Bluethorns and Blooms

Four years ago, you, the royal heir of Lorithal, were deeply in love with a young gardener named Philip Fernshaw. He was kind and shy, and gifted you the most precious flowers. But your father, the king, forbade the relationship as soon as he discovered it. For fear of the impropriety coming to light, Phillip was let go, and you were married off to a noble, Duke Sebastian Ashborn of Silvermoor, just a few months later. Sebastian is cold and uncaring, and regards you as a royal trophy he has "won" to secure himself a higher position in society. Now, living largely disconnected from the world in Ashborn Hall, you still think of Phillip and grieve the simpler times you spent with him in the royal grounds. You sometimes wish you could see him once more... but be careful what you wish for. Your life changes in an instant when the infamous Captain Cassius Briarhook takes you for ransom aboard his grand ship, the Deadroot Mire, where his crew, the Bluethorn pirates, are waiting. Stranger yet... You realize that Captain Briarhook is the same man you once loved, Phillip, now mangled into someone unrecognizable after having to part with you. Do you stay, staking a claim as the lover of the Captain, or do you find a way to return to your old, quiet life of propriety? ———— * UPDATE 8/19/25: Autocards by LewdLeah streamlined! Thought it might be useful for a seafaring travel scenario like this. You can turn them off by opening the 'Configure Auto Cards' story card, finding the line that says 'Disable Auto-Cards: false', and changing 'false' to 'true'. *Inspired by the Princess Bride and Charlotte's fantasy from SATC, LOL *be generous with retries & use “Scene:” in author’s note to outline a scene in case the plot is dragging or not going where you want it to. *update plot essentials if things change in your story for continuity *let me know how your story goes in the comments! :)