A Fated Quest

Prince Gareth of Eynlae longs to be a knight and escape the compromise and cowardice of the royal courts, and especially his father, who seems to care more about his crown than his children. After defying the king one too many times, Gareth is granted his wish and sent to serve as a knight...but guarding a quiet border castle is tedious compared to his favorite legends.
When a prized firebird goes missing on Gareth's watch, he eagerly volunteers to recover it. His hunt leads him into the neighboring kingdom of Aedyllan, where he falls into a witch's trap and is forced into a deadly game of hidden motives and confusing prophecies. It may be up to a self-righteous prince, an intellectual fox, and an enchantress knight to stop the witch.
But in a world of multiplying injustices and the inexorable pull of fate, should the villainess's quest to activate a fae curse even be stopped? Gareth will have to examine his pride and unforgiving nature if he's to become the hero he's always aspired to be.
Inspired by the fairy tales The Golden Bird and Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf.
A Fated Quest is book three in The Miraveld Chronicles. It can be read as a standalone, but is best enjoyed after A Thieving Curse (The Miraveld Chronicles book 1).

(Warning for possible triggers: strained familial relationships, violence/blood, grief, references to off-page characters abusing power & SA.)