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Resident Evil 8 Fictober 2025

Summary:

A series of one-shot stories that may or may not all take place in the same AU all centered around dialogue prompts for Fictober 2025.

Notes:

The intro to being a maid at Castle Dimitrescu and some of the inner workings of what it entails. Also some talking with one Bela Dimitrescu.

Chapter 1: Day 1 - "Just Hold My Hand."

Chapter Text

Day 1 - “Just Take My Hand.”

It’s been a normal day in the castle. It was a Monday and the Lady of the castle was off for the weekly meeting between the lords and the ladies’ daughters have been nowhere in sight of you. You, the maid that you are, are doing your assigned duties in the opera hall. The past few weeks have certainly been a change in operations for you. You were originally assigned to kitchen duty, as all the new maids are, as it is the safest bet to not be sentenced to the dungeons. The only way to mess up kitchen duty is if you’re unlucky enough to have to be on serving duty as well. Or in your case, lucky enough.

After being assigned serving duty a couple times, Lady Bela, the matriarch's eldest daughter, seemed to have taken an interest in you. This is usually something that happens to new hires if they survive for long enough. They get assigned to one of the Ladies’ parts of the castle.

You were assigned to Bela’s. You were assigned to arguably the best of the three daughters. You don’t have to deal with Daniela’s seemingly random mood swings and bouts of madness. You don’t have to deal with Cassandra’s neverending hatred, distaste and genuine cruelty of the staff. You get to deal with the daughter that is level headed and has the most rational thinking of the three.

It’s quite simple, she expects nothing but pure obedience and perfection in your cleaning duties. As long as you can polish a vase, dust a table, clean bedding and do exactly as you’re told you’re almost perfectly safe. It’s truly lucky that she took an interest in you, as she doesn’t have many maids in her part of the castle exactly because of how easy it is to survive her. While the other daughters run through staff like pig through any food given to it, the staff serving under Lady Bela remain safe unless they truly make a mistake or are eventually promoted to the mothers’ personal staff.

You’re nearly finished with all the dusting in the grand room when a door from upstairs creaks open, signalling the arrival of one of the ladies or another maid coming to fetch you for something. It is soon quite apparent who has arrived as the clicking of heels upon marble come up to the balcony and the flowing blonde hair of one Bela Dimitrescu peaks over the bannister. She spots you instantly of course, you’re smack dab in the middle of the room right next to the large piano center piece.

“Briana.”

It’s a simple greeting, no nonsense and straight to the point. You’ve easily realized Lady Bela is almost always like this. You return the greeting, not wanting to keep your lady waiting.

“Lady Bela.”

You accompany the greeting with a slight bow, as you were taught to do and she hums as she steps away from the bannister. You raise your head as the clicking of her heels makes their way down the stairs and into the main floor of the large open room. She steps over to a chaise lounge and sits, keeping her eyes on you but not saying anything. You hold her gaze as you haven’t been dismissed yet and to look away is to show fear. One should not show fear in front of these women. After a few seconds of locked eye contact, she hums again and then speaks plainly.

“You may continue your work, Briana.”

Without skipping a beat you bow once more and then continue your dusting. After all, you still need to polish some of the vases and clean the floor. The room stays quiet for some time and while you work you can feel the ladies’ eyes on you. You don’t look her way. After a while she clears her throat and you look to her from where you were on your knees scrubbing the tiled floor.

“Are you not scared of me, Briana? You don’t even look tense.”

The question stops you for a moment but not wanting to keep the lady waiting, you blurt out your honest answer.

“I am terrified of your entire family. For many reasons. But I have been given no real reason to be scared specifically of your presence so I am continuing my work as I have been told.”

Once the words spill out you almost want to sigh and throw your hands up to cover your face but you resist the urge. You mustn’t show weakness in front of these women. The lady doesn’t immediately react to your honesty and you don’t know whether to be worried about that or not. After a few more moments she stands from where she was lounging and walks over to you. You keep your gaze locked on her eyes, if you look away you’re done for.

She steps right into your personal space, towering over you by a good half a foot, her face nearly emotionless. She holds her hand out to you. Does she mean to take your hand off? Your heart hammers in your chest having seen the sharp sicles they carry around and just how easily they can cut through flesh and bone alike. You look up into her eyes then.

“Would you have preferred I lied to you, Lady Bela?”

The tattoo on her forehead, the one they all have, crinkles up for a moment in confusion but then almost as fast smoothes back out.

“If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t be asking you to comply. I would simply do so.”

She says this and you’re left more than confused.
“Then what exactly are you doing if you don’t wish to take my hand off?”

Once again your mouth runs faster than your brain can. So stupid, you haven’t had this problem in the last few weeks, why is it happening now of all times.

“Just take my hand.”

It’s a simple command. You are trained to obey, and obey you shall do. You take the ladies’ hand and a slight smirk happens upon her lips. She walks and takes you from the opera hall then. She leads you on a long walk around the castle, around her part of it at least. You both arrive at what you’ve come to know as her bedroom door, the house crest emblazoned into the door with a big red gemstone placed directly above it. She releases your hand then, and opens the door. Before stepping inside she leaves a simple “Stay put” which you oblige easily.

After a minute or two, she comes back out of the room holding a brooch in her hands. You recognize said brooch. It’s something very few people have. It’s the signature black rose that the family matriarch always has on, except instead of the traditional three roses to signify her daughters, it’s only one. And this rose has a red gemstone smack dab in the middle of it. This brooch symbolizes being a personal maid, a promotion of sorts in the castle hierarchy. You lock eyes with her after taking in the brooch for a moment and she speaks to you in a confident tone.

“I respect your honesty in the face of fear. Accept the brooch and you will be assigned directly to me and be a part of my personal staff. Accept the brooch and you will have less to fear than you currently do.”

You don’t have much of a choice really, to refuse such an offer would be madness of an incredible level. Lady Bela, to the knowledge that you’ve gained from the other maids, hasn’t taken a personal maid in a long time. This would come with completely new duties, but also more time spent around the ladies which comes with more and new opportunities for failure. Even with that in mind you instantly nod your head in approval and take the brooch from her hands to fix it to your collar. She adjusts it a little once you have it on, clearly wanting it on to her specifications and steps away to give you a good look up and down.

“It looks good on you. Let’s hope you will continue to earn the right to wear it.”

Chapter 2: Day 2 - "This is new."

Summary:

Hello again! No content warnings, once again lol. But that may be changing soon ;) Some more worldbuilding this time around and some good old backstory established. And of course, more talking with some lovely ladies. Also, Bela POV! Feedback is greatly appreciated, enjoy!

Notes:

This chapter is a direct continuation of the previous chapter!

Chapter Text

It’s been a week now since she invited Briana to become her personal maid. She still doesn’t exactly know what overcame her and compelled her to do so. She did respect the shorter woman for her honesty, she didn’t lie about that. But that’s not necessarily enough to even provoke the thought. Her mother definitely thought just as much. She had been asked the night of at dinner just what made her do so. Briana, as her only new handmaiden in years, was expected at dinner alongside her so that the promotion could be approved by the matriarch of the family.

~~~

“This is new.” Her mother had noted almost as soon as Briana stepped foot into the large dining room a few steps behind Bela. The followup question was almost definitely expected. “You have chosen a handmaiden, daughter?”

Without missing a beat she responded. “Yes, Mother. It’s been quite a while since I’ve had a handmaiden and I believed now would be a good time to fix that.” A quick and efficient response made up on the fly. And her mother accepts it in stride as Bela makes her way to her seat closest to the head of the table. Briana, the clever woman she is, easily stands at the wall to her backside. Bela does so enjoy how the woman knows exactly what is expected of her.

It came as some surprise to Bela that the woman was only nineteen years of age. After seeing how she acted and reacted in the first week and half of serving duty in the castle she expected the woman to be slightly older and have previous experience in serving. Bela went to the head maid instead of her mother to get access to the woman’s documentation and found that wasn’t anywhere near the case.

Briana was born and raised in the village. Briana had a single sibling, a sister that was two years younger than her, and no other family ties. Father died years ago to a Lycan attack in the middle of the woods. Foolish. Mother died two years ago of sickness. Unfortunate. Briana had no real work records either. It seemed she was taken in by Luisa, the mother hen of the village, and was taught some of the more important bits of the cleaning then and there. Other than that, nothing. She learned on the fly and extremely quickly at that. That’s what caused Bela to ask that she be assigned to her portion of the castle. Briana seemed to be reliable, and that made her more useful than most of the other maids. Her thoughts are interrupted by her mother calling her name.

“Bela? Were you listening, dear?” She was in fact not listening. Stupid.

“Apologies Mother, I was deep in thought.” A quick honest response to hopefully curve the temper that may be directed her way at that fumble.

“Your sisters were asking about the maid, as was I.” Her mother did not sound happy, she had to come up with an answer quickly. Not quickly enough it would seem though, as Cassandra snickers from across the table.

“Cat got your tongue, sister? Find the new maiden pretty? Find her particularly useful?” She almost falls for the bait her sister lays out for her, but luckily her mother cuts in before she falls victim to embarrassing herself.

“Cassandra, enough. None of this during dinner.” An incredibly clear command that gets the intended effect.

“Yes, Mother. Apologies for interrupting.” A curt apology added on, a good tactic Bela must admit. But Cassandra is still smirking at her. Her time is up, she needs to speak now and be confident about it.

“With the beginning of Winter arriving, the paperwork shall be piling up. While I can easily handle it all by myself,” she shoots a look towards Cassandra at this, daring her sister to make a jab at her, “it would lessen my back and forth between my needing to gather and deliver said paperwork with the help of another person at my side.” She hesitates on this next sentence, not sure whether she should truly say it or not. But she needs to sell her mother on allowing her to take Briana as a handmaiden. She looks directly into her mothers’ eyes. “Also, it would ease my mind greatly to have some extra company during the upcoming cold months.”

An understanding passes over her mothers eyes at that part, an understanding that Bela isn’t really sure she quite understood until she blurted the thought out. The colder months of the year have always been a problem for the daughters. They had to stay cooped up in the castle, otherwise they faced the chance of death. None of the maids knew this, aside from the head maid. After a moment, her mother turns to Briana and the warmth she had for her daughters leaves her tone completely.

“Briana.” The maid, smart one she is, doesn’t react in fear like many of the other maids would do. She comes closer at the command in the ladies’ tone. She reaches a couple feet from the table, close enough to where the lady of the castle could easily reach out and grasp her if she so pleased, stops, and gives a curt bow.

“Yes, my Lady?” Even tone, no trace of the fear Briana had confessed to Bela. This seems to impress her mother as she leans ever so slightly back in her large chair.

“You would accept the promotion to Bela’s personal handmaiden and all the responsibilities that come with it?” Accepting the additional risks and dangers goes unsaid. Nonetheless Briana easily nods her head and exhales a confident “Yes, my Lady.” This causes her mother to completely relax in her chair. “Then it is settled. I will have a new contract written up and it will be brought to your room in the maids’ quarters.”

Briana bows again, leaves a simple “Thank you, my Lady.” and retakes her spot along the wall. Dinner continues normally at that. The daughters tell the lady about their days and what all of them have managed to accomplish. Bela notices a few times where Cassandra and Daniela each have their gazes locked on her and her new handmaiden. She realizes then, Daniela never spoke up about the handmaiden earlier. She’s uncharacteristically quiet. She’ll have to keep an eye out for Daniela spying and trying to play games, she assumes. She also needs to get ready to have a handmaiden for the first time in forever. Her mothers’ words from earlier echo in her head and she can’t help but to agree with them. This is new.

Chapter 3: Day 3 - "I Don't Need A Reason"

Summary:

A new POV finds their way into the story.

Notes:

Little bit of a rushed chapter as I had a long day of work and a long night because of work but it's done lol.
Once again a direct continuation of the previous chapters. I know I originally said it would be a series of one shots buuuut, I'm enjoying having these all link together so yeah, enjoy!

Chapter Text

The castle was quiet. Maids were asleep, at least they were supposed to be at this hour of night. So was she to be truthful, but she was feeling restless. The worm who was designated to wake her the next morning could deal with the fate dealt to her. The worm would be smart to not bother at all. Ah, but then they’d have to face her mothers’ wrath, and that may or may not be worse than her own.

Cassandra was prowling the halls of the now dark castle. All the sconces and candelabra were left unlit, fires put out by the maids as the castle quieted down for the night. She could still see perfectly fine. The darkness had little to no effect on her and her sisters, she at least could almost claim to be more comfortable in it than the light.

Her musing thoughts come to a stop as she finds herself at her destination for the night. This wasn’t where she would have chosen to come, but it seems her mind had something else in store for her. The library, well one of them at least. This was one that was closer to Bela’s “portion” of the castle. She hated how her mother split the castle grounds up like that for the pathetic creatures that they use as maids. She hated how she was supposed to stay in her “section” of the castle unless she was told otherwise.

Whatever. She turns into a swarm of flies in an instant to slip under the door, knowing that opening it would make such a louder noise than she needs to hear at the moment, and materializes back on the other side. She was much more comfortable in her “second skin” than her sisters. Bela preferred not to turn at all and Daniela, well Daniela got easily excited. She could control it, but if her emotions got the better of her she would easily be half and half without even realizing it. She loved her sisters to death but goodness could they irk her in ways no one else could.

She finds a chair easily enough, one closest to the dead pit of ash in the fireplace of the room. A fitting sight, she thinks. The thought confuses her and she decides to throw a log into the fire and light it up. The difference in temperature can almost be felt instantly by her. The heat feels nice compared to the coldness that had started to creep into her structure in the passing few minutes. The thought crosses her mind that she shouldn’t have had to light the fire herself but she dashes it almost as quickly. The maids are asleep. She should be asleep. She’s tired.

Her dozing off in front of the fire is interrupted by the loud creak of the library door opening and just as quickly closing. Her head snaps in the direction and a snarl is already making its way to her face as she has to stop and regard whoever the hell just interrupted the sleep she was about to have. It’s the maid. She doesn’t remember her name, she doesn’t care to. Bela's new handmaiden.

The girl locks eyes with Cassandra then. She can smell the spike in fear, not really but she wishes she could, because the girl does an amazing job of hiding it. She knows it’s there, it has to be. But she never shows it. Cassandra craves to be the one to make her show it. As she’s about to give the worm a piece of her mind and maybe a laceration or two to help her remember the experience, it speaks.

“Lady Cassandra,” it bows its head in her direction before continuing in an even and respectful tone, “I wasn’t expecting to find you here at this hour. I hope your night is going nicely.” She gets the entire thing out without a single stutter and without ever breaking eye contact. Sturdy will, more fun to break.

She doesn’t care for the pleasantries. “What are you doing awake at this hour, maid. You should be in your room, you know wandering is against the rules and you are liable to be punished for it.” A sadistic grin makes its way on to her face as she finishes her statement and she rises from the chair. She notices the ruby on the maids’ collarbone catches the firelight as she raises her gaze to keep eye contact with Cassandra. She doesn’t back away as Cassandra inches towards her. She is forced to step back into the door as Cassandra enters her personal space and keeps walking until she’s nearly squished between the door and her taller figure. She still doesn’t break eye contact.

“Apologies Lady Cassandra,” it starts evenly before swallowing a lump in its throat. The first sign of fear. She knew it was there. “Lady Bela requested that I grab her some books from here, and it is my duty as her handmaiden to do as I am told. Given that it was a direct order from her, I am to be exempted from the rules for this moment.” She never looks away and it infuriates her. The mention of the rules is what tips her over the edge allowing a low growl to leave her throat.

She doesn’t dignify the creature with a response, simply stepping away and back to the comfort of the chair next to the fire. The maid rightfully takes it as the dismissal it was. Cassandra would love more than anything right now to slice a pretty, red gash right across her face. But Bela would tell mother. The headache wouldn’t be worth the reward. Her brooding is quickly interrupted however as the maid has somehow made its way over to her without her hearing. A foolish mistake. Her head snaps up ready to fire out some stinging words, but it speaks first.

“If I may ask, what are you doing here at this time of night, Lady Cassandra?” The question catches her off guard for a moment as she’s quick to respond.

“I don’t need a reason.” It comes out fast and harsh. The maid doesn’t react to the biting words and it lights her anger up more. The maid steps back then, no fear or hurt on her face. Maddening.

“Apologies for overstepping, Lady Cassandra.” The maid backs away and goes about collecting books. Cassandra watches her the entire time. She notices just how light the maid steps. Cassandra knows where the creaking floor boards are. She sees how the maid either steps around them or makes no sound when she does step on them. She thinks it would be fun to chase this one. But it doesn’t last forever. After finding her final book, she has a stack of five and heads for the door. The creaking is loud, as it always is, but it doesn’t creak again for a moment causing Cassandra to look towards the door in slight confusion. The maid is standing in the doorway looking back at her.

“I am sorry to have bothered, I hope you are able to get some peaceful rest tonight Lady Cassandra.” She bows quickly and then closes the door. She leaves no echo of footsteps down the hall. She leaves no real trace she was ever there aside from the missing books. She leaves a slightly stupefied Cassandra Dimitrescu by her lonesome in the library. Cassandra does eventually fall asleep in that chair staring into the fireplace. The image of the ruby on the maids’ collarbone etched into her mind. She thinks it may have been nice to replace that ruby with a yellow diamond.

Chapter 4: Day 4 - "Can You Hold Me?"

Summary:

A nice little Daniela one shot that takes place in a different AU than Days 1-3.

Notes:

Wanted to take a small little break from the same AU, so starting maybe a new one? Don't know, we'll see! lol

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 4 - “Can You Hold Me?”

A stormy night in the mountains of Romania can be a relaxing time as long as you’re behind a thick layer of stone walls in the middle of a rather large castle. Quite a relaxing time indeed. You’re in Daniela’s personal library, your personal favorite library in the castle. It was one of the smaller ones but had the best selection of reading material in your opinion. The room also had a wonderful skylight in the middle of the room. The rain was beating on it hard, and it was holding strong.

You are sitting there late at night reading some nonsensical fictional romance while a storm rages just above you. You couldn’t be more relaxed than you currently are at this moment. That’s a blatant lie, you realize. You would enjoy some company. A certain someone’s company at least. Daniela was a relatively hard sleeper, and it was easy to escape her clutches in the late night. But it also left you feeling ever so slightly lonely even though it was your own choice to leave the bed and come here.

A sigh escapes your lips and the feeling of running back to bed and the beautiful woman that awaits, probably snoring, grows increasingly stronger. It’s still surreal to you that Daniela Dimitrescu of all people has taken an interest in you. It took some time to come around to it of course, the woman kills and eats people. She is the most erratic of the sisters. The thought of being around her when you first came to the castle was almost worse than the thought of being around Cassandra. With Cassandra, you knew you were going to come out of the interaction with some sort of scar or marking, whether it be physical or mental. But with Daniela, according to the other maids at the time, she could switch moods at the most random of moments and it was impossible to know whether you were safe or not.

You have always been observant, however. You were assigned to Daniela pretty early on in your placement in the castle staff and you were scared almost immediately but you continued on anyway. Perseverance is key, your mother has told you many, many times. Whenever Daniela was around, you noticed things about her that seemed so stupidly obvious. When her mood was about to shift from good to worse, she unconsciously let out a mini swarm of flies around her and her pretty emerald eyes started to ever so slightly glaze over.

Those signs allowed you to prepare yourself for the worst and to know that the near friendly speaking that she did constantly was about to come to an end. Those signs told you that you had to start acting like a maid instead of someone she was trying to have a friendly conversation with. Whenever she was in a bad mood, flies would be constantly buzzing. If her anger was targeted at you, the flies would be constantly biting you. Her anger was only directed towards you once and never again because of a stupid mistake. You learned the lesson, and it hasn’t happened again.

She always had a smile on her face, but when she was in a bad mood or about to transfer into one, the dimple on her left cheek went away. It was weird and something you had to see multiple times to be able to correlate the two, but you had done so. Mainly because she had allowed you to do so. You have no clue why she took an interest in you, but you’ve grown into it, nonetheless. Sure, some of the maids have named you an outcast, not all of them, but a good amount for it to slightly matter. They can’t do anything about it though or they risk angering the ladies of the castle.

You may still be a maid, but being the chosen of the youngest Dimitrescu daughter came with many privileges. One of which you were currently taking advantage of, the ability to move around at night. The maids are to be in their quarters at a certain time at night and then aside from a few, they are only allowed out of their quarters at a certain time in the morning. You are exempt from this ruling as you share a bedroom with the youngest daughter at her undeniable request.

Your thoughts are interrupted when a fly lands on your hand that's holding the page in the book. And then another, and then a couple more after a few seconds. There is no concentrated buzzing however, nor are they making any attempt at all to bite you. Looking closer at the flies on your hand, their thoraxes shine a near imperceptible green. Daniela has awoken and seems to be on her way to you. You smile at the small insects and raise your gaze to the door to the library.

A few moments later, a massive swarm of flies comes from under the door and materializes into an incredibly sleepy looking Daniela Dimitrescu. Hair messy from having just woken up, a clear line of dried drool running down the left side of her mouth that quirks into a lazy smirk at seeing you in the chair closest to the fire. You return the smile easily. She looks so human right now you can almost forget that she’s a maneating swarm of flies. It matters not in the end, you are incredibly happy to see her face.

Bare feet pad across the floor towards you, and she stops right in front of you. “I moved around in bed and didn’t feel your warmth and I got worried.” You know she has nightmares frequently. She never tells you what about, but she does have them. She inches closer to you, now only a few inches away from bumping into your leg.

“Can you hold me?” The question is quiet and obviously not meant to be heard by anyone or anything aside from you. Her smirk has left her face, replaced by a straight line bordering on a frown. You easily move your book to the side and pat your leg. The girl is much taller than you, it’s not an easy fit and she’s almost too heavy for you to be comfortable but the smile that lights up her face is almost brighter than the fire. That makes it all worth it.

She cuddles into you while sitting in your lap and you wrap your arms around her body, interlocking your fingers in hers. If you fall asleep like this, you are going to hurt all day tomorrow, but her happiness will make it worth it. The flies slowly bring their lazy flight to a stop and nestle their way into the different nooks in crannies in Daniela’s clothing. Her breathing comes out in even counts after a few seconds and she falls asleep with a warm and content smile on her face. Seeing her like this, it’s incredibly difficult to imagine her hurting someone.

After a minute or two of silence, the snoring starts. She doesn’t snore loudly, but it’s definitely there. It’s cute. It means she’s fast asleep and that means your job of comforting is done. That means you can sleep now. You can’t do anything else now that she’s piled on top of you, not that you truly want to do anything else. So, you do get some sleep. You dream of the girl laying in your lap. You dream of her eyes staring into yours. You dream of the feeling of her lips on yours.

Notes:

First time writing Dani/Reader and honestly, I love her so much <333
May have to write some more than I originally planned...

Chapter 5: Day 5 - "But You Promised!"

Summary:

Is this a continuation of a previous chapter? Maybe!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 5 - “But You Promised!”

You’re dreaming, you know you are. But the dream isn’t quite just a dream. It’s a memory. A bad one. The day you left your home to come to the castle. Your sister did not take kindly to the news and it pained you so much to do it anyway. It was a necessary choice in the end but it hurt nonetheless.

The sky is dark, filled with clouds full of icy cold rain that’s just waiting for a reason to burst. The sun is nowhere in sight but it’s still somehow light out as if the sky were perfectly clear. You’re at the bottom of Luiza’s steps to her manor, suitcase in hand, and your sister stands at the top with tears gathering in her eyes. Her words echo in your ears like you’re in a very long tunnel.

“But you promised!” You did promise. You are currently breaking said promise. You told her that you would never leave her to go to the castle. The place where all of her friends had gone. The place where none of them had ever come back from. You want so badly to put the suitcase down. You want so badly to run up the stairs and throw your arms around your beloved little sister. The suitcase is heavy in your hands but your grip is ironclad.

You murmur out an apology that you’re sure doesn’t quite reach her ears. Even if it did, you’re more sure that it would do nothing at all to alleviate the hurt that she is experiencing. The tears that had been building in her eyes finally break away and stream down her face, as does the rain burst from the sky. You turn away from her then, it’s a long trek up to the castle.

Her sobs remain in your hearing range far longer than they should. You can hear her crying and begging for you to come back all the way up to the Maiden of War statue in the village center. They finally start to ebb away as you start down the muddy path leading from this part of the village to the castle. The cobblestone road would take you along a much longer path and you really want to get out of this rain.

The path dips ever so slightly into the forest and you hesitate before steeling yourself. You will most likely be admonished for arriving in such a state, but you’re already drenched. That’s a problem for later. The trees creep in on your personal space and they start to blot out the daylight that you did have. After some seconds of walking in the pouring rain, you can’t even see the sky anymore. Above you is a canopy of leaves so thick it looks like the night sky.

There’s a growl a few feet away to your left and some rustling in the brush. You hasten your pace. The Lycans go away once winter ends, but sometimes there’s a few that linger for a couple weeks into spring. You don’t want to be eaten out here, though if rumors are to be believed, you may be eaten at your destination. The rest of the trek through the woods is uneventful. No more rustling of bushes, the trees eventually gave way to the darkened sky again.

The castle can be seen from the bottom of the hill you’ve found yourself in. It’s a very large structure. It cuts a very imposing figure across the mountainous backdrop. Still you carry on. Still you grow farther away from your sister.

You wake up eventually, you don’t think you ever reached the castle in the dream, but that isn’t the point. You hope your sister doesn’t hate you for the choice that you made. You should get out of bed. A quick look at the small watch on your bedside table shows that it is closing in on the time that Lady Bela likes to be awoken at.

So you get out of bed, quickly get dressed and ready for the tasks of the day. It feels weird looking into the mirror making sure to fix the brooch on your collar to your Ladies’ specifications but you do it nonetheless. You take a step outside your door and down the hall. You have your own room in the same corridor as Lady Bela, that was another thing to get used to.

The Ladies’ door isn’t locked as you let yourself in quietly and make your way to the window. The dark satin curtains dangle from the ceiling, blotting out any natural light that could make its way inside. You pull them open swiftly. The sun is just starting to rise up into the sky, the perfect timing. Without having to go near the bed, you can already hear some of the blankets moving around, the light from outside quickly having the intended effect.

“Good morning Lady Bela, I am about to prepare your bath.” A low grumble is the only response you’re given. You’ve grown used to that. Lady Bela likes to be awake earlier than the rest of the castle, yet she is not a morning person at all. You make your way to her personal bathroom and prepare a hot bath. According to her, all of the daughters share a love for near scalding hot baths. You throw a nice amount of vanilla scents into it, she was very specific that the only thing she wanted put into her bath was that and nothing else.

After the tub is full, you move back out into the bedroom to find Lady Bela sitting up in her bed staring out towards the window. She pays you no mind as you go to a closet and pull out one of many long, black dresses. You set the dress out on her table next her vanity desk and move onto getting her jewelry ready for her as well. About halfway through, she switched to watching you. You could feel it, like a sixth sense. Like a predator watching prey. She says nothing as you finish your duty. Everything is ready for her, you just await your dismissal.

After a few moments of silence, the lady in the bed speaks up. "You may go now, thank you for preparing everything. I will see you at breakfast.” You bow to her, grateful to be allowed out of the admittedly terrifying room, and see yourself out. On the way to the maids’ section of the castle, you can’t help but think about how cute her bedhead is.

Notes:

I was kinda stumped for today's prompt to be truthful. Had an idea, got halfway through it and then chose to go a completely different direction lol. I am okay with how this turned out though so it's fine. Hope you enjoyed and feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter 6: Day 6 - "This Is Annoying."

Summary:

A new character approaches!... three new characters approach?

Notes:

My Italian wifey and her maniac of a daughter *sigh*

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 6 - “This Is Annoying.”

You’re standing in the middle of a large room, one of the many large rooms in the Beneviento manors’ basement level, filled with fabrics of many varieties. Donna, quiet as ever, is at your side taking your measurements for the fifth time this week. She’s quiet. She always is. The other occupant in the room is not so quiet, however.

“You’re moving around too much, stupid! Stand still, completely still! Be like one of the dolls for the love of the Black God!” The talking doll, Angie, refuses to stop screaming at the top of her lungs at how you’re moving too much even though you are being as still as humanly possible. Donna huffs and the veil hanging over her face moves ever so slightly because of it. This is the most normal amount of emotion from her.

“Miss Angie, aside from not breathing, I can be no stiller I promise y-” A shrill screech erupts from the dolls’ mouth interrupting the end of your sentence and causing Donna to jolt. The silent woman looks towards her so fast that the veil over her face almost lifts allowing you to get a peek at her sharp jawline. The doll goes stone still as the dollmaker faces her. After a moment, Donna looks back to you to finish measuring and the doll sits on the ground crossing her arms but still staring at you.

Time passes by at a snail's pace as measurements are taken, fabrics are held up against your body and colors are changed around. You can’t help when your mouth opens and words spill out. “This is annoying.” You were never good at holding your tongue. The dollmaker stops in her tracks and her face is locked on yours. You regret opening your mouth as the doll in the room opens her mouth again.

“MAYBE IF YOU WOULD STOP CHANGING SO MUCH IN THE SPAN OF A DAY WE WOULDN’T HAVE TO BE HERE AGAIN.” You instinctually have to reach up to cover your ears as the glass shattering screaming comes from the dolls’ open mouth. Admittedly, it doesn’t sound angry or anything like that, more so annoyed, just like you currently are.

Donna doesn’t bother looking back at her as she silences the doll with a single hand motion, causing the dolls’ mouth to snap shut before she can say anything more. You slowly ease your hands away from your ears and Donna is still staring, at least you assume she is, at you. After some moments of mutual staring, she puts her hands on your shoulders and gives them a comforting squeeze before she whispers to you.

“I am sorry tesoro mio, this must be done.” Her voice is low, dark, and raspy. The pet name gives you goosebumps along the back of your neck and causes a slight blush to creep up onto your cheeks as you nod so she may continue her work.

You know it needs to be perfect. Not only does Donna herself crave perfection when it comes to making clothing, but there’s an important meeting between the Lords coming up and Donna is bringing you with her. It would not reflect well on her if she brought a poorly dressed maid.

It takes some more time than the last, but eventually it’s over. Donna has picked out a lovely dark red for the dress that you imagine goes incredibly well with your natural copper hair color. Angie had been moving around the workshop helping Donna grab things but she’d been quiet since the outburst.

Donna dismisses you from the room soon afterwards and you make your way through the winding hallways of the basement to the creaky old elevator. The ride back to the surface is short and uninterrupted. Where do you want to go now? You’re a maid in name only. Donna doesn’t force you to do anything unless she deems it absolutely necessary, like taking your measurements five times in one week. Angie isn’t going to like hearing you complain about that for the next month or so but it will be fun to poke at her.

You decide it’s still early enough to wander outside and enjoy some tea before the sun dips below the horizon, so you head to the kitchen to brew a quick cup. The entire time you’re in the kitchen, and on the walk to the kitchen, you can feel the many little eyes on you. Donna is a dollmaker, the manor is nearly covered roof to floorboards with them. All of them dressed in different clothing with unique hairstyles and colored eyes. All of them watch you whenever you walk by.

You’ve grown semi used to Donna’s near obsessive watching. You don’t understand completely how it works, but you know she uses the dolls as some sort of surveillance, like how Angie can move and talk all by herself. So you’re not incredibly weirded out when a doll moves its head to watch you in the kitchen. It makes no noise, but the eyes follow your every movement. It watches as you take a tea bag out of the container conveniently left out on the counter. It watches as you put a kettle on the stove and set it to boiling.

Different dolls watch as you move to the library to find a book. The book you had left unfinished sits on a small table right next to another doll. You grab it and take it back to the kitchen. You find the sugar already placed on the counter for you when you get back. You fill a rather large mug and dump two sugar cubes into it before making your way to the front door to find your slippers already waiting for you.

The door opens smoothly and without noise as you exit the lonely manor and out onto its porch. As soon as you’re out of the building, the roar of the waterfall from behind the manor takes over all of the other possible noises. You decide to take a seat on the side facing the cliff, intent on watching the sun go down for the day.

A doll sits on the same bench as you, though its eyes are glued to you and not the evening sun off in the distance. She’s always watching you. There’s a comfort to knowing that and it causes a smile to crawl onto your face.

Down below the earth, Donna sits in her workshop with Angie off to her side. She’s not working on the dress like she knows she should be. She’s too busy watching the sun grace your face. She’s too busy taking in how the light reflects off your eyes. She’s too busy taking in the sight of you.

Notes:

This chapter was such a headache to write but I enjoyed every second of it lol. It's been a long time since I've written Donna but I love her to death. I had the idea for the day's prompt when I first read through the list and I knew I wanted to write it out.

And who knows! Maybe this takes place in the same AU that Briana is currently living in hmmmm

Chapter 7: Day 7 - "You'll Have To Try Harder Than This."

Summary:

A new universe! A new pairing! Introducing Cassandra Dimitrescu!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 7 - “You’ll Have To Try Harder Than This.”

You fall down and hit the mat hard once again. You don’t know how many times you’ve been laid out, you don’t know how long you’ve been going at it. You do know that if you ever had to actually fight someone that was experienced, you would be killed easily. But that’s what training is for.

Cassandra is not taking it easy on you. She hits hard and moves extremely fast. She doesn’t have the title of “Huntress of House Dimitrescu” for nothing. She is very clearly a fighter, a very good one at that. Or maybe you’re just extremely bad at it. You’re willing to bet on the former option.

You are bruised, out of breath and all around in pain, but the hand she offers to you while you’re on the ground is taken anyway. She hauls you up to your feet and your lungs burn with the effort it takes to stay standing. She takes some steps away to the other side of the makeshift arena and gets into a fighting stance. You retreat to your side and retake the stance she taught you.

When you first started this training with her, you didn’t think it would be a serious thing. It was meant to be a way of spending time with the girl and an attempt to take interest in things she liked. After the first time she threw you into the ground and held you there, it quickly grew into something more. She wanted you to be able to defend yourself, you wanted to spend time with her and maybe be able to actually pose a challenge to her at some point. It worked out perfectly in a way you hadn’t originally intended it to.

Stuck in your head she’s already moving towards you and you’re forced to match her pace. She throws a hook out slower than she had been, clearly noticing that you weren’t completely there in the moment, and you are still only just able to move your head out of the way. You counter with a quick jab towards her direction and she grabs your arm and twists. You fold over and she is easily able to lift you off the ground and over her shoulder and onto the mat below. Again.

She takes in a deep breath of the stuffy air in the armory and lets out a deep and hearty chuckle as she stares down at you. There’s a wide smile on her face and it’s clear she’s enjoying this time just as much as you are. You smile back at her and she offers her hand out to you again. As she lifts you up and onto your feet, her mouth opens. “You’ll have to try harder than this. As much as I do enjoy throwing you on your back and having my way with you, you’ll have to change the way you approach our bouts.”

You know she’s right. As much as you enjoy having her throw you on your back, the bruises are going to hurt in the morning. And you would much rather have her throw you onto her bed, the mattress is just so soft. You sigh and shake your head at her. “I know Cass, I’m trying I promise, but you’re just too fast for me.”
Her smile grows wider. “You wanna beg me to go slower for you” A blush easily finds a home on your face but you nod your head in the negative and move back to your starting spot on the mat. She looks impressed for a moment but then a wolfish grin is plastered on her face as she moves back to her starting position.

“Keep going at your speed. You know that’s what I like.” The two of you start sparring again. You get thrown onto your back again. And again. And many more times after that before you finally retire for the night. You do get your wish then as she throws you onto the bed. The night passes quickly after that.

Notes:

So this one was a lot shorter than the previous chapters and that bums me out because Cass/Reader is my FAVORITE pairing, but the prompt had me genuinely stuck. Still, hope you enjoyed reading and as always feedback is appreciated!

Chapter 8: Day 8 - "I Know It Sounds Impossible."

Summary:

A new POV, this time not from a maid of the castle or the Beneviento estate, but just a villager serving under the Priestess of the Black God.

Notes:

Trigger warning for canon typical violence and maybe(?) body horror!!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 8 - “I Know It Sounds Impossible.”

I know it sounds impossible. Those were the words that just came out of your best friends’ mouth. Those were the words that followed the most unbelievable story you think you’ve ever heard. Your friend had just finished explaining to you how she was “captured” by Mother Miranda and held captive for weeks only to witness horrifying medical procedures but make an escape just a day ago. Admittedly, she was gone for a while. But she had a tendency to disappear into the woods for days on end and turn up like nothing happened.

She just uttered that sentence when she finished her tale only to find you staring at her with wide eyes and a slack jaw. After a moment to collect yourself, you decide then and there that you do not believe her. She also had a tendency to fib when it would favor her to do so. You don’t know what she would gain from this but it just can’t be true. What she’s saying is nothing but blasphemy, but she is still your friend.

“Listen, I am happy you came to me first to talk about this. While I don’t believe a word of any of it, if you had told anyone else they would have branded you a heretic and had you tied up and left for the Lycans.” You meet her eyes and hold her gaze the entire time you speak. Her face gets more and more solemn as you go on. When you finally finish talking, she looks away from you and doesn’t respond for a minute.

“You don’t believe me.” It comes out in a whisper, a scared whisper. She doesn’t look back to you when she says it, her face locked on the setting sun in the distance. You don’t believe the story. You believe that she may have had a breakdown in the woods and experienced a vivid hallucination, but Mother Miranda could never have done these things. She’s the priestess of the Black God, she’s the protector of the village, the four lords of the village serve under her. You tell her as much.

She looks at you with unshed tears in her eyes and speaks in a low and hurt tone. “I’m not crazy. I’m not. Rodney was there too. He’s been gone hasn’t he? He had a horrible Lycan bite on his neck. I watched him die.” Her voice cracks then. Rodney has been missing for some time and he is not the type to wander. He had a very consistent schedule. “He bled out in a cage right next to mine. He bled out as Mother Miranda sat and watched. And when his body lay cold and unmoving, she put him on a table and cut into him. She put this disgusting little creature into his chest and sewed him back up like she was fixing a broken item. And after a few minutes of staring at his corpse, he started to move violently. He spasmed and contorted in ways nobody should be moving.”

As she speaks, her eyes grow more and more distant, the unshed tears threatening to spill over any second now. But they don’t, they sit in her eyes like they made a home there, and she continues her new tale. “His bones snapped and broke multiple times all over. His hair changed in color slowly, but it went an even gray tone. His skin had already faded into paleness because of the loss of blood, but it got even paler, nearing the color of the snow. He went still for some time but then his entire body snapped up and he let out a roar.” Her eyes gain a sense of clarity to them as she meets your gaze once again. “Mother Miranda turned him into a Lycan, Miriam. Mother Miranda has been taking our dead and turning them into monsters that she uses to keep this village in check.”

While the story is certainly horrifying to think about, it simply cannot be true. Mother Miranda protects the village. If she created monsters, why would she proceed to protect the village from said monsters? It just made no sense. A crow cawing from above you both breaks you out of your thinking and causes your friend to jump. She gazes at the creature with nothing but fear in her eyes. “She’s watching us, she knows I’m here and she’s going to come for me!” She grasps your shoulders before speaking again in quick labored breaths. “If I go missing, promise me you’ll tell my family it was Mother Miranda. Promise me, Miriam. Please.”

It’s certainly a promise to make. The crows are the symbol Mother Miranda chooses as her own. To make such a blasphemous promise in front of the symbol of life itself would most certainly not go well for you. “You’re not going to disappear. Now let go of me and come inside, it’s getting cold out and I think you’ve been outside long enough. I’ll make us some food and you can get the rest that you very much need.” You unlodge her hands from your shoulders and take a step back from her.

You expect her to argue, to complain, or to beg you to listen to her, but she does none of those. She wipes her eyes with her sleeve and follows you into your home. Once inside you make sure the door is locked. Once finished doing so you turn to see your friend sitting on your couch, staring harshly at the portrait of Mother Miranda hanging over your fireplace. You pay her no mind and move into the kitchen where you find the window open and a single black feather resting upon the window sill. You set the feather on the counter top and close the window. The winter air is no good for the inside of your home.

You do as you said you would. You cook food for yourself and your friend. She doesn’t speak up for the rest of the night, not even to say goodnight when you leave her on the couch to head to sleep. Laying in your bed that night, sleep doesn’t come easy. When it does finally catch you in its grasp, you dream of circling crows high up in the sky. You dream of packs of Lycans howling in the distance. You dream of the priestess of the Black God knocking at your door.

When you wake up the next day, you don’t feel like you got any sleep at all. You get up out of bed and make your way into the living room to see if your friend was still asleep. What you find on your couch is not your friend. The blanket you had left with her is neatly folded and the pillows are arranged as they should be on each arm. Sitting atop the folded blanket is a single black feather. You’re sad your friend didn’t say goodbye before leaving, but you hope she got home safe either way.

Notes:

A look into a villager that truly believes in the protection of the Black God, and maybe a little at how Mother Miranda operates. Hope you enjoyed reading and as always, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter 9: Day 9 - "They Didn't Even Touch It!"

Summary:

Another short one sadly, struggled with an idea and had a long day at work lol. But I got it done and that's what matters in the end!
Hope you readers enjoy a new POV once again, this time featuring a Miranda/Reader???

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 9 - “They Didn’t Even Touch It!”

Miranda is rambling to herself again. Another experiment had not gone how she was expecting it to. That happens more frequently than she would like to admit. She was a smart woman, and as much as you adored her, she was not a perfect woman. She had her faults, one of them being her persistent experimentation on the village you now called home.

She had somehow managed to create a new Bio-Weapon. A wolf-man. She called them Lycans, a much easier name and one that fit the locale. She experiments with them nearly nonstop. Lately she’s been obsessed with trying to get them to eat carcasses. You’ve gathered that they only eat living creatures and absolutely refuse to touch anything else.

“They didn’t even touch it!” A sentence pokes through your head and you look over to where she’s standing in front of a mirror ridding her face of the dark makeup she always wears. “They didn’t even try to smell it! No matter what I do, they just refuse to touch a corpse.” You get up from the chair you’re sitting in, walk over to her and hug her from behind. She quiets at your touch, something she would abhor from anyone else.

“Would you perhaps consider that they simply don’t need to eat? Maybe they just enjoy the thrill of live prey and don’t actually need food to survive. Maybe they’re just creatures with an incredible need to hunt, not to sustain themselves, but just to do it.” Her eyes are locked on yours through the mirror and she hangs off every word you say. It’s crazy to think that this incredibly intelligent woman possibly hadn’t thought of this. She closes her eyes, lets out a deep sigh, and leans her head back and onto your shoulder.

“You know I forgot you are a scientist. I ramble just to ramble, not with the intention of having you help me. But I thank you nonetheless, moja droga.” Her hands come down and fingers intertwine with yours, her grip is tight. Her eyes open and lock onto you once again as a smirk grows across her face. “I knew there had to be a reason I kept you around.” You feign hurt to the obviously playful jab and she smiles an actual smile. A human smile. There is still humanity left in her, and you get to see it in these small moments where she is alone and herself. In these small moments where she isn’t the cult head that runs the village and keeps the mutated lords of the land in check. Where she is simply Miranda.

She lets you pull her away from the mirror and towards the couch. Before sitting her down, you rid her of the lab coat she has on. You push her to where she’s laying down on the couch then you lay on top of her. You stare into her eyes before giving her a loving kiss on the cheek. You then turn on a random show, luckily you have a tv here in her hidden home, and get ready to fall asleep with the damn near genocidal woman beneath you. You’re happy with this.

Notes:

"Moja droga" according to google translate is "my dear" in Polish!
I am not Polish, so I apologize profusely if this is incredibly incorrect, feel free to correct me in comments!
I personally headcannon Miranda as Polish, I did a lot of research a couple years ago for making up a backstory for her and I have reasons for the headcannon that I feel are properly backed up, but I will not get into them now because that could provide spoilers for future writings!!!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading and as always feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter 10: Day 10 - "I'm Here, Am I Not?"

Summary:

A new POV in the form of one Karla Heisenberg!

Notes:

Another short one, work is kicking my ass but I shall persist!
I prefer writing fem characters so both the male lords will be genderbent unless stated otherwise!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 10 - “I’m Here, Am I Not?”

It’s a long walk to the chapel that Mother Miranda uses for the majority of her meetings. A long trek through the woods, unless you wanted to cut through the village. She didn’t want to do that. The less contact she had with the people who called the village home, the better in her opinion.

Karla Heisenberg, second lord of this backwater village in the middle of bumfuck Romania and owner of the almost completely defunct factory. She was having a day, to say the least. Lycans were getting testy with the territories, important machines were breaking down in the factory and of course Mother Miranda chooses to call an impromptu meeting in the middle of the fucking night. Suffice to say, she was not happy with this. She had to walk in the woods in the middle of the night because that self entitled bitch she had to answer to told her to.

To be clear, she wasn’t afraid. Far from it. She could handle anything this forest could throw at her with her eyes closed and both hands tied behind her back. Hell, she was responsible for a lot of the things roaming the woods this late at night. She was just annoyed. She could be at home, deep in the depths of the factory either tinkering or just out right sleeping. But no, she has to go to this meeting or Mother Miranda will get more annoying for some time and she’d rather not have to deal with that.

After some more time walking, she finally reaches the outside of the chapel. It’s an old building. It’s crumbling and overgrown with vegetation all over. How the building is still standing at all, she has no clue. She’s never felt truly comfortable walking into it so she takes a deep breath of the cool night air before hefting the giant metal hammer she owns up and onto her shoulder before throwing open the large wood doors. The inside of the chapel is lightly lit by a multitude of candles placed all over pews, shelves and windowsills.

Down the center aisle leads straight to the altar that is unsurprisingly empty. Mother Miranda always arrives last, no matter how long it takes for the others to show up. Speaking of the others, they are of course already here. Why wouldn’t they be? Wouldn’t want to disappoint dear old “mother.” Sal sits in a corner on the right side of the building brooding, the bone crown she always wears dangling from her clawed fingers. Donna sits on a pew on the left side, closer to the altar. The small frame of Angie pushed up against her body but thankfully unmoving for the moment. And of course, the big bitch herself. Alci sits in her special throne right next to the altar, no other seat would be able to fit her giant ass.

Almost as if she could sense her eyes on her, Alcina pins her with a glare on her face. “It’s nice of you to finally join us sister, it took you long enough.” There is no love in her tone, and the “sister” comes out with a sneer. Karla pushes the dark sunglasses she always wears up off the bridge of her nose and walks into the chapel to take her seat on a pew opposite of Alcina. Neither of her other sisters react to her presence, not even Angie coming alive to spout nonsense. They must be tired as well, they aren’t nearly as intolerable as Alcina.
She finally looks her sister in the eye after she’s taken her seat. “I’m here, am I not?” The words come out in an even tone and it has the intended effect of annoying her sister. Alcina huffs and goes to berate her some more, most likely, but the words never get the chance to come out as a murder of crows come flying in through a hole in the ceiling. They coalesce into the form of their “mother” smack dab in the middle of the altar. Attention seeking piece of-

Her wings fling out from behind her back, pushing a large swath of air out and into the room. Karla’s hat almost flies off her head, but she manages to catch it just in time. The woman spares a short glance at everyone present before speaking. “I am happy to see you’ve all managed to get here tonight. I am sorry for the late meeting, but some urgent matters have come up.” Karla listens to the meeting of course, but it’s nothing she really cares for truth be told. No new information to her. All things that she was already privy to thanks to her own intelligence gathering. She sits and doesn’t speak all the same, however. It’s a long meeting.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed reading! As always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter 11: Day 11 - "Stupider People Than Us Have Done This."

Summary:

A teen villager and her friend sneak into the Moreau reservoir.

Notes:

TW for Thalassophobia and Character Death.

Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 11 - “Stupider People Than Us Have Done This.”

This was bad. What you were doing was incredibly bad. Ridiculously bad. Who in their right mind decides to sneak onto a Lords’ land? Stupid people, that’s who. You and your friend Silvia were sneaking into the Moreau reservoir. For what reason? Boredom! So, so stupid of you to agree to this.

The sun was low in the sky, just barely peeking over the mountain tops. The sky was clear, unusually so for the locale. There were always clouds in the sky, but not today. Maybe it was the slight abnormality that caused Silvia to ask you to join her and for you to agree to do so. Maybe it wasn’t. Who’s to know, truly. You reach out in front of you to tug at your friends’ sleeve and she jolts to a stop to glare back at you.

“Ligeia!” You startled her apparently. You didn’t think you were being that quiet. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!” You won’t point out that you are supposed to be sneaking, if you’re caught all the way out here it could be bad for the both of you. “What do you need?” She sounds annoyed and you feel bad for stopping her.

“I think we should turn back, Silvia. This is dangerous and stupid.” You whisper as quietly as you can, it wouldn't be good to disturb a crow nesting in a tree. Nor would it be good to draw the attention of a Lycan. You try not to think about that possibility. Outside of your mind, Silvia is staring at you with wide eyes.

“We can’t turn back now, we’re so close! Stupider people than us have done this. Just a little farther and we’ll reach the reservoir, I just know it. Now come on, the sun’s almost gone.” She grabs your hand before you can try to argue and pulls you along with her as she continues down the invisible forest path. You let her do so, knowing this is a mistake. A terrible sense of foreboding builds in your gut as the leaves crunch below your feet.

A little while later, the trees start to thin out slowly, and the view of the open reservoir meets your eyes. It’s quite a large space, as large as a quarter of the village you’d wager. A large body of water dominates the land with a few windmills dotted along the surface. There are old and broken down boats being held up by rusted cables, and the tops of what you assume to be roofs peek out through the water. You guess the stories of the sunken village are true, then. You only hope the parts of a sea monster having taken refuge in the water isn’t quite as true.

Silvia hurriedly pulls you closer to the water. It’s murky and there’s sludge everywhere. It would be horrible if you fell in, your clothes would be ruined, you’re sure of it. Hundreds of lilypads dot the surface and insects of all sorts buzz around. But Silvia looks delighted to be here. Her eyes are wide and her mouth hangs open in awe of the wide open space. You pull her a little closer to you in hopes to keep her from outright jumping into the lake. She turns to you very quickly.

“Ligeia, we need to go explore! Imagine all the cool things we could find, all the proof we could bring back to show we got here and survived! We could become legends with the other kids.” Her eyes almost look like they have tiny stars in them as the last lights of the sun reflects off her brown irises. You’re not sure that’s such a good idea. It’s getting dark out very quickly. The area looks dead to active life, but if either of you were to fall into the water, it could end terribly. Not to mention the trek back to the village.

You shake your head. “Silvia we really need to start heading back, the sunlight is almost gone.” Your words don’t seem to deter the girl however, as she is very quick to argue.

“I know the way back, trust me. The path was very clear and as long as we’re quiet, nothing will bother us. Please, just let's go to one of the windmills. Please?” She seems very confident in her ability to pathfind back to the village. She is also incredibly persistent in wanting to visit one of the windmills. You sigh and nod to her. You really want to go back but you’re certain you won’t be able to convince the other girl and you refuse to leave her by herself out here.

Silvia is giddy with joy as she walks the both of you around the edge of the huge body of water until you find a very sketchy wooden walkway floating above the water. You absolutely do not want to walk on it, but Silvia presses on either way. The first step on the platform sends ripples spreading across the surface of the water and the wood creaks under your weight, but it doesn’t give out. Each step becomes more and more certain and you’re able to walk normally with the sway of the drifting wood.

Silvia bounces with joy as you both cross the walkway and come onto the first platform of many. It’s a wooden platform again, almost everything is made of wood you realize. How it hasn’t rotted away, you don’t know. It’s built into the roof of a submerged house, as the chimney from below shoots out of the middle like a support beam stuck in the ground. The platform swishes and sways with the waves of the water. Aside from the walkways creaking every step, you both are able to make it to the first windmill with no trouble.

The building is standing. Just barely. The blades that are high above the both of you turn slowly but surely, with no intention of stopping from what you can tell. The inside of the building isn’t much better. There is no furniture, just a wide empty room with support beams holding up the higher floor and a doorway on the opposite side. There is a broken stairway on the left with a bright yellow ladder that is extremely rusted bolted into the side right next to it. Silvia eagerly moves towards it but you speak up before she can start her ascent.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea Silvia, it doesn’t look like it’s been used in years. What if it breaks and you fall?” She thinks about it for a second before smiling at you.

“It’ll be fine,” she says so easily it’s almost scary, “look.” She finishes her walk to the ladder and gives it a hard pull. The metal moans but doesn’t give way at all. Surprising. She then begins to climb it. It’s loud, loudest you’ve been for the past hours, but it doesn’t break. She looks down at you from the hole in the upper floor. “Come on Ligeia, come see the view with me!” You tentatively touch the ladder and nothing happens, so you put your weight on it and begin to climb. It creaks and moans with every step up, but it holds nonetheless as you make your way to the upper floor.

You think it may be worth it once you’re finally at the top. There’s a door leading to an open balcony and Silvia stands out there basking in the final rays of the sunshine. The sun peeks ever so slightly over the mountain for a few moments before leaving your sight, a cool breeze from the windmill above you caresses your skin. You both sit there for a few more moments in silence as the final lights of the day retreat into the dark night.

You eventually poke at Silvia to signal that it’s time to go. You really want to get off the water. The sinking feeling in your gut never left and it’s starting to get worse. She begrudgingly agrees, as the night air is much cooler and neither of you brought a jacket. Stupid, the both of you. You both walk back inside, you go down the ladder first, eager to get off the second floor. As Silvia is coming down the ladder though, a rung snaps off and she falls to the floor and hits it hard with a loud thump.

She yells out in pain and the loud noise startles you just as much as her falling did. You are able to pull her to her feet and she’s able to stand by herself, but she’s cursing up a storm. “Stupid fucking ladder, why couldn’t you just hold for one more second-” the platform the windmill is on gets rocked to the side and you’re both sent flying to the floor. In a state of utter confusion, you’re not sure what just happened, you stumble to your feet and pull Silvia up once again.

You want to get out of here already. It’s cold, your shoulder hurts from hitting the ground and Silvia is pissed. It’s never good when Silvia is angry. As you both make it to the doorway, the platform rocks again. This time you’re able to catch yourself on the door frame but you’re getting worried now. What the hell is moving the platform? Almost as if it’s on queue, the platform rocks again. You need to get out of here now. You grab Silvia by her arm and rush out the door and onto the floating wooden walkway.

You’re able to get to the first platform with little to no issue, and you stop for a moment to catch your breath. Silvia leans against the broken down chimney and stares off into the water. After a moment she tugs on your shoulder and points off into the water. “What is that?” Her whisper is low and terrified. A large dark shape is wading through the top of the water off near where the windmill is. The urgency is put back into you as your heart starts hammering in your chest. You NEED to get off the water, right the hell now.

You take hold of Silvia again and start walking towards the walkway to leave. “Silvia, we need to get off the water fast.” As soon as you take a step onto the walkway, the large shape starts getting bigger. It’s coming in this direction. Your steps get hurried. The sway of the wood sends out ripples more frequently. You miss a step. The last thing you hear before water clogs your ears is Silvia screaming your name.

The water is cold. Ice cold. You… you don’t know how to swim. Coming out here was a stupid mistake. Silvia’s words from earlier cross your mind. Stupider people than us have done this. Stupider people still knew how to swim, you think bitterly. You’re going to drown and you don’t know if Silvia will make it back okay. This is not good. You flail your arms in every direction, but it’s so dark that you don’t even know which way is up. Then a moment later you see light.

Not a natural light. A glow. In the water. It becomes more evident the closer it gets what it is. Tens of glowing orange eyes light up the water as the shape from earlier swims closer and closer to where you’re stranded in the water. As it gets closer and the hulking mass of flesh becomes clearer and clearer, it’s easy to see what’s going to happen to you. It’s easily big enough to swallow five of you whole. You’re going to be eaten by a sea monster. A wave of peace, or maybe terror, falls over you before your end. Your heart stutters to a stop and you can only hope that Silvia made it to land in one piece as the bright orange glow engulfs you. You feel pain. Unbearable pain, but your lungs were already filled with water and you had no air to scream with.

XXX

Notes:

HAHA. I present to you the longest chapter yet, to make up for the last couple being below 1k words. Siting at just over 2k words, this might be my personal favorite so far. It's the first time I've written a character dying and I'm happy with what I've done.
As always, feedback is welcome and appreciated!

Chapter 12: Day 12 - "Does This Help You?"

Summary:

Lady Beneviento helps a maid come down from a panic attack.

Notes:

!!Trigger warnings for: Child Abuse, Panic Attacks.!!
Enjoy the read!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 12 - “Does This Help You?”

You’re having a panic attack. You’re in the kitchen. Miss Angie said something and it triggered a memory from your childhood. Now you’re panicking. It’s irrational, you know it is. He is long gone and can’t hurt you anymore. So why are you panicking? Why does it still feel like his hands are closing around your throat? Why can’t you breathe?

A hand grasps yours. It’s inhumanly cold, but doesn’t feel like the porcelain that Miss Angie is made of. Who could it be then? Lady Beneviento stands beside you. Her signature veil covers her face. Just the sight of her almost causes you to jump. The Lady is so quiet that you didn’t hear her come up to you. The sound of your heart thumping in your ears definitely isn’t helping you there.

Her hand is holding yours tightly. The Lady doesn’t like touch, you know this for a fact as Miss Angie screams about it whenever you’re close. But she’s holding your hand right now. A breath of air puffs out from behind the Ladies’ veil, pushing it slightly away from her face. Your hand gets warmer. The thumping in your ears let’s up ever so slightly. A moment later, a whisper so quiet you’re not sure it was real, comes from the woman in front of you.

“Does this help you?” It’s raspy. It’s low. It sounds like it may have hurt to say. The Lady doesn’t speak at all, ever. She hasn’t spoken to you once in the few months you’ve been serving her, preferring to use Miss Angie as her mouthpiece. But she just spoke to you. She asked you a question and you’re just staring at her like a fool. You stammer out a response before she can move away.

“Y-yes, yes my Lady. Thank you. I am sorry for the inconvenience.” Your breath is coming back to you. Your heart is calming. She gives your hand a hard squeeze. Your heart is picking back up for a new reason and you can feel the blush creeping onto your cheeks. The Lady nods and pulls you over to a seat at the island counter. A cup of tea sits in front of the place, freshly prepared. You didn’t make it. Lady Beneviento motions to it, a silent demand for you to drink it. You obey willingly. It’s hot, almost too hot, but it’s made to your exact liking.

Your nerves slowly die down and after a few sips it’s like nothing happened at all. The Lady gives your hand another gentle squeeze before releasing it and slowly gliding out of the kitchen without a word. You stare at the archway long after she’s left your line of sight.

A few moments later, Miss Angie comes running back into the room. She climbs up onto a stool right next to yours and stares at you. After a second or two her shrill voice breaks the silence of the house. “What happened?!” You don’t know how to answer her, truth be told. You’re too busy thinking about how the Ladies’ hand felt in yours.

Notes:

Another short one, apologies. Work SUCKS. But at least we have fictional wifey to help the day go by!
Once again, feedback is greatly appreciated and welcome!

Chapter 13: Day 13 - "It's A Balance."

Summary:

Some Daniela and Reader talking and perhaps some buildup for future things.

Notes:

Heya! Switching the word count goal for chapters moving forward to at least 500 instead of my previous 1,000 word goal because burnout was starting to hit me a little. Hope you enjoy the reads!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 13 - “It’s A Balance.”

“How do you manage a relationship with her?” The question came from the other woman sitting across from you in the Dimitrescu castle. Lady Daniela, the youngest of the Dimitrescu family, came out of seemingly nowhere. But you know better than that. You work very closely with Miranda, so of course you know of the daughters’ ability to morph into a flesh eating swarm of flies. The question was random and completely out of the blue, but also a question that aligns perfectly with her personality. She’s a romantic through and through, whenever she’s not in a state of psychosis, that is.

You look at her from across the table. Her face is clear of any of the usual bloodstains, her eyes hold a little spark in them as she meets your gaze. She’s eagerly awaiting an answer. You decide to play stupid in hopes it will get the girl to go bother someone else. “How do you mean, Daniela?” She pouts at you for a moment before crossing her arms and speaking again.

“You know exactly what I mean! You both may try and hide it, but I know you two are together in more than just the work aspect. So, how does that work out? I’m simply curious.” So she’s confident she knows the truth. She’s right of course, but how she knows is a question for sure. You’ll humor the girl for the moment, truth would get out eventually anyway.

“It’s a balance.” The sentence comes out and you look back down to the book in your hand. You can still feel her eyes on you, so you continue. “Work is very important to her, she’s a very intelligent woman. But she occasionally needs the more human parts of life. I’m there to help her in both regards.” By the time you’re finished speaking you can hear the buzzing of flies around you. You’re not scared a bit by the creatures, the girl knows if any harm comes to you that there would be a reckoning.

After some time of silence, the buzzing fades and you look up to see the girl is gone from the room and you’re alone once again. Seems she just wanted the single answer. Smart of her not to dig too deep. Some things you can’t answer, and if she had asked too many questions then you would have had to tell Miranda. It’s better if she doesn’t need to get involved, she’s already busy with too many things. Hell, just now the entire reason you were even in the castle at the moment was because she was having a meeting with Alcina about the encroaching danger of outside influences in the valley.

It would seem the BSAA is coming to find you finally. That’s dangerous for everyone involved. Miranda had done a decent enough job all this time hiding the valley away from curious gazes but it wouldn’t last forever sadly. You were hoping it would happen later rather than sooner though. This urgency does throw a small wrench into things unfortunately. The two of you would have to go to the factory to speak with Karla later in the day to get her up to speed on things as well.

Notes:

BSAA influence incoming...?

Chapter 14: Day 14 - "Do We Have A Plan?"

Summary:

Continuation of yesterday's chapter!

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 14 - “Do We Have A Plan?”

“Do we have a plan?” The voice is rough and harsh, exactly like the person who owns it. Karla stands on the opposite side of the table, looking down at the large map laid out on it. The map shows the entire village, each of the Lords’ territories and the surrounding areas. Some lesser traveled places are circled and random notes are pinned to the surface. You look up from your place off to the sides. Miranda dressed in her full cult leader getup stands straight and unchallenged staring down at the surface. Karla stands opposite her, dark sunglasses hanging from the bridge of her nose and pepper gray hair dangling freely down to her shoulders.

Miranda looks up into the other woman' s eyes after a few moments. Her voice is strict and has an edge to it that she doesn’t always use. She wants this to be taken incredibly seriously. “I will increase Lycan patrols in these areas,” she points to some circled areas around the village without looking down to the map, ”you will build signal jammers in these areas.” She runs a line around the outskirts of the village and some seemingly random spots around the Lords’ territories.

You’re writing everything down, as is your job at the moment when Miranda calls your name. “What are the odds of a frontal assault and what timeline do we have?” She’s asking you because you defected from the BSAA. You have the most knowledge out of anyone in the village of how they operate.

You are curt and to the point. “They will likely do reconnaissance for two months at the minimum. A frontal assault is not something they would usually do, but for something of this size, I wouldn’t put the option all the way off the table. I give it lower odds than a silent approach to take out high priority targets. They will scout out any weaknesses in defence and in personnel and take absolute advantage in them.” You take a breath and conclude your strategy assessment.

Miranda nods her head in acceptance of your explanation. Karla doesn’t seem too pleased however. “So they’re gonna fucking watch us for two months? Why don’t we just go out and kill them? If they’re doing recon it’s going to be small teams, I’d wager ten people at the most, why not just allow us to go and get rid of them?”

Miranda is silent for a moment. She looks at you again. “Are the size estimates correct?” Her piercing blue eyes bore into your own but your voice comes out confident.

“They usually send in teams of four to eight people for small missions, yes.” Your answer pleases her as a grim smile finds its way to her face.

“You may just get your wish, Heisenberg. I’ll be on the watch for any would-be intruders. Be ready to capture as many alive as possible.” Her voice is ice cold, her disdain for the opposition is clear as day. You feel the same way and it would seem Karla does as well. This is sure to be interesting.

Notes:

I don't know if I'm gonna continue this BSAA line of writing because I would genuinely prefer not to include them in this lol but idk yet we'll see.

Chapter 15: Day 15 - "It's Rather Complicated."

Summary:

Some Donna/Reader gardening time and worldbuiling.

Notes:

No dialogue in this chapter, just some worldbuilding that I wanted to write. Would have loved to maybe write a bit more for it but I am tired and need to get sleep for work later today lol.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 15 - “It’s Rather Complicated.”

You’re in the greenhouse with Donna. It’s a larger building on the backside of the Beneviento manor. The view of the cliffside and the waterfall just behind the home makes for some beautiful scenery to contend with, but the inside of the glass structure puts up an amazing attempt at winning that non-existent contest. The building is littered top to bottom and all across the ground in plants of various types and sizes. You’re told that there are plants from all over the world in this garden, and you believe it.

You’re not in the greenhouse for idle time and appreciation however. Donna is starting to trust you just a little more recently and this is something that she wanted to show. A portion of the glass building is set aside for seedlings, baby plants that need to be nurtured before being planted in the harsh outdoors of Romania. Many of these plants are the pale yellow flowers planted around the estate. These are the flowers she takes you too.

She shows you how to tell when they’re mature enough to be moved and when they should be left alone for more time. She shows you just how to remove them from their home in the dirt without harming the plant, how to keep the roots and flowers from getting damaged. She stresses the importance of this, how the plant needs to stay healthy in order for it to continue living, and if it takes any damage in this moving phase then it should be considered dead.

You know how important it is, even if she doesn’t outright tell you herself. You know that all the Lords’ have special… abilities. The flowers are a huge part of Donna’s power. You know it from experience, though you didn’t know what caused it at the time. The pollen released by the flower causes hallucinations in those that breathe it in. Donna has precise control over those hallucinations. When you found out, you asked her what it was like and how it worked. Her response was a simple “It’s rather complicated” and you were given no more since.

After some hours of plantwork on your knees, Donna shows you how they need to be stored. There’s a special cooler that Donna keeps the plants in after they’ve been uprooted and await replanting that you just can’t quite grasp the technology of. It keeps the plants refrigerated essentially, and that’s all you need to understand.

You know that Mother Miranda had a special meeting with Donna a few days earlier, though you have no idea what for, and that the plants need to be moved for a reason concerning that meeting. Donna has a map of the village and the surrounding forests laid out across a dining table inside with specific plots of land that need the flowers planted on. She told you that that’s what the two of you would be working on for the foreseeable future and that was perfectly fine by you. More time spent with and getting to know your Lady. More time spent cracking the hard armor the veiled woman has put up all around herself.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed, feedback is appreciated!

Chapter 16: Day 16 - "I Will Never Forget This."

Summary:

Some moon gazing.

Notes:

THIS UPLOAD IS LATE AAAAAAA
Struggled with an idea for this one but I got it in the end lol
Enjoy the read!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 16 - “I Will Never Forget This.”

The night is dark and cool. The moon is high in the air and the stars shine brightly through the almost invisible clouds. The forest is thick, dark and foreboding as the trees sway slightly all around you. You should not be out here this late, you know that. The danger is clear as wolves and creatures resembling wolves howl far off in the distance. The sounds send a shiver down your spine and you quicken your pace through the leaves.

You don’t actually have any real reason for being out here aside from wanting to watch the stars and not be bothered by anyone else in the village. The others could get… annoying, at times. They worried too much for your liking. You understood why, but you were an adult and knew just like everyone else just what dangers lurked in the shadows. But you also knew the beauty that hid itself in the dark hours of the night.

Some ways into the woods along the south western side of the village, there was a clearing with a slight hill in the middle. That’s where you were headed. The hill rose to about the top of the surrounding trees, which were luckily shorter than the majority, and gave a beautiful view of the starry night sky. You wanted to see that view.

After a short trek, you reach your destination. The clearing is void of any life thankfully and you make your way to the top of the hill. The view is everything you wanted that night. The moon is high in the sky and shines almost as brightly as the sun it feels. The stars are like tiny diamonds against the blackness that is the night sky. The wispy strands that are the clouds drift along without a care in the world.

“I will never forget this.” The words spill from your mouth in a reverent whisper. You were set up to start working at the castle next week. You know what that means, everyone does. You were handpicked by the Lady herself. You were going to spend the rest of your life, however long you lasted, in that damn castle. You wouldn’t get to have this view again, so you were going to remember it.

You have no idea how long you sat on the hill, just watching the moon drift by. Eventually your eyes grew heavy and you started the trek back through the woods to your home. Howls were present, but you were not accosted by any Lycans fortunately. You made it home safe and sound. The house was empty. It had been for the past few months. You make your way upstairs and flop down onto the soft bedding. The moon shines through your window and you sleep peacefully.

Notes:

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter 17: Day 17 - "You're Not Alone."

Summary:

A villager that's not got too much time left in this world.

Notes:

TW for Canon Typical Violence!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 17 - “You’re Not Alone.”

The house is quiet, it has been for hours now. You’re afraid to move. The howls had encompassed the entire village. The screams, Black God, the screams. They’ve long since died out but you can still feel them in your bones. The Lycans made their way into the village and it was a slaughter. You made it back inside and luckily, or unluckily, you weren’t followed. Your breathing evened out about an hour ago but you still haven’t moved from your spot under your bed.You had no means of protecting yourself and you were afraid any sound at all would alert the beastmen of your presence. They’d surely break down your walls just trying to get in.

The wind howls outside as the light slowly dims. After hours, the window above your bed creaks open slowly. The wind grows in volume and you resist shifting your hands to cover your ears. Your bed creaks from the weight put on it a moment later, the mattress nearly squashes your back. The weight doesn’t let up, almost as if whatever or whoever is sitting on your bed. Your suspicions are confirmed when a pair of feet wearing dark black shoes plants themselves on the wooden floor right in front of your face. A dark voice bounces off the walls of your mind a second later. “You’re not alone,” the voice soothes. It doesn’t feel right.

It’s almost as if the voice is meant to make you feel safe when you obviously were nowhere close to being so. The feet slowly start tapping to a rhythm that’s unknown to you. Then a whistle is added to the tune. A sharp and abrupt noise that contrasts harshly with the low thumping of the wood. Wings flap in the room and a crow lands on the ground next to the feet, its dark beady eyes staring straight into your own. You nearly scream. Nearly, but you know that if you did, it would be a death sentence.

It caws in your face and flaps its wings at you. A hand reaches down from above you to pet at the bird. The fingers are slender and pale and the crow pushes its head into them like it craves the touch. The hand flattens out and the bird hops onto it as it’s raised out of your view. The person sitting above you speaks and you go pale at the sound of her low voice.

“The quicker you accept that you’re going to die, the quicker you’ll find peace, little bird.” It’s Mother Miranda. The protector of the village, Mother Miranda. Priestess of the Black God, Mother Miranda. What is she talking about? Why would she want you to accept that you’re going to die? Why… She must have chosen to let the Lycans in. There’s no other way they would’ve been able to attack in plain daylight. She must have. Everyone is dead and gone, soon you’ll join them you assume, because of the woman you thought was your protector since you were a little girl.

Almost as soon as the acceptance of that fact comes over you, a harsh pain in your shoulder causes you to scream out. You can’t move your head to look so you scramble out from under the bed. Every movement hurts but you manage to make it out. The woman is gone. The window is still wide open. You look at your shoulder in the mirror across your room. It’s bleeding. It’s bleeding a lot. There’s a dark red splash of your own blood oozing out of it. A howl echoes from outside your window and you know then, you are not alone and you are going to die today.

Notes:

A new AU where the village gets evaporated, hope you enjoyed!

Chapter 18: Day 18 - "I Think I See It."

Summary:

Our first Factory chapter.

Notes:

I feel like this one could have easily been fleshed out some more but it's almost 8am and I need to sleep for work later lmao. Enjoy!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 18 - “I Think I See It.”

The factory was a damn maze within a maze that was constantly having its layout changed around. That’s what it felt like to you, at least. The hallways always looked different, the contents of rooms would seemingly change at random and stairways would just appear in places that you swore didn’t have one the day before. You were currently trying to make your way to the random offshoot room that Heisenberg chose for today’s work. The woman was a tinkerer, she was always working on something and her interests in projects changed like the seconds ticked by.

You know you’re late, but you eventually find the woman bent over a worktable in the middle of a room that you know was a storage room yesterday. Her peppered hair is up in a knot on her head and she’s wearing a long sleeved white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. You have no doubt that the front of it is already dirty. Her hat and trench coat lay on a table up against the wall. When you enter the room, she looks up from the heap of metal and wires on the table to look at you, her dark sunglasses hang on the tip of her nose as she levels you with a blank stare bordering on glare.

“You’re late, darlin’.” She looks down at the old watch on her wrist. “By about fifteen minutes at that. How long is it going to take for you to learn the layout? Do you need a map or something?” She raises an eyebrow at you and you sigh. You don’t think you’ll ever truly learn the layout, but you refuse to let the smug woman provide you with a map of the factory. The ammo that would give her would never run out, you’re afraid. You shake your head and move to the table the older woman is standing at.

“I do not need a map. And I wasn’t lost, I just lost track of time.” A true lie and you’re sure the other woman knows it, but she doesn’t argue. You don’t think she cares, truly. “What are we working on today?” The mess on the table makes no sense to you at all. It’s just a bunch of metal and wires from what you can tell. That’s all everything is whenever you start helping the woman, but it eventually turns into something that she finds useful.

Heisenberg moves some things out of the way to find an incredibly crude blueprint buried under the mass of metal. She hands it to you and then moves towards a storage drawer across the room. The blueprint is one that you’ve seen before, one that you’ve used multiple times now, but the pieces don’t fit the ones you’ve used before. You’re building more motors. You swear that the woman is mad and obsessed with them. You’ve built so many of them you’ve lost count. She comes back to the table with a bunch of tools in hand and drops them all on the table. She’s stupidly disorganized. She gets to work without any words being spoken and you fall into step beside her, passing any tools that she requests.

You go to pass Heisenberg a screw and completely miss her hand. It falls and hits the floor with a clink and rolls under the table. You sigh and get down on your knees to try and find it. Under the table is dark and you can’t see anything. A flashlight floats its way down to give you some light. You’re still not incredibly used to the ability that the Lady has. She can move metal without touching it. Why didn’t she just grab the screw before it fell? You roll your eyes at the thought. The light glints off of something and you reach for it.

“I think I see it.” You have to lean in a way that you can’t properly see where you’re reaching, but after some fumbling, the cold metal makes contact with your hand. You grab it and sit up on your knees, thrusting the screw in the air. Looking up, Heisenberg is just staring down at you with a smirk on her face.

“Have fun down there?” The smile is wiped off your face as you grumble and stand back up. Stupid Lord and her stupid powers making you look like a fool. The rest of the building goes as smoothly as Heisenberg lets it, there’s some teasing from the woman but nothing harmful. The afternoon passes like that, easy and boring work with one of the most powerful people in the village.

Notes:

Feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter 19: Day 19 - "Yes, I Missed This."

Summary:

Back to Briana from the first couple chapters! This time with a time skip!

Notes:

I do actually love writing Briana and Bela.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Day 19 - “Yes, I Missed This.”

It’s been some months now. It took a lot of getting used to, but you took every hit thrown your way. Lady Bela does a lot of paperwork, and you have to deliver and acquire texts and documents for her. Not a hard thing to do by any means considering what else you could be assigned to do, but finding the documents was the issue. The cabinets that the Ladies’ kept things in were dreadfully unorganized you found out rather quickly. The libraries were much the same. You don’t know the amount of hours you spent trying to track down one paper for Lady Bela. However, eventually throughout the first couple months, you were able to internally organize it yourself since you were the main person dealing with it.

You found out a lot of things in this time, many of them you could very well do with forgetting. Things like how the wine that the Ladies’ drink is made from maidens blood, you thought the name of the wine was ironic, not literal. That was how you found out that every maid who has ever worked for the Dimitrescu family was a virgin. That’s how you found out where all the maids who make mistakes go. Lady Bela dealt with many of the letters sent out to families and the compensation agreed upon in their contracts. You now dealt with it as well. A couple of the maids that had started alongside you were no longer here and that made you feel something that you couldn’t quite put a name on.

But Spring time was now in full effect. The bitter chill of Romanian winter was gone, birds were chirping their morning singsongs and the sun shone brightly in the clear sky. This meant that the Ladies’ would be less irritable. That meant the possibility of less death. That was a good thing. You survived the winter. You wonder if Lady Bela hadn’t taken you as her handmaiden if you would have survived, if you would have made a mistake in front of Lady Cassandra. You think you might have. Lady Cassandra may have even tried to get you to make a mistake from what you’ve seen her do.

A voice that you’ve grown very used to over the past few months reaches your ears. “Come, Briana.” A simple command that snaps you out of your thoughts. You stood near a side entrance to the castle waiting for Lady Bela to arrive. She had told you that she wanted to take a walk today, she hadn’t taken one since the beginning of Autumn and wanted to change that today as she had no paperwork left to do. You rush over and hold the door for your Lady as she steps outside into the bright sun.

She’s still wearing the signature black dress, long dark cape with the hood and gloves that closed around her entire arm, but her usual dark heels were replaced with boots that you would usually see on a person getting ready for a hike. As the sun hits her, she takes the hood down and the light nearly reflects off her pristine blonde hair. She raises her head up to face directly towards the large light in the sky and a small smile grows on her face. A smile that you haven’t seen too much. A smile that she never allows on her face in public areas such as this.

You walk over to where she’s standing and the warm sun hits you as well and you think that you understand what she’s feeling. After a dark and cold winter full of mistakes, blood and death, the warm day and sun on your skin almost feels like a balm for the soul. A remedy for all the suffering or a dark reward for making it through alive. A breathy sigh leaves the lips from the woman next to you and you meet her gaze as she looks to you.

“Yes, I missed this. I do hope that you’re ready to be out here plenty for the foreseeable future, Briana. Come, walk with me.” Lady Bela starts walking ahead of you and you hurry to catch up to her, walking just behind her to her right. Nothing is said for a while and you both fall into a comfortable silence while the birds chirp and fly through the air and the trees around along the grounds sway in the gentle breeze. You fall back into thought. If the Lady would like to spend more time out here, you wouldn’t be angry at all. In fact you’d prefer more time outside of the stuffy castle, more time away from the place of death and decay.

Notes:

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