You wander to the stables, deep in thought. Kelton's estate is surrounded by golden wheat fields tended by peasants, although less than normal—this season has been especially brutal both for the market and for dry weather. Beyond the estate there is a small forest that leads up the foothills to the mountains in the East. You can see those icy caps now, looking over the Kingdom of Jubai and serving as part of the border with Illan. Those mountains dwarf Kelton's mansion, even though it's constructed of solid stone blocks and great wooden beams—there's no telling what evils might be hiding beyond those peaks.
You reach the stables, grabbing the shovel on the way, and thrust it into Roja's dung. You scoop it into the cart, but it doesn't even seem to make a dent. You resign yourself to the task as you think.
Since the Kingdom of Illan is the nearest neighbor to the East, your own people in Jubai naturally have an old rivalry with them. But you don't know much about the Illanites. There was probably a war with them at some point in the past—wars happen all the time, after all. Otherwise, you wouldn't be a squire. Sometimes their knights travel to Jubai for tournaments, but the Illanites seem to mostly keep to themselves. You can't imagine why they would want to make patrols disappear.