At the edge of a palace courtyard bathed in soft golden morning light, a Minoan…

At the edge of a palace courtyard bathed in soft golden morning light, a Minoan noblewoman stands barefoot on cool stone, arms arched high overhead in a slow, deliberate stretch. Her body is poised mid-motion — back curved, shoulders lifted, gaze lifted to the sky — as if welcoming the day. Behind her, the palace’s central court stretches into shadowed depth, its red-painted columns and frescoed walls glowing faintly with dawn’s warmth. The air is still, crisp with dew, and her saffron, blue, and crimson flounced skirt billows gently in a breeze that carries the scent of earth and sea. The woman is positioned on the right side, not centered.