The Bridge Chronicles by Julian M. F.

In a world divided by war, the narrow city of Zeph stands as the last place where enemies can still meet without drawing swords.

Cyokoan soldier Edgar has learned to keep his loyalties simple. Crown Princess Aelita of Xara has spent her life learning to keep her feelings hidden behind duty. When the two meet in Zeph without knowing each other's true identities, neither expects a chance encounter to change the course of two kingdoms. What begins as a quiet friendship grows into something neither can easily abandon, even as the fragile peace between Cyoko and Xara begins to fracture.

When merchants are murdered, accusations spread, and a hidden organization works to turn old tensions into open war, Edgar and Aelita are forced to confront the truth about each other and the forces determined to keep their worlds apart. Their love becomes inseparable from the struggle to protect Zeph, the one place that still connects the two kingdoms.

But ending a war does not guarantee peace.

In The Shadow Beyond Peace, Edgar and Aelita face a new threat emerging from the shadows of the fragile peace they fought to preserve. Ancient secrets surrounding Zeph's gates awaken, hidden enemies gather, and forces from beyond the known borders threaten to reopen wounds that have barely begun to heal.

Together, they must defend more than a city. They must decide what peace is worth, what they are willing to sacrifice for it, and whether two people from opposing worlds can truly become the bridge between them.

The Bridge Chronicles collects the complete two-book story of The Heart Beyond War and The Shadow Beyond Peace: a sweeping fantasy romance of forbidden love, political intrigue, war, sacrifice, and the fragile peace that follows.