Dulcinea of El Toboso (Doffy x Daughter!OC) [1/??]

“Mama, do I have a papa?”  

“Of course you have a papa, sweetheart.”  

“Is he dead?”

Her mother let out a laugh, “Of course he’s not dead.  Your papa wouldn’t die so easily.”  

Bright blue eyes full of questions stared up at her mother, “Then how come I’ve never met him?”  

“Because,” her mother replied, pulling the seven year old into her arms.  Unsure of how to answer that question, she could never tell her daughter that it was because her father was a terrifying man, she did not want to taint his image like that.  She wanted her daughter to believe that her father was everything the little girl could ever want.  “Your papa’s love was too strong, and mama did not know how to contain it without it destroying her.”

The little girl frowned at this answer, it did not sit right with her.  “Do you not love papa anymore?”

“Oh no sweetheart, I still love your papa, very much, more than I probably should.”

“Then why can’t we go see him?”

The woman let out a sigh, “Because mama broke his heart a long time ago, long before you were born, and mama’s not strong enough to face him these days.”  She did not know why she was telling all this to a seven year old, the little girl could not possibly understand any of it, all she wanted was to go meet her papa.  She could not do it though, she could not face that man again, not after all this time, because she knew, she knew the moment she saw him she would be his, forever.  It was not what she wanted, and she certainly knew that there was no escaping that man twice.

Still, a little part of her wanted to go to him, she still loved him deeply despite everything he had become, besides, every little girl needs a father, and she knew, deep down, she knew he would have loved that little girl fiercely.  It was actually one of the many reasons why she had decided to keep the little darling away from him.  He would hate her for it when he found out, but that man was all sorts of extremes, and she wanted freedom for her child, not an inevitable cage.  How could she possibly convey that to a little girl who simply wants the love of her father?  

“What was he like?”  

“The sun.”  

“You’re so silly mama, how could he possibly be like the sun?”  The little girl laughed, wriggling in her mother's arms, turning so she could see the expressions on her mother’s face more clearly.

“Oh but he is, sweetheart.” She said with a smile.  “You see, he is so bright and brilliant and beautiful, just like the sun, and all those around him can not help but be caught up in his light.” She gave the little girl a kiss on the forehead.  But he is also terrifyingly powerful, and if you stayed in his presence for too long you would feel that power just emanating off of him, burning you to the core.  “You should also know that he was a god once.”

“Really?  A god?”  The girl asked, her eyes growing large.

“Mmhmm.   You have god blood running through your veins, never forget that.”  

Satisfied with the answer, the little girl wriggled out of her mother’s arms and ran off to play with her friends, declaring that her papa was a god, and that was why they have never met him.  The woman chuckled to herself as she watched her daughter run off, her smile waning as she unfolded the newspaper which had been dropped off during their conversation.

Fate had a funny way of toying with her.  It had been years since she had actually spoken about that man, for the longest time simply seeing his eyes reflected in her daughter’s face had been enough for her.  Having to answer all those questions about him, having to admit to herself that she still loved him had been hard enough, but to open the morning paper just moments after speaking about him, and see his face plastered on the front page, in all its magnificent glory, was just simply too much for her.  

Her heart ached for him, even though she knew there was nothing left of the boy she once knew, her heart still ached for him.  What she would give to be back in his arms again, to lose herself in that bliss which was him, to hold his heart within her hands again.  A little part of her wondered if he would still remember who she was, eight years was a long time, and she knew better than to think that he had not found another woman or two, or thirty to fill his emptiness.  He probably would not remember her if she showed up in front of him again, she was no longer that vibrant girl he had known in the past.  All she was now was a shell of her former self, broken and battered, with little left to give.

Letting out a sigh, she let her eyes wander over that picture of him again, quickly skimming the words which accompanied it. Evidently he was a King now, such a fitting title for him.  She always knew he had been born to rule, although at the same time, she questioned whether or not it was fair for that poor kingdom to be ruled by the likes of him.  He was oh so cruel and sadistic, and took so much pleasure in the discomfort of others.  Although she did have to admit, that he did have a softer side to him, one that many people would never of had the pleasure of knowing, one that he only showed to a select few.  She had seen the way he cared for that little family of his, the concern and loyalty he had for them, from the elders who groomed him, to the littles he took in.  It was how she knew that he would have loved that little girl more than words could ever express, but she also knew first hand that he was also cruel in his love, and she knew that his love was not the kind of love she wanted for her daughter.  

Unfortunately, fate had a nasty habit of messing with her, and in less than a year since her daughter first asked about her father, she found herself having to relinquish control of the girl over to him.  

“Sweetheart, come here.”  She said, beckoning her daughter to her.

“Yes mama?”  Bright blue eyes looked down at her, filled with concern.  

Her heart swelled with pride as she stared back into those blue eyes.  Eight years old and she already had the demeanor of a little lady, it was a shame she would never live to see her thrive as a young woman.  “I want you to have this.”  She said, as her fingers worked to unclasp the necklace which hung low around her neck.

“But mama, that’s your precious treasure.”  The girl said, confusion flashing through her eyes.

“I know.” Her mother said sadly, “I want you to have it.  It will be a shield for you, never take it off, and always keep it close to your heart.”

“I don't understand.”

She let out a heavy sigh, reluctant to continue. “Sweetheart, mama does not have long left.  We both knew this day was coming, but it came much sooner than I had anticipated.”

Nodding the girl took the delicate piece of jewelry with trembling hands, fixing the clasp around her neck, allowing the pendant to swing down and fall against her chest.  “What am I going to do without you mama?”  She asked, the tears swelling up in her eyes.

“I’m going to be taking you to your papa.”

“My papa?”  

“Yes.  I would like it very much to see him one last time before I go.”

The girl did not know whether or not to be happy, angry or sad. “What if he rejects me?” She asked, a tear slipping out of her eyes.

“He would never reject you.”  She replied with a smile, brushing the tears from her daughter’s face.  

“How do you know that?”

“Because I know that man.”  

“Then why did you wait until now?” The words came out a lot angrier than she had intended, but her mother understood.

“Lots of reasons, sweetheart, but mainly, because I know that man.”  Her mother repeated knowingly.  “Sweetheart, please believe me when I say that everything I did for you was because I love you, even keeping you separated from your papa.  I have no doubt in my mind that he would have loved you with everything he had, but I also know that man, and so I chose what I believed was the better life for you.”

The girl nodded sadly.  She knew how much her mother loved her, she also knew that her mother would never do anything to intentionally hurt her, how hard it must be for her mother to come to this decision. “I’m sorry mama.”  

“Don’t be my love.  This is what fate chose for us, perhaps this is my punishment for trying to keep the two of you apart.  I’m sorry I selfishly kept you away from him, I’m sorry that I never had the strength to see him again, I’m sorry that I could not give you the life I wanted you to have…”  Her words got caught in her throat, as a painful cough tore through her body.  

“Mama!” The girl cried, pulling her mother into an embrace.  

“I’m okay, sweetheart.” The warmth of her daughter’s embrace helped calm the raging storm within her.  Letting out a heavy sigh she regained her composure and reached for a small box tucked away inside a drawer.  Pulling out an old wanted poster and the article from a year ago she handed it to the girl.  

“What’s this?”  The girl asked, taking the papers from her mother.

“Your father.  His name is Donquixote Doflamingo.”

Glancing at the wanted poster the girl felt a shiver run through her body.  “He’s a pirate?”  

She let out a small laugh, “kind of my dear.”

“But you said he was a god…”

“No, I said he was a god once.  That was a very long time ago.  Look at the other paper, sweetheart.”

The girl read over the article, her eyes widening, “Wait, so he’s a king now?  First he’s a god, then he’s a pirate and now he’s a king?”  

Her mother laughed, a long hearty laugh, one that she had not laughed in a long time.  “I suppose so.  Makes him sound so much larger than life when you put it that way.”

“Mama, this place, it’s in the New World.”

“I know sweetheart.”  She replied, stroking her daughter’s hair.  “Which is why we need to leave soon. If we wait, I won't have the strength to make the journey.”

“Can you tell me more about my papa? Like how you guys met?”

“Of course, sweetheart.” She said with a smile. “Mama first met papa when she was barely seventeen… your papa was a young pirate captain who was used to getting whatever it was he wanted, and mama, well mama had absolutely no interest in him. Boys like that always spelled trouble, remember that.”

The girl chuckled. “Yes, mama.  But how did you guys fall in love?”

“Well, papa was very persistent, and even though mama never acknowledged him, there was something about him that mama just couldn't shake.  Unfortunately for your papa, pirates never stayed in one place too long, and before he could truly capture mama's heart he had to leave.”

“Your story doesn't make sense mama, I thought you were going to tell me how you fell in love.”

“I'm getting to that sweetheart.” She said with a chuckle. “You see, even though mama never acknowledged papa's advances, mama couldn't get him out of her head, not even after he had been long gone. You see, your papa was the most beautiful and captivating man mama had ever met, all other men paled in comparison to him, holds true to this day.  Anyway, so every time mama heard news of pirates docking at the port, mama would rush towards the harbor in hopes that it she would see his ship.”

“How would you know it was his ship? Aren't all pirate ships the same?”

She laughed, “No sweetheart, they’re not, and your papa, well your papa was, is, a very flamboyant man.”

“What does flamboyant mean?”

“It means he tends to attract a lot of attention to himself.  You see, his ship was bright pink, and shaped like a giant flamingo.”  

“Hahaha, really?  A giant flamingo?”  The girl doubled over in laughter.  “You’re making this up.”

“I wish I were, sweetheart, but I’m not.  You’ll see.  Giant flamingo.”  She said waving her arms for emphasis.  “Anyway, a little over a year later I saw him again, I didn’t think he’d remember me, I was just some girl on some random island he visited once, but him, oh I could never forget him. For a year I harbored feelings for that man, and in his absence it would seem I had fallen head over heels for him.  The moment he found me again, my heart knew that this was the man I would love until the day I died.”

“So that’s it?”

“Basically.  Mama didn’t want to become a pirate, so she stayed in that village, your papa was going to rule the world one day.  Over the years he would always circle back to that village, and we would always find each other again, love is a funny thing my dear, it makes you do funny things.  Your papa was, is, a great man, destined for great things, mama’s just, well mama.  I wasn't made for that life, and I didn't want that life, not for me, and especially not for you.  So I set him free, set me free.”  

“That’s sad.”  The girl said, looking at the picture of her father again.  “Love should have conquered.  Like it does in the books.”  

“Oh but it did, sweetheart.”  

“How’s that?”

“I have you.”  She pulled the girl close.  “You are the best thing to ever happen to me, and you, you are the cumulation of our love.”