The convoy reached Castle Town just a little after sundown. The night air was cool, for winter was on its way. The moon shone brightly tonight as well. For some reason, there were no stalchildren in sight. This was unusual. Gonzo had always heard stories of the stalchildren who wondered the great Hyrule field.
Once the carriages reached the gate, the man in charge, Balliard, called out to the guards to let them know who they were.
"Hoy there! We hail from Kakariko Village. We've brought a group of young men to serve out their term in the Knights of Hyrule."
One of the guards whispered to whom looked like the captain. The captain nodded and then called out "Aye, we received word that you would be arriving. You may pass." The guards opened the gate. The gate was obviously very old, for it creaked as it made way for the convoy. Balliard thanked the captain and they continued forth into the city.
It was just as Gonzo had always heard. The streets were indeed empty at night. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the carriages and the occasional bark of a dog. He would have to wait to find out how the city really was tomorrow.
The convoy finally reached its destination about half an hour after they first entered the city. The carriage drivers were led to their designated spot. The first thing Gonzo noticed was how many people were here. They were all here for the same reason he was. This of course, was no surprise to him. Hyrule did have a big population, after all.
Suddenly a soldier whom looked very important, walked out from the barracks with about four or five bodyguards behind him. Their armored boots clanked loudly as they walked. The man had on silver plated armor with a crimson cape flowing from his back. His beard was black with signs of graying and he also had a coarse scar going down his left eye. He looked as if he had seen many a battle in his day.
The men all came to a sudden halt in the middle of the square.
"Hello and welcome to the great Castle Town! I am General Rolh, the grand commander of the Knights of Hyrule. You brave young men are about to experience what every true Hylian man has experienced for the past few centuries."
The whole square remained silent.
"You must all realize that this is a great honor and privilege, to serve in our great army. It is perhaps considered the greatest honor ever!"
Still not a word was said.
"There is no better way to show loyalty to your king, than to protect him with your life."
Suddenly a terrible scream broke out from among the crowd. The next thing Gonzo knew, a man was being carried away to. The crowd erupted into a commotion, each person trying to find out what had just happened.
"Gonzo, what the hell just happened?"
Senza had made his way up to Gonzo without him even noticing.
"I have no idea, but it didn't sound good at all."
The general continued his speech.
" The next two months will be solely dedicated to your training. You must all learn the ways of the Knights of Hyrule. This way, you will all be beneficial to the kingdom. Now then, with that said, I wish you all good luck in your trials to come. May the goddesses show their favor upon you all."
After finishing his speech, General Rolh walked back from where he had came, along with his bodyguards. Before they were escorted to the barracks, Balliard caught Gonzo and Senza.
"Gonzo, Senza, you take care of yourselves in there. It's not gonna be easy. This will probably be the hardest thing you've ever done in your lives."
"Thanks Balliard, we'll try our best." Gonzo said.
Balliard began walking back to the carriages, but Gonzo stopped him.
"Balliard! Make sure Mael is well taken care of. Please."
"Of course, Gonzo. You know we'll all make sure she's treated well. You can count on us."
"Thanks Balliard. It means a lot."
Balliard and the rest of the convoy were going to stay overnight and get some rest before they went back to Kakariko Village. They needed rest after today's trip.
As they descended into the barracks, the putrid smell of body odor hit Gonzo's nose. "Mael was right..." Gonzo thought to himself. They were each assigned to a bunk. Senza was assigned to the bed above Gonzo.
"Isn't this cool Gonzo?" Senza said. "We can have late night conversations when we can't sleep bro!"
"Senza, I can guarantee you that I'm going to be trying to get as much sleep as possible. It's like Balliard said, this isn't going to be easy. We need to try our best to keep ourselves prepared for everything, and that includes getting enough sleep."
"Aw come on, try to look at this whole thing more positively."
"I'm looking at this realistically. It's not going to be easy. No matter what way you put it. You should take this more seriously."
Gonzo heard Senza sigh heavily. He usually always had to say something back, but surprisingly he said nothing more.
"Hey, have you guys heard?" called out one of the men in the room.
"Heard what?" another called out.
"Apparently that guy they carried away tried to stab himself!"
"What?! You're kidding!"
"No way!"
The barracks bursted into to chatter all at once. Someone tried to kill himself? But why on earth would anyone do that? Surely joining the Knights of Hyrule wasn't worth taking your life over!
"Did you hear that Gonzo?" Senza said.
"Yeah." Gonzo said.
"Why would he try to kill himself? It was obvious he was trying to escape becoming a knight." Gonzo could not come to a conclusion as to why this had happened. It made him uneasy.
"What do you really think awaits us?" Senza asked Gonzo.
Gonzo did not reply.
