The Assassin and the Princess

Celaena Sardothien, the King's Champion, and Princess Nehemia Ytger of Eyllwe give themselves a midwinter day off in Rifthold, the capital of Adarlan. Both carry heavy burdens, and both agree to leave them at the door for a few hours and simply enjoy each other's company.

The outing is light in tone, with the easy rhythm of two friends wandering a city together. Underneath it, the day keeps brushing against the weight of slavery in Adarlan and against Nehemia's political resolve, which no holiday can fully quiet.

This is a short bonus story, about 35 pages in one listing, written for the 2013 blog tour of Crown of Midnight. It takes place between Throne of Glass and that second book, so it belongs to a series already under way.

Readers who have finished Throne of Glass get the most from it. The story stays on the friendship between its two heroines and gives them one quiet, unhurried day before the next book opens.