The Kings Daughter

Thirteen

Lyric

The knock that sounded on my door, made me jump. I just got out of the shower and was getting dressed. I finish putting on the jeans and tank top that I wanted to wear before opening the door. I have to suppress a gasp when I see who it is. Its my father, the king. I hadn't expected to see him. Beth has been telling me that he is busy dealing with rewriting laws to make them work now as well as keep the peace within the race.

I smile at him. "This is a pleasant surprise."

He smiles at me. "I had hoped it would be. I have come to see if you wanted to come and sit with me in my office. I want to talk with you."

I frown. Why does he want to talk with me? Why in his office? Why does the thought of sitting in his office make me nervous?

"I don't mean to make you nervous. You are not in trouble. I just want to get to know you and talk with you." He says. "I have been busy with work lately that I regret that I haven't had time to talk with you."

"Alright, I will come to your office. Can I finish getting ready? I need to brush my hair and find shoes and the like." I say.

He smiles at me. "Of course. I will send Beth down for you in twenty minutes."

I smile as he turns and walks away. I cant take my eyes off him. I cant believe that he is my father. I cant believe that he wants to get to know me. After being here for this long, I thought that he wouldn't want to get to know me. I know that sounds stupid but its what I thought. Who finds out they have a child and just doesn't talk to them for weeks? I know I wouldn't do that. I would do what I could to make time. Maybe that's what he was doing today. I will not hold this against him. I want to get to know him too.

I finish brushing my hair and I put on my black Converses that Fritz went out and got me, at Beth's request. That man does way too much. I try to offer to help and he just gives me an angry stare and I end up running like a little girl who got her hand slapped. I hate being waited on and I hate knowing that because of who my father is, everything I want needs to be given to me. I don't want to live like this. Maybe I should bring this up to my father.

Beth shows up and we walk silently to his office. I don't talk because I am nervous. What could he want to talk with me about? What will he want to know about? Will he ask questions about my mother? Will he ask questions about my past? Will I be willing to tell him everything he wants to know? Could I ask him about Aghony? Could I tell him how I want to have some sort of responsibility? All these questions in my head are doing nothing but making me more nervous.

Beth opens a tall wooden door and ushers me inside. Behind an enormous desk is my father, with his dog by his side. There is another man with him. He is dressed in a suit and surrounded by stacks and stacks of papers. I want to feel sorry for this man, but he seems to be enjoying this whole thing.

"Have a seat." My father says. "This is my lawyer, Saxon."

The man in a suit looks up just then. "Pleasure."

"Pleasure." I say but he is already back to work.

"I want to talk to you about how you grew up." My father says.

Instantly I feel very nervous. What will he want to know?

"First, were you well taken care of?" He asks.

"My mother was the best. She worked two jobs for most of my life to support the both of us. When times got tough, she just worked harder. There was nothing I needed that I didn't have." I say. "If I needed something and my mother didn't have the money, she would find a way. There were so many times that she went without just because of me."

I see Beth look sad and I cant read my fathers expression behind his glasses. I haven't told anyone about this. No one has asked, but I never thought I would be telling all of this to my father and his wife, with his lawyer present.

"When you got older, did you work?" My father asks.

"Yes, when I turned fifteen I started babysitting. When I turned sixteen, I got a work release program through my school and got a job. What money I earned when into the household so that my mother wouldn't have to work so hard." I say. "Then When I turned twenty, she got sick. Cancer. I worked as hard as I could to pay for her medical bills. But she went into remission and was fine until last year. The cancer came back with a vengeance and she died the week before Aghony and that other man helped me."

The look on Beth's face tells it all. She feels sorry for me. I don't want her to feel sorry. I want her to be happy that I am here and that my mother did the best she could for me. I want her to be happy for me.

"Don't feel sorry for me. I am happy healthy and glad to be here. But In telling you all of this, I want to know if there is anything I can do. I cant just sit here and do nothing. I have to work. I need to work." I say.

Beth frowns. "What did you do before you came here?"

"I was a nurse. I became a nurse after my mothers first round of cancer." I tell her.

"Jane may have an opening for you. I will talk with her this evening and see what we can do." Beth tells me.

My father just smiles at me. "I am glad you want to work. I hadn't thought about finding you anything to do, because I wanted to give you time to settle in." He says. "Now, tell me, have you found any of the males here to your liking? Are you attracted to anyone?"