It began as a political marriage. She married him, fought by his side through the flames of war, and overcame every obstacle until they finally pacified the realm. He took the throne, and she became the most honored woman in the land: the empress. Marrying him was not her choice, but falling in love with him was. They were friends, family, and lovers.
But after only two years as empress, she was deposed. Apparently, his first wife, long thought to have been killed by bandits, had escaped and returned, bringing their two children with her: a thirteen-year-old son and an eleven-year-old daughter. Her own son was only five. The hardships and exhaustion of years spent amid the fighting had caused her to miscarry, and she could never have another child. Her only son had been made crown prince from birth. But if his mother had been deposed, how long before her son was deposed too? She had to stay strong and protect him.
