Witches Don't Burn, Silly

If Only All Shitty Dads Would Apologize Like That lol

I walked into my dad's study. He was staring out of the window. He looked so weak, so fragile, so broken. I kept the ring on my finger even as I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, sir?" I say politely and my dad whirls around.

"Is there anyone else with you?" He looks around, waiting for someone else to show up. I shook my head. He sighs. "How many times do I have to tell you not to go meeting men on your own, Mariposa?" He looks up at me and the sadness in his eyes is enough to drown me. "Please... take off the disguise."

I take off my ring, letting the disguise fall away. "Father... you tried to kill me." When I looked back up into his eyes, tears were streaming down his face. I don't think I had ever seen him cry.

"I know, Mariposa, I know." He buries his face in his hands. "I never meant to become so hateful. I swear I love you as my daughter, just as every father does. I don't know what was wrong with me but I don't expect you to ever forgive me."

"You are right, I won't ever forgive you." My voice wasn't as cold as I had expected it to be. He looked up to me and it hurt my heart how sad and small he looked now. I remember when I was younger and thinking he was the strongest man in the world. It makes me sad thinking about how he used to stand so tall like there was nothing above him.

And then... mom left.

"Please, Mariposa, tell me what I can do to lessen the hate you now harbor for me." His voice was so weak and pathetic. I hated seeing him like this, knowing he would beg for me to want to be his daughter.

"Repent." I say simply. "Stop burning witches and innocent women. Make a world safe for everyone, father. I don't care how impossible that might be, but that is the task I am setting for you. Change things."

"If that is what it takes for you to come and see me, maybe just once more on my deathbed I will do it all. I will shoulder the burden I created, all for you." He sighs as he looks at me.

"If that is all, I will be leaving now." I give him a small bow of my head.

"Before you leave," he stops me, "I have a gift for you." I step up closer to my father as he digs around in his desk. "You might find it stupid or meaningless but I think your mom would want you to have it."

"What?" My eyebrows scrunched together. "I thought everything of mom's was burned."

"Almost everything." My dad corrects as he sits back up. He looks at the small piece of jewelry in his hand. I leaned in closer. The ring came into view and I recognized it immediately. "It was your mom's favorite ring." He sighed as he gently grabbed my hand and slid the ring onto my middle finger. It was the same shade of silver as my hair, light and dainty. The purple gemstone was the same color as my magic. The gemstone was in the shape of a heart, small just like the rest of the ring.

"She wore it everyday." I said with a sad smile.

"Yes, she did. It was the ring her mother gave her. A ring that has survived generations." He sighed as he looked at it on my finger, my middle finger just like how mother wore it everyday. "I feel as if the only reason she left it here was for you to wear it."

There was magic in this ring. I could feel it. That's why she left it. The magic in this ring felt just like my mother. Strong but welcoming. She left it for me to use this magic. I don't know how or for what purpose, or maybe she just wanted to leave a piece of herself to me.

"Thank you, father." He was smiling at me, at the ring.

"You look so much like your mother, Mariposa." He sighed. "Just so much like her but the fire I see when I see you is so very different."

"What do you mean?"

"Your mother thrived on chaos and she got bored easily." I nodded, I knew that about my mother she always needed something to be going on. "You on the other hand, live in the chaos she craved, determined to fight it and make it mend to your will. I could not be more proud of you if you were the queen."

"Thank you." I whisper the words softly.

"They are just words that I should have told you so much sooner." He sighs and lets go of my hand. "Please find someone you love, Mariposa, that is what I wish for you. Make your own family and a safe haven for you and the future generations and I will do my best to make everywhere safer so one day you can come visit me without the worry of violence."

"Goodbye, father." Is all I can say in return.