The Demon King said to call him Papa

Chapter Twenty-six: Growing pains part 1

I found myself floating in a dark space as I came to, causing me to raise my arms and trying to feel around. Doing that seemed to make a floor appear as my feet felt solid ground beneath them.

I started to walk, but it felt like I was moving in place.

'So your still trying to be accepted.' A cruel voice, one that I was sure I've heard before echoes in the darkness. 'Haven't you realized that it's useless?'

"Who are you?" I shout, looking around to see where it was coming from. 

'Who am I?' The voice chuckles. 'Are you that stupid that you can't even figure it out?' 

"How am I supposed to know when I can't even see you?"

'It looks like you finally learned to talk back.' It seemed to come from right in front of me. 'But you are still the helpless, useless child no matter what you wear or clean your self up as.'

A mirror appears before me, showing me myself; matted hair, scarred skin stretched over my bones and wearing only thing I was allowed to wear with Daddy- a stained long shirt that the color had long since faded.

'See?'

It felt like hands where holding my face, forcing me to look at myself.

'How could anyone love such a dirty thing like you? You clearly have no worth.'

"N-no!" I struggled against the cold hands and managed to pull away. "I do have worth! Papa said that I am his daughter!"

'His daughter?' The voice laughs as a flash of light brightens the space, materializing into an outline of me, a black line was the only definable feature on the white figure.

'What a joke!' The line starts to move, opening and closing like a mouth. 'You have a father and even he abandoned you. He let you die.'

The barking of dogs start to appear from around me, shadowy forms of the same dogs circling and getting closer with each pass. 

'Your 'Papa' will eventually do the same'   The white me cocks its head to the side as the line became a horrible grin. 'No matter the nice clothes you wear and how hard you try to be accepted- you will be abandoned once they all realize it.'  

"No." I stopped backing away from the dogs and frowned at the other me. "I trust them. They have shown me that I do deserve everything they have given me."

It steps back at my words.

"Why would I trust someone who doesn't even show their face?" I stand my ground. 

I am no longer the child who was helplessly chained to a pole nor the child who was forced to do dangerous work in a mine.

"I am Soraya de Rirgonath Gecaea. Daughter of Terzin de Rirgonath Gecaea! My past does not defined me- I will not let you manipulate me anymore!!!" 

My words turned into a shout that caused cracks in the space, allowing sunlight inside.

'You win this time.' The white me starts to fade. 'But you'll realize eventually that I am right. You will come to me once that happens.' 

I open my mouth to say something back but as the sunlight hits my eyes; felt really sick and bent over to hold my hands over my mouth.

~~~~

*Cough!*

I woke up with every part of me in pain and my throat feeling like it was burning

"Dear! Your highness! She's awake!" Mimi's voice was full of worry as I struggled to open my eyes.