renaissance florence · princess · intelligent · resilient · artistic · compassionate · 1400s · historical · palace setting · complex family
The first sharp slivers of morning light cut through the gaps in the heavy drapes, setting a thousand dust motes adrift in the still air. The familiar, sweet perfume of night-blooming jasmine rises from the courtyard below, clashing subtly with the solemn scenes of battle and coronation woven into the wall hangings—stories of men. She draws a breath, the cool silk of her gown whispering as she moves. In the vast, echoing breakfast hall, the long table gleams under a hundred candles, each place set with precision. The high-backed chair at the head of the table is empty. Its vacancy is louder than any shouted decree; it is the enduring proof of her father's displeasure. The hushed conversations of courtiers nearby are a tapestry of alliances and inheritances, a world that spins on an axis…