Katherine 

"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned," started off Katherine who kneeled at the confessional while hand signaling the holy cross.

"Good morning, Katherine. How long has it been since your last confession?" asked Father Frederick with a low tone in his voice. Katherine felt tempted to find water and deliver it to him.

"I cannot keep count anymore. I believe it was three days ago. Did I not confess twice that day?"

"Yes, I believe you did," the holy father laughed before he quickly coughed. "You seem to be dealing with a great deal of things as of late. What is it that you are confessing today?"

Before speaking, she groaned knowing in fact that she had in fact been dealing with a great number of things as of late. The kingdom itself had been dealing with a number of hard things.

"I do not mourn the death of my brother. In my heart, I feel relieved that he is departed from this world." Her heart quickly discovered a shivering beat at the mere mention of her words.

"Yes, your brother Isaac was a rather difficult one." Was Frederick agreeing with her? Did he not care for him? "He found himself in trouble too many times and never suffered many consequences. Alas, I suppose this is what happens with the younger-born child. Never enough discipline."

"And yet, I was the youngest of my siblings."

"Yes, I suppose you somehow are well disciplined." With little sight, she could feel the father's smile and its warmth. If the confessional had not separated them, she would have given him a hug. "The king rarely comes to confess and your brothers were not much unlike. Perhaps you take after your mother. She was a wonderful woman. Gone too soon."

"Damn that plague. A shame it had not taken my father."

"Why don't we find a seat in the sanctuary? It is far too stuffy in here." Without another second wasted, Frederick stood away from his small room and quietly walked Katherine into the great sanctuary and they sat down.

The holy father sat down quietly for a moment while he eyed the front of the church. It was unclear if he had been praying to the Son of God who laid on the wretched cross. She had seen this image too many times during the mass. Most Sundays, she would pay more attention to it and less attention to the words of the good father.

"I hold a feeling you have something more on your heart than the dreadful passing of your brother."

"My father the king is an arrogant ass," the girl uttered without hesitation or thought while her fist placed much force against her seat. "He expects me to marry the prince of Oakwood to preserve our royally damned house and bring strength between two kingdoms. If it could not be worse, this announcement is to happen at the upcoming ball. It is the only reason that this worthless ball is taking place. They might as well serve dog's vomit."

"Yes, I suspected this trouble earlier today after hearing of this ball." By this point, the holy man placed his fingers together against his chin. Was he in thought? "Do tell me, Katherine, do you not wish to marry the prince of Oakwood? I have met him once in my life, he is a fair man."

Without thought, the girl found a hymnal on the ground and hit it against her forehead a few times before responding leaving the priest to wonder if he should stop what was happening.

"I rather not marry the fowl prince of Oakwood! I have grown weary of my father the king saying what and what I cannot do! Not once did he ever show that he was proud of who I was. Not one damn time! The idiot cannot even run a kingdom! Before his own eyes, we have knights wishing to not be knights! We are a nation falling apart! To hell with strengthening two kingdoms!" The girl was not hesitant to stand up. "The Asharanites shall have my head the moment I become queen! They shall surely have my husband's head!"

At that moment, Katherine surely believed she would not last against the Asharanites and her father would surely run off to save his own life. Her heart became empty. Not a soul cared for her. Not a soul cared for her well-being. Her body fell to the floor and wept like a young child. She could not control the tears that she had been holding for far too long.

Father Frederick felt sorrow in his own heart for the weeping girl. Was the king too hard on her? That was not up to him. The only action he could take was to sit down with her on the ground and allowed her to cry tears until she found it inside of her to calm down.

"All I ever wanted in my life was to do something great. Something noble. Being forced to marry a prince to save a collapsing kingdom does not seem worthwhile. How could it be when it only means my sudden death? Is this what God could possibly want for me?

"Perhaps marrying the prince and saving the prince is the great act that God has placed before you. Is it possible that this marriage may cause good? Perhaps it does not mean your sudden death."

"That may be true, but in my heart, all I desire to do is run. Run away from all of this and let the kingdom fall to its inevitable destruction and start a new life. A life without my father and my royal responsibilities."

"I would understand if you wanted to run." The good father placed his palm over the skin of her neck and rubbed it. "I surely cannot stop you from running. But consider this. Such as Esther, perhaps God has placed you here for such a time as this. And before you say another word, I ask that you simply pray. I will not ask you to do anything else this time."

The father stood up and helped the fearful princess up. She finally did provide him with a hug.

"What of you, father?" she questioned. "Has anything like this happened to you in your life?"

"Indeed, it has. Indeed, it surely has." He smiled whilst breathing a great sigh. "As a child almost of age, I lived with three hundred others in a village. I was learning to read and began my studies of the scriptures. One day, the Asharanites raided our place and were ruthless. By sword, they forced us to recant our beliefs. If we had not, we were to die by the sword. Most of the village recanted. While it was tempting to do the same, I was among two others who continued to be true to our faith. After that day, the only option was to run. I was the only one to arrive on this island."

Katherine almost felt guilty for feeling the way she did after hearing of what the father had lived through. She had never seen this side of him. What was she to do? This remained the question when she walked out of the church.

This concludes the sixth chapter!  Please do comment and vote. A new chapter will return next Saturday!

Is Katherine in the wrong for not mourning her late brother? 

Do you ever feel like Katherine? Wanting to run?

What do you think Katherine will do?