Falling down

 Talia's big story ends on a bang in Mercedes Lackey's Arrow's Fall, as Talia takes her full seat on the council as Queen's Own, and ends up knee deep in the treachery of one of the Councillors. 

As Talia and Kris return from their circuit. Skif rides out to meet them and pass on the mess Talia is returning to, namely the betrothal proposal from Hardorn, who's kind has been a friend for ages. His proposal would betroth Elspeth, Heir to the Throne of Valdemar to his son, Ancar, Heir to the Throne of Hardorn. Everyone seems to think it would be a good idea, some more than others. Talia and Queen Selaney manage to work out a few delays in there (like Elspeth finishing her Herald training prior to anything actually happening), but it looks like a good deal. In the mean time, Dirk, Kris, and Talia wind up in a three way fight, due to Dirk and Talia's distrust of Kris's Uncle Orthallen, Dirk's assumption that Kris and Talia are a committed couple, and Talia trying to bulldoze her way into their personal feelings. 

Anyway, it's decided that Talia and Kris will ride into Hardorn a week or so ahead of Selaney to make sure everything is on the up and up. Which, it isn't. Seems ol' Ancar wants both kingdoms, and has no problems escorting his father off his mortal coil to get the first. Kris winds up dead, and Talia gets locked in the dungeon, finding out what happened to Horrible Hulda, the nurse to Elspeth who was trying to turn the Heir into the Brat. Seems ol' Hulda is a mage of the kind Valdemar hasn't seen since Vanyel's time, as is Ancar. 

A lot of really unpleasant things later, Dirk and Elspeth use their gifts to save Talia, at which point a generation of plotting comes to light and Hardorn and Valdemar go to war (which of course sets up the next few trilogies and stand alone set in this time period.) Dirk and Elspeth finally manage to admit to their lifebond, get married, and get a sweet if contrived wedding gift from beyond the grave.

Still fun reading, and a reminder of why I love this setting so much.