"Why do you care so much, father? You'll see her when she is of marrying age, anyway." Cailan spat. Maric stared at his eldest son. He felt a twinge of regret that he had not been a better father to him after Colette died.
"She is my daughter, and your sister, Cailan. I should have never agreed to let her be raised away from her family." he argued. Cailan snorted. At twenty, he was a mirror of his father, with his mother's gray eyes. Maric wondered if he had been this ridiculous when he was that age. Most likely.
"You just want your favorite child back. She doesn't even know us. We probably mean nothing to her. She probably thinks she means nothing to you. So why not just drop it?" he asked. Maric was furious.
"She means everything to me. Just as you do. Just as your brother does. The three of you are all I have." he pointed out. Cailan rolled his eyes again.
"You have the entire kingdom of Ferelden, father." he said. "And I don't see you tearing the kingdom apart trying to find Alistair." Maric shook his head.
"I know exactly where he is, son." he muttered. Cailan frowned at him.
"And yet you never go to see him. So why is Kierrai so much more important?" he asked before turning to leave. He paused at the door with a sigh. "I miss Colette too, father, but finding Kierrai won't bring her back." he added before leaving him alone. Maric furrowed his brow at the table. The situations were different. He had thought so many times about writing to Alistair, but contented himself with writing to Eamon, instead. He had not been happy when Eamon had sent the lad off to the monastery, but he supposed it would be closer to what Fiona wanted for their son. Kierrai was a different story. He had searched for her for years, to no avail. All he knew was that she lived. That was the only news he ever received of her. A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.
"Enter." he ordered. An elf hesitantly poked his head through the doors, and Maric lurched to his feet. "You've found her?" he asked. The young man smiled and nodded.
"She currently resides in Antiva City with the Caldera family, and she will remain there for the next six months." he said. Maric pulled the elf into a hug, surprising him.
"Thank you." he said. He would finally see his daughter again.