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Bacha posh, Damian doesn't remember when he heard these words for the first time, but stubbornly they follow after his mother. Always following, never said in front of her, and he can guess they're supposed to slight and hurt yet he can't understand why.
Bacha posh, dressed as a boy.
Damian doesn't get it. Mainly because Talia al Ghul enjoys her dresses and make-up -- never too much, never to the point of vulgarity but always the pinnacle of elegance -- so why would the servants accuse her from wearing pants? And even so, why would it be so awful, worthy of hissing these words as a snake poised to bite and deliver its venom?
Bacha posh, pretending to be a boy. Wanting to be a boy.
That's only after learning more about his grandfather's agenda that Damian finally understands, after he ponders why the Demon's Head insists on a male heir to be his successor in spite of Talia having showed her loyalty and ability by fire and blood, time and again.
Talia al Ghul is fierce, as ruthless as the storm above the sands. She's cunning, as swift of mind as a viper sliding between the rocks. She's Alpha, the right and desire to rule and command burning in her blood.
She's female.
Bacha posh, for the lack of a boy.
It sometimes happens that, when a man is lacking in sons yet possess a daughter of Alpha disposition, he can name this daughter his heir. Still, that's not done very often -- for who would be ready to admit he cannot further his line through his might alone, but needs to rely on a female womb to let his legacy be carried in the future?
Very few men accept to confess such weakness, and for all his greatness, the Demon's Head abhorrs weakness. Moreso if he finds it within himself.
Bacha posh, as long as there's no son.
Talia can be a placeholder. She will never get to be the heir. For all her qualities, she will never rid herself from her female nature. She can enjoy the privileges of a male successor, but she's not a male herself, and no one in the Shadows can forget this.
No one in the Shadows can forgive this.
Bacha posh.
Talia will never escape the whispers, Damian knows it. He just hopes she will remember she's not just the daughter who disappointed her father for not having the gender he favoured.
She's Damian's mother too. Can it fix everything, to have a son loving her more than he ever loved anything in his (admittedly very short) life? Probably not.
Damian still hopes so.