The Royal Box, or perhaps it should be called the Imperial Box, was very different from the ones Maela had seen prepared for tournaments across the Kingdom of Gaal.
Besides the enclosed sides and back that defined every noble seating area at this gathering, the entire front of the box was sealed by the largest pane of crystal-clear glass that Maela had ever seen. It was only when she came close to it as she followed Ashlynn and Nyrielle into the room that she realized it wasn't glass at all, but perfectly clear ice nearly as thick as her palm.
The sounds of the crowd faded away when they entered the room, and even their footfalls were muffled by the plush carpets piled atop a layer of freshly cut rushes from the river. The room smelled faintly of woodsmoke and the lightest trace of perfume, and the entire space, at least twenty paces long on a side, was warm enough that Maela quickly removed her cloak.
