Tragedy and war have struck the small frontier town of Kelengrad, and in its wake the community reels as it buries its dead. With raw wounds and aching hearts, they have pled for their Sovereign to act- and received nothing but silence in return. Desperate, they turn to the Alkonis family for help, and take up arms against this threat themselves. But courage can only go so far before cruel reality intervenes. A year and a half later, the Sovereign's armies have arrived at last- but not to help. Stripping the population of its weapons, its independence, and of the Alkonis family who helped them through it all, Kelengrad is plunged into adversity once more. In the face of this new calamity, Sevastien and Rhoya Alkonis- sole heirs to their family's Name- must make a desperate journey to escape. With winter fast approaching, they take the Frost Road into the Cold North, facing perils they could never have predicted, and bearing a cost more terrible than they could imagine. This is the tale of their Frost Pilgrimage, and of their burdens in Book One of The Annals of the North.