Oliver did nothing to offset that, though. He'd chosen to sit outside merely to give himself a better chance of defending himself should anything go awry. This new, more cautious side to him was something that even he was having difficulty explaining to himself, but it seemed like a wise enough idea nonetheless and as he saw the scenery begin to unfold before them, he was glad he'd done so. The driver's seat afforded a view of the world that the carriage window just couldn't match.
They travelled through the snowy wilderness, along roads of ill-tended cobblestone, leaving the Academy – and the city of Garsh which loomed behind it – far off in the distance.
That was not to say the world was empty, though. They passed the occasional hamlet, with an inn and a farmhouse where their animals were stabled for the winter. Whenever they passed such places, the driver would give a name and only then would he earn a grunting acknowledgement from Oliver.
