Doubt me now still?

Niira stood over the two knights she had been talking to earlier. They now writhed on the ground in varying amounts of pain. She had answered the older one's question of who her father was truthfully, and had been rewarded with the aggressively-spoken warning of being imprisoned for claiming something like being the daughter of the First Knight. She had reacted in the only way she knew how: attack them until they were no longer threats to her.

In their defense, I guess they wouldn't have recognized me. She pondered that as she watched the two men, wondering if perhaps she acted just a little too quickly.

The rest of the knighthood was rushing to the aid of their comrades, picking up their weapons as if getting ready to battle an armored foe. Niira turned quickly, striking one in the jaw with an upwards swing of her fist, and another with a hard kick to the middle. The rest of the knights were a little more thoughtful in their approach of her, brandishing their weapons, assorted light spears and swords, in an attempt to keep their unarmed opponent far enough away that she couldn't hurt them. Even this, however, was hesitant, as if they weren't sure how or if they should attack a female.

Before anyone could recover, Niira was on the next knight, her hands grabbing his shoulders and pulling him close, straight into a headbutt. With a jerk, Niira brought her knee straight up into his groin. The man fell without any further resistance. The half-blood woman turned to the next nearest man.

Sad that I'm beating them without any armor or weapons other than my body. Have they really gotten this bad since I was last here, or did I just catch them off-guard? She hoped it was the latter. In fact, she was sure it was. Her father would have never allowed them to get worse. No way on earth that would happen.

One of the knights she had previously taken down was scrambling to rise again. Niira prepared to launch herself at him. I'm so tired of people thinking I'm lying. But before she had a chance to move, there was a jolting pain in her knees that knocked her off her feet. She fell face-first, hitting the ground hard despite her attempt to break her fall with her hands. Her body sparked with pain for a moment. What the...? The cowards! Attacking from behind now?

There was a spear on the ground nearby, a weapon dropped by one of the knights she had taught her lesson to. Time to make things a little more even. In a motion inhumanly fast, she grabbed it and, judging her distance quickly, swung the weapon around with the butt end braced against the ground, the point leveled at what should be her attacker's midsection. Just try to counter that. I've been trained on this more...

Her aim was perfect. The tip of the blade was touching the man's long overshirt right at his stomach. However, Niira was shocked to feel the sharp, cold edge of a steel weapon against her throat; the man had used his own spear to attack her. Damn it, I should have thought of that. Stupid Niira, if this was a real battle you'd be dead right now.

Anger, both at herself and her attacker, clouded her mind for a fleeting second as they held each other at spearpoint. And then she thought to actually look at the man.

Recognition turned her insides cold. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. She dropped her weapon as if it was red-hot, and she quickly pushed herself away until she was free from the man's spear blade. She pushed herself up until she was sitting, propped up by one hand, yet cringing like a frightened child.

The man was eying her with idle curiosity, although anger smoldered in his gray-green eyes. He appeared infuriatingly calm, considering what had been going on moments before, and the fact that his own life had been threatened.

No...no... Niira managed to get her knees under her, but she never ceased cringing. It can't be him...it can't be... But he was there in her memories. The same person she remembered now stood before her. Sure, his face had a more world-weary look to it, his sandy-blonde hair was starting to gray, but it was undoubtedly him. He still stood with the same quiet confidence that more than made up for what little he lacked in height...and he still used a spear as if it was second-nature to him.

"What do you think you're doing?" His voice was calm, almost soft, with no sign of aggression, or almost any emotion at all. But his irritation was very clear to Niira. He had always spoken with that tone of voice whenever he was mad.

Niira cowered. I haven't seen him, heard his voice in years, and the first thing he says to me is that. She fought to restrain tears, realizing just how weird it would look to the knights--the stranger that had been beating them up just before was crying like a little girl? But I was only a little girl when I last saw him. Does he even still remember me? Does he even want a daughter any more? "Daddy?" she mewled timidly.

The knights of the First Knighthood murmured and hissed softly when she said that. But the attention of their leader Lavitz was turned to Niira alone. His expression was still one of calm anger, but there was something else in his eyes now...a distant pain.

Niira let out a strangled mew, suddenly no longer able to contain herself. "Father...Father..." she said in the Northland tongue. Ashamed of her tears, she turned away, hiding her face behind her hands. "I'm so sorry." The words were rushing out of her now, barely understandable. "I failed...I'm sorry...I couldn't do it, I couldn't do anything. I tried to come back, I really did, but I couldn't...I didn't want to leave you, I didn't have a choice..." Her outburst dissolved into sobbing. I'm sorry I'm so weak...I'm sorry I hurt you.

She didn't hear the spear drop to the ground, or the knight step to her. She barely noticed him drop to his knees beside her. Her reached out, cupping her face in his strong hands. "Niira...Niira..." he whispered, his own voice choked with tears. "This can't be..." He took her in his arms, stroking her hair the way he had done when she was a child.

Niira no longer cared what the knights around her thought. She let herself go limp in her father's embrace, her sight blurred by tears. For a few moments, she relaxed with his arms around her, her head resting on his chest. She could hear his heart beating, a sound muffled by the officer's uniform he wore. The decorative overshirt was in dark green velvet, soft against her cheek. She remembered it well from her childhood. Some things don't change...

Then she opened her eyes in a sudden surge of anger. Shining Claw...how can I even still admit to being your kin? All I ever asked was for love, and you denied me that simple thing.

I will never forgive you.

-----

King Albert had watched the whole spectacle with amused curiosity. He and Coen stood at the window in silence, which was only broken when the king commented on the woman's talent to be able to take on most of the First Knighthood like that. Coen's silence was due to the nervousness that he fought to keep under control. He knows who it is. He has to. He's not stupid. Still, Coen stayed quiet on that matter. He wasn't completely sure Albert knew who the woman was, and he was rather hesitant to be the one to break the news. She did ask us to not say anything to anyone...

They had watched as Lavitz stepped across the courtyard, his knights moving aside so he could pass. Coen recognized the First Knight's stride, one he assumed when he meant business. Niira, Niira...you are going to get yourself hurt. You idiot. Lavitz had taken a spear from one of his men and swung the shaft at Niira's legs, striking her knees and sending her sprawling on the ground.

It was when the woman was able to swing her own spear around so that it touched Lavitz that Albert's expression changed to one of suspicion, and then irritation. To catch the First Knight in such a vulnerable situation was extremely difficult; Albert himself could rarely do it, and he had been personally trained by Lavitz.

Coen closed his eyes. Oh great. I'm in for it now.

The king slowly turned to face Coen. The knight flinched, knowing Albert's irritation was directed at him. "In the chance of sounding crazy, I have to ask. Is that Niira?"

Coen tried to act innocent of that kind of knowledge. "What makes you think that, your majesty?" It was not something one should ever as a king, and he knew it. Damn it, I always have to say the stupidest things in situations like this.

Albert was looking down at the courtyard again. Niira had jumped back from Lavitz, as if startled. "I don't know anyone else her age who would be able to handle a spear like that, and act like she was seeing a ghost." He eyed Coen again. "Is it her?"

"Yes sir," Coen replied softly.

"So, you found her during your time away." It was not a question. The king had already figured out exactly what was going on, he just wanted to make sure his knight knew it as well.

"Yes."

Albert paused. "You knew she was alive, and here, in the courtyard."

"Yes."

"And you didn't say anything."

"She didn't want me to."

"She didn't want her own father to know she was alive?" Albert fairly hissed.

Coen winced. "She wanted to do things on her own time. She asked me not to say anything, so I honored that."

The king was silent, trying to keep himself from becoming angry. At last, he sighed. "It's not my place to be upset about this," he said. "It is, however, Lavitz's, and I'm sure he won't be too happy to find out you knew about this and didn't tell him. I for one and looking forward to seeing what he does about it." He grinned boyishly at Coen.

The young knight smirked, looking back out the window. Great.

-----

Ha! Notes at the end this time!

Sometimes I make myself sick with the sweet stuff I write. Sorry this chapter was so long.

So Niira's finally been reunited with her father, hurray! What exactly separated them in the first place? And what does this one Shining Claw have to do with it? What did Lavitz and Niira do in the time they were apart? Don't forget Coen! Tune in to the next episode for more fun!