The carriage drove on, leaving the emptiness of the forest behind as it merged onto a crowded road alive with movement and noise. It eventually came to a halt before a manor that looked newly built, its pale stone pristine and untouched by time, surrounded by a vast garden filled entirely with bright blue flowers that swayed gently in the air like an arranged sea.
Before the manor's iron gates stood countless carriages, arriving and departing in a steady stream, each unloading ladies and gentlemen draped in finery so excessive it looked as though their garments alone could have fed a starving household for years.
Laughter spilled freely as servants rushed forward to attend to them.
