AV

When Jacaerys Velaryon travels North to secure the allegiance of Cregan Stark, he expects resistance. He does not expect her. Alysanne Stark—quiet, watchful, and entirely unimpressed—has no interest in southern princes or their promises. But when war demands more than words, duty binds them in a marriage neither of them chose. What begins as obligation turns into something far more dangerous. Cold silences. Sharpened words. A tension neither of them is willing to name. Because in a world where loyalty is everything, trust is earned slowly—and love is the one risk they cannot afford.