The big door began to open slowly. We watched the large pieces of wood move away from each other in the middle of the wall. The heavy door made a small creaking noise as it slid across the smooth floor of the hallway. The space inside looked very large and bright. We took our first steps forward to go inside the grand room. Our boots made a quiet sound on the flat stone ground as we crossed the line into the room. We walked further into the center of the area so we could see everything clearly. The room was filled with warm light from the wall lamps. As we kept walking, we looked straight ahead toward the front of the space. The door opened and we saw king elfhonse and king Nishighi standing. They were both on their feet in the middle of the large room. They did not sit on chairs or move around at all. They stood completely still, watching us walk toward them with our bodies straight. We stopped our feet a few steps away from their position to show respect to the rulers. The room became very quiet as everyone stopped moving today. We waited.
The two rulers looked at us for a moment without making any sound. King Nishighi stood on the left side, keeping his arms at his waist and looking very serious. King elfhonse stood on the right side, looking directly into my eyes to deliver the royal message. He took a slow breath and prepared to speak to us about a new task. King elfhonse said, "Sogha, you shall go on a journey to a town near here to try to get help from the current hero, and Eufrien will help you on your journey." He spoke the words in a clear voice so that we could hear every single part of the command perfectly. He wanted to make sure I knew exactly what to do. He extended the conversation based on the script to give us more clear details about this travel. King elfhonse said that the town we needed to visit was not very far away from our present location. He told us that the path to this place was direct and simple to follow if we kept moving forward along the main dirt road outside the castle walls now. We stood still and we listened to him. Yes.
He explained that the current hero was staying in that small town right now, and that is why we had to travel there immediately. He told us that it was very necessary to find this specific person because we needed to ask for extra help with our problems. He said that the current hero was strong and could provide the right kind of assistance if we asked in a polite way. He also explained that Eufrien was a very good choice to join the trip because he knew the way to the town perfectly. He said that Eufrien would walk with us, show us the right turns, and protect us if anything happened on the road. King elfhonse told us to leave the castle right away without wasting any time because the task was very important for everyone. King Nishighi did not say anything out loud, but he nodded his head up and down to show that he agreed with all the words from the other king. I listened to the speech and kept all the details in my mind so I would not forget them during the trip here today. I bowed my whole body to them now.
Once the kings were finished talking to us, we turned our bodies around toward the exit. We started walking back toward the big entry point of the room. We passed through the open frame of the doorway and stepped back into the long hallway where Celes was waiting. The heavy wooden doors began to close behind us, shutting tightly with a soft thudding sound that echoed in the corridor. We left the two rulers inside their private room and began our long walk toward the outside world. I moved down the wide hallway with a steady pace, feeling the weight of the new task in my mind. The corridor was very long, and we walked past many tall windows that let the sunlight shine on the floor. We went down a large flight of stone stairs, placing our feet carefully on each step until we reached the bottom floor of the castle structure. The main entrance area was very wide and spacious. We walked across the flat stones toward the front exit gates of the building. Two large guards stood on each side of the exit gates cleanly now. They pushed them open for us to leave the area. Yes.
A lot of bright light from the outside came into the building through the opening. I left to outside through the grand gates, stepping out of the dark castle and entering the fresh air. The courtyard outside was very big and open to the sky. The air felt cool and clean against my face after spending so much time inside the rooms. I looked around the large space to find the people who were supposed to meet me for the trip. I left to outside and saw alea and Eufrien. They were standing together near the center of the flat stone yard, right next to a large horse that was waiting for our arrival. Alea was standing completely still, looking toward the castle doors until she saw me come out into the light. Eufrien was standing right next to her body, holding the leather ropes of the animal in his hand to keep it from walking away from us. The horse was very large and looked strong enough to carry people across a long distance on the ground right here today. We walked forward to meet them near the horse now. They stood completely still in place for us then.
It stood firmly on its four legs on the ground. The animal moved its head slightly, making a small sound as we approached its position. I walked across the open yard toward the group, closing the distance between us with fast steps. As I got closer, Alea gave me a quick look to show she saw me. Eufrien looked at me and said that he was fully ready to start the journey right now, just like the king told us inside the building. We gathered around the side of the large animal to prepare for our departure down the road. The horse had a leather seat on its back with enough space for us to sit together safely. We knew that we had to share the single animal so we could travel to the nearby town very quickly without getting tired from walking. We three sat on a horse. I lifted my left foot up first and placed it into the metal step on the side of the saddle. I gripped the leather handle with a tight hold and pulled my body up onto the back of the horse now. We adjusted our positions on the animal right away then.
I swung my leg over the seat and settled into the front section of the saddle. After I was safely in position, Alea moved closer to the animal. She climbed up carefully behind my back, placing her hands on my shoulders to keep her balance steady as she found a good place to sit on the leather. Finally, Eufrien joined us on the animal. He held the leather ropes tightly in his right hand while he used his other hand to pull his weight up onto the back part of the seat. He adjusted his position to make sure he was comfortable and had a firm grip on the ropes so he could guide the horse correctly along the path. The horse stayed completely still under our combined weight of three, keeping its balance on the flat stones of the yard. We balanced our bodies carefully, ensuring that no one would fall off the horse during the movement. With everyone sitting safely on the back of the animal, Eufrien gave a small pull on the leather ropes to tell the horse to start moving forward. The large horse responded right away, lifting its front legs and taking its first steps across the stone courtyard. We've started our journey. We rode through the open outer gates of the castle yard, moving past the last set of guards who watched us leave. We left the high stone walls behind us and entered the long dirt road that led away from the royal grounds. The movement of the horse was smooth and steady, making a regular thumping sound as its hooves hit the dry soil of the path. The road stretched out far in front of us, winding through the wide grass fields and small hills of the open land on this beautiful clear day.