She could remember the warm shine of love and admiration in her father's eyes. Still heard her own soft giggling as she was wrapped in his arms as a little girl. To her he wasn't the king, nor a clever politician. He was simply dad, the man who was kind and never could be mad with her for long.
"Nika! Don't tell me this is true..."
Standing in front of the blood-soaked corpse of her brother Trian and hearing her father's voice, she knew such things were past and would never return. She hadn't killed him, had been tricked and betrayed by Bhelen. But her father wouldn't believe her, no matter what she would say.
Looking up, seeing the hurt and disbelief in his eyes were once was love, she knew she was right.