The age of Bangna

A mother's words

Earth knew that Mix from a small village on the outskirts of Bangna's territory basically away from anything and everything, but he didn't think it would be this small either. The town consisted of more fields filled with crops than actual houses, and the houses themselves were made of wood and straw, he still couldn't understand how they managed to resist harsh weather and not collapse. As soon as they entered the village, various people were milling about all wearing simple working clothes, their skin tan from working in the sun for hours. They were all poor Earth thought and yet every single person that met them bowed at him and gave him the biggest smile, sincere and coming from their hearts, especially towards Mix. Earth could clearly see that everyone had missed him, both women and men coming up to them to either hug Mix or pat him on the shoulder welcoming him back. Mix already making notes of any people that had fallen sick and thinking what herbs and flowers he needs to collect at some point. "Where are we going?" Earth asked as Mix increased his pace almost breaking into a run towards one of the small wooden houses. Mix smiled merely in answer as they arrived in front of the door, he knocked twice waiting in anticipation. A woman emerged wearing a long brown skirt reaching towards the ground, her hair was away from her face tied with a piece of blue fabric and her face was round and sweet. Her eyes widened as soon as she looked at them, her eyes filling up with happy tears and a smile that Earth sure is familiar with it. The woman hugged Mix tightly muttering endearments about how worried sick she was after he had stopped sending her letters. "Earth, this is my mother," Mix said once he let go of his mother, the latter getting shy as she finally recognised who was standing beside Mix muttering apologies and bowing. Earth stopped her immediately, it was he who was intruding not the other way around "Nonsense with everything happening, please come in while I prepare something for you and we can talk inside, it's safer" Mix's mother said ushering them inside.

Just like the outside village, the inside of Mix's house was small and simple too Earth noted, that it wasn't filled with gold, with columns and lavish furniture and custom-made paintings, instead, it was simply filled with cooking pots and pans, wooden chairs clearly old and small objects all around clearly the workings of a child and a mother proudly displaying them as decoration. It was warm inside and Earth had never felt so comfortable before, Mix's mother directed him to sit on the armchair present in what was supposed to be the living room, it was stiff and hard but Earth didn't mind as Mix's mum paced all over the house muttering about how had she known she would have prepared something beforehand and berated Mix for not telling her, the latter whining and pouting in response, Mix's dynamic with his parent completely different from his.

"I know it's not what you are used to" Mix said, coming up next to Earth and sitting next to him with a cushion present under him, there was only one armchair in the room, his eyes turned golden lighting up the stove pot flame as Mix's mother came to put a pot over it, she almost dropped the stirring pot in her hand as she looked worriedly at Earth at Mix's clearly visible display. "He knows," Mix said looking up at Earth to see his reaction, he merely nodded and smiled at Mix's mother hoping that it's enough to convey that nothing bad was going to happen. She sighed then, clearly happy with Earth's response, she promised to come talk to them later after she was done preparing a meal. "Does your mother also have magic?, that's why you were born with it" Earth whispered hoping that she didn't hear them, he didn't want to seem rude. "No she doesn't, she's just a normal physician, she learnt from a retired physician that came to live here teaching her all she knows then she passed it to me...my father I don't know much about him only that he had the ability to talk to dragons" Mix said waiting for Earth's reaction.
"He was a dragon lord?? Then do you also possess that gift" Earth asked shocked. Mix smiled sadly before responding "I wouldn't know, all the dragons and dragon lords have been killed off leaving not one left"