In a lonely fortress with no way in or out lives the beaten hero of the Western Mountains, imprisoned by his enemies. Up the mountain one spring comes a young assassin to be his bride. But nothing goes according to plan. Lill is clear about his mission and well prepared by his training. He knows Vanu Urártu is a monster who deserves death, and he has the skills, honed by his brutal upbringing, to deliver that death. The part where he has to become a pleasing spouse before killing his husband is horrifying, but he will grit his teeth and get through it. Inside the fortress of Umtúshta, Lill finds his husband-to-be very different from the heartless warlord he was expecting, and the colourful members of Vanu’s household strangely compelling. As the weeks pass, first in wedding preparations and then in the early days of their marriage, Lill begins to imagine a future for himself at Vanu’s side. But to defy orders would mean striking at the foundation of his life, and to tell Vanu the truth about himself could be harder still.
