The palace courtyard had been transformed overnight.
Red and gold banners rippled from the high stone walls, catching the breeze like tongues of flame.
Petals of roses, marigolds, and lilies drifted down from above, filling the air with color and perfume.
A grand dais stood before the assembled crowd: nobles, soldiers, merchants, and citizens, all gathered to witness history.
The whole clearing in front of the castle was filled with people.
The crowd was dense enough to feel suffocated just by looking at it. But it wasn't surprising.
Today wasn't a day when one would mind the crowd.
Today, Zahara Nemeanor would be crowned Queen of the Simharian Kingdom.
A few weren't happy with it, but most of the crowd was.
After all, the one thing that Zahara didn't lack was the citizens' love.
From her childhood, she had always been the one to hear about the citizens, and although Kael and Bahir never treated them badly, Zahara made them feel like her own people.
