Trumpets blew loudly, grasping the attention of every spectator as the groups of competitors took their positions. Commoners and nobles sit in their designated sections as their king stands regally in full view of his people. Collapsible stands encircle rows of comfortable chairs all the way around the large and muddy field.
Skye had cleared the fairgrounds of muck, but the competitor's grounds were meant to be muddy on the first day. The final competitions unofficially required it. It always rained the day or days leading up to the Summer Games every year. In hundreds of years, it had never been completely dry on the traditional first day of the Summer Games, and Skye was not about to break it.
As the trumpets finished, silent anticipation pulsed through the air as the King of Alcon began to speak:
"I welcome you to the Annual Summer Games of our fair Alcon! Here, you will see men and women from every stretch of our kingdom competing for glory's reward!"
