[Chapter One of three.]
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"I was curious, Dad," Cassandra began, startling her father out of the serenity of quiet and nothingness, "what... What made you choose me?"
Kade closed his book, looking at his daughter. "I'm sorry; what did you say?"
He had heard her perfectly well, actually. But he wasn't sure as to why she had just asked him that question. It had seemed fairly obvious as to why he chose to adopt her instead of any of the other young girls at the orphanage. After all, all the other children seemed to be exactly the same: happy, bubbly girls who tended to wear their long hair in one or two braids, preferring to spend their time running about the small building. And Cass... She wasn't like that. Thinking back, he could remember her being that shy little girl with the dark, frizzy hair, the one who always sat in a corner all by herself... He still wasn't exactly sure why it was, but he knew that she was the little girl he had been looking for.
"I'm just curious," Cass restated, hardly budging from her original question, "as to why you chose to adopt me instead of any of the other children. I can't remember much about the time before you adopted me, but... I mean, surely there were other little girls there, girls who were much prettier and better-behaved than me."
Kade chuckled a little. "I believe that nearly everyone was better-behaved than you, Cass."
Cassandra playfully swatted his arm and he chuckled again, shaking his head. Though she had grown up plenty, there were still signs within her that the little girl she once was hadn't disappeared completely.
But she had asked a question, and she wanted it answered. And who was he to keep her from the answers she deserved? After all, nothing bad had happened back then. She had the right to know the story of how they met-- especially considering the fact that she was only a little girl at the time, and probably couldn't remember now-- and how he had adopted her...
"Okay," he began, steepling his fingers, "many years ago, before I was even captain of the guard..."
