Fallen Beside That Patch of Blood-Red Marigolds

This novel contains the following: a war between two nations, with the male lead getting tortured; protecting a princess, with the male lead getting tortured; fighting off assassins, with the male lead getting tortured; getting caught up in a conspiracy, with the male lead getting tortured; being afflicted by a curse, with the male lead getting tortured; and so on and so forth, with the male lead getting tortured; the male lead getting tortured, and the male lead getting tortured.

In short, this is a fantasy novel steeped in sorrow. The first volume is all setup, and the real story doesn't begin until the second.