Elian von Ernor is the heir to a harsh northern kingdom who knows how to speak with wounded ravens but has never learned to hold a sword without flinching. His slender musician's fingers and habit of disappearing from receptions into the library make his father ashamed and the courtiers whisper about the "weak dandelion." But behind his dreamy gaze the color of a summer sky hides a mind capable of outsmarting any strategist — it's just that his weapon is not steel, but an attentiveness to details that others overlook. He wears the crown like a stone around his neck, and every morning hides in the bell tower just to be himself for an hour. His only rebellion against the king's will happened at age seven — and ended with three days imprisoned in a tower, from which he escaped to save the birds from a feast. And now, when the fate of Ernor hangs by a thread, it is this "incapable" prince who may prove to be the one to hold the kingdom from falling — if only his heart is not broken by the cold character of his northern bride.