Using the hot coals from the fireplace to cauterize Cassandra's leg was not pleasant for anyone involved. The screams the brunette gave off when the coals were applied rivaled her screams from when she was getting mauled by the bear, and they could probably be heard throughout the whole castle. Joseph thanked his lucky stars he didn't go deaf. But in the end, it was worth it. The wound on her leg had stopped bleeding and she was out of that danger at least, but there were still other injuries to tend to.

Thankfully by that point, the woman named Donna had arrived and took control of Cassanda's care. She was a mostly quiet woman who wore all black, but it wasn't the same kind of dress Cassandra and her sisters wore. This looked more like a funeral garb, and she even had a veil that covered her face. She insisted to Joseph that she had it covered from here and that he should take a break. He was reluctant at first as he didn't want to leave Cassandra, but he eventually agreed.

He sat down on the couch in the sitting room for at least an hour. By then, the pain had slowly started to return to him. He had completely forgotten that he himself was injured. But now that the adrenaline was wearing off, he was really starting to feel it.

Dammit. I should have asked Donna if she had any painkillers before leaving. He thought. Almost as if she heard him, the door opened and both Donna and Alcina stepped in.

"She will need to stay off her feet for a while until her injuries have healed. No activities whatsoever. She will also need to have my healing fluid applied to her injuries as well as take antibiotics twice a day. Her bandages will need to be changed during that too." Donna ordered Alcina.

Bela was right. Donna really did seem to know what she was doing.

"Of course, Donna. Thank you so much." Alcina replied.

The veiled woman then turned to Joseph.

"Let's take a look at you now." She said.

"Wait. How did you…?" Joseph said, surprised.

Donna shook her head.

"The others didn't notice, but I saw right away you were injured." She replied

Joseph couldn't help but chuckle as he allowed Donna to examine him. It was obvious she knew what she was doing when it came to medical care. After a few moments, she was done.

"Nothing serious thankfully. Just a broken collarbone and some cracked ribs. You'll be okay. Just make sure not to stress yourself." She said

"I don't plan on it." Joseph replied with a smile.

As Donna excused herself and left the room, Alcina walked up to the man in front of her.

"Bela told me what happened. What is your name?" She asked.

Her guest looked up at her.

"Joseph Brody, ma'am. It's nice to meet you. I just wish we met under better circumstances."

Alcina nodded in agreement before continuing.

"I've never seen your face before. You're not from around here, are you?"

Joseph shook his head.

"I'm not. I was in a plane crash and was traveling here to seek help when I came upon your daughter. I'm glad I did too, because if I wasn't…" he trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to finish that sentence.

Alcina was staring at him. She looked completely dumbfounded by what she just heard.

"Hang on. You survived a plane crash. You were lost and injured. Yet you still risked your life to save my daughter?"

Joseph nodded.

"I could never live with myself if I had left her. I knew I had to at least try."

Alcina had a long pause before she spoke again.

"Do you have a way of contacting home?"

Again, Joseph shook his head.

"I don't really have one."

"What?!"

"It's a long story. But to put it simply, I'm trying to start my life over, find a place for myself in the world if that makes any sense."

Alcina's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This man had no home. He had just survived an ordeal that left him injured, lost, and cold. Yet despite that, he still went out of his way to help a girl he didn't even know and ran with her in his arms to the castle to save her. This was a level of bravery and kindness she didn't even know existed, and she didn't quite know how to process it.

She felt tears begin to come to her eyes, but quickly recomposed herself.

"Well in that case, you are more than welcome to stay here."

Joseph's eyes widened with surprise.

"Miss Dimutrescu. You don't have to-"

Alcina raised her hand to silence him.

"I will hear none of that. You saved my daughter's life. And for that, I am in your debt. It's the least I can do after what you've done today."

Joseph couldn't help but tear up a bit at Alcina's words. For the last year, he had been searching for a place to call home, and now someone was offering it to him. He took a deep breath to hold back his tears before responding.

"Miss Dimitrescu….thank you."

Alcina gave a warm smile.

"No Mr. Brody. Thank you. Welcome to House Dimitrescu."

….

Bela and Daniela came into the room not long after that, with the later embracing Joseph in a hug and began thanking him profusely for saving her sister, causing Joseph to grunt in discomfort and pain.

"Daniela, please be gentle. The poor man doesn't need his injuries to be any worse." Alcina said.

The redhead immediately pulled away.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were hurt! Please forgive me!"

Joseph laughed and waved it off.

"It's fine. No harm done. I'm just glad that everything turned out okay. Like I said to your mother, it's nice to meet all of you. I just wish it was under better circumstances."

Bela smiled and nodded.

"Likewise. We're very lucky to have you here, Joseph. Because of you, Cassandra is still here with us."

Joseph smiled back.

"Speaking of which, how is Cassandra doing? Is it possible I can speak with her?"

The blonde shook her head.

"She's sleeping right now. It would probably be better to wait until morning to try and talk to her. She's had a long day, as have you from what I overheard."

Joseph couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh in response.

"You can say that again. If I told people about everything that happened today, they probably wouldn't believe it."

Alcina chuckled at his comment.

"Well I think you've earned yourself a good rest. I will escort you to your room. We can talk more tomorrow morning."

"Thank you Miss Dimitrescu. Lead the way."

"Please. Just call me Alcina."

Bella and Daniela's eyes both widened at this comment.

"Mother. You…You don't let anyone call you that aside from Mother Miranda." The blonde said.

Joseph tilted his head a bit at this. Mother Miranda? He made a mental note to ask about that later. Alcina then turned towards her daughter.

"I think with Joseph I will make an exception. He's not just kind, but he's very polite. This village needs more men like him."

Joseph could help but blush a bit at the compliment. He wasn't really used to getting those from people.

….

Alcina led Joseph to the second floor towards his new room. She assured him that it would meet any requirements he could think of and if he needed anything, all he had to do was ask one of the maids that worked there. Joseph was surprised by this. In his rush to help Cassandra, he hadn't even noticed that there were maids working here, but it made sense. A place this big would need working staff to keep it in shape.

As they continued walking, Joseph spoke up.

"The main foyer of the castle was beautiful, Alcina. I had to force myself to keep walking to not get lost in the scenery."

The countess beamed at this compliment.

"Thank you, Joseph. This castle has been in my family for multiple generations. So naturally I take its condition very seriously. The staff of course are a huge help with that."

Suddenly Joseph remembered something Cassandra told him as he was carrying her.

"Cassandra said that you owned a winery?"

Alcina smiled.

"I do. It was founded by my great grandfather, and it has become quite successful I might add. You may have heard of the wine I make actually. It's called Sanguis Virginis."

Joseph stopped and looked up at her stunned.

"Wait, you're the one who makes Sanguis Virginis?! That's one of the most high class and valued wine brands there is!"

Again, Alcina beamed.

"Indeed. I'm glad to hear it's being distributed as far as Japan. And before you ask, your sword and some items you held in your bag told me you've spent some considerable time there."

Joseph's smile slightly faded.

"Yeah. It was my pit stop so to speak to help get myself in better shape before I started looking for a place to call home. It's a beautiful country to visit."

"So I've heard, but enough talk. Let's get you to your room so you can get some rest."

Finally they reached the room that Joseph would be staying in. Needless to say, the countess wasn't exaggerating when she said it would meet any of his needs. There was a beautiful king sized bed on the far end, complete with cabinets, a wardrobe, and a connecting bathroom. The window opened to a stone balcony that had a full view of the village below. Joseph was stunned to say the least.

"You spoil me, Alcina." He said.

He got a hand wave in response.

"I will have nothing less for you. Now please get some rest. I will make sure to have some new clothes ready for you tomorrow as well. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, Alcina. This is more than enough. Thank you. I can't begin to describe how much this means to me."

Alcina smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course Joseph. You are the newest member of this castle and I will have you treated no less. Please do have a restful evening."

And with that, she took her leave and excused herself from the room. The first thing Joseph did was enter the bathroom that connected to his new bedroom. The tub was huge and contained an assortment of different shampoos, body washes, and conditioners. He wasted no time getting to work on cleaning himself up.

The warmth of the water felt like absolute heaven on his body, and the pain of his injuries seemed to dissolve in the water just like the dirt that was on his body. As he washed his hair, he could smell the pleasant smell of lavender that made him relax even more.

How the hell did my luck go from so bad to so good this quickly? He thought to himself.

After he was done washing and drying his body off, he began to work on cleaning his katana. It still had the blood from the bear on it and he doubted his host would appreciate him just leaving it like that. So he carefully cleaned it in the tub before emptying the water.

Finally he threw his clothes back on and made his way to the bed. Everything he had done that day had finally begun to catch up with him as he felt completely and utterly exhausted. He didn't even bother to throw the blankets on top of him as he laid down, and it took less than a minute before he passed out on his new bed in his new home.

….

As the night wore on, Cassandra lay awake in the bed, her battered body aching and hurting from the day's events. But the brunette didn't care. She was just thankful to be alive. Earlier Alcina came in to check up on her and told her everything about Joseph and why he was here to begin with. Like her mother, Cassandra was shocked and speechless at the courage and selflessness that Joseph displayed for her. So when she was told the man would be staying with them, she had no objections.

This was the reason she laid awake. She couldn't stop thinking about the man who saved her life and how he was now officially part of it. It gave her a moment for pause, and it apparently did for her mother too. An act of kindness on this level was new to her, and she didn't exactly know how to take it. She felt a strange feeling come over her at that moment. An inner conflict perhaps? What was it about then? She didn't know, and as tiredness took over her again she didn't try to think about it too hard. All she knew before she went back to sleep was that she wanted to try and get to know Joseph better. He saved her life after all. It was the least she could do.