Crown of Thorns and Roses.

Those who fail him, they claim, are consumed by his gardens. They are unaware, though, that I have been talking to plants my whole life—and now the fate of the kingdom hinges on their response. I wanted no attention at all. Enough risk is involved growing illegal miraculous blossoms in my small rural garden. However, I find the reason the king's gardens are withering and why all five gardeners before me have vanished when royal guards transport me to the palace. The gardens provide more than only aesthetic purposes. They're the kingdom's last defense. Constant observation by Crown Prince Thorne, his silver eyes frigid as the winter gradually kills his territory. The court mumbles he killed the past gardeners for failing, but I detect despair in his eyes. Each day I coax life from the wilting magical plants, I feel the protective wards strengthening. Each night, I sense the shadowy creatures straining our bounds, getting stronger, hungrier. Should I fail, I should detest the haughty prince threatening punishment. Instead, I find myself pulled to the man beneath the thorny crown—a monarch willing to become the villain in whispered legends if it means saving his people. As my power develops with odd new blossoms no one has seen before, so does the threat. The prince's foes conspire within the royal walls, the magical barriers decrease with each passing day, and my heart treacherously softens toward the man who cannot afford to love me back. They believe his gardens eat those who disappoint him. What they don't know is what happens when a wild magic like mine begins to overwhelm me.