Tsuki's Letter to her Father (unsent)

Ephraim Mills; To my father,
 
Many years have passed since your words made their way across the sea, to the home we all seem to have left behind. Now, it is not only the distance of the sea that separates us, but an ocean of time as well. I never received your letter. My heart ached reading your desire to return, a stark contrast to the emptiness I felt when - year after year - you had not. It may surprise you, but Mother tried to honor your desire to reach me. Her attempt did not succeed. Just as you did, I left our home to pursue my own life path, and after her failure to deliver your message Mother moved on as well. The cottage still stands, but it is empty of what made it our home. The passage of time has transformed us all from kin to strangers.
The child I once was loved her father more than anyone. My father is someone I have always cherished in memory, but who’s face I can no longer recall. I agonized and wondered, who did he become when he stopped being my father? Did he even still draw breath in this world? I spent my life angry and lonely - A Mother colder than a mountain’s peak, and a Father who took his love away beyond my reach. I never knew what really happened that day until this very year. For so long, I did not understand. Because of this, I have become a conniving, dishonest, and temperamental woman. Perhaps you would say I am just like my mother after all. But in a land where my face could never fit in and my most trusted mentors have hidden from me the truth about myself, a talent for fooling the foolish brought me peace and purpose. I am a well ranked officer, yet I must live my life with the respect of a petty courtesan. The curious, innocent daughter you may remember is no more - only I stand in her place. Are you ashamed of me, Ephraim Mills? In any case, I will not soften this blow - I have lived an isolated and painful life, and it has taught me I have no need of a Father or a Mother to meet my destiny.
 
You may be aware that war is on our shores, but the dangers we face delve deeper than anyone could have imagined. Tonight, there seems to be a great evil on our doorstep. I’m not certain we will survive. Know that despite the hardening of my heart over these long years, the child within still cries out for those summer nights spent laying in soft, sweet-smelling grasses and learning the foreign names for every star. My memories of the life we three shared before all was lost still remain relatively untarnished by my hurt. You are still my father, though we may not recognize each other in a crowd. I would know you by the warm scent of cedar that always seemed to permeate your clothes. Know that this daughter, once young and lost, still carries a spark of hope for reconciliation. Whether it is in this life or the next one, I’m sure we will meet again one day.
 
Tsuki