I had used to cower when my father shouted at me. To him, I was weak and pathetic. Me, who couldn’t lift a sword or string a bow. But he made me. He put the weapon in my hand and forced me to fight him.

He spent his whole life working the weakness out of me, he forgot to love me. His neglect caused hate to root between us. Then, when I finally became stronger than he, he tried all he could to weaken me.

He demeaned me, insulted my every decision and opinion and movement. I sometimes had wished I could hide from my father and his awful words. That was, until I realized he did it all out of fear. Then I only grew stronger.

“Daughter-“ he starts, hand on my shoulder. I am agitated by his persistence. Without turning around to acknowledge him, I shake his shoulder off and respond. “Not ‘daughter’. It’s General Harlen. Do not disrespect me by not using my proper title ‘father’.”

I feel his red hot glare even without looking.

“General, then,” he manages to grit out, “You should be with your fellow commanders, shouldn’t you? Not out here in the courtyard? Don’t you have duties?”

At this, I turn. He seems pleased.

“Is it your duty to plan my schedule and remind me where I ought to be and ought not to be? Have you come out here to tell me how I must use my time and where I must go? Well, then your time is wasted.”

My cheeks are flushed with anger, and I feel like slapping him, only then he would correct me on manners, and I’d only make it worse.

So I breathe, and start to walk away, glad I could rant even just a tad.

“Daughter-“

“GENERAL.”

“Harlen, listen to me.”

“No. No, I’m done being your dutiful daughter. I have my own life now. Leave me be.”

“Daughter, you forget yourself! I am your FATHE-“

“NO!” I shout, wheeling around. “No, YOU forget where YOU stand next to ME, father. I have surpassed you in status, a general while you are still a lowly lord, leeching off your daughter’s new found power. YOU are in my shadow. ACT like it.”

He freezes in place, not expecting an out burst.

“You failed to gain what I have already received double of, and you dare talk back? You are a walking second place medal, And I seem to have to gold, don’t I?”

He takes a step back, mouth open to interject, to calm me down. I won’t let him.

“You hang around me so you can find some way to steal it. Find some flaw you can exploit, some secret you can expose, so you can squish me beneath your foot like a pesky beetle.”

I pull a small knife from a sheet hat my hip and place the sharp point at his throat.

“You were so angry that your small, quiet daughter was an embarrassment to your line, and became immersed in trying to bring me higher

I guess that backfired, because you are mow the embarrassment while I rise higher still.

You now wish you’d let me fend for myself when I didn’t know how.”

I trace the trip of the blade down to his heart, pushing a little to scare him

“Well, now I can, and with all the effort it takes to skewer a fruit on a toothpick. your just worried I’ll skewer you next.”

I stare him down not blinking once, my harsh face never wavering. Then I pull back and walk of, leaving him in silence.