Song of the Lost Goddess

Chapter 2: A Little Prince

"Your highness! Your highness! You're going to get your cape wet!"

"I'm just going for a dip, Isam! It's not like I can flee anywhere in this getup!"

If there was a prize for most overstuffed, ludicrous outfit, I would win first-prize in an instant. I was wearing a long robe, mostly white, decorated with gold trimmings at the end, a lengthy cape of dark violet velvet, with the royal crest, and a few inches below, my coat-of-arms, finished off with white fuzzy trimming all around the edges. It was completely unnecessary at all times, even for just a little religious ritual.

Dammit. If I knew I was required to do this, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed. Yes, Yes, I know as the crown prince of Cyresia, it is important I follow duties so I may ascend as King. But one thing in particular. I do not know why I have to attend every religious service that takes place in the castle here. It's not like the gods are going to drop down from the heavens and rage if I don't show up.

That is, if there even are gods. Huh. Kind of funny that a prince, surrounded by all this characteristic worship doesn't believe in the gods. In fact, why do we put our culture around a bunch of sparkly beings who may or may not exist, It's complete shit. I refuse to acknowledge powerful deities if they turn out to be just silly illusions that some person uttering complete madness came up with.

So, instead of attending service at our royal shrine, I huffed away in a silent fury. My personal handmaid, Isam, followed me, hollering that I come back before anyone noticed. I just ignored her, and went to the courtyard, at the back of the castle, and sulked. It is not fair that I have to sit in false awe of false deities, in a kingdom surrounded around this. We should focus our energy modifying ourselves, not just dancing and chanting.

I sighed, unable to consult anything of my fate, or the current situation at hand. I sat near the pond, watching how it glistened in the sunlight, like a set of diamonds. Isam huffs up to me, fuming. You could almost see flames rising out of her ears. "I'm fully in charge of your well-being!" She exclaims. "Too bad you don't make it easy yourself, Your Highness!" I sighed in frustration. Isam is always nitpicky about me. Whether its my hair, or how I walk, she always seems to be mad about something. "What is it now, Isam?" I asked. She looked at me like an angry viper, ready to strike at any moment.

"Don't 'What is it now' Me! You know exactly what's it now!" she  screeched. "You can't just leave during a service, especially ones like these!" She paces around the pond, still fuming. Abruptly, the maidservant stops, and says in an unusually cool voice,"Do you know what day it is?"

I look up at her. "Of course. It is the Pre-Solstice 16th day, of the month Dier, in the year-" "That's not what I meant." She interrupts. I look up at her, a little vexed. Just because I have abandoned religious "duties", it still doesn't give her any right to interrupt me. She's had this flaw often, that she habitually forgets her position when dealing with higher authority. She realizes her error, and flashes me a sheepish smile. "Wh-What I mean, is that it is the festival of the goddess Aestae, of summer rains, and merry crops." Then, Isam sits down next to me. "'T'is vary important," She proclaims, mimicking my speech teacher. I crack a smile, and she giggles, but then her mood grows sober. "Why, Prince Rennes?" she asks. "Why did you flee from the shrine?"

I look away, and sigh. "It's complicated, Isam. " I say, half-heartedly." But to sum it up, I.." My answer fades off.

Isam turns my head around to face her. "You what?" She asks, her bright olive eyes, confused. I bite my lower lip. Do I really want to tell her? Sure, Isam is trusted with my life, and she is my only confidant, but when I tell her something, I often fear her reaction. The handmaiden tends to get angry very quickly, and I can't fathom just how aggressive she'll get with me.

"...I don't believe in the gods." I state, swallowing a lump in my throat. I look away, unable to look into her eyes. I don't need to look to know what rabid emotions she's burning in her mind. I can sense confusion, anger, sadness, and a bit of sympathy? The air is silent for quite a while, the mood so tense you could bite it with one ragged tooth. Finally, Isam breaks the silence.

"So..You only believe in one god then?" she asks quite innocently, but I know she's ready to strike. I shrug my shoulders. "No, I don't think that's it. The reason is because, I just simply don't believe in them. I can't see them, I can't pray to them, I can't-"

"Can't or Won't?" She asks. I can sense the iciness in her voice, and I don't blame her. "Your Highness, These gods saved my life. If it wasn't for them, I'd-"

"That wasn't those foolish gods, it was people who saved you!" I yell. She looks away, swearing under her breath. I reach for her shoulder, but she just shrugs it away, disgusted with my touch.

"We're not like you," she says in a tight voice. I sense suppressed rage upon every word. She turns to face me, but this time, I cannot face her. Venom seeps into her voice. "I know, to the bottom of my heart that the Elemental Saints,  Mother Atroina and Child, minor and major gods, they are all watching us. They are ones who keep track of fate. They are the ones who saved me that day. It was not human strength. It was divine."

I open my mouth to protest, but close it again. I do not want to anger her further. Isam is very frightful when antagonized, so it is a good reason as to why she is not only my personal servant, but also the one who protects me the most. I looked at her again, studying her long, light brown hair,  slightly tanned complexion, dressed in a light green silk tunic, with a darker green outer-skirt billowing beneath it, where the hem rests just below her ankles. It is an outfit quite fit for a servant, though she isn't just a lowly maid. As I gazed at her, she caught my attention. Her cheeks were flushed. "I believe it is time to go back, my lord. We have wasted quite some time," she says. I sigh, but nod. Then, suddenly, a shout is heard, and I look near a building's windows. maids are running back and forth, carrying sorts of supplies. Footmen are shouting, Guards are looking confused, it is quite pandemonium. Isam and I travel back into one of the castle's corridors, where we bump into a maid. "What is the problem?" I ask.

She replies, out of breath. "I'm not entirely sure, but apparently someone has fallen from the cliff overlooking the Xenes sea. Sailors saw her. I was told to fetch supplies." I nod and then send her on her way. As she left, I considered it odd that people would be freaking out that much just because someone has fell. Unless they're of very high status, and if so, what were they doing falling off a cliff?

Authors note: AHAHAHA I can't believe I forgot about this story. .-. I'm sorry guys :(