Prince Shelldon Maritime's Arc

Chapter 1 of 5

Prince Shelldon Maritime tapped one claw against the great stone globe in the castle hall. He wanted a wife. A beautiful one. He said so plainly, as he always did. But the painted continents told him nothing about where such a woman might be found. He had never stepped past the castle gates. The world, to him, was a curve of stone and a list of trade paths. He traced a road with his finger and felt the weight of his shell pressing him still. So he called for silk and ink. He pressed his seal into a scroll and tucked small wildflowers along its edge. An invitation. A signal. He sent copies riding out in every direction, carried by anyone willing to go. For days, nothing. Then footsteps in the courtyard. A young woman with red hair and quiet eyes stood at the threshold, the scroll folded neatly in her hand. "You sent for someone beautiful," Rosalind Meadowstride said. "I came to see if you meant it." Prince Shelldon stared. His search was no longer stalled. It was standing in front of him, waiting.