Traveling

"Hey, Alex, let's go! I don't want to be late again because of you!" The girl shouted from the first floor, at the foot of the wooden staircase.

"Hey, hey... What a hysterical girl..." Alex said, yawning as he descended the stairs.

Upon reaching the end, Alex passed by the girl who had been shouting and, grabbing his coat from the hook next to the door, said: "You shouldn't shout so much, otherwise you'll never get a boyf-"

*SLAP*

Giving Alex a slap on the head, the girl stood in front of him and, looking into his eyes, said: "Shut up, bed-wetter."

"Haha, that was 2 years ago, you think I care?" Alex responded with a mocking smile."So it's no problem if I tell this to... Luna." The girl replied with a raised eyebrow.

Hearing the threat, Alex lost his mocking smile and said with a dark countenance: "You wouldn't dare."

"Don't make me late." The girl replied with a victorious smile, as she hopped out of the house.Outside, a defeated-looking Alex and a victorious-looking young girl got into the car that was already running. Inside, an older version of the girl sat in the passenger seat and, next to her, a handsome man with a mustache rested his arms on the steering wheel.

"How do you guys take so long, even waking up so early today... Also, are you kids already fighting?" The woman said, looking back, raising an eyebrow at the downcast Alex.

"We weren't, mom. Right, Alex?" The girl said with a sweet smile.

"Viper, snake, serpent." Alex whispered.

"What was that, dear? I didn't hear you."

"We weren't fighting, mom. I just... Got dumped by a girl at school." Alex replied, thinking of any excuse.

"Oh, dear. She must be an idiot to reject such a handsome boy!".

"Relax, son. Even I, for example, have never been rejected." The father said.

"..."."...".

"And what message do you want to give to Alex by saying that?" The mother asked, raising one of her eyebrows, after the silence.

"Uh... To relax?" The father replied, oblivious.

*SLAP*At the sound of a slap on the head, the car started to move.

A handsome man and a handsome young man kept their shoulders loose, while the two women present laughed and chatted among themselves.

*Sigh* A double sigh could be heard.

"..."."...".

Outside of the exaggerated drama, Alex found himself lost in his thoughts, as he observed the urban view from his window and listened in passing to the conversation in the car.

"Honey, don't forget to pick up the orders with Elizabeth. We can't show up there without them." The mother said.

"Ah... Is there really a need to bring so much stuff?".

"Of course, whenever my sister visits us she brings gifts for everyone.".

"Yes, yes. I loved the pair of socks from last summer." The father retorted, laughing.

"Just don't forget, after all, it's all paid for."

"Ah... Ok, ok." The father sighed.

"Dad, do we really have to go with you to Aunt Susan's house?" Alex asked, joining the conversation.

"Yes, dad. I hate those hags!" The sister affirmed, taking her eyes off the cell phone, rolling her eyes.

"Who? Helena and Anna? They really are little devils, haha!" The father said, laughing.

"Hey, don't talk like that about my sister's daughters, Jhon!" The mother complained with a pout.

"Hey, hey. I'm just kidding, hahaha! But kids, we've already bought the tickets and you-".*HOOONK!*

.........

With a deep and desperate inhalation, Alex wakes up euphoric with wide eyes.

"..."."Damn dream...".

Coming out of the initial shock, Alex adjusts himself in bed, leaning a little more and relaxes his tense body, taking some deep breaths.

With his heart calming down, Alex turns to the slightly open window of his room and observes, still a little sleepy, the dust particles that were illuminated by the beam of sunlight.

Focusing his gaze on the landscape behind the window, Alex loses himself amidst the lively city that presents itself.

As the city of Castle Grey was built on a large hill, with its main castle in the center, all the buildings behind the great wall were built in a continuous depression until the flatter outer area of the external city, which allowed a panoramic view of the city for those who were at the height of the wall floor.

Slowly getting up from his bed, Alex walks to the slightly open window and opens it.With his hands on his hips, Alex observes the lively external city.

~~~

With his hand on his hip, Alex watches the magnificent Castle Grey City receding in the distance.

"You shouldn't stand with both hands on your hips in a carriage, my son." Said the wrinkled old lady, seeing Alex unbalanced and awkwardly holding onto the wall of the large covered carriage.

In the end, after buying a regional map in a map store, Alex knew where he wanted to go: 'White Cloud City'.

The problem was that, despite being the nearest large city, any small distance in this world, in fact, was a great distance and, considering the primitive methods of transportation, the story gets even worse.

"Sorry, I felt an uncontrollable urge to make a transition..." Alex said, as he sat down."Trans- what?" The lady asked.

"I was praying." Alex replied.

"Oh, yes. Good boy, just don't stand in a carriage, especially with loose hands. When I was young, I had a friend who...".

~~~~~~~~~

"So I always say, don't drink milk with mango. You belie-".

"WE'RE HERE!" The loud voice of the coachman interrupted the grandmother's monologue.

Alex, with the loud voice of the coachman, woke up from his seated sleep and asked, bewildered: "Where have we arrived?".

"Exactly, my young man, that's where we've arrived at the point where I-"

Interrupting the grandmother, a bald man with a goatee, who was sitting right next to Alex, giving two pats on his shoulder, says: "We've arrived at the camping spot, young man, you can get off.".

Looking at the grandmother, who was already ready to bombard him with stories, Alex quickly said: "Now that we've arrived, I'm going to help the guys. You can tell me that part later, ok, grandma?"

"All right, son, you really have to help. Help them well and maybe I'll tell you a special story, hehe-".*Cough - Cough*

"Are you okay, grandma?" Alex asked, worried.

"I'm fine, dear. *Cough - Cough* My throat is just a little dry, for some reason."

"All right, grandma. I'm going to help the guys, drink something, ok?" Alex said, quickly withdrawing, in contrast to his supposed concern.

~~~

Around a bonfire, Alex, the bald man who saved him from the machine-gun grandma, and two other men were warming up and chatting. Scenes like this were happening all around the makeshift camp of the group that Alex had joined.

From mercenaries hired for protection, wandering merchants, refugees, adventurers, and even villagers seeking to change their lives in a city with greater opportunities, all together in the large traveling group.

In ancient times, traveling was always expensive, whether due to the necessary forecasts or the various types of dangers that present themselves in a medieval world, so joining a large group was the norm for a long journey.

"I can't even feel my penis." Said the fat man with the rosy cheek.

"Is that what she said?" Joked the skinny old man, his baldness creating a halo in his hair.

"Hahaha!" The men present laughed. Alex finally feeling a bit more relaxed.

Now at a safe distance from Castle Grey City, he finally felt that he had overcome the previous phase. And he didn't know how long he hadn't been able to enjoy a relaxed and silly conversation, without hidden interest and without fear.

"Are you okay, son? What's that look?" Said the bald man, noticing Alex's conflicting emotions."Just anxious, Mr. Kevin." Alex said, coming back to himself. "It's just the first time I feel... free."

"I understand you, kid. The best thing I did when I was young was to leave home and become a mercenary. I was tired of getting beaten by my drunk old man and my mother preferred him over me...".

"Who hasn't had a drunk and abusive father?" Said the rosy fat man among laughs.

"Well, life isn't easy for anyone, but it's certainly comfortable to be a mercenary. If you're lost in life, I can invite you to the guild. With an invitation, as long as you can stand on your own two feet, you'll be eligible as a member." Kevin said, pulling out a metallic flask and frowning as he took a sip: "Want a sip, boy?".

"I don't drink, thank you very much.".

"I'll take it, greasy baldy." Said the rosy man.

"You drink your own drink, fat fuck." Kevin mocked.

Carefree laughter from the men echoed in the cold night and Alex, the former recluse who never thought he would enjoy the company of old, noisy drunks, felt more and more at home.