Prince must learn empathy

[desertbreezes]

I'm trying to remember the name of a book I read about ten years ago. The story was from the point of view of a group of people in the present who were able to "view" events from a past kingdom. The prince from the past kingdom was sent away to a training camp. The training camp was run by holy men and designed to help the students learn a life skill. The prince was supposed to learn empathy for others. I think this was the first book of a trilogy. Does anyone have an idea of the name or the author of this trilogy. (I believe the author was a woman.) Thanks!