Chapter 5
The Bravian Cantina was a comfortable caf� in the center of Bravia, near Natonito Square. The Bravian palace, where the Viceroy of the province lived, was on one side of the square. The palace was a large stone fortress, with beautiful columns surrounding a pleasant courtyard. In the center of Natonito Square was a giant statue commemorating his role in driving off the hordes of the Animal Star Empire, defeating them just outside the city in the forests of meadows of Central Bravia. The Cathedral of the Bravians was opposite the palace, and on the other two sides of Natonito Square were the Natonito Express headquarters building and the Bravian Stock Exchange, which served as the offices of the Bravian Department of the Treasury as well. Right next to the BSE was a small stone building with skunks and great purple hairstreak butterflies painted on the walls. Bravians knew this as the official watering hole of those in power, where men could drink Secfenian Ale or Ruby Red Wine, watch young noblewomen try to sing and entertain the noblemen, and go off with courtesans to private rooms where sex and money were traded. Still, it was the best place to go to have a good conversation, as the ladies of the night did not bother those who were too young or were accompanied by a lady already.
Inside the dimly lit place they found a table for six, since the two mostly peaceful newborns did not need seats yet, and there the group sat down to hear Natonito speak of his younger days. All rapt at attention, the young people listened as Natonito began.
�The story I have to tell is one with many twists and turns. When I was going through all of these events, I did not have the time to think, except for those moments of panic as I sat in caves waiting for the troops to come and end my life,� Natonito said. �By the end of my running and fighting I had found love, had grown up, and had discovered much of the world that I had never seen. I hope my life can serve as a lesson to all of you.�
�This cantina, you built it, right?� Daniel said.
�Yes, how did you guess?� Natonito said.
�The pictures on the outside wall of skunks and your official butterfly were a hint, but what gave it away was that this room is so much like your library in the palace,� Daniel said.
�Interesting,� Natonito said. �Perhaps I need to be more creative in the future.�
�No worries,� Daniel said. �After all, our heart and mind speaks through whatever we do. We cannot escape who we are.�
�That is true,� Bathsheba said. �Being here gives me so many bad memories, and yet it was also the place I met you, who saved me from a miserable life.�
�Yes, my love,� Natonito said. �This place is full of memories for me, but no bad ones.�
�Before I begin telling my story,� Natonito said. �I want to give an outline of how it is going to go, so that you know where the story is heading. The story is justly famous, having been printed in many history books and novels.�
�It�s good reading,� Daniel said. �After all, the story of how Bravia held of the Empire of Juanita is exciting and dramatic.�
�Yes, and victory was by no means assured,� Natonito said. �In fact, after it happened, we could not believe ourselves. I am getting ahead of the story, though. I will begin by talking a little bit about how the rebellion began, and then will go through the early days of the rebellion when it was just a small group of people. Finally, the people of Bravia joined in when the Empire invaded, and we won a glorious victory. It was after the victory when I met Bathsheba, just after the Cantina was finished. I was so much in love with her that I bought her from her pimp, and she became mine. All of this happened quite recently. In fact, it occurred only a few years ago. Still, I hope it is a good story, since you are all old enough to remember the rebellion yourselves, at least the end of it.�
�Yes, I remember the Imperial troops marching through my parent�s farm looking for rebels,� Daniel said. �And I remember as a child carrying food to the rebels and witnessing the final battle for Bravian freedom. It was a great moment for me, and I knew I was watching history.�
�You were one of those peasant kids who brought us food?� Natonito said.
�Yes, I was. My family brought corn and beef and chicken from our own stock so that the troops of the nation were to be fed well,� Daniel said.
�Your family did its duty well, then,� Natonito said.
�I do not remember the rebellion myself,� Delia said.
�That is because Puria was late to join in the rebellion, only joining in when the rebellion was not against the empire, but against Elizabeth Smith. By that time the rebellion was almost over, and Emperor Robert Russ III quick to seize victory after the Imperial Army had been humiliated near Cork,� Natonito said. �So you would not have seen the rebellion, only the parades as the Empire was restored by Robert Russ III after the death of Juanita.
�Why do you call him Juanita?� Cherie said.
�Well, the former emperor had many names, and was a rather proud and arrogant man. He called himself Juan Constantine and Ioannes, among other things. He had a penchant for writing constitutions and then not following their rules,� Natonito said. His son, Natonito II, giggled. �Are you going to be like that too, my son?� He patted his baby boy on the head. Continuing, he said, �It was the name Juanita that stuck, though. After all, for all his regal posing he was really a weak ruler, great only in his own mind. And what is a better way to deface the memory of a ruler than by telling him, literally, that he has no cajones.�
�So he was a gelding?� Daniel said.
�After his capture in the palace by Robert Russ III, yes. He is still alive, mind you, but he is in the Alleria Mental Hospital in southern Imperium. That would make a good field trip some time,� Natonito said.
�Can he sing like the Castrati now?� Delia said.
�No, he doesn�t have much of a singing voice,� Natonito said. �The reason I mention all of this now is because it�s not really part of my story. Still, I thought you would find it amusing.�
�Yes, it is very interesting,� Daniel said. �Have you written about it yourself?�
�Of course I have. I capitalized on my fame by writing my memoirs of the rebellion, based off of my journal entries at the time,� Natonito said.
�I�m sure it sold lots of copies,� Henry said. �I know my dad made several million Freznics off of his books.�
�It was a best seller, mostly among adults who read that kind of stuff. For the young people like yourselves, the story is probably better known in its movie form,� Natonito said.
�Oh yea, I remember that movie,� Delia said. It was the only movie about a Bravian that I remember seeing in the Purian theaters.�
�With good reason,� Natonito said. �The Purians don�t like the Bravians very much, but that story was such a money maker that they could not turn down the opportunity.�
�Hey, I like a Bravian,� Delia said.
�Yes, but you are unusual. Still, that may not be a bad thing,� Natonito said.
At this point a waitress walked up. �Would you all like anything?�
�Sure, I would like a glass of root beer,� Natonito said.
�Alright, is all of this on one check?� the waitress asked.
�Yes, charge it to Natonito,� Natonito said.
�You�re the Directrix?� the waitress asked.
�Yes, I am,� Natonito said, showing her his photo id, sufficiently impressing her.�
�That will be without charge then. I can�t believe they didn�t show me pictures of the owner so I would know who he is. You don�t come here enough, you know,� the waitress said, teasingly.
�I know, I know. I am a busy man, you know,� Natonito said.
�What would the rest of you like?� the waitress asked.
�I would like a White Bravian,� Bathsheba said.
�What is that?� Delia asked.
�That is a non-alcoholic drink made from milk and premium malt drink,� Natonito said. �One of my favorite drinks myself.�
�I will have a root beer,� Daniel said.
�I will have a Shirley Temple,� Cherie said.
�I will have a Guiness Malt,� Henry said.
�And you, miss?� the waitress said.
�I will have a root beer as well,� Delia said. �What brand is it?�
�It is Bravian Root Beer, brewed here in the city,� the waitress said.
�Sounds good to me,� Delia said.
�You�re not from around here, are you miss?� the waitress said.
�No, I�m from Puria,� Delia replied.
�And you�re dating that freckled boy next to you?� the waitress said.
�Yes, I am,� Delia replied.
�Well, you must be a nice Purian then,� the waitress said. �Do you all know what you want to eat, or do you need a few minutes to look over the menu.�
�I think we�re ready,� Natonito said. �I will have the fried chicken with rolls and a baked potato.�
�I will have the chicken pot pie with rolls and a dinner salad, and Italian dressing� Bathsheba said.
�I will have the pot roast with a baked potato and carrots,� Henry said.
�I will have the soup and salad combo, with the chicken noodle soup and ranch dressing for my salad,� Cherie said.
�I will have the chicken parmasian, with the additional garden salad with Italian dressing,� Daniel said.
�And you, miss?� the waitress said.
�I will have the chicken fried steak with fries and a salad with Italian dressing,� Delia said.
�Hungry young lady there,� the waitress said.
�Yup,� Daniel said. �My girlfriend has quite an appetite.�
�Alrighty, have a good meal you guys,� the waitress said, walking away.
�That waitress was baiting you, my love,� Daniel said.
�I know, but I�m not surprised. The waitresses would do the same to you in Puria,� Delia said. �People don�t tend to like foreigners.�
�I suppose it would be a good time for me to begin my story,� Natonito said.
�Yeah, this should be good,� Daniel said.
�Alright,� Natonito said. �Don�t forget to eat while I speak.� Everyone laughed.
[ Chapter 4 ]
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