Hello everyone! Thank you again for reading. Mother Miranda has finally arrived and Alcina's transformation begins. I know last chapter was heart wrenching, and this chapter is a bit lighter. Hope you guys enjoy!

Chapter 14:

Three months had passed since the tragedy.

Alcina had made sure that Josie was buried beside Fredric. Afterwards, she and Helena purchased a manor far away from Roderick. Helena having accumulated enough funds from her job, and continuing to practice her nursing at a nearby apothecary, the two settled in as best they could. The manor was much smaller than they were accustomed to, but they made due.

Alcina having much more trouble than Helena adapting to this 'peasantry existence', had to deal with fewer servants, which made the cleaning and cooking slower.

"This is all so asinine. People cannot possibly live like this, do they?"

"Yes, Mother," Helena said. "Many people do. Every single day. Be grateful."

The two rarely spoke of what happened to Josie, and all the abuse back at Roderick's manor. After the incident, Roderick had spent much time fighting with the local authorities. Continuously claiming it had all be in self-defense. They were not buying that and with the threat of potential arrest, Roderick had disappeared. No one having any idea where he had gone.

That had left Helena feeling anxious. She would be constantly looking over her shoulder. Her mind playing tricks on her and thinking she would see him in a crowd, but never would it be him. Even now in his absence, he was still tormenting her.

Alcina, on the other hand, was calm about it. Hoping he would turn up so she could enact her vengeance. Helena catching her outside on the steps, eyes focused straight ahead.

"Mother?"

"What is it?" she turned and did a double take. "Helena?"

"Do you like it?"

Helena was dressed in a bespoke red wine dress with a glittering crystal chain weighing the back. From the daring open back to the gorgeous flow and drape of the fabric, Helena was a true vision to behold.

"My darling, you are positively radiant!" Alcina said, motioning for her to twirl around.

Helena smiled broadly, twirling around twice.

"Marvelous, what is the occasion for?"

"I am meeting a gentleman. A doctor by the name of Thaddeus. He has good breeding, and he is so very kind."

"'Good breeding'? Well, that certainly gives him some points."

"Mother," Helena said. "If you wish to meet him, he should be arriving-"

"Oh Miss Helena," Phoebe called. "A Thaddeus Kelly is here for you."

"Thank you, Phoebe."

"Come along, darling," Alcina said, leading the way to the Main Hall.

"And Mother there is one more thing about him you should know about."

"What's that?"

A butler opened the door where a young man in his early twenties stood with a bouquet of roses in hand. His brown hair was smoothed back bringing out the color of his grey eyes. His dark suit accentuating his sharp features.

"Good evening, Helena."

The moment he spoke, Alcina rounded on Helena with her signature hand on hip pose; brow quirked high.

"He is American…"

{…}

After the initial shock, Alcina grew to tolerate her daughter's choice to her great chagrin. She had to admit the young man did try very hard to impress she, though Alcina made the bar almost unattainable, his loyalty to Helena never wavered. He adored her, and she could see by the way he looked at her, how much he deeply loved her.

Alcina felt both happiness and sadness for her daughter. Overjoyed Helena was finally starting to move on. After such a tragic life so far, Helena was finding her way and she was happy, and yet sad. Perhaps even a little angry towards Thaddeus for coming into their life, splitting Helena farther and farther away. Of course he was not, but that is how Alcina had started to see it.

One late night, Helena had returned after another date with him. Alcina always waiting for her to arrive, set the book she had been reading down, and rose to her feet.

"Helena?"

Helena walked over to her mother and presented a ring on her finger.

"Did he—?"

"Yes, Mother," Helena said, giggling. "He did…"

{-}

"Mother?" Helena said, laying in Alcina's bed.

"What is it, darling?" she hummed, blowing out the few candles left lit in the room.

"I was thinking about Josie today," Helena said, starting to chuckle. "It is funny how she always predicted I would get married first. How I would have the children, and she would be the one to take care of them while I was at work. I would tell her how ridiculous that sounded. After all, she would no doubt have her own family to care for, but she would always shake her head. She said, 'I will not. Never. I will be too busy.' I did not understand what she meant by that…" Helena had to stop, starting to choke up.

Alcina pretended not to notice, blowing out the other candles and walked over to the window to pull the drapes together.

"She, um, she told me she would be too busy watching over us. I had dismissed what she said as silly, and did not process it. Not until after her death did I realize what she actually meant." Helena bit her bottom lip, gripping the blanket tightly. "It is my fault… my fault… I should have done more. Tried harder. I-I choked."

"Helena…" Alcina took a seat on the bed and cupped her daughter's face. "It was not. Have I ever once made you feel at fault? Has anyone made you feel this way?"

"No, Mother," Helena sniffed, brushing a rogue tear away. "But this guilt I have. It makes me stop and think if I deserve to be happy. Do I deserve any of this?"

"Look at me, sweetheart," Alcina said. "This right here and right now has nothing to do with what you deserve. What you need to do now, Helena, is forgive yourself for what has happened. Let it go and move forward." She placed a kiss to her forehead. "The world is right before you. A new path. A new beginning. A new chapter in your life. One that I daresay frightens me from a mother's point of view, but you, you are a true Dimitrescu. My noble blood flowing mightily in your veins. You and I; the wielder of the swords."

Alcina held Helena close and long after she had fallen asleep, her heart heavy; her thoughts on Josie.

'Did you know you would die before your time, pretty girl?' she thought. 'You who always acted older and wiser beyond your years. Oh, Josie…' Alcina had started to drift off to sleep after some time had passed, but just before her heavy lids closed, she could have sworn she saw Josie standing at the end of their bed. That impish grin spread across her lips. The one that meant she was planning something, or had already done the mischievous act. "Josie, you deserve justice," Alcina whispered. "I vow to you, you will be avenged."

{…}

The day had finally arrived. The day Alcina had to let Helena go. She stood at the dock, watching as Helena and Thaddeus were making their way to the ship that would take them to America.

Thaddeus speaking with the man in charge of the luggage and checking off names, Helena kept turning her attention back over to her mother. Despite how far away her daughter was, she could see the inner turmoil written all over her face. Thaddeus touching her shoulder to indicate they were all set, she raised her pointer finger and said something to him. Alcina unable to hear what had been said, frowned in confusion as Helena ran to her, squeezing her way passed people and finally being spit out where she could run at full speed.

"Helena?" Alcina just managed to catch her daughter, as she flung herself into her mother's arms; cheeks stained with tears.

"I can't, Mother. I can't do it."

"Helena," Alcina chuckled, slowly pulling her daughter away. "This departure is not forever. We will see one another again, yes?"

"Yes, Mother," Helena said.

"Yes," Alcina said, taking off her glove and wiping her daughter's tears away. "Now you listen to me." Her tone firm, grabbing Helena's full attention. "You will walk back to your fiancée with your head raised high and you will /not/ look back. Do not look back."

And Helena did just that. She ran back to Thaddeus, took his hand and the two walked into the ship.

Little did Alcina realize that would be the last time she would ever see her daughter again…

{-}

The trip home had been a lonely one. And finding herself without Helena made the manor feel even emptier. She had Phoebe, of course, but she knew the old woman was starting to fade. How long would she have the old woman?

Alcina also had friends she would spend time with, but even that could not quell the loneliness in her heart. She missed the manor and the vineyard back home. How it kept her busy and made her feel important. All her hard work… The money had all been taken by Roderick and spent on useless things.

Everything had been in Fredric's name. He had verbally said everything would be left to she and the girls, but never written down. The reason why Alcina had no entitlement to it, because she was the wife. Because she was female. She had fought and fought, and even though Fredric had made sure everything would go to she, Roderick had intervened. He quickly ended that phone conversation and took over. Giving her a nice beating afterwards.

Helena was still paying for the manor, but Alcina knew she had to do something to pass the time and receive some money. She would keep her eyes out while reading the newspaper. Never dreaming she would have to stoop so low, but here she was and all thanks to /him/. The bastard.

The weeks went by and something had indeed come up. A chance opportunity. A jazz group was searching for a lead female vocalist. Alcina never minded jazz music though she preferred the opera, she decided to go for it—and succeeded marvelously.

The band quickly grew in popularity and soon she had forgotten her loneliness and despair. Hell, she even forgot about her motive to find Roderick and bring about her vengeance, but like all things, this too came to an end.

As the music world started to change. Less folks listened to jazz and turned to more fast paced music. Soon Alcina was finding her happiness once again taken away, and again she was alone. Alone in the manor with nothing to do… waiting in hopes that she would receive another letter from Helena, her daughter who had finally become a doctor, and was still madly in love with her damn American.

Silence, but then…

Alcina felt a sharp pain in her chest, the air seeming to have been sucked right out of her lungs making her drop down to her knees and gasp for breath.

"Helena," she whispered, hot tears surfacing in her eyes. "My Helena."

"My lady?" Phoebe had appeared from around the corner, resting her hand on her shoulder. "What is the matter?"

"Helena. Something has happened to her…"

It was later on did she learn her Helena had passed away in a car accident, and what had made the tragedy all the worse, was Helena had been with child.

Alcina stood in her bedchamber and stared out the window. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon. The sky painted in dark shades of red, pink and orange.

"So it has come to be." Alcina spoke in Romanian. "I am the last of the Dimitrescu… my noble blood will die with me."

'Alcina…'

Her mother's voice popping into her head.

'The Dimitrescu bloodline flows stronger in you than any other. You who wear our crest with pride. The twin swords. This world we live in does not see females as anything but accessories. Those wolves out there see you as nothing more than a pampered little girl groomed to be a brainwashed wife, but I know differently. You see our family crest represents feminine power, and do you know what your power is Alcina?'

'No, Mother.'

'You Alcina are unpredictable, and that will serve you well. Men and women alike will always underestimate you. You make them pay for that in any means necessary. Be merciless. Teach them that the women of House Dimitrescu are never to be taken blithely.'

Knock. Knock.

"My lady?"

"Enter," Alcina said, glancing over to the door where Phoebe stood.

"Lady Alcina there is a woman here to see you. She claims to have worked with Miss Helena and would like to pay her respects."

"Invite her in," Alcina said.

"Yes, my lady."

Alcina entered into the living room where a woman stood over by the hearth, examining the photographs. Alcina entered the room and instantly felt drawn to the woman. There was a radiance about her. A power that Alcina had never felt before. Who was this woman?

"Good evening," Alcina said.

The woman turned fully around, walking over to she and shaking her hand.

"Good evening, Lady Alcina, my name is Miranda. I do apologize for showing up on your doorstep without a proper call first, but when I learned of Helena's passing, I wanted to extend my condolences to you personally."

"Thank you," Alcina said. "Please take a seat. May I offer you a drink?"

"Please," she said, taking a seat on the couch where she began to explain how she knew Helena. "I was part of the research department. My field of study in biology. I met Helena passing through the halls, and occasionally she would join me when it came to autopsies. She talked about you whenever we got any free time." Miranda inclined her head, a faint smile growing across her lips. "She looked like you. The eyes. The shape of your faces."

Alcina was happy for the drinks to have finally arrived, taking a long sip to crush the emotions dangerously floating to the surface.

"She also made mention of her past. I could not believe the horror of what you had to endure, and the injustice of Roderick getting away with it."

"I have no idea what hole that rat managed to hide in. There has been no sight or sound of him since Helena and I had left his manor." Alcina finished her drink, sighing as she set it down on the table in between them. "I suppose I have come to learn there is no justice in this world. A world filled with darkness and no hope."

Miranda squinted her eyes, setting her glass down on the same table and rising off the couch to take a seat beside Alcina.

"I want to share something with you, Lady Alcina," Miranda whispered, taking one of her hands into both of her own. "I had a daughter whom I loved more than anything in this world, but just like you she was taken from me before her time. I had lost all hope. I no longer had any purpose in this existence. I had no reason to live, but then I found something. A new purpose in this life…"

Alcina had leaned closer to Miranda and was hanging on to her every word. Heartbroken, and yet at the same time happy. Yes happy, because this woman had suffered the loss of someone precious to her, too. This Miranda understood what such despair felt like. A misery only a mother could ever know.

"I can help you overcome your grief and give you a new purpose. Power. Power to /avenge/ Josie. Fredric. Yourself. To punish this world that has dealt you such a poor hand, and have the ability to take it all back. Will you join me, Lady Alcina Dimitrescu?"

'The Dimitrescu bloodline flows stronger in you than any other. You who wear our crest with pride. The twin swords. This world we live in does not see females as anything but accessories. Those wolves out there see you as nothing more than a pampered little girl groomed to be a brainwashed wife, but I know differently. You Alcina are unpredictable. Men and women alike will always underestimate you. You make them pay for that in any means necessary. Be merciless. Teach them that the women of House Dimitrescu are never to be taken blithely.'

Her mother's words replaying in her head. She smiled, clasping her other hand around Miranda's firmly.

"Yes."