The Crown & The Flame, Book 1

The Crown & The Flame, Book 1 is the first book of The Crown & The Flame series. It is followed by The Crown & The Flame, Book 2, & The Crown & The Flame, Book 3.

Summary
Your enemies stole your kingdom, but now the time has come for you to raise an army, master magic, and reclaim your crown!
 * Form alliances to build your army.
 * Master unique weapons.
 * Choose between elegant ball gowns and powerful armor.
 * Crush your enemies in an epic battle.

Chapter 1: The Broken Alliance
"Kenna, an exiled queen, and Dom, a man with mysterious powers, must raise an army to reclaim their stolen kingdom from a treacherous warlord." Kenna is first seen sparring with her friend (or lover, depending on the user's choices) Dominic Hunter, outside Stormholt Castle but they are both interrupted by Gabriel Amarne, Kenna's bodyguard, who brings Kenna to her mother, Quenn Adriana Rys, who is preparing for the arrival of the nobles of the Five Kingdoms in order to secure an alliance against The Iron Empire.

Kenna finds her mother in the Stormholt Great Hall talking with Leon Stirling, the Captain of the Royal Guard. When the Queen notices Kenna, she tells her that she made a black and silver gown for her- it's up to the player to wear it. Shortly after, the nobles of The Five Kingdoms start to arrive: the first ones are King Amanth Drammir and his son and heir Prince Tevan Drammir, and the second ones are King Luther Nevrakis and his son Prince Marco Nevrakis. Marco gets mad and hits Trystan because he didn't bow when he announced his presence to the Queen. Kenna can slap Marco if her prestige is high enough, berate Marco, or remain silent.

Later on, Queen Adriana asks the nobles to have a toast in order to officially seal the alliance, every noble happily drinks with the Queen, except King Luther and Marco. King Luther tells the royals a story about his father and how he died. Before being burned alive by the Iron Empire, he told his son that in order to defeat The Empire, the Five Kingdoms had to unite into one Kingdom, one King.

Afterwards, a group of Nevrakis soldiers enter inside the Hall and start shooting all the nobles with crossbows. Kenna and Gabriel take cover, but Queen Adriana gets shot in the heart. Kenna crawls beside her and takes her hand before she dies. Dominic then appears and tries to get Kenna out of the hall. She initially refuses and stays by her mother side, but then she notices a soldier with an axe guarding the door to the outside hallway. King Amanth tried to flee but the soldier instantly beheads him; the soldier then tried to attack Kenna, but she spilled wine into his eyes in order to distract him, before she left the room she spotted a soldier with a golden trim stealing her mother signet ring, but because she was surrounded by enemy soldiers, she took Dominic's hand and ran away.

As she fled through the corridor, she spotted Prince Tevan fighting a Nevrakis soldier with a torch, the player can now swear to avenge his death, escape or save his life (At the cost of 12 diamonds). Gabriel then leads the group to the Stormholt dungeon where three Nevrakis soldiers are stationed there.

Kenna takes a crossbow from a fallen guard and spots the soldier that stole her mother's ring: in order to reclaim Kenna's mother ring the player has to shoot the right soldier. (The one with the gold trim). Shortly after, the dungeon began filling with Nevrakis soldiers, and Kenna and her party flee from a secret passage in the castle, but the Nevrakis soldiers are right behind them, and Dominic decides to stay behind in order to buy Kenna some time, the two say goodbye to each other and flee.

Dominic escapes in the Stormholt Kitchen, but is chased by two Nevrakis soldiers. Margaret Blake, the castle cook, tries to defend him, but she is punched in the face and almost killed, but Dominic saves her by unleashing his fire power for the first time, roasting the two soldiers alive.

Margaret tells Dom that all the servant in the castle have been ordered to go to the Stormholt Great Hall in order to swear fealty to the Nevrakis Family, Margaret sons are inside the hall too: Rose Blake and Trystan Blake.

King Luther's army killed every man that knew how to fight in Stormholt except Dom. Margaret, in order to save him, decides to give Dom a new identity. He is now the son of Margaret, a servant.

Luther orders the servants who survived the attack to swear fealty or die, Dominic accepts his offer, but decides to betray Luther the first chance he gets.

Later, Kenna and Gabriel (And Prince Tevan, if he was saved) ride away from Stormholt in the night. Before leaving Tevan will also give Kenna an orb that they can use to communicate while they are far away from each other.

Chapter 2: The Ruins of Rajkur
"Two years later, Luther Nevrakis is King of Stormholt, but Kenna and Dominic spy a chance to take back the Kingdom!" The chapter starts with Dominic, Trystan and Margaret carrying large sacks of flour to the kitchen for the banquet later that night, they talk about how many people were forced to join Luther's army after he conquered Stormholt two years earlier.

Dominic then spots a military officer berating a soldier, he thinks that she must probably be someone important in Luther's army, but then Margaret reminds him that he has work to do, and so they continue to go to the kitchen.

Shortly after, as Dominic begins working in the kitchen, his hawk appears and Dominic feeds him some venison, Trystan states that Dom's hawk is as restless as he is, but Dom says that his hawk is very lucky, because he has the chance to fly away from Stormholt and see Kenna.

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Two years after Luther conquered Stormholt, Kenna and Gabriel took shelter in an hidden monastery in the mountains.

One morning, Kenna carries two bucket of water to Gabriel and her Monk-Master, Gabriel says that in the past, Kenna was so weak that she could only carry one bucket of water, but she would lose a lot of energy after doing so, but Kenna backfires by saying that, at the time, she was just a castle girl.

Kenna's master supports her by saying that now she got much more strong.

Shortly after, Kenna begins training with the monk, and if she has high prestige, she has the chance to defeat him in combat with a kick to the gut. If the player saved Prince Tevan in the previous chapter, The orb he gave to Kenna will grow warm, and when she spins it, his image will appear in it.

He flirts with Kenna a bit, but he also tells her not to forget that he will support her against Luther when the time comes.

Kenna and Gabriel then talk about Dominic, but they are interrupted by Nevrakis scouts, Gabriel stabs one of them, but the other two escape outside, In order to fight one of them, she can bring her short sword or the Kor-Kitar (For 17 diamonds).

In the end, Gabriel and Kenna manage to defeat the scouts, but they don't notice that one of them survived and is silently watching them...

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Back at Stormholt, Dom spots a guard stealing a piece of venison from Rose, Dom manages to send the guard away by saying a lie, Rose thanks Dom, but Dominic then says that he would like to help her serving at the banquet in order to spy on King Luther, because he suspects that the Blood King is planning something big, she agrees to help him but she also tells him to be careful, because she doesn't want him to be hurt.

Shortly after, Dominic and Rose head into the Stormholt hall in order to serve food for King Luther and his son Marco.

Marco is sitting next to his right-hand man, Bartel Gremley, they complain that the food has arrived late, but Rose quickly apologises.

King Luther sits at the center of the table, and near him there is the military officer that Dom saw earlier that day, Luther starts to talk about his plan, but Helene tells him that it's probably not wise to talk about such matters in front of the servants, Marco reassures her by saying that they beated any fight out of them long ago.

Luther decides to test his son's theory and he asks Dom a question "What do you know about the Iron Empire."

Dom decides to play dumb and asks King Luther if that's where the Nevrakis get their Iron, Luther and Marco laught of Dom's apparent stupidity and Luther begins to talk about his plans again.

He plans to sail west and attack the Iron Empire with most of his army, Marco is very excited about these news and he is impatient about going to war with his father, but Luther tells him to stay and rule Stormholt as his regent, because Stormholt is an important strategic asset and it needs to be always protected and ruled.

Luther also tells Helene to stay at Stormholt with Marco, Helene protests by saying that her place is alongside him, but Luther quickly silences her, Luther also tells her that he will leave a contingency of his most elite troops for her to command, but he also tells her to stop Marco from sending scouts to hunt Kenna, because he doesn't consider Kenna a threat.

After dinner, Dom and Rose carry the plates and dishes back to the kitchen, and while they do that, they spot King Luther leaving Stormholt with the main force of his army, but then Dom and Rose hear a crash from the Great Hall, Dominic decides to go and see what is happening.

Dominic lingers outside the door and he listens carefully, he hears Marco arguing with Helene, he wants to send a group of assassins after Kenna, but Helene reminds him that his father forbid him from doing so, Marco says to himself that he will kill Kenna and mount her head on a spike, this statement starts to make Dom angry, he feels anger through him and his hands start getting warm and glowing a faint red, he takes a deep breath and calms himself, before leaning back towards the door and listening again.

Marco threatens Helene by saying that he will tell his father that she openly rebelled to him the moment he left for the war, after hearing this, Helene decides to do as he pleases.

A while later, Dom returns to his quarters, where Trystan is waiting for him, Trystan is curious to hear about what Luther has planned, Dom tells him that Luther left Stormholt with most of his army, but he left a group of elite soldiers, he also tells him that Marco is sending a group of assassins after Kenna.

Trystan tells Dominic that he knows a man down in the castle dungeon that could provide him with enough poison to kill at least a hundred men.

If Dom decides to kill the soldiers, he and Trystan will sneak in the elite soldier's camp, most of the soldiers are gathered around a campfire while they are cooking some meat.

Dom notices a barrel of ale on the back of a wagon, and he slowly goes near it in order to dump the poison in, but right after he does this, two soldiers approach his position, with nowhere to go, Dom hides under the wagon, after a few moments, the soldiers leave, and after a short time, all the soldiers get poisoned from drinking the ale, they all begin choking and puking blood, and in a few seconds, all the members of the elite soldiers die.

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Back in the kitchens, Dom leans out the window and calls his pet hawk to him, he slips a message for Kenna in between the hawk's talons, he believes that since Luther left to attack the Iron Empire, it would be the perfect opportunity for Kenna to reclaim Stormholt, lastly, he tells his hawk to fly to Kenna.

Chapter 3: The Ambush
"The Rajkur temple is under attack! Meanwhile, Dominic struggles to stay safe inside Stormholt under Prince Marco's brutal regime."

Chapter 4: The Mercenaries
"Dominic's Magic is growing as Kenna and Gabriel seek help from an unlikely company of cutthroat mercenaries."

Chapter 5: The Challenge
"With Kenna and Gabriel being held captive, they'll need to fight for their freedom. Meanwhile, Dominic sneaks into the Stormholt dungeon."

Chapter 6: The Duel
"Can Kenna survive a duel against the biggest, baddest and most bloodthirsty mercenary in the army?"

Chapter 7: The Gilded City
"A newfound army at her back, Kenna travels to the golden city of Aurelia. At Stormholt, Dominic spies on Marco and learns a disturbing secret..." Kenna enters the mercenary camp and finds Will Jackson. She is slightly uncomfortable that the mercenaries are all saluting her and treating her very respectfully. She meets Val, who is now the leader of the mercenaries. Val reports that the troops need better equipment, and that she knows where to find money to buy what they need. She explains that she had previously been hired to guard the hidden city of Aurelia, which has a vast amount of gold at its disposal. She convinces Kenna to travel there. At the city gates, the guards agree to let five of them in, if they hand over their weapons. Inside the city, the five meet Annelyse Adair, the ruler of Aurelia, who welcomes them. Kenna explains the reason for their visit. Annelyse tells her that Aurelia does not assist in wars. She invites them to stay and to attend a banquet that night.

Chapter 8: The Gilded Cage
"Dominic discovers that Prince Marco plans to ambush Kenna in Aurelia! Can he warn her in time?" Dominic and Rose eavesdrop on Bartel and learn that Prince Marco has gone to Aurelia to ambush Kenna. Bartel sees the door open. Dominic and Rose sprint away. They round a corner, and just before Bartel catches them, Trystran pulls them into a nook hidden by a tapestry.

Later, Dominic calls his hawk, writes a warning for Kenna, and tells his hawk to send it. The hawk flies off, but gets shot by an arrow. Dominic rushes out to the castle wall to see who did it, and witnesses Bartel with a bow, finishing the hawk off. Dominic feels his anger rising, and either attacks Bartel with his fire or blasts fire into the air. Rose, having just arrived, sees the fire and is shocked. In Dominic's room, he explains his power to Rose, but she is hurt that he didn't tell her sooner. She dashes out of the room tearfully.

In Aurelia, Kenna receives a message from Tevan (if he's alive) informing her that his army is ready. She and everyone else is happy. Just then, Marco, his men, and Aurelian guards barge in and surround them. (If Kenna had hidden a knife on herself, she can use it. It is still unknown what happens then.) Annelyse reveals that Marco's scouts had arrived hours before Kenna had, and had threatened to destroy Aurelia if she did not help them. Marco announces that, contrary to his agreement, he will capture Aurelia and its riches, and marry Annelyse.

Chapter 9: The Escape
"Prince Marco holds Kenna captive in Aurelia! Will she find a way to escape? And will Dom find a way to convince Rose that his powers are under control?" Kenna is forced to attend Marco's wedding. At the wedding banquet, Marco makes her serve him wine. He purposely spills it and makes her clean it. She sees Raydan Lykel hiding in the shadows. She distracts Marco while Raydan kills two guards. Leon immediately starts fighting the guards as well. Kenna's group escapes with Annelyse.

Chapter 10: The Battle for Aurelia
"Kenna gathers her forces to retake Aurelia! Back at Stormholt, tragedy threatens to tear Dominic's adoptive family apart."

Chapter 11: The Technocrats
"A sinister new face arrives at Stormholt castle as Kenna enters the labyrinth of the Technocrats."

Chapter 12: The Labyrinth
"While Kenna navigates the Labryinth's deadly traps, Marco and Hex prepare their own trap for her at Stormholt Castle..."

Chapter 13: The Mechataur
"Dominic and Rose plan to destroy Hex's cannon, and Kenna fights for her life against the Labryinth's mechanical guardian!"

Chapter 14: The Foundry
"Can Kenna convince the leader of the Technocrats to fight for Stormholt? Meanwhile, Dominic is reunited with Sei in Stormholt's dungeon"

Chapter 15: The Return to Stormholt
"This is it! The final battel has arrived! Can Kenna and her army take back Stormholt once and for all?"Kenna and her advisers are camped outside Stormholt's walls, discussing the upcoming battle. If Tevan is alive, he will ride to Kenna to proclaim the arrival of his troops and his title as King of Fydoria. Then, Kenna and Gabriel will review her resources for the upcoming battle. Leon will go over the number of troops, and if your training master is alive, he will briefly speak to Kenna. Annelyse will cover equipment, and Whitlock talks about siege engines. At this point, Gabriel will tell Kenna how many townspeople have joined her army, based on her legend. Each character chooses a place to be in the battle. Kenna selects her weapon for the final battle and her troops gather together to begin the attack.

Dominic and Sei are in their dungeon cells when the battle begins. Hex and her soldiers drag Sei from the cell, leaving Dominic alone. At this point, Rose comes to rescue Dominic, but is caught by Bartel before she can set him free. Here, she can be saved with Dominic's fire powers, or he can let her die. He then escapes his cell, kills a guard, and takes the guard's axe, intending to help the attack from inside the castle.

During the fighting, Kenna is near the drill, protecting it. The Nevrakis soldiers attack- if Tevan is alive, she can have a conversation with him as they fight. Though Kenna's army initially appears stronger, Hex's cannon begins to fire and kill scores of soldiers from both sides. At this point, Kenna can choose whether to press the attack or to pull back and wait.

Inside the castle, Dominic finds Sei, strapped to the cannon, and breaks the lock with the soldier's axe. When Sei is free, she attacks Hex, and then decides to control the cannon herself.

Chapter 16: The Cannon
"The battle comes to a head! Can Kenna's forces breach Stormholt's walls?"Sei and Dominic use their fire powers to kill Nevrakis soldiers with Hex's cannon, and then manage to destroy the cannon itself. Hex, distraught and angry, threatens them, but runs away. Guards surround Dominic and Sei, but once again, the two use their fire to kill the soldiers.

When Kenna, from the battlefield, sees the cannon stop firing, she orders the drill forward to attack the walls. Nevrakis archers attempt to ignite the drill with flaming arrows, but Kenna's army successfully makes it past, to the wall of the castle.

Inside the castle, Dominic mentions that he feels as if he is running a fever. Sei says he must learn to control the powers. She intends to leave, given that it is not her battle, but Dominic can convince her to stay. Sei also says that she will meet with Dominic after the fighting is done.

Kenna's troops breach the castle walls, and her army rushes in. She and Dominic are reunited, and spend a brief moment together before Dominic chases down Bartel and Kenna goes to find Prince Marco. She, Gabriel, and Whitlock find him in a hallway, but Marco uses a trap to cut them off from the rest of Kenna's army. Helene and a group of Nevrakis soldiers attack Kenna's group while Marco escapes. Helene and Gabriel face each other in combat. Eventually, she stabs him, but he is able to push her out a window before collapsing. Kenna defeats the last Nevrakis soldiers and rushes to his side, speaking to him briefly before he dies. Whitlock pulls Kenna away from Gabriel's body, reminding her of the need to find Prince Marco.

Chapter 17: The Return of the Queen
"Kenna faces Prince Marco in a final duel for Stormholt while Dominic goes after Bartel."Dominic chases Bartel through the case, and finally catches him. With his fire powers, Dominic kills Bartel and collapses, exhausted from his magic use.

Kenna finds Marco in the throne room, and they fight until Marco surrenders. Here, she may choose to kill him or to spare his life. Once he is defeated, the Nevrakis soldiers surrender, leaving Kenna's army victorious. As her army cheers, she worries about the costs of the battle, but Leon reminds her that each of her soldiers made their own choice, and the gain has been great.

Chapter 18: The Queen of Stormholt
"Queen Kenna's coronation is time to celebrate, but will she and Dominic survive what comes next?"

Trivia

 * Chapter 1 of The Crown and the Flame originally had a different summary: Kenna's rivals stole her kingdom, but now the time has come for her to raise an army, destroy her enemies, and reclaim her crown.
 * In the "Choices" universe, The Crown and the Flame is mentioned several times as being a popular TV series based on a book series, occupying roughly the same place in popular culture as Game of Thrones does in the real world. Avowed (rather than casual) fans of the TV series include Abbie and Tyler (The Freshman) as well as Your Character, Jake, Sean and Quinn. (Endless Summer).
 * "Emily" visits the set of the TV series in LA during The Freshman, Book 3.
 * There are hints in other books that the TV series was based on actual events, leading many fans to speculate that Cordonia is the modern-day descendant of the Five Kingdoms.