The Daughter's Dreams

“Congratulations, Yelena.”

“Thank you, mother, father,” she said with a lovely smile.

Today, my daughter, aged 11, graduated from school.

In a few months’ time, she would no longer be living with us but at a school dormitory in the capital.

Well, I say graduated from school, but it wasn’t a big ceremony or party like you might have back on earth. It consisted of everyone saying their goodbyes and best wishes, and then just going home like normal. Most families prepared a big feast back at home like we had for Yelena, but that was about it.

Truthfully, I was a bit nervous about letting Yelena attend a school far away from Kappen, but Yelena pleaded passionately to us that it’s what she needed to do in order to achieve her dream.

Alex didn’t need much to convince her - it took me three days to give Yelena my blessing.

Alas, it would seem that I had become quite the over doting and loving parent as time passed.

In Tythe, children of any age could attend schools, but their quality greatly varied wherever you were in the kingdom. Here, in Kappen, for example, Alex was the only teacher. In the town nearest to us, there were two schools, one public and one private, but only the latter had any real funding put into it.

I didn’t want my little angel to suffer any sort of injustices like that, so I asked Alex for her opinion and she recommended the Tythe Imperial College of Excellence - a very fancy, and expensive, private school in the capital.

“I went there when I was at school and it was a wonderful place,” she told me. “Of course, I didn’t enjoy every single day I spent there, but I made some good friends and happy memories there. If Yelena and George went there, I’m sure they’d love it.”

I did argue back that our children might not have as pleasant of an experience as they were going to apply as commoners, but Alex said my concerns were unfounded.

“There’re strict rules in place to prevent commoners being discriminated against by the nobles. If it really worries you, my old friend, Judith, works there as the Master of Arms; I can ask her to keep an eye on them.”

In the end, I agreed to trust in our children and their abilities, rather than the uncertainties of the college. I’d read my fair share of shoujo manga and villainess stories to know what sort of things could happen at schools like the Imperial College, but I believed my family could survive anything that was thrown at them.

If it got bad enough, then there wouldn’t be an Imperial College left by the time I was done.

When Yelena overheard me say that to Alex, she loudly said, “Don’t do anything to embarrass me, dad!”

…My heart.

I think it shattered into two that day.

Yelena no longer calls me daddy or papa; now it’s ‘Father’ or ‘Dad’.

How time flies - and how much I wish I could reverse it!

“Don’t do it,” Alex scolded me.

“How did you know what I was thinking?”

“I’m your wife - I always know what you’re thinking.”

Sc-

“It’s not scary, dear,” Alex said, smiling at me.

Her smile was anything but comforting.

Still, Yelena and George’s futures were decided - though neither of them truly knew what career path they wanted to walk.

George had grown out of his childhood dream of becoming a hero like his old man, and instead found a real love for studying and reading. Yelena, interestingly, had discovered a love of swords and magic, and dreamt of becoming as powerful as her parents.

“Mother, father, please train me to become like you!”

We accepted, but we told her that we’d been doing that for her since she was young. So, Yelena insisted we make her training more intense and difficult which we were happy to oblige with.

Until she left for the capital, Yelena spent almost all of her time training, fighting and studying with one or both of us.

Each week, we’d spar a few times, but Yelena never got close to landing a blow on me. She was definitely improving, getting faster and stronger with every passing moment, but she wasn’t close to our levels yet.

That said, being Level 38 at 10 years old is an impressive feat.

Most humans, on average, wouldn’t reach that level until they were in their mid-teens, so Yelena’s growth was fantastic to behold.

After a month, I noticed a big change in Yelena.

She didn’t smile as much or seem excited to train any more with me or Alex.

“Yelena.”

“What?” She huffed through gritted teeth.

I lowered my training sword and smiled softly at her. “Come here.” When I saw her about to charge, I raised my hand and said, “Don’t attack me.”

Confused, Yelena lowered her blade and walked towards me on unsteady feet. Just before she reached me, she nearly collapsed. I caught her and gently held her, rubbing her back like I would when she was young.

“…What are you doing?”

“Let’s just take it easy today, okay?”

“…No.”

“It’s not a request.”

“…No.”

“Yelena.”

She tensed a little and tightly hugged me back. “No.”

I wasn’t so insensitive that I didn’t know what she was feeling, so I simply stayed quiet and kept rubbing her back, waiting for her to calm down a little. She wasn’t angry or upset, but frustrated.

I knew the feeling well.

When Yelena finally went a little bit lax in my arms, I sat down on the grass and patted the ground beside me, encouraging her to do the same. With a little resistance, she did so and I patted her head.

“…I’m not a kid anymore, father.”

Normally, that would hurt my soul a little, but I knew she didn’t mind me spoiling her like this from time to time. Back on Earth, I heard that teenagers often started to rebel against their parents, but Yelena wasn’t even 11 yet - another big difference between back there and here, I suppose.

“It takes time.”

“…What does?”

“Everything. Growing, learning to walk and talk, reading, writing, magic and fighting. It all takes a lot of time and you might not even notice yourself getting better at those things for quite some time.” I laughed. “When you were 2, you started being able to walk confidently on your own two legs without mum or dad holding your hands. By the time you were 6, you could read books all on your own, only occasionally poking your head into our bedroom to ask what a new word meant.”

“But! But mother and father have been teaching me magic and swordsmanship for years,” she protested, tears forming in her eyes. “Yet, I’m still not able to reach you! I’m nothing like you or mother!”

“Hey, hey, don’t be like that.” I hugged her and brought her head to my chest. “Everyone has to start off somewhere and it’s not like we became masters of this after just a few years.”

“You did, father.”

Dammit! I forgot that I told her that!

“W-well, that’s because I’m a bit of a special case.”

“But I’m your daughter - I should be able to-”

“Do you know how much hard work I had to put in to get where I am today?”

Yelena nodded. “You told us, you said-”

“I didn’t tell you everything, Yelena.”

Solemnly, I told Yelena everything that had happened to me.

I started with my normal life back in Japan, the experiences I had when I first arrived here, the pain I felt, the emotions I suffered through and the harsh training I went under each and every day.

Before, when I told George and Yelena about these things, I usually brushed them off or kept the details to a minimum; this time, I left nothing out, not sparing any details of my pain and journey to her.

“What kept you going?”

“Your mother did. Whenever I was feeling down or depressed, she was always there for me, to cheer me on, brighten up my day or just tell me she loved me. If I looked uncool, she said I was the coolest man alive. If I felt weak, she told me I was stronger than anyone. No matter what happened, Alex was always there to reassure me, to tell me how much she loved and cherished me for who I was.

“Now, I know you’re going to get old enough where you want to stand on your own two legs and not rely on your parents as much, I get that and I’ll eventually, eventually, come to terms with that - but, for now, you can rely on us or your brother to support you. Then, once you’re in the capital, maybe you can find someone you love just as much as I love your mother. Who knows, perhaps they’ll be your strength?”

“…Do you think I could find someone like that?”

“Of course.”

“Do you think I could be as strong as you or mother one day?”

“Of course,” I said without hesitation. “I know you will.”

With a small giggle, my daughter finally hugged me back. “Thank you, dad.”

“Anytime, sweetheart.”

I always knew that these little moments would eventually never happen again as my little girl would one day be all grown up, so I was determined to cherish them for as long as possible.

That said.

“You can date whomever you want, too.”

“Thank you, dad-”

“But only if I approve of them!”

Yelena separated from me and gave me a quizzical look. “…Meaning?”

“Of course.” I folded my arms and, with a confident smile, proclaimed, “They have to be able to defeat me.”

“Then, that means I’ll never find a partner!”

“Of course, your father is saddened by this fact too.”

“That dumb smile on your face says otherwise.”

“How rude. If it bothers you that much.” I grinned. “Then beat your old man in a duel and make him change his mind.”

With a reignited fire in her eyes, Yelena took up her sword. “Don’t blame me if I hurt you, father!”