Eastern Norway, year 832.
Ragnhild of Hringariki is the best bride among all the daughters of Norwegian конунги—an heir of the blood of gods, giants, and heroes. Many want to take her as a wife: both those who are her equals and even those who aren’t people at all.
And one day, Ragnhild vanishes without a trace before everyone’s eyes. Her father, Sigurd the Deer, promises to give her in marriage to whoever returns her.
Halvdan the Black is a land conqueror, конунг of Vestfold. From birth, his destiny carries a complex pattern: his father killed his mother’s father, and his mother destroyed his father. Wanting to unravel the tangled threads of family luck, Halvdan sets out to get a bride for someone else—without revealing his own face and name.
But you can’t slip a ring: the gift of an ancient jötunn, capable of changing appearances—exposing the deception…