The Presentations

I woke up to bird song, and realised I was still at the desk. Silk was sitting on the armchair, reading, and she gestured to a plate of bread rolls and cold meats beside me, as well as a glass of water. The way the water in Central tasted made me wrinkle my nose. It was not as smooth as the water at home. Silk said it had something to do with the type of landscape the water passed through before it was pumped out. I groggily ate my meal, slowly chewing the bread rolls and wishing Silk had given me butter. She didn't like me to have too much of it, she called it an unneccessary indulgence for a warrior. After I finished eating I bathed and dressed for the presentation. Silk had set out a straight dress this time, down to my calves. It was a pastel blue, with a round neck and long sleeves. It had a white rounded collar, and cuffed sleeves. It was fitted at the waist, and made me seem more grown up than the other dresses I had worn. My hair was brushed vigorously and with a plait running from my forehead to the nape of my neck, pulled into a bun. My eyes were made to look big with make up and I wore a neutral lip colour. I was very...open faced.

Silk gave me some blue slip on shoes and a square tan bag with a strap containing my notes, as well as a half cloak thing she called a cape, with slits for my arms and large copper buttons.

I piled into the wagon and saw the other girls. Shockingly, the girl who was from Central, Cille was wearing a man's suit, though it was fitted to her curves. Of course women at home wore trousers, but in Central I had seen that it was not at all the case, and to see her dressed in men's attire was surprising from someone who was a favourite to win the championships.

There were some strange attires, but everyone looked smart. Rather than trying to shock or impress, they wanted to be taken seriously. We meant business.

We were taken to the palace for the first time. It was the largest thing I had ever seen. Never before had I lain my eyes on such a building as this. It was larger than two neighbourhoods of Central put together, all done in stone, similar to that of the arena. It had spiralling towers and stained glass windows, a rainbow of colour. The front of the palace was full of manicured lawns and beautiful fountains with statues of mythical creatures. It was bright and airy, and in the morning sunshine it looked to be a happy place. If I won I would live here. If I won, I could not think like that. When I won and became Queen I would reside over all of this. It would be a pleasure to be sure.

We trundled along through the walls that surrounded the huge grounds of the palace, and then again passed through a gate to arrive at one of likely many entrances. When the wagon came to a stop we all clambered out and were led into the palace through huge arched double doors that towered above our heads, taller than any person could possibly be.

Inside, the floors were marble, and our shoes clacked as we were led through corridors and up stairs until we were finally taken into a large room. There were stained glass windows on the far wall which were large and very pale blue, depicting spirals and flowers. Underneath them sat eight carved chairs in a row. To the left of the room were 20 more chairs sitting in front of a podium with a lectern. The front row of those chairs were all overstuffed velvet, with one in the middle larger than the others and red. It was incredibly daunting; whoever was going to be sat in that chair would probably be the most important person in the room. And they would be directly in front of us as we gave our presentations.

We filed into the room and sat in the order we had been presented in. Then we waited as the officials filed in, including a once again veiled prince, who sat in the red chair.

One of the officials rose from his seat and began the proceedings, "Well, now that we have arrived, let us begin. We have gathered here today at the second event of the Betrothal Championships to hear the presentations from the champions sent by each region on how they can better the lives of those most in need in Central. As you are the best and brightest your peoples have to offer, we are expecting great things." The official cleared his throat. "First up is Nara Larif." She was wearing large dark blue pants that seemed to swallow her, with a black blouse on top and a long jacket. She bounced up to the podium with a smile and a wave.

"Hello! My idea for improving the lives of the poor is simple. Fun Friday Fairs! Every week on a Friday, the poor attend a big fair and are given free sweets and chocolates and treats and there are entertainers and games! Their biggest problem seems to be that they are sad, every person I saw in Central looks so miserable all the time, people barely smile, so we make them happy! After all, a smile is all you need, and everything will follow!" She finished with widespread arms, and of course, a big smile and seemed confused by the lack of applause. In fact, the silence was deafening.

The Prince's Point of View

I had been right. Here was a girl who was so naïve and ignorant she thought that the main problem poor people had was that they were sad. I didn't understand how on earth she had been chosen out of all the girls from Grice.

Sorrel

Nara soon realised her applause was not going to come and after some coughs from officials she sat back down, disheartened. Rowena caught her eye and gave her a consoling smile.

"Next up we have Cille Hughes." She was wearing a grey suit and her hair was pulled back in a chignon. Elegant as ever, she delivered an impressive presentation on lowering stall taxes so that the poor would make more money and more jobs could be created. It was well thought out and she delivered it with confidence. Cille got a large round of applause, which caused Nara to slump further into her seat in a pronounced sulk.

Opal Clare sauntered up to the lectern, her hair swinging, and gave a speech about providing the poor with heating and clean water so that they would have a better wellbeing and would be healthier which would lead to more productiveness at work. It was another good idea, though less detailed than Cille Hughes'. Opal wore all black, presenting in a very short skirt, and a billowing blouse. She recieved a decent amount of applause and sat down with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"And now Crystal Fraser." She had her long braid wound up in a bun and was wearing a white blouse with a tight black skirt, ankle length. Her height added to her imposing presence and she commanded the complete attention with her deep silky voice. Her presentation was on the living conditions and she proposed improvements on the roads and housing in the area. It was once again, another great idea.

Then it was me.

"Next we have Sorrel of the Crocasant." I took my notes out of my folder and took them with me as I walked up to the podium with my back straight and my shoulders held high, just as Silk had taught me. I stood in front of the lectern and began my presentation.

"In my community we are communal. We share everything. Including education. In Central, the children of the poorer areas have to go to school while the rich children have private tutors. This is an injustice. The treatment these children receive is beyond poor. I suggest that you overhaul the education system. Instead of only the poor attending school, every child should attend and be provided with a uniform. Subject specific teachers should be hired and the children should be shown the opportunities out there. Not only will it give them a broader view of the world, they will learn the skills needed to get good jobs of their own and the entire city will have a more educated work force. If education is treated as a necessity rather than a luxury you will see the city blossom. No longer will citizens be complacent in their cycle of poverty. They will work to make a better life for themselves and their families if the opportunity is provided, if they are shown that there is a better life out there for them. There are children who could become engineers, chefs, teachers, soldiers, blacksmiths, seamstresses, if only given the opportunity. And if children enjoy education, if they enjoy learning, they will enjoy working a job they learned to do, driving innovation and progress because they will take pride in their work."

I went on to explain how the schools would work, suggesting tradespeople be offered subsidies so that they could take on apprentices or teach their trades in schools. I outlined the initial costs and then highlighted the benefits of a larger educated workforce, including the expansion of trade and business in Central. Once I was done I bowed my head slightly and said "Thank you." It was slightly silent. And then the prince started clapping. After that it came like thunder. All of them gave me riotous applause. As I left the podium I was feeling quite pleased with myself and when I went to sit down I was greeted with some evaluating looks from the other champions.

The others went through their speeches and they were all fairly good except for Dawn Cripps, who suggested we kill them and put them out of their misery. That it would serve as a warning to others to not let themselves get into that state. A shudder of revulsion ran around the room and I felt my skin crawl as she stood up there with no consideration of others. No empathy or feeling. Seemingly no sense of the value of life.

She didn't get any applause either. Afterwards one of the officials, a woman came and stood up.

"We have seen a wide spectrum of ideas this morning. Unfortunately, one of you will not continue on in the competition and I think you know who you are. Dawn Cripps, you are eliminated. Please return to your lodgings and collect your belongings." How her advisor let her present that idea I do not know, unless they were equally as strange and disturbed. It was only because of Dawn that Nara had survived that round.

"The rest of you will report to the green room, where you will be dressed to all look similar. The only difference will be the colour of your mask. As you interact with the guests at the ball tonight they will all get two votes. The two girls with the least votes at the end will be eliminated."