Lilina found it hard to sleep. Most nights she was afraid of the dark. Tonight she was afraid for a different reason.
Lilina peeked into the throne room, curious to see what her father was doing. Her caretaker, Lauda, was tending to another duty and told her to wait nearby. The door was slightly cracked open, most likely on accident. She had just enough room to view her father.
Lord Hector was clearly angry with the news he had just received. She watched as her father slammed his fist on the small wooden table beside him, causing one of the legs to snap off. The table and the contents upon it clattered to the floor. The scrawny messenger was shaking, frightened by the violent outburst. The marquess proceeded to carry on a conversation with some of his subjects, frequently raising his voice.
Though she was far away, Lilina felt his gaze was upon her. She trembled. Had he seen her eavesdropping? Was he yelling at her? She backed away from the door and sat against the wall. She wiped the wet tears from her eyes with her little fingers, wishing that Lauda would take her back to her room.
She lay in bed trembling. The memory replayed in her mind over and over. Her father's frightening expression haunted her dreams. She couldn't sleep. Her father slept in the room just across the hall. She often sneaked into his bedroom when it was raining or when she had nightmares, and he would let her cuddle beside him until she could get to sleep. But if he was angry at her, would he still let her in?
She shook under the covers. Her eyes were wet with tears. She wanted more than anything to be with her daddy right now. Even if he was mad at her.
Lilina lifted the quilt from her body and stepped out of her room. She looked down the hall both ways and went to her father's door. He always kept it cracked just in case she needed to come in; she was still too small to grip the handle.
Her father's room was always very dark. She could see the faint glow of moonlight in the windows, but even that was not enough light to navigate the room. Fortunately, she had no trouble finding him; he snored as loud as a dragon.
At first she merely waited at his side, wondering if he would wake up on his own. She lightly tapped her gentle fingers on his hand. He didn't stir. She tapped him again. "Daddy…," she whispered quietly. "Daddy, wake up…"
Suddenly he stirred. He was a bit startled at first, but soon he relaxed. "Oh, Lilina," he smiled. Concern mingled with his voice. "What's wrong? Are you having nightmares again?"
She shook her head shyly.
Hector lit the candle on his nightstand and inspected his daughter. "You can tell me, Lilina," he said softly.
He put his hands under her arms and lifted her onto his bed. They looked eye to eye. "Daddy…," she began. Lilina stared at her feet, unsure of what to say. "Daddy, are you mad at me?"
"Mad at you?" he grinned, though confused why she would think such a thing. "Why would I be mad at you?"
She didn't speak for a while, fighting back tears. "You hit the table…and then you started yelling…"
Now big, wet tears were falling down her cheeks. He smudged them away with his thumbs. Love radiated from his comforting smile. "Daddy lost his temper today. I make mistakes too, sometimes." He studied her wide blue eyes. "Did I frighten you?"
She nodded. Her body was shaking as she sobbed. He pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "I will never lose my temper with you like that, Lilina, no matter what you do."
Lilina stood back for a moment. "Even if I'm bad?"
He nodded. "Even if you are bad, I will always love you."
She threw her little arms around his neck. "I love you too, Daddy. I love you very, very much."
They remained still for a long while, until she finally fell asleep cradled in his strong, loving arms.
I think I'm trying to write a lot because in just one week, I start college. Which basically means I'm putting chains on my wrists and I'll be confined to writing gigantic essays for the next 4 years. I don't wanna... :(
Lol, anyways, quick idea I had last night. Takes place between FE7 and 6. Lilina is supposed to be 4 or 5 ish. Part of this was inspired by how I was when I was little. I used to scare my parents unintentionally because I'd get scared and go in their room, and just stand there. Then I'd touch my mom's arm gently and say "mom"...apparently it scared them sometimes. Hahaha... On the flip side, I was thinking about God's neverending love for us, like a father to a child. :)
Anyways, just another cutesy family fic. :) yay.