The Heart of a Dragonslayer

The youngest son in a large family, easily overlooked by busy parents and siblings all significantly older than him, Remira has worked hard to get to where he is, though most would consider it little enough. A soldier at the local garrison, he spends his days protecting the village and surrounding land from encroaching beasts, and his nights assisting his parents with the family business. It's a better life than anyone expected for him, but still Remira longs for more, to visit places he only hears about, to see the stars through telescopes he's only ever seen in catalogues. Opportunities like that don't go to the youngest son of furriers, however, and so he makes do with ogre-slaying and stargazing. Then, in the aftermath of a traumatic event, he learns some surprising news: his parents have arranged a marriage for him, and not to the local he'd been dreading, but to a merchant couple they've recently contracted with who live in a city several days away and are seeking a spouse with both martial experience and mercantile knowledge. It's not the opportunity he ever expected, but it's certainly one he's determined to meet and exceed-until he arrives to meet his future spouses and learns they never really wanted the marriage at all and fully intend to send him away the very moment the trial period is over.