Chapter Text
My darling Iz,
I apologize, my dearest child, for the circumstances of this morning. I ought to have anticipated that your return after your long time away would have left you unsteady and not brought so much of the family to see you. I understand why you fled – some of us have changed greatly in the intervening years. But worry not, for all our frightening appearances we remain your loving family, and you remain our darling Iz.
We have much to discuss, you and I. We have both been blessed with a gift beyond measure – the gift of time anew. When I thought you lost to me, I ruminated ceaselessly on our parting. I lingered on things left unsaid, on words that may have struck more harshly than intended in the heat of the moment when emotions were so high, a time when we humans are so prone to misinterpreting things. On how the best salve for any wound is time. Perhaps if there had been time, cooler heads might have prevailed and such bitter recriminations might not have been left to hang in the air between us. Time and experience are the best teachers, after all. Given what happened after that parting of ours, I’m sure you can see rationality of the concerns I expressed, concerns you were at the time so sure were intended as a slight. My darling daughter, I never meant to slight you. I only wished, as every father does, to see his children hale and happy.
Come home, my dear. I have your old rooms prepared for you, just as you liked them. They will be dark and quiet while you recover from your shock, and we will all be there for you when you need us. Let me take care of my daughter. Let me ensure that she is well. There will be time enough for food and conversation once you are well enough for it. Until then, I will ensure you are not bothered by the others. We need not speak on anything so heavy as old arguments if you do not wish it. We could talk of your mother instead. These long years have been lonely without anyone to speak to who knew her and loved her as I did. We might talk of happier days, when it was us three, when you would run into our chambers and leap up on our bed, all full of excitement to tell us of your most recent lessons. How your mother would laugh! Do you remember how your mother would read to you every night before you went to sleep? How you would sit against my side, my arm around your shoulders? I do. I remember how small you looked, how fragile, but how safe, cradled against my side.
Come home. Let your father protect you, as he always has.
As always,
Your loving Papa