A gothic fairytale inspired by The Princess and the Pea.
After Lyra—a princess incapable of speech or sound—is cast out of her kingdom of daylight by her wicked aunt, a witch saves her life, steals her memories, and raises her in an enchanted forest . . . disguised as a boy known only as Stain. Meanwhile, in Lyra's rival kingdom, the prince of thorns and night is dying, and the only way for him to break his curse is to wed the princess of daylight, for she is his true equal. As Lyra finds her way back to her identity, an impostor princess prepares to steal her betrothed prince and her crown. To win back her kingdom, save the prince, and make peace with the land of the night, Lyra must be loud enough to be heard without a voice, and strong enough to pass a series of tests—ultimately proving she’s everything a traditional princess is not.
"It is startling.” Griselda observed the babe around her brother’s sturdy shoulder; the tiny princess wriggled within her ivory-lace blanket, a faint, bluish-tinged creature that resembled a curdled shadow on a saucer of cream. “Her lashes . . . they’re bone-white. And longer and more numerous than a centipede’s legs. There’s no denying she’s been touched by moonlight. She’ll have no shield from the sun. It must be the illness from the queen’s blood. A contagion from the cursed land of eternal gloom and ice.”
“I wonder how many that is now?” Vesper patted the raised welt. “Perhaps enough I can double as a patchwork quilt.” The edges of his mouth twitched in a teasing smirk. “Let’s play a trick on the castle’s seamstresses . . . hang me on the wall naked beside their finest creations. See how long it takes them to notice.”
Stain stifled a surprised laugh at his attempt at levity. Her own scars stared back at her, providing an intimate awareness of how desecrated he must feel. Though some of her wounds had been made through experiences and adventures she chose, there were others inflicted upon her, robbing her of any choice.
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