The villagers, the Elders, and sometimes it feels like the whole world calls his daughter a heretic. The Chieftain wants to scoff and point out that they are pagans and that a whole sect of Saxons accuse them of being heretics, but he restrains himself – because they are, in a way, right.
His daughter has always been a heretic, one way or another. It seems to be her birthright. He does not know how to stop it, or even if he wants to.
Because now, her heretical ways have saved them all.
The Chieftain stands in the middle of his village, fending off attacking dragons with the help of other dragons, and he still cannot believe that such a thing is possible. There is such chaos, but his daughter has wrangled a team of youths willing to ride on dragons and turn the tides in their favor – and she has done this of her own volition, even while likely knowing that she was damaging her own reputation.
It is not the first time and it will not be the last time that he thinks his daughter is more capable than himself.
He credits her mother for this, knowing his commitment to normal is certainly not something that has been passed to Izabela. He is not nearly as brilliant, as rebellious, as freethinking as his daughter, and perhaps it shows in the way the village as a whole responds to change.
The Chieftain shakes his head and slashes his sword out at the next dragon who dares come too close – but before he can make contact, the dragon is swept away by another who has a rider on its back. He watches as lightning and fire clash, as the dragon that attacked him is swept away into further calculated chaos, and he knows that his daughter is responsible for this…miraculous change.
And he also knows that his mind changing means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme. His acceptance is paltry in comparison to the rest of the village – and he certainly knows that the majority of them would rather destroy change than embrace it.
He is still proud. Fiercely proud of his daughter and the iron that is forged in her spine.
And he vows, when this is all over, to be sure to let her know.