Ollie has lost faith and respect for King Roark after he sacrificed her sister, Juliana to the dragons during a lottery. She thought her sister's friend, Aidan with his magical abilities would save Juliana. While picking up a talisman on the ground, Ollie clutches it in her hand as the dragon torches her sister and Ollie screams. Aidan's magic was changed in the process, and Ollie bares a scar from the talisman on her palm. Then her father dies during a battle, and Ollie and her mother are kicked out of their home by the king. They move into her uncle's manor, but he has remarried a widow with a self-centered daughter that makes life miserable for Ollie. The king decides to have another ritual and Ollie fears she'll be next to die. Instead, her life is forever changed.