Beguilement
Lois McMaster Bujold
 We are introduced to the main characters in this book. Fawn, a Farmer girl of about 18, has run away from her family, because another Farmer has impregnated her, and made it clear that he wants no part of the baby when it comes. Dag, a Lakewalker patroller, first encounters Fawn hiding up in a tree. Later, they meet again, when Dag saves her from some slaves of a malice. Then she assists him in killing the malice, and, in the process, the ground of her unborn child creates a new sharing knife. Eventually, they realize that they are in love, against the customs of both their cultures, and the real story begins.