Catherine could now recall fragments of that time with unsettling clarity. That was all she thought about the entire day. Even when she was mindlessly laughing, she was searching her soul for any and all memories from that time.
They had already been at war for more than a decade by then. The kingdom was stretched to its limits: grain reserves had nearly run dry, and even the relentless taxes imposed on the people were no longer enough to sustain the military campaigns. What had once been a war of pride had slowly turned into a battle for survival.
And in the midst of it all… the court had turned against her.
