To get to the mountains, they first had to cross a wide plain. The good aspect was that they did not fear running into any villagers, because it was a huge, unpopulated expanse. The royal family had promised the kingdom that the fields would be used for agriculture and growth of crops, but they were never cultivated. Hundreds of acres spread out before them, and Elaine felt the loss of all that potential to grow wheat for hungry and starving people.
One more unkept promise, thought Elaine. One more thing the king and queen will have to answer to.