Alcina was positively livid at the sight before her eyes. She was still waiting for Mother Mirand's call when Cassandra and Daniela flew into her chambers claiming that Bela was dying. The connection all four women shared through the Cadou parasite allowed them to sense one another and build a mother daughter bond. As soon as she felt Bela's heart wrenching fear, she stormed out of her private chambers, walking with such speed her two daughters struggled to keep up with her in their swarms. As she approached the main hall she could faintly make out Florianna's protests, but seeing her oldest daughter near dead in your arms transformed her fury into a blind rage. "I'm going to ask one more time, what the hell is going on here?" Her tone deadly calm.
"Oh, My Lady. Um, the thing is…" Florianna floundered at the palpable rage filling the room.
"The intruder escaped, My Lady. I heard Miss Bela taunting him in the kitchen, followed by the sound of gunshots and one of the windows shattering open." You said quickly as you clutched Bela closer, hoping your small warmth would be of some help. "I knocked the man out and carried Miss Bela here, then had the two stable maids that stayed to take him to the dungeons and take away his weapons. I sent the cook to get bottles of Sanguinis Viginis and raw meat to help Miss Bela get her strength back. I had just told the others to get a first aid kit, wood, blankets, and to get you. Florianna decided to protest about being given orders." You finished sending a scathing glare towards the head maid.
"I see. Cassandra take Florianna to the cellar, and be sure to use a safe entrance. I will be having a personal discussion with her about letting pride get in the way of saving the life of her betters." Alcina said coolly. Despite the blazing fire threatening to lick at your skin, it felt as if icy water had been doused all over the room.
"Right away, Mother." Cassandra said with a sickeningly twisted smile on her face. Florianna, who had been frozen at hearing she was being sent to the cellar, finally cried out as a sickle pierced her just above the ankle and she was dragged out of the room in a swarm of flies.
"The rest of you were given a direct order to get items to save my daughter, move now!" Alcina barked at the remaining maids in the room. She then looked at you, clutching her crumbling daughter and risking blistering burns from the fire. "You will be greatly rewarded for this Y/N. I can never thank you enough for saving my daughter." Her heart was hammering hard in her chest.
"You are too kind to me, My Lady. I merely acted in the interest of preserving the bloodline of House Dimitrescu." You answered with a small smile. The cook swiftly entered the main hall with five bottles of wine and placed them down before rushing off to the kitchen. Alcina extended her razor sharp claws and cut off the heads, not a single drop of wine touched the floor. Daniela attempted to grab a bottle to bring to her sister, but was stopped by your hand. "Dani, she's still too cold. We don't want to put you at risk as well." You said gently. Alcina watched as you arranged it so that Bela's head was in your lap and you gently coaxed her into opening her mouth for the wine. As soon as Bela swallowed her first mouthful, it was as if a frenzied beast had awoken inside of her. She clutched the bottle, taking huge gulps of wine and tossed it into the flames once it was empty. You quickly handed her another bottle as the maids reentered the hall, bundles of blankets and firewood held tightly in their grips. One maid passed you the first aid kit and you went to work assessing all the wounds Bela had received from her encounter. Alcina stared in awe, seeing you patch up her eldest, ensuring that she would see another day.
"You four," Alcina started as she pointed at the maids who brought in the firewood. "Go to the shed next to the stables, I want the kitchen window boarded up quickly." She ordered, the maids quickly took off to avoid the Lady's ire. She could feel Bela's strength returning to her as she guzzled down her third bottle of wine. The cook then emerged carrying a large roast pan full of raw meat, placing it on the ground near Bela. Bela quickly moved out of your lap and started gorging herself on the bloody meat in front of her. Though a fresh human body would have aided her in healing faster, Alcina couldn't reasonably risk the lives of her remaining staff. Any maidens that had been in the cellar had been turned into Moroaice in the wee hours of the night, to act as extra protection for the castle. Normally Alcina would have qualms about turning so many young maidens into mindless mold infected zombies, but she would always put the safety of her daughters first.
"I hope Mother decides to feed you to Bela." Cassandra said with a sneer as she tossed Floriana into one of the few working cages. Several Moroaice shuffled around aimlessly in the cellar. Florianna was shaking like a terrified child as Cassandra licked her blood off the sickle that had pierced her minutes ago. "You taste so bitter that even the sweetness of your fear can not be enjoyed." She continued as she spat the blood onto the floor. "You jeopardized the chances of my sister surviving, I should kill you here and now, but Mother wants to talk to you first. Enjoy your company down here, soon you'll be just like them." Cassandra ended with a cruel chuckle. She dispersed into her swarm of flies just as a Moroaicǎ charged at the cage, making Florianna scream in terror. Cassandra then hurried back to the main hall, she could feel tiny flickers of her sister's strength, but she was so far away that her senses were not as accurate as they usually were.
As she entered and reformed in the main hall, she was surprised to see Bela tearing into a pile of raw meat. The blood dripping down her older sister's chin was a clear indication of her strength returning. The sweltering heat from the fire would surely have her back to her regular temperature in no time.
"I trust that foolish maid is still alive in the cellar, Cassandra." Alcina said as she looked over at her brunette daughter.
"She is still alive Mother, though I wished to kill her. One of the Moroaicǎ is keeping her entertained until you go speak with her." Casssandra said flippantly. She looked at you from the corner of her eye, noticing the chalky substance of her sister's decay over your clothes along with an odd dark spot near your thigh. Taking in a deep breath, Cassandra noted the sweet metallic iron of your blood. Bela was clearly going into a frenzy with the meat in front of her, but Cassandra knew it was only a matter of time before her older sister would smell you and devour you. As suspicious of you as she was, Cassandra couldn't let you be mauled to death in front of her baby sister who seemed attached to you. "Y/N, perhaps you should go change out of your sullied clothes." She said as indifferently as she could.
"You're right, Miss Cassandra. Please excuse me, My Lady." You said as you slightly limped off to the servants' rooms. The second you are out of sight, Daniela turned to her sister with an unreadable look.
"You could have thanked her at least, Cass." Daniela said.
"I did thank her by saving her life." Cassandra bit out harshly. "The stupid human was bleeding near our nearly feral sister, I saved your friend, now get off my back." She continued while crossing her arms.
"Girls please, this is not the time to keep fighting!" Alcina yelled at her two healthy daughters. Bela paused her frenzied eating to stare at her mother, but quickly returned to her meal as the scent of the bloody meat was too enticing to ignore.
"Sorry, Mother." Daniela said in a soft voice. Cassandra sighed as she looked at her sister. She knew that had she not toyed with the Man Thing and just captured him upon discovery of his escape, her sister's life wouldn't have been threatened.
"Listen, I want you girls to take Bela to her room, get more meat from the cook to lead her there. Mother Miranda will be calling any minute now and I must let her know that Ethan Winters is here alive. Be on your guard when moving through the castle, look out for one another, and if you see that man anywhere, come straight to me." Alcina said with a smoldering rage in her eyes. Her tone of finality even caused Cassandra to shrink back in fear.
"We'll get it done Mother. I'm just going to let Y/N know what's going on. I'll be right back." Daniela said, quickly taking off in her swarm of flies before Cassandra could protest.
"Guess I'll get the meat then." Cassandra said with a frown. Despite her gratitude to you for saving her sister, she felt something was off. She would keep a watchful eye over you for the rest of this ordeal, should you do anything remotely suspicious, she would be there to end your life and save her family. Alcina stared at the crazed and calculating look on her daughter's face, something she would normally address and discuss at length with the brunette.
"Get to it then, I'll come find you after I speak with Mother Miranda." Alcina said, tossing one more glance at her still healing child. The steady clacking of her heels against the tile followed, as the Dimitrescu matriarch headed towards her private chambers once more.
As the girls led their older sister to her personal chambers, Daniela stood further back feeling trepidation as they moved further into the castle, and looked out the large windows that showed the rather picturesque snowy mountainside. She remembered asking her mother once why their lavish private section of the castle came with the large glass windows, when they lived in fear of the cold that could seep inside.
"My darling daughter, you have no reason to fear your chambers, maintenance is done on the castle doors and windows every summer to ensure the cold can never harm you. Also these chambers are so far into the castle that should anyone be foolish enough to try to enter and harm us, they will never make it this far." Alcina said with such conviction as she comforted her daughter.
Daniela shook herself from her memory and quickly caught up with Casandra and a slightly more lucid Bela. Once the two had Bela back in her room, she quickly placed thick fur lined blankets over her oldest sister, but kept a hand on the sickle tucked neatly into her dress. She and her sisters were quickly trained after their rebirth to always keep a weapon nearby, no matter how safe they felt. Ironically enough this lesson came from Mother Miranda and not Alcina, though they never found out the reason why. The sounds of the Lycans prowling in the surrounding lands could be heard faintly in the distance causing Daniela to scowl.
Mother Miranda ordered the vile creatures to kill the entire village, such a detestable act that made her twisted heart feel heavy and sick. Thinking of the Lycans running rampant then turned her thoughts to you, bringing a small smile to her face as she reflected on the morning spent together. She could tell you were trustworthy from the very beginning, your scent never holding the bitter contempt that most humans had when near her and her sisters. She couldn't fathom why they couldn't trust you, but that was their own hurdle to overcome. Your fearlessness proved to her that she was right in befriending you, for you used it to save her sister's life.
"Dani, why did you not wait for Bela to make a meeting with your little human first?" Cassandra asked impatiently.
"Cass, she needed a distraction. Last night she looked nearly petrified in fear, I wanted to be there for her. You should give her a chance, she's smart and saved Bela's life." Daniela argued. Cassandra scowled and looked down at the bed ridden Bela.
"It just seems too coincidental that this human was able to be in the same area as the man when he was about to kill Bela." Cassandra mused to herself.
"That's crazy, even for you to come up with. Y/N is a loyal servant of our house and a friend to me." Daniela said as she stared owlishly at her sister. "She could be your friend too, if you'd give her a chance."
"Humans are all the same Dani, they're only good for food or as servants. You may think she's a friend, but she's just a pet that you'll one day get bored of." Cassandra uttered pessimistically. Daniela stared at her sister, shocked at the words she felt so brazen to utter.
"Mother approves of my wanting friendship with her, so you're just gonna have to sulk on your own." Daniela spat at her sister and flew off in her swarm. She didn't care that there was someone in the house trying to kill her and her family, she just wanted to be away from her sister. She knew that she was being childish, but the audacity of Cassandra's words had pushed her over the amount of tolerance she held for her sister's contempt. You had just risked your life to save Bela, had the other maids apprehend the Man Thing, and Cassandra was still going to treat you with such distrust and suspicion? It didn't make any sense to Daniela at all, but she knew their mother would be too busy to console her at the moment, or at least give her a way to see Cassandra's perspective. As she reformed inside the library, she felt her frustrations start to melt away as the calming feeling of the books surrounded her. She thought back to you mentioning the third child in noble families was often expected to become a great scholar and laughed at the irony. She hoped you were okay and would be joining her soon, despite the fact you had only recently become friends, Daniela felt as though she needed your support.
You sighed as you pulled the needle and thread through your thigh one final time and cut the thread from the other stitches. When you had saved Bela, you forgot about the kitchen knife in your pocket and managed to stab yourself in the thigh fairly deep. You knew enough basic first aid, so the self stitching wasn't that big of a problem for you to do. You thought of Bela, hoping that you had taken the right steps necessary to save her life; Daniela had yelled though the door that she was going to move Bela to her private chambers now that she had the strength. The Lady had appeared to be most gracious that you were willing to place your life in jeopardy to save her daughter. You could tell that Cassandra still wasn't completely on board with having a friendship with you, but was grateful enough to suggest you leaving the room before your blood was smelt by Bela, who would be tempted to devour you to regain her strength.
One you had changed into a cleaner set of clothes, you decided to check on the remaining staff. As you entered the parlor the staff decided to hide out in, the room instantly fell silent. You could tell that a few of the older maids that stayed were angry that you had told the Lady about Florianna delaying the other maids from following your orders.
"Y/N, were we able to save Miss Bela?" The cook asked hesitantly. You nodded sharply, trying to ignore the few glares being sent your way.
"We did, Miss Bela should be back to her regular body temperature by later this evening. Hopefully the intruder will be dealt with swiftly and the Lady will inform us the castle is safe and we can restore it to it's usual glory." You mused softly.
"And what of Florianna? She's going to be killed because of you." One of the senior maids hissed out.
"Florianna is going to die for her own idiotic actions. Anyone who thinks otherwise is an even bigger fool than she was." The cook said as she sent her own glare at the senior maids. You smiled in thanks and took a few moments to quell the rumors that you had slept with the Lady.
'Damn you Florianna, thanks to you everyone thinks I slept with the Lady….not that I'm completely opposed to the idea myself.' You thought to yourself with a slight flush. You'd be lying if you said you hadn't thought of Lady Alcina Dimitrescu in all her statuesque glory; the mere sight of her long fingers often making your heart flutter as you thought impure thoughts. In your younger days, you thought nothing of the fleeting thoughts of kissing the baker's daughter instead of the miller's son like all the other girls. Even the day you had met Donna Beneviento, you were convinced there was no girl in the village prettier than her. You were fairly certain that Donna blossomed into a beautiful young woman, despite the fact she was always wearing a black funeral dress and veil.
Just as you were about to once again refute the rumor of being intimate with the Lady, a sharp chill ran down your spine. It should have been impossible for the intruder to escape once more, yet you saw flashes of hidden hallways and the Lady's claws flying through the air. The cook was staring at you expectantly, as if she knew you were getting more premonitions.
"Y/N, are you okay?" The cook asked. The other maids stared at the two of you as the cook placed a hand on your shoulder.
"Yaya, I have a very bad feeling." You said quietly. You tried to focus in on the premonitions, but you still couldn't place where in the castle the intruder was.
"Wait, is this like that time you predicted the storm that took out the old shed?" One of the stable maids asked.
"It is similar, we may want to prepare to save a life. I would suggest having more meat, wine, and firewood moved to the main hall to be safe." You suggested to the others. For some reason the premonitions were now only showing you a lever used to open the skylight in the library. You couldn't make sense of it, why the…..the library! You quickly rushed out of the parlor and headed into the direction of the library.
'Please let me make it in time to save Dani!'