The Ones Who Wander

A Test of Patience

 Hello? Is anyone even here anymore? XD I am so, so sorry for the long wait. I literally have no excuse for this, only that this chapter did not want to get written. That's all. I would sit for hours and try for something to come out and... it didn't work.

Claudine was such a difficult character for me to write. I've said it before, I do not share her religion, which would not have been a problem except for the fact that this young lady took fanaticism to an extreme. And I don't blame her, because it's her father who drilled those ideas into her head, but it was incredibly hard to get those words out of me because I simply didn't feel them. I had thought that Claudine's chapters would be something like an experiment to me, a challenge. And I challenge it was, just not the fun type.

Don't get me wrong, I love this girl to bits, but the main reason it took me so long to post this chapter was that my protagonist was unwilling to cooperate with me. That's it. Another important reason for the delay is that school sucks. Majorly.

Anyways, moving on, there are some mentions of abuse, although it's not graphic at all. It should be noted that Claudine does not consider it abuse in any way. Em... there's some cursing, I believe. Honestly, though, if you're still here after that first chapter I think some curse words are the least of your worries. They sure are the least of my mine.

I think that's all form me, i'll leave you with Geminalupus:

"Geminalupus here, so anyone who was mad at the long wait, the blame rests fully on my shoulders. It took me a month to return this chapter to Karen and bless her heart she didn't yell at me once. We hope you enjoy the next part to the story and good luck to everyone (like us) who has to face school starting up again!"

PD: Karen again, don't listen to what my beta says. It took her a month to send the chapter back, but it took me three to get it written, so, honestly, it's all my fault and she's just wants to make me feel better.

A Test of Patience

Claudine Frollo was a modest person. She knew near to nothing about greed —it was hard to, with the fact that everything in the Isle were hand-me-downs— and little about envy—she was thankful for what she had and didn't wish for anything that was not her right to receive.

On the contrary, Claudine Frollo knew that the scarcities she had to endure in her terrestrial life would be reciprocated beyond her expectations once she entered the Lord's domains. She accepted her fate silently, with a bowed-down head and docile eyes, for He knew better.

She also liked to think that she was hardworking—she was up at the crack of dawn, by 4:30 she had already taken a bath, icy water still dripping from her hair, and started fixing a frugal breakfast for her father. That she had little to cook with was an understatement, but what was worse was that even fewer of the things that arrived to the Isle were worthy of her father, so mornings were always a matter of creativity and imagination.

It was a good thing that there was always coffee available at the Isle, even if it was bitter and tasteless. Her father had never really praised her for her work or said he'd liked anything. On the contrary, he always complained that it was in need of more salt or that it was burnt, that it was insipid. Claudine could only do so much, but she didn't reply with anything. Her father was the Minister of Justice, and for that he deserved the best that could be managed at the Isle. He did seem less prone to throwing the food in Claudine's direction when he'd had coffee first, therefore she was always careful to have it boiling and ready when her father walked out of his room.

Claudine never ate breakfast with her father. She rarely ate breakfast altogether.

Once her father's food had been taken care of, Claudine moved to the side chapel of the cathedral and began scrubbing the floors. The benches she cleaned only on Mondays, or if by any chance someone had decided to visit the old cathedral. She then returned to the small dining room and began tidying up the place. First, she washed and dried the dishes so she could store them away. With that done, she got on her way to Dragon Hall.