We moved forward on the back of the large animal as it walked along the wide dirt path away from the castle walls. The horse took steady steps, lifting its heavy legs up and putting them down on the soft ground. The ground made a regular thumping sound with every step the animal took. We could feel the gentle rocking motion of the saddle beneath our bodies as we sat together on the long leather seat. The wind blew softly against our faces, bringing the fresh smell of the green fields that stretched out on both sides of the road. The sky above us was big and clear, with only a few small white clouds moving slowly across the blue space. I sat near the front, holding onto the saddle to keep my balance steady. Alea sat directly behind me, keeping her hands firmly on my shoulders so she would not slip off the moving animal. Eufrien sat behind us, holding the leather ropes tightly in his hands to guide the horse along the correct path. We kept our eyes on the open road ahead, watching the dirt track stretch out into the distance toward the hills. The horse continued to move at a good pace, carrying the three of us smoothly over the ground. We did not see any other people or animals on the path, so the area was very peaceful and quiet. The large horse shook its head slightly, making a soft noise, but it did not slow down its steps at all. We remained in our positions, balancing carefully and letting the horse do the hard work of carrying us forward away from the stone walls of the castle. The journey was simple and the path was wide and very long for us. We rode on.
While riding Eufrien suddenly mentioned something to me from his position on the back of the horse. He shifted his body slightly and adjusted his tight grip on the leather ropes to keep the animal moving straight. He leaned forward a little bit so that his voice would carry over the sound of the thumping hooves on the dirt road. He wanted to make sure that I could hear his words clearly over the soft wind. He spoke in a calm and steady voice to share a piece of information that he had just remembered from our time inside the castle with the rulers. While riding Eufrien suddenly mentioned, "Also, I didn't even know this until today. Sogha, King Elfhonse mentioned that you need to say that you are the prince of the elf kingdom, Sogha, because I think he mentioned that it may help us with the recruiting of the current hero." He delivered these words directly to me as we kept moving forward along the path. I listened to his voice carefully, letting each word sink into my mind. The horse took several more steps while the sound of his message stayed in the quiet air around us. I thought about what he said, realizing that this was a very important detail for our task ahead. The animal continued to move smoothly, its hooves hitting the dry soil with a regular rhythm that did not change at all while he spoke his line to me. His voice was very clear and easy to understand as we sat together on the horse. The words filled the open space around us as we traveled along the road. We sat still and we listened to his talk while the great animal carried our heavy bodies forward down the path today now. I waited for his quick reply on the seat. Yes.
I heard everything he said, and it made me think about our journey and the person we were going to see in the town. I turned my head back slightly toward him so he could hear me clearly over the sound of the horse. I kept my hands steady on the front of the saddle to maintain my balance while I prepared to speak. I asked Eufrien why do we need the current hero when we have him Eufrien the first hero. I spoke my words clearly, fixing the grammar to make it correct as I said, "Why do we need the current hero when we have you, Eufrien, the first hero?" I wanted to understand the reason for this choice since he was already traveling with us on this horse. My voice carried back to him through the cool air as the horse kept walking forward. Alea remained quiet behind me, holding my shoulders while she listened to our conversation on the road. The animal took a few more steps forward, its large hooves creating a small cloud of dust behind us as we waited for his answer. The dirt path was straight, and we could see far ahead, but my mind was focused on the question I had just asked the man holding the leather ropes behind us. I wanted to know his thoughts because it seemed strange to look for another helper when a strong person was already here with us. We kept moving along the path while I waited to hear what he would say next. The sound of the ground stayed loud under us as we rode our animal along the wide dirt track through the open space of the world here today now then. I waited for his quick reply on the seat.
When he heard my question, his face changed and he reacted right away from his seat on the back of the animal. Eufrien just laughed and said that he has no idea on that one. He let out a cheerful sound from his mouth, showing that he found the situation a bit funny or unusual. His laughter was loud and clear in the open air, breaking the quiet sound of the horse's thumping steps for a moment. He shook his head slowly from side to side while he smiled about my question. After he finished his brief laugh, he spoke to me directly to give his short answer. Eufrien just laughed and said that he has no idea on that one, using his clear words to say, "I have no idea on that one." He did not try to explain anything else to me, and he did not add any extra details about the matter. He simply kept his hands on the leather ropes and kept guiding the horse forward along the dirt track. I turned my face back toward the front of the horse, accepting his simple answer without asking for any more words. The large animal continued to carry us smoothly, its regular steps keeping our bodies moving down the long road toward our destination. We remained silent as the horse walked, letting the quietness return to the space between us. The fields on both sides stayed green and wide under the warm sun. Alea did not say a word either, keeping her position steady behind me while the wind blew over our faces. We kept our focus on the trail as we rode along together on the single horse through the quiet land here today now. The track was clear and open. We kept going forward.
After that brief conversation was finished, we all became quiet again on the back of the moving animal. We spent 20 minutes travelling along the long dirt path under the big clear sky. During these twenty minutes, the horse kept up a steady and fast pace, moving its four strong legs without stopping to rest. We watched the green fields slowly pass by on both sides of our position as the time went on. We passed by a few large trees and some small rocks along the edge of the dirt road. The sun stayed high in the sky, shining down on us and warming our skin as we traveled forward. Every minute felt identical as the regular thumping sound of the hooves continued to fill the air. We balanced our bodies carefully on the leather seat, keeping our grips tight so we would stay completely safe. After we spent 20 minutes travelling, we noticed a change in the view ahead of us. The open fields began to end, and a large structure appeared in the distance along the path. We saw a tall wall made of heavy materials standing straight across the land. We kept moving closer and closer to this large structure as the horse carried us forward. Finally, we arrived at the town gate. The large horse slowed down its fast steps, moving into a slow walk until it came to a complete stop right in front of the giant wooden entrance. We had reached the exact end of our travel for now, and we stood together on the back of the animal, looking up at the large town gate that stood before our eyes today now at this moment. The long ride was over and we were ready to enter the new place right away then.