Mara closed her eyes against the heavy wave of perfume that wafted in her general direction upon entering the ballroom. The mixture of scents had her stomach lurching violently within the vice grip of her corset, causing her to place a hand flat against her belly to keep from spilling the slim contents of her stomach onto the floor. She straightened her crooked shoulders, pulling herself up to her graceful five foot nine inch height. The curtains before her parted as the sounds of trumpets sounded to announce her arrival. The roaring crowd came to a sudden standstill, eyes turned in the direction of the newcomer. They all had known her, watched her grow up at a distance. Now she was their Queen, bred from the cradle to rule once her mother passed on.
Now that the mourning rites were over, a coronation had taken place but a few scant hours before. Mara had adorned a gown of Coranian silk the color of lavender for the occasion. Threads of silver and gold were shot through the fabric at the cuffs, collar, and hem. Ellaborate little flowers and vines curled their way about the delicate seams and were a nice contrast to the heavy coronet that rested against her brow, gold and gleaming in the faint light of the ballroom. Mara sailed forward through the gauzy curtain archway that had been created when the filmy fabric had been swung open to reveal her to the room.
The ballroom had been decorated with what looked to be thousands of candles on tall pillars and sconces on the wall. The crowd had parted, allowing Mara to drifted forward, and as she passed the people lowered themselves to show their respect and alliegence to their new Queen. The path that had been created led the way to the once crowded dancefloor, where a familiar face stood waiting. Restari, her head of the guard, stood at it's center, resplendant in his uniform of dark blue and black. Some of his medals caught the light of the sea of candles, causing them to glitter before her eyes. Her approach slowed once she stood before him, and she accepted a bow and then his hand.
When flesh touched flesh the strings of a waltz filled the air and Mara was pulled into the familiar arms of her long time friend and guard. The beaming smile that was so familiar to her, beamed down upon her. A bubbling of laughter started in the pit of her belly and worked it's way up like a volcano that was errupting. Her head spilled backward and she laughed for the first time in months. Her eyes found the ceiling, where lanterns had been attached, strung across the glass dome of the large, round building. The room truly was a glittering cavern.
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