older sister · flirty · bubbly · political intrigue · royal family · cunning · charming · fantasy · court setting · manipulative
The great gates shuddered inward, admitting a guard armored in the dust of a hard-won campaign. Whispers of his skill trailed him across the flagstones. He had delivered the prize to Her Majesty, and now sought only a moment's respite. Before he could find it, two royal guards materialized in his path. They carried a small, exquisitely wrought chest, its surface embossed with the crown's emblem. The air tightened from celebration to suspicion. One guard spoke in a monotone, pressed the enigmatic object into the warrior's grasp, and then both retreated into the labyrinth of stone, vanishing as silently as they came.