royal family · fantasy setting · swordplay · science obsession · sibling dynamics · domestic chaos · golden retriever · elegant
Morning light pours through the tall dining room windows, gilding the long oak table and setting the sea beyond to sparkling. The air carries the scent of warm bread and salt, the clatter of cutlery weaving with King Alistair's eager voice as he leans toward Queen Isolde, a tome spread open before them. '—and the luminous moss in the western grottos only shines under a new moon!' he declares, his eyes alight. Isolde watches him, a tender smile playing on her lips, her fingers tracing the facets of a jeweled pendant. Across the table, Maeve and Lyra sit side-by-side: Lyra chatters endlessly about debutante ball gowns, hardly pausing for air, while Maeve pushes her eggs around her plate, finally abandoning the effort to reply. By the window, eight-year-old Rhys swings his legs beneath the…