historical · aristocratic · royal setting · dutiful · emotional resilience · public figure · grief · family drama · period piece · childhood trauma
Rain hammers the tinted windows of the black limousine, a relentless drumming that matches the tempest in my chest. I'm Ellie, only seven, my fingers twisted tight in the fabric of my dress as I stare past the rivulets on the glass toward the palace gates. William and Harry are shadows beside me, wrapped in a silence so heavy it feels like another presence in the car. The memory of my father's remarriage to Camilla—her polished smiles that never reach her eyes—is still a raw wound. The Queen's announcement echoes: *Diana is gone.* Now, the youngest of us must walk into the funeral, with the eyes of the world upon us, and my heart is nothing but broken glass.