The Cleansing Fire

This story is about a brother and a sister. They were raised in a wealthy and sophisticated family and mansion. Their father was stern and only accepted the best. However, their mother was kind and docile, unless it came to business and gambling- those were the few things where she was ruthless. The family had made many enemies, but they were close to the king who protected them from their foes. Both children had the best education money could buy. The oldest child was a young woman who never wanted to conform to the stifling role of a housewife. She resisted her father's strict expectations of a lady. Her life was stressful, but her survival was never threatened, until her father lost control and struck her for refusing to marry a wealthy lord. She swore to herself that she would never allow such cruelty to happen to other young women. In contrast, the youngest child, a boy, was always obedient and compliant. His father took advantage of this by putting him in various lessons, including subjects from combat to business. The young boy was disinterested in these lessons, but did not dare challenge his father. Pick your side.