I slept until the next morning when Terry got me up at an ungodly hour and told me to get dressed. I held up the priestess' outfit Terry had laid out for me with a look of distaste, but donned it dutifully.

Ah! But it was so soft and clean and smelled of lilacs! I had taken clean clothes for granted! It wasn’t much to look at! But it was so nice to wear something clean again.

Caerwyn was not with Terry… I missed him already. “Where is Caerwyn?”

“He is being sent off in a week to protect pilgrims as they venture into foreign kingdoms. Today, he’s making preparations with Leon before he sets out. He should be back by nightfall. Not all kingdoms are accepting of our religion.” Terry told me.

“You humans don’t all follow the same religion like moths do…?” I wondered.

Terry shook his head. “No. It’s the cause of much tension. That’s why the templars were formed in the first place; to protect pilgrims as they visit various holy sites around the world. Some kingdoms are… Less than friendly to our religion, although our king makes it a point to allow people of different religions into our kingdom, so long as they leave within the week.”

How barbaric these humans were! I liked them less and less!

Terry’s duties, he explained, were very lowly and basic. He began by teaching me how to sew of all things in a room filled with other templar squires. They were stitching together various templar uniforms that had holes or tears in them.

“It’s our job to mend templar uniforms until we take our final vows,” he explained.

I set about stitching up a pair of leggings set on a desk with Terry hovering over my work.

Mother had taught me some sewing, but I never had any talent or passion for it. I found it frustrating and dull! I much preferred her flying lessons, but…

I wiped away an oncoming tear as I remembered my wings were not working.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” Terry asked compassionately.

I tried to flutter my wings under my priestess robes which humans called a ‘habit’ to no avail. “My wings still won’t work!”

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Terry was sympathetic, but I’m sure he found me very tiring where Caerwyn had patience for me. “Please don’t cry, Princess…”

The other templars stared at us curiously but returned to their work after a moment.

Humans had no idea what our wings meant to us. Moths without wings were not moths at all. In our religion, wings were how moths made it to paradise when they died, and if their wings did not work, they would be stuck in the world of the living forever and never rejoin their family members.

The very thought made me hysterically sad, and I continuously cried as I sewed.

Terry didn’t know what to do, and so he just let me cry and handed me a rag to wipe my eyes with.

__

The day was tiring, diary. After sewing, Terry showed taught me how to cook basic foods—another thing Mother had been teaching me to do before I was captured—and I fared a little better in that department as I just needed to closely follow Terry’s instructions. Stitching seemed to require a little bit more creativity and know-how. The kitchen was hot and bustling, however, and made me sweat right through my new clothes…

There was also prayer—a custom of human religion—frequently practiced throughout the day. First you attend Lauds, and then prime, tierce and… Ah! I forget the rest. Regardless, they wished me to pray alone at a particular shrine to repent for my sins—not that I did anything wrong—and the ground was very rough on my knees! But that’s what praying required; kneeling and clasping your hands together and begging forgiveness in your mind…

Between prayers, I also helped tend the garden, cleaned dishes, and wiped the floors of the temple clean.

It was exhausting work not befitting a lovely princess such as myself!

But, more than that… The templar boys giggled at me and talked about me behind my back.

“I can’t believe they let a girl in, not just a girl, but a beast!” Whispered one.

“Oh, and did you see how she has four arms? An they’re hairy like a spider’s! What a hideous creature!” Snickered another.

“The one girl allowed in our temple and she looks like that?” Laughed a third.

At sundown, I returned to my quarters with tears streaming down my cheeks and threw myself onto my bed.

After minutes of stewing in the bad things the humans had said about me, I finally sat up and continued writing in you, my diary, until a knock came at my door.

“W-who is it…?” I asked.

“Caerwyn…” He replied.

I opened the door and he noticed my tear-streaked fur.

“What’s wrong, Princess?” Caerwyn asked.

I sniffled. “Do you think I am an ugly beast like the other templars do?”

Caerwyn gave me a gentle smile and exclaimed, “oh no, Princess! You are undoubtedly one of the prettiest girls that has ever graced my eyes! As a matter of fact, I asked Leon permission to take you out to the city for a present tomorrow!”

“A present? For me? Will I love it?” I asked him excitedly.

“You’ll love it, precious girl!”

I squealed and tried to hug him happily, but he moved away from me like always.

I must rest up for now, diary! I can’t wait to see my present in the morning!