Purple-eyed Adarte, blue-eyed Adolte. One enveloped in light--the graceful son--and one shrouded in darkness--the prisoner. Even as their souls are drawn together, destiny would tear them apart. Elsewhere in the kingdom, a heroic king is served by an enigmatic aide from a faraway land. His path has torn him from his dearest kin and placed him in the halls of power--to what end...? The first of Asumiko Nakamura's beautifully wrought tales set in a fantastic kingdom of intrigue and heartache...