A bit of house keeping, wrapping of lose ends, and a few more plot points added!
Bela had awakened that morning in Adina's small medical ward. The last thing she remembered was laying on the floor, allowing sleep to take her. Her eyelids still felt heavy and her body ached, but she forced herself up. She had been pleasantly surprised to find herself laying on one of the beds. Noticing Bela rising, Adina walked up to her, a cup of coffee in hand.
"Good morning, Lady Bela. I hope you got the rest you needed. You looked rather exhausted when you brought Ethan in here last night." Adina handed her master a cup of water. Bela gladly took it and drank.
Sitting up, Bela did her best not to groan in mild discomfort. "I did, thankfully. I must be going, however, if I smell any way how I feel, then it isn't pleasant…"
Adina scrunched her nose a bit and nodded. "Indeed, my Lady. I'm sure a bath would help relax your muscles as well."
"Speaking of Ethan, how is he?" Bela asked as she glanced over to where she remembered him being. She noticed that he was stripped of his ruined clothes and only a blanket appeared to be covering him. He was still asleep, fidgeting every few seconds and grimacing. He looked better from last night but was still sweating and pale. At the mention of his condition, Adina's mood turned sour and she walked toward the man.
"Not good. You neglected to inform me that he had also apparently been in a fight with one of you three. Luckily his physical wounds had healed, as far as I could tell without opening him up. He was low on blood, however. His heart was beating furiously but his blood pressure was low. Thank goodness Lady Dimitrescu allows me to hold a small amount of blood from the maids for medical reasons and we have a universal donor on staff… He is currently asleep but fighting a fever. Whatever he is dreaming of, it must be intense. A few times last night he had begun to scream and thrash. I gave him a sedative that helps suppress dreams, but it seems it only lessened its impact on him. I have to be careful as well because the drug can be addictive… Don't worry, us talking won't wake him up."
Bela could only nod. She didn't think of telling Adina that simply because she couldn't think at all last night. "I apologize, Adina. I was extremely exhausted last night."
"I noticed that when you didn't even make it out the door." the nurse chuckled. "I had to drag you up and onto a bed by myself. Speaking of last night… what the hell happened? I've never seen anyone come across my care as bad as he was last night."
"There was… a fight."
Bela didn't continue for a moment, which annoyed Adina.
"Ok… and? If I am to treat him correctly, I need to know the details. How much blood was he exposed to, what kind of hits did he take during the fight, stuff like that."
Bela sighed and didn't reply for a moment. Taking a breath, she explained. "He was not only exposed to a lot of blood but it was concentrated. He had a fairly severe transformation. He was able to perform a few things we had not seen and come back from extreme physical abuse…"
This piqued Adina's interest. "What… kind of things and what kind of abuse?"
"Adina. If I tell you these things, you have to promise two things to me." Bela asked, deadly serious.
"O-of course, my Lady. What is it you need of me?"
"The first is that you are to never repeat any of this to anyone."
"Of course, of course. The second?"
"No matter what, you are not to tell Ethan about his injuries. He is included in the first promise, as well; not a word to him." Bela demanded while staring at Adina. The nurse only nodded quickly. "First off, he was able to somehow force Cassandra out of her swarm. She had transformed into them to avoid an attack, but Ethan reached into the haze and somehow forced her to recondense. I have no idea how that was possible… Anyway, you already know of his extreme strength and agility. What made things the most unsettling though was his injuries. Firstly, he had been stabbed through the heart with a sword… and completely bled out. At one point I had cut off both his hands, only for them to completely regrow from mold."
Adina looked at Ethan with a mix of awe, horror, and scientific fascination.
"However, the most notable was when he was attacking me. Cassandra had brought the sword down onto Ethan's head, almost splitting it in two. The sword cut down to his nose, obviously cutting his brain in half and destroying the brain stem… It should've killed him. Instead, he only lost consciousness for a few seconds and got back up. He removed the blade and the… wound, for a lack of a better term, healed. Brain, skull, skin, hair, everything came back. While I'm sure my sisters and I would also survive such an attack, I don't think we would actually be able to get back up on our own."
Adina took a large step towards Ethan and inspected his face, pushed back his hair, and tried her best to see a scar.
"A part of me hopes you are just lying… but I know you're not. You don't lie." Adina stepped back from Ethan. "Why… were you all fighting?" she asked, turning from Ethan to Bela.
"Because Cassandra, my dear sister, is a fool. She wanted to show us that the manthing there wasn't anything to be concerned about. That he was just weak and just wanted to kill us. If you can believe it… Ethan here won. Technically."
"Ethan? Ethan won? As in, beat you and Lady Cassandra-?"
"Daniela as well… Dani was there. All three of us lost to Ethan Winters. He knocked Dani out and put a hole in her side. He cut Cassandra in half along the gut. He would've had me as well, eventually. How I do not know."
"So how were you the one to carry him in if he had won?"
"Saved by the bell, so to speak. Apparently, his body couldn't handle the transformation much longer and he passed out. After that, I picked Ethan up and carried him here."
Adina looked between Ethan and Bela for a moment, before asking "What is going to happen with him…? If he is to be imprisoned again, could it possibly wait till he wakes up? It will be very hard on his body to be moved to the dungeons…"
"No, I will not be imprisoning him. He was cornered and pushed to the edge by Cassandra. We all knew what the reaction would be. If anything this is her-"
"I wasn't asking what you were going to do, respectfully my Lady. I mean what is Lady Dimitrescu going to do…?"
Bela stood up in a flash and swarmed, zipping out the door as fast as possible.
'Fuck! I forgot about Mother! She… may kill Ethan over this. Mother Miranda will be furious…'
If Cassandra talked to Mother first, it was over for Ethan. Dani may be able to explain it in a way that would limit his punishment to merely broken bones and back to the dungeons, but even then she still might slip up and say something wrong…
Bela felt she was the only one who could properly explain what had transpired last night…
Rounding the corner, Bela sees Mother standing in front of the trashed room, speaking angrily to some maids. She was asking what had happened, whose blood was smeared over the floor, and why the hell were there holes in the walls.
Bela was relieved to find that Mother had yet to be informed. Rushing towards her mother, Bela reformed. Instantly, Mother was yelling at her.
"Bela! Just what the hell happened last night!? This better not be his blood or there will be hell to pay! You best hope he survives-!"
"Mother! Ethan is doing fine! He will survive…" Bela led with his condition. It was good to try and calm mother down before jumping into the details. If she came out and said 'Cassandra gave Ethan moldy blood', she might squish the poor girl.
Mother pointed furiously towards the room and leaned down a bit to yell at Bela. "Then how the hell is there so much blood!? It's everywhere, Bela! I've spent over a decade draining people, I know what a fatal amount of blood looks like, and this is more than enough!" Bela leaned back a bit, afraid of her mother. There had only been a few times where Mother was this made with all three daughters as a whole. Typically she was fair in her anger. Today, it seems she was feeling indiscriminate.
"Mother… this will take some explaining that would be best to hear if you calmed down…" Bela hoped that asking an irate Mother to 'calm down' wasn't going to blow up in her face. For a moment, she was afraid at the eye twitch of and the clenched fists of Mother. It looked as though she was about to snap and throttle her…
Thankfully, it seemed that Mother did try to calm herself down. She took a deep breath in, held it, and let it out. "Fine. Let's go inside and talk then. Girls!" Mother called to the small group of maids, discussing the supplies needed to clean and fix the room. They all snapped towards Mother and straightened themselves. Then the eldest and higher-up maid stepped forward.
"Yes, Mistress?"
"Leave us for now. I will inform you when you can proceed with cleaning and repairs. Dismissed."
The maid bowed as well as the others behind her, and they left quickly.
"Come, daughter. Tell me what happened…"
So Bela did. She omitted a few details, like how Ethan punched his fist through Dani's side, how he cut Cassandra in half, and how he was able to control Cassandra's flies to a degree.
At first, she had to restrain Mother from going and killing Cassandra.
Then she had to restrain her from killing Ethan.
"So. Let me get this straight… Dearest Cassandra in all her infinite wisdom, thought it would be best to try and kill Ethan, which is exactly what Mother Miranda, and by extension me, told us all not to do? Just to prove that he is a 'weak manthing that doesn't deserve to roam these halls'?"
"Uhm… I believe so, yes. Her reasoning didn't really make that much sense. Being Cassandra and all."
Mother began to rub her temples, a migraine was starting to set in for the matriarch.
"Then. After stabbing him through the heart and mortally wounding him, she dangles the other thing that could save his life in front of him, only to then pull it away?"
"Well she sat the bottle down in front of- ah, you said that figuratively… Yes."
"Then, once he did fight her off enough to retrieve the bottle and drink it, he immediately changed, overpowered all of you, and soundly beat you three girls?"
"Yes…"
"...I need a fucking cigarette; and wine." Mother swore under her breath. The giant woman walked out of the room and into the hall with Bela following closely behind. "All three of you are lucky that Ethan Winters is so driven and resilient, or else I would be trying to convince Mother Miranda to only kill one of my daughters instead of all three…" she stated darkly.
"I could've been stripped of my title, my daughters, my land, and wealth all because of this."
"Mother…" Bela stopped to think. "Why does Mother Miranda want Ethan alive, exactly?"
Mother peered over her shoulder a bit heatedly towards Bela for asking such a question, but sighed. "She did not give me specifics. She only said that he may become important for a ritual. She ordered me that Etha was to remain alive until he either served his usefulness or was found to be unnecessary."
"Will you be telling her about this, mother?" Bela asked a bit nervously.
"No. I informed her about Ethan's transformation the first time it happened, and she said that it was no surprise. I tried to press further but she silenced me. If I tell her Ethan was able to defeat you and your sisters, she may think all three of you are just a distraction and do something we may regret." Mother said ominously.
Bela shifted her weight from one foot to the other, a bit uncomfortable at the insinuation.
"What is Ethan's status now, Bela?" Mother asked.
Clearing her throat, she explained what Adina told her. "He is better. Adina had given Ethan more blood, as he was apparently low-"
"I'd say." Mother commented, glancing towards the room.
-she then had to give him some drugs to help him calm down, as he was apparently having a terrible dream and wouldn't lay still. He is still a bit feverish and asleep. Adina says she has no real prediction on when he may awake, as the amount he consumed this time was larger."
"Do me a favor, Bela. Tell Adina to notify me of any change concerning Ethan's health. I wish to be informed if his health starts to decline."
"Yes, Mother. I will do that right away."
Mother was about to walk off, but before she did, she turned around and looked at Bela. "Tell my other two daughters I want to talk to them in the dining hall in 10 minutes. I do not care what condition they are in, they are to be there."
"Yes, Mother." Bela nodded, trying to appease Mother.
She watched as Mother walked down the hall briskly and disappear around a corner.
Once she was out of sight, Bela immediately swung by Adina's workspace to inform her of Mother's wish. Adina nodded and said she would send word if any change happened.
Continuing on, Bela stopped at Dani's room first. Knocking on the door loudly, Bela was able to rouse the sister from her sleep.
Or if Dani's condition was any indication, it was more of a coma.
"What the hell is it, Bela…" Dani asked tiredly, voice devoid of emotion and roughened by sleep.
"Mother demands to see all three of us in the dining room in 8 minutes. She does not care what condition you are in. We are to be there, on time." Bela delivered with authority in her voice.
Dani nodded and shut the door. Bela heard her mutter '7 more minutes of sleep then…'
Rolling her eyes, Bela was off to Cassandra…
Knocking a few times on her door, Cassandra was already there. Her condition surprised Bela though. The woman looked as if she had been awake all night… Her eyes were red and puffy, and her skin still had Ethan's blood caked all over it. Bela could make out long-since dried streaks running down her cheeks, but Bela didn't have time to question it.
"Mother demands our presence in the dining hall in 7 minutes. She doesn't care how you come, just that you do."
Cassandra only nodded once and shut the door. Bela shook her head and flew towards the dining room. She was obviously the first there, already having been awake, and her mother was just sitting down.
"I trust that you told the others?" Mother asked.
Bela sat down in her chair and answered. "Yes, mother. They should be here within 5 minutes."
"Good."
Cassandra was the second to arrive. Mother gave her an extremely harsh and knowing look. Bela thought Cassandra would either burst into flames under the intense glare or calcify from the coldness in them.
Dani was the last to arrive, still a bit sluggish.
Mother wasted no time.
"I am sure I don't need to explain why I ordered all of you here, so I am just going to come right out and say it…"
All the daughters braced themselves.
"JUST WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING!?" Mother yelled as she stood up and slammed her fist to the table, cracking the wooden surface. Her gaze was mainly focused on Cassandra. "You went against my explicit orders and fought and injured Ethan! I specifically said 'Not a drop of his blood is to be spilled' and what the hell did you do!? RUN HIM THROUGH HIS HEART WITH A SWORD!"
"But I-" Cassandra attempted to defend herself. She quickly learned that it was the second worst mistake she could've ever made. Mother backhanded her across the face so hard, she was sent tumbling to the side and into a buffet cabinet. The piece of furniture shattered and splinters of wood went everywhere. The only reason her flies didn't react was because they knew that running from Mother would just make things worse.
"Shut your damn mouth, girl!" Dani shrank in her seat in fear and Bela felt sorry for Cassandra. It always hurt being struck by Mother, and not just physically. "I know what you were trying to do, stupid girl! You think I wouldn't find out!?" Mother reached into the wooden rubble and pulled Cassandra out by the hair. The daughter grabbed at her mother's wrist to try and alleviate the discomfort.
"You risked your life, your sister's lives, and mine just to try and prove- what exactly were you trying to prove, any damn way! I was told and it still doesn't make any damn sense!"
Cassandra with a blood nose and wet eyes looked at her in silence for a moment, before Mother shook her and yelled again, "That was a question! Answer it!"
"Because I thought he was lying!" Cassandra yelled back, afraid.
"About what!?"
"That he didn't wish to kill us-"
Mother shook Cassandra once more by the hair. "OF COURSE HE'S LYING! His daughter was taken from him and his wife murdered! He would kill anyone and everyone here to get his daughter back! Any parent that went through what he did, would! The only thing I'm concerned about is if he's actively trying to kill us! From what I can tell, dear daughter is that he has done nothing at all!"
Mother released her fist full of hair and dropped Cassandra onto the ground. "He has done nothing aside from just trying to survive. I can't even fault the blasted man for almost killing you three…"
This Cassandra could not accept.
"What do you mean 'can't fault' him! Of course, you can!"
Mother raised her hand again to smack Cassandra. Cassandra quickly raised her hands to block the strike and began to shake in fear. Mother restrained herself to only spitting out her response. "Would you be shocked if you cornered a rat and it bit you trying to escape!? Would you be appalled if a dog bit you when you were hitting it!? Silly girl! When you trap something and hit it, it hits back! Ethan was defending himself from you, especially when you were actively trying to kill him and almost succeeded! What were his options when you showed him that bottle!?"
Mother stepped back and looked towards the other two. "Everyone knew what happened when he consumed that blood! He lost his mind! Daniela was the first to see it happen and she understood. Bela saw it at dinner, the same time you did Cassandra, and she understood. So why didn't you!? Why did you have to put your sisters' lives on the line? You saw what could happen, twice, and yet you still didn't believe it."
Mother sat down, taking a deep sigh and placing her face into her hand, shaking her head in exhaustion. "You risked everyone and everything, Cassandra. This isn't some oopsie that I will just let slide. You violated my orders, and above all else, Mother Miranda's as well. What you did was stupid, irresponsible, and dangerous to the Dimitrescu family. I may be able to easily handle him, darling, but you three? What would've happened if he didn't pass out. He could've easily broken out the window and just killed you three right then and there. I'm shocked he didn't. The only reason I don't think he did, was because he wanted to torture you three."
"Who knows, you could've driven to finally act now, too. For all we know, once he wakes up he will seek the blood and attempt to burn this castle down. He knows his daughter will be here today… it would be the perfect opportunity to strike."
"How does he know that, Mother?" Bela asked, both confused and annoyed that something like that got leaked. She saw the hesitation on her Mother's part and her eyes widened a bit. "You… told him?"
"Yes… I did. I couldn't stand that look in his eye. It's one all parents know and have at least once in their lives… I may be a Lord of these lands and a servant of Mother Miranda, but above all else, I am a devoted mother. A parent."
Dani and Bela both nod their heads, understanding what she meant.
Cassandra didn't.
"You told the manthing about their daughter's whereabouts? Mother! How could you!" Cassandra yelled as she struggled to get up. "You talk about me endangering the family and yet you- urk!"
Cassandra's voice was cut off as a massive gloved hand closed around and crushed her throat.
"Watch what you say…" Mother said low and dangerously.
"You are an ignorant, selfish child. Spoiled beyond belief and I honestly don't know where you got it! Maybe it's from before… Sometimes, daughter, you can be a handful! Some days I hear about your antics and wish that you were more like Daniela, or Bela! You have to grow up one day and stop being such a… Such a…!"
"S-say it!" Cassandra struggled to say from her crushed windpipe. "I already know! Say it! Say I'm a disappointment to the Dimitrescu name!"
Mother only looked at her daughter, stunned. Slowly, her grip lessened. Cassandra fought out of it and backed up a few steps before speaking again, tears streaming down her face. "I heard! I heard that you think I'm a disappointment and you hate me! That you think I am one of the worst Dimitrescu since Father!"
At this, all the others in the room stilled.
Mother's eyes began to fill with moisture and she shakily reached out to touch her daughter. "My sweet babe, no-!"
Cassandra slapped her mother's hand away and ran out the door, crying.
For a moment, everyone stayed silent.
Dani spoke up. "Mother…"
"How… did she hear that?" Mother turned and asked shakily with tears.
Both daughters looked at each other and then to the floor, trying to avoid the question.
Mother slammed her fist onto the table and yelled desperately. "I asked how she heard that, damn it!"
Dani stuttered for a moment before speaking, "I told-"
"Dani told me to stop, but I didn't. I told Cassandra, Mother… I was furious with her and what she did. Dani told me to stop…" Bela admitted, taking the heat for her sister.
Mother wiped the tears from her eyes before sniffing a bit. "Leave me." she asked indifferently.
"Mother I-"
"I SAID LEAVE ME!" she screeched, in pain and sadness.
In a quick motion, both daughters swarmed and left the room. Bela fled to her room, but Dani caught up to her and stopped her from closing the door.
"Why?"
Bela didn't respond.
Dani reached out to touch her sister's shoulder but Bela just shrugged it off.
"Don't. Touch me. I can't believe you, Bela! I can't believe you told Cassandra that! What hell, sister!?"
Dani looked down, ashamed. "I… don't know. Ethan he… he's my friend. It's shaky, and not that great I will admit, but we are friends. When Cassandra… I was furious, Bela."
Dani grabbed her sister's shoulders and gently shook her, with a tear in her eye as well.
"I was fucking furious…" Dani whispered.
"Why? Why were you so upset that you had to tell Cassandra?"
"Because he helped me!"
"Helped you with what, Dani?"
"..."
"Dani!"
"I don't want to be the villain anymore."
"What…?" Ethan asked Dani, confused. Magda looked at her with wide eyes as well.
"I hate it. I hate it!" Dani yelled. Ethan reached out to try and shush the woman.
"Ok, it's ok. Just take a deep breath. You can talk to us, just… breath."
Dani took a shaky breath and let it out slowly. "I spend most of my days just… reading. Soaked into a book or two, reading every last word. I don't care if it's a new story or one I've read multiple times, I love them all… but when I look at myself in the mirror, all I think is 'I wish I wasn't Daniela Dimitrescu, daughter of Lady Dimitrescu, one of the Four Lords.' I wish I was in one of my stories… I wish I was on some noble adventure in a faraway land that had dragons and elves, or living in a modern city worried that my landlord will find out about my dog. I wish every day for that. Wish my life was different. Wish people would look at me differently. I wish I was different and not some… monster…"
Ethan and Magda were a bit stunned to hear this from Dani. Magda heard the stories of Daniela from the older staff and they seemed fake until she saw one of the days the woman snapped and used a disobedient maid's skin as a coat right there in the middle of the kitchen. The poor woman didn't stop screaming for far too long.
That same woman was now telling them that she wished that she could change it.
"Dani… you can't just change something like that. You could run miles away and you'd still always been known as… that around here. I'm sad to say but… I don't think you'll ever be able to change their perception of you." Ethan told Dani. Dani flinched a bit but nodded with the facts.
"I know, and maybe that's a good thing. That could be my motivation to be better? To always know what I once was and try to be better than that. Even if they don't believe me, even if they don't trust me, even if they won't ever see me as anything different, as long as when I look in the mirror and finally smile at myself, I will be happy."
"...wow." Magda said in awe.
"Damn. That's pretty fucking deep Dani…"
"...I read a lot of books…"
"It shows." Magda complimented, surprised at herself a bit.
"I'll help you, Dani. I will do my best to help you become a better version of yourself. A version you like." Ethan said as he reached across and gently squeezed her shoulder.
She returned the gesture with a kind smile and a nod. Without a word, she deformed into flies and left…
Bela stood stock-still as Dani told her of that day in the canteen with Ethan and Magda. The sister couldn't believe what she was hearing from Dani.
A part of Bela wanted to support her sister in her little self-improvement mission, but another part of her was a bit worried.
They were Dimitrescu. They were to be feared and respected.
"I… need some time to process that Dani. Could you uhm… please leave me for a moment?"
"Of course…" Dani flew away to leave her sister in peace.
Sitting on her bed, Bela did not know how to take her sister's words. The whole lives they were told by Mother how the Dimitrescu were above humans, and how it was their birth rite to rule them and feed from them. Of course, Bela, being the smartest of the three, knew that was a bit extreme. She figured that they most certainly had the right to rule over the local villages since they were the local nobility.
However, the more Bela thought about Dani's reasoning for wanting to change, she couldn't logically find anything wrong with it. Sure, they needed humans to fear the Dimitrescu name so they wouldn't revolt and attempt a coup and to also willingly supply blood for their survival and business, but that also didn't mean they had to brutalize any maid that crossed their path.
Mother was honestly a great example. She was more patient and forgiving with the maids, yet they feared her the most. If a maid was pouring some wine for the first time for Mother and she spilled some, the harshest punishment she would receive would be a lashing across the forearms. Repeated mistakes might see her pull double-duty blood draining as well as time in the dungeon.
If a maid just held the bottle wrong for Cassandra's taste, the poor girl would be bleeding out on the floor. Bela had to admit that the brutality of it was unnecessary. But it felt as if this was in their very nature as well. Something coursing through their veins and whispering in the back of their mind to devour and slaughter. It was like a bird trying to become a fish. It just didn't make sense. She would support her sister as best as she could, but the idea made her uncomfortable…
Dani took insults the most personally of the three. She was the most susceptible to manipulation. A word here, a suggestion there, a compliment at the right time, and a maid could get Dani to give them a key to a window… They made that mistake once and never allowed her access to the keys again.
What about Dani's instability? The impromptu electric shock therapy helped her wonders but she still had episodes. How was she to change her image if the ugly side of her cropped up every now and again? Bela feared her sister was setting herself up for failure with that one…
They were Dimitrescu. Violent. Bloody. Vicious.
What… if Mother Miranda finds out about this? Surely she would dislike it very much.
Bela didn't know how to feel, but she ultimately decided she would keep her decision a secret, and try to support her as best as she could.
As Bela rubbed the back of her neck in a vain attempt to alleviate some of the stress, she walked towards her bathroom to clean up. She was still covered in blood and dirt from the fighting. Drawing a hot bath and peeling the ruined garment off, she sunk into the hot water. The water instantly relaxed her exhausted body. She may be nothing but flies, but her flies still emulated typical human cells and muscles, and with that, came the downsides. Such as muscle fatigue. Even Mother in all her strength still experienced it.
But she would go on for days fighting before feeling it.
As Bela lay soaking in her bath, a maid came by to deliver a set of new clothes for the day and dreaded putting them on, because it meant that today was just getting started…
Bela stayed in the bathtub as long as possible, doing her best to put off leaving her room, but she had duties to perform. After half an hour of soaking, her body began to buzz. Her flies had started to become water-logged and they demanded she leaves the water before they drowned.
Looking at herself in the mirror, Bela inspected her face and skin. Her complexion was flawless and there were no visible signs of a fight last night aside from her tired expression. Drying off, she slipped the gown over her head and took one more look, and deemed herself presentable.
She walked out and headed towards her first order of business for today; getting the trashed hall cleaned up and repairs started.
When she arrived a small team of maids had already started clearing out the rubble and cleaning the blood. Stopping a nearby woman, she asked them to inform The Duke they would require someone to repair the walls and parts of the floor, and that payment was to be deducted from Cassandra's account. While the maids did a good job of organizing the clean-up, they still needed a bit more leadership.
Walking into the center of the room, she began to issue orders and had groups formed to focus on specific things to clean, and only those things. Too many maids trying to do too much at once caused them to bump into each other and slow progress.
With the maids now operating as a single unit, they began to clean at a much faster rate. The blood was honestly the most difficult challenge. While small amounts of blood dried, large amounts coagulated, turning it into a goopy, thick mess. You couldn't just mop it because it would just stick to the mop and smear around. You had to use extremely hot water to finally get it clean. On top of that, blood was nothing but red, and just a good bit of it would turn an entire bucket of water red, causing you to just leave a red haze on the floor instead of actually cleaning it.
That's why a larger group of maids was assigned to just getting fresh water and dumping out the dirty water. That allowed those assigned to swab the floor to do so without pause. They got the majority of the blood wiped up, and then another team of maids with washcloths and brushes would come through and scrub the floor more thoroughly. Once this had been completed, she ordered the maids to start again, but to use bleach in the water as well to finally clean it.
Deciding that she was no longer needed, Bela walked off. While she reveled in the scent of blood, knowing that the savory scent was Ethan's upset her. Bela knew she had other places to be and other duties to tend to, but the only thing on her mind was Ethan, and she kept thinking about his condition. Deciding that it would just do more harm than good letting the thought fester, she made her way to the medical room.
Lightly knocking on the door, she opened it and entered. Adina was nowhere to be seen, but Ethan lay asleep, still. She quietly approached the man and inspected him. The color on his face had returned a bit, but she still look sickly and sweaty. His eyes twitched a little bit and his brow furrowed for a second or two, before relaxing. He was just having dreamings, but luckily it looked like the medication he was on helped tame them.
Lost in thought, it took her a moment longer than normal to register Adina walking into the room silently. "Oh, Lady Bela. What is it that you need?" the woman whispered. Reading the room, Bela replied back in a whisper as hell.
"I just wanted to check on Ethan. I had started the maids on cleaning the hall and… just wanted to see how he was doing since I got up."
Adina padded over softly and placed a hand across his forehead. "His fever has reduced and some color has returned to his skin, but the fever is still playing hell with his mind. I had to increase the dosage after he began to scream again.
Bela gripped her own face and sighed heavily. "Mother was furious to learn about last night. She didn't hold back when she tore into us, but not as bad as how she thrashed Cassandra. Not to mention some other things have come to light, some word's that should not have been said, and now I do not know what is going to happen today. This will be one of tensest days I've had in a long time…"
It was then a (nervous) maid popped into the room.
"L-Lady Bela?"
"Hm? Yes, what is it? Is the blood cleaned up?" Bela inquired.
"N-no, my Lady. I do not know the status of the room… Lady Dimitrescu sent me to inform you that she wishes to speak with you… in her room."
Bela nodded idly and dismissed the maid without a verbal reply. Once the woman had left her presence, she balled her fists in anger and anxiety and whispered, "Fuck!"
"Good luck, Lady Bela."
The moment she knocked on Mother's door, it opened. Mother stood there in all her furious glory. She left the door open and walked away. Taking the hint, Bela walked in and shut the door.
"Why did you take the blame for Daniela?"
For a moment, Bela was confused. "Take the blame for what, Mother…?"
"Why did you take the blame for Daniela, when she was the one to tell Cassandra those things?" Mother asked again and sat back at her desk, this time a bit annoyed. "You had me tricked at first, but I know you are not that foolish. It didn't make sense that you would ever tell Cassandra. It would make more sense that Daniela did." she explained. "I want to know why you took the fall."
Bela shuffled a bit, trying to find the words. The simplest answer seemed to be the best one. "Because she is my sister, Mother… I would feel horrible if I didn't do anything to help her."
Bela took a deep breath and continued, "She is a sweet girl, Mother, you know this. You are the world to her. Whatever pain you caused Cassandra would be nothing compared to Dani if you yelled at her…"
Mother looked over her shoulder. "That may be so, Bela, but she deserves it for how much she hurt your other sister." she pointed out, emphasizing the 'other sister' part. "Cassandra is your sister as well, Bela, and yet you allowed Daniela to get away with hurting her."
"...that is true, but you also have to remember that Dani has taken a shine to Ethan and that Cassandra attempted to murder him which ended up hurting everyone involved. Even you, Mother. While I am not saying what Daniela did was right, or ok. What I am saying… is that we shouldn't be surprised, nor that upset…"
"Not that upset!?" This outraged Mother. She shot out of her seat, sending it flying back past Bela and crashing into the wall behind her. She did her best to maintain eye contact with Mother, though.
"We have every right to be upset and disappointed with Dani and we should be, but we also need to see her side, Mother! She had always been one to lash out and be vicious!" Bela felt bad for playing on Dani's reputation, but it may just be the thing to save her. "I am not saying Dani should go unpunished, but maybe… maybe we wait for the guilt inside her to build up. To eat her from the inside out and wait for her to confess."
Mother stopped and thought about the idea. She grimaced. It was obvious that Mother didn't like the idea of such a punishment, but it did fit the crime. "Fine. We will do what you suggest. However, if she does not confess relatively soon… I will see to it she will be punished even more severely for just allowing her sister to take the blame."
"I assure you, Mother, she won't."
"Good. Now… How is Ethan?" Mother asked as she grabbed another chair to sit down and sign papers.
"No significant change, but he has begun to regain some color and Adina informed me that his fever had started to slowly recede."
"Good. I didn't expect much of a change in just two hours, but it's a good sign that he has begun to recover. Have you seen Cassandra…?" Mother asked a bit worriedly.
Bela shook her head before verbally replying, "No, I have not. I admit that I have not… actively looked for her, either. I am still rather upset with her."
"I am as well, but we need to speak with her. I need to speak with her. I fear if I send maids to go and fetch Cassandra for me, I will soon run out. Could you please locate your sister for me?" Mother asked in a genuine way that made Bela sad for her. Mother was hurting inside just as much as Bela and the other girls. Ethan, she couldn't care less about it, but the fact her daughters had nearly faced death and almost cost Alcina everything frightened her.
"I will do my best to find Cassandra and convince her to speak with you, Mother, but I am afraid I can't promise anything…"
Mother's shoulders slumped a bit and she sighed, nodding in understanding.
Bela was then gone in a buzzing mess, searching for Cassandra. Her sister's scent trail had begun to run faint and it was hard to find it, and it seemed Cassandra covered her tracks by going through the halls at random. It could take some time to find her…
Dani lay on her bed, staring at the pages of her book but reading the same sentence over and over again. The words didn't even register in her mind, quickly forgotten after her attention slipped from the book to her thoughts. Her mind kept showing her the highlights of this morning and last night. The look on Ethan's face as he lay dying, then his twisted smile once he transformed. She remembered the fear that coursed through her and the worry she felt for her sisters as well as Ethan.
She was worried that her new friend would have to die. That there would have been no other way and at least one person she cared about in life had to die that night. Then she thought about this morning, how furious Mother was, and how angry at Cassandra she had been. It tore her up inside to see Mother that mad at her sister. Then she told Mother what Dani told her… that she was a disappointment.
She heard the hurt in Cassandra's voice and saw the start of her crying. Cassandra had rushed out the door before Mother could stop her, and when she demanded to know who told Cassandra those things, Bela took the blame.
It made her feel horrible. She had stuck a proverbial knife into Cassandra's heart and twisted it, only for Bela to be blamed for it…
At the moment, Dani was just so angry at Cassandra for putting everyone in danger and hurting Ethan. She wanted to hurt Cassandra with those words and she did so. However, it didn't make her feel better.
It just made her feel worse.
Dani didn't know what to do. She was pretty sure Cassandra would try and kill her if Dani looked for her. Perhaps she should go and talk to Bela.
Putting the book down and stepping out of her room, she began her search to talk to her and apologize.
After scouring the halls for close to an hour, Bela finally found a strong trail and followed it up a small flight of stairs that led to one of the towers. Deciding to take a quiet approach, Bela formed near the end of the steps and took the last few up. Pushing open the door that led to the observation room, Bela saw Cassandra looking out a window, watching the sun rise higher into the air as morning gave way to noon. The gloomy clouds and flurries strangled out most of the light, however. That was one downside about these lands; depressing winter. The mountain range trapped clouds during the winter when the wind came from a different direction.
At first, Bela didn't think Cassandra noticed her. She had seemed too lost in thought and didn't even flinch when the door gently clicked shut.
"What do you want?"
Turns out, however, Cassandra did notice her sister.
"I wanted to talk to you, Cassandra," Bela replied honestly. "I wanted to talk about… last night and this morning."
Cassandra gave a subtle but annoyed laugh. "What's to talk about? I nearly got us all killed… either by Ethan or Mother Miranda… I disobeyed Mother by hurting and attempting to kill Ethan, I put my family at risk. I only proved what Daniela said right… I am a disappointment."
Bela rushed over and grabbed her sister by the shoulder to turn her around. She delivered a light smack across her face, before grabbing her and bringing her into a bone-crushing hug. "Don't you ever say that again, ok!? Never!" Placing a heavy kiss on her sister's forehead, she pulled her deeper into the hug. "You are not a disappointment. You are Cassandra Dimitrescu; daughter of Lady Alcina Dimitrescu, one of Mother Miranda's Four Lords. Sister to Mirabela Dimitrescu and Daniela Dimitrescu."
For a moment, Cassandra laid still against Bela, soaking in her words. She began to shake and Bela felt silent tears soak into her neck. She just held her sister for a moment, allowing Cassandra to get the stress out of her system. It wasn't until she heard a small chuckle she pulled her sister back to look at her.
"What is funny, Cassandra?" Bela asked curiously.
"You… used your actual name. Mirabela."
"Shut up, don't ruin the moment Cassandra." Bela sighed happily as she hugged her sister once again.
"I always thought your name was beautiful, honestly… 'Mirabela'. It has a certain charm to it." Cassandra mumbled.
"It was a beautiful name…"
"Are you ever going to tell us what happened? Why do you no longer wish to go by that name anymore." asked Cassandra. Bela just shook her head no.
"As you wish. So tell me, what did Mother do to Daniela when she found out what she told me?" Cassandra inquired a bit excitedly.
"Actually… I took the blame for it. At first, anyway. Mother thought it was me at first, but after she had calmed down she was relieved I had lied. She knows it was Dani but Mother decided to wait and see if the guilt would eat at Dani and eventually confess."
Cassandra let go of her sister and turned back towards the window, fists balled in anger. "Hmph. I hope it eats her alive!"
"Dani was mad at you, Cassandra, and wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt us. You betrayed us, Cassandra, don't forget that. You went against Mother and Mother Miranda, and you went against us- your sisters! We told you no, that Ethan is fine. Ethan wouldn't dare hurt us or escape, at least not yet. Mother ordered you not to hurt him. You endangered us-"
"I know, Bela! …I know."
Both sisters looked out the window together for a moment, allowing the tension to lessen.
Cassandra decided to raise it again, however.
"Was what Daniela said true? Does Mother… do you all truly think of me as a disappointment? The worst Dimitrescu since… father?"
'Oh fuck' Bela thought with slight panic.
"This… is going to take some explaining. Let's sit down." Cassandra and Bela both sat on nearby chairs that must've been used by some guardsmen back when the castle was fully functional.
"In short… no." Bela began. "No, Mother nor anyone else thinks of you as a disappointment. An annoyance at times, yes. No, what Dani is referring to was a very specific and one-time thing. Remember some years back when Mother was hosting some formal dinner with the other lords, Mother Miranda, and a handful of governors from the surrounding villages."
"...ah, that dinner. I remember that night…"
Bela was proud.
Things were going well.
The staff was operating without any hiccups. No one was making mistakes. Mother and Heisinburg were not fighting. Angie was controlling herself. Moreau was… smelling mildly less horrible. The food was perfect and prepped beautifully, thanks to the ever-amazing Dani.
The only person missing was-
CRASH- BOOM!
"Cassandra…"
The third sister burst into the room, slightly drunk off blood and wine. Without warning, she zipped to the nearest maid and began to feast on her neck. She had always gotten hungry when tipsy…
The action caused the already jumpy human's in the room to back away in a panic, some of them tripping over each other. A spurt of blood had also landed on Mother Miranda, of all people…
"Is this what you allow to transpire within the walls of your castle, Alcina?" the demi-goddess asked in a calm yet pissed voice.
It was clear that Mother Miranda was not happy with such disrespect. Mother quickly ordered Dani and Bela to drag Cassandra out and to her room and keep her there the rest of the night.
Cassandra had fallen asleep not too long after but they stayed there, standing guard, just in case.
It wasn't until a few hours later they decided to leave and check back in with Mother. What they found instead was a drunken mess with half her room destroyed out of rage. They could only understand every fifth word and had to work together to get Mother into bed. She was very furious with Cassandra. She didn't say what Mother Miranda said or did after they left, just that it would take years to get back to where she was.
That's when Mother had let slip that Cassandra was a disappointment and just as worthless as Father was.
The two sisters decided to never repeat what Mother said that night. In the morning, when the memories of what she said returned, Mother was a depressed mess. She had kept apologizing to no one in particular while Dani and Bela hugged her, trying their best to console her.
"So… Mother was just drunk when she said those things? Then regretted it as soon as she sobered up?"
Bela nodded. "More or less. You have to realize you made a mockery of us that night. One that apparently affected how Mother Miranda saw us forever. Mother was furious and distraught. What she said was out of drunken anger and did not mean it."
"Then why did Daniela say it?" Cassandra asked both angry and sad.
"Because, just as Mother was that night, Dani was furious with you. She really does regret it. I know you hate Ethan and do not trust him, but Dani does. Dani… somehow thinks of Ethan as a friend now, Cassandra. A friend you tried to kill."
"Daniela has always been a silly girl. Of course, she befriended him of all people."
"Cassandra…" Bela started, a bit exhausted at her sister's blind hate for Ethan. "I'm not asking you to accept Ethan, nor try to understand him. Just try to understand your own sister's feelings. For once, don't blindly fly into a rage, seeking to strangle the life out of a manthing. I think you need to talk to Dani."
Cassandra balled her fist in anger. "Oh, I will do more than talk to her!"
"Stop it." Bela ordered. "You will not fight her. So help me, if I have to get Mother to stop you…" The idea of Mother stomping her way to Cassandra slightly terrified her. She instantly released her fist, crossing her arms and pouting instead. "You and Dani need to talk. Perhaps not now, or today, but soon. Very soon."
The door to the tower flew open and Dani stepped through. "Bela I-"
'Or we can do this right now…' Bela thought, her eyes widening.
Cassandra quickly stood up and her voice filled with hate. "You!"
Dani let out a sharp 'Eep!' and tried to quickly run away. Cassandra was already on her, however, putting her into a headlock. Bela was pretty sure Cassandra was trying to yell at her sister and call her names, but the only thing coming from her mouth was unintelligible growls. Dani struggled to flee, trying to resort to her flies, but Cassandra only followed suit. In a flurry of insects, Bela saw how Cassandra's swarm was grabbing Dani's and pulling them back.
They reformed and fell to the floor in a heap, with Cassandra still on top throttling her sister. Bela decided to let the two tussle for a moment before standing up and kicking them. "Alright, knock it off you two. I said knock it off- DANI NO BITING!"
"OW!" Cassandra screamed as she felt Dani's teeth clamp down on her arm. "Son of a bitch!" Cassandra let go and scrambled up. "You bit me!? What the hell!"
Dani desperately tried to make a dash towards the exit, but Bela swooped in and shut the door. "Nope! We are all going to talk. Right. Now." She said, dangerously calm. Dani looked towards Cassandra and she felt her idea of talking right now was another chokehold. For a moment, Dani thought about just jumping out the window, but it was still the tail end of winter and would be another few weeks before the snow covering the lands even thawed.
Cassandra was about to snatch Dani up again, but a stern look from Bela snuffed that idea out. "Firstly, Dani, I think you need to explain yourself and apologize to Cassandra. Secondly; Cassandra. Let Dani try to explain why she said what she said before you quite literally try to rip her head off, again."
Cassandra huffed and puffed for a moment, arms still held out to her sides in heated rage while Dani was looking anywhere but at her.
"Sometime soon, please!" Bela prodded.
Dani sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. "Cassandra, I-"
"Look at me in the eye, like you did last night."
Hesitantly, Dani's eyes rose off the floor and did their best to lock with Cassandra's. "I… was mad. I wanted to you hurt. I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt us- me. I wanted to hurt you as much as you hurt me… and the only thing I could think of that would've worked was… what Mother said after that party a few years ago… You remember? The one where-"
"Yes, yes, me and Bela already had this conversation. Move it along, Daniela!"
"That was the only thing I could think of that would hurt you. You betrayed our trust and put us in danger, Cassandra… but most of all you hurt my friend. You knew he was helping me and I didn't want him hurt. He was helping us. You ruined the night I worked on with Ethan, a night that was just supposed to be us sisters forgetting about the world for a few hours. Yet there you went, tormenting him-"
"As if your one to talk about tormenting people." Cassandra huffed. Dani did her best to hide the pang of self-loathing that shot through her. Cassandra didn't notice it, but Bela did.
"Cassandra, that's not what we're talking about. In Dani's defense, though, she doesn't remember those episodes and isn't exactly thrilled with the outcomes at the time. You willfully attacked Ethan and attempted to slay him."
Cassandra rolled her eyes but did not argue. Dani took a seat in a chair and lowered her hood to allow her red hair to spill out. She played with the ends for a moment before continuing with her explanation. "He's my friend, Cassandra. That friendship isn't all that strong or deep, but he's my friend, now. So you attacking and killing him only told me that you just didn't care about any of us or our wishes. I am so, so sorry for saying those things, Cassandra. I had been so overcome with anger. Not even the anger I feel when a staff member mess up. Just… cold and angry."
Cassandra kicked an imaginary rock as she listened and had to bite back a few retorts, deciding to give Dani the time to explain herself.
"I'm sorry…" Dani whispered one final time.
For once Cassandra swallowed her pride and nodded. "I don't forgive you, Daniela… but I suppose I can at least understand why you said what you did."
Dani slowly stood up and inched her way toward Cassandra. Cassandra just looked at her sister with a raised brow and back to Bela. Bela, however, did not have an answer as she shrugged in response. Finally, once Dani was close enough, she lunged and captured Cassandra into a hug and began to tear up a bit.
"I'm sorry sister…"
Cassandra rolled her eyes and patted Dani on the back, "Dani, always so emotional."
Bela, not one to be left out of a good sisterhood hug, piled onto Cassandra as well and crushed both Cassandra and Dani in a hug, air escaping both their lungs from the force. "Aww, look at my two sisters, making up and hugging!" she teased while she continued to add pressure.
"Let go of me, Bela!"
"I can't breath!"
Bela let go of Cass and Dani and backed up with a small smile, looking between her two sisters who unofficially forgave each other. All this talk about Ethan reminded Dani, however, that Ethan was not in a good condition at the current time. "Bela, how is Ethan doing?" Cassandra bristled a bit at the question but did not throw a tantrum as she would've before.
"Not great. He's doing better than last night, but not by much. He is still sick and unconscious, but he has started to regain some color and Adina said his fever has started to recede. However, he's been having extreme night terrors and had to be given medication to suppress them…" Dani frowned at the words and only continued to frown.
"May I see him?"
"As far as I know, Dani, you can. Just listen to Adina if she says otherwise." Bela replied. Dani nodded her head and left to see the manthing. Bela looked to Cass, sort of surprised she didn't say anything.
"What?" Cass snapped when she noticed her sister's look. Bela held up her hands in surrender and just shook her head to say 'nothing'.
"I… just wanted to look at you, dear sister. Nothing wrong with that, is there?"
Cass looked at Bela a bit suspiciously but relented. "No. I suppose."
"I'm starving, dear sister. Let's see if there is any breakfast yet."
"Good idea. Maybe a maid or two as well."
Dani flew down the halls and quickly made her way to Adina's little room of healing. She quietly opened the door and stepped in. Adina, the ever-vigilant nurse, noticed the visitor. "Hello, Lady Daniela. I assume you've come here to check on Ethan?"
Dani nodded while fully stepping into the room, "Yes, I have. I hope that is alright?"
"Of course. He is still asleep. Nothing should wake him currently, with the fever and medication. However…" Adina then motioned for her to lean down a bit so she could whisper. "There is another patient here who I'd suggest you didn't see…" Adina then pointed to her tongue to make it more obvious why Dani shouldn't see the other person in the room.
Understanding the hint, Dani quietly walked over to Ethan and sat down on the neighboring bed. She looked at the sick man in fitful sleep, feeling bad for him. Ethan had a natural instinct to help those around him, even the monsters. This is how that kindness was repaid.
Dani didn't know what possessed her to do it. There was a feeling building up inside her that compelled her to action. Looking at Ethan… she got up, walked over to the other occupied bed, and pulled the curtain back a bit to see the woman who she had removed the tongue from.
At first, the injured maid thought it had been Adina that pulled the current back. Then her features fell into silent panic. She couldn't scream or yell for help as her jaw and mouth were still sore. Dani could see and smell the fear though. Raising her hands and sitting down on the bed next to her, Dani spoke.
"Calm down, it is alright. I did not come here to hurt you…" Dani played with her fingers for a moment, nervous, then continued.
"I came to apologize."
This chapter went really well! It was a good refresher to write in a week and exercise my thinkin' powers again.