Title: Desert of Vanished Souls SEASON 1 – The Queen’s Capture

Inspired by @Diane-de-la-Cheneraye

Inspired by

Chains Under Moonlight

Kneeling shackled on the bloodstained deck, Anna stared at the indifferent stars.

> They call me queen. But here, beneath the silent gaze of God and moon, I am no more than a shadow — a captive, a price.

The Attack

Under a cold moon, shadows rose upon the waves — swift corsairs with lateen sails and swords like curved lightning.

Flaming arrows tore the night; fire bloomed amid the sails. Screams ripped through the chaos as pirates overwhelmed the galley.

Smoke and blood filled the air. Ines fell silent, struck down. Anna’s scream caught in her throat as the captain’s cold eyes met hers.

“This one is worth more,” he said. “Bind her well.”

Departure

The great hall bustled beneath vaulted ceilings. Ladies-in-waiting folded silks; pages hurried with messages. Archduke Matthias, her younger brother, grasped her gloved hand, his wide eyes filled with childish fear.

“Must you go so soon? The seas grow perilous — Turkish corsairs stalk the waters.”

She brushed a stray curl from his brow.

“Where men speak of honour, there is always danger,” she whispered, tasting the bitter truth.

He clung to her as if to anchor her — the last soft thread of a life about to unravel.

> Is strength the will to face storms or the courage to let go?

She rose and crossed herself, her gaze settling on an iron cage near the stained glass window. A solitary sparrow shifted within, its fragile body puffed against the morning chill. Their eyes met, and she found a flicker of kinship.

“Forgive me,” she murmured in German, voice fragile — was it to God, to the bird, or to the freedom she would soon lose?

They called her queen — a title woven from politics and alliance, a gilded cage more than a crown. She clutched the worn rosary beads, their coolness grounding her amid a storm of expectations.

> If a queen is but a vessel to bear heirs and seal treaties, what becomes of the soul inside? Does God hear its whispered prayers, or only see the façade?

Episode 1 – The Crown and the Storm

The Castle by the Sea

At dawn, the castle of Valencia rose silent above the restless sea. Queen Anna of Austria knelt alone in the cold stone chapel, the soft flicker of beeswax candles casting fragile shadows on her pale face. Her chestnut hair, braided neatly and veiled in linen, framed eyes heavy with the weight of duty.