages, they'd kill me. If I confessed to my friends, they'd likewise face death.Nowhere to go, no one to confide in, no help coming. This was my life now.---It's been so long that Princess Cayce is close to letting the game theory go. And that means surviving in this world, relying on her army. But changing the kingdom through new technologies might not be the solution Cayce thinks it is. Rather, court intrigue and politics opens up a new world of deadly realpolitik – one that she only slowly realizes she's living in.

There's a lot wrong with the world I find myself in. The earls are angry about the knighthood, worried about my blood-ties to a foreign power, and likely working behind my back to take the kingdom for themselves. The suitors ever vying for my attention, my hand in marriage. The crazy behavior of the foxes and ravens and crows who seek me out just to bow.And the coming war.All these I could handle, well almost handle, but for the raging magic inside me. Powerful, angry, wanting out. And I feel it. Want to release it! Yet using magic would not only guarantee that the mages would hunt me down, it would endanger everyone around me. And I just couldn't let that happen.But when did this world give me a choice?