The Heart of Two Realms

Two kingdoms. Two heirs. One forest that knows the truth.For two hundred years, Vaelthorn and Sorevane have been at war - separated by history, suspicion, and the Eldenmere, the ancient forest neither side dares to enter.Prince Caelen of Vaelthorn crosses the border in secret, carrying a lute instead of a sword. Princess Seraphine of Sorevane crosses it with an herb basket and a false name. When they meet in a forest clearing neither was supposed to find, they do not know who the other is. They only know that the forest is watching - and that something in it has been waiting for them both.What begins as a forbidden friendship becomes something neither can name and neither can walk away from. But names matter. And kingdoms always find their heirs.When the truth finally arrives, it brings something worse than war: evidence that the war itself was never what either kingdom was told. Someone built the conflict. Someone has been maintaining it. And that someone is closer to both of them than they ever feared.To end two hundred years of manufactured hatred, Caelen and Seraphine will have to trust each other completely - across the border that has divided their worlds since before they were born.The Heart of Two Realms is a standalone YA fantasy for readers who love slow-burn romance, political intrigue, and the particular kind of magic that lives in very old forests.