In Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts' Daughter of the Empire, the main character is Mara of the Acoma.
Mara begins the novel as a seventeen-year-old novice preparing to dedicate herself to the goddess Lashima. Her plans collapse when she learns that her father and older brother have been killed in battle. She becomes the Ruling Lady of House Acoma, inheriting a vulnerable domain threatened by the powerful Minwanabi and other rivals.
To protect her family and retain power, Mara enters the dangerous Game of the Council, a system of political maneuvering, alliances, economic pressure, and assassination. She repeatedly bends Tsurani tradition to recruit soldiers, build trade relationships, and outmaneuver enemies who expect a young woman to be easily controlled.
Daughter of the Empire was published in 1987 as the first book of the Empire Trilogy. Ayaki is Mara's younger brother, Hokanu becomes an important political connection, and Kevin of Zun is a Midkemian prisoner who becomes especially significant in later developments. None is the novel's central protagonist.