In Her Waking [Formerly Breathe . . .]

Chapter 19

The ride away from Mañana's black and white castle wasn't a bad one.

I kept peering out of the window, feeding my eyes with the view of all those other houses and people we passed by.

I got bored at some point so I decided on making some small talk with the driver.

I would talk about anything. Just anything I knew or wanted to know more about.

"So... the Mistopian kingdoms huh."

"Yeah. We have quite a history. Borrowing human culture, language and technology and some people still hate 'em. It's just weird you know."

"Sure..."

"I really still wonder how you ended wound up in here but it's not really my job."

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked.
"Xinxe." The cheerful man replied.

"Is it... Mistopian?"
"Well of course it is." He said.

That's one problem tackled.

El Amores was part of some Mistopian order of Kingdoms kind of thing.

"Are there others?"

"Eight really. You've got El Amores, goldmine of the territory, Osamor, direct descendants of the Cupids, wonderful creatures. Dajanqor... not very friendly people."

He waved at someone out on the road.

"Quercus Robur, those guys sent their emissaries to go learn the wonderful cultures of the human people. They are very respected."

"Jyanah has always been the kingdom with very, very strange dragons..."

I tilted my head. "Are we talking game of thrones kind of dragons?"

He chuckled. "Ah, no I'm talking phoenix and basilisk powered kind of dragons."

I nodded slowly in disbelief. "They sound like warriors."

"No. They really just like to keep pets."

The little moment of silence between us got him to continue.

"And we've got the feuding twin kingdoms of Bohre and Kwesst."

"Twins?"

"In the ancestral times --- as I'd like to call it, Lord Konquesst had two children who he loved very much. Of course that was a lie, everyone always prefers the boy child to the girl child."

"His children, twins Bohre and Kwesst never liked each other anyway. When his death approached, they were meant to rule together but they hated each other to the point they didn't want to see each other's faces."

I listened.

"So, after the death of their father, they decided to agree with each other on one thing."

"Splitting kingdoms?" I guessed.
The driver nodded.

"As for Xinxe, we can call it the head kingdom. It watches all other kingdoms in the Mistopian territories."

"Is their ruler Quilpxe?" I asked.

"Very unfortunately, yes."

"Many people don't seem to like him very much." I concluded.

"Everyone has their sour attributes." He said.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I slept for most of the journey to Xinxe.
When I woke up, we were still on the road.

I slept for a total of six times on our way there.

I woke up to a tap on my shoulder.
"We're here." The driver said.