The Tapestry

Rune longs for a better life in Aiwölone. Trapped in a life of poverty, injustice, and a system that keeps the wealthy elevated and the destitute kicked to the mud, her fate seems sealed. Until, one day, it's announced that Prince Ashe seeks a bride amongst the people. Though Prince Ashe has displayed redeemable moments, he seems like the rest of his royal family: elusive, weak, and disconnected, making Rune only care for the opportunity in one day becoming Aiwölone's queen. Driven to bring about change for her, her little brother, and the rest of Aiwölone's people, Rune finds herself desperate to reach the throne...
...Desperate enough to seek the witch...

"The Tapestry is my novice attempt at writing a fantasy. As much as I adore escaping into a light-heated story of sparkling forests and whimsical fairies bearing witness to a fabled love-at-first-sight encounter, I found myself in a darker world of bleak reality, messy minds, selfish motives, and brutal violence. The raw romance traded 'dainty chivalry' in for real, blunt emotion, while the heartless cruelty of these characters stretched my comfort zone. This story made me take it very seriously, and I sometimes wondered if it all went too far, making The Tapestry dark, yet lovely, and uncomfortably relatable."

-Andie