florelunae
Eight years after Evercove fell to a coup, its royal children are finally free.
Princess Victoria arrives in Glenhaven ready to bury her grief beneath court lessons and war councils. Prince Oliver arrives wide-eyed and eager, having been born in a dungeon and never seen the world beyond stone walls. Prince Charles arrives silent, starving, and hollowed out by captivity, unable to leave the room he has been given.
Their mother was executed years ago. Their father, King Julio, is still trapped beneath the palace after choosing to save his children instead of himself. And the man who stole their kingdom still calls himself Grand Monarch.
For Prince Nicholas Nelson of Glenhaven, Charlie's return is both a miracle and a wound reopened. Before the coup, they were inseparable. Now Charlie flinches from kindness, mistrusts open doors, and carries the shadow of Ben Hope, the Grand Monarch's son, in every silence.
As Queen Serina prepares Victoria to reclaim Evercove's throne and Glenhaven's court turns against its own unfit heir, Nick must prove himself worthy of a crown while learning that love is not the same as rescue.
Charlie survived the dungeon. Now he has to learn how to live outside it.
Tags: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Fantasy AU, Political Intrigue, War, Coup, Refugees, Childhood Friends to Lovers, Reunions, Slow Burn, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Trauma Recovery, PTSD, Captivity, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Implied/Referenced Torture, Past Child Abuse, Injury Recovery, Malnutrition, Dissociation, Panic Attacks, Grief/Mourning, Protective Nick Nelson, Traumatized Charlie Spring, Selectively Mute Charlie Spring, Protective Victoria "Tori" Spring, Spring Siblings, Overworked Nick Nelson, Queen Serina Nelson, Complicated David Nelson, Alcohol Abuse, Homophobia, Class Differences, Secret Relationship, Same-Sex Marriage, Eventual Happy Ending