**Zion—Judah Earl**
The process of getting ready for the first ball of Thalor's season was no joke. A process that proved to be far more rigorous and delicate than when Ember had been fourteen and had to prepare for the Queen's birthday ball.
In the hours that led to that evening after the Queen departed from her chambers, Ember was put through elaborate processes by her attendants and their skilled hands. First, she was dipped in a first bath that contained a tangy smelling mud meant to make her skin softer and more supple.
Then came the second bath—this one warm and almost decadent, laced with luxurious oils and scattered blossoms from the Queen's garden that clung to her skin like whispers. The scent was heady and calming, a blend of crushed jasmine, moonflower, and honeyed sandalwood.
