It began at the castle and took a circuitous route to the outer wall of the city where it then followed the wall for one complete lap, to again return to the castle in the apparently least direct route possible. Garret understood the necessity for this, of course, but his understanding made it no less annoying. Garret knew the route was designed this way to allow the entire city to bid farewell to their king, as well as the other honored men and women who had fallen in the battle with the black horde. However, the parade moved at a snail’s pace and this caused the mounts in the procession to become agitated, forcing their riders to struggle to keep them in their places again and again which was aggravating. These were not common mounts after all. They were bred for their size and stamina, their speed and strength, and were trained their entire lives for battle, not to crawl along paved roads surrounded by thousands of watchful eyes and children who darted away from their parents in an attempt to "touch the pony".
