Birdsong and brighter skies greet you in the morning. You stretch out your stiff legs and, with some reluctance, leave the inn behind.
The plodding monotony of your journey sends you into a bit of a trance. Your mind leaps from topic to topic, freewheeling, as your feet stay on course.
"Watch it," a shepherd barks at you as you bump shoulders. His dog barks at you as well for good measure.
You mutter your apologies and lift your eyes up again. You've got to pay attention—
You blink. There, in the startlingly visible distance, is the rosy sandstone keep of Duke Ruffino.
"There it is," you say aloud. Moat, battlements, spires, great waving flags, the whole edifice.
You made it. Well, not 'made it,' as there's at least an hour's walk before you reach the conical gatehouse you can just see from here if you squint…but after so many miles of trudging, the end is undeniably before you.