Young Ashlyn of Cairn doesn't dream of war. Her village sits at the farthest point from the battlefront. Thus, rumors of the crown princess's all-female army seldom reach her ears.

Ashlyn's fate has been set from birth. She will marry her third cousin Rupert and be a cobbler's wife. That's a vastly better situation than being a washer woman's daughter.

If only the taxes weren't due and Ashlyn's father hadn't gambled away her mother's meager earnings, then a humble girl might never have been set on the path to aid the return of the Modutan Empire.

"Red Parade: Ashlyn of Cairn an Origin Story"

by S.V. Farnsworth