Antaran's Journal

The bell tower woke us up again, very early in the morning. I found it strange that I didn't hear it yesterday because it's really a loud and annoying tone. One of the Namtolan priests, who we hadn't met before, was waiting for us already in front of the house. He told us where to get our breakfast and what we had to do once we finished eating: Tidy up all the rooms of the three houses where Tartek, Sereliaen, Carana, me and all those children spend the nights.
Tartek and Sereliaen joined us and we went to the bakery to get our bread and cheese, and visited the goat farm to collect some milk. We didn't know where to go with our food, so I suggested to go back to the room of Carana and me.
After breakfast we went outside again. Just like yesterday the bunch of priests were performing their handstands and concentrating on something. Children were going past the statue of a man (which I later found out should represent Vetar, the first) into the house on the opposite side. I asked Tartek, Carana and Sereliaen silently if they knew why those children were up here.
Tartek and Sereliaen gave me weird looks. Carana came closer to me.
"Have you forgotten what Imarp told us about Namtolan?" she asked me.
Yes, yes I had. She explained to me again that a lot of people send children to Namtolan to teach them ethics. How to eat properly, how to speak fluently and eloquently, how to write in a legible way and so on and so forth.
I was really starting to doubt my memory. I just saw that I even wrote it in my journal. Oh well, I think I'm getting old.
"They could have just sent those children to the military school," Tartek mumbled after Carana finished her explanation, staring at the last child disappearing in the house on the opposite side, closing the wooden door behind it.
At that moment we saw a priest running towards us, waving.
"I see you have finished eating," he said when he finally reached us.
"Yes, sir," Tartek answered, almost with a bit of sarcasm in his voice.
"You know your task for today already, I assume?" The priest's voice was very calm, not even the slightest hint that he just ran from the house next to the bell tower to us.
We all nodded.
"Good. I've been sent to show you how to clean the rooms and give you some tools that you will need. Please follow me," he said and went into the house we had just come out of.
We followed him and listened to his lengthy explanation of even the simplest things, such as how to use a broom, how to clean the windows, how to make the beds. We didn't say anything nor interrupted him in any other way.
After the tutorial the priest smiled and clapped his hands. He told us to split up. Carana and Sereliaen were sent to the next house and Tartek and I were left behind.
It was hard to believe, but by the end of the day we had managed to clean all rooms in all three houses. Sereliaen and I were exhausted, and to my surprise Tartek and Carana were only a bit tired. Just when we stepped out of the last house, the children were already on their way back. Every child that passed us greeted us with a slight nod. I watched all their faces carefully, trying to find any emotion, but they all looked very tired. Then I suddenly saw a girl. There was nothing special about her hair or her clothes because they obviously had appearance rules to follow, but her face looked rather familiar.
"Princess!" I whispered with my eyes wide open.
Just now I noticed small pieces of cloth attached to the clothings of the children at the height of their chests - with names on them. I looked at the cloth attached to the girl's red dress. Clira Devon.
"Where?" Carana whispered to me.
I shook my head. "Nevermind."
It was a stupid thought anyway, to think that the Princess of Insomida would be sent to Namtolan to learn some manners - even though she'd definitely benefit from it. But the girl's face just looked so similar to that of our princess that my mind was really tricked for a second.
We didn't really do much anymore that evening, we just wished everyone a good night and went into our rooms, where a piece of bread was already waiting for us to be eaten (if I don't get something with meat to eat very soon, I'm going to starve, I swear).
Tomorrow we will have to ask some priests if they knew of any nearby town we could go to. I don't really want to spend more days in this town than necessary.
Carana's whispering in her sleep already. And there I thought that she was in a better condition than me. But I can hardly keep my eyes open either.
Final note: Tartek is really talented, he's a lot faster in housework than me. I'm sure he almost did twice as much work today. Sereliaen should call herself lucky to have a man like him.

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