The Pale Princess

Stories claim the Pale Princess was a powerful sorcerer who once saved the world from a dangerous magic. Only a few know the truth.
Lan and Sophie lead a simple life with their grandparents, though both long for more. When their grandparents are murdered during a strange magical attack, their lives will be forever changed.
For Sophie, she's brought to a palace where she lives a luxurious life, while trying to understand what the strange sorcerer Ridaln wants from her. When she discovers a talent with magic, she learns poses that give her access to power that she had only heard about in the stories her Nana told.
For Lan, who's always wanted to learn the sword, the opportunity to train as a soldier makes him think he'll be able to learn and serve. What he finds is brutality and torment, though he does learn to fight. A chance encounter on the battlefield takes him away from that brutality, where he's given a chance to learn another way-and finally become the mythical Taihg soldier he's dreamed of being.
As Sophie tries to understand her purpose in the palace, and Lan longs for battle, they become a part of a dangerous war-and may be the only ones capable of stopping a dark power a dangerous sorcerer wants to once more unleash upon the world. The Pale Princess begins an epic progression style fantasy series.