Title; Epoch
Authoress; Chrome Hearts
Style: Chaptered Series
Chapter: Three – The Silverthorn Dynasty
Fandom; My Candy Love
Main Focus; Dimitry x OC
Rating; T+

A/N: Honestly, I really didn't think this would get any reads at all, let alone reviews. So first off, thank you to the lovely people who did review.
Secondly, I'm not sure how this is going to turn out.
I'm currently dying from the heat and, when it gets too hot here, my mind tends to wander.
So, I'll give it a shot, but can't guarantee anything.

Disclaimer; I do not own Dimitry or Mary, they are copyrighted by ChiNoMiko and Beemoov. Without them, this would be an original, so…. That means I own everything else. No touchy.

~Epoch~

It occurred far quicker than expected, nor was it as subtle as what plagued the rest of the fief. No, the symptoms were almost immediate and Mary made sure all those who dwelled within Castle Alcina knew she had contracted the disease. It wasn't as though she was proud of it, wanting to taunt the servants with the fear of transmitting it to them. No, she simply wished to gain as much sympathy as possible, exaggerating her undeveloped, currently non-existent flesh rot to something on a much greater scale. The cooks argued over who would deliver the sickly mistress her meals for fear of breathing in the toxins that clung to the stagnant air in her bedchamber.
The cleaners would certainly bypass her corridor during their daily cleaning routines and, when Baron Dimitry questioned this, they claimed that Mary requested she not be disturbed. The Baron's worry for his melodramatic mistress reflected upon his sharp, easily aggravated mood as he –finally- came to realise the severity of what his loyal fiefdom had suffered through, and for what he cared little about not even five days previous. Plagued with worry and the never-ending fear that the love of his life will meet the same fate as those who fell before her, Dimitry rather frequently took his anger out on those within Castle Alcina's walls. He ordered, demanded and begged for his love to be nursed back to health, but what he hadn't realised was, by doing so, he was selfishly risking the lives of others. All of whom he had asked had immediately declined his order and, outraged, he turned them from the safety of the Castle, cursing them with hopes of them, too, contracting what Mary had; Ossuary Paralysis, as it had been –finally- officially named by a medic earlier that morning. But, something Dimitry hadn't accounted for was that Mary, as fate had it, had become untouchable. Not one medic had managed to find a cure for the lethal disease, nor did they wish to conduct tests on her for fear of catching it themselves. The young woman's once bubbly personality had quickly deteriorated, replaced with one of anger, very little patience and extreme aggravation.
The moon hung low in the sky, the stars shrouded by a thick layer of fog casting the fief below into freezing temperatures. Aurelia sat in Castle Alcina's kitchens picking absently at her boiled ox tongue, one hand prodding at her dinner with a rather dented aluminium form, the other propping her head up. A short distance away, two of Castle Alcina's most honourable chefs argued with one another over who was to deliver Mary her evening meal.
Aurelia looked down at her ox tongue in order to discreetly roll her eyes. In all honesty, while she, too, kept her distance from Mary, she couldn't see the harm in delivering the contagious young lady her food when they have in fact, already done so –about three times each- during Mary's short stay within the castle's walls.
Her lips parted and a quiet sigh escaped them. Aurelia stood, pushing her untouched ox tongue away from her.
"If it bothers you so much," she said, "I'll deliver her meal."
As much as Aurelia didn't wish to do so, she was certain she'd have a lesser chance of actually contracting the disease by simply placing the meal on her night stand than to… Eat what the chefs had prepared for her, having touched goodness knows what.
Taking the gilded dish from the bickering chefs, Aurelia made her way quietly through the winding hallways of Castle Alcina, the only noise was the heels of her soft leather boots echoing off the otherwise desolate stone corridors.
To Aurelia, it didn't bother her if she had to deliver Mary her food only once; it was blatantly obvious to her that they were all as good as dead anyway, so why try and prolong the inevitable?

~Epoch~

It was in the early hours of the morning when it happened. Aurelia was awoken, shaken furiously by Baron Dimitry La Croix whose gaunt, pallid face and dark-rimmed eyes told Aurelia more than what spoken words could.
After calming herself down and waiting for the shock of being woken up in such a manner pass, Aurelia glanced at her master.
"Yes, Baron?" she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes. What could he possibly require at this hour?
Dimitry let out a quiet sigh and knelt beside her bed, his head bowed – his black hair, deprived of its once healthy sheen hung into his face, shrouding it like a veil.
"Aurelia," he said quietly, his voice hoarse. "Please… You're the only one I can turn to. I need you to find a way to save Mary. I need you to find a way to save my love."
Resisting a groan, Aurelia adjusted herself, rubbing the sleep –rather forcefully- from her eyes.
"Okay," she nodded. "I will try, although I can't promise you I will find a way."
Waiting for Dimitry to leave her small bedchamber, Aurelia reached for the small lantern that sat on her nightstand, the tiny flame flickering dimly.
After spending a few short moments attempting to properly wake herself up, Aurelia pulled on her soft leather boots before making her way through the chilly corridors in her nightwear.
A quarter of an hour and half a dozen twists, turns, and flights of stairs later, the silver haired girl found herself trailing her index finger down the spine of many old, heavy-looking books in the castle's grand library.
Several trips back and forth from a large oak table and the towering bookshelves later, Aurelia had a stack of dusty old encyclopaedias and medical books stacked up before her. However, it wasn't until mid-morning when she was beginning to feel fatigued and hungry when her eyes caught sight of something particularly promising in the index of her fourth book.
Jamming her fingers into the left side of the book, she pulled apart the pages, quickly thumbing through them until she came to the appropriate section.
She could feel her eyes widen as she glanced over the sub heading; so far, her search for a cure had been fruitless but this – this could actually work.

Shamanistic Remidies; Cheating Death

Vampirism;

Very little is known about the proud race of vampires – most thought to be extinct or living in hiding.
There is only one known clan of vampires, of who reside in the southernmost region of France known as the Silverthorn Dynasty.
Residing in a castle shrouded by bramble, the Dynasty rule over a baron, desolate landscape void of all things living.
Whilst very little
is known about these creatures, it has been documented that, in very rare circumstances, these vampires offer to turn one into an immortal– at a very great price.
It is unknown what motives they have behind this notion, nor are the nature of these undead beings known – presumed extremely hostile.
While one may request a member of the Silverthorn Dynasty to conduct this – highly excruciating – ritual, granting the being immortality and enhanced immunity, it is rumored that most attempts have resulted in an immediate forfeit of life.

For further information on the Silverthorn Dynasty, see;
Silverthorn Massacre, page 749
Blood Phial, page 207
Immortality, page 912

Quickly snapping the heavy book shut and tucking it under her arm, Aurelia ran through the bustling hallways of Castle Alcina –receiving many strange looks from passer-by's – until she burst into Baron Dimitry la Croix's elegant dining hall.
He looked up as she entered, an astounded look crossing his face.
"Aurelia!" he scolded harshly. "How dare you go gallivanting around the castle in your nightwear!"
Aurelia glanced quickly down at her woolen nightdress before puffing out her cheeks and looking back up at her Baron.
"I wasn't gallivanting," the silver haired girl defended. "I was researching. And," she added quickly, "I think I've found a way to save your mistre- pardon, to save Mary."
Crossing the dining hall quickly, she pushed the gilded plate of whatever he was feasting on out of the way before dropping the heavy encyclopaedia onto the table and opening it to the correct page.
"There," she said. "That is about all we can do for her – it's her only hope."
Quickly glancing over the pages, Dimitry nodded once to himself before looking up at his scribe.
"Southern France?" he said, his voice hinting at disappointment. "Mary is much too weak to travel. She wouldn't make it."
Aurelia sucked in a deep breath, awaiting another scolding. Instead, Dimitry glanced back down at the book once more; his index and middle fingers pinching his chin thoughtfully.
"What if…" he began slowly, "I was to go in her stead? I could come back and transform her, too."
The silver haired girl nodded. "It could work."
Dimitry let out a long sigh, his golden eyes travelling up to meet Aurelia's.
"You'll have to come with me," he said, although it wasn't as though it was a statement – there was authority and determination in his voice. No, it was an order. "We'll need you to construct a polity between us and them. Ensure they're civil."
"Yes Baron," Aurelia nodded. The excitement of being able to spare a life bubbled inside of her, and before she could stop herself, her mind spoke for her.
"Once we return to Alcina fief, you could spare whomever is still alive in the village, right?"
Dimitry smiled grimly. "Yes," he said. "If anyone isstill alive when we return."

~Epoch~

A/N: I recently un-fanfictioned this in order to post it on another website.
And by un-fanfictioning it, I mean simply changing Mary and Dimitry's names.
Mary's name is now Elizabeth and Dimitry has become Amon.
What a fun little tidbit~