Hello everyone! Thank you for reading that last few chapters. This chapter will dive straight into Dorothy meeting Mother Miranda. Mother Miranda will make the decision to which lord Dorothy will be sent to. In addition, Mother Miranda will tell Dorothy about how Beatrice and Alcina met. The tale begins with meeting Lady Daciana, Alcina's mother.
Side note: I envisioned Lady Daciana to look like Lucy Lawless.
Thanks again for reading!
Chapter 5:
The musty odor was the first thing that Dorothy became aware of. She was groggy. Barely able to keep her eyelids open as her vision returned to her. The cold bricks against her back dug into her skin, making her wince in pain and attempt to move away, but the chains bound to her ankles and wrists prevented that.
Her head was beating ferociously. Everything that had occurred slowly returned to her. She recalled seeing Elijah's sad eyes upon her and then the woman in the black garb.
Clank!
The sound of a metal door opening and then closing made her look up. Heels click-clacking towards her.
"Good morning, child," she said, wearing the same dark garb she had worn last night. "My name is Miranda."
Dorothy did not answer her, instead she was focused on the journal in Mother Miranda's hands.
Mother Miranda grinned like she had read her thoughts.
"Quite the writer your mother was," Mother Miranda commented, continuing to flip through the pages. "The amount of detail and history here is remarkable." She snapped the diary closed, turning now to look at Dorothy fully. "Bogdan. I remember your mother. She who was the dearest friend to Alcina."
Dorothy's eyes widened slightly at her words.
"How did you know that?"
"Because I was there, well, partly anyway." Mother Miranda took a seat on a stool, continuing to examine Dorothy. "I see the resemblance. If my Alcina laid her eyes upon you, she would be completely besotted."
Dorothy did not say a word. Many questions were swirling around in her head.
"Now I am wondering," Mother Miranda went on. "What should I do with you? I am sure Donna would love to have a servant. It has been many, many moons. I would not be so cruel to send you to Heisenberg. I shudder to think what he would do to you. Then there is Moreau. I am sure he would be smitten by you."
"I wish to go to the castle…"
She quirked a brow, surprised by her resolved tone.
"That is impossible. No. You will go to Donna," she said.
Dorothy averted her eyes down to the cold floor, unable to look any further on the woman.
"Elijah told me you were the raven, and if that is true, then you know where my mother is. I did not come here to cause trouble," she said. "All I want is my mother. Please. I will do whatever you ask just tell me where she is."
Mother Miranda rose off her stool and approached the bars.
"Look at me."
Dorothy raised her eyes back to Mother Miranda.
"Your presence here has done me wonders. Because of you I was not only able to apprehend Elijah, but also remove two more of his supporters. My village is gradually being purified."
"You mean you… you killed Gabrielle and Malkin? You sent those monsters."
"If those were their names, yes. Elijah yet lives if that brings you any comfort, and as for your mother, she is here in the village."
Dorothy stared straight at Mother Miranda stunned. Uncertain if she was telling her the truth or not.
She chuckled at the havoc playing across her face.
"I will bring her to you soon, but in the meantime, I have other matters to attend to. The first will be to burn these photos and journal. We would not want these falling into Alcina's hands…"
"What did you do to her?" Dorothy hissed, anger bubbling within her.
"Your mother or Alcina?"
"Both."
"I gave Alcina her revenge. A family. Hope, but in order to get it, she had to sacrifice her humanity. Alcina is safe with me. No more death. No more pain, and with your mother nosing about so unexpectedly, I had to protect my daughter from the past. You must know of her history."
"I know only what I have read and seen from the photographs, and due to my mother's Alzheimer's disease, it has made her memories foggy. Therefore, she had told me very little of their past."
"Interesting…"
Mother Miranda tossed the diary on one of her tables, grabbing a chair for herself and sitting down in front of the bars.
"Alcina's fate was always in my hands when I uncovered the family tree in the castle. I decided to try one who had the blood of nobility. Warriors. Kings and Queens. I had not seen the last occupant of the Castle Dimitrescu. She was an older woman who was a hermit. She preferred to live in isolation with no one disturbing her peace, but when she learned of what was occurring below in the village, she directly requested an audience with me. I was more than happy to meet with her, and from there I discovered how beautiful her home was. The history of the castle vast along with the family tree. Countess Tassa Dimitrescu was her name. She was most curious about me as I was about her. I inquired her about the different branches of her family. Sadly she told me the Dimitrescu line had dwindled down to a few side branches spread across Europe. The reason behind their near extinction was due to the Hereditary Blood Disease. She explained there were a few relatives in Romanian that still remained; one of them was her great nephew, Quentin."
"Quentin?" Dorothy said.
"Alcina's father," Mother Miranda said. "I soon found their home. The beautiful mansion your mother wrote about. I learned from the Countess that he was married to a Lady Daciana and they had a daughter who was around the age of six. It was then did my mission begin. I went to the mansion in a different guise and acting as a maid in search of work."
"You obviously failed," Dorothy said icily.
Mother Miranda kept her face blank at her words.
"Did I?" she snapped her fingers.
Dorothy gasped as a sharp pain burned through her veins. Stabbing her like a thousand needles. She collapsed down on her side, crying out in pain.
"Relax, Dorothy," Mother Miranda said. "For I will spin you a tale, and when you awaken, your fate will lie in Beneviento's hands."
Dorothy felt her head swimming. Darkness consuming her until she closed her eyes and was swept away…
{…}
Fall, 1920:
It was late autumn in Romania. The lush green forests replaced with the seasonal reds, oranges and yellows. Bundled up in a fur coat, Lady Daciana took her usual afternoon stroll to the lake and back. She loved the smells. The sight of the animals preparing for the hardest test Romania had to offer: Winter.
A cold breeze came off from the lake, making her pull her coat tighter around herself. She drew her attention away from it and down to her daughter, Alcina. The child was bundled just as heavily as she with a hat and gloves. It was the chilliest autumn day Lady Daciana could remember in a very long time.
"Are you cold, Alcina?"
Alcina looked up at her mother, her little nose slightly red.
"No."
"Fibber. If I am cold you certainly are."
"I am…" she paused, trying to come up with the correct pronunciation. "Comfertible in this coat."
"'Comfortable', darling," Lady Daciana corrected her. "Try again."
"Com-fort-able."
"Good," she praised. "And if you are comfortable than I am, too."
Alcina reached out and took her hand, Lady Daciana curling her digits right around them and squeezed lovingly.
"We will be headed to the summer house soon. Did you start packing like I told you to?"
"A little," Alcina said in a small voice.
"Shall I have Phoebe check on your progress?"
"No!" Alcina said quickly. "No I can finish myself."
Lady Daciana shook her head, chuckling.
"Very well. Come along, then. We best get home before your little nose freezes off."
"I am fine, Mother," Alcina said, self-consciously rubbing at her nose now.
{…}
Lady Daciana and Alcina returned home thirty minutes later to find hot tea waiting for them. Both their cheeks and noses were very red from the cold and the hot tea was more than a godsend.
"When you are finished, Alcina, I expect you to continue packing, yes?"
"Yes, Mother," Alcina said, purposefully sipping her tea slower. "May I have a cookie?"
"No, my darling, you will ruin your appetite," Lady Daciana said, blowing on her drink before taking another sip.
"Just one, please?"
"Do not dare beg," Lady Daciana said. "I said no and no is no."
Alcina sat pouting now. Lady Daciana about to say more when familiar steps caught her attention.
"Quentin," Lady Daciana said, giving him a loving smile.
Alcina stared at him wordlessly, worried her mother was going to tell him about her whining a few moments ago. He was a big man with curly, dark brown hair and gray eyes. He kept a clean beard that was not too bushy just how Lady Daciana liked it.
"You both look cold," he said, his voice deep and full of command.
"It is chilly out there," Lady Daciana answered. "Forgive me for not asking you to join us, but I know how much you dislike this weather."
"I was interviewing a new face," he said. "Phoebe brought her to my study just as you had left."
"Oh?" Lady Daciana said, her smile dipped slightly. Normally she took charge of the staff interviews. "And what did you think?"
"She can cook and clean. I looked over some references she gave me and will call them later on today."
"I see," Lady Daciana said. "We could always use another hand in the kitchen." She shot Alcina a wink before getting up from her seat. "Well, I best get to work on those shipments. Alcina, remember what I told you about packing?"
Alcina gave her mother a nod, watching them both leave the room. They were speaking softly to each other. Alcina unable to decipher what the topic of conversation was, but that was quickly forgotten. She set her eyes upon the jar of cookies on the opposite counter. Looking about to make sure she was absolutely alone, she pushed the seat her mother had occupied over to the counter. She climbed on it and reached.
'Damn, I am too short!' she cursed inwardly, saying a silent prayer for saying a bad word before climbing now on the counter. The jar was heavy, but luckily she was able to set it down before dropping it to the floor. "Molasses," she said, inhaling the aroma before sticking her skinny arm in to snatch one.
"Alcina Dimitrescu!"
She froze in action. She knew that voice… slowly she turned her attention to the doorway. There she saw her mother's personal maid and enforcer, Phoebe. She stood with one hand on her hip and looking most severe. Her right foot tapping so quickly it was almost impossible to see.
'So close…'
{…}
The day continued on and Alcina was shut in her room, packing. Eventually she grew bored of it and played with her dolls and doll house. When she grew tired of that, she picked out her book and started to read.
The sky outside was changing to darkness and Alcina had fallen asleep with her book rested on her stomach. She was snoring softly, oblivious to the figure outside her balcony.
The figure slipped soundlessly to the right window, using a long nail to unlock the latch and push them open. It made a squeak, but it did not wake the child. The figure glided soundlessly over to the bed and scoped Alcina up into their arms.
"Will you be the vessel, little one?"
She turned away from the bed and started over to the windows when the child's door burst open behind her. She glanced back to find it was the girl's mother.
Had it been mere bad timing on her part? Or had the mother somehow sensed her child was in danger?
'Perhaps I have chosen the wrong candidate.'
"Release her!" Lady Daciana yelled, causing Alcina to wake up and scream in terror. "I said release her!" She did not think twice as she charged straight at her.
'Remarkable,' Miranda thought inwardly. 'The bond between a mother and her child. For if this were my Eva about to be swept away, I would abandon all my fear and do the same.'
"Mother!"
'I was too hasty in my attempt, but not to fret,' Miranda mused. 'More opportunities will arise.'
In the blink of an eye she had vanished into thin air. Alcina dropped hard on her bottom and left weeping in both pain and fear.
"Alci, my darling," Lady Daciana soothed her, picking her right up into her arms and backing away from the spot. "Shh, you are all right. Everything is all right now. I am here."
The two left the room to Quentin's study where Lady Daciana ordered the guards to search the entire perimeter for the cloaked figure.
"Alcina, my brave girl," she kissed her forehead. "This is very important, my love, you must tell me what the figure looked like."
Alcina was shaking from head to toe.
"Alcina," Lady Daciana tried again. "Please, my dearest, I need you to speak."
"I… do not know. I could not make out the person's face. They were wearing a strange mask."
"All right," Lady Daciana kissed her again, stroking her back soothingly.
"Mama, may I sleep with you tonight?"
"Yes," she said, looking now to Phoebe and squeezing her arm. "Thank you for staying with her."
"You're most welcome, my lady," she said. "Shall I get out the cot and set it up in your quarters?"
"No, Alcina and I can share the bed. Quentin is out with the men searching for the assailant. When he returns he will no doubt sleep in the study or guest room."
Alcina stared at her mother in surprise.
"Papa is out there?"
"Indeed, though we should probably have called the police, but your father with his military rank, decided to take this matter into his own hands," Lady Daciana said, beginning to smile at the sight of Alcina starting to smile. "Are you hungry, Alci?"
"Not right now," Alcina said.
"Perhaps later, then. Phoebe, please go down and inform the kitchen staff to continue preparing dinner for the men when they return. After all, they have earned it," she said, giving both men by the windows a nod of thanks.
"What will we do, Mother?"
"We, my darling, well I still need to work on the paperwork for the shipments in here," Lady Daciana said. "Come it will be a good distraction for the two of us." She stood up with Alcina close in toe as they walked to the desk. Lady Daciana taking a seat and easing Alcina up onto her lap. "My goodness you are getting so big Alcina."
"I am not that big, Mother," she said, giggling.
"Not yet, but if you are anything like your father, you will be tall and strong."
"Not that tall," Alcina said, continuing to giggle at her mother.
Lady Daciana's smile only grew, thankful Alcina seemed to be bouncing back from the ordeal.
"There are so many numbers on this paper," Alcina said, her attention ricocheting.
"This is the shipment costs, which is all different depending on where the wine is being sent to."
"It looks very complicated."
"Well it can be if the prices change due to the economy," Lady Daciana explained. "And with the war declared over two years ago, the economy has returned to a stable state."
"Father was in the war, too?" Alcina asked.
Lady Daciana rested her chin down on top of her child's thick mane. She did not think about the war. If it had not been for Phoebe and all who assisted her in his absence, she had no doubt the vineyard would have collapsed. Of course Quentin would always say it was all due to her hard work. She had brought the failing business back to life.
"Mother?" Alcina looked up at her.
"He was, yes," Lady Daciana said softly. "But we do not talk about it. They are not good memories for him."
"Bad memories."
"Yes, Alcina," Lady Daciana said, kissing the top of her head. "We must respect him and not pry. If he wishes to speak of things, he will in his own time, but for now we carry on like the war never happened."
Alcina sat quietly the remainder of the time, listening to her mother explain a few things here and there. Lady Daciana would then fall silent as she worked out the math and jotted the numbers down.
Eventually Alcina had drifted off to sleep, snoring away against her mother who began to hum a soft tune to her.