Author's Note: I would firstly like to apologize to everyone for the wait. I unfortunately had some rather intense personal issues going on in my life, but thank you all for being patient with me giving me the motivation to find time to work on this chapter, which I did make much longer compared to other chapters for your enjoyment. I will be disclosing at this moment that there is a trigger warning for gun violence and stronger language used throughout this chapter. Also, for anyone who would like to, I did set up a Ko-fi which will be included just before the beginning of the chapter. If you would like to gift me a coffee for support of my work, it will be greatly appreciated and all tips/gifts can go to my Ko-fi under spiderbyteangel77735 Eventually I will be able to have a more set release schedule and works that will be written, and even start commission, and again any tips/gifts are highly appreciated. Without further ado, on with the chapter :)
You rushed through the doors to the library, ducking behind a shelf as you caught sight of the intruder's tan jacket. Just like with Bela, you could hear Daniela taunting the man. The man attempted to fire off two shots, the bullets flying through the swarm of flies that made up Daniel's form. You silently crept through the library, searching for something that could help you in assisting Daniela recapture the man.
"Inside this book I keep an extra knife. You're the only person who knows about this, so if anything ever happens just remember this book." Daniela said as she held a dark green tome on crafting wine barrels.
You shook the memory from earlier this morning as you reached the bookcase containing the decently sized hunting knife. You quickly removed the knife and turned to see the intruder pull the lever for the skylight to open. Cold mountain air crashed into the room, drowning out any warmth that it had held through the morning. Daniela screamed from experiencing the feeling of the cold air on her skin for the first time ever. It was as if time had stopped the second you made eye contact with Daniela, the pure fear in her eyes resonated deeply inside you. The man stepped further into the center of the open skylight and you quickly rolled from behind the bookshelf you were behind. As you pulled the lever back down to close the skylight, you pounced at the man, stabbing him deeply in the shoulder. He screamed out in pain and attempted to throw you off of him as you struggled to pull the knife back out from his shoulder blade, only to stab him once more in the other shoulder the second it was free. The intruder stumbled forward, screaming curse words as you jumped off his back and shoving him forward.
"You stupid bitch, working to save these god damn monsters!" The man yelled as he looked at you before he moved to hide and recover some strength. You ignored him and quickly grabbed a slightly blue Daniela and rushed towards the main hall, pulling a hidden button to lock the library as you pulled Daniela closer. Sure enough, the cook and a few other maids were waiting in the hall with wine and meat. One of the stable maids started throwing logs on the fire as you handed Daniela a bottle of wine.
"We sent for the Lady, she should be here shortly." The cook said as you gestured for a thick blanket to be thrown around you and Daniela.
"Good, I can't believe this man was able to escape the dungeons. Hopefully he can stay put in the library til the Lady can handle him." You said softly. Daniela's shaking form moved even closer to you as she struggled to drink the wine.
"Daniela!" Alcina cried out as she entered the main hall.
"M-m-mo-ther." Daniela said through chattering teeth as she paused her wine consumption.
"What happened to you, Sweetling?" Alcina asked as she crouched in front of the two of you.
"The intruder was in the library, My Lady. He found one of the levers to open the skylight, I closed it and stabbed him twice in the shoulders, then grabbed Miss Daniela and locked the library as we escaped. We just got here maybe a few minutes ago." You answered, knowing Daniela would have struggled with speaking. Before Alcina could even respond a silver sickle pierced your left shoulder and you flew clear access the hall as Cassandra reformed in front of you, pinning you against the wall.
"How is it you are conveniently in the right place at the wrong time?" Cassandra spat in your face. Her eyes conveyed all the mistrust and suspicion she held for you.
"C-cass, l-le-let her g-g-go." Danniela struggled to say as she tried to stand.
"Daniela, you need to rest. Cassandra, let her go now!" Alcina ordered her daughter.
"You have to admit, Mother, it is very convenient that Y/N was able to "save" both Bela and Daniela." Cassandra argued. "How do we know she isn't working with him?" You winced as she twisted the sickle impaling you through your shoulder.
"Cassandra, you will release her now. I will not tell you to do so again." Alcina ordered in such a firm tone the entire room froze. Cassandra looked back at her mother and violently removed her sickle from your shoulder. You immediately crumpled to the floor, only letting out a small groan to show the pain you were in. "Y/N is an extremely loyal servant of House Dimitrescu and saved both of your sisters. That you would choose to harm her in my presence without my express permission, is not only displeasing, but we will also be having a long discussion about how you will properly voice your concerns to me and I will handle it." Alcina said as she stared down her brunette daughter.
"It is okay, My Lady. Miss Cassandra is only trying to protect her family. I understand her suspicions of me." You grunted out as you moved to stand back on your feet. Clutching your injured shoulder, you managed to stand against the wall and sent a soft smile towards Daniela."My Lady, I didn't mean to come off as suspicious." You paused to brace yourself further against the wall.
"Nonsense, you saved the lives of two of my daughters. Myself and House Dimitrescu are forever in your debt for this. Cassandra was wrong for attacking you and I apologize that a member of this house would treat you so after what you have done for us." Alcina said as she sent a pointed look at Cassandra.
"Mother, you can't be serious. Something about her and this situation doesn't add up right." Cassandra said pointing at you with her bloodstained sickle.
"Cassandra, go check on Bela. We will talk about this later." Alcina said firmly. Cassandra looked as if she wanted to argue, but knew better than to do so in front of the maids. You felt as though you needed to say something, to possibly make any potential punishment Cassandra was facing easier on her.
"I can kind of explain why I may appear suspicious to Miss Cassandra." You started. The cook locked eyes with you and slightly nodded in understanding.Clearing your throat softly, you looked Alcina in the eye and continued. "Since I was a child, I've had these feelings, if you will, of bad things that can happen. I'm not sure why I see these things, but ever since last night I've had this constant chill on my spine, as if I'm being warned of things that I can change." Cassandra scoffed at your explanation.
"I see, we will discuss this more at an appropriate time Y/N. For now, you still have my thanks." Alcina said with a shocked look on her face. Daniela stared at you with wonder, sadly you knew you didn't have the answers to her questions.
"This intruder is causing too much chaos in the castle. I want those of you who stayed, to stick together near the girls' private chambers. Cassandra will act as your guard while you move through the castle. I will deal with the Man Thing myself." Alcina said as she stood at her full height. You could see her mounting frustration in the tenseness of her broad shoulders and the subtle flexing of her biceps. Alcina paused to take a brief glance at you, her face slightly unreadable. "Cassandra, none of the remaining staff are to come under any harm. Do I make myself clear?" Though she was addressing her daughter, her eyes never left the blood staining your shirt.
"Yes Mother." Cassandra said. You could tell she wanted to slit your throat, but she would not act without permission from the Lady. As Alcina walked off to scour the castle for the intruder, the cook came to your side with the first aid kit. The bleeding had stopped, but the hole in your shoulder would need stitches and would clearly scar over time. As the cook stitched you up, Daniela hobbled over to you and placed a comforting hand on your uninjured shoulder, squeezing gently to assure you that she still found you a friend. You couldn't help but feel grateful at her acceptance, yet you longed to know what the Lady was planning on doing. The heart stopping chill on your spine only seeming to intensify the further her heels clacking sounded through the castle.
The phone ringing clearly through the Beneviento Manor was all that could be heard over the rushing sounds of the waterfall located behind the house. Donna sighed as she looked up from her notes at the offending device. This morning's council meeting had brought forth an unforeseen complication in the form of Ethan Winters, the father of the child Mother Miranda was convinced would be perfect as the vessel to bring back her dead daughter. Despite the belief the man had perished in the mines that Heisenbreg had turned into an elaborate trap, the man was apparently still alive. Alcina had called maybe an hour ago to inform her the Winters patriarch was captured by her daughters and that she was waiting for approval to kill him from Mother Miranda. It made no sense to Donna as to why the phone was ringing now.
"Answer the damn phone before I rip it out of the wall." Angie moaned from the corner where she was playing with a few of the other dolls. Donna tutted at the empty threat, but conceded to rising from her notes and answering the phone.
"We have a problem, Doll." Heisenberg's gruff voice sounded before she could even answer. "Ethan Winters is attacking Big D's hellspawn."
"I thought he was captured, how is he able to hurt the girls?" Donna asked, slightly shocked. It was very rare for anyone to physically harm Alcina's daughters, the fact they were susceptible to the cold was a very well kept secret amongst the four lords and staff of Castle Dimitrescu.
"Do I look like I fucking know how? Big D called to tell me the "eldest" was now bedridden from injuries she got from Winters. Apparently she has some foolhardy maid that stayed at the castle and cracked him over the head with a skillet to save the pile of bugs." Heisenberg said, followed by a large inhale of what Donna assumed was one of his cigars. The sound caused Donna to pause, she never did quite understand Karl and Alcina's need to smoke.
"That isn't a very nice thing to say Karl, is Bela going to be okay?" Donna asked. She liked Bela, the girl was always patient when talking to her. Bela was kind enough to paint the nice portrait of her and Angie, she even went as far as to paint how Donna wished she looked under her veil. "And you said a maid was able to attack Ethan Winters with a skillet?"
"Apparently so, hell it makes sense that Big D would have someone crazy enough on her payroll to attack a stranger. After the maid knocked out Winters, she grabbed the kid and carried her to the hall to warm her up. The maid even yelled at the others to move their asses to help." Heisenberg said with a chuckle. "If I ever meet that maid, I might just have to see what she's really made of." He added darkly.
"Karl, you know how Alcina feels about you trying to poach her staff." Donna said plainly. It was common for Karl to try to get one of Alcina's maids to experiment on, Donna silently prayed that you never caught his interest.
"Well, we have a new plan, Doll. We know he wants the kid, so instead of losing our lives we are gonna fake defending the flasks, let him take them, and then send him to distract Miranda so that Big D and I can take her out." Heisenberg said. Donna stayed silent as she tried to process this information.
"So you're saying that Ethan Winters is going to come to my home eventually?" Donna asked, still puzzled. She didn't want to fight, she just wanted to be left alone.
"No, Big D is gonna send her crazy maid over to get the flask from you and give it to the fat fuck who knows everyone's business." He groused. Heisenberg couldn't stand the rather rotund merchant and didn't hide his disdain at all.
"I see, is there anything else I need to know?" Donna asked hesitantly.
"Nah, if anything changes Big D will call you. Now I gotta yell at Moreau to get his mouth off Miranda's dick and start acting like a man." Heisenberg grumbled, the resounding click and dial tone followed. Donna gently placed the phone back into it's cradle and made her way back to her plush chair with a small frown on her face.
"I thought Mother Miranda was a woman." She pondered out loud. Angie snickered as the other dolls looked on in confusion.
"It's an expression Donna, I'll explain it when you're older. When do you think Gorgeous will be here?" Angie asked excitedly.
"We don't know which maid Alcina is sending to us, Angie. It could be any of them, Y/N is probably in the caves with her family." Donna said pitifully.
"That's a load of Lycan shit and you know it. Y/N would rather be sent to the factory than stay with her father for an unknown amount of time, from what I can tell at least." Angie argued. Donna was surprised at the use of your actual name and not her little nickname for you. "Plus I know how badly you want to see her, especially after your little extra reading." Angie teased relentlessly. Donna felt the heat rising from her chest, turning her alabaster skin pink in embarrassment.
"Shut up, Angie." Donna murmured as she pulled her veil further down her face.
The halls of Castle Dimitrescu echoed thunderously with each step Alcina took. Her specialty designed heels clacked endlessly against the tiles and stone walkways. Alcina exhaled deeply, her frustrations mounting to epic proportions. 'Damn you Mother Miranda! Damn you Ethan Winters!' Her thoughts screamed in her head. 'How is he able to hide in my home and attack my daughters so effectively? I knew I should've aimed for his neck when I caught him skulking around the dungeons earlier instead of his hand. And on top of this, Cassandra feels there is nothing better to do than cast suspicion on the one maid who went beyond her station and saved the lives of her sisters. The nerve of that girl.' Alcina clenched her jaw as she remembered the way Cassandra wounded you, the scent of your sweet blood faintly filled her nostrils. This was the second time she has smelt your blood today, she longed to sample the flavor, to taste the different notes in the viscous red liquid flowing through you. Though she could just barely grasp Cassandra's concerns towards you, the reveal of your "feelings" was quite the shock. She had never before heard of an ordinary mortal with any type of legitimate prophetic powers, most of the ones she had come across in her lifetime had been charlatans.
As Alcina stalked through the castle, her large frame bending awkwardly to move through doorways, she caught the decaying scent of Ethan Winters blood. The foul and stale stench made her blood boil. "You have attacked two of my children, I will not let you leave this castle alive!" She yelled in frustrated rage. Extending her claws from her right hand, she turned and slashed through several busts that had been nearby. "I will find you and I will break you!" She heard a quick scurrying and saw the flash of Ethan's jacket and swiftly began her pursuit again. She knew that killing this man would be contrary to what she had discussed with Heisenberg, but she couldn't let this attack against her family go without consequence.
"Give me back my daughter you crazy bitch!" Ethan yelled as he ducked once more. Alcina moved closer toward the area his voice came from and unknowingly stepped on top of a land mine. The explosive did absolutely no harm to her body, the fusion to her personal Cadou made her nearly impervious, yet her beautiful white dress was covered in dirt and soot, and had even burned away in a few spots.
"And now you've gone and dirtied my dress!" She screamed incredulously. Though she had numerous dresses just like this, the fact that Ethan Winters was the one to ruin it was the real insult. With her frustrations mounting even further to the point of seeing red, she released her claws and proceeded to destroy every item in the room. Alcina's grunts of rage echoed through the castle as she continued slashing through the immediate area, she prayed that she sliced Ethan more than once.
The maids shivered as they heard the Lady's screams from clear across the castle. The cook had propped you up against her, to steady your movements through the halls. Cassandra and Daniela cautiously led the small group of women towards the parlor near their private chambers.
"Keep it up ladies, the sooner you're in here, the sooner I can get on with my life." Cassandra complained. She was still clearly on edge from being reprimanded by her mother in front of the very person she couldn't trust. You made eye contact for the briefest of moments and the hatred pouring off her in waves nearly choked you. Daniela gave you a sympathetic look as she opened the door to the parlor.
"Cass, Dani, what's going on?" Bela asked as she walked into the parlor, a thick blanket was wrapped around her. "Why are all the maids here?" She looked much better compared to when you last saw her, though she appeared to still be cooler than usual.
"Mother has asked us to escort the maids here and keep them safe from the Man Thing." Daniela said with a quiet shiver. She may not have come as close to death as Bela had, she was still suffering from her ordeal.
"What made Mother change her mind?" Bela asked before Daniela could explain further.
"Surely you could feel Dani being attacked?" Cassandra asked in surprise. You could tell she was concerned that Bela may not be as good as she appeared. "Why else do you think Mother is raging through the castle trying to kill this man?" Bela was looking between her sisters in complete shock.
"But...but Dani, you don't look as if you were attacked." Bela said, puzzled. She looked her baby sister over, only now taking notice of the thick blanket draped over Daniela's shoulders.
"Y/N saved me within a minute of the cold air touching my skin." Daniela said sheepishly. You could see her tense as she remembered the air rushing into the library, but you quickly turned to look at Cassandra as her glare burned a hole in your being. Bela looked at you, a small smile on her face. "You should've seen her Bela, she stabbed the man in both of his shoulders. She got me out of there, even activated the trap to keep him locked in there. Mother said the entire house is in her debt." The stress on the word entire was clearly meant for Cassandra, who tensed as though she wanted to throw something at her sister.
"That may be how Mother feels, but I still call bullshit." Cassandra said, the intensity of her glare felt soul piercing at this point. Daniela took a cautious step in front of you, as though she could protect you from her sister's ire. Bela looked at her sister, as if she was trying to understand the turmoil inside her.
"Cass, she saved both of us. She has to be the most loyal maid we've ever had." Bela reasoned with her blonde sister. You softly sighed and winced as your shoulder twitched in pain. "Thank you for saving my baby sister, Y/N." Bela said as she looked back at you with a genuine smile on her face.
"You're welcome Miss Bela, but I couldn't let my new friend die." You said sheepishly. Daniela gingerly placed an arm around you and held you awkwardly. You could tell this was her first instance of initiating any intimate contact with a mere human. "I truly hope the Lady is able to finally capture and remove the intruder before anyone else gets hurt."
Boom! The sound of an explosion could be heard in the parlor causing the maids to huddle close together. The girls all looked around on alert, varying degrees of concern were on their faces. Before anyone could say anything, Cassandra turned into a swarm of flies and left the room.
"Cassandra, come back!" Bela yelled as she looked at the spot her sister once stood. "Dammit, she must've gone searching for Mother or the Man Thing. Dani, what are we going to do?" She implored the girl still holding on to you.
"I don't know, but should we really worry? Cass is the strongest out of the three of us…" Daniela said with a pout. You felt unsure as to what to say at this moment. Whereas Cassandra had injured you a mere hour ago, you did not wish to see her harmed in any way. "Y/N, you'd be able to tell if Cass was in danger, right?" Daniela asked with a curious gleam in her eye. Bela looked at you in confusion and you sighed, searching for the right words to explain your sensations.
"I'm not sure Dani, I don't have control over it." You paused and tried to ignore the chill on your spine. "I only get flashes of situations in the moment, or small tidbits of things that could be." Daniela pouted at the information, but nodded in understanding.
"Y/N, do you have prophetic powers?" Bela asked skeptically.
"I wouldn't say that Miss Bela, I just sometimes get these feelings of bad situations. Things like storms, or natural disasters tend to be more accurate than anything else." You confessed. Several of the maids chimed in with confirmations of rough storms and fallen trees that you had warned them about. "This ordeal is something I have never experienced before. I saw flashes of the intruder in my mind's eye during the meeting last night, but I didn't know who he was or what it all meant. Then my dreams were plagued with nightmares of horrible fates that befell you, your sisters, and the Lady." You added. Bela nodded, yet still had a skeptical look on her face.
"I take it as this is why Cassandra looked as if she wanted to remove your head earlier." Bela mused. "Have you told Mother about this?"
"I gave the Lady the briefest explanation as to why Miss Cassandra could find me suspicious, she said we would discuss it another time." You said. Before you could continue, an icy haze filled your mind and an image of a frozen Cassandra was all you could see.The intruder was standing over her body, a large part of the castle wall had been blown away from what appeared to be an explosion. You had seen this image as one of the many horrors in your dreams the night before and you could feel the bile rush up to your throat from the pure terror the image contained.
"Y/N, are you alright?" Bela asked as she and Daniela looked in concern. You didn't know it, but your face had paled considerably as the image intruded into your thoughts. You took deep breaths to calm yourself. The cook and other maids looked at you with worry, the cook being more aware of what you might be seeing.
"I'm sorry everyone, I just had a reminder of the images from my nightmares last night." You said once you regained your senses. "The image was not a pleasant one." You didn't want to say more in fear of upsetting Bela and Daniela. "Do we have anything here to protect ourselves? It is best to be prepared in case the intruder comes this way." You offered. Bela moved over to one of the ornate cabinets in the room and pulled a M1911 handgun out along with a small box of ammunition.
"This is the only firearm we have in the room. Cass moved all the others to the armory for cleaning the other day." Bela explained. "Do any of you know how to fire a gun?" The other maids visibly shook their heads no at the question. You begrudgingly nodded as you thought of the times your father brought you along hunting. It was a bittersweet memory that you could not look at either too fondly, or with utter contempt. Bela handed you the gun and you moved to take a shooting position, your fingers grasping the cold steel firmly. Your shoulder was still screaming from pain, but you knew you needed to be prepared to defend everyone.
"Y/N, are you certain you can do this? You did get stabbed in the shoulder not too long ago." The cook reminded you with her kind grandmotherly eyes. You nodded with conviction, completely refusing to let anyone else take the task of protection. You would continue to be a stalwart protector until this man was out of the castle for good. You lowered your arms and quickly loaded the magazine with the bullets and cocked the gun so that it was ready for use.
Without warning a disembodied voice whispered in your ear "The Armory." You stumbled into the couch and tried to steady your breathing. Your "feelings" had never come in as strong, or clear, as they had throughout this whole ordeal. Everyone crowded around you, trying to offer support and gain knowledge of what you just saw. Your breathing was even more labored as you realized that Cassandra was more than likely in the armory.
"I need to get to the armory, I think the intruder is there and Cassandra might be in danger." You said between pants. "Yaya, I need you to keep everyone safe here. Bela, can you find the Lady?" You asked as you started shuffling to the door. Despite the protests on the tips of everyone's tongues, you were met with sturdy nods and the sight of Bela dispersing into her swarm. Daniela looked as if she wanted to keep you in the room, but you both knew she didn't have the strength. You gave her a small reassuring smile and stiffly left the parlor in the direction of the armory.
Slightly jogging towards the armoy, you couldn't help but notice the bars had slid over the door leading to the Hall of Pleasure; that eliminated the possibility of using the secret entrance into the back of the armory for a surprise attack. You tried to ponder if there was another secret entrance, when there was suddenly a large blasting sound that rocked the walls slightly.
"You ruined everything!" Cassandra screamed out in pain. A sudden influx of cold flooded the area and you rushed to the armory doors, only to find them blocked from opening. You grit your teeth in determination and began ramming the doors with your uninjured shoulder.The door budged slightly with each shove you gave, the debris that was blocking the door slowly slipped away the more the doors opened. It appeared that neither Cassandra, nor the intruder, noticed your attempts of entering their battle, as varying grunts of pain and gunshots continued over the rush of cold mountain air filling the room. You steeled yourself for one more shove against the door, all of your added adrenal strength built up in your now bruised shoulder and feet. Charging at full speed, you stumbled through the door, tripped over suits of armor, and barreled into the man. "Not you!" Cassandra cried out in pain as she watched you and the intruder tumble to the floor.
"This crazy bitch again?! I just want my daughter back." The man groussed as he tried to shove you off of him.
"And I want you to stop attacking the bloodline of House Dimitrescu." You fired back at him. The force at which you tumbled into him had managed to knock the gun he was using out of his reach, towards the gaping hole that was once the armory wall. "Even if your daughter is here, what gives you the right to try to end the lives of Lady Dimitrescu's daughters?" You asked as you stood and positioned yourself between him and Cassandra.
"I don't have to answer to you, I just want my daughter back, and these witches know where she is!" The man shouted at you as he reached to pull another handgun from his pocket. You quickly took aim and fired a shot into his shoulder, he fell back to a stable portion of wall. "Damn you, you're a monster just like them." He said with hatred and venom pouring from his words.
"I will not allow you to harm the Lady's daughters anymore." You said as you shot him in the knee. You didn't want to kill the man, but if you couldn't disable him long enough for you to save Cassandra, then you would take any measures necessary. You could see Cassandra was ghostly pale and her hands had mostly turned to dust and crumbled away. Without uttering another word, you shot the man in his other knee and gathered Cassandra in your arms, despite her protest, and walked her out of the armory. As you passed through the doors, you said just loudly enough for the man to hear you, "If you bother trying to seek out the members of House Dimitrescu with the intention to harm them, the next bullet will go between your eyes."