Lumen
Author's Note: With my love of Bloodborne returned, I want to get another fic out of my system. I haven't written original character/OC ships too much lately, so I was bored and decided to make this one. Only a few minor changes to the DLC story will happen, but just to fit this particular fic. There is an oddly low amount of fics of Lady Maria, so I thought I'd add one to the pot. LOL.
"Some old wounds never truly heal, and bleed again at the slightest word."
- George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."
― Roald Dahl
By: VampireQueenAkasha
~O~
I
Tender hands cleaned the patient.
"Lady Maria..." came the groans from the tumorous, leathery mass of a head that bubbled with fluid, "Please, don't let me drown."
It wasn't Lady Maria who cleaned him, but Aleida; the doctor who still remained in the Nightmare having ventured too far within it for the passed several weeks. She cleaned them and made certain they were given proper attention when Lady Maria was absent. With the Healing Church having abandoned the research hall, all that remained of sane minds were herself and Saint Adeline, but the former Blood Saint too had been a victim of experimentation, leaving her bound to her chair.
It's quiet today.
Aleida helped the patient stand from his bath. His body had shrunken to half of its former size; skin stretched tight over a terrible, bony form that looked as frail as paper. She reached for the white medical tunic and leather straps laid out in a chair beside the bath.
"Good. Now here..." she said, in a quiet voice. They often became agitated at the worst of times if there was shouting or any loud speaking. "Let me dress you."
The patient stood obediently still, shivering and head bubbling as she fitted the tunic over his thin, sickly form. He held himself, groaning and muttering words that Aleida didn't hear. Guiding him out of the room and into the hall, she watched as he ventured on to join several other patients.
Aleida sighed sympathetically, straightening the glasses on her nose before she returned to the room to clean up around the bath. Pausing at a mirror, she studied herself; the short black hair on her head had been messy due to sleeping on a bed of sheets, her eyes were sunken due to proper sleep. Well, it was difficult to sleep much in the Nightmare as most could attest.
She dressed as a man would; well, that was how she was often reminded, as she lived and breathed the task of a doctor. Most found her predilections to be strange, but that was always something she ignored.
Then, there was the little scar on her lip... Oh, Aleida remembered how she had that one. One of the patients had struck her in the face, cutting their nail on her lip.
She wrapped a dingy scarf she had set aside around her neck, straightened the tie and dress shirt beneath her black vest and made her way out of the room. In the distance, she could hear the aimless chattering of the patients below; most of them were harmless, but the ones who had attempted to hurt her were usually kept on the higher floors behind lock and key.
Humming quietly to herself, she ventured into a room where books were kept before gathering a few in her hands. She wandered out into the balcony that overlooked a Lumenflower garden before sitting down at the edge. Patients tended to the flowers and paid no mind to her presence. They only reacted when Lady Maria made her way down to them every so often from her clock tower. They adored her, after all.
Aleida had a small curved sword at her belt that she removed before setting it at her side. She rarely used it unless necessary; unlike the often missed Lady of the Astral Clocktower, she was far from skilled with it, but it protected her as need be.
She remembered it as a gift from her father who believed it was necessary as protection long before the days of her youth had darkened considerably. Aleida couldn't argue with him. After all, she had heard stories of the Hunt, the Scourge of the Beasts and creatures that lurked in the shadows. She had found her way here because of one of them.
What was that creature?
No, mustn't think of it now.
The book was an interesting read about several methods of communication with the Great Ones and certainly a distraction from the unsettling images of that faceless being that had seized her in the night. Aleida had always known that the Healing Church attempted such things on people, but to see their notes here in person? Such a horrendous thing. She couldn't imagine the things done to these patients.
"Plip, plop, plip, plop..."
Aleida glanced over and found a patient kneeling nearby in front of a Lumenflower, tenderly pushing the dirt close to the plant and brushing the stray webs from its leaves. Such a careful, meticulous gesture from one so lost.
Then, she recalled the moment she'd been taken to the Nightmare and heard Lady Maria's voice echoing around her from the expansive hall.
"Hm... A visitor? How unexpected..."
Aleida cast her gaze cautiously around the enormous hall, spotting the shapes of the patients as they moved toward her. She anticipated an attack from them, but they simply walked by without a single care in the world. Some of them were talking to themselves in streams of words that made no sense and held no true meaning.
"You are no Hunter..."
Aleida glanced toward a patient kneeling in a nearby pool. He dug around for something in the water and groaned, despondent.
"Has someone, anyone, seen my eyes?" he mumbled, "I'm afraid I've dropped them in a puddle. Everything is pale, now..."
Above them, Aleida caught movement at the corner of her eye. She glanced up and noticed the figure of a woman in the garb of a Hunter; perhaps it had been the familiar look of her appearance that intrigued the doctor. She tilted her head, made out the distinct, feathered cap, double-sided sword and cloak before the shape disappeared up a flight of stairs to not be seen.
"A curious matter indeed..."
Aleida lingered while reading her books for a little while longer before she looked up toward the door. She wondered how time passed in the Hunter's Nightmare and reached into her pocket for a small pocket watch; the hands had stopped and she tapped the watch a few times before sighing. Maybe it was affected in this realm of madness. But she didn't know. It was still such a strange place to her and she had no idea what to expect.
"Well, that's unfortunate," she said, disappointed.
She decided that she would visit Adeline in her room; walking down a flight of steps and narrowly missing a patient who rushed passed her with a screech into the shadows, she made her way into the room where the Saint had stayed.
The other woman had been bound to a chair with leather straps tightly wrapped around her chest, arms and legs. She too had the swollen, tumorous, leathery mass for a head as well. Still, she communicated with clarity and thought that the other patients did not. She had been friendly and welcoming to Aleida, despite the doctor being a strange presence.
"Oh! Who's there?" Adeline queried.
"It's me," Aleida assured her. "I thought I'd visit you for a little. It was much too quiet above, even with the patients and their conversations."
"Ah, I see," Adeline chuckled quietly, "It's good to hear a voice today. Lady Maria has been absent for some time. I'm certain she has her reasons, however."
"Yes." Aleida pulled up a chair closer to the Saint and sat down. "I've cleaned a few more patients today. They are content in their ways, despite their pain."
A small laugh from Adeline. "As they should be."
"And what of you?" Aleida asked, looking up at her now. She furrowed her brow sadly, knowing that Adeline was content, even when she asked, "Are you content with your experiments?"
"I am."
Aleida asked no more of her. If she was utterly at peace with what had happened to her, then she could not argue with it any further. Instead, she wanted to ask something else of the other woman, but felt herself hesitating. It seemed like a foolish question to ask.
"You miss her." Adeline said, before she could speak.
Aleida frowned a little. "Who?"
"Don't play coy," Adeline told her, voice suddenly alight with amusement. "I know you miss her company. She doesn't visit often, but those lingering glances you've granted her. Well, it's quite obvious."
"Honestly, how can you even see any glances - lingering or otherwise? You have that...thing on your head."
Adeline giggled a little, shifting in her seat. It strained the wood a little with a soft creak. "Oh! Well, I hadn't a clue, really. But you simply confessed it."
"You are the worst..."
"Well, it's easy to become enchanted by our dearest Lady. You're certainly not the first to fall sway to her charms," Adeline remarked. "But you cannot sit idle when you are here with us. You simply need to speak with her."
Aleida raised her eyebrows. She was skeptical of the suggestion. "Yes, I could simply wander above through her gardens."
"Yes, of course. I did before I was bound to this chair."
"You are different."
"How am I different?"
Aleida sighed and rose now, less eager to continue. "Honestly, if you simply intend to tease me so, I will take my leave." she said, embarrassed by the conversation now and wanting to end it immediately.
"Oh no, please!" Adeline insisted, with a small chuckle. She reached for her as much as her bound hands would allow for, long fingers clawing at the air. "I simply like to jest, think no harm of it. It's my nature, you understand. But you truly should talk with her. She is simpler to speak to than you might believe."
"Of that I'm certain..."
"Such little faith!" Adeline chuckled again.
Aleida thought about her words, but they were simply folly.
Lady Maria was special in many ways. She would not simply indulge a conversation with a mere doctor because Aleida herself desired it so. She surely had better things to concern herself with.
O
Aleida was in the room above Adeline's, scribbling down a few notes when she suddenly heard approaching footsteps. She tilted her head at the sound and simply assumed it had been one of the patients wandering aimlessly, but the noise reverberated loudly like the steps from a pair of boots.
Oh, it was Lady Maria.
She heard the door open below her, close and then Adeline's voice filled the air. The Saint certainly sounded happy to have her there.
"Ah! Lady Maria, is that you?" she said, "It is. I know your boots anywhere."
The accented voice of Maria spoke up now. "Ah, yes. You do, don't you?" she replied, evenly. "I've brought you something."
"What is - Oh! One of the Lumenflowers!" A sound of delight follow. "Yes, they are quite lovely today. The others have tended to them beautifully. Do you know who else would appreciate them?"
"Who?" Maria questioned.
"Aleida."
"The doctor?" Maria sounded intrigued, but it was only for a second. "What of her? She can simply visit them as she pleases. You, however, cannot as you are bound here to this place."
"Perhaps so. But there are...complications to such ideas."
"Oh?"
"If I may speak so freely, my Lady," Adeline continued, "I suspect that her lack of acting first is that...she fears you."
Aleida groaned quietly, hands going to her face. Oh, no. She was not going to do what Aleida had feared she would. She shook her head with another groan and cast her gaze above with a long-suffering sound before lowering her face and mumbling into her hands. "Oh merciful Gods, please tell me she isn't doing this..."
Maria hadn't responded to the Saint's words for a moment. When she did, her tone didn't change. "It is not my concern what others feel of me. What matters is they know where not to venture. She has satisfied my boundaries and nothing more."
A small laugh from Adeline. "Perhaps speak with her tomorrow anyway. She would welcome it."
"I feel as if you intend something mischievous."
"I wouldn't DREAM of it, Lady Maria." A little playful giggle followed, which surely suggested otherwise. "But I believe it would do to ease the monotony of the Nightmare, wouldn't it? It changes, yet it remains the same. But this doctor is such a rarity here. Why not indulge?"
"...Perhaps."
Aleida wanted to hide away. She wanted to bury herself deep in her piles of books and not climb out of them. How utterly embarrassing that Adeline would say such things to the other woman. Gods above, what would Maria say to her if she had any desire to speak with her? She was certain that she'd look at her like some sort of chattering fool.
"That makes me happy, my Lady."
"Hm."
She heard the sounds of their conversation for a few moments more - discussions of days long passed and events that Aleida knew nothing of - before the door to Adeline's room opened and Maria's footsteps eventually departed. Aleida tracked the steady movement as they seemed to go upstairs.
Toward her room.
She panicked now and jumped to her feet. "Oh! Oh Gods, no." she hissed, frantically under her breath. She wasn't ready for this.
Aleida took a spot in a makeshift bed and rolled onto her side, mere moments as the door opened and Maria stepped inside the room. The other woman glanced around for a few moments.
"Aleida?" she said.
She looked toward the woman lying on the bed, tilted her head with a thoughtful murmur before she left, closing the door behind her. Aleida listened for the sound of departing footsteps before she rolled onto her back with a disappointed groan. She brought her hands to her face.
"Ughhh, you are SUCH a coward." she muttered, to herself. "What are you doing?"
O
The following day, Aleida was studying samples of blood left behind in another room across from where she'd chosen to sleep. They were deemed to be different blessings from different Saints - much like Adeline. Aleida hadn't taken part in the art of Blood Transfusion as she was much too old fashioned from distant lands. But the Yharnam rituals were quite extraordinary, she had to admit. It was part of why she had ventured here to seek out new ways of healing.
Just then, a patient stepped into the room, bare feet pattering across the floor. She gasped and took her hand, feminine voice light with pleasure. The swollen head seemed to quiver with vibrant energy. "Come!" she gasped, "Come!"
Aleida gently pushed her aside with one hand. "Please. Not now. I'm in the middle of something. Whatever you need, I will tend to it later."
But the patient ignored her request, grabbed her arm with both hands and tugged her from her chair anyway. Aleida sighed impatiently, but was promptly dragged out of the room by the patient. She was brought up a flight of stairs and began to panic, thinking that the patient intended to take her to the higher floors where the more dangerous ones resided.
"Wait! I don't want to go up there!" she insisted.
"Lady Maria!" the patient chanted her name like a mantra, "Lady Maria, Lady Maria, Lady Maria. See her! See her, see her, see her."
Aleida's brows went up. "Oh, you intend to take me to her?"
"Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes..." the patient continued to chant.
"I see." Aleida managed a weak smile as she was brought before a set of enormous doors. She had never been here before. It would be an interesting experience, she assumed.
Once they were opened, she was welcomed by bright light and a garden ripe with beautiful Lumenflowers. This particular garden seemed more vibrant and the plants looked to be healthier; but what amazed her the most were the great, peculiar beings who wandered through it.
They were massive, yet slender, faceless creatures that towered far over her; their skin light bluish in color and their arms were long. Although having a humanoid stature, they looked to be severely deformed. Their heads were extremely large and misshapen, appearing to fold over itself and connect to their shoulders.
To the woman, they almost reminded her of the patients below. Could they have been a final result of what the Healing Church had intended for their human experiments? She found herself unable to tear her eyes away from such a sight; thought fortunately, the creatures didn't seem interested in her and just held their arms to the sky, as if in prayer.
"Fascinating!" she gasped.
She was urged forward now, but froze as one of the creatures appeared before her, blocking her path to the Clocktower. The patient holding her arm yelled up at it with determination.
"LADY MARIA!" she screeched.
The creature simply made its way over to join the others in the silent prayer to the skies without any concern for the two. They did nothing more and Aleida was relieved of that. Still, she had a new reason to be nervous now as she made her way into the Clocktower where Lady Maria was sitting.
The patient released Aleida's arm and made her way back outside to leave the two alone. Aleida rubbed the tenderness from her wrist and looked up toward the woman across from the great hall. Maria cradled her sword in her lap, her left leg crossed over her knee. She seemed relaxed where she sat, though Aleida hadn't seen much of her to assume what the other woman was thinking.
"Um...hello." she said, waving one hand. "You wanted me here?"
Maria raised her chin. "Come closer. I will not shout at you across the room."
Aleida approached her and stopped when she felt she was at a reasonable space between herself and the other woman. It did give her a chance to study Maria's appearance better. She was dressed like a fine noblewoman, but her attire had been altered for a Hunter. Aleida felt her attention drawn to the green, gemstone brooch on her cravat. What an odd thing for a Hunter to have and it looked as green and brilliant as the woman's eyes.
Maria studied her curiously, hands clasped together.
"Well? You wished to speak with me?" she questioned. She gestured to herself with one hand, a simple, yet somehow still grand gesture. "Here I am."
Aleida scratched the back of her neck briefly. "Ah, yes, of course." She felt her cheeks warm and felt utterly mortified when she recalled Adeline's discussion with the other woman, though Maria didn't seem to be bothered by it. Clearing her throat, she tried to think of a suitable conversation to start with. "I thought it would be appropriate given the circumstances of my presence here."
A small, amused sound from Maria. "You presume much."
Aleida looked horrified now. She held out two hands. "No, no!" she insisted, "I didn't mean to offend! I simply...thought it would be pleasant to have someone to talk to while we're both here."
"Hm." Maria seemed to accept that response. She glanced up at her now, those green eyes sharply focused on the doctor. "You are a doctor, yet you do not possess the skill for Blood Transfusions. What did you specialize in?"
"Well..." Aleida was a bit taken by how Maria wanted to know of her position, but it was pleasant to talk about it instead of dwell on the uncomfortable air between them. "I was observing a master on surgeries, disposal of infected corpses. Diseases. But I was still learning when I departed for Yharnam. What skills I do possess are elementary at best." She tilted her head. "That interests you, my Lady?"
"I simply wished to understand my newest arrival," Maria replied, as if she should have known that. She waved a dismissing hand in the air. "It's not often I receive a guest here with half of her wits about her and one who isn't a Hunter."
Aleida laughed a little. "Ah, of course."
Maria looked at her now with a change in her voice; it was subtle, but carried with it a curiosity that Aleida hadn't heard before. "How did you get here?"
Aleida looked confused by the question. "How do you mean, my Lady?"
"I mean..." Maria thought of her words carefully, which was an unusual change to her. "You clearly do not belong here in the Nightmare. You are a doctor from a faraway land, not associated with Yharnam or their ways of the blood. Yet here you are, pulled into this nightmare like a fly to the spider's web."
"Oh." Aleida shrugged her shoulders, failing to understand the relevance of this. "I was visiting an old friend at the time and I...um...I ventured into the Cathedral Ward. I was taken, by something horrific." She shut her eyes, shaking her head against the memory that lingered. "It brought me here."
"It had a reason to do so."
Aleida frowned thoughtfully. "I don't know what that reason could be."
"I...see." Maria didn't seem to believe her, but she did not persist on the matter.
The two were silent for a moment. Aleida watched a thoughtful look touch Maria's face before the woman seemed interested in the sword on her belt.
"You are trained in the sword. How unusual for a doctor." she said.
Aleida looked down at the sword and laughed nervously. Well, it was a conversation either way and it was easier talking with her the more they focused on anything than herself and how embarrassing she had felt right now.
"Oh! Yes, well..." she told her, drawing the weapon from its meager scabbard. "I had learned a few tricks. My father taught me. This sword is older than he is. I understand that I am like a child wielding a wooden toy compared to your skills, however..."
Strangely, Maria smiled now. "Show me."
"Show you?" Aleida suddenly blushed. "Um, now?"
"Yes. Now."
Aleida laughed uncomfortably now. "Well...I don't..." she began. When she noticed that Maria looked serious, she cleared her throat and held up the sword. "Very well. Again, I'm far from skilled."
Maria watched, leaning on one finger as Aleida showed her simple, rudimentary motions of her sword; such clumsy, half-heated gestures. It was like observing a young child at work attempting to impress a seasoned warrior. It wasn't different from when she herself was younger practicing in the courtyard of Cainhurst Castle. What a curious little doctor she was.
She rose from her chair now, approached Aleida and reached out one hand for her sword. The doctor stared at her, suddenly aware of their close proximity before she handed the weapon over.
Maria studied the blade, running her fingers across the hilt. It was far from a perfect weapon, but it was acceptable.
"Hm, your father gave this to you?" she asked.
Aleida nodded her head. "Yes."
"It's old. Quite old, at that," Maria told her, "It's a Whistling Blade. It is said that the song in the weapon causes great distress to the ears of a Beast." Her eyes met Aledia's surprised ones. "A Hunter's tool."
"Hunters?" Aleida looked confused. "My father wasn't a Hunter."
"He must have had family then. Or at the very least, retrieved this weapon through other means."
She gave the sword a few swings and thrusts quickly into the air before her. The sound the sword made in the air whistled strangely when she did; a loud, almost keening song. She raised her eyebrows and handed it back to Aleida by the hilt.
"Elegance." Aleida said, laughing sheepishly. "Well, that certainly isn't me. I don't see why my father handed me this blade."
"Perhaps he saw something in you that was suited to it."
Aleida sighed and glanced down at the sword briefly before she noticed Maria walking back a few paces. The former Hunter raised her chin.
"Shall we?" she questioned.
"Shall we, what?"
"We may speak by the blade," Maria told her, "I learned by the Beast Hunter Gehrman. Do you intend to learn from me?"
Aleida smiled a little. "Alright."
O
"Slow. Attack slow."
Maria moved with grace in her steps as she instructed Aleida with her sword. Slow movements, swords clinking together. Aleida's sword didn't whistle when she wielded it, so she was certain that something was wrong with the way she held it. But Maria had used it as if she was born to wield the bloody thing; perhaps she was just skilled with whatever weapon she picked up.
"Attack." Maria continued to instruct as their blades connected, "Slow. Again. Slow. Slowly... Good."
Aleida smiled at the praise. "Thank you."
"I haven't entertained a guest in some time," Lady Maria said, as they continued to train, "Especially one so very curious in her intentions."
Aleida laughed softly. "I'm not quite that curious, am I?"
"Indeed you are. You are here in the Nightmare. There is a reason for everything being taken here." Maria continued.
She thrust her sword out, but Aleida caught it and attempted to loosen the weapon from the woman. Of course, it was a foolish endeavor as she was promptly seized by her other arm and pulled up firmly against Maria's chest in a single, swift move. Her eyes widened and a bright red blush touched her cheeks.
Maria smiled down at her, tilted her head with a thoughtful sound before she released her. Aleida was flustered for a few moments before she cleared her throat, straightened her tie and raised her chin to maintain a semblance of pride about her.
"I will learn your secrets, sooner or later." Maria promised.
It wasn't carried with a threat of any kind. Aleida raised an eyebrow and straightened her glasses before she continued to train with her. She wasn't sure what that really meant or why they were actually training in the Nightmare, but the meeting between them was nice.
It didn't last, however; Maria bid her away when she was tired and as she left the Clocktower to sleep, the other woman took a seat in her great chair to rest herself. She also had her personal bedchambers, but finding sleep was difficult for her.
Her mind ventured unbidden to her younger years at Cainhurst Castle, when she had been unformed of the world. In a way, Aleida reminded her of that past.
When she had been so young and naive.
Maria was in her chambers, listening to the sounds of training outside.
She peered out the snow-covered window and found a few nobles talking while knights were training with swords nearby. She had joined them at a young age; after all, she had shown promise by the blade and despite the reservations among the other knights, she was accepted to train with them.
Maria wandered to a dresser and gathered a necklace, studying it before she looked up, eyes widening when a noble stormed into her room, dragging a crying servant girl by her hair. Oh, she knew him and his behavior far too well; her constant, charming ape of a brother.
"You! You sent this SLAVE GIRL into MY ROOM!" he spat, his cheeks flushed with rage. "I would have sent back her hands if not for mother!"
Maria glanced down at the girl, who was crying up at her. Her lip was bleeding and Maria's eyes darkened at the sight; her lips pursed only a fraction. The servant girl was sobbing, begging for forgiveness.
"Forgive me, my Lady, I didn't mean to...!" she cried.
Maria raised one hand, calmly. "Hush now. It's all right." she assured her. "Return to your chambers and I'll be with you shortly."
The servant girl staggered to her feet, held her cheek and made her way out of the room, still crying softly. Maria watched her go before she turned her focus to her brother now.
"Why did you hit her?" she demanded, "She simply did what I commanded of her!"
"NO ONE is to enter my chamber without my permission!" her brother spat, thrusting a finger in her face, "You know this! Or need I break your slave girl's legs to remind her?"
Maria's face was inches from his now. "Need I remind you of the countless maidens you've brought to your chamber?" Her voice took on a razor's edge, that certainly held promise. "Or should I bring that to mother's attention? I'm certain she'll enjoy hearing of that."
Her brother's face reddened again and for a moment, she truly believed that he would fall dead from the strain. Given the monstrous nature of his ways, one could only wish for such.
Instead, he took his leave, slamming the door hard behind him. Maria sighed, cast her gaze upwards before she finally ventured from her chamber to the servant girl's quarters. There were a few other servants tending to her at her bed and they looked up at the sight of the other woman. They seemed tense, as if Maria herself would do as her brother had done.
"Go on." she said, bidding them away with a single gesture of her hand.
They immediately departed upon her order, filing out of the chamber and leaving her alone with the woman. She had touched up her lip with a cloth and her eyes were flushed red from crying. The blood had no longer flowed, so the wound was surely not serious. Still, it had left a foul taste in Maria's mouth at the sight of it. She felt a clenching in her belly, as if someone had twisted a knife in it. She was calm, however and regarded the servant girl with sympathy.
"I did not intend to anger him..." the servant girl quietly said.
"Don't concern yourself for my brother. His problems are far too many."
Maria sat down beside her and plucked the cloth gently from her hand. She reached with her other, cupped her chin and lifted it in the dim light of the candles. Her lips pursed as she focused on cleaning her mouth of the blood and the servant girl lowered her eyes.
"I'll speak to him again later," Maria promised. She certainly sounded like she would do much more.
"Please, my Lady. Don't feel compelled to defend the honor of a slave... If such a thing exists."
Maria had paused in her attentions, frowning at her. "It was cruel what he had done. Such cruelty merits a severe reaction."
"Not for me. I'm...not worth it."
Maria sighed quietly, set the cloth down and lifted her chin toward her again. She lightly brushed a stray lock of brown hair behind her ear before leaning down and meeting her lips in a chaste kiss. The servant girl melted into the contact. She couldn't help it. Another gentle hand ran through her hair, perhaps to soothe her if just a little. She didn't know, nor complained for it.
"Mm, I don't recall taking you to my bed a worthless gesture." Maria said, parting and raising an eyebrow.
The other woman blushed now, chuckled and timidly lowered her head. "No, it certainly was not." she admitted.
Maria seemed to consider something. There was a brief moment of hesitation before she spoke. "If I could make you more than a slave? Would you accept such a change?" she questioned.
"Oh, I would openly accept, my Lady. The rest? They may not be so kind to your choice."
"They will accept my decision. I will make them see as I have before."
The other woman smiled just a little. "As you say, my Lady."
Such a fool she had been. Lady Maria had been so quick to believe that they would change their ways; that they could see possibility and new paths for the future. But they hadn't and they never would. The nobles of Cainhurst were decadent and stuck in their old ways. None of them would change.
And it had cost the poor woman her life.
Sonja.
Her name was Sonja.
Maria had become aware of some of her oldest memories fading in time. She wasn't forgetting the sight of her face or the loveliness of her voice; time was long in the Nightmare and old memories were replaced with new horrors.
O
Aleida tried to sleep, but she thought of the strange creature that had taken her here to the Nightmare; the one with an enormous head and six-fingered arms that had snatched her from the ground. It felt as if it had stared at her, despite having no eyes to look at her with. It had been nearly invisible to her eyes, but she could still see it there before her.
She heard a whisper - albeit faint - in the back of her mind.
"Curse the fiends, their children too. And their children, forever, true..."
When she awoke, she had found herself at the doorway of the research hall, greeted by various patients who had been curious by her presence almost immediately. Aleida hadn't tried to harm them - she had been so taken by the sight and so utterly confused. They hadn't tried to harm her, but simply touched her robes, trilled a few streams of words and that was that.
She laid down flat on her back, crossed her hands in front of her and stared at the ceiling; a few things were left hanging from rope that looked like older tools used for surgeries and old curtains. They certainly didn't use the tools now in this age and Aleida thought that in the Nightmare, time hadn't moved forward.
Meanwhile, Maria was sleeping in her chair, dreaming of the day that she had lost that poor slave girl whom she had adored so much. She saw with it the memories and the torment she had suffered.
"She will be helped, mother. This will guide her from her...curious predilections."
"If your sister prefers the taste of skirt to trousers, who am I to judge?"
"It is a slave girl she fawns over."
"Hm. A slave girl, you say? Well, that certainly will not do. There is an image we must maintain for the good of our family. Bring her to me."
Sonja was roughly awoken by seventeen nobles and ladies, all laughing as they carried her kicking and screaming from her bed. She struggled against their grips, but it was useless. They carried her down the corridors, laughing gleefully.
"Time for justice, little slut!" one of them hissed, cackling.
Maria had awoken from sleep and exited her chambers, dressed in a fine, decorated red robe. It had been difficult to sleep as of late, but such was how things were in the castle. She then heard the sound of Sonja's cries in the distance and quickly hurried down the corridors toward them - which lead to the courtyard outside where Sonja was being kept.
Her eyes widened and she looked at her mother, who was wearing thick furs to keep warm. Sonja had been bound to a stone post and she was crying softly. Several of the nobles and ladies had surrounded her, their gazes hard and full of contempt.
"What is the meaning of this?" Maria demanded, "Why has my servant girl been taken?"
Her mother raised her green, cold gaze toward her now. "Perhaps you can tell us?"
Maria looked at Sonja, who continued to cry. Her brother was there and she knew he had something to do with it. She knew of his cruelties.
Sonja met her gaze now and she murmured something. Maria could read her lips.
NOT FOR ME.
Her brother reached into Sonja's clothes when it seemed as if he noticed something. He pulled out a brooch that fit perfectly in his palm - it was shaped like a flower with a rather large, green gemstone. He thrust it into Sonja's face and she recoiled away, grimacing.
"So, we're a whore and a thief, are we?" he snarled.
"N-No!" Sonja groaned, shaking her head. She refused to look at him. "It was a gift! I saved all my coin for it!"
Maria's mother chuckled, amused. She took delight in the idea more than her son. "And why would you save your meager earnings on something so elegant? Do you think a little trinket would make you feel prettier?"
"No, my Lady..."
"Then tell me..." Maria's mother approached now and knelt down before her, cupping her chin and jerking her head up to meet her sharp, green eyes. "What would a slave need such a thing for?" She tilted her head and her grin was venomous now. "Perhaps to give to my daughter?"
Maria's eyes widened and for a split second, Sonja looked at her, then back to the older woman. "N-No, my Lady." It was clearly a lie. "My mother adores flowers. I simply wanted...t-to give her a gift before she passed."
Maria was stunned by the lie.
She was protecting her.
"Hm. Such a filthy little liar you are." her mother hissed, jerking her hand away. Her spindly fingers and long nails had cut Sonja's cheek from the force. "Still, it was amusing to watch. You truly believed that you could change? Become one of us?"
"The fault is clearly mine, mother." Maria struggled to maintain her clarity with her words and spoke with forced calm. "I took advantage of her. She only fawned for me because it was my will."
"Mm, I know, my dear," her mother replied, turning and patting her shoulders gently. "You never could resist a cute, dainty little thing, could you?" She waved a dismissing hand. "I don't blame you for that. It's in your nature as it would be the cat to the mouse."
The touch was intended to be maternal, but to Maria, it was cold as the icy wind around them. She could feel the grins around them and the frigid stares of the nobles searing holes into her back. It was like being circled by a pack of Beasts.
"And that is why she must die tonight."
Maria's eyes snapped wide in horror as her brother drew his sword at the words; he brought the blade to Sonja's neck, and all it would take was one clean cut to open her and spill her blood. But fear was long gone in Sonja's eyes now. She closed her eyes now and whispered:
"My Lady, this is not your fault..."
He forced her head back with one fist in her hair and sliced her throat in one clean swipe.
"NO!" Maria shouted, quickly rushing to her and clasping a hand to her throat.
The others watched with a mixture of confusion and disgust. Her mother sighed, as if disappointed more than ashamed of Maria's behavior. She turned to the watchers and smiled.
"Ah, don't let this little silly spectacle taint your view of my daughter," she said, "She is still young. She will learn eventually what the reality of our lives mean." She glanced down at the pool of crimson that formed beneath Sonja's body. "Such a shame, really. The poor girl really did know how to clean the foyer well."
A few mocking chuckles around her - the nobles and ladies seemed amused by the cruel response.
Maria was struggling to keep Sonja's blood from flowing, shakily holding her hand to her neck. Sonja choked, her body twitching and blood pouring from her mouth. She gurgled once, met Maria's eyes and somehow managed to smile through blood-stained teeth.
"...M-My Lady..." she gasped. "I..."
"Shh...don't talk," Maria whispered, struggling to keep her voice steady. Tears brimmed in her eyes. "Save your voice. Just look at me. Don't look at them. Only me."
Sonja choked out again and her eyes slowly began to close. "I would have..." Her voice breathed out of her so softly, like a ghost.
"What?" Maria leaned closer to hear her.
"...Yes... My answer would have been..." Her eyes dimmed. "...yes..." Sonja whispered so softly, it was barely heard.
Maria stared at her, anguished. She held her hand at her throat, moments as Sonja's head slumped forward lifelessly.
Several long, agonizing minutes ticked by and Maria stared down at her blood-drenched hands with horror.
"Such a pity." her mother said, disdainfully.
O
Maria's stoic gaze overlooked the woman below.
Aleida had been interested in helping a patient to his wheelchair. Unlike the faceless beings, this particular man was wearing a masked shaped like the head of a bird. He was one of the Huntsmen who was bound to his chair, but he didn't seem to be completely gone just yet.
"...You've done well today!" Aleida was saying. "I'm glad to see your feet haven't changed much since."
"Ah, thank you, Aleida." the man murmured. "It's inevitable, I'm afraid. But you do me a kindness and make my short time comfortable."
Aleida smiled warmly. "Of course. It's the least I can do."
She helped him into his wheelchair and pushed him slowly through the research hall.
"So...what would it be today?" she asked.
"Hmm, I'm thinking second floor balcony. The view there before the rising sun is spectacular."
Aleida chuckled. "As you wish."
She pushed the wheelchair-bound man toward a door that would lead to the elevator. It would bring them both to the next floor and the balcony that he wanted.
"Don't fawn over the slaves, Maria. It's not becoming."
Maria recalled her mother's words with contempt.
She didn't care to think of it any more. Instead, she saw fit to observe the two from the Lumenflower Garden nearest the Clocktower. Maria had a good view from her place, watching below as Aleida seemed intent to tell the wheelchair-bound man a story.
It must have been particularly interesting to him; he gasped, his hands going through his head and Aleida grinned, nodding her own. She must have been sharing with him something extraordinary, as he kicked his legs in his chair and laughed.
Maria tilted her head when she saw Aleida stare quizzically, then the younger woman smiled. It was different from her usual smiles; she looked content by the amusement of the man. It was such a sweet thing for her to be so caring for the ailing wards of the church.
It was a foolish endeavor and perhaps she even knew that, but maybe it gave her a purpose in the Nightmare. Such a thing was necessary at times.
She didn't see the girl again for another week. Aleida went about her business of keeping herself occupied and didn't persist on the lack of attention either. Maria could appreciate and respect that.
She knew her place.