Our Lady Of The Snow — Louise Cooper

The small kingdom of Vyskir is under threat of invasion by Duke Arec, leader of the neighboring state. The people of Vyskir look to the benevolence of their god and his consort, the Lady of the Snow, but for some years now, the Lady has sent no visions and the religious elders are secretly questioning her very existence. A marriage union between Arec's daughter and the heir of Vyskir's ailing Imperator would eliminate the threat, but such a union can--and must--involve the Imperator's second son only, for the true heir apparent, Prince Osiv, is a congenital simpleton. As the law decrees that the eldest son must be the first to marry, the elders set out to find Osiv a bride. Nanta is the perfect choice; meek, docile, well-bred, and beautiful--and, along with the rest of the populace, unaware of Prince Osiv's condition. But Nanta has a sinister secret. For many years she has been haunted by visions of the Lady of the Snow; vision she dares not reveal to a living soul. For in them the Lady is dead. And a powerful voice, that's getting harder to resist, is calling Nanta to avenge her...