The Serpent's Tower

Rapunzel meets Medusa.

Ranessa Medzel always wanted to be a princess until she realized she was destined to be the villain. Born as a gorgon with unusual beauty and vibrant emerald hair, she tried her luck at impressing the king as a young child with her ability to command serpents. Everything goes well, until an accident results in a missing prized jewel, and the gorgon becomes the easiest to blame. Angering a divine ruler never ends well, and in Ranessa's case, it has a rather blinding result...

Now cursed to blind anyone she looks at, Ranessa is forced to hide away from the world that had made her a monster. With only a tower full of snakes to keep her company, ideas of revenge serve as her only entertainment.

Prince Phillip is the son of the great divine king of the oceans, but he himself wasn't born with magic. Eager to prove his worth as a future ruler, he sets off on a mission to rid the kingdom of the snake-wielding gorgon who plagues their people.

Ranessa is all too pleased to have the prince join her—after all, killing her former betrothed would be the revenge she's waited her entire life for. Phillip can only prove himself by bringing back the gorgon's head, and Ranessa can only free herself by killing the royals who forced her into solitude.

Will one of them emerge victorious? Or will they both remain blind to the true villains at work?

The Fairmyth Chronicles is a collection of clean interconnecting fantasy romance novels that can be read in any order. For more updates on The Fairmyth Chronicles and my other series, sign up for my free newsletter at abigailmanningauthor.com

This story was originally published on Kindle Vella.