The band played songs of the kingdom as the royal family stepped onto the platform. King Theo shook hands with the nobility waiting to meet him, and Princess Alice kindly greeted each royal daughter with a smile. Prince Eli waved his hand to everyone, and they got into a waiting chariot.
The crowds dispersed as the royal family drove off. The nobility and wealthy went home to get ready for that evening’s ball as the simpler folk went back to their jobs and daily grind of life.

“I wonder,” Timothy said, “how much time those smirking girls will spend getting ready for this evening’s activities?”

It was judgment day at the palace. Everyone felt the importance of the day. The maids bustled around in conspicuous quiet. They polished the gold until it shown and cleared away every speck of dust. After all, the palace needed to look the best. The butlers stood tall and straight at the door. The pages lined the back of the throne room, alert and ready for any order from the king. 

The people in the town felt the greatness of the day. It was the one time in the year when the king heard the hardest cases in the land, and his word meant the difference between life and death. People lined up a week beforehand to have their chance to see the big occasion. The lawyers spent long hours briefing their cases. Each wanted to impress the king with his logic and evidence. Those involved in the cases shuddered in fear or secretly hoped they would be released. 

A subdued quiet was over the palace as the crowds came in. The magnificence of it awed people. Lawyers felt their arguments did not hold water. Even the servants trembled a bit for those involved in the cases. It was indeed an auspicious day.

Chesil’s ball slipped from her fingers and bounced down the old street. She gasped and gave chase. She would not lose that pink ball. It bounced past the old cloth factory, over potholes, past the weathered houses, and finally jumped behind the overgrown bush in the back corner of the Smith’s yard. Chesil leaned down beneath the bush feeling for it. Her hands patted the dirt and felt sticks, but no ball. With a sigh, she stepped up by the wall and drew back the bush. She crawled under it. That’s when she saw the crack. 

She walked back up the street wondering if she should mention the crack. It such a small crack, surely nothing damaging could enter through it. Chesil heard her name and looked up. Her best friend called her to go get some ice cream. Chesil ran off with her and forgot about the crack.

Two days later, Malo wandered by the outside of the city. He passed the high gates. No use trying to enter through them. The gatekeepers would never allow it. His eyes lit up when he saw the crack. He wiggled the stones and widened it enough to slip through. It took but a moment to get inside. Malo grinned. He was one step closer to reaching his ambition. Ever since he was a boy, Malo longed to rule a city. From one city it would grow to be an empire. Maybe this was the first city! 

Alethea stopped. The hall was amazing! And very long. Corridors opened up in various directions. Pillars lined both sides, almost as far as the eye could see. At least it seemed a very long distance to the magnificent, gold-embossed doors at the end. She looked up until her neck ached. The ceiling was high and painted with beautiful murals. Gold trimmed everything.

“Are we really here,” Alethea asked. Her voice barely ruffled the quiet air.