xxxxxxThough it felt like only mere moments had passed, Avalon knew that in reality hours had gone by when the train came to a slow stop, the absence of its rocking motion waking the girl up easily. She had always been a light sleeper. Jackson was already pulling his things together, a piece of fabric marking the spot in his large book where he had paused reading. The teen noticed this with surprise tugging her eyebrows up. It wasn’t often that anyone saw someone this literate outside of the more urban areas of the kingdom.
xxxxxxAvalon pushed herself into an upright position and yanked her bag back on, slipping the straps over her shoulders. She still had her two apples, but had a feeling she wouldn’t be needing to provide her own food anytime soon.
xxxxxx“Is there a certain way we need to get off the train, or do we just leave?” Avalon murmured, looking up at Jackson as both stood. She didn’t know if she would ever get used to just how much the boy towered over her.
xxxxxx“I’m not sure, this is my first time signing up for the army after all.” Jackson smiled slightly, and turned to follow the others out. There didn’t seem to be an order, she noticed, to who got off and when. It was really just a mass of people trying to get off the train as soon as they possibly could. Many of those people were much taller than Avalon, and she found herself easily batted from side to side by others.
xxxxxxHuffing, the girl grabbed onto Jackson’s coat with one hand, the contrast between her pale skin and the coal black material almost startling. The other reached up to fiddle with her auburn braid, which had all but come out completely. Avalon made a mental note to put it up into a basic ponytail once she and the boy she clung to were free from the mass. Surprisingly, they were already almost to the car door, though there would be two other exits before the pair would be free.
xxxxxxThe woman that had nodded to Avalon before could be seen shoving her way through the crowd, not letting it guide her to the door the way Jackson had been doing. She paused only slightly when a hulk of a man refused to get out of her way. Her dark brown gaze grew darker in impatience, and she was quick to reach out with one hand and pinch the skin of the man’s neck between two fingers. He let out a yelp, flinching away from the pain instinctively. Her path cleared, the woman was quick to disappear into the next car.
xxxxxxNormally Avalon would have been following the same route she had, but didn’t want to abandon Jackson. It was the same feeling that had bothered her earlier that day, when the girl had had to leave him behind to find the train station. That, and now she felt like Jackson was the one person she was actually going to be close to here. It was always a good idea to stick with familiar people in unfamiliar situations.
xxxxxxAfter many long minutes of almost no progression to the door that led off the train, the pair were finally subject to fresh air. Avalon inhaled deeply, letting go of her companion’s coat as she did. She was not the claustrophobic type, never had been, but the teen couldn’t help but feel somewhat nervous after hours on the train with all those people. Before her stretched not another train station, but a single platform surrounded by hilled terrain. There was sparse foliage, mainly a small grouping of thick-trunked trees and a couple bushes that stuck low to the ground. The grass was tall, trampled in a large circle where multiple canvas tents had been set up some ways away from the platform. A stone well sat next to a water trough, where multiple hevonens were tied to wooden posts. Only one was drinking camly, the rest had wide dark eyes glued to the train. A crowd of people were gathered nearby, in front of a stone stage that reminded Avalon of the wooden one that Gondu had used back in Jedia, and that matched the well. Uniformed men and women could be seen dashing between tents, far less than the amount coming off the train.
xxxxxxShe took her time descending into the crowd, Jackson still ahead of her, and continued to take in her surroundings. The sun was now fully up, the sky a light blue color, the same color as her father’s eyes in the one picture the girl had of him. There were no clouds, if there had been they would be quickly swept away by the wind that still ran violently through the air. It nipped at Avalon’s ears, turning them red, and shoved her hands back into the warm depths of her pockets. It ruffled Jackson’s hair, and tangled the hevonens’ tails.
xxxxxxShe could see Gondu climbing up onto the stage, his gelled hair unfazed by the wind that refused to give up in its attempts to ruin the perfectly combed locks. He wasn’t smiling, his peppy demeanor long gone; his gaze was cold and hard as the stone he was using for leverage. It was like he had turned into a completely different person. It was like he had finally slipped into his proper position. He was intimidating, even from this distance, and Avalon could see why he was general.
xxxxxx“Recruits.” His voice rang out, loud and authoritative. The low murmur produced by many of the men and women in the crowd stopped, and all looked up at Gondu.
xxxxxx“I know many of you, if not all, have absolutely no experience in defending your kingdom and its people. But you want to try your hand at it, and that’s why you’re here. To train, to grow, and to become proper soldiers. You will be here for three months, unless you get sent home for other reasons. I suggest you use the time wisely. That will be all from me. Leonis?” Turning to the side, Gondu waved said colonel forward. As the blonde took center stage, the general slid off the stage and began making his way through the crowd.
xxxxxxLeonis began talking, but Avalon wasn’t listening, instead keeping her storm blue gaze on the dark hair that was all that could be seen of the general. He was weaving through the people, slowly making his way to where she and Jackson stood quietly. Well, rather she stood quietly. Her companion didn’t seem to know how to, shifting from foot to foot and sighing or inhaling deep enough that she could hear it as he did. It was actually quite annoying. Annoying to the point where the teen finally rolled her eyes and elbowed Jackson sharply.
xxxxxx“Hey!” The boy hissed, gaze darting down to meet the smaller girl’s. She frowned, lifting one finger to closed lips to motion a shushing noise. Before her companion could tell her to stop treating him like some kid, Gondu was upon them and he closed his mouth.
xxxxxx“Avalon, I trust your journey went well?” The mentioned girl nodded, the final bit of her braid coming completely undone. The general moved on as she caught the hair tie in one small hand, already leaning over to put her hair up into a ponytail. She hated having it getting in the way, thick and wild as it was. If Avalon ever left the locks down they made hunting a difficult task, and she couldn’t afford to waste a single arrow or bit of energy trying to land a hit that was sure to miss.
xxxxxxWhen she was done smoothing the hair into place and stood up straight again, Jackson was staring at her with eyes wide, and Leonis was finishing up his speech.