A Betrayal of Faith ✔

SEVEN: Decisions

For four days, Isiah watched over the Prince. It wasn't the worst arrangement, but it wasn't the one he'd expected to have. The Prince, for the most part, was kind and patient with him while he learned the ins and outs of the castle. Whenever they had a spare moment, Nerin would show him around and get him to guide them back the way they came.

Isiah had an awful memory, something he hadn't learned until he arrived at the castle almost a week ago. He barely remembered anyone's names unless he spent more than a few minutes with them. Directions were even worse, but slowly but surely, he was learning.

Four days in and he knew how to get from his rooms in the servants quarters to Nerin's rooms to the classrooms, church, and dining hall. Sometimes he got lost, but he was getting better. Nerin didn't seem to mind. Any extra time taken seemed to be good for him. From what Isiah had seen during prayer and dinners, the brothers hadn't talked much.

He saw Princess Sharina sometimes, mostly when he took Nerin to pray at the church. She didn't say a word to him, but sometimes she gave him a little smile. They hadn't talked much on the way to Ishmar, but the company had still been nice.

Whenever he got the chance, Nerin would attempt to talk to Princess Sharina. Most of the time, he would get a few words in before Harudan came along with something for him to do. But there were times where they were able to have a decent conversation. Nerin almost seemed desperate to talk to her.

It reminded Isiah when he was Nerin's age and he had felt infatuation for the first time. It had been one of the apprentice monks teaching him at the time. There'd been a male and a female and most of the boys had swooned over the woman, but Isiah had been different. He told no one about his feelings for the man, especially considering they were friends. He'd tried not to feel too heartbroken when he married someone else.

Watching Nerin talk to the Princess reminded him of that time. It had been easier then, despite his confusing feelings. He hadn't had feelings for anyone since and had never really bothered with figuring out who exactly it was he tended to be attracted to.

While Nerin's attempts at talking to the Princess were the most entertaining parts of his new job, there were some bad parts to it. The irritated looks he occasionally got from Harudan whenever Nerin arrived late or was caught sneaking around weren't so bad. In fact, the worst part about his job was something he hadn't expected to be upset about.

It was standing around while Nerin and the others prayed every morning and evening. It meant that he wasn't able to pray except at midday and he had to ask permission from Nerin every time. And he had to stand around in a church of Gods he didn't believe it. It felt wrong, as though he were an imposter. There was nothing he could about it unless he wanted to face the wrath of the King again.

The statues of Sol and Lune looked so much like the statues of his own Gods. Every time he saw them all he could think of was the conversation he had had with Nerin about the differences between their religions.

The Old Gods had been the first religion, the one that both Brenmar and Minisia had been built off. It felt wrong to forget them, but that was what people did. Something new came along and the thing they had believed in for so long was forgotten. With the new religion came a new language and the language of the Old Gods died. Only those who still believed learned the dead language.

Standing in the church of deities he didn't believe in made him uncomfortable. Every single time he was there, he wanted to run, but he had to stay. The King made him stay. Nerin needed to be watched over, even during his silent prayers.

Whenever Isiah was alone, he thought back to the night King Harudan had told him to escort Prince Nerin. In his dreams, the King's words ran around and around, repeating over and over. Isiah couldn't figure out why.