Beyond The Walls

Chapter 2. Faith

Cherie's POV

Convoluted (adj)

Very twisted

"Hot, blow on it." Momma micromanages as she sets a muffin on my plate.

Amias has already devoured one and is currently working on another one while dad dips his in his tea. He says it adds pizzazz, whatever that may mean.

I hiss biting into it, not following my moms instructions to blow on it like I was supposed to. She looks at me with raised eyebrows and an 'I told you so' smile.

"On your butt, Amias." Dad lightly scolds him as he stands in the wooden chair, causing it to wiggle.

The structural integrity of some of our furniture isn't the best, but it functions so it'll do until it fully breaks and dad has to fix it.

Amias pouts but listens, sitting on his butt and finishing his muffin.

"So," momma says as she sits down, "would you mind bringing this to your grandfather before work? I made extra for him." She holds up a small basket of the same hickory nut muffins.

I prefer hickory nut pie, but the muffins fill me up good enough until lunch.

"Of course." I agree, taking a sip of milk.

Papa loves momma's muffins. That's one thing grandma didn't pass down before she passed. Momma created it herself.

Dad kisses my mom goodbye on the cheek and gives my little brother and I a long hug.

Amias was not a planned child. The king and queen blessed us with the approval to keep him. You have to always get a pregnancy approved by royalty and most of the time, if it isn't approved, they return the child to God.

I think that it's a convoluted practice, if a child is a gift, why should it be forced to return to God if he's gifted it to us?

I have so many questions that I'd ask the king and queen, but some people don't return after asking questions. Or at least that's the wives tale.

Most women only have one child, they aren't permitted to have a second due to the fear of food shortages, over crowding, and probably more things that I don't quite understand.

Amias was born on four years ago, when I was fourteen. A lot of people used to believe he was my son when I was alone with him alone in public but now everyone knows that momma was blessed.

Dad leaves to return to work for his shift.

"I think I'm about to head out too, momma." I announce.

Momma smiles, sliding the basket towards me as to tell me to not forget about bringing them to papa.

Papa's house is on the east side of the kingdom while mine is the furthest to the west. It takes about twenty minutes to walk to his house from mine, sometimes a good half hour when the weather conditions are bad.

It would be amazing if we had a horse and carriage, but dad says that exercise is good, walking is good for the heart. Papa told him that and he's never forgotten.

Papa was a doctor before the king had him retire. Shaky hands on a doctor could be a death sentence and papa is quite old, so he slightly trembles.

I knock on his door and he quickly answers it.