Love in the Myst

Chapter 22 Victoria

   Father called me Princess. He hadn't called me that since I was a little girl. Since I was his only little girl. Did this mean he was proud of me? This was all I had to do, show him my sword fighting skills? I had practiced with Bale and Bram many times after his lesson stopped with me.

   When Anna was born, I asked Mom, "Why did Daddy stop playing with me?"

   Her answer had always confused me, she said, "Honey, you're the oldest, that means you have to learn what Mama does, to help her out with the house work."

   I didn't understand at such a young age why I couldn't do both. From that day I was convinced my Father didn't love me as much as Anna. At first I had hated Anna for coming along and ruining Father and mine's relationship.

   As she grew though she had become my little shadow. Especially once Father had to leave. He had gone far away for a while. Our allies in Onyxpoint needed our help and the knights went to assist.

   When he came back from Onyxpoint he had come back angry. He used to just be standoffish, but now his anger would bubble over unexpectedly. I learned a long time ago to stand out of his way if Mama made him mad.

   I looked just like her and when Daddy came in he would confuse me for her and start throwing a tantrum. I learned a lot of secrets I was never supposed to know. I was told about some women in Onyxpoint, he made her sound so much better then Mother.

   This went on for months. Until one day, when I was helping tend to Anna. They sat us down to tell us about a cousin that had passed during childbirth, and that now we would be adopting our baby cousin.

   They brought her in the next week. We were told to treat her like she was our sister, and that was how we were raised together. Anna was too young to actually remember that Karmen was adopted, but I had never forgotten.

   How could I forget? Father had sobered up for the first few years of Karmen's life. He was a picture perfect father almost. I never fully got that perfect father. He wouldn't make eye contact with me. Would dismiss me often from his presents. I tried to grow closer to my mother. Soon after Karmen had arrived at our house though, I had noticed my mother would take less and less care of herself and our house.

   So I had to pick up the slack around the house as early as six. That was also around the time. I would take care of my appearance too. I thought if I kept myself well maintained that Daddy wouldn't confuse me and mother so much. He would even tell me I was pretty on occasion. That was as close it came to getting affection from my father.

   When Karmen started walking and talking is when father started drinking again. It slowly got worse. When the anger started coming back. I would try my best to hide my sisters in my room.

   On one of the worst days, I remember Arvin knocking on the door and dragging my daddy out the house. Yelling at him, "I can hear every word you're yelling over here."

   We didn't see our Father for a few days after that and when he came back. He rarely drank.

   So what brought this Father from my young childhood back to me?