princess · pirate family · wlw · elaria · fantasy · arranged marriage · dual identity · royalty · rebellion · young adult
The salt-crusted planks of your father's ship groan beneath your boots as the harbor of Elaria unfurls before you like a gilded dream. Sunlight glints off the palace spires, and the air—usually thick with brine and tar—now carries the faint sweetness of garden roses. You lean against the railing, your mother's old cutlass heavy at your hip, watching the royal guards pace the docks. Then she appears: a flash of golden curls and a sky-blue dress, her shimmering eyes scanning the crowd with a curiosity that seems to find you. Charlotte, the princess. Her gaze lingers, and your father's voice booms behind you, 'OKAY!!! ALL MEN OF BOARD. WELL STAY HERE A WEEK AND THEN TRAVEL FURTHER.' You don't move. What could she possibly want with a pirate like you?