The Reluctant King (Baen Book)

The King had a good head on his shoulders -- for the moment, anyway.Everyone agreed that King Jorian of Xylar had been a good and just ruler. In fact, many also agreed that, in this case, it was a pity that the laws of Xylar decreed that each randomly chosen King must reign for only five years and then, after due pomp and ceremony, have his head cut off! Understandably, Jorian himself was wholeheartedly in agreement with the second sentiment, so with the help of a spell provided by the wizard Karadur, he escaped from the beheading ceremony with his head still on his shoulders. Laws of Xylar decreed that each king shall be beheaded upon the end of their five-year reign. So with the help of a wizard, King Jorian escaped. Unfortunately, his wife had been left behind. In order to pull off a rescue, Jorian would have to locate a trove of ancient spells, deal with an enemy wizard, steal an item from a 500-year-old princess, and then some. Contains three complete novels: (https://www.goodreads.com:443/book/show/ 1404123.The_Goblin_Tower) The Goblin Tower , (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1417039.The_Clocks_of_Iraz) The Clocks of Iraz , and (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show//1856265.The_Unbeheaded_King) The Unbeheaded King