Cordelia will never forget the terrifying nightmare she was put through.
Her mind is seared with those memories. The feeling of the icy, stone floor rough against her back, the dreary gray of the room she stayed in for an entire year. The raw screaming she forced from her throat for days before her voice finally gave out. The loss of her dignity, her innocence, her pride.
That cold, malicious smile that haunts her every night.
Trapped, locked away in a little room with little more than a dress to her name, her dreams dashed to pieces. Her world turned upside down in a matter of moments.
She hated him.
The bastard that put her here- the power-hungry narcissist who stole away her freedom, imprisoned her and tore away her sanity, forced her to submit to his will and bear a child that she didn't ask for.
She can still remember the things he said to her, the tripe he fed her while he destroyed her mind.
"Everything that you are… Everything about you now belongs to me."
A vicious, cruel hell.
That man… Albert de Blois, she will never forgive. Not even after she has passed and her grave has been forgotten in time, will she forgive the things he's done.
Vengeance would be hers someday, if she had to rip it from his body herself.
But, even amidst such a dirtied existence, there was one thing she wouldn't dare forget or bring herself to hate. One thing more precious than anything else, that she would kill trying to save.
Her sweet, innocent daughter.
Victorique.
A golden-haired angel within which ran the blood of the Gray Wolves. She was only allowed to hold her a few moments before they were painfully separated, but in that time she knew.
She would protect her, no matter at what cost.
Even if that child grew to hate her, to loathe her mother for abandoning her and leaving her to a fate worse than death- left to the hands of Albert de Blois, that madman- she would never stop trying to free her.
Victorique.. She was a ray of sunshine. Thoughts of her are what kept Cordelia going, what kept her from losing her entire grip on reality, and losing sight of her final goals.
Until the day she would die, she would protect her daughter.
And when the time came, she would free them all from the Blois' viselike hold, forever.
.x.
So much blood- but she's finally won.
Her blade impales the man who ruined her life, her dreams, her soul. His screams, the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, the light leaving those heartless gray eyes. Their surroundings are on fire, and she's in so much pain, but she did it.
Her most formidable enemy, finally brought down by her.
It's finally over.
A cry from nearby, and his wretch of a minion comes flying at her. All of her energy has been expended taking him down, and she knows- no, she already knew- that she will die here tonight.
Cordelia knew, from the wise blood flowing in her veins, that she would end the suffering she'd been put through, but would not live to see the sunrise.
It was a foolish hope in the back of her mind that she might be wrong.
She whirls, and there's a mix of blood spraying forth. She's successfully cut through the old hag, ending that existence as well and stopping her from finding others to harm; but the price weighs heavily on Cordelia's shoulders.
Sharp pain slices into her, ripping so deeply that she can't stop her own scream. This pain, not far from what she once felt long ago before her daughter was born, echoes through her body with a finality.
Victorique.
Her daughter… her smart, beautiful, doll-like child whom she wishes so much she could've spent more time with. Who resembled her so, when she was that age, who she desired so much to protect.
Inside the fallen Cordelia's mind, she remembers the face of the young man she'd met at the magic show at Beelzebub's Skull. She's seen such determination in those brown eyes, could easily see how much he cared for Victorique in his expression, in the words he shouted her direction. She knew back then that he would always be loyal to her daughter.
Dropping onto her back as crimson colors her clothes, the blonde woman stares up at the night sky. With the flames surrounding her and the smoke filling the air, the stars are all but invisible to her eyes- but with her hazy vision she can see them, imagine them there.
Like diamonds amidst mud, she can see them shine through the thickness of the smoky ruins.
I've done all that I can. Now… Now all I can do is leave her in your hands, Kazuya Kujou.
Please take care of her for me.
Victorique, I… I will always be by your side.
Her eyes close, the pain lessening with every shallow breath, and her daughter's visage enters her mind. The softest smile spreads across her seashell lips.
My beautiful… baby girl…
Cordelia Gallo was finally allowed to rest.
A/N: I wanted to write a short drabble-like fic about Cordelia for some reason, because Gosick hit me very strongly in the feels. Just a whole lot of angst, honestly- but oh well.