Chapter 31：Viola

Two years later,

"Titus! Titus, wake up!" Rosalind jumped on the bed shaking the shirtless man awake.

"What, what's wrong. What happened?" He shot up from the bed, pulled a gun from under his pillow, wrapped Rosalind in his arms and pointed them to the door.

"Titus, you're crushing me." She pulled away from him, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry. Are you ok?" He placed the gun down and checked her arms and face, sadness came over his countenance when he saw how far it had already darkened.

"Well, besides Viola and you taking turns to wake me up during the night, I would say that I am fine." She joked, looking up at him and tucking the stray hairs away from his eyes, the one that got burnt was closed shut with the flesh. "Don't worry, I am fine."

He leaned his forehead with hers and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as his fingers intertwined with hers.

"Another nightmare?" Rosalind asked running her hand through his hair.

He nodded his head, just feeling the warmth from her body on his skin while she hummed a little tune.

"I'm sorry that I keep waking you up." He mumbled, voice still thick from sleep.

"Are you really sorry? If you are you can do something for me." She raised an eyebrow, her voice a little playful.

"Oh no. I know that tone of voice." He pulled away but was also smiling.

"Two hours. I didn't get any sleep last night." She pleaded her hands clasped together.

"I don't know, Rosalind, what if I do something wrong?" He turned away from her, doubt filling his eyes.

"You are her father, Titus. As long as you try, she will appreciate it. Anyway she's sleeping now so you just have to keep an eye on her, can you do that for me?" She said, pulling the covers over her as she laid back on the bed again, dozing off.

Titus scratched the back of his head as he saw her fall asleep. "That's a little unfair. You really didn't give me an option, Rosalind."

The wind brought in some Orange Blossoms from the tree just outside the window. He looked out the window and stared at the flourishing and colourful garden.

The first thing Rosalind did when they moved to Titus's grandfather's house was to start digging up the courtyard and start planting all kinds of vegetation.

He smiled remembering how she jumped to him in tears and laughter right after everything was taken care of and the enemy left to go back to their country.

He was covered in blood and wounds but only one thing was on his mind, so he asked her to marry him at that moment. Rosalind burst into laughter when he tried to kneel on his leg, only to fall to the ground.

Her laughter filled his ears to this day and just one word from her was enough to knock him out, finally able to relax.

Rosalind tended to him for the next three months in his house, which had belonged to his grandfather, never leaving his side. Even when his nightmares were at its worse, she was there calming and easing his fears. The voices and the images in his head always seemed so small when they would talk about it at night.

Her grandparents would pay occasional visits to make sure they are doing well. Rosalind had told him about her grandmother's reaction when she saw her short hair.

"She almost fainted with horror." Rosalind had laughed, "I didn't tell her everything but, they listened. Grandma and grandpa told me that they trust me. I am so grateful for them."

"Anyone who knows you will think that way Rosalind. But it's not good to keep too much secrets, or to take too much on yourself. There are people who want to help you, you just have to tell them."

"I'll remember that. Now, you just have to get better soon. We need to get married."

Titus laughed, pulling her in his embrace.

If all I have is her then I don't need anything else.

"Why do I love you so much?" He asked, turning from the garden to Rosalind's sleeping figure on the bed. Her hair had grown a considerable length since she last cut it, she'll want to cut it again soon.

She's really enjoying having short hair and has no intention of growing it anymore so she has monthly trims from Ralph.

Her friends visited them regularly to check up on Titus and to keep Rosalind company. He got to know them a little better and even met Louis's daughter and some of Ralph's younger siblings.

It did feel like he brought them only to help around the house for as long as they were staying there. It was a nice help to the housekeeper but … they were guests and Rosalind refused to let them do anything so it was a little noisy.

"You're not married yet right?" Louis asked, putting ointments on his burnt wound, a bandage still over his eye.

"Yes."

"What are the people saying about it?"

"I asked Rosalind about this too. Two unmarried people living together is just a receipt for gossip, we talked with her grandparents about this and they were ok with it."

"Her grandparents are very admirable." She smiled, wrapping the bandage around his chest.

"They brought Rosalind up, of course, they are admirable."

Both smiled when they heard Rosalind and Ralph arguing to each other about who will do the chores.

Titus walked from their room into the little room where his daughter lay in her crib, sleeping soundly. He reached in and gently stroked her cheeks, freezing when she stirred a little.

"Isn't she beautiful, Titus?" Rosalind asked, holding her to him, hair matted with sweat.

When he took the little one in his hands, his body trembled. He had never held something so small and fragile in his hands before and he feared he would destroy her.

It took him another month to allow himself in the same room as she is. He felt scared to even breath next to her but her smiles always warms his heart.

"C-can I hold her?" He asked Rosalind while she was feeding Viola, who was seven months old by then.

"Of course!" Rosalind helped him sit on a chair and placed the little bundle of cloth in his stiff arms.

"She is just fed so you don't have to worry about her crying. I'll be back in a little bit." And she was out the door in a flash.

Titus sat there as Viola's big brown eyes looked at him and smiled. He felt himself melt at that moment and he knew that his entire life is now in the hands of this little human being.

"Titus~ I'm back. Sorry I took so long." Rosalind stopped to see the both of them asleep on the couch, his arms still protectively around Viola.

He almost attacked Rosalind when she tried to take Viola from his hands, a soft expression crossed her face when she saw what he did. He was still holding Voila gently in his panic.

"I'm sorry, Rosalind. I didn't mean to- I thought-"

"Hey, it's ok. Good job." She grinned and patted his head.

I don't have to worry anymore.

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Why did she have that look on her face that day? It looked a little sad. And that news about the rebels isn't comforting at all.

Viola's groans pulled him out of his thoughts as she opened her eyes and looked up at him with a wide smile.

"Good morning princess." He picked her up in his arms and held her. "I hope I didn't wake you up."

Her smiles and giggles with her beautiful wide eyes eased everything he worried about.

"Happy birthday, little one. What should we do to celebrate the day my two favourite persons came into the world? I don't know if it is a good thing you and your mother have the same birthday but I will take it as such. Let's go to the kitchen and make something for her ok?"

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"I overslept!" Rosalind exclaimed, jumping from the bed and running to the kitchen only to see Titus cooking while Viola sat on her chair, watching her father with awe in her face. He would occasionally turn and play with her, making her laughter resound throughout the house.

"Come on say, Dada." He tried to coax her but she only spoke gibberish.

"She'll call me first not you." Rosalind laughed, entering the kitchen.

"No way. She will call me first, wait and see. Right, Viola?"

Voila laughed every time he called to her.

"She is going to be daddy's little girl isn't she?" Rosalind teased, picking her up to be fed.

"And that's not a problem," Titus answered narrowing his eyes at Rosalind.

He moved from his cooking and pulled a chair out for her.

"The problem will be when she gets a boyfriend." She said, a glint in her eyes.

"Who says she's going to get one?" He retorted.

"You know she'll have to once she grows up." Rosalind continued.

"I am not listening to this meaningless talk. Would you like some tea?" He asked, pulling the kettle from the stove.

"Yes. So what is the plan today?"

"We could go buy some things from the marketplace and celebrate with your grandparents over dinner." He said, placing the teacup on the table in front of Rosalind and took his seat beside her.

"Sure. Let's do that. But what about your work?"

Titus retired from the army the moment the war was done with but agreed to help train some new recruits.

"I told them that I was going to take the day off but they can still train if they wish to."

"I hope you aren't too hard on those boys."

"Don't worry, Rosalind. I am not. I think. Anyway, get ready after we eat."

"Ok. Where are we going?"

"Around."

Rosalind laughed at Titus's nervous expression, compared to how scary he was in the battlefield, she likes him better like this.

Hopefully it'll last.

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"That was amazing, Titus! Thank you so much." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Rosalind." He said sheepishly. "Hopefully, Viola also enjoyed it."

Viola's bright smile from her stroller told them everything they needed to know.

"Of course I did. Thank you. The picnic was lovely." Rosalind beamed with happiness.

"Let's stop by the vegetable market, ok? We have to bring some things to your grandparent's house."

"Sure."

As they made their way from the market place the ground shook with the sound of a bomb going off just in front of them.

Titus grabbed Rosalind and covered her but she couldn't pull Viola's stroller fast enough as debris started to fall around them from the building, crushing and injuring the people around them.

"Viola!"

Titus ran and grabbed the crying baby from her overturned stroller and ran with Rosalind out of the way of the falling debris.

Somehow, they made it out of there unscathed. When several other bombs went off around them.

Well s**t.