Legendary red ointment for child that’s really dear (6)
I believe the answer is:
cherub
'child that's really dear' is the definition.
'legendary red ointment' is the wordplay.
'legendary red' becomes 'che' (Che Guevara).
'ointment' becomes 'rub' (ointment which is rubbed on).
'che'+'rub'='CHERUB'
'for' is the link.
(Other definitions for cherub that I've seen before include "Sweet little baby" , "Sweet innocent baby" , "Angel shown as a winged child" , "A heavenly winged child" , "goody-goody?" .)