Dakasi Winters: The Vampire Queen

Chapter 22: Seeking Approval

As before, there were two carts to carry the team's luggage as they travelled down the route. This time, however, Robby drove the second cart since Millie was staying behind. Miles drove the first as before.
     Within the Passenger cart, which once again had Sarah holding the reins, sat Datrix, Rosalind, Kantori, and Famar. Where was Dakasi seated, you might ask? Well, Datrix, being protective of Kantori, decided she should sit with Sarah on the driver's bench. Despite Famar volunteering to do so instead.

They had been on the road for nearly two hours now. Dakasi was silent, with her ears perked and rotated towards the back. She was attempting to listen in on a conversation about Kantori's childhood, but between the bumpy road and the direction of the wind, it was hard to hear much of it. She did manage to at the very least make out a story about Kantori stealing food from the kitchens and giving them to the castle's prisoners. Dakasi sighed and rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a fond smile.

"So..." Sarah had begun to speak. She shifted in place as Dakasi's ears perked forward again, and Dakasi frowned. "What was life like? At the castle, I mean? It must be pretty nice, being a Princess and all. Though, given who your father is... I imagine there must have been a lot of down sides too." Sarah asked. She looked at the road as she spoke, and struggled to make the usual gestures with her hands while holding the reigns.

After Sarah finished talking, she finally looked towards Dakasi. When she did so, her attention was on Dakasi's lips and hands. Or at least, that's where Dakasi assumed Sarah was looking. The former Princess took note of this, and tried to remember what she could from an interpreter she worked with back at the castle. There had been times when she negotiated with people that were hard of hearing or unable to speak. They'd use sign language to communicate, and the interpreter would explain to Dakasi what they were saying while also translating Dakasi's words into sign. Unfortunately, it was difficult to recall much of what signs matched what words. Dakasi decided that she'd have to look into learning sign in order to better accommodate Sarah and others that use it... It would be a useful communication tool for stealth missions and the like as well.

"It was... Complicated." Dakasi began to answer the question. She spoke slowly and was sure to mouth her words. "On one hand, I had anything I asked for. Toys, clothes, even friends if I was willing to have them forced to be such. Salebelle trained me to be a sorceress from a young age. I had an advantage over the competition to become a royal sorceress due to that. The most experienced competitor began their training at fifteen. Most began it at seventeen to nineteen. I also never had to worry about mundane problems such as... bullying... at least, not after my father surrendered us to the Empire." Dakasi began.

"But... On the other..." Dakasi continued, her voice more naturally slow. She looked away for a moment, then shook her head. She looked back at Sarah, and tried her best at an apologetic smile. "I never had much agency. My entire life was dedicated to appeasing my father for the sake of keeping Famar safe. I think that's why Salebelle and I got along so well. She gave up her right to having morals for the sake of ensuring her family's safety. She was a coward, and believed the King's victory was certain no matter what we did. I still believe she was right." Dakasi explained.

"I suppose I can understand where she was coming from... That doesn't make it right, though." Sarah murmured.
Dakasi only shrugged. "Does it matter? Right, wrong... These hypotheticals seem a lot less important when everything you care for and trust is on the line." Dakais reasoned. "After all... My father was a cruel man. He would take what he wanted by force if it wasn't handed over. He never liked Famar; our mother's child. He wished for me to be heir. He only kept Famar alive to keep me compliant. The moment I tried to rebel, the moment I questioned him... He'd say Famar was a bad influence on me, and that 'the weakling coward' should be brought to justice... I'd beg him to spare Famar, and persuade him that Famar had no influence on my actions. After that he'd have me do many tests to 'prove my loyalty' to him... All I was proving, however, was that he could dangle Famar over my head... and by doing so earn my compliance." She concluded in a cold and shaken tone.