Con from x @shinyarmored
Chained down in the dungeon, Viren was no longer a threat to anyone; anyone beside his children. His tongue still was capable of cutting them like a blade; one he wasn't afraid to use to point out dis disappointment.
What were Soren thinking would happen, if his father would find out about the failed mission? What were Viren thinking, when he gave his son such an important task? He should have known better; should have known that he was too soft, too good hearted, too much like his mother. Seeing her in him; in both his children; pained him. All the years of training and strictness had only broken the young soldier to such a little degree in the mage’s point of view, that It never could have been enough for the purpose Viren had wanted to give him.
Soren’s smart heart was what his father had underestimated. It saw right through the problem Viren had confronted it with, no matter how much he had tried to poison and corrupt it. Now Viren had to live with the consequences of his doing, with the outcome of his manipulation and mental abuse. It was the lost of Soren’s trust and respect. A loss, that shouldn't have surprised him, but one that still did hurt in some way and left him hopeless.
That's why he also couldn't look at the young man in front of him as he apologized. “I should have. I was a fool, trusting you with this. And I am sorry too; sorry I didn't raised you differently. Maybe then you would have come to be the son I needed and not the one I deserve.” It were harsh words that were witness of his unforgiveness.