Prince Val has every reason to usurp the throne.

His older brother, the king, has died, leaving a seven-year-old boy as the heir. It will be many years before the boy can begin to wield the magical powers granted to him by an ancient contract—powers that their nation of floating islands depends on for survival.

With the kingdom in danger of literally falling to its doom, an advisor pressures Prince Val to kill his young nephew and seize the throne. Val immediately and adamantly refuses. Later, Val overhears that same advisor plotting to murder the boy, frame Prince Val, and claim the throne for himself. But Val acts first. That very night, with the help of a spunky dragon trainer named Jessica and her half-trained dragon mount, Prince Val breaks into the palace and rescues his nephew—or, kidnaps his nephew, according to the propaganda that follows.

As former friends desert him and squads of elite knights give chase, Val, his nephew, and Jessica fly through the dangerous skies on their (somewhat-unreliable) dragon, fleeing to floating island after floating island in search of allies they can trust. But just as they gain enough support to win back the throne for Val’s young nephew, they uncover a startling secret: someone is plotting to rewrite the magical contract that undergirds their kingdom, a move that could through their whole society into chaos.

Overview

Project Goal: Epic YA fantasy novel, 80,000–90,000 words

Project Status: In outlining and world building (low priority)

Origins

This story was inspired by a dream I had in the summer of 2023. In the dream, I was a prince in a castle where everyone I had once trusted was betraying me, all due to the machinations of a nobleman seeking the throne. In my dream, with the clandestine help of a loyal old dragon keeper, I snuck over to the dragon stables and freed my mount—who then promptly rescued the young female stable hand who was in charge of him.

With this opening sequence established, I had to figure out who this prince was, why he was fleeing, and what was going to happen in the rest of the story. Drawing upon Hamlet, I asked, “What if I take the trope of the evil, usurping uncle and twist it on its head? What if I write a story where the uncle has every reason to usurp the throne, but doesn’t?”

During a family reunion in August 2023, I workshopped the plot and the world with my brother (who is the best sounding board you will ever meet). Together we developed a kingdom built entirely on floating islands of lighter-than-air coral, with different islands themed around the four seasons. We also brainstormed some twists to the plot.

Right now I’m letting the story sizzle on the back-burner until I’m ready to tackle a comprehensive scene outline and start drafting.

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