Author's Note: I usually wait to post, but I couldn't wait haha You guys are so amazing! 500+ views, I am at a loss and so grateful to all of you for giving my story a chance. *hearts* Thank you for the follow and favorites as well as the views. It just motivates me more to write and I greatly enjoy what I'm doing hehe
Disclaimer: I do not own the Resident Evil Franchise, all rights belong to Capcom! Any grammatical errors or inconsistencies that you find I do apologize and hope you can forgive me. Happy reading everyone!
A few months had passed, and not a day went by that Selena wasn't busy with the construction of the greenhouse that would encompass the whole village. Marco, thanks to Karl's assistance, was able to judge which trees were mature enough to move them into the marked areas that the greenhouse was going to encircle. With careful planning, by Marco's advice, the trees would take to the softened soil and continue to grow larger than they predicted. If they grew and flourished, it would be the ideal situation for all of them. More coverage means more protection. Alfrid was in charge of the heavy labor, transporting building materials from Duke's emporium toward the outskirts where construction was being done. Damien and Selena were the ones that oversaw the proceedings, Damien taking careful notes for Ianto for when the man would regain consciousness.
With some convincing from Damien to open their minds and their hearts to the new, the villagers began to offer what they could, be it providing food for nourishment or transporting materials to the places where it was desperately needed. Some of the women, when they had finished their initial chores for the day, even offered to help tend to Selena's garden. That response was due to Damien sneakily commenting on Selena's disheartened mood due to not being able to take care of her flower beds like she normally would due to the newly added responsibilities. Nearby women had overheard the conversation and the next day when Selena woke up at the crack of dawn she had seen some of the women watering her garden, and even planting new flowers for Selena. With revamped motivation, Selena bounced back to her cheerful self and made herself busy with preparing their village.
One particular day, Selena had taken a 'break' from the daily work with calculated persuasion and encouragement from Damien that things would progress on schedule even if Selena took one day to herself. So, with nothing much to do since the women of the village had already looked after her chores, Selena had gone to report to Mother Miranda. She had informed the woman that she had tried to save Ianto with the parasite and because he needed to be carefully monitored, Selena needed to hold off on conducting any more experimentations simply because the protection of her village needed to come first…to protect any future potential subjects if Ianto's body rejected the parasite. Mother Miranda was unsure at first about such a request, but Selena had assured Mother Miranda that once the greenhouse was completed she would continue to build off on Mother Miranda's research.
That was satisfactory enough for Mother Miranda to permit Selena to not contribute to progress until things in Selena's region settled down. Mother Miranda then asked about Ianto's healing process and Selena responded that there wasn't any sign of mutation, but remained sleeping. He was being carefully monitored in case there was a possibility that his body could reject the parasite.
Mother Miranda accepted and understood that it would take some time and careful observation after all she wouldn't accept failure…and heavily implied that she would be waiting for some positive news regarding the situation. Selena noted from the tone of Mother Miranda's voice that she sounded disappointed to not hear that it wasn't a potential success. It might have been leaning more toward disappointment, perhaps that tone was the result of expecting too much to come from Selena as well as Heisenberg who according to Mother Miranda had not made any immediate progress as well. But if that was the case, Mother Miranda never divulged such feelings and nonchalantly dismissed Selena for the day.
When Selena returned to her village Damien had been the first to respectfully greet and welcome back the Lady with a smile. He was in the process of informing Selena about the progress they were making was going as scheduled before Ianto's keeper came running up to the two in mild hysteria. The woman was in a panic, stumbling over her words, before finally collecting her thoughts and reporting to Selena and Damien that Ianto had opened his eyes. She said that he was confused and disoriented, and requested that someone...or anyone to come and tell him what was happening and why he felt so exhausted and weak.
"I'll go find Alfrid and Marco." Damien offered to Selena, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on Selena's shoulder. "Go and speak to Ianto, I'm sure Lord Heisenberg would go with you as well."
"Anything to get out of working all day is good for me." Karl offered as he dropped all that he was doing and came over to Selena's side. "Best for us to talk to a man who's in a similar position as we are then have his friends break the news to him first." Karl walked past the two before quickly retracing his steps to speak to Damien. "I predict the caretaker'll be upset, so be a good little shepherd and quickly go gather muscle head and the white sheep while I take Selena to check up on the man."
Damien let out a nervous chuckle before quickly making himself scarce, leaving Selena and Karl standing alone to watch the man scurry away.
"What's the matter with you?" Selena playfully scolded, unable to hide the smile that was on her face as Karl began to lead her away.
"Nothing's wrong with me." Karl dramatically defended. "Maybe I'm just happy to not be working for once since you recruited my help." Karl placed his hand on the small of Selena's back and continued to push her forward. "You owe me big time."
"Yeah, yeah." Selena said as she and Karl walked toward the house together, passing some of the villagers who smiled and waved at Selena, though when Karl would glance in their direction the villagers had remained frozen in fright before immediately diverting their attention elsewhere. Seeing this, Selena couldn't help but shake her head. "You take great joy in terrorizing my villagers, don't you?"
"I do, I really do." Karl let out a hearty laugh. "You may be comfortable with the norm of social interaction, but I'd much rather them stay far away from me."
"Yet you can't find it in your heart to reject the older woman in the village." Selena laughed as she recalled some of the mothers and grandmothers that had come to drop off some pastries they had baked for them when they were taking a break from working as well as some water to wash down the food. Karl had obediently taken their offerings after the women kept insisting that 'young people like you need all the nourishment to grow up big and strong'. Selena chuckled, recalling the memory as she reached up to pinch Karl's cheeks. "What a strapping young man you are. Always helping out around the village."
"Stop it!" Karl protested as he swatted Selena's hands away, yet the more he protested the more insistent Selena became with her fussing. "I'm warning you, buttercup."
"What are you going to do about it?" Selena teasingly challenged as Karl let out a huff and sulked the rest of the way to Selena's house. Selena always jumped on the chance to tease Karl, since she rarely got the chance to do so, and Karl couldn't and wouldn't do anything about it.
All mirth in the two Lords vanished the moment they stepped through the threshold of the house, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on Selena's mind as she tried to think of how she would break the news to Ianto. How she would explain all that she had to do just to save his life. Thought of all the questions he may have for her and wondered what his reaction would be.
When the two reached the second floor, standing in front of the guest room that Ianto was staying in, Selena had lifted her hand to knock before stopping just inches from the door. All the questions and answers she had left her mind in an instant.
Karl, noticing Selena's hesitation, came up behind Selena. Lowering his voice so that only she could hear.
"It'll be fine, buttercup. You did nothing wrong." Karl assured in a whisper as he took the initiative and gave the door three loud, steady knocks before announcing their presence. "We're coming in."
Without giving Ianto a second to respond, Karl had opened the door, stepped through, and waited for Selena to enter before closing the door behind her.
"Miss Sinclair." Ianto greeted as he lifted himself to a seated position with slight difficulty even with the help of the female keeper. "Lord Heisenberg?"
"Ianto." Selena greeted before looking toward the woman who instantly bowed her head respectfully. "Please leave us alone to speak in private."
"Of course my Lady." The woman responded as she shuffled her way out of the room, Karl kindly opened the door once more before closing it to allow the three of them to have a moment of privacy.
"I was informed that you had saved my life," Ianto said as Selena went over to sit on the chair that was situated by his bedside. "I don't know how you did it, I mean…I've seen what those creatures could do to a person…but you have my thanks, Miss Sinclair."
"I-I wouldn't go thanking me just yet," Selena said as Karl came up to stand behind Selena's chair, silently offering his support while she broke the news to the man who had a literal brush with death. "I think we have much to talk about first."
While Karl remained silent, observing Ianto's reaction, Selena got Ianto all caught up with what he missed while he was unconscious. Selena started just as she did with the other three that were now working tirelessly around the clock to make sure that the place that they all called home would be safe for everyone. Ianto quietly sat and listened as Selena began to explain what Mother Miranda had done to the villagers in the past, what she's always done…about the lycans, as well as the existence of the parasite. She had to explain the functions of what the parasite is capable of as well as reveal to Ianto that it was a 'miracle' that he survived such a procedure. Selena was having a difficult time revealing to Ianto exactly what had to be done, and every time she kept getting back on track she would stutter and veer off course or beat around the bush about what now lies within Ianto.
"Miss Sinclair…what have you done to me?" Ianto, having had enough of not getting a complete answer out of Selena, asked. His voice was hoarse after having not been used for some time as he looked at Selena who was seated at his bedside. "…what am I…?"
"I was able to use my…newly transpired ability to balance your cells. While there is a high probability that the parasite changes its host, I was able to prevent the cells in your body from deteriorating, prevent the parasite from overtaking your body and mutating beyond recognition or help." Selena mumbled. "To do that though I needed to take the life force of another living thing to help balance out your procedure."
"…you used someone else to save me? Sacrificed someone else without permission?" Ianto asked, getting riled up at the thought of someone else having been used just so he could live. "Are you…out of your mind? What were you thinking! I didn't ask for this! You're no better than the rest of them!"
"She was thinking of saving your life, you ungrateful old man." Karl growled, teeth bared, as he took a threatening step toward the bed causing Ianto to physically flinch. "None of us asked for this life, but we make do with what we were given."
"Another innocent life just to save mine…what gave you the right to decide this life for me?" Ianto questioned.
"I would never sacrifice another life…or any life from the village for anything. I would never do anything without permission." Selena tried to defend herself in hopes to ease Ianto's concern, but it went over Ianto's head as he became more agitated by the second.
"Did…did you think that I would be grateful for this? That I would want this?" Ianto asked, the shock of such news overpowering the previous fear he had toward Karl.
"Why you–" Ianto was testing Karl's patience, it was one thing to be angry about being forcefully thrust into this life as he and Selena had, but to take it out on Selena? Someone who simply wanted to save this man's life for the sake of the village she now reigns over? To push her newly found ability to its limit putting a toll on her body because she wasn't used to such power? This caused the metal pieces in the room to rattle as the tension in the room began to grow heavy as Karl continued to stare Ianto down, that is before a lithe voice cut the tension in half.
"Lady Sinclair didn't make such a decision alone." Damien's voice interrupted as the man came up to stand to the right of Selena, holding his arm out to block Karl from stepping forward to murder their friend. Behind Damien, standing in the doorway were Marco and Alfrid, the latter having stayed closer to the open door and watching the exchange like a hawk.
"Damien?" Ianto whispered the man's name in shock.
"It's great to see that you're finally awake my friend." Damien smiled. "Much has happened in your absence, and while you're recovering in bed we can get you all caught up."
"I…I don't understand." Ianto looked past Damien. "Alfrid and Marco too?"
"You'll be surprised how persuasive Sinclair's been." Alfrid grumbled. "The whole village has come around to her ideas…"
Ianto's thoughts were already coming to a huge misunderstanding, while those around him knew the truth, Ianto was already thinking that Selena had done something to the villagers in his absence. To have won over a whole village that had feared her at first to now accept her? Something didn't seem right. Especially when he heard Alfrid speak up on Selena's behalf, he knew the type of man Alfrid was…utterly loyal to the village and trusted only a few. Selena wasn't included in either category according to Alfrid.
"Don't be too harsh on Lady Sinclair." Damien, being a childhood friend of Ianto's, knew exactly which direction Ianto's mind was going. "Lady Sinclair had a way to save you, but the decision to go through with her plan fell on us, your closest friends as well as the ones chosen by the villagers to act as the head until you recovered." Damien went over to sit at the foot of the bed. "Lady Sinclair would never have risked your life on a chance without the consent from all three of us."
"Why would you think this was the best option for my future?" Ianto asked as his hands bunched up the fabric of the sheets. "Wouldn't it have been better if I died a human…"
"No!" Marco frantically spoke up. "We need you, Ianto. The villagers need you, and Lady Sinclair offered us hope…she offered us a chance and we took it."
Such words weighed heavily on Ianto's mind as he contemplated this new life he was given before letting out a sigh in annoyance.
"Am I in danger?" Ianto asked as he turned to look at Selena. "Could I be a danger to the villagers? Is there a chance of developing some type of mutation like the lycans? Abilities similar to you and Lord Heisenberg?"
"The lycans are a result of a host rejecting the parasite, you will not be like that I am certain." Selena confidently stated. "We're not sure what could happen in regards to being given a gift." Selena hummed as Ianto's body slumped in defeat as he looked down at his hands. "I've looked over Mother Miranda's notes, and the results are inconclusive. No one subject reacts the same to the parasite unless it comes to the failures. The best I can do is continue to monitor your development and make sure that you are completely in the clear and not a danger to those around you."
"…what am I supposed to do now?" Ianto asked with exhausted eyes, turning once again to Selena for some type of guidance.
"You learn to either live with this thing in your body, accept it as we have. Serve Selena and protect this quaint little village of yours. Or!" Karl spoke up, the first impression of Ianto not being the very best after having verbally gone after Selena. "I can end your pitiful brief second chance at life." "Karl!" The man held up his gloved hand, asking Selena to allow him to speak, before opening his mouth once more. "I'm offering the man a choice, Selena, which is more than we ever got." Karl looked down at Selena in boredom, his jaw clenching as he looked back to Ianto. "You have people who depend on you, keep that in mind, caretaker." Karl lifted his hand as if offering it toward Ianto. "So! Will you squander the gift of life that Selena gave you? Or will you suck it up and live." Karl then let out a frustrated sigh at how much he had to spell things out for the bedridden man. "Who knows, this gift could be a blessing in disguise."
"What do you mean?" Ianto asked out of curiosity.
"Your blessing came from Selena. Who knows, maybe coming from someone like her…your mutation, if you even have one, could be used to further protect what's important to you." Karl gestured behind him with his thumb. "I'm hoping what's important to you is the people in this village you're so passionate about, and that includes Selena."
"Lady Sinclair. Allow us to speak to Ianto." Marco walked further into the room, going over to stand beside Damien. "Go and enjoy your free time with Lord Heisenberg for the day."
"Anything is better than staying here in this stuffy room." Karl scoffed as he waited for Selena to get up from the chair, waiting patiently for the woman to come to his side. "I'm done with working for the day, let's go back to the factory. You can tell me what Mother Miranda said when you went to meet her." And just before the two Lords exited the room Karl called out to Ianto one last time over his shoulder. "A lycan gave its life for yours. Selena doesn't have the heart to do something so heinous as to sacrifice a self-aware mortal…monsters on the other hand?" Karl turned to leave with Selena sticking close to him. "They're free game."
Karl and I spent the remainder of the day in his factory. He had offered for me to stay the night just to give Ianto time to soak all the information in. Compared to the two of us who had time to adjust, it was a change that Ianto would have to get used to as well if he were to accept that this was his fate from now on. At first, I had declined, but Karl pointed out that a man as old as Ianto would need time and space, especially if their outlook on life was now turned upside down in one day.
Karl also didn't want Ianto to lash out at me if he decided that I was the reason for his new life, that if he already made the decision he wouldn't hesitate to attack me. Looking at past examples, an ability or a gift given to them by the mutation first begins to manifest due to desperation or heavy emotional stress, Karl had theorized. Any of these could apply to Ianto's situation. If given those conditions they would find out about his mutation sooner than later. We wouldn't have time to help the man adjust and that would leave both parties in a difficult situation: kill Ianto to save the lives of many or attempt to save Ianto and risk the lives of many. Karl knew that I didn't have it in my heart to make either decision so he insisted that I stay at the factory for the night.
As much as I wanted to believe Ianto wouldn't do such a thing, now that he had the parasite inside of him it does have the capability of causing the host to lose control.
The next day, when I returned, I was told by Damien that Ianto wished to speak to me. When I went as requested Ianto had apologized for his unruly behavior, shock tends to do that to a person, and he decided that he would make the best of the second chance he was given. He had then asked where we should go going forward.
I had told him that we would have to report to Mother Miranda about his newly acquired life, but we must withhold the information of my ability. He didn't ask why and we didn't delve into it…I think it was either because it was our own issue to deal with, or he just didn't care. All he said was that it would be easy for him to do so after having years of keeping Mother Miranda satisfied to stay clear of touching his village. He's been lying to her for years, and he could continue to do so for the safety of everyone living here.
"We're going to be late, buttercup!" Karl yelled from the bottom of the staircase.
"You keep saying that, but I've never held us back from getting to the meeting on time." Selena said as she came down the staircase, smoothing out the creases in her new dress that Donna had given her. The dress was similar to the ones that Selena had seen on one of Donna's many dolls but slightly tailored to Selena's taste. Dark brown, ankle-length dress with mildly fluffed sleeves, beige petticoat peeking out from under the dress to add a bit of volume, lace, and embroidery in places that complimented the dress.
"Really? You're goin' like that?" Karl asked incredulously as he looked Selena up and down.
"With shoes to match." Selena cheekily said as she showed her toe-covered heels that had a single layer of ruffles on the top line. "Don't judge my outfit, Donna made it for me, and I love it."
"Fine, fine." Karl backed off, knowing full well that this conversation would go in the same direction as it always did whenever Karl bought up her choice of outfits whenever they would go to Mother Miranda's meetings. They needed to look 'presentable', yet it was never physically said…but it was implied. And whenever Karl would point out Selena's outfit choice, Selena would point out that Karl is wearing the same thing that he would wear whenever he would work in the factory with grease stains smudged on his white shirt.
"Ready to go Lady Sinclair? Lord Heisenberg." Ianto said as soon as the two Lords walked out of the house, the man was standing and waiting for the two to exit before deciding to speak up to make his presence known.
"We're ready." Selena said the moment the two Lords reached Ianto.
In passing, Karl reached out and slapped Ianto on the shoulder causing Ianto to stumble, jostling him to the side and off-balance, before Ianto steadily composed himself. "Ready to make your big debut, caretaker?"
"What was the plan again?" Ianto asked as he followed just behind the two Lords as they walked through the village in the direction of the main village.
"You're going to be the new product in the exhibition of freaks." Karl spat with the ability to make it sound so lighthearted even though the situation Ianto was about to be exposed to was quite dangerous. "The shiny new toy that everyone will be interested in."
"I'm going to introduce you as my first success after countless failed trials with assistance from Karl." Selena responded. "Mother Miranda is going to assess you and that'll be it."
"And if she takes interest and decides to take me away?" Ianto asked.
"I'll argue that I need you around to keep the trust of the villagers." Selena responded. "You're my shepherd, if I lose you then the villagers wouldn't be as trusting toward me and I wouldn't be able to produce more successful results. You just have to nod and agree that you can keep the villagers obedient."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." Ianto whispered as they got closer to the main part of the village.
"None of us like what we do, but it's what must be done." Karl said as he tucked his gloved hands into the pockets of his cargo pants. "Mother Miranda is incredibly powerful, she commands a following that is willing to die for the woman, so unless you're fine with dying you just gotta nod your head and agree."
"With the combined efforts of the other Lords couldn't we overpower her?" Ianto asked. "I don't want any more villagers to be continuously exposed to her wicked ways."
"The villagers obediently follow her. Our siblings' loyalty knows no bounds. Our words hold no weight as of right now." Selena informed. "If you or the villagers were to revolt…would you be able to handle injuring or killing people from the main village? Would you be willing to risk your friends and their families?"
Ianto couldn't do that, and he wouldn't put his people in that situation just as Karl predicted as he spoke up. "Not to mention you would leave the both of us no choice but to side with Mother Miranda, so…you'd stand no chance. The only thing you'd accomplish is wiping out the entire village in the West."
From the village to the West to the old church where the past meetings were usually held, the two Lords continued to coach Ianto on what to expect when being presented to Mother Miranda as well as being shown off to the other Lords. To stay on the safe side, Selena advised Ianto to simply allow her to speak and for the man to stay close to Selena's side. The one thing the three agreed on was that they didn't want to anger Mother Miranda as well as to avoid any confrontation with the other Lords. The best they could hope for was a simple examination so that the meeting could end just as quickly as it began.
"Selena!" Angie was the first to greet the pair that entered the old church, running up to them on her wooden legs and began to tug on the hem of the young woman's dress. "We've been waiting for you! And you're wearing the new dress we made!"
"Of course." Selena smiled down at the doll before extending the same action in Donna's direction. "Hello, Sister Donna."
Donna nodded her head and even if she was still adorned in her typical black dress and veil, Selena could tell Donna was smiling back at her just from the silent woman's posture.
"The last of us to arrive." Alcina welcomed, already seated in her custom-made chair, before grimacing in Karl's direction. "I'm sure you would have been here earlier had you not waited for Heisenberg." Karl glared at Alcina, but the tall woman remained unphased at such a harsh and typical reaction. "Selena, you don't always have to wait for Heisenberg to walk with you, you can always come on your own."
It was the same as usual, the typical arguments or exchange of words between Karl and Alcina, always a different version or rendition each time. At some point, Karl took to ignoring the woman after realizing that that action alone grated on Alcina's nerves more than Karl fighting back with his words.
Karl let out a huff in annoyance, reaching out to place a hand on the small of Selena's back as he led her to the pew opposite Alcina that he and Selena would sit upon while listening in on the meetings. When Karl took his seat, Selena followed suit, sitting close to Karl on his left with Ianto being directed to stand just behind Selena. As advised, Ianto linked his hands behind his back and stood to his full height, head bowed and eyes closed. The sign of a submissive follower as Karl had put it, and the newest presence of course didn't go unnoticed by anyone.
"Selena! Who's the new guy?" Angie asked as the doll came up to where Selena sat, reaching up for Selena to pick her up and place her on her lap. Of course, Karl recoiled at the sight of the doll and glared at the offending doll seated comfortably on Selena's lap. Angie's white eyes zeroed in on Ianto as a dark chuckle escaped the wooden doll. "A new friend?"
The sinister implication in Angie's voice was clear, if Ianto was indeed a new 'friend' then he would be free game for the other Lords to bid upon for their next potential experiment. It was another chance to try and impress Mother Miranda everyone present thought as the other two Lords turned to size Ianto up.
"I am curious as well," Mother Miranda's silent arrival caused all those present inside the cathedral to go silent as all eyes turned toward the podium as soon as the woman made her presence known. "I don't recall allowing a stranger to listen in on this meeting."
"I thought I would surprise you." Selena smiled, reaching out to carefully place Angie back on the ground as the doll scurried back to where Donna was seated. Selena then looked to Mother Miranda, putting on a show as she gestured to Ianto behind her. "My latest creation that I think you would be highly satisfied with."
"Oh?" Mother Miranda's interest was piqued as she turned toward Ianto. "I suppose it is quite a shock to see you still alive, Ianto."
"It is because of Lady Sinclair's ambition and generosity that I can stand here today. I feel I must also express my gratitude to you as well, Mother Miranda, for if it wasn't for the parasite you gave to Selena then more so all this wouldn't be possible." Ianto responded, the words naturally falling off his tongue without hesitation. "It has been an honor to be given this second chance."
"Incredible." Mother Miranda whispered as she turned her eyes back to Selena. "I'm quite surprised to see such success. Congratulations are in order."
"It was a combined effort, I couldn't have done it without Lord Heisenberg." It was agreed upon by both Karl and Selena that they would give each other credit to avoid any suspicion as well as to keep the spotlight off Selena. If they both took credit, Mother Miranda would look at both of them, not just singling out one person. "With his mind, replicating what we've seen in your lab as well as my idea of slowly introducing the parasite to the body, Ianto's body didn't reject the parasite." Selena said as she watched Mother Miranda walk away from the podium, coming close to where Ianto stood just behind Karl and Selena. "We're still keeping a close eye on Ianto's recovery as it may still be an unstable experiment."
"Interesting…" Mother Miranda whispered as she reached out to Ianto. "perhaps I have misjudged where my attention should be. Maybe more progress would've been made if subjects were taken from the village to the West." Ianto, as well as Selena, tensed at the implication. "I would need to investigate further."
"Mother Miranda." Selena interrupted. "Please leave such an important task to us, I feel we have proven ourselves worthy enough of such responsibilities. With your children around, there's no need for you to unnecessarily dirty your hands. Allow us to do the hard work, to expand on your notes." Selena said with confidence. "I believe I am making progress with my village to a point that they would be willing to give their lives for your work. If people began to go missing against their will there would be dire repercussions. Unlike my remarkable siblings, I have no way to control them, but I do have other qualities to bring them under my control, and it is through that quality that I can command total obedience that could bring about further progress. We will make you proud, Mother Miranda."
Mother Miranda seemed to contemplate Selena's words, she seemed a bit skeptical, but then again Selena and Karl had made significant progress where the others had not. After a few minutes of silence, waiting on bated breath for Mother Miranda to respond, the woman finally nodded her head.
"Acceptable." Mother Miranda said as she went back to the podium. "A favorable result that I hope yields more positive news. I expect you all to produce the same results as Heisenberg and Sinclair have." At the announcement, Karl couldn't help but send a smug smile Alcina's way in hopes to rile the woman up for the day. When Mother Miranda had returned to her spot she turned to the other Lords who remained silent after watching the little display. "There are a few things that I wish to discuss before the meeting concludes–"
While the others were preoccupied, listening to Mother Miranda speak, Karl had given Selena a pat on her thigh and allowed it to rest there as the meeting droned on, a silent message exchanged between the two. While others who saw the physical interaction thought it was a form of congratulation for a successful introduction, it was more Karl telling Selena that she did well hiding the truth from Mother Miranda. In return, Selena had placed her hand over Karl's as a thank you and that she couldn't have done it without him.
A lot of times, in the past several meetings that they've gone to since they became part of this family, Karl and Selena never paid much attention to Mother Miranda's words. Unless they were giving their updates, requesting something from them, or of them, the two were in their own little world. From the second meeting and after, Karl designated the meetings pointless and repetitious, tiresome, and a waste of time. Precious time, he states, that could be directed toward doing what Mother Miranda keeps preaching about as well as him working on new projects inside his factory. Selena however, was more attentive since to her it was a learning opportunity. Selena was relearning simple things, things she probably already knew before her memory loss…terms she probably knew in the past.
Mix a Lord who wants to pay attention and a Lord who is bored out of his mind? The latter ended up finding ways to bother the former, at first it was subtle, manspreading to 'accidentally' bump his knee into Selena's, and from there it escalated. Karl would lean back into the pew, stretch his arm around Selena, and lazily let his arm rest on the back of the pew as his fingers would often tap against Selena's shoulder. Selena would bother the man back, bumping her leg against his, and at one point had subtly stepped on his shoe, but after a few failed tries she learned to just ignore the man as he continued his silly antics of getting her to respond since Selena knew he wasn't going to stop any time soon.
We considered it a successful introduction. And after every meeting was adjourned Karl would usually escort me back to my village, but that day was different. Mother Miranda had pulled us aside to have a little talk while all our siblings left. It was unnerving, especially after we had introduced Ianto with half-truths mixed with lies, but it was…interesting as well as strange.
The interaction with Mother Miranda started with her complimenting the both of us, congratulating Ianto on his recovery, and wishing him well. Her whole demeanor changed and I realized her attention was always drawn to Ianto.
Mother Miranda had stated how proud she was of the both of us, this collaborated effort yielded such progress that even she couldn't have predicted. She wished us good luck in our future endeavors, though such goodwill sounded empty coming from Mother Miranda's lips.
On our way back to the village, Karl and I agreed that something wasn't right about that exchange. We weren't sure if she caught on to what we planned, if she was suspicious of us or thinking of doing something to the village. Either way, we both decided that day to speed up production on building the greenhouse. We had to be very careful what we did from now on.
After that day, along with attending the meetings, Mother Miranda had been making some strange requests. Simple and small requests such as checking on the main village or requesting that I concentrate on finding my next potential subject that could be just as successful as Ianto, all of this I would relay to Karl, and sadly, we just had no answer as to why. There was even a time when Karl had come to me and asked why I wasn't there at the meeting that was held that day, I told him I didn't even know that there was one. We brushed it off, thinking that I wasn't needed that day since after I was invited back once more.
One particular day, as the village worked, the two of us sat in my home and theorized the why's and what-ifs. We didn't panic, we took this new information and strange development in strides. While at the same time we continued doing what Mother Miranda instructed us to do: attend the meetings, myself doing the extra side work, visiting my siblings when I could, and Karl and myself making ourselves busy with constructing the greenhouse alongside the villagers. One our free days, we spent it either at my home or his factory, preparing for anything that Mother Miranda was considering doing.
"I think it was after that day…" I recalled, talking to myself as I remained kneeling on the ground as I tended to my garden. "that things started becoming strange with Mother Miranda." I shook my head as I stared down at my flower bed, pinpointing the flowers that had hit their peak, fully bloomed, and began the peaceful process of picking and planting the seeds that I had taken out of my storage. I reached out to touch the soil of the newly planted seed, giving it a little helping hand thanks to the flowers I had already picked before standing to my feet to head back into my house.
Not even a second after I shut the front door behind me I heard a sudden thump come from above. I tilted my head as I cradled the bundle of flowers closer to my body as I listened carefully to the noise that was coming from my second floor.
"Shit…" I heard a sudden mumbled curse that seemed to have been amplified due to the silence of my home.
"Ethan?" I called out with concern as I went to stand at the bottom of my staircase. "Are you okay up there?"
"Fine! Just…fine." I heard Ethan call from above, the thudding of shoes getting louder and louder before I saw him skid into view at the top of the staircase. His hair was sticking up on one side of his head while the other looked to be his attempt at making himself presentable that I couldn't help but giggle at how well-rested the man looked.
"Had a good sleep I take it?" I smiled, pointing toward my head as he bounded down the stairs. "You missed a spot."
Ethan became flustered as he reached up to flatten out his hair, running his fingers through the strands, and when he assumed that he had gotten his hair under control he looked at me expectantly. "Better?"
"Better." I assured as I watched Ethan come to stand in front of me. "Headed off?"
Ethan nodded his head. "I think I've slept long enough, it's time I head toward the reservoir to retrieve another piece of my daughter." Ethan nervously looked at me. "Do you…do you have any advice for me? What to expect when I encounter Moreau?"
"Salvatore is…a misunderstood individual that simply craves Mother Miranda's approval. His hostility toward you is simply to make Mother Miranda proud." I said with a heavy heart, coming to terms with the death of Alcina and Donna was tough, but I think Salvatore's death would be the worst of them all. "Stay out of the water. His mutation is unstable, once he transforms, water is more in his element. Once you're caught in the water there's no saving you. Kind of hard to stay out of the water since the reservoir is a fishing village that's completely submerged in it, but if you can get him onto land you'll have the upper hand."
"Stay out of the water, got it." Ethan nodded his head as he briskly walked past me. "Thank you, Selena."
"Ethan!" I quickly turned around just before Ethan could leave, the man turning back to look at me over his shoulder in confusion. "Salvatore is a sweetheart…I would appreciate it if you can make his death the quickest. He's simply like that because the multiple parasites inside him have morphed him into someone I barely recognize…" Ethan nodded his head in understanding. "Good luck Ethan."
Ethan and I said no more, parting in silence as I returned to what I was previously doing before another visitor decided to interrupt my daily routine.
"Lady Sinclair."
I turned around to see one of my 'eyes' enter from the back entrance of my home and smiled. "Damien."
Damien smiled in greeting, in the process of dropping to his knees to bow to me which I immediately put a stop to such an action since it was what he always did when he came to see me. "Please stop doing that."
"Apologies. Old habits die hard." Damien laughed before his smile dropped as he came up to me, leaning down to whisper into my ear. "Alfrid has been making his rounds around the perimeter of the greenhouse, he reports that the lycans grow restless and confident. We suspect that it's due to the recent events that are causing them to venture further out of their stronghold, driving them closer to our territory."
"What of Ianto?" I asked.
"Taking care of the strays that attempted to satisfy their curiosity." Damien assured.
"And Marco?" This was the typical report I would ask when things looked like they were taking a turn for the worse.
"Ever vigilant as always, he's been directing Alfrid where to go to control the situation." Damien nodded his head before smiling sadly down at Selena. "With all that's been going on, how are you holding up Lady Sinclair?"
"Oh, you know." I went over to place the newly plucked flowers into the empty vase on my table. "Best I can be…"
"I passed by that outsider Ianto spoke about on the way here, a bit broken isn't he? I feel so bad for the young man." Damien dramatically sighed as he flopped down on one of the nearby chairs. "I'm sorry about what you have to go through, Lady Sinclair. I know it's tough losing your siblings…even if they are, well…them."
"I miss them…" I confessed. "I miss Karl…"
"You've had some good times with them, it's understandable that you miss your siblings." Damien said. "As for young Karl, there's always time to repair the bridge, patch things up, just go and speak to the stubborn rascal." Damien advised.
"…after what happened that day," I moved to wrap my arms around my middle section for some form of comfort. "he was so angry. You should've seen his face, Damien."
"Men like him lash out when they feel hurt, he doesn't understand how to honestly express himself through words, and that makes him even more frustrated. I'm sure the moment he did what he did…which I don't condone, he felt instant regret and wished to make amends with you a very long time ago." Damien said. "But his stubborn personality, mixed with yours as well, caused years to pass when a simple talk and an apology would've fixed things." When I didn't say anything I heard the chair scrape against the floor and a comforting hand being placed on top of my head. "It'll all work out Selena."
"What would I do without you guys." I laughed as I maneuvered my way around the man before I heard a sudden sharp intake of air as well as silent sniffles. I turned to look back at Damien to see his hands covering his mouth and nose as tears began to trickle from the corner of his eyes. I immediately ran over to the elder man's side and led him by his elbow back to the table. "Damien! Why are you crying?"
"Lady Sinclair…it's been such an honor watching you grow throughout the years." Damien fussed as I lowered him back onto the chair. "I've watched you suffer alone, I think the one thing that we have failed to teach you is to learn to lean on us a little more. Suffering in silence isn't good for your complexion."
"You can be so overdramatic sometimes." I laughed as I went over to grab a tissue for the man to wipe his tears as he muttered a 'thank you' before blowing his nose. "But really, Damien, I'll be fine."
"Lady Sinclair…don't say that." Damien indignantly whined. "You've given so much to us, let us do something for you for once."
As much as Damien was being overdramatic, I couldn't help but continue to laugh as I reached out to comfort the man who latched on to me and continued to weep. Contrary to what many think, it wasn't Marco that was the sensitive one, Damien has always been this way which was a surprise. This side only showed the more he opened up to me, the more he began to see what I could do for everyone in this village. Damien was the one who many in the village back then believed to be the most capable to take over when Ianto was lying in bed recovering.
I rubbed Damien's back as he continued to cry, and I got to thinking about what he said. I did depend on them, they were my eyes and ears in my greenhouse, for my region. I just didn't want to burden them with my sorrows too much because it was my duty to shelter them from Mother Miranda's ever-watchful eyes.
There's a reason for my chaos haha a reason for this new introduction to these new characters to add to Selena's development xD So, a little information on Selena's 'eyes'. They're kind of like Selena's lieutenants: Ianto is the shield, Alfrid the weapon, Marco is the ears, Damien is the coordinator and Selena is leading this brigade. They all play an important role that I hope to portray in the future chapters to come.
If you are enjoying my story and looking forward to more chapters leave a nice little review, favorite, and follow to let me know =D though it's not mandatory it's greatly appreciated. Thank you everyone for reading! Sending lots of positive vibes and big hugs your way! See you in the next chapter!
-SO