Castle Dimitrescu – February 7th, 2021
The wind whipped against the window in what seemed to be an unending fury. Flurries of snow could be seen from the treetops, evaporating into clouds of white as the gusts carried them across the landscape. While Cassandra watched from the hallway near the entrance, all she could think about was how long this winter was going to last.
The temperature hadn't gotten any better. It was only growing colder. It had been a particularly brutal season for the area. Many of the animals had perished due to the harsh conditions and that meant some of the people wouldn't hold out long either – not that she cared.
The only one who held concern for the dead and the dying was Heisenberg.
Her mother had often mentioned that he "always put a perfectly good body to waste." For whatever reason, the man made it his mission to collect any corpses that he could. If it wasn't for him, their castle would have held enough meat for the next century.
The intense cold sparked concerns that the spring and summer would be short-lived. She wanted to go out and hunt another deer. The desire to stretch her legs and give chase to something tugged at her heart greatly. One could only walk around this castle so many times before they lost their mind.
Ugh, this damn snow has to go away. I can't take this anymore!
Cassandra turned away from the window, groaning loudly as she made her way down the hall, taking a right and going into the entrance lobby. She needed a tad bit more space than what the cramped hall had to offer. The giant mural of her and her sisters was the first thing she noticed upon entering.
It would have been an admirable work of art – if only they resembled a single one of them.
She never understood the purpose of the painting. Was it truly a homage to the three daughters? Or, was it simply a portrayal of the idea of them? Cassandra gravitated toward the latter.
She knew they weren't the angelic women depicted in that piece of artwork. None of those girls looked like they could bite somebody's throat out, reveling in the gushing blood that exploded from the ruptured arteries. Such a trait was impossible for whatever kind-hearted souls that the artist thought they were.
Her memories were occasionally foggy, but the artwork had always been there since day one. Whoever had painted it; they did not have the three women in front of them as a subject. Cassandra could only wonder if Alcina had described her vision to the artist and this was the product.
She couldn't remember the last time she and her sisters voluntarily gathered together like that. There had been so much bickering and conflict over the years that their friendship was occasionally rocky at best.
Between Bela and her constant need to be validated by their mother or Daniela and her increasingly delusional and out-of-touch with reality state of mind – Cassandra could barely stand them.
But, was she any better, she thought?
With the way her mother was always getting on her case, it stood to reason that she had fallen short of her expectations. Cassandra was well aware of the rebellious nature that she exhibited in contrast to her sisters. There was almost a sense of pride in going her own way at times.
For instance; if Bela was so keen on perfectly organizing her silverware after finishing a meal, then she would leave her own scattered about the table. It drove the blonde crazy to see it and that was a reward all in its own. She was swimming against the tide when it came to the flow of their livelihood and it was all because she wanted to find her place within it.
The painting was a blatant lie to her. Bela bought into it without question. Daniela likely saw something totally different but yet it still worked for her.
For the middle child – it was that extra kick in the rear that she had to contend with each day.
Her only portrait in the entire castle was that of someone else; as if who she was wasn't good enough.
I hate this painting. I really do…
With a closed-mouth groan, Cassandra turned away from the mural and glanced at the two large doors across from it. Sealed and locked from the outside world, escape from her confines and certain death were not far away, hands locked together without a choice between them. The curse of the cold was always at her back no matter what season it was.
If it wasn't the curfew during the summer nights, it was the temperature of their drinks – lest their wine ever fell below room levels. Water in the castle always had to be an acceptable warmth, which the servants were strictly reminded of. Even a bath was not to be taken without a slight degree of caution.
Though the heat was their salvation – it was also as uncomfortable as it was for any human. Summer nights at dinner were often stuffy and uncomfortable. Their mother dealt with the humidity for their sake, as opening a window offered the threat of the unpredictable temperatures that could come in.
She recalled one servant making such a mistake many years ago amid their complaints. Granted, none of the daughters expected the current that rushed in on a July evening to be as chilly as it was. They all screamed in unison once the bite of the wind reached the skin.
"Shut it! Shut it now!"
The girl instantly obeyed their commands, fear coursing through her body as she spent the rest of the night in an anxious state. Cassandra gleefully dragged her down to the cellars below, though in her heart she knew that even she herself would have made such an error.
But, whatever, she decided. It wasn't her mistake to make. She was the noble daughter of House Dimitrescu, and the young maid was a nobody to her. Another one of the nameless cattle that were brought into the castle under the guise of employment. She wasn't worth caring about.
As she stood there, staring at the doors and rethinking the past, a steady cloud of buzzing could be heard moving along the hall beside her. She could already tell who it was and decided to just ignore it for as long as she could.
On cue, the cloud of flies entered the room and condensed themselves mere feet away from her. Another long groan breathed out of Cassandra's mouth as she shook her head, not wanting to hear what was probably going to come her way.
Beneath the dark robes that manifested from the various insects came a flash of blonde hair – Bela; here to speak her mind.
"Cassandra…" Exactly as she expected.
"Ugh, what now?" She turned her head.
"Mother is out of the castle, probably meeting with the rest of the Lords. She isn't expected to be back for the next hour or two." Bela began her likely tirade by mentioning Lady Dimitrescu's whereabouts. Judging by this, she probably was about to hand down whatever task was required to be done.
"Aren't you always mother's shadow?" Cassandra replied smugly, a small grin along her cheeks. "Always knowing her next step because you walk where she walks?"
Bela's frown hung low. Her curved eyelids slimmed into a piercing stare. She wasn't happy. Not at all. It wasn't a byproduct of Cassandra's little taunt. She already had disdain in her soul on her way over here.
"Are you done with your remarks?" Bela wasn't in the mood to toy around with any of her antics. She was serious about whatever it was that she was here to talk about.
Playing her part, nonetheless, Cassandra rotated her body to face her older sibling, rolling her eyes along the way. "Fine, I am. What is it that you want?"
Her brows still tense, Bela tilted her head as she spoke, her lip curling as soon as the first words came out. "Since we're here – alone – I want you to tell me exactly what happened between you and Daniela last night."
Cassandra remained stone-faced, unwilling to reveal even the slightest of troubles upon hearing that. She resorted to her façade of ignorance, even if it was doomed to fail. "What do I know? She's always so moody. You can't expect me to have an answer for –"
"I do!" Bela snapped, her normally composed voice hitting a guttural growl for a split second. Cassandra could help but take a step back. She wasn't playing around today.
Still, remaining defensive as ever, Cassandra doubled down on her response, throwing in a splash of her agitation along in the mix. "I'm not the keeper of her problems. Do not dare talk to me like I am one of the servants, either, sister!"
Bela paused, not out of fear, but in sheer amazement. Cassandra wouldn't take a single piece of responsibility for what she did. In hindsight, yelling at her was the least productive thing that she could have done. The girl fed off of and reflected such mannerisms. If anyone but her mother got loud with her – she'd get louder.
"Look…" Bela maintained her heated attitude but delivered it in a more composed voice. "I'm not going to play dumb with you and pretend that you didn't do something to Daniela last night. You know for a fact that she is never like that and mother left you alone with her."
One of the brunette's eyebrows jumped up. She flashed a half-smile at Bela, acknowledging everything she had just said with a single glance but denying all of it at the same time – all without a single word.
"What did you do?" Bela's forehead continued to crease as she grew more frustrated.
"Did I do something?" Cassandra's full sarcastic smile came out to play. "Or, did I not do anything, as usual?"
"What are you getting at?"
"I mean, I'm just the lazy sister, aren't I? Why would I be bothered so much as to lift a finger," she emphasized her remark by waving her forefinger around in the air. "Or, better yet; do whatever it is that you think I did that upset that little brat."
Bela's fists clenched. She was trying to keep herself together but she was already at her limit with Cassandra and her comments. "That 'little brat,' is our sister. We have our arguments, that's fine, but it ends there. We don't go beyond that. Whatever you did…it was bad. She's very upset."
"Is she the only one in this castle that is allowed to be?" Cassandra shrugged her shoulders. The playfulness in her tone was starting to diminish and now, she was leaning into something more sincere.
"Cassandra…"
"No," she raised her hand, stopping Bela right there and then. "If I get upset about something, it's no big deal. But, if Daniela has a bad day, we all have to stop and fix it. Tell me how that works, since you're oh-so-knowledgeable."
Bela's breathing had grown deeper. Cassandra could see it. She was getting at her – just as she wanted. Maybe, this would make the blonde finally understand that not everything in this castle was black and white. Getting angry didn't mean one wasn't hurt and getting sad didn't mean that they weren't guilty.
Bela took a breath and ignored the taunts completely. She closed her eyes, opening them only after she got her next words out, "You hit her, didn't you?"
"Is that what she said?"
Bela heaved a long sigh, shaking her head and closing her eyes again. This was all useless, she thought. Cassandra stood firm, anticipating whatever else it was that she had to say to go along with that.
"Just so you know; I would never put my hands on you – no matter how much you anger me sometimes. We're all sisters. That is not what we are supposed to do."
Cassandra didn't know what else to say. She knew that Bela wouldn't think about harming either of her siblings. She took the responsibility of being the eldest to heart. With Cassandra being the middle child, that meant that she still held the same kind of duty over Daniela.
She was supposed to take care of her and she failed – miserably.
Bela could see it in her eyes. The pursed lips. The lack of breathing. Cassandra got the message loud and clear. There was no need to prolong the conversation any more than it had to be. All that she wanted to hear was her sister admitting to what she did, but this was sufficient for now.
"Cassandra, this is not something that she is simply going to forget – whether she smiles or not."
There was another pause before Cassandra could respond. After all these years together, Bela knew it meant that she had not prepared herself for whatever it was that she had been told. Her younger sister often had a plan for every response. She wasn't one for talking and often tried to flow through it as quickly as possible.
When she wasn't prepared; she got quiet.
Cassandra quickly picked up on her silence and shrugged her shoulder again. "Whatever Daniela is upset about, she'll probably forget. Nothing about her lasts forever anyway."
It was a cold remark that snagged Bela's immediate attention. "What does that mean?"
"You know what it means." Cassandra had grown tired of the conversation. Her body language grew fidgety, anxious to move on.
"No, I don't," Bela re-iterated. "Cassandra, you claim that we all have to 'stop' when Daniela isn't doing well. What about you? What happens to everyone when Cassandra isn't happy, hmm?"
"I'm not having this discussion…"
"When I get mad about most things, I usually stay quiet and think about it later. When Daniela gets mad, she yells, but at herself." Bela took another step closer to Cassandra, zeroing in on her. The brunette could feel her glare boring into her eyes. "When you get mad, you get explosive. It is instantly everyone else's fault and all you do is scream at them."
"Oh! You're right!" Cassandra feigned laughter. "I was wrong. It is always my fault. How could I not have seen this sooner?"
Withholding her desire to yell at her, Bela continued to bite her tongue – lest this talk turns into a shouting match. As soon as Cassandra was done with her little act, she steadied her thoughts. "Sometimes it isn't your fault, dear sister. Things haven't always been fair to you. But sometimes, we all have something to apologize for."
"I don't have anything to apologize for, dear sister." Cassandra wouldn't budge. Admitting what happened between her and Daniela was too much. If she did – then her argument against the world around her would hold no ground. Most of all, admitting it meant reliving the guilt over having failed her sisters.
"You're unbelievable…" Bela was finished, unwilling to deal with the brunette any longer for now.
"Thanks for the words of encouragement." Cassandra waved her off, equally as upset.
"Just so you know, mother is expecting you to do the right thing. I was hoping you wanted to." With no more words to say, Bela's form dissipated into a dark cloud of insects.
Cassandra's eyes fell to the ground, her voice shrinking to a mumble, "Just go away, Bela."
As soon as her lips closed on the final syllable, her sister was already out of the room and she was back to being by herself. Cassandra wanted to punch a wall but she was too exhausted to do so. The short talk had managed to drain her of much of her energy.
As much as she hated to say it: Bela was completely right.
She made a huge mistake in what she did to Daniela. It felt good at first when she saw her disheveled sister silently approach the dinner table with fear and sadness on her face. But that joy quickly subsided as she realized just how outside of her family she had put herself. It was a dumb action, but she was so lost in her rage at that moment.
Cassandra was aware of her anger problem, but the reality of it had not come to fruition until she saw what it was truly capable of. Despite all the people that she had maimed and tortured over the years, seeing Daniela cower in fear of her was different.
It was the thought that kept her up most of the night. She couldn't explain why she felt that way. At the time, it was as easy as hitting one of the staff. Many servants that worked at the castle came and went through the years. As far as Cassandra was concerned, they were nobodies.
She and Daniela had spent decades living together and never before had she struck her. This may have been the first time Daniela felt pain outside of the cold, all thanks to her older sister. She didn't what was coming even after it happened as Cassandra did not hold back during those few brief seconds.
More so, Cassandra thought about how easy their time together could have gone. Daniela was perfectly willing to work with her and get the tasks done. She even offered to let her sister relax and kick back, but the brunette couldn't steer away from her wrath enough to accept it. She had to stay in control, despite the devastating consequences.
The "I hate you!" that Daniela spat out as she was pinned to the ground ignited a fire in her soul when it was said, but upon replaying it over and over, that fire simmered into a somber ember. There was no longer any joy in seeing the redhead so defeated. She realized that she had pushed her sister to that point, robbing her of her dignity and self-worth; as well as the respect she held for her. Cassandra had her hands on the horse carriage ropes, and she drove it straight into the ground.
What kind of a sister am I?
Making it up to Daniela was one thing; finding forgiveness was another. And that was something she believed was impossible. She didn't believe that she deserved it anyway. She was terrified to accept what she had done and pretending to not care only caused her more pain. On the other hand, her mother had expected her to rectify it – and soon.
If she failed in that regard as well, the consequences would be severe. There was no escape.
The last couple of months had been undeniably miserable for various reasons and the outlook that Cassandra had on the future was dimming. The vices of this life: power and bloodshed – none of it could save her from her demons.
She was trapped in this castle and felt more alone than ever.
Locwitary
Cassandra laughed as she wrapped up a story that she was telling Leta as they sat atop the large boulder. "So, basically, after Bela had spent all day preparing this dinner, nagging my sister and me to death over what to do, I swapped the cooked lamb with a live one." She paused to giggle. "You should have seen the look on her face when she lifted the cover of the tray and this animal poked its head up and ran across the table. Oh, mother was very angry and Bela was so embarrassed."
Leta chuckled as she imagined what the sight could have looked like. Her teeth flashing, the adolescent was as entertained as the woman beside her. "Lia would have yelled at me had I done such a thing."
"Oh," Cassandra had stopped to breathe, "Bela knew it was me, but she was so flustered that she couldn't say a thing."
"What happened to the cooked lamb?"
"I had the servants bring it out right after and all was mostly well. I had to do some cleaning duty for the rest of the week but it was worth it."
Leta picked up a small pebble and tossed it in the air, catching it as it landed. "I wish I had a family like yours."
It was an unexpected statement, given that Cassandra found her family tumultuous more than anything at times. That did not factor in her mother's strict rules regarding how they acted or performed their duties. Life in Locwitary appeared more carefree, but what did she know?
"Hmm," Cassandra glanced over at her. "You think you'd be able to put up with Bela's nosiness or my mother's orders?"
"Probably not," Leta agreed. "I think it would have been fun to have a mom and an extra sister. It's just Lia and I and she's always occupied with whatever it is she does all day. We don't play like we did when we were younger; just more training…"
There was disappointment at the end of what she said. It seemed that Leta did not have everything she wanted in the world either, no matter how close it was to her. Cassandra couldn't help but think of Daniela when she heard that.
Before their last fight. Before she was beaten to the ground, Daniela would often beg her sisters to spend time with her. Bela was often busy managing the castle and doing her own thing. Cassandra hardly gave a damn and would flat-out deny the requests.
When they first came into the world, they would spend the entire day frolicking around the castle, chasing each other around like wild cats. It was fun at the time. They'd enjoy all the meals shared together. Dinners were filled with so much laughter and conversation. As they discovered their respective hobbies and indulged in what they liked, the bonding didn't stop.
Bela would showcase her experiments and knowledge to her younger siblings, hoping to teach them everything that she had just learned. Cassandra loved to tell her hunting stories to her sisters, watching the amazement in their eyes as she described her kill. Neither of them would know how to properly sharpen a knife if it wasn't for her.
Daniela would sail through her library of books, accumulating more and more throughout the years. The never-ending lineup of novels would always be her favorite topics to discuss at night while they gathered together. Sadly, it seemed that she was the only one who tried to keep the memories alive over the years.
Bela became more distant and demanding, almost separating herself from the other two. To Cassandra, she felt like her eldest sibling thought she was above them. She was like a second mother – something Cassandra didn't want.
As they began to grow apart, Daniela's delusional state began to rear its head. The others could tell that she was not always there in mind. It was okay at first but whenever she became overly stressed, she'd fall into a fake world where everything was right.
It made communicating with her next to impossible and as it went on, the best option seemed to be to just let her live it out. In hindsight – that was the worst choice. She never got the help she needed.
Cassandra delved more into her love of hunting during the summer months, often staying out of the castle as long as she could so she could track and kill whatever animal it was she sought that day. The fact that she could do this for such a short period throughout the year put a strain on her relationship with the other daughters.
They always got to have fun, while she remained bored and miserable. Boredom brought forward her mischief; occupying her time and finding entertainment in pranking or practicing risky things – such as making pipe bombs. Furthermore, the resentment that she held from the isolation and constant scolding manifested in her anger.
Gradually increasing over the years, her hunting became a way to blow off steam by maiming whatever was unfortunate enough to cross her path. Her attitude toward the servants became crueler and she looked for every reason to hurt them. They were defenseless animals to a sadistic child who could not exercise their frustrations with the world elsewhere. When her mother forbade her from thinning out the staff at times, all Cassandra could do was kick the wall in private and scream where no one would hear her.
Their mother was always a double-sided card. Sometimes she'd be loving and expressive as to how much she cherished the three women. Other times, she'd go off on a fury about how they didn't behave or needed to do better. The loud boom of the tall lady's voice sent terror down their spines.
Cassandra felt like she got the worst of it. All her antics over the years threw the spotlight on her. Whether it was her fault or not, she'd be front and center whenever something went wrong in the castle.
She could hear her mother screaming her name and knew what was to come. If she could just argue her case and reason with the woman, things might have been resolved sooner. Sadly, not only would that have sent Alcina into a violent frenzy – she could not find the strength to do so.
It was almost as if she was locked into position, forced to obey every word. If anyone was Alcina's verbal punching bag – it was her.
Everyone went their own way and the closeness of the family had shifted apart. Daniela tried to preserve their bond and she paid the price for it. In hindsight, Cassandra wished she had listened to what the redhead had to say. It could have been the start of something new – but she chose her anger over her sister that night.
Now, all she could do was ponder whether she even had sisters to come back home to or not.
Cassandra adopted the same, sad expression that Leta held. She could see Daniela's mindset in her words and hoped that things between the two fawns wouldn't go the way they did for her. "Maybe, she has something going on that you're not seeing. Maybe, she's not seeing how it's affecting you. My advice: don't change. Be the sister that she needs."
Leta shrugged. "I know. I just wish we could live in that town with all the other people. If it wasn't for her being a surge, I think things would have been better off."
Cassandra could feel the slight resentment in Leta's voice. It mirrored her own outlook of the cards she was dealt, but she knew that no one ever got to pick them. "She didn't choose to be a surge, did she?"
Leta lowered her eyes to the ground, aware of how one-sided her words were. "No..."
"Surge or not, she's still your sister and she loves you." Cassandra held the crown in her hands and imagined her own family in the flowers. "She might need you more than she says. Don't abandon her…please."
"I'd never do that," Leta replied, taking Cassandra's advice to heart. "She gets so serious but I've seen who she is. Lia's very sweet and funny. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be my sister. She's the best."
Cassandra smiled, happy to know that all was not lost. "Good." She gently elbowed Leta's shoulder. "Besides, older sisters are supposed to be serious. It's their job."
With a giggle, Leta smiled back at her. "Okay, fine. I believe you. I'd still like to have a younger sister."
"You'll probably turn out just like me, child."
"Oh, it can't be that bad!" The girl answered with a laugh.
"Ah," Cassandra picked up a pebble of her own and threw it at a tree twenty feet away, striking the center of the trunk. "It's not. You're just caught in the middle and that is never fun. You're not quite the adult but you're not the littlest one anymore, either. You have to remain responsible."
"I'd still give it a try," she insisted.
"It's a lifetime commitment," Cassandra emphasized. "There is no 'try.'"
She thought back to how she had given up on Daniela all those years ago. Back then, it was easy to turn away and think about only her own desires. While Leta's situation was less dire, she still felt as neglected as Cassandra's sister. No wonder the girl was so eager to spend time with her.
She truly wanted another friend.
"I wouldn't give up," Leta said. "I promise."
She doesn't have to promise anything. It's not like I'm going to be here to hold her to her end or whatever.
"Fine," Cassandra replied. "You better keep your word."
"I will," she smiled. It was a nice conversation to have; one that helped take a little weight off of Cassandra's chest – even though she wouldn't go into any details as to what went down between her and Daniela. Some things were best left unmentioned.
Holding the crown up, Cassandra gazed at the craft one more time. She could feel something in her heart that had not been there before. Lost in the moment, she rotated the crown around. "I'm sorry about today…"
'Sorry' was a foreign word to her. She hardly ever had to apologize for anything back in her castle. It was the servants who had to beg for her forgiveness. Cassandra Dimitrescu could never be at fault – or so the image was.
She carried that sense of nobility everywhere she went. Always believing that she was better than those under her. Someone like Leta wouldn't have rated a second of thought in her world. A child was as worthless to Cassandra as a dull blade.
Here, in Locwitary, things were not the same. The playing field was leveled and her powers were gone. On top of that, she had an extraordinarily hard time concealing her emotions. There was no way to hide them as constant triggers came out at every turn. She could no longer pretend to be someone that she wasn't, especially after her mental state was about to break following the way she treated Leta earlier.
The girl was right: this was a place where she could be different.
She could repair some of the damage while she was here and be ready by the time she reunited with her family. None of the commoners from her world would see this side of her. She could relax a little, let down her walls enough to understand herself. Leta was good-willed and didn't wish to do any harm to her.
In fact, the young fawn may have even looked up to her – for whatever reason.
If this could work, then she could mend the broken ties with her sisters.
"What do you mean?" Leta asked.
"You know what I mean. I threatened you. Made you cry. I shouldn't have done any of that. It was shameful," Cassandra confessed. It was hard for her to speak those words at first, but, as they got rolling, the amount of effort required soon became nothing. It was a weight that she was relieved to have removed.
"I forgive you," Leta quickly told her without hesitation, visibly happy to hear Cassandra apologize.
Her voice spoke quietly. A softness formed on her face as her smile pulled against both ears. "Thank you."
As Leta watched her sit there with the crown in her hand, she pointed to Cassandra's hood, motioning for her to pull it down. "You should try it on," she suggested.
Cassandra sat there, conflicted. Her hand ran up the edge of the cloth covering, dropping down as soon as she began to have second thoughts on the whole manner. She sighed; eyes closed.
"It's okay," Leta said, having picked up on the signs. "You don't have to –"
"No," Cassandra stopped her. "I'm going to wear it."
Keeping the hood on her head, Cassandra placed the crown of flowers on top of it, rotating the fixture down to ensure that it held a good fit. Unsure if her idea had worked out the way she intended, she turned toward the girl and asked her for her opinion.
"What do you think?"
The display of flowers atop Cassandra's head was a beautiful sight. It was a great touch that highlighted the true beauty of the woman. Her original robes were nice, but there was something about them that attracted a darker essence. With Lia's light blue gown, the flowers brought forward the idea that Cassandra was happier. With her long smile, dark eyelashes, and golden eyes, she was something that Leta had never seen before.
Maybe, Cassandra had never seen herself like this before either.
"It was made for you; in many ways," Leta gleamed.
Cassandra chuckled, unable to relax her smile. "Well then," she added, "a queen must have her loyal advisor, should she not?"
Leta's eyes opened wide with excitement. "Oh!" She jumped up, excited as ever. "Is that me?"
"Yes, it is." Cassandra hopped down from the rock and picked a small flower off from the grass beside her. Yanking a long, flexible vine alongside it and using the most basic of crafting skills, she fashioned the flower into a makeshift necklace before holding it up to Leta. "Now, take this. My loyal advisor must be adorned with the mark of the kingdom."
Accepting the necklace without hesitation, Leta placed it over her head and seated it down around her shoulders. She couldn't have been happier to be able to share this moment with Cassandra. While it was all just pretend, she truly felt important.
Most of all – it was good to have a friend.
"So," Leta began, "what may I assist the queen with?"
"Hmm," Cassandra brought her fingers up to her chin, feigning thought. With a devious curve in her eyebrows, she brought her hand down and grinned widely. "I want a bigger castle. The one we are in now is much too small. How may this be accomplished, dear advisor?"
The answer was already on the girl's mind. "Simple! We gather the materials and employ the subjects to build the expansions."
"Uh huh…" Cassandra continued with that devilish expression, prompting Leta's curiosity. What was the caveat?
"Do you have a different idea, my queen?"
"I do," she said. "Across the mountains are all those poils who do not recognize my rule over all this land. I wish to see them conquered and brought to their knees before me. They can build my castle. I say we should go to war!"
While the game was so childish to her, Cassandra was having fun acting out her role. She didn't know much about medieval themes aside from whatever Daniela would ramble on about. She'd allow Leta to fill in the blanks in case her knowledge came up short, but to have a friendly game with someone else for the first time in ages was nice.
It was so easy. Why had she been so scared up until now?
"War?" Leta jumped off and landed on the grass. "But, Queen Cassandra, there must be another way!"
She shook her head. "If we do not attack now, then they may one day invade our kingdom and attempt to remove me from the throne. I cannot allow that to happen. If they do not submit, then I will crush them."
"As your advisor," Leta interjected, "I implore you to re-think your options. Perhaps we could employ some of those poils to work alongside our subjects. Establish a bond with their leaders and see if there is a way that we can assimilate them into the ranks."
The girl was very articulate in her words. It wasn't the wisest plan, in Cassandra's eyes, but she couldn't help but continue to marvel at her display of education. Until this afternoon, she had viewed her as nothing more than any other dim-witted kid.
"So, they could plot in secret?" Cassandra grabbed a large stick off of the ground, climbing atop the boulder and raising it in the air as she stood up. Her voice was boisterous as she could make it. "I think not!"
Leta approached her, hands clasped together as she pled for reconsideration. "Think of the safety and wellbeing of your people. If we go to war and they perish, then there will be no one to worship you, my queen."
Letting out a giggle, Cassandra gradually lowered her stick, the tip soon thumping against the rock. "Fine," she said. "You're right; a queen needs her subjects. I cannot afford to lose them. The war is over, thanks to you, dear advisor."
Sharing her laughter, Leta bowed her head and shook her joined hands together in thanks. "Wise choice, my queen."
With a soft nod, Cassandra picked the crown up from her head and held it down beside her stomach. Her thumbs twiddled with the pedals once again. "When I was younger, I used to think about being a queen. Pretty far-fetched, but I wanted to be like my mother; rule over a kingdom – or a village, in our case."
"Maybe you might become one when you get back."
Her fingers tightened around the edges of the headwear, careful not to break it but there was a tenseness in them. She inhaled a short, sharp breath and held it for a second or two. "It's not like that. Things haven't changed at all ever since my sisters and I were born. We're the daughters of House Dimitrescu – nothing more, nothing less. No matter how many decades go by –"
"'Decades?'" Leta wasn't sure if she had heard Cassandra correctly. The woman looked like she was in her early twenties. There was no way she could have been alive for that amount of time. "How old are you?"
"Well…" Cassandra had to take the time to put thought into it. She never knew her exact birthday. Age was something she and her sisters never thought about nor concerned themselves with. As long as they were immortal, there was nothing to worry about.
All the lords had withstood the test of time. It was only the villagers that seemed destined to shrivel up and die as the years wore on. To her, immortality was natural to those chosen to rule. It wasn't like the village advanced much as time progressed. Besides the introduction of certain vehicles and some new technology, it was locked in the early twentieth century.
"If I had to take a guess," Cassandra began to answer. "I would say…"
The rustling of leaves and the snapping of twigs pulled her from the rest of her words as she turned her head to see whatever it was that was nearby. Sure enough, they weren't alone. Spotted twenty yards away behind a group of trees was a large, quadrupedal mammal. While Cassandra had expected something alien and profound – given all the stories that she had heard thus far – she instead saw something else that was highly familiar.
The head of long, sharp antlers and body of short, fine brown fur. It was unmistakable what this creature was. Another smile beamed across her face as she let out a laugh and gestured at Leta.
"Ha! I knew it!" Cassandra shouted, jumping back down beside Leta. "I was told that your people didn't know what a deer was and I assumed this world didn't have them. Well, in my world, that is a deer!"
Leta did not respond.
"What?" Cassandra looked down at her. "They're harmless."
Leta was unmoved, still nervous as ever. Feeling that her fear was completely unwarranted, Cassandra knelt down and picked up a small rock, ready to throw it and scare the deer away. Before she could, the girl reached for her arm to stop her.
"What is the problem?" Cassandra looked back at the deer as it crept out of the trees, taking a couple of steps toward them. The animal's eyes stayed locked onto the pair, unwavering as it continued to stare them down.
That was when she noticed just how built and stout this creature was. It was not as slender and weak in appearance as any of the ones that she had hunted back in her world. Instead, this deer was larger and sported a powerful jawline.
A jawline, that soon split into a wide smile – filled with many needle-like teeth.
Leta finally spoke. "That's a dhin…"
NOTES:
Welcome back! Hope this chapter was exciting for you all!
So, we now see the relationship between Cassandra and her sisters continued to degrade. While Daniela was MIA in this flashback, Bela's appearance is a good idea of how profound Cassandra's actions were. There is more to come as these flashbacks continue. Down the road, I will bring them further back into the past as we uncover more things. There is still tons of space reserved for Bela and Daniela (as well as others) as we continue.
As it was pointed out by SilentWinters, the crown Cassandra wears is the one given to Cassandra's character by the gaming community at the request of the other voice actresses. I wanted to include it during Cassandra's first moment of letting go and embracing these parts of herself. Jeanette Maus brought so much life to her. RIP.
I wanted to include another game between her and Leta, furthering their new friendship. It was fun to write a glimpse of what Queen Cassandra could be like lol. Also, I'm sure the introduction of a dhin will satisfy some of you. We've only heard about them so many times and now, our huntress is faced with one of these fabled beasts – and she is very unprepared.
Cassandra has slain her fair share of deer in her home world. Now, she sees that the ones in Locwitary are not the weak animals that she remembers. If Gibbin's story serves well, she and Leta are in very serious trouble. I can only promise that the next chapter will be chaotic.
Locwitary isn't the kind world that it appears to be.
The next chapter will be released on the 16th.
Go follow this story on Archive of our Own where you can see all the artwork I've included. Each chapter gets at least one!
Leave a comment and let me know what you thought of this chapter! If you haven't, drop a kudos as well! I'm always excited to see what you have to say! Let me know what you hope to see in terms of story or artwork too! You make this story worth it!
Also, I want to thank NoxEterna and SilentWinters for their support! I've begun to see this story grow in popularity and I can't thank you all enough for sharing this. If anyone here hasn't read their works for whatever reason, check them out! The Dimitrescu family would thank you.
As always, hope you all have a great week! Stay safe!