Fearless by Lauren Roberts

Here is a summary with spoilers for Fearless

In a prologue, two hooded figures exchange money, one of them uttering the words, “Make it look convincing, even to me.” Back in the present, Paedyn is staring at Kitt, reeling from his declaration that they will marry. The court erupts in chaos, but all Pae can think about is where Kai is. Kitt then announces that, with this marriage, the decree separating Ordinaries and Elites will be abolished—Ordinaries will no longer be exiled, and both groups will live together. This announcement gives Pae a bit more confidence in agreeing to the marriage. Afterward, she and Kai reunite and discuss everything that’s happened. Kai promises he’ll be by her side through it all and help her find a way out of this mess. Just as they’re about to kiss, Pae’s new lady’s maid interrupts them. As Pae gets dressed, she learns Blair is currently in the castle—the very person responsible for Adena’s death. Pae wants revenge, but when she reaches Blair’s room, it’s guarded by a resistance member, Lenny. Unable to harm him, she turns to Kitt instead.

Meanwhile, Kai and Kitt have a rare brotherly moment. Kitt gives Kai back his enforcer ring, as Kai fulfilled his promise of bringing Pae back. Kai already feels the heavy burden of his role and questions Kitt’s reason for marrying Pae. Kitt reveals he’s been speaking with Callum, the rebellion leader, and now believes that marrying Pae is a symbolic step toward peace and unity. He confesses that he doesn't love her—he needs her. Kitt is disgusted by their father’s lies, particularly those about the diseases and the healers, and wants to fix the kingdom. It’s either marriage or death. Paedyn, who overhears everything, storms in and confronts them. She agrees to help unite the kingdom. That night, Pae has a nightmare about Adena. Kai comforts her, and they sneak away to a meadow just to be together.

The next morning, a parade is held to announce the marriage. Pae convinces Kitt to extend the parade to the slums so the entire kingdom hears the news. As soon as they arrive, explosions rock the streets. Pae tries to help, holding a wounded child until he dies, which brings her back to the pain of losing Adena. Back at the castle, Kitt tells Kai he wants him to start training Ordinaries for the army. He also says it will take time for the Elites to trust Pae, but one way to speed things up is to have her enter the Trials again. Pae agrees. The book briefly shifts perspective to Kitt and Kai’s father, offering insight into his decisions and his love for his late wife.

Pae asks Kai to train her, but he refuses, reminding her of his vow never to touch her unless it’s with love. As she prepares, she begins to share dinners with Kitt, who admits he thinks she and Kai are in love. He doesn’t seem jealous—just sad. Pae decides they should at least be friendly. Slowly, they rebuild a friendship. Her first trial arrives: she must travel to the Scorches, face her fears, find the first Queen’s coffin, retrieve her crown, and return by midnight. Along the way, she faces tight spaces, bats, and bandits, but she survives and returns bloodied yet triumphant. Kai helps heal her wounds afterward.

The following night, a ball is thrown in her honor. Pae spots Blair and immediately wants revenge, but Kitt reminds her a queen can’t act on impulse like that. Furious, Pae gets drunk just to endure the night. Ironically, it helps bring her, Kai, and Kitt closer. The next day, her second trial is announced—she must journey to the neighboring kingdom of Izram to deliver news of the alliance and work on peace and trade agreements. Kai is livid, knowing the journey could kill her. He demands to go with her to protect her.

Another chapter from the king reveals his grief over losing his wife and the newborn child that caused her death. The child is an Ordinary, and he orders the baby be cared for. Meanwhile, Pae and Kai set off by ship on the four-day voyage to Izram. They grow closer, often bonding over Pae reading to him. After surviving storms, some crew members try to toss Pae overboard. Kai rescues her just in time. Once in Izram, they meet the queen, who refuses the peace offer. She questions why she should help Ilya after all the harm they've done. The crew is ordered to stay on their ship for three days. Pae is given a room in the palace, where the queen hints she could use a friend, just not an ally.

The journey back starts quietly, but tension brews between Pae and Kai as they fight about their future. For days, they don’t speak. Just as they’re about to make amends, a sea beast attacks, killing half the crew and throwing Kai overboard. Pae slays the beast and they make it back to Ilya. The next few days are a blur. Pae visits her old home and meets Mak, Adena’s lover. They share a moment of grief. Pae and Kai exchange notes while apart. Then, Pae finds Blair unguarded. During their fight, a fire breaks out. Pae pushes Blair into the flames, nearly dying herself. Though Blair is dead, Pae feels no peace—only guilt. Kitt covers up Blair’s death. That night, Pae seeks comfort in Kai’s room but has to hide when Kitt arrives to announce the next trial, one she won’t be told about in advance.

Another chapter from the king reveals a final scheme. He marries again, claiming the new queen’s child as his own—Kai. When Pae is collected, they bring her to the Bowl—the same arena where Adena died. Kitt announces a fight to the death, and Pae turns to see Kai. He urges her to pretend, but the battle turns brutal. Kai lands the most blows, shaking Pae’s faith in him. At one point, she gives up, ready to die, but Kai tells her to keep pretending. Then he thrusts a dagger into his own chest. Pae cradles him as he dies, breaking completely. Until she sees Kitt—and her sorrow turns to rage.

Guards knock her out, and she wakes in her room, devastated. She cries until she falls asleep. Upon waking, she demands to see Kitt but is locked in. Then she hears Kai’s voice—he bursts in, alive. He had been drugged and witnessed the fight from the stands, powerless to stop it. Together, they confront Kitt, who claims the staged fight was the only way to earn Pae the people’s respect. The man Pae killed was Mak, disguised to look like Kai.

Wedding preparations continue. Kitt and Kai begin to mend their bond, though Kitt avoids looking Pae in the eye. When she appears in court, acting like a queen and commanding respect, things shift. The night before the wedding, Pae panics and runs to her secret meeting spot. Kai is there. She tells him she wants one last night with him, and he becomes her first. The next morning, Kai says he can’t bear to see her marry Kitt. At the ceremony, Pae prays for someone to stop it, hoping Kai will appear. But he doesn’t—until the moment after the vows are said. He’s too late.

Afterward, Pae finds a box of Kitt’s mother’s jewelry. Inside are love letters and a picture—Pae looks just like the late queen. She realizes the queen had a secret lover: Callum. Pae confronts him, and he confirms everything. He and the queen tried to create a powerful child. When Pae was born ordinary and her birth killed the queen, Callum saw her as a disappointment but couldn’t kill her. He placed her with rebels to watch her grow and ensure she’d eventually die. He also used his persuasion on both the king and Kitt to orchestrate the rebellion and force the marriage. Pae knocks him out and runs to tell Kitt, who listens and then kills Callum, realizing he was manipulated.

The second wedding takes place in the slums. The people kneel for Pae, finally showing her respect. That night, Kai starts to suspect timelines aren’t aligning and questions his mother. She confirms everything about Callum, and drops another revelation: Kai is not the king’s son. The king believed Pae was his daughter, but she wasn’t. That twist makes Pae feel victorious over the king.

Kai and Pae go to tell Kitt everything; he already knew so much of it. He reveals that he has had a plan put in place from the very beginning. Once Paedyn entered their lives, he started working with Callum and his father to work on the rebellion, and to make sure Pae gets killed. Even after Pae killed the king, Kitt wanted to kill Pae, but realized he needed her alive. While Kai was chasing Pae, Kitt came up with his own plan to fulffill his fathers plan, but also make himself even more powerful and great than his father. He plans to release a new plague, one that will kill many ordinaries. He plans to put the plauge into the objects that they trade to the other kingdoms, thus also infecting them, and giving Kitt the chance to take the Elites to the other land and conqure it. His plan already started during the second trial when Pae delievered roses to the queen, rosees that were infected with the plauge. He also mentions that Pae’s father knew about all of this, which is why he had to be killed. Kitt than goes on to rant, where he says Pae ruined everything, she has taken Kai away from him, claiming Kai can only love one person, and Kitt beleives he has chosen Pae. Things start to esculate, Kai tries to calm the situation, but Kitt starts to attack Pae, so Kai retaliates. Kai never planned on hurting Kitt, just to wear him out so they can talk, but Kitt slips up, and Kai accidently stabs Kitt. There is no healder around, and Kitt dies in Kai’s arms. In his final moments, he says that he became a monster, his mind was going, and that he wrote letters over hte past months that might explalin why he did what he did. He also gave his wedding ring to Kai, telling him that the two of them should love each other for him. 

Days go on, Kai is devistated and mourning his brother. The kingdom wants to make Kai king, but he can’t handle all of that while his brother hasn’t even been burried. But they finally burry him, right next to their sister, so he is not alone. Both Pae and Kai feel guilty; Pae for ripping the two brothers apart and starting everything, and Kai for killing him. Kai is eventually crowned, and then asks Pae to marry him, which she says yes, and they do a month later. 

The two also finally get the courage to look at Kitt’s letters. He reveals and conrims all that he did with his father to try and break Pae. He talks about how he saw Pae as a friend, and that Kai is slowly drifting away from him. He starts his trail of maddness when he goes to the scholars and healers and says he wants a new plauge, they say it is unstable for the elites, so they can’t release it. Kitt decides to take the plauge himself, forcing the healers to try anything to save him. But slowly, Kitt is deteriating, losing weight and losing his mind. He reveals his plan for the trials, hoping that they will kill Pae. During the second trial, he gives the captian permission to toss Pae off the boat killing her. He reveals teh first time he met Mak, when the two of them were hidden figures, and Kitt pays Mak to come to the trials, saying he needs to make it convincing (thus looping back to the prologue). He talks about life with Pae, how she is always there, but all she is doing is tearing the two brothers apart. 

Five years later, Kai and Pae are happy; they are in another kingdom working on trade agreements. They are out in a field of corn, when a little child comes in, their daughter named Kit. While walking thru the city, Pae sees a figure, Blair, who seemingly lived through the fire and moved to a different city. Pae feels no need to retaliate. The family is happy together. 

In an epilogue, Kitt is greeted by death. He was expecting something grand, but instead, he seems to be waiting, but he is not sure what he is waiting for. As he waits, two other stars are there, telling them they will wait with him; seemingly Adena and Mak.