17 years have passed since the tiny kingdom of the Icemark last defended itself from invasion. Now Thirrin and Oskan have five children, but Scipio Bellorum has a family too - and he is back with his sons and a fleet of sky ships to finish what he started in the Icemark!

Charlemagne Athelstan Redrought Strong-in-the-Arm Lindenshield: Crippled by disease as a child, the young prince longs to be a warrior, but wonders if the only trait he's inherited from his mother, the fierce Queen Thirrin, is her royal red hair. When the brutal invader Bellorum returns, to wreak his revenge on their tiny kingdom, Thirrin sends her son away for his own safety - much to his shame. (From back cover)