Red Princess

Extra Chapter - From a Father to his Daughter

Leander Reed

"It's a girl; you have been blessed with a baby girl!"

The doctor's voice was masked behind the cries of the little baby that my wife gave birth to. I swivelled my head in her direction, and she looked up at me, smiled and sighed in relief as she laid her head back, her sweat clad hair sticking to the sides of her head and neck. I tightened my grip on her fingers and she squeezed back, reciprocating my excitement.

They briefly showed the face of the child to Lily and then to me, shaking my world apart. That little angel was my lucky charm, the proof of the love I shared with my wife. I wiped the sweat beads that had formed on my forehead with the back of my rolled up sleeve, my legs giving away.

The nurses helped us settle in and I called for Laila to keep Lily some company. She stepped in followed by the young babysitter who was carrying an asleep Kaidon in her arms. The little boy had thrown tantrums wanting to see his mother, forcing the babysitter to bring him to the hospital.

The nurse brought our baby in after cleaning her up and handed her over to her mother. I peeked at her with curiosity, hoping to see some resemblance, but perhaps I was a little too dumb to notice it. I had always seen people instantly recognise likeness in features to the parents, but all I saw was a little, fragile figure with two tiny closed eyes, a small button for a nose and two slits which formed the lips. I scratched the back of my head, embarrassed to be acting so foolish.

"Lead... Hold her."

I can...?

What if I...?

What if she...?

She glared at me, and I fumbled around and pushed my hands forward. I already had an inkling what a terrible father I was going to become. I adjusted her in my arms, treating her as the most fragile being in the world. She started crying, and I flustered, making Lily chuckle as she saw me walk around nervously to calm my baby.

"Have you guys decided upon a name?" Laila interrupted.

The last eight months had been a nightmare. I had never given a serious thought to raising a family. But when Lily told me about our baby, I suddenly grew aware of my circumstances. I was a fugitive on the run with the princess of one of the most influential families in The Order. What implications would that bring for my child? I wanted my baby to live away from the darkness of this world. I wanted a different life for her, even if it meant sacrificing myself for the sake of her future. I wanted her to be kind, just, gentle, innocent and even ignorant, if that meant she would live the life of a fairytale.

But if ever came a time when she would be on her own, when I wouldn't be there to protect her anymore, I wanted her to be smart and brave to handle it on her own. I wanted her to carve her own path of choice and fearlessly withstand all the obstacles.

"Alice..."

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"What are you doing, Lead?! Don't you dare ruin the cake I made! It took me hours to decorate it!" Lily threatened me from the living room as I balanced myself in the middle of the kitchen. I had almost slipped on the wet floor and barely managed to save Alice's first birthday cake.

"Pa... pa!" Alice clapped her hands together and pointed at me, and laughed from her seat on the top of the breakfast island. My eyes sparkled in delight, and I stumbled, dropping the cake on my head, which earned me an earful from my wife. But nothing compared to the happiness I felt at that moment. I heard my child address me as 'father' for the first time. That was the moment when the feeling of becoming a parent sank in for real. I was her father, the person she would always look up to when taking a step forward in her life.