I knocked on the door. Calill opened it. "Hello," Calill said, "You can… oh, hi, Zihark, and… oh… did you come back to thank me?"

"Not exactly," Desdemona said, "Calill, was it?"

"Yeah," she said.

"You know how I said that I found her lying around?" she asked. "I lied. She's mine. And… and his."

"Zihark's baby?" Calill asked. "And yours? So that means that Amy is…"

"Don't say it," I warned.

"My, what an angry reaction," she said, "I mean no disrespect, after all. AMY! Come out here."

"Yes, mom," she said. She gasped when she saw us. "Nanny!" she shouted, jumping into Desdemona's arms.

"Nanny?" I asked.

"As you know, Zihark," Desdemona said, "I couldn't give her up right away. I wanted her to forget everything about me, but I knew that she wouldn't. She was nearly four when I finally managed to. I put on a guise as a nanny, looking out for her when her real parents were out fighting the war."

"Huh?" Amy asked. "You… you what?"

"Amy," Desdemona said, "I am your true mother."

"That doesn't make sense!" she said, "You're a laguz!"

"Well, this man, Zihark, is your real father," Desdemona continued.

"I'm so confused," Amy said.

"Amy," I said, "I never knew you existed before now. Shortly after she conceived you, we broke up. It was a miracle that we got back together. But now that you're here, I'd love to be in your life."

"This is… this is wrong!" she shouted. Amy ran into the other room.

"I'm sure she just needs time to adjust. After all, she's spent her entire life thinking we were her parents, and now she find out we're not," Calill said, "Don't be upset, Zihark."

How can I help it? My own daughter hates me.

"Zihark," Desdemona said, "Don't worry about it. I'll go talk to her."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked.

"Yes," she said.

I waited outside for them to come out. I knew that it was rude to eavesdrop, but I had to know what they were saying. Much like Desdemona eavesdropped on me and her mother, I went over to eavesdrop on her and Amy.

"Amy," Desdemona said, "What's the matter? You like me, don't you?"

"I do," Amy said, "But I don't know this guy."

"But Calill does," Desdemona responded, "And she trusts him, doesn't she?"

"I don't," Amy said, "I know he left you behind. He doesn't care about you at all."

"He didn't leave me," Desdemona said, "I left him. And for the last few years my heart ached for him, because I regretted hurting him. And if you should get mad at either of us, it's me, who gave you up to a beorc couple out of fear, not Zihark, who learned of your existence and immediately went on a journey to find you."

"But you were the one who cared for me when I was little," Amy said. "I've never met him."

"That is not his fault, Amy," Desdemona said, "It's mine." Desdemona started to cry. I knew that by doing this I was giving away my location and my action, but I had to step in.

"Desdemona!" I shouted, "You can't blame yourself for the crimes of society!"

"Were you listening in on us?" she asked.

"I… maybe," I said embarrassed.

"Well, you know, Zihark," Desdemona said, "I know that I said it was society's fault, and I think we can all agree on that, but it was me who chose not to be an outcast over you. It was me who didn't let you meet Amy because I didn't want you to know that you had a 'Parentless' baby."

"Please, don't say that word. It's more offensive than Branded, and she's sitting right there," I said.

"Well, as her parent, I don't agree that she is parentless, but I know that society will think she is," Desdemona said.

"Can I say something?" Amy asked.

"Yes," I offered.

"So… you two come in, tell me that my whole life I've been lied to… that I'm some freakish mutant…" Amy started to cry.

"You are not freakish or a mutant," I said, kneeling beside her, "If anyone tells you that you are, he's a liar, and a bigot. Someone you should not associate with. You're just as much of a person that you always thought you were."

"Yeah, right!" Amy shouted, "Leave me alone!" She started to cry. Desdemona and I sighed, defeated, and left the inn.

"I know she's being difficult," Calill said, "But I'm sure that we can deal with her later."

"Thank you for helping, Calill," I said, "I understand this must be a significant burden on you."

"Not at all," she said, "I'm happy to help out a fellow vet in need. Why don't you sleep it off? We have a vacancy."

"Okay," I said. We spent the night there, hoping that we could convince Amy to go with us the next morning.