When The Sun Came First

Some stories are born on battlefields - and others in the silences that survive them. In nineteenth-century Europe, a prince raised not to feel, a soldier marked by letters he could never send, and a princess torn between duty and desire discover that love may be the greatest force of all in times of upheaval.

Amid courtly balls, frozen trenches, and secrets capable of altering destinies, each of them is pushed to the limits of loyalty: to country, to family, and to the heart itself. Promises fracture, alliances unravel, and even the light of dawn seems to choose a side.

When the Sun Came First is a sensitive and evocative novel about power, courage, and the invisible boundaries between loving and surviving. With immersive prose, a richly drawn historical atmosphere, and characters shaped by flesh, honour, and contradiction, the novel reveals that some battles can only be won within ourselves.

Romualdo Amaral is a writer, director and visual artist whose work moves between international cinema and contemporary literature. His background in visual storytelling - particularly in narrative construction, scene direction and visual language - deeply shapes the way he writes, influencing the rhythm, atmosphere and form of the stories he tells.

In film, Romualdo has contributed to major productions and widely recognised works, including Wicked, Stranger Thingsand projects within the Marvel Studios universe. His experience with stories told on a large scale exists alongside an enduring interest in what is intimate: silence, gesture, and the inner conflicts of his characters.

As a writer, Romualdo is not bound to a single genre or tone. His literary work moves through historical romance, psychological drama, contemporary fiction and symbolic narratives, exploring memory, identity, desire, absence and transformation. His writing seeks a balance between emotion and restraint, trusting the reader and giving weight not only to what is said, but also to what remains unspoken.

Across cinema and literature, the pursuit is the same: to tell stories that endure. Stories shaped by experience, atmosphere and sensitivity - more interested in leaving a feeling behind, and inviting reflection, than in offering immediate answers.