If you like music while you read, try "Warrior's Song" by Audiomachine for this scene. It's what I listened to while I wrote!
*****
~ ZARA ~
I had known my whole life that when my father's tone dropped to that chilled venom, pain was coming.
There was a moment when my body reacted to that, to his disapproval as I would have years before—with fear, with placation. With the desire to make peace, no matter what the cost. The knee jerk reaction was there just to convince him not to hurt me. To soothe.
But then I remembered that I wasn't that scared child anymore. And that he was in my Palace now.
It had taken just long enough for me to process that though, and it was a second too long before I answered.
"Pretending what?" I asked innocently.
"Don't patronize me," my father muttered.
"Dad, I'm doing what you wanted—I just changed the goal because I know we can be more powerful together—"
