Arlo stepped out onto the front steps of his home.
The morning was new, and a light fog was draped over the camp.
Soldiers were already on their commute to the mess hall.
"It's going to take me a long time to get used to calling this my home." he smiled.
He headed to the main gateway, where the soldiers usually gathered before leaving for a mission.
Arlo saw Alice, looking over her soldiers. She had a blank expression.
"What's going through that head of yours?" Arlo asked.
She moved her hair out of her right eye and adjusted her eyepatch.
"Oh, nothing. I'm just... a perfectionist and, well, soldiers are almost never perfect." she chuckled and looked away.
"Can you show me your pegasus?" Arlo asked.
"Oh! uh... sure, why not? Wait here a minute."
She walked off to the stable and returned a few minutes after, this time with her pegasus, a shade of color that almost seemed like the night sky.
"Woah!"
"No way... you haven't seen a pegasus before?"
"No, they weren't in the village I came from." he smiled, scratching his head.
As any other pegasus, it was a horse with wings on it's back, but this was a lot larger than Arlo was expecting.
"Her name is Erneum." Alice said as she stroked the horse.
Arlo patted its neck, to which it responded by moving its head downward.
"Hey, I think she likes you!" Alice laughed.
Arlo looked up at the Sun's location in the sky to check the time.
"Sorry, I have to go prepare for the travel. Thanks for showing me!"
"No problem!"
He jogged off to gather his equipment.
"How long will it take to reach the King's palace?" Arlo asked upon returning.
"Huh..." Alice looked down at her map, "it shouldn't be a long one. We'll be there and back at the command post by midnight."
"So it's very close."
She pointed in the direction they were facing.
"It's right behind that forest." she explained, "it'll take about three hours."
Arlo sighed.
"That's still not a very short time."
"I'm afraid not."
Gale walked over to them.
"Are you ready to leave?"
"Yes."
Gale turned around and faced the soldiers who were seated on the ground.
"Men, let's get going."
