November 27, 1184
Casimiro was not any more religious than the average young man of his age--the church was hardly welcoming to those like him, after all, so why should he have paid them any more mind than social obligation demanded?--so he hadn't bothered to make much use of the small chapel in his own castle. Hadn't been much point, really. Neither he nor Ellona were the epitome of so-called good Christians, and having a chapel in their own home would have only served as a reminder of that, like some nagging elderly relation they lacked the heart to evict.But his little daughter had been sick the week before, sick enough that he'd feared the worst in the darkest hour, but she'd made a turn for the better and was now well on her way to a full recovery, or so Widow Fedurin and Aerina Frey agreed, and that was why he'd ridden over to the chapel at the duke's keep. If God had a hand in that, Casimiro supposed it was only polite to thank him.
But the scratch of paws against the hardwood and the thud of a tail against the pews and the wet nose just in view did little for his concern over whether or not it was the right time. "Um... hi, Jadin."
Jadin yipped. At first, Casimiro had been baffled by Lorn's decision to name his dog after his brother-in-law, but the last time he'd seen the mutt, he'd been attempting to hump a barrel. The resemblance had been more obvious since then.
"Oh, don't mind him."
Huh. How had he missed the holy man? "He likes to keep me company during the quiet hours.""Right." In his pocket, Casimiro fiddled with his wedding band. The clergyman was young for a parish priest--he couldn't have been more than twenty--but he had a calm air of wisdom about him that Casimiro had yet to see in any other priest in the country. Old beyond his age, maybe. "Uh... I don't think we've met."
"No, I don't think we have. I'm Brother Sieron." He stepped around the altar and approached with a whimsical smile. Old beyond his age, but still young in spirit? "I've only been here a few months."
"And I haven't been here... um, probably since the duke's brother got married." And yet, there was no hint of disapproval or condemnation in the priest's eye. "Casimiro de Cervantes. I live in one of the castles close to the border of the royal shire."
"You're a knight, then?" Casimiro nodded. "I thought so. Strong of body, noble of face.""Well, my brother Bernardo was always the good-looking one, but thank you."
"Men of God are not called to lie to their flocks, Sir Casimiro." One hand flew to Brother Sieron's chest, maybe in search of a cross hanging beneath his robe. "But surely you didn't come here for flattery. How may I help you?"
He asked of his own accord? That was quite an improvement on the other priests. "Just a prayer, I suppose."
"Of course. What sort of prayer?" Another crooked smile broke out across his face. If Casimiro took in his features, only his eyes were remarkable on their own, but in combination, they somehow sang."A prayer of thanks. My daughter was sick, but she's recovering now."
Brother Sieron nodded. "A worthy prayer indeed. Shall I add her health to my list of prayers for tonight, or would you like to pray together now?"
Huh. Half-decent priest or not, Casimiro wasn't sure that anyone had ever asked him that. Certainly no one had made it sound appealing. "I've got time."NEXT CHAPTER:
12 comments:
Chekhov's Gunman.
Canine Jadin has the distinction of being the only pet I've made in CAS so far.
Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! O.O AWESOME!!
Well, Sieron, you're already a most interesting character! Welcome to Naroni! :) *rubs hands in anticipation of what may come*
I was always going to do something with him; it just took me a long time to figure out what. XD
This is very poetic, when you think about it. They're standing there almost as friends - yet as well as opposites, with Sieron's blonde hair and Casimiro's dark hair - and the fact that Sieron is a priest, and Casimiro having little faith to speak of. I wonder what will develop here...
The like/opposite dichotomy was not entirely unintentional. ;)
As for future developments, stay tuned.
OooOoooo! Casimiro has a crushhhhh! Heh, this new guy came off a little icky to me, somehow. I can't really say what it was. He has a sort of feather-weight delicacy to him and it seems sort of affected. I'm curious to know him better soon though.
OOoooooooohhhhh! OOOOOOOOOHHHHH! I didn't see that link before!
Sieron was kind of weird to write. I don't usually do super innocent characters because... eh, I don't really get the appeal of innocence, at least in the way society tends to see it. But hopefully he'll become more natural as I write him more.
You've written several compelling innocent characters! What about Viridis? Or Celina? Or Lucien? Sieron's probably just suffering from the first chapter blues.
Well... those characters are all morally white and more or less good, but I don't think any of them are... sheltered, maybe? Naive? Lucien knows all too well that life isn't wine and roses, and Viridis had to learn that at a young age too. Celina had an easier upbringing, but she's gained a ton of wisdom as she's aged.
Sieron hasn't seen much of the world or endured too many hardships, so he really has no firsthand experience of how cruel the world can be. I'm sure this will come up later.
(Though first chapter blues may also be playing a part.)
This is an interesting case of nature vs. nurture. Then again, Geneva did have her own sense of right and wrong even if she wasn't the most moral person or the most consistent in applying that sense. His delicacy, to borrow Pen's phrase, seemed genuine to me here. It reminded me of some of the better priests I've known - very shepherd-like.
And being very ship-able with Casimiro does not hurt. At all.
It should be interesting to see how Sieron develops. It's true that while Geneva was always a bit of a wild card, she did have her own set of ethics.
At this point, yes, I would say he's pretty genuine. Sort of like fresh snow, not yet subject to footprints.
Casimiro needed a ship, didn't he? :)
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