Iryna was born in a mountain valley, under the thumb of an oppressive king from the northern country. He was born a daughter to a rebellious noble, and shortly thereafter, betrothed to the king's son by force. His father sought out the help of the old man of the forest, and Iryna’s eighteenth birthday became little more than a death sentence: to be forced to be the wife to the prince of his people's oppressors, or to be trapped in the forest under the protection of the Chuhaister. For where is freedom found in a life such as this?