Vanyel prefers music to fighting and he dreams of being a Bard, but his father, Lord Ashkevron, wants the boy to be a proper man in his image. Fed up with Vanyel, his father sends him to Valdemar's capital city of Haven to learn from his aunt Savil, one of the Heralds Chosen by magical Companions to bring law to the land. Savil sees that Vanyel has been mistreated, but she can't help him in his dream, because he doesn't have the magic Bardic Gift. Tylendel, Savil's openly-gay student, brings Vanyel out of his despair, and the two soon fall in love. But then a series of tragic disasters awaken in Vanyel magical powers he must learn to control, or risk destroying himself and far more.

gay protagonist, visits culture where same-sex pairings are normal

Wild magic is taking its toll on the land, and even Vanyel, the most powerful Herald-Mage to ever walk the world, is almost at the end of his strength. But when his Companion, Yfandes, receives a call for help from neighboring Lineas, both Herald-Mage and Companion are drawn into a holocaust of dark magic that could be the end of them both.

gay protagonist

The Herald-Mage, Vanyel, and his Companion, Yfandes, are alone responsible for saving the once-peaceful kingdom of Valdemar from the forces of a master who wields a dark, forbidding magic. And if either Vanyel or Yfandes falters, both Valdemar and its Herald-Mage must pay the ultimate price.

gay protagonist, legendary in history of his world