Adventure, romance, and magic fill this tale of a girl who longs for love and freedom, and above all, to know herself.In a time of kings, queens, and conspiracy, it's impossible to know whom one can trust. . . .In a kingdom far away and long ago, it was prophesied at her birth that the queen would die before her sixteenth birthday. So Shadow, an orphan girl the same age as the young queen, was given the duty to watch her every move. And as prophesies do tend to come true, the queen is poisoned days before her birthday. When the castle is thrown into chaos, Shadow escapes with a young knight, whom she believes was betrothed to the queen.