The Calm Before the Storm

The Calm Before the Storm is a bonus novella in Danielle L. Jensen's Bridge Kingdom series, set after The Traitor Queen and The Inadequate Heir. Ithicana has been freed from Maridrinian control, but the peace is fragile. Lara is revered by some as a savior and resented by others as a curse, and she must tread carefully as she resumes ruling beside her husband, Aren.

Their bond is the one thing Lara feels certain of, yet long-overdue conversations put their marriage to the test. Told in six chapters from both Lara's and Aren's perspectives, the novella is a quieter, more personal story about what their future together should look like while trouble gathers in the south and a larger conflict looms for every nation, the Bridge Kingdom included.

It was first included as a bonus in the deluxe and paperback editions of The Inadequate Heir. Readers new to the series should start with The Bridge Kingdom.