Childish

The food was thrown at her and she picked it up, throwing it right back. The old man jerked and hissed out his displeasure at the rebuttal, "The hell is this about? You have no right to just come in here and-"

"You've misconstrued your god's words," she stated. "If it was on purpose I came to find out."

"You're here for assistance with Istvan the Conqueror. Nothing else," the man snapped back.

"Civil conversation, please," Cathlinn hummed. "I don't want to have a bad experience here."

"You're making it one for yourself," he growled.

"No. I'm making it worth my while," she casually walked to the seat across from his at the desk, the man watching. She sat down and tapped her foot slowly, "You see, I don't much like some societies here. The last king I visit had a harem and yet wanted my hand in marriage. You can only imagine how insulted I felt when I showed up in clothes that suited my tastes and not his."

"What are you implying," the man sat down and rested his jaw in his hand.

"You're a religious people. I see that in the stained glass and the carvings on the walls. So how do you believe the eating habits for your women are what they are," she was trying to be nonchalant yet her heart raced a mile a minute.

"Women are the essence of the sea," he started.

"No. They are the treasures of the abyss," Keith whispered. Cathlinn jumped and glanced at him before repeating his words in the same tone; infuriated yet calm.

"And as much as I believe you have good intentions, I don't think they're proper," she hummed.

"The storms would stop," Keith squeezed Cathlinn's shoulders and she shivered a bit from how cold his fingers were. "The light would reach the sand and illuminate the halls that were built in my name. They'd see their god."

"Keith, I'm not relaying that," Cathlinn muttered. The old man was watching her closely, his eyes squinting a bit.

"Who is your source," he asked.

"I refuse to show face to these men," Keith sniffed. "They don't deserve it."

"It's called divine intervention," Cathlinn stared at the old man, speaking a bit louder, "You could grace them and then relay your real message once more."

"There is much to relay," Keith sighed.

"And I have limited-"

"Who are you talking to," the man hit his hand on the desk, glaring.

"You've gone and twisted your scriptures," Cathlinn sighed. "Just like so many other religions I've run into and yours is so tightly woven with your government it affects everyone's life. All I was worried about, was your women."

"A petty little girl like you-"

"You haven't seen petty, sir," Cathlinn sniffed and patted Keith's hand. "Petty is the god you've angered."

"I'm not petty," Keith protested.

"The gods are not petty. They do not concern-"

"What are the requirements to being on the council," Cathlinn asked.

"Clean of mind, clean of body, wise and thoughtful," the man began. "A deep understanding of the scriptures and history of the land and those that interact with it. The ability to hold the flame of the hearth and still swing a sword."

"And they have failed that," Keith sniffed. "I haven't seen any of them lift a blade more than to meet that requirement. It's sad to see the warriors of the sea lose that aspect of themselves."

"I think you need to research your scriptures more. Your women are starving and probably dying from malnutrition at alarming rates. It's not uncommon for girls to have eating disorders but to have it mandated," Cathlinn blinked as the man looked above her. She stared up at Keith and patted his hand, pushing a smile to her face. "There you are, Keith."

"Where did he come from," the man asked.

"I've been here. I've been in the oceans, in these halls," Keith glanced down at Cathlinn before looking forward. "My words are so far gone, none of you understand."

"You're-"

"He allows you to see," Cathlinn informed him. Her chest squeezed and she took in a deep breath. "I may be a foreigner but there is much I know about health. It's vital for a thriving society and it lets there be room to grow in technology and culture."

"The Princess was a blessing that came with no notice," Keith held the sides of Cathlinn's face and squished her cheeks a bit. "And it's taking much of her courage and energy to speak to you on improvement. I want you to listen. There is much to learn from this woman."

Mei was the first to latch on to Cathlinn, her arms squeezing the smaller woman. Cathlinn blinked and looked around a bit nervously at Carmichael and Simon's morbid faces. "What happened?"

"The council has denied any of our travels with you to the north. They think we will get in the way," Carmichael stated. Cathlinn slowly nodded and frowned a bit, rubbing Mei's back.

"What were you speaking with Briskebar about," Simon asked.

"Religion," Cathlinn stated bluntly. "They may be insulted. I'll take the hound with me and I doubt Keith will allow anything funny to happen."

"I also received news and information on the Queen," Carmichael nodded. "She was seen practicing a religion not native to Cavidiar thoroughly."

"Was it the monotheistic," Cathlinn moved from Mei and sat down, leaning back and tapping at the table in the room.

"It was," Simon confirmed. "She was also seen leaving the castle and hadn't returned for hours."

"We need everything the king has already gathered. Her actions are starting to show terrorist movements," Cathlinn nodded slowly as she started going through the information she had mentally.

"By just worshipping a different god," Mei seemed shocked as she placed a hand over her chest.

"No, by her involvement in the fires that were set outside the castle," Cathlinn stated. "The religion is a pretext. She may be wanting more power than she already has and she needs a reason to gain it."

"What do you mean," Mei asked.

"I have nothing against different religions, Mei. So whatever gods you worship, you may worship. It's called religious freedom. However, where I'm from, there were a few organizations that delved into terrorist behavior all while using the pretext of their god or a large ideaology. The bastards liked lighting my fucking country on fire," Cathlinn replied. "They were a radical movement because their religion allowed and even called for the violence."

They silently took the information in as Cathlinn remembered the training. She rubbed her head and sighed quietly, "We need more information about their movements too if we want to find any correlation."

"How are you so sure there is any," Carmichael asked.

"A gut feeling," she replied. "It'll take time and I need to be doing other things in the meanwhile. Why didn't either of you tell me I was the heir to the throne." She turned to Carmichael and Simon who both shifted nervously.

"That has not been announced to the public," Simon said slowly.

"Then how does the council know," she asked. The two looked to each other and they both frowned. "We need to dig into the staff back at the council if that's the case. It means there are spies amongst them if people outside know that shit."

"Don't pile your dish too high," Mei warned. "I don't think your heart can endure that for too long."

"My heart is fine," Cathlinn sighed. "It's a mental condition, not a physical one." The three sat down at the table and glanced to one another.

"You've been having more," Carmichael said cautiously.

"And we think you need a break," Simon nodded. Cathlinn's glare had them squirming on the inside as her fingers thrummed on the table. "This trip was supposed to be for that yet you've only focused on improving relationships and making more."

"There's no rest for the wicked," Cathlinn stared at them and rubbed her face. "That means we need to be many steps ahead to beat the fuckers."

"This isn't even your home," Mei seemed to have caught on as she stared at the boys and then at Cathlinn. "Why are you trying so hard if it's not yours?"

"Because it's fucked and I can't just sit back and watch it," Cathlinn fumed. She couldn't and she knew she wouldn't be able to rest easy if she let it be. They were letting things slide by and she didn't know if it was because of their lack of technology or experiences in the matters. "War doesn't fucking end. It's always a waiting game to see what side fucks up first."

"We aren't at war," Carmichael exclaimed quietly.

"You're in a different kind of war, Carmichael, and none of you are paying it any attention," Cathlinn sighed. "You've already fucked it up and you don't know any better."