Hearing that her father was going to see the general, she got down without a second thought, her now almost dried hair following right behind her. She took the white dress and went behind a wooden divider, got dressed quickly, and emerged to her father's viewing.
"I'm done," she said with the most sincere smile she had given since the beginning of the discussion.
Earl, obviously knowing that would work had a smile of victory on his face as he looked at his fully dressed daughter. Even with all her stubbornness, she was still his sweet little girl. He walked up to her and patted her on the head like a little dog.
"Now, for your hair," he said.
They accompanied themselves to one side of the room and Morrigan was made to sit on a chair, opposite a mirror. Earl took a brush and began combing her hair gently while Morrigan enjoyed her father's company, watching him as he had a faint smile on his face.
Before the death of Morrigan's mother whose name was Aubrielle, Earl looked forward to their mornings. When they would take baths together, wash each other's hair and comb it once they were done. Treating Morrigan's hair like so reminded him of those times. He only wished he had cherished those irreplaceable moments more.
When he was done combing, he began to skillfully weave her hair into one long braid filled with her inky black voluminous hair. He finished in record time and the little girl stared in awe at how she looked.
"It looks even better than Janet's!" she exclaimed.
She stood up and went closer to the mirror, holding the long braid in her hand as she examined it and continued to shower her father with praises.
Earl stood behind, his shoulders held high in pride when a thought dropped into his mind. "There's just one thing missing," he said before dashing out of the room.
Not too long after, he was back with a wooden box in his hand. They sat on the bed and Earl began talking again. "In this box lies some of your mother's jewelry. I'd like you to wear one today. Pick whichever catches your eye"
Morrigan whose total attention was on the wooden box didn't hear a word from what her father told her. Earl handed the box to her and when she saw the contents of the box, her jaw almost fell to the floor. She brought out the content one by one, each piece of jewelry even more breathtaking than the last.
Anklets, bracelets, necklaces, rings, waist beads, nose rings, anything one wanted was here, almost as if the box was a jewelry farm, each piece of jewelry varying in size, shape, and color. The more she stared at the content of the box, the more she began to wonder who her mother was exactly.
"Your mother used to be quite fond of jewelry, that was just her culture so, it was nearly impossible to take that part of her away. And these were her favorites. Aubrielle wasn't from around here, she was from the west"
*The west?!* Morrigan exclaimed in her head. She had heard a few things about people from the west and none of those things were exactly heartwarming. Not wanting to ponder on it too much, she decided to focus on the decision she had to make. *Which piece of jewelry to wear?* All of the jewels were undeniably beautiful but none called out to her until she encountered a pair of earrings.
The earrings were simple in design but eye-catching at the same time. They just had an ear hook and attached to it were beautiful green emeralds, she wore them and presented herself to her father.
"These earrings," Earl said with a sorrowful smile. "Your mother used to be a skilled dancer, she was sought for, far and wide. These earrings are a part of a set. A set I unfortunately left in my chamber" he breathed out the last part of his speech.
"She wore the earrings on the day she danced for the last time. She danced wholeheartedly that day, she danced the most beautiful dance I've ever seen her dance, filled with pure joy and happiness. That was the day she found out she was pregnant with you. After that, she gave up dancing because she wanted a healthy baby. At least, that was before..." Earl's speech died off midway and just stared into space, thinking about something deep.
" I'd like to ask you something Morrigan," he said.
"Yes Papa"
"The society we live in doesn't grant women so many privileges. What would you like to be when you are older? That is, apart from becoming a mother yourself."
"I want to be a warrior Papa. Just like you! "