The Young Gladiatrix

Confrontational

After Ash had woken in fear of what had happened within her mind, she had refused to go back to sleep. Leaving her tired and upset when morning eventually came. She was essentially a child at times like this. But it was understandable. She'd been through a lot. In her mind, and in the physical world.
As the morning began, Ash pulled on her shorts and hooded shirt. Remaining silent until Decimus came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "What's wrong? You're quiet" he murmured, his voice concerned as he hugged her. "I had another nightmare... Some... Some guard organised an attack on the assassins den. They were all killed. I don't know who the guard was. But it looked like my father..." she murmured, turning to look at Decimus. "If he's planning to attack them... It won't be without hearing from me first"
Decimus shook hs head, not liking where this was going. "Let him come to you. Don't be the instigator. If you're going to come up against him, let him be the one to start it" He could see in Ash's eyes that she was disheartened by his words. This was the first time she'd even mentioned talking to her father again on her own terms and she was being shot down for it. With a sigh, he pulled her gently to his chest. "Come here. I just don't want you to be punished. You got away with when you and the guard were caught fighting. But that is because he was the instigator. If you go after your father, you will be the one punished. Even if you come out of it worse than your father, you will still be punished" He only wanted her to be safe and to not get into trouble again. But at the same time. He sorta liked that side of her. That side of her that sought out action. It made life fun sometimes. And that was one of the things he loved about her. Though some saw it as reckless, he saw it as adventurous and maybe even curious. Ash liked to test her limits, push boundaries. She liked to mess around with things and see what the outcome would be. But doing this around her father. The man that had dragged her through Borgia training until her brother took her away from it. It just didn't seem wise. Ash nor Niero were stupid, they had both been the same way. Both sought out the limits. Both sought to push boundaries. Maybe that was where Ash got it from. Not her mum. Not her father. But Niero. The one brother who she had been the closest too. The two siblings had always secretly sought revenge on their father for all he had done. He was like one of those authority figures that doesn't know when to stop. Either that, or he didn't want to and he enjoyed what he was doing to his children's lives.
Now it was left to Ash to deal with their father. For Niero. And their mum. Not for Falcor, their elder brother. And most certainely not for their father. He wasn't a father. Not to them. To Falcor, maybe. Falcor was the favourite. The perfect son. Niero and Ash? They were forced into that training that Falcor had happily gone into. They were forced to wield blades at young ages. They were forced to fight. They were FORCED to give up their childhoods.
Until Niero ended it all when he ran away with Ash in a desperate attempt to give his little sister a better life. Their father had hated them even more since that moment. Niero trained under a different guard to become one himself. Telling Ash to seek a better life. The assassins. Well. They were a better life than what their father would've gave.
Their father. A man in his late 40s. Scowled a lot. The daughter he never wanted was working her way up through the arena, and was now a Knight. Not just a Knight. The Black Knight. This. This girl. He hated her more now than ever. Purely for her success in the arena. He saw the arena as it was supposed to be. A punishment. But his daughter had somehow made it into the beginning of a career of sorts as a jouster. As a Knight.
He hadn't even found out that she was engaged to Decimus yet. Hell would break loose when he found out.

"I won't go after him. I'll let him come to me. And he'll come. He doesn't know we're engaged yet" said Ash, her voice now sounding a little cocky. This earned a chuckle from Decimus. "You're going to rub it in his face. Aren't you?"
Ash only had to smirk and he knew the answer was yes. Smirking in return, Decimus cuddled her close once more. His arms locked around her waist. This was another reason why he loved her.

[Authors Note: This was more of an explanation of sorts about Ash and Niero's father. But at least now you have more of an idea on what kind of man he was. For those that are curious, their father's name is Kaiser!]