Chapter 76

The throne room was packed full of people. Streamers and banners adorned the walls, all of the torches were lit, and everyone wore their best clothes. Under the old queen, no one ever dressed up. They had all been required to wear uniforms, colorless, gray garments that made them all equal and boring. Now they rejoiced to be able to decide something as simple and profound as wearing one's own clothing, to be able to express their individual personalities and characters through their clothing. Where once there was a gray sea, now every color of the rainbow brightened the room.

Children fidgeted, while their parents tried to hush them, all the while craning their necks to see above the crowd. They could not wait to see their new queen become crowned. All of the spells were broken, and the people felt as though they had been granted a new start.