Duty to King Tomas Dyrease, the newly made Earl of Irvaine and the village of Wisenvale, owes his good fortune to his king and the recent civil war. When his benefactor demands Tomas marry the cousin of a noble, he obeys. However, no one warned him that she wasn't a typical noblewoman. Duty to Others Brielle Solarius struggles to keep her village from starvation under the new Lord Wisten, her cousin. The men rode off to war and never returned. The remaining women and children face a dire winter if they do not find a solution soon. When she learns her cousin sold her into marriage to save his life, she isn't surprised. However, she is taken aback by Lord Irvaine's unpolished ways. Was this man a noble or a foot soldier? Duty to Each Other Bound by the words of their vows, they face a rough future. They must forge a marriage while battling betrayal, accusations of treason, and villains from the past. Survival depends on their precarious trust in each other. Failure could mean death.

A bounty hunter meets a denounced nobleman. In her world, Wren Romany is as unconventional as they come. Born to a large, devout family and then forced out to fend on her own, she earns her living as a bounty hunter. As her second winter alone looms, she decides to stay in one place for the season. Seeking shelter, she offers her hunting skills in exchange. Tourth Mynth, the master of the ruined fortress in the valley, needs help. His small household faces a hard winter. As son of a disenfranchised noble, he has plenty of space beneath his roof, but not much to eat. Wren's offer seems a good fit. Wren soon learns the residents of Iselyn need more than simply meat on their table. The valley's residents squirm beneath a harsh master. Unsolved murder and betrayal lurk in the Mynths' not so distant past. And Tourth's battle with his emotional scars from the recent civil war will determine the fate of the whole valley.

Trained as a mercenary soldier, Darius was a man of decisive action. He was also a man of compassion. Seeing a young slave woman about to become the spoils of war, he claimed her for his own. Marrying her before God and king, he made her a free and respectable soldier's wife. Brice was born a slave. Abused and beaten, she learned quickly to avoid being noticed and to stay away from men. When her master's walls fell to enemy forces, she ran, but not fast enough. In Darius' offer she found deliverance, but experience had taught her to fear power such as his. Could she trust in his protection, or had she traded one form of slavery for another?