"Queens and commoners, princes and peasants, welcome to the party of the quincentury!"
For most people, receiving an invitation to the White King's Masquerade is an honor. Even attempting to attend is a chance to go down in history. But for Sol of M...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Let me tell you now, Centerfold was nothing like Mycroft. Crossing the border was like stepping into a new world entirely.
The streets were full of hungry merchants and sly sellers. And by full I mean full. The carriage was barely able to squeeze through the busy streets and people were in no hurry to make way for us. What should have easily taken a few hours took half the day.
But it did give me time to reflect. In the other seven Western states fierce trials would have been conducted to single out the best of the best. Today, glorious Farewell ceremonies would have been held. To them it was an honor. The chance to be legends. I groaned, thankful the journey wasn't a competition. I mean I really didn't stand a chance.
I don't know when I feel asleep but the last thing I remembered was an old woman, with surprising speed, chasing after the carriage asking if we wanted any of her "deliciously juicy vangroes".
I woke up, rubbing my eyes groggily, as we passed through an intricate iron gate. For a second I wasn't sure we were actually still in Centerfold. Behind us was a huge stone wall, with an impressive amount of water cascading into the abyss of greenery below us. The flora was visible from the glass path over which we drove, some of it growing tall enough to rub leaves against the road.
"Miss Sol, we have arrived," the driver told me, between wheezes.
I glanced up from the amazing garden beneath us and got my first view of the Coliseum. It was magnificent.
The Coliseum stood on a floating island at the center of the walls, at the very heart of Centerfold, glass pathways branching out in every possible direction. The Colisuem itself was a monumental glass castle with a glass orb in the middle and surrounded by eight stained glass towers each representing one of the eight states of the West.
It was probably the most glass I'd ever seen in my life and definitely the most magnificent. The whole thing seemed to shimmer as the sun shone down on it, the towers creating a kaleidoscopic light show on the main building.
We rode on through another set of intricate iron doors into the courtyard and were greeted by exactly what comes to mind when one thinks Centerfold.
The courtyard was full to the brim with everyone from nobles from each state and members of the Supreme Court of the West to servants and messengers scurrying about.
The whole scene caused the reality of the situation to come crashing back down on me. Like a ton of bricks. Glass bricks.
It was all I could do not to burst into tears.
———————————
I stepped down from the carriage onto the smooth stone of the courtyard floor, with my single case, and was in the middle of thanking the carriage driver when a blur of bouncy red hair zoomed towards me.
