Raphael Argento sat peacefully at his table eating his morning breakfast, thinking about his plans for the day ahead. He was the village's hunter, weapons expert, and seasoned outdoorsman, and he had been helping to supply people with meat and furs for almost his whole life. He knew the surrounding forest like the back of his hand. Whenever someone needed something done from that area, he was the man to talk to.
He wasn't alone at the table however. Across from him was his daughter, Sarah. She had used to work at Castle Dimitrescu and was one of the many maids who resigned from her position after the Countess announced her new plans for the Castle. Needless to say, it was a surprise to Raphael for his daughter to return home so suddenly and explain to him everything that happened.
This action was very unexpected and out of character for the Countess, at least the one he knew. So it left him pondering what could have caused such a drastic change in her. Based on what Sarah told him though, this new man at the castle, Joseph, had something to do with it.
Their meal was interrupted by a knock at their front door. Raphael was confused. Who could be knocking at his door this early in the morning? He told his daughter to keep eating as he got up and made his way to the door. When he opened it, he was in for a surprise.
Standing on the other side was none other than Countess Dimitrescu, wearing a fancy fur coat and hat. She looked down and gave the man a warm smile. She actually looked friendly.
"Good morning, Raphael. I apologize for dropping by unannounced like this. I hope I didn't wake you." She said.
She was speaking in a friendly way to him too. This gave Raphael a moment of pause before he shook it off and replied.
"I'm sorry Countess Dimitrescu. I'm just surprised to see you here at my door. My daughter and I were just eating so you didn't wake me. Is there something I can do for you?"
She nodded, her smile fading.
"There is. I'm sure by now you have heard of my daughter Cassandra's ordeal from about two months ago?"
"Yes I have. She was attacked by a large brown bear from what I've heard."
"Yes she was. The thing is, while she has since fully recovered physically, I'm afraid I can't say the same for her mental state. She has been having nightmares about the incident, and yesterday she had a severe panic attack. It was…terrifying to see her in such a state."
Raphael couldn't blame the Countess there. Any parent would be scared out of their minds to see their child like that. Alcina took a breath before continuing..
"So Joseph proposed the idea of exposing her to the surrounding forest as well as teaching her how to properly hunt. He feels that this will help her overcome her fears and put her mind at ease, and that's why I'm here. I would like to hire you as an instructor for her to teach her what you know about the outdoors. You would be paid well."
Raphael again paused at this. It was the last thing he expected to hear. The Countess was offering him a job to teach her daughter to hunt? She used to hate men. Who was this woman and what has she done with Countess Dimitrescu?
He cautiously took a step forward and shut the door behind him. Given the kindness Alcina was displaying, he decided to be brave with his words.
"With all due respect Countess, why should I help you? Now, I've been told that you have changed your ways, but that still doesn't change the fact that people lived in fear of you for countless years. Many people died by you and your daughter's hands, and my daughter could have been one of them." He said with a stern voice.
He was starting to get mad. He couldn't believe this woman had the nerve to ask one of the villagers for help after everything she did.
To his surprise, the Countess looked away with a heavy look of guilt on her face.
"I know Raphael." She replied. "I can't even begin to express how ashamed I am of it, and you are right. Nothing anyone can say or do will change the horrible things we've done. So instead, we're trying to just…move on so to speak."
This made the hunter's blood boil even more.
"No, that's not how that works." Raphael said angrily. "You seriously think you can just change and everything will be fine? You think you can just change and everything will be sunshine and rainbows?! How do you expect me to just forget everything that you've done? Yes, I still have my daughter, but she could have easily become another addition to your stupid winery just like her friends did!
"And speaking of those people, what about their families, huh? How do you confront those people and say what you just told me after you took away their loved ones?! You expect people to just forgive you just like that, you witch?! YOU'RE A MURDERER! YOU DON'T DESERVE FORGIVENESS!"
He was livid at this point. Once he started, he just couldn't stop. When he finished his rant, there was a long silence. He was sure the countess would kill him then and there for speaking to her like that, or at least scold him with a lecture, but she didn't. Instead, she did something that caught the hunter completely off guard.
She started crying.
"I'm sorry Raphael. I truly am. It…it was all my fault. I let Mother Miranda's influence get to me and I took it out on people who didn't deserve it. I know that. I just…I just want to try and make things right." She said in between sobs.
Raphael felt his anger subside. Alcina showed no signs of deception whatsoever. Her emotions were genuine, but he was still having a difficult time feeling sorry for her.
"You said before that no one could." He said more calmly.
The Countess shook her head as she wiped away her tears.
"In terms of changing the past, no, but that's not what we're trying to do. We know that what we did can never be forgotten or undone. So instead, we're trying to make peace with it and not let it weigh us down. Otherwise, things will never get better. I only ask for a chance to prove that to you."
Raphael was about to refuse when the front door opened and Sarah walked out. She had heard the whole thing.
"Papa, I think we should give Countess Dimitrescu a chance, because she's right. Holding on to the past will solve nothing. I left the castle because I couldn't handle all the painful memories attached to it, but after thinking about it and especially after hearing Lady Cassandra wanting to be brave and face her fears, I…I think I want to go back to the castle."
"What?! Sarah, you can't be serious!" Raphael said aghast.
"I am. It was brave of Countess Dimitrescu and her family to admit their faults and take that first step on a new path, despite the things they've done and the ridicule they would get. It's obvious that they want to be better, and we shouldn't just throw it in their faces. What I'm trying to say is that if they can change, maybe we can too."
Raphael was in awe at his daughter's words. There was certainly no arguing with them either because one couldn't argue with the truth.
His anger had fully subsided now and he gave her a warm smile.
"You're becoming more like your mother every day, you know that?"
Sarah blushed.
"Well, she was a good influence on me."
"More than I could ever be, that's no question." He said as he turned back to the Alcina.
"Alright Countess Dimitrescu, I will give you a chance. But only one, and it will be a while before I start trusting you, if ever."
Alcina nodded.
"I understand completely. Honestly, what you're doing now is more than I could have asked for. Would it be alright if you came to the castle at around noon?"
"Yeah that should be fine. I'll be there."
The Countess gave a warm smile.
"Thank you so much Raphael. I can't begin to say how much this means for me and my family. I know words Don't mean much but me and my daughters will do our best to make it up to you and everyone else in the village. You have my word."
...
Despite his doubts, Raphael was true to his word and arrived at the castle's front doors at noon with Sarah beside him. He tried to object to her returning to the place she formerly worked at, but she insisted that she needed to confront her fears just like Cassandra was doing.
After knocking on the door, they were greeted by Olivia who greeted them with an excited smile.
"Sarah! Oh my god, it's so good to see you!" She shouted as she hugged her friend.
Raphael was already surprised. This wasn't the professional way the maids used to act, even in the presence of family and friends. Olivia quickly turned to the hunter.
"It's so good to see you too Mr. Argento! Please come in, the Countess has been expecting you!"
As they followed Olivia, they could tell that the atmosphere was much less dreary and more upbeat than it used to be, and the staff seemed much happier.
As they entered the main hall, Raphael saw Alcina and Cassandra waiting for him. With them was a young man about six foot with shiny black hair.
He noticed the hunter and walked over with a smile.
"You must be Mr. Argento! I'm Joseph Brody! It's nice to meet you!" He said as he shook Raphael's hand.
The hunter shook his hand in return. This was one person he was looking forward to meeting.
"It's nice to meet you too, Joseph! We've been hearing a lot about you since the maids returned to the village. Leonardo in particular told me quite the story about how you fought a brown bear. I think he was exaggerating though."He replied.
"I promise you Raphael, he wasn't." Cassandra spoke up. "Joseph really did kill it with his katana."
The hunter's eyebrows raised.
"A katana? Ah, that explains it. They are one of the finest swords mankind has ever created. How did you get a hold of one of those?"
"It's a long story. But to put it simply, I was under the tutoring of a martial arts master in Japan for three years. My sword was his gift to me after I graduated." Joseph said.
"It's a beautiful sword too, Papa. You should ask him to show it to you." Sarah said.
"Oh! Sarah I…I'm surprised to see you here." Cassandra said.
Raphael sighed.
"You and I both. Anyway, your mother said something about you wanting to learn to hunt?"
The brunette sighed as well.
"Yeah. The attack the bear did on me affected me more deeply than I realized, and I need a way to move past that fear. I understand you are the best qualified to teach me the skills I need."
The hunter nodded.
"Any hunter that's been attacked by a bear has been through that. As hunters, we are supposed to be at the top of the food chain. But during an attack like that, we suddenly become the prey, we are suddenly the weak one. It hits you very deeply psychologically. Perhaps this is part of not just your fear, but what motivated you to change as well."
Cassandra's eyes widened.
"I…I never thought of it that way before, but that makes perfect sense. I used to hunt for years, and the concept of it was something I never really gave any thought to. I guess it was because I never felt I was in any danger, but when that bear attacked me, I suddenly knew what it was like to be vulnerable and preyed upon. I guess it just really affected me. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I was so willing to listen to Joseph's advice."
Joseph pretended to look offended.
"Are you saying a bear motivated you to change and not me?"
The brunette giggled and kissed him on the cheek (Much to Raphael and Sarah's surprise).
"No you dummy. You are the main reason why I changed. All that bear did was put me in that stupid wheelchair for a while." She said.
Joseph snorted as his girlfriend turned back to the hunter.
"So yes. In general I want you to teach me how to hunt properly so I can overcome my fear, if you accept it of course."
Raphael finally gave a small smile. It seemed that what he had been hearing was indeed true. The Dimitrescu family really had changed.
"Well, that's why I'm here. First things first, do you yourself have a gun?"
The brunette nodded and turned to one of the chairs behind her, picking up a bolt action rifle with a small scope attached to it. After assuring the hunter it wasn't loaded, she handed him the gun so he could look it over.
"This thing isn't bad." He said. "But it could use some adjustments to make it even better. It needs something that will help better stabilize your aim. A better scope wouldn't hurt either."
"I will handle that." Alcina said. "I'm sure the Duke will have the parts we need."
Raphael nodded before handing the gun back to Cassandra.
"Do you know how to use that?" He asked.
"Relatively, but I used to prefer using a melee weapon over a gun."
Raphael shook his head.
"That's not wise, even for someone like you. Many large animals will simply be enraged if you use a knife or a sickle. Now I know Joseph used his katana to kill that bear, but he seems to be quite skilled. Plus, it didn't seem like he had other options from what I've heard."
"I didn't." Joseph confirmed. "I had just my katana, and I sure as hell wasn't going to fight a bear with my fists."
That got a good laugh out of the hunter.
"I don't think anyone would be foolish enough to do that. In any case, why don't we find a place to sit down so we can further discuss this."
They headed into the dining room where the table had already been cleared beforehand. Sarah didn't join them however and instead walked up to Olivia to talk to her. As they sat down, Raphael pulled out a map from his bag and laid it out on the table.
"So this is a map of the entire area. The village is here in the center as is the castle and other major buildings. To the west are the main forests that I hunt in, as there are a lot of creeks and ponds animals like to drink from. There's also a huge lake here about a half mile from Lord Benneviento's residence that has some good fishing."
Joseph made a mental note of the fishing part. This presented an opportunity for the family to socialize when it got warmer.
Raphael continued with his explanation.
"Knowing your terrain is one of the most important parts of being a hunter. If you know your terrain, you know exactly the places to find the best game and the places to avoid due to predators. The time of year is especially important for that part. Cassandra was attacked in early October, which is the time where bears start packing on the pounds to prepare for hibernation."
Wow. I really picked the worst time to go hunting. The brunette thought. She wouldn't change it though, because if she didn't go out that day, she wouldn't have met Joseph.
"So are the bears hibernating by this point?" Alcina asked.
"The females are, but the males are still active. So I think it would be best if I started teaching Cassandra in the forests to the east of the village. There isn't nearly as much game, but Bears rarely, if ever, go into that area so it should be safe." Raphael responded.
The Countess really didn't like this idea. The last time her daughter went into the forest, she almost lost her life, but Alcina had to remind herself that this time would be different. Cassandra would be much better prepared and she would have a professional with her.
"So when can I start?" Cassandra asked.
"For your first official hunting trip, I was thinking of Thanksgiving as a matter of fact. I always go hunting that day to prepare a big meal for the family, but first, you need to hone your skills with a gun. We can go outside and start practicing now if you want."
The brunette looked over to her mother who gave an approving nod before she herself agreed.
….
Alcina and Joseph watched from the window as Cassandra was learning how to use her gun under Raphael's guidance. Like always, she was a fast learner so it didn't take her long to start getting comfortable with the weapon.
Raphael seemed impressed and after a few tries, the brunette was able to strike up a friendly conversation with him. He seemed to finally loosen up and begin to really see the new Dimitrescu family for what they were, and he seemed to be okay with it.
As Joseph watched, he looked over at the countess and saw that she was visibly tense. She was uncomfortable with the plan they were going forward with,
Joseph placed his hand on her shoulder.
"Try to relax Alcina. The best way to protect her is to make sure she can take care of herself."
Alcina let out a sigh.
"I still worry for her though. We all know what happened last time she went out in those woods."
"I know, but we can't just keep her away from there forever. Not to mention, Cassie wasn't familiar with the area and the methods of hunting. It also didn't help that it was a colder time of the year."
"That is true. If it was during the summer, that bear wouldn't have been able to hurt her nearly as much as it did."
"Exactly, and now that she has that knowledge, she's much safer already." Joseph assured her.
After a moment of pause, he spoke again.
"Raphael said he always hunted on Thanksgiving. We should have him and Cassie supply for the feast."
"That's a wonderful idea Joseph. I will ask them about that when they're done." Alcina said with a smile.
