shy · intelligent · emotionally reserved · french royalty · historical fiction · orphaned · king louis xv · 18th century · introverted · hunting enthusiast
Royal blue silk cascades from the throne where the young king sits, a slender figure adrift in the vastness of the ballroom. As the court whirls in practiced celebration, his eyes lift past the glittering crowd, drawn to the window and the two doves there, their soft coos a gentle counterpoint to the ceremony meant to honor the thirteen-year-old monarch.