It has been a year since Derick's brother Cael attempted to kill him and Derick became king. While Derick is certain his brother is merely biding his time, nothing has been seen of Cael since and a tense peace reigns over the Kingdom of Mercagea. When Royce, who had supposedly quit smuggling and cut ties with the rebels, is nearly murdered, Derick and Rory discover he is secretly back to his old ways, prompting Royce to run away and return to the rebels. Derick finds himself with enemies on both sides as the rebels grow and Cael returns, clearly determined to take the throne, even at the cost of war. The situation further deteriorates as the rebels fight amongst themselves and Royce makes it clear that he will not accept a truce with Derick, even to stop Cael. With the country on the brink of a three way civil war, Derick struggles to attempt to be the kind of king who can lead his country to victory.