Fanfic - Fatherhood in Lilia's Style
Narrated in first person, this story resembles a diary written by the eternally youthful Lilia Vanrouge, in which she recounts her journey from being a free spirit to raising her adopted children, and all the challenges he faced and overcame to help them grow into strong and remarkable teenagers.
I write this story just for fun and non profit.
Disney Twisted Wonderland does not belong to me.
All Credits to Yana Toboso, Disney and Aniplex.
Chapter 1 - Fatherhood Chooses You, Not the Other Way Around
It was one of those boring mornings, with nothing much to do, so I decided to go to the woods and walk for a while; there's always something new to see there.
It was raining lightly, the grass was damp, and I liked that; stepping on the tiny dewdrops that kept forming was very entertaining.
The smell of petrichor was delicious, and without realizing it, I reached a clearing in the woods.
"Could that be a sorcerer?" I wondered when I heard a very peculiar noise.
It was very quiet; it was hard to make it out at first.
I even thought it might be a wounded animal.
That prompted me to search among the bushes surrounding an old tree,
since the sound seemed to be coming from there.
And I was truly surprised, because it wasn't any animal or wild beast of the forest.
That's what I thought when I looked at it closely.
You don't look like a fairy, and you're shivering from the cold... Where's your mommy?
I asked him as I picked him up. I didn't hesitate for a second to get him out of there; whoever the little one's mother was surely didn't want him to catch pneumonia.
And speaking of lungs, I must say the little creature had been blessed with incredibly strong lungs. As soon as I lifted him from the ground, he started crying loudly enough to shake the river.
I didn't know what to do. It was my first time holding a baby, especially a human one, but, in the end, instinct always kicks in at unexpected moments, and I placed the little one against my chest. The child calmed down; perhaps his crying had worried me after all. I remember how strongly my heart was beating at that moment, and I'm sure the little one was soothed by the drumbeats of my heart.
As soon as he calmed down completely, I decided to leave the forest in search of his mother. Surely she wasn't far; she must have gone looking for food, or perhaps she was injured somewhere.
I'm sure I searched every corner of the forest, but I didn't find her. It was then that it dawned on me that the little one had been left in the forest to be found and raised by someone else. And if anyone could be the little one's father, it definitely wouldn't be me. I could barely manage my own life; how was I supposed to take care of a little human?
After walking for a long time, I reached a nearby village. The smell of freshly cooked food whetted my appetite, so with my warmest smile, I said gently, "Are you hungry too? Let's see what we can have for lunch, shall we?" The place was packed, the staff were overwhelmed, and it wasn't my intention, but for the first time I noticed the breasts of all the women in the inn. I urgently needed someone to breastfeed the baby. I must say that when I asked them for some for the child, they were deeply offended. I don't know what's wrong with asking a woman to lend one of her breasts, but it was for a good cause, and since I couldn't get anything, the best thing I could do was buy a bottle of milk.
I couldn't buy a meal for myself; I didn't have enough gold coins with me. Going out with just one was always more than enough, but now I finally understand what humans mean by "unforeseen expenses."
I received many slaps that day, but I didn't give up. I left the inn and set about feeding the baby myself. I sat down under a tree so that at least the heat we felt in the restaurant wouldn't continue to suffocate us. I knew that lukewarm milk would be much better than cold, so I left it in the sun for a while so the midday rays would warm it up a bit.
When I thought it was warm enough, I uncapped it and prepared to give it to him to drink, but we spilled it all. I hadn't considered the fact that the bottle obviously didn't have a nipple, and I spilled all the milk on the little one's face, who immediately started crying. In the end, neither he nor I could eat anything because of that mistake. I must say I made many mistakes while taking care of him, but the good thing about babies is that they don't judge their parents for them.
I looked at him, a little worried, and said, while making sure the drops didn't get in his eyes, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. Let's wash you up."
I walked to the nearest stream and washed his face. The little one seemed to be enjoying the water, splashing his tiny feet as I cleaned him.
"You seem to want to swim, don't you?" I asked. "Well, I promise we'll come back, but first let's have lunch before more time passes and dinnertime catches us."
I walked a little further from the inn and discovered a village full of very welcoming houses. I was so happy to see the women in the gardens and patios of their beautiful homes, hanging out freshly laundered laundry or embroidering.
Many already had children playing among the flowers or dozing in their cribs.
I looked at the little boy and said encouragingly, "Look, there are lots of children like you. Maybe your mother lives here, and if she's not sure, someone will adopt you right away. You're so cute, they'll probably fight over who gets to be your mom!"
I went to each of the shelters, but the answer was always the same: they already had too many mouths to feed. None of the women were the boy's mother, but I must say that deep down they had kind hearts. Each one gave me something to help me with the child. Maybe they felt sorry for us, but at least we were able to have lunch. They gave me homemade food at one of the houses: chicken foot for me and a bottle of warm milk for the baby. I still remember how difficult it was to feed him. I had to give him sips because if I did it too fast, he would choke or cough.
Most of the women gave me diapers, food, and some baby items like a blanket and a rattle. One even gave me an adorable crocheted bunny. The day naturally gave way to our first night, during which I discovered that getting the little one to sleep wasn't difficult at all. In fact, it seemed he had more trouble staying awake than falling asleep. I didn't need lullabies or stories at any point.
The next day and throughout the week, I visited different communities and even neighboring towns, but there was no sign of the boy's mother, nor any adoption offers. It was then that I mustered my courage and decided that if I had found this child, it was surely because my destiny was to be his father. I looked him in the eyes and said in the most commanding tone I could muster: "I will call you Silver, because your eyes shine brighter than silver and because you are now my greatest treasure."
