I hold my breath when my father, the King, beckons a knight forward. The man is tall, broad, even as he gets on one knee and bows to us. I barely register the sounds of metal as my father strikes the flat edge of his sword against the knight’s shoulder armor in initiation. When the man raises his head just enough to look at me, my eyes meet icy blue ones, and I have to hold back a gasp.

“Knight Rhysand, you are to protect my only daughter, the crown princess, with your life.”