
Ashi didn’t look up as her father addressed her – she knew he’d be able to find her pretty quickly. “…I want to Dad,” she replied quietly. “I want to take after you and make you proud. But hurting all of those people…I just couldn’t do it.” She looked up, her face stained with tears. “It was exactly what my mother did to me and my sisters. She tortured us for no reason, just so we would fear and respect her. I never want to make anyone feel like that. I don’t want to be like her. You might be able to do it, but…I just can’t. I’m so sorry…I know how disappointed you are in me…But I can’t do it…”
“Your mother…?” Curse that High Priestess and her lasting influence on his daughters. “No, Ashi, this is different. First of all you are their Empress, not their mother. And secondly—”

He paused, tapping a claw to his chin as he thought.
“Mhhh… Alright, I see your point,” he spoke after a moment. Sighing, his stern expression softened. “Ashi… you are my beloved daughter and I do not wish to see you harmed or betrayed. If you do not follow in my ways, how else are you to command respect from these people?”








