An oath of secrecy. Power beyond compare. Too bad it's all snarled in her hair.

Rebecca Punzel grew up as an orphan in the slums, only daring to dream small by providing for her found family. In a kingdom where might makes right, and combat skills rule, her first class is practically a curse: golden locks of hair which require no care. Though she's in a hairy situation, she works tirelessly to build a modest life for the other orphans.

At fourteen, every valuable in reach seems to get tangled into her curls. Practically overnight, she's blacklisted from working at any reputable business. Losing her internal battle of morality just so she can survive, Rebecca turns to the thieves guild and quickly makes a name for herself as Goldie Locks. But when a job goes wrong and a ruthless alchemist marks her as an endless source of magical material, she has only one option: run.

When even that fails, she stakes everything on climbing the Brute Queen's battle tower. The grand prize of the trial of power is protection and status—marriage to the Crown Prince. Her attempt is practically a joke: without combat skills they'd never accept the royal and the orphan as a pair. Luckily, winning isn't the goal, escaping is. After all . . .

There's no greater crime than possessing treasure without the strength to hold onto it.