Phantom of House Beneviento - RanchRacoon - Biohazard (2024)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

The carriage ride was dreadfully long and silent, you're lulled to sleep by the rhythmic stomping of horse hooves and sway of the cab. With a sudden jerk you wake and find yourself stopped, you wiped the sleep from your eyes and yawned. Leaning over you glance outside the window to see a stone statue of a woman brandishing a shield and sword. Your aunt who's sitting in front of you cleared her throat, and ushered for you to exit once the driver opened the door. You take the hand of the driver, and step out from the carriage onto the uneven cobblestone. You stretched out your legs, and bring feeling back to them while you watched, and waited for your aunt. She is a frail but prideful woman and refuses to admit help until the last possible second. Her skin hung off her bones and her wrinkles are comparable to the droopy faced hound she carries everywhere with her. A crowd formed to gawk at the new arrivals, their uncanny stares caused goosebumps over your skin. Children peek behind the legs of their parents while others climbed the statue for a better look. You ran your hands over the front of your long-sleeved, ruffle shirt to try and soothe your nerves.

At long last your aunt succeeded in exiting the carriage only to smack your hands away with her cane. She hated when you did that, and you decided it would be safer to stick your hands in your pants pockets instead. The crowd parted for you and your aunt like the red sea. She was only 5' but wore a wide-brimmed, purple hat with a lengthy feather on top and an equally purple dress which made her stick out.

Your aunt paused for only a moment when her dog relieved himself on a spot of grass that grew on the side of the path. The stone walkway turned into dirt and creepily went uphill to a gated area. At the top is a blue church with a bell tower and a gated graveyard further up. It looks to be in better condition than the rest of the homes, it's walls are a light blue with partially sun-bleached tiles for the roof. Out front on the steps is a young boy around your age plus or minus a year or two. He approached the two of you with a wide smile that showed all his teeth; he had dark-brown hair that looked as if it hadn't been washed or brushed ever in his life, and his dingy clothes were stained with various different shades of something. You scrunched up your nose when he got closer because the stench of fish burned your nostrils. He bowed respectfully to your aunt, and when she offered her hand he took it, and kissed the back of it.

"What is your name?" She asked.

"Salvatore Moreau ma'am." He responded.

"Well Mr. Moreau, you are quite the refined gentleman."

"Oh please, just Salvatore ma'am. Mr. Moreau is my father, he runs the fishing charters down at the bay." Salvatore said proudly.

That would explain the fish smell. Your aunt patted him on the cheek and continued on her way, his green eyes met with yours. His smile was not pleasant and borderline unsettling like the rest of the village, a chill ran up your spine as you tried to walk around. He stepped to the side to cut you off, and held out his hand to take yours, you glanced over his shoulder, and noticed your aunt eyeing you. You offered your hand to shake his, and quickly withdrew when he tried to kiss it like he did with your aunt's.

"What might your name be?" He asked.

"Y/N." You answered curtly.

"Beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Welcome to our village! If you need anything, and I do mean anything, stop by the bay and look for the giant green boat that has a hammerhead carved on the front. That's my charter boat, and you're welcome anytime!" He beamed.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." You replied nonchalantly.

Salvatore stepped back and tipped his invisible hat to you, and your aunt before he went on his way. Your aunt sized you up, and hummed approvingly.

"What a nice young man. I knew bringing you here was a good idea, perhaps we will find you a husband yet." She cooed.

Every muscle in your jaw flexed and tensed, you bit your tongue hard enough that it began to bleed. You walked ahead and held the church door open for her; she toddled in with her ancient dog right behind, and you in tow. The church was larger than it looked with rows of seating benches, a red aisle runner, and a podium near the front with candles lit underneath. On the far right is rows of portraits of women in almost carbon copy robes and their names etched on the frames beneath. At the podium on her knees was a similarly dressed woman, on her back was a golden rod that kept her spine straight, and at the top was a large, golden disk similar to a halo. The woman finished her words, and stood to greet you and your aunt.

The woman walked elegantly, her piercing blue eyes were like frozen ponds that could see all your sins and virtues. She had blond hair that was slicked back and held in place with a golden headband and covered in the back with a hood. She was also incredibly tall even without her halo, you craned your neck to get a better look at her. Her presence was intimidating and powerful yet welcoming with an odd aura of safety around her. Her smile was the complete opposite of Salvatore's, it was small but genuine and you couldn't help but smile back at her. A sudden calm washed over you, making you relax and unclench your muscles.

"Hello there, I am Mother Miranda, priestess of the village. You must be Sabine. Welcome." The priestess said softly.

Her voice was angelic and perfectly matched her status, even your aunt was starstruck by the other worldly existence of this woman. Mother Miranda let out a hypnotic laugh, she covered her mouth to muffle the sound and you watched her kneel down to pat your aunt's dog on the head. It wagged its bony tail against your aunt's leg which prodded her out of her trance.

"Yes hello, and thank you Mother Miranda. This is my niece Y/N, I spoke to you on the telephone about her." Your aunt finally said.

"Hello Y/N, welcome to the village. I'm dreadfully sorry to hear about your parents, I don't know if you're religious or not but I will pray for their safe journey into whatever afterlife they deserve." Mother Miranda said kindly.

"Thank you Mother Miranda, that's very kind of you." You whispered.

The death of your parents was the entire reason you were in this remote village, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded on all sides by mountains and forest. Your father was a realtor who showed expensive living spaces to the rich and elite, he would drag your mother with him because her looks could make a fish buy bottled water. Unfortunately, one construction crew had decided to cut corners and the building collapsed on them, and the people they were showing to. No one survived. You had been living with your parents at the time after being laid off, and unfortunately your aunt was in charge of their wills. She sold anything and everything she could get her hands on. The only things you were allowed to keep was whatever you could fit into your bags.

She did give you a choice though: come with her to Romania, or be dropped off at the bus station with the clothes on your back. A 25 year old woman with no money, no prospects, and nothing to her name? The choice seemed fairly obvious at the time but now you wondered if you would have been better off on your own. Your aunt suddenly started out the door, you followed her with your eyes and turned as well but stopped when you saw your bags on the porch by the door.

"Where are you going?" You asked frantically.

"I am going to go visit the young Alcina Dimitrescu. I am a huge fan of her wine and hope to meet her in person. You are staying here to work under Mother Miranda. Bye dear." She sang the last two words happily.

You'd be lying if you said you were heartbroken to see her go, but it still stung a little at how happy she was to be rid of you. A gentle hand rested on your shoulder, you looked over and saw Mother Miranda give you an encouraging smile. When she released your shoulder, you went outside to gather your bags. You slung one beige bag over your shoulder, carried a worn, leather briefcase in one hand, and in your other hand you carried a duffle bag that, at some point, had been blue but lost its color from years of use. Mother Miranda led you outside the church and toward a path past the cemetery. It was a short walk and you admired the vibrant, yellow wheat that grew on the nearby farm.

In the distance a cabin similar in style to the church came into view. Only the walls are infested with ivy and the entire roof is engulfed with moss while small speckles of blue pain protrude through. Mother Miranda pushed the door open and folded her hands inside her robe sleeves as she moved aside to allow you to enter. It was a tiny home; you stood in a living room of sorts that bled into the kitchen and dining area, and to your right were two doors. Across from you was the kitchen and through the kitchen window you saw the outhouse. Lovely view. Mother Miranda motioned toward the doors and you followed, she stood in front of the right door and tilted her head for you to enter.

You twisted the doorknob and stepped through, inside was also small with a single twin bed against the left wall, a nightstand with two drawers and a lamp, and a desk with a chair on the right wall. You walked inside further and carefully laid the duffle and shoulder bag on the ground, and the briefcase on the bed.

"I'm sure you're exhausted from your journey and I don't want to bombard you with too much information. You'll stay here for the night, and tomorrow I will escort you to the Beneviento residence where you will be permanently staying." Mother Miranda informed you.

"Thank you Mother Miranda. I appreciate it." You said softly.

She gave you another intoxicating smile that left a warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest that could only be described as comforting. Your own mother never smiled at you like that, and Mother Miranda's instantly melted all your worry and stress away.

"If you get hungry, please help yourself to the kitchen and if needed, the outhouse is around the back. I will return later this evening and be in the room next door if you need anything. Get some sleep, I will collect you at 6am sharp."

You nodded your head in understanding and your smile dropped the second she closed the door. A heavy sigh left you as you trailed your hand over the leather briefcase, it once belonged to your father and it was all you had left of him except for the one photo of your parents you managed to save. Slowly and carefully you lowered the briefcase onto the floor then kicked off your shoes. You laid down on the unused bed whose metal springs screeched loudly and sounded like the bed would cave in under your weight. You hadn't realized you fell asleep until a hand was shaking you awake and you looked up into ocean blue eyes. Mother Miranda smiled at you kindly and folded her hands inside her robe again.

"Good morning dear, I need you dressed and ready to leave in a half hour. There's some porridge on the table." Even when she was giving orders her voice was pleasant.

"Thank you Mother Miranda." You replied groggily.

Every bone in your body was stiff and popped as you stood up and stretched, that's what you get for sleeping in one position all night. You quickly tore off your travel clothes and carefully folded them into your bag then pulled out a fresh outfit to change into. When you finished, you placed your things next to the door and took a seat at the table to eat the lukewarm porridge.

Chapter 2: Angie

Chapter Text

You carried one bag over your shoulder and the other two in your hands as you tagged along behind Mother Miranda. The two of you walked down the same path past the church and through the village center; you glanced around for any sign of your aunt's carriage but saw none. A castle in the distance caught your attention, its gothic architecture was beautifully sinister as it stood over the village like its watchful protector. People who passed by would bow their heads and tip their hats to Mother Miranda, their attention never lingered on you.

Mother Miranda led you to a large, circular site with three distinct paths: one goes to the bay, one goes to the hillside, and the other is blocked by two wooden doors. The door had a golden circle with six crow's wings attached to it. A gurgling cough caught your attention, and your eyes widened at a giant man. He sat in a horse drawn carriage with the back open, a table oit front with various objects and trinkets, and dried meats hung from the doors. His blond hair was slicked to the side and thinning, his entire belly hung over his legs and he had the widest grin you had ever seen.

"Ah ha! Good morning Mother Miranda!" The man bellowed.

"Good morning Duke, how are you doing today?" She asked.

"Well as always! Could I interest you in something? I have a whole new assortment of scented candles."

"Perhaps when I return, I am escorting Y/N here to the Benviento residence." She replied.

The man looked at you and smiled again, "good to meet you Y/N, I am the Duke. Exporter of goods from all across the world so if you ever need anything please stop by."

You gave him a nod and a half smile then continued to walk behind Mother Miranda. What an oddly welcoming man. You passed through the large wooden doors, they creaked and groaned from lack of use. The path was overgrown, the tall weeds brushed against your pants and even Mother Miranda hoisted her robe to keep from catching. The morning fog covered your shoes, from a distance it looked like you and Mother Miranda were floating. She seemed completely unbothered by the various headstones you passed until the two of you approached a tall stone structure with the name 'Claudia' etched on it. There were dolls surrounding the headstone with burnt candle nubs at the foot. Mother Miranda paused and bowed her head, she said some incoherent words then knelt down and lit a still standing candle by the grave.

The wind blew the dead leaves past your feet, it whipped a few strands of hair loose that fell in front of your face. You shook it from your head and realized that Mother Miranda had started to walk away without you; you sprinted to catch up and fixed the bag on your shoulder that had started to slip. The path curved and you paused to take in the view before you, it was otherworldly. The waterfall reflected the threads of sunlight that leaked over the mountain range with the rising sun, the spray of water created a shimmering rainbow over the mansion. The mansion itself was beautiful with rustic red wood on the outside, white stone for walls, and a regal, black iron fence surrounding it. A greenhouse was hidden off to the side but looked completely abandoned and overgrown like the rest of the path.

Mother Miranda knocked on the mahogany door and waited patiently, behind it you could hear muttered words and what sounded like a lady rambling. The door swung open violently and revealed a short, older woman whose scowl was worse than your aunt's, if that was even possible. You audibly gulped as the woman looked you up and down, she had bulging brown eyes, a hunched back, her hair was as gray as dust, and she wore a white apron that seemed to consume her whole tiny body. She was thin enough that if she turned sideways she would be invisible. The woman grumbled and waddled out of the way, still mumbling under her breath.

"Hello to you too Angie." Mother Miranda said with a bite.

Mother Miranda walked in and turned to look at you, her smile continued to radiate kindness and warmth, and you wanted to melt into a puddle underneath it. It surprised you such a woman could say something remotely unkind, but it appeared this Angie woman was the exception. Angie came out from around the corner with a broom in her hand and stopped in front of you. You forced a smile toward her and set down the briefcase to hold out a hand to her.

"Hello Angie, I'm Y/N." You said kindly.

"Don't care. Come with me." She retorted.

Angie walked away and you glanced at Mother Miranda who only gave you another smile and mouthed 'good luck.' She left through the front door, now you were completely alone with a woman who you were certain was going to cut out your eyeballs. Something hit you in the back of your head and you yelped from the pain as you shot your hand to where it struck; when you looked down, there was a small wooden figurine. Angie grumbled and tapped her foot just after you looked up at her. You picked up the briefcase and hurried up the stairs, she led you to a door and hit it with the handle of the broom.

"You're room. If you need anything, get it yourself. Put your stuff away, apparently I'm supposed to show you the ropes."

"Thank you." You mumbled.

Angie huffed and waddled away toward the stairs, you sighed and pushed open the door. The room was slightly bigger than the room you stayed in last night. There was a desk next to the door, a bed in the far right corner with a nightstand, lamp, and floatong shelf next to it, and a dresser against the wall across from the bed. You placed the briefcase on top of the small desk then the other two bags on the bed, it sprung to life and a thin cloud of dust billowed up. You coughed and backed up to the window to crack it open, the refreshing air was nice but was quickly interrupted by Angie yelling at someone or something.

You briefly poked your head out to see there was a strip of land then the waterfall. Before you go through with jumping you bring your head in and sign heavily. Spinning around on your heels you make your way back downstairs. Once down there you wander aimlessly through the main area, a sitting nook, a living/office space, and back around. No sign of her.

"What are you doing?" Said Angie from behind you.

"Ah!" You screamed.

You turned around quickly, she blinked at you as you collected your heart after it burst from your chest. Angie walked away to start the guide, she showed you the entertaining room, the sitting room, literal piles of rope, and lastly a hall with an elevator. The two of you rode the elevator down, it groaned and gently swung as it descended. Your knuckles turned white from the death grip you had on the railing, this elevator and Angie were going to be the death of you. It screeched loudly and clanged to a stop, sweat beaded around your collar and the small of your back from nerves and stress. Angie smacked her hand loudly on the side, a beat later the door opened.

"To your left is the lord's office. You are not allowed to go in there under any circ*mstances." Angie warned.

For someone so tiny and old she sure moved fast, you had to fast walk to keep up with her. She pointed to another door to your right.

"Storage, and at the end of this hall to the left is the lord's workshop. You're not allowed there either."

"Why?" You asked.

"Because I'm Mother Miranda and said so." Angie sneered.

"As you wish Mother Miranda. I would never dream of disobeying you." You said sarcastically.

"Mother Miranda? Do I look like a six foot tall doll? And they say I'm crazy." She muttered.

You groaned under your breath and rolled your eyes, that was a mistake. Angie hit you in the chest with the end of her broom, you grunted and held the spot she hit.

"Roll your eyes again and I'll pluck them out." She threatened.

Knew it. You thought.

She walked through the kitchen to show you where the cooking utensils, food, spices, and anything you might need were. The door at the end of the hall was also forbidden. You peaked out from the kitchen toward the door, the lord's bedroom. When are you found to meet this lord? You glance back over your shoulder at Angie who was talking to a little porcelain doll that sat on a table in the hallway. Not your issue.

"Angie?"

"What?" She answered quickly.

"When do I meet Lord Beneviento?" You asked.

"You don't."

"What do you mean?"

"You deaf? The lord doesn't like to be disturbed. I've never seen em."

Your eyes widened, "you've never seen them? How do you know there is one then?"

"Because last I checked ghosts don't eat or wear clothes. The food is always gone and there's always dirty clothes."

You furrowed your brow at her but decided to keep your mouth shut to avoid being hit again. How could she have worked here for so long and never seen them? Certainly they would have had to come out at some point. Angie went back upstairs with you and pointed you in the direction of the supply closet, when you opened it brooms and mops fell at your feet. You groaned again at the state of the closet, the mops and brooms were disorganized, everything was shoved and thrown in there.

"Starting now, you cook, you clean, you do the laundry, get the groceries, and you don't talk back." Angie ordered.

"What will you be doing?" You asked curtly.

"Bossing you around." She laughed.

She wasn't joking when she said she would boss you around because that's exactly what she did. Day one she had you scrub the floors on your hands and knees until both were red, swollen, and raw. She would hit you with that damned broom anytime you got snarky or rolled your eyes. You kept telling yourself this was better than being on the street, at least you have a roof over your head. You wondered what would happen if Angie and your aunt ever met. They would eat each other alive, or become best friends who would team up on you.

You stood from your knelt position and leaned back to pop your back. A bell dinged in the main room, you glanced toward the sound then Angie as she pointed to the elevator.

"Dinner time. Workshop." She ordered.

"How do you know?"

"You ask a lot of questions. Ugh. Each bell has a distinct ring, when you've been here long enough you know which ding and ring is which." She answered.

The elevator clanged to a stop and you both stood there, Angie groaned and cleared her throat as she waved her hands in front of her. You banged the wall and the door slid open, she hummed while she walked into the kitchen and pulled out pots and pans. You attempted to follow along with what she was making but she merely smacked your hands away so you decided to stand off to the side. Angie ended up making..something. It had food in it but it certainly didn't look like food, and now you felt bad for the lord. Maybe they are a ghost? Perhaps they died after consuming whatever it is that Angie made.

It took a minute but you found your way to the workshop, you knelt down and set the tray down by the door. Curiously you looked up at the door then over both shoulders before you leaned into the door with your ear pressed on it. There wasn't a sound, you thought you heard footsteps but they were so light it was hard to tell. You sighed softly and knocked on the door before standing to return to the kitchen.

Chapter 3: No Return

Chapter Text

The exhaustion from the past week couldn't compare to anything you had experienced. Muscles you didn't know existed ached, you couldn’t even wash your hair properly because of how badly your arms hurt. The skin on your knuckles was raq with dried blood in a few of the cracks. How a woman three times your age could do this for so long was beyond you. Today however is laundry day, which means a whole lot of washing by hand but also a lot of down time. The laundry has to be hung inside because the mist from the waterfall will keep them wet, but it takes longer which means you got to relax more.

While you do so, Angie made herself scarce and you dallied around on the main floor for something to do. There's a few book shelves that you rummaged through but none caught your fancy. You took another pass, and lowered your standards until you decided on one. The sun had begun to set when you finished your reading and made your way to the back room. It gets the most sunlight compared to the rest of the house.

It feels like a greenhouse, with the ceiling and walls made from glass with tile flooring. Tight ropes lined the room from wall to wall with clothing hung from each one. You grabbed the last article of clothing from the clothes line; a luxurious, red, suit jacket that was softer than any material you've ever felt. All the clothes were oddly slim, you would have thought that someone who stayed inside all the time would be the size of the duke but, these clothes looked like they could fit you easily. They must be a twig, an insanely tall twig, but a twig none-the-less. Must be something in the water that makes everyone so tall.

You folded each article of clothing and divided them by ownership which was exceptionally easy. Angie does her own laundry, and your clothes are thrift store fancy at best. Meanwhile the lord's belonged on the runway of Paris, or on a magazine cover. You dropped off the basket of clothes in front of the lord's bedroom then excused yourself for the evening.

Sundays were your day off according to Angie, apparently the lord is gone all day doing whatever lords do and would return in the evening for dinner. It was also the day you went grocery shopping for the week, and Angie was going to let you pick out ingredients. This was your chance, if you could make something actually edible for the lord, maybe he'll come out to thank you. Or at least expose Angie to something other than whatever concoction she did make.

The next morning while you dressed you couldn't help but think how this lord managed to move around the manor without you or Angie noticing. There must be secret tunnels or something that they traveled through, because there was no way they could move from the workshop to their bedroom without cutting through the kitchen. On Friday you served lunch to the workshop, spent the entire day in the kitchen cleaning then the bell for their bedroom rang. It was impossible. Unless you're more oblivious than you thought. You grumbled under your breath then stopped dead in your tracks and shook your head. Great. Now you were acting like that deranged woman.

You hurried downstairs and to the kitchen as fast as you could to avoid Angie, in the kitchen you didn't see anyone and grabbed a bowl of leftover mush. It tasted like vomit but it was all you had, for now. You hadn't been this excited for something as mundane as grocery shopping since, ever. You leaned against the counter and a sudden clang against it made you jump. Looking over you saw Angie who dropped a bag of lei next to you.

"Is that my pay?" You asked.

"No, it's to buy food." She snapped.

"So, when do I get paid for all this work?"

She cackled, "what do you need to be paid for? You have a room, and food. What more do you need? A vacation? Ha."

She had a point, where would you go if you did have money? Could go back home and couch surf, get a steady 12 hour job and work 5 days a week. Plus weekends. You decided to remain quiet and finished your meal. After you finished you washed your dishes, dried them, then put them away. Angie left you in the kitchen while you found a basket and blanket to hold the food, when she returned she was wrapping a shawl over her shoulders.

"I'll be going with you to the village to visit my girls. You'll be on your own so don't do anything stupid. Remember, you now represent Lord Beneviento which is nothing to snuff at. Anything you do is a reflection of them."

"Girls? You have daughters?" You asked surprised.

"No, they're Lady Dimitrescu's daughters but I visit them every Sunday so they're practically my girls too." She replied.

You nodded in acknowledgment as the two of you rode the elevator up then passed through the front doors. Angie hummed to herself the entire walk and you hugged yourself as the wind blew past you, it carried the crisp bite of fall with it. The thin jacket you wore wasn't enough to keep the cold out, you would need something thicker to survive the winter. Angie continued to hum until she crossed over the grave of Claudia. She stopped walking and humming, her stare moved to it for a moment. You watched her watch the gravesite until she relit the candle and covered it with a glass dome so it wouldn't blow out again.

"Angie?" You asked softly.

"Hm?" She answered.

"Who was Claudia?"

Angie stayed silent for a long time before she started to walk away from you, she sighed heavily and the wetness of tears appeared in her eyes.

"I suppose you should know. Claudia was the lord's mother. She died from a horrific disease, but she was the kindest woman you've ever met. Her husband though, the late Lord Beneviento was a dark man, the definition of evil. Rumor has it he's the reason the lord doesn't come out. I started working there very shortly after the mother's death. Poor dear must have just been a child then." She replied sadly.

You sighed softly as you thought about it, all this time they've been completely alone with no one but Angie as company. It made you think back to your mother, and whenever you were upset she would cook you something, but now you also understood not having that comfort. The rest of the journey was silent, with only the wind and the brush of the weeds as company. The village came into view and Angie wiped her tears away as she looked back at you.

"This is where I leave you. Be back at the manor by 6pm sharp for dinner."

"Yes ma'am."

You watched her waddle toward the village center where three, tall, gorgeous women waited for her. One brunette, one ginger, and one blond. They looked exactly the same aside from the hair color, and microscopic differences in their facial structure. They even wore the same black cloaks with black roses pinned on the upper left of their collarbone. If they looked like that, their mother must be a goddess on Earth.

Angie opened her arms wide as the three women swarmed her in hugs and giggles then walked with her out of sight. Not a single glance your way. A thought occurred in your head, a meal you used to love growing up and always made you feel better but there was one, little, issue: it required fish. That'll be the last thing you get. It didn't take long to acquire the rest of the ingredients: rice, ginger, cucumber, soy sauce, garlic, and other seasonings. All of it fresh and handmade or grown locally. However, now that you're finished that meant you had to do the inevitable.

You groaned under your breath and followed the signs that pointed to the bay, with your head on a swivel. Ironically you loved this meal but hated the smell of fish. You scrunched your nose as you got closer, merchants yelled for attention trying to sell their latest catch of fish, crabs, and other shellfish.

A woman caught your attention, she wore a simple brown gown with a red apron that used to be white. She had freshly caught and gutted salmon which was exactly what you needed. You approached her and asked for three filets, while you waited you glanced around the dock to watch the fishers pass you by. Just as the woman was about to wrap the fish in paper your skin prickled with goosebumps and you felt as though someone was watching you, you glanced around again to see if you could make them out.

"Y/N!"

No.... You thought.

Salvatore appeared from around the corner with that creepy grin that you were certain he thought was genuine. His hair was neater today, it was combed to one side and he had on a green button up with slick overalls that had the boots attached. He walked up to you and attempted to hug you but you quickly side stepped to avoid it. You didn't like to be touched in general, and definitely not by men. He pretended to look hurt but quickly changed it back to a smile.

"What brings you down here? Come to get some fish?" He asked excitedly.

"No, I came down here to see what fruits and vegetables I could find." You replied sarcastically.

He laughed louder than you would have liked, the woman motioned for you to take the fish; you took it and paid her the lei then wrapped the fish in the covering to keep it from leaking. You had hoped Salvatore would take that as his cue to leave, but he remained standing there. You strained your head to look behind him so any opening to escape.

"Well, since you're here, would you like to see my boat?" He offered.

"I can't, I'm afraid I need to get this fish on ice and be back at the manor before...2pm." You lied.

"Then, how about I accompany you?" He asked.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't want to get distracted nor keep you from your duties. Have a good day." You replied as nicely as you could muster.

You tried to step around to walk away but he continued to walk next to you. He slipped his hands into his overall pockets, while strutting proudly.

"Nonsense, Sundays are my day off because my dad is gone all day in meetings with Mother Miranda."

You perked your head up. If his father was in the meeting, then he was with lord Beneviento. Maybe you could do some fishing of your own.

"Is that so? So your father is a lord too?" You asked curiously.

Salvatore smirked, "yeah. There are four lords around here that run the village like a city council. They make the judgment for any crimes, how to spend taxes, all that boring stuff." He sniffed and puffed out his chest, "I'll be taking over for my father when he steps down."

You refrained from rolling your eyes, "who are the other lords?"

"Well, there's my dad, Beneviento, Dimitrescu, and Heisenberg. Dimitrescu exports her family's wine and some other stuff I think. My father and I handle fishing and help out with the farming, while Heisenberg does all the carpentry and metal work for the village. I don't know what Beneviento does, no one has seen him so I think he just rides his father's legacy and that's why he remains a lord."

You stopped walking, "bold of you to talk about a lord like that. Especially one that I work for and you've never met." You snapped.

Salvatore raised his hands in defense. His toothy grin remained as he shook his head.

"I'm just saying."

You glared at him, "I think it's time we parted ways. I have to get back."

You started to walk away when he grabbed the arm that didn't have the basket attached to it. He swung you around to face him again. It took every muscle in your body not to smack him with the wrapped fish right then and there.

"Hey I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad. Let me make it up to you. The summer festival is this upcoming weekend, come with me. We can-"

You yanked your arm away and cut him off, "no. Now I need to get going. Angie is waiting for me."

As fast as your feet could carry you, you walked away from that man and back into the crowded village. After you deemed yourself far enough away you slowed your pace and relaxed a little, he really did give you the creeps. Just when you thought you wouldn't have to deal with unwanted attention here. The bell tower over the church rang four times. After you calmed you began to walk back to the manor when goosebumps crawled over your skin, that feeling of being watched returned. Maybe you should mention something to Angie; no, she'd just laugh at you and call you crazy.

Every step you would shoot a look over one shoulder. You couldn't shake the feeling of being prey stalked by a predator. Each time the grass or trees rustled you walked a little quicker until the manor came into view. You've never walked faster and slammed the door behind you.

Back in the safety of the manor you slumped the groceries on the counter and huffed, now that you were alone you started on dinner while cursing to yourself. Anger boiled underneath as your mind swam with the interaction with Salvator, he was just as bad as the men from where you came from. You trusted your gut, and your gut said he wasn't as nice as he came across. There was certainly something off about him.

Cooking relaxed your mind and you allowed yourself to fully dive into it. The salmon marinated in melted butter, soy sauce, and ginger while you sauteed mushrooms, bell pepper, and zucchini. The water boiled for rice and you added it in then turned down the heat and covered it to cook, just in time for you to cook the fish. While those are going, you thinly sliced the cucumber and pickled them with vinegar, lime, and salt.

Angie walked into the kitchen and eyed you, she sniffed the air curiously and hovered over your shoulder while you worked. She picked up an avocado from your cutting board and examined it like it was a foreign entity. After her examination she plopped it back down then rummaged through the rest of the groceries.

"Where did you get these things? I've never seen them in the village." She asked.

"The Duke. I asked if he had any and he did." You answered, "oh, and the leftover lei is on the counter."

Angie co*cked her eyebrow at you, "are you feeling okay? You're not as sarcastic or groany as usual."

"Yeah just...how was your day with your girls?" You asked to change the subject.

Angie narrowed her eyes but shrugged it off, "good. Those girls sure are a handful but I love em dearly."

The two of you conversed in small talk while you finished dinner, Angie judged your cooking of course so you displayed it like a five star restaurant. Rice for the base, veggies next, then the salmon, with sliced avocado and ginger on top with the cucumber around the side. On cue the bell for the bedroom rang, you picked up the tray and carried it to the bedroom. You knelt down and knocked on the door then turned around back to the kitchen. You paused in the doorway and glanced over to see the door cracked open. It quickly shut before you could get a good look at whoever was behind it and sighed. Maybe it was rats eating the meals, but that wouldn't explain the dirty clothes, then again, the clothes you collected hardly looked dirty at all.

Maybe Angie was wrong, perhaps ghosts do eat and wear clothes to remind themselves of when they were living. The thought made you internally chuckle as you thought about ghosts trying to wear their human clothes and it goes right through. You and Angie ate in silence, when you were finished Angie offered to clean the dishes for once. It made you suspicious but decided to take the opportunity to go to bed early, a small coma sounded lovely about now. The refreshing water of the shower washed off the grossness of the day and having to be around people; the lord was onto something being a hermit. After you were clean and changed into some night clothes you crawled under the sheets of the bed and closed your eyes.

Sleep did not come to you though. You tossed and turned but your thoughts wouldn't settle. After much debate and staring at the ceiling for seemingly hours, you decided to walk around. You wandered around the top floor, glanced out the windows to watch the waterfall until the faintest noise came through that wasn't the white noise. It sounded like music. As you walked toward the elevator you could make out bits of it, you looked around and took the elevator down. If Angie caught you, you could say you were getting water, that's a reasonable excuse to be up at midnight.

You banged your hand on the side to open the doors, the music flowed through the corridors a bit clearer. You followed it until you stood down the hall from the workshop. The music was a piano, and it didn't have the static of a record which meant it was being played. As you approached closer you noticed the door was a ajar with a sliver of light beaming through. You tiptoed toward the door, the entire time you held your breath as if that would help you make any less noise. The music was somber but alluring, it couldn't be Angie which left one other suspect. You peeked through the door and your eyes widened at the sight of someone's back to you. They were dressed in all black with black hair tied into a bun. Their head was hung low and you couldn't make out anything else.

They played expertly, their fingers glided over the keys with ease and familiarity. As you leaned closer to try and get a better look you accidentally pushed the door which creaked open further. The person froze; you watched them stand and move out of sight then suddenly appear in front of you. Before you could look up at them the door slammed shut in front of your face. The sound of music was replaced with the hammering of your heart. You panted heavily as if you had just ran a marathon. The footsteps behind the door faded away, but then grew louder as they approached the door and you took off running to the safety of your room.

Once in your room you shut and locked the door then out of panic pushed the desk behind it. The lord was going to be so angry that you saw them, that you were snooping, and if they didn't, Angie certainly would. You paced around the room in panic, you should have ran for the front door. Instead you're trapped here, and you were going to have to face judgment.

Chapter 4: Visitors

Chapter Text

Exhaustion finally put you into a deep cold until something cold and hard hit you; you shot out of bed with your hands on your head as you yowled in pain. When you opened your eyes, Angie stood there with her fists on her hips and a scowl that would make the paint peel off in fright. You glanced over to your door to find that she had scooted the desk enough for her to slip through, and somehow you didn't wake to it. Her presence for once towered over you, and you slinked into the bed while pulling up the covers in an attempt to hide yourself. She yanked them off then smacked you again in the thigh with a large, metal, soup spoon. You yelped loudly and placed one hand over the red welt now appearing on your thigh.

"It's nearly 10 o' clock! Get up you lazy sack of potatoes. What are you still doing in bed? Why do you have your desk behind the door? Trying to get out of chores eh?" Her screechy voice hurt your head more.

"I didn't sleep well last night, I thought I heard something out in the hall and I panicked." You lied.

"I don't care. Get up! We have a lot of work to do." She ordered.

"Don't we always?" You remarked.

She had started to hobble away when she shot you a deathly look, "Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters are arriving today. They'll be here in a few hours! Now get up before I hit you again."

When Angie slithered out of the room, and you sighed in relief that she didn't know about last night; or she did and was waiting to kill you after you helped. After you changed as fast as you could, you pushed the desk back to its original spot then freshened up in the bathroom. The cold tap water startled you awake enough to put on your game face and act like nothing happened. Downstairs Angie was furiously sweeping the main entrance, it was always clean from lack of use but you decided to not push your luck today. Instead of asking, you went straight for the supply closet, grabbed the mop, and followed over where Angie swept with it. The two of you worked in silence, aside from the occasional grunt or hacking cough from the old woman. Every so often you would glance up at her to read her expression for any sign of knowledge to last night, but per usual she was unreadable.

That didn't shake the feeling of uneasiness, not the same kind that you felt before with Salvatore, but anxious none-the-less. You told yourself it was only your paranoia. If you were going to get in trouble, surely something would have happened by now. The familiar ding of the workshop echoed into the hallway, Angie and you both looked up simultaneously in confusion; it wasn't time for lunch yet, and you presumed that Angie already served them breakfast. You hid the gulp that you wanted to take, maybe they were calling you. You started to put down the mop but Angie halted you and went instead, now your heart started to race again: this was it. She would find out about last night and you would be served up in her mysterious stew.

You quickly finished your mop job then returned it to the supply closet just as the elevator clanked to a stop on the top floor. You ran to the door and fiddled with your fingers nervously, it was better if you went out quickly rather than making her find you to drag it out. Angie waddled out with a parcel in her arms, she raised an eyebrow at you then continued to walk past in silence. Your brow furrowed but you followed her and watched as she set the parcel down on the coffee table then proceeded to motion for you to follow. She stopped at the elevator again and turned to you.

"They'll be here any minute now. I need you to go down and prepare tea, some food, and also serve the lord some lunch. I will finish up here."

Her voice was suspiciously calm, you narrowed your eyes but did as you were told. The anxiety in your chest roared with life, your heart beat fast enough it vibrated your chest, and everything felt tight on you. At least you would be doing something that always calmed you down and made you feel comfortable. In the kitchen you sported your usual apron over your clothes, rolled up your sleeves, and got to work.

You concentrated solely on the task at hand, hardly paying attention to your surroundings. Today you'll make whatever tea you found in the cabinet, the label too faded to read, and sandwiches. Simple. Easy. The distraction of your mind being occupied dissipated when the hairs on the back of your neck stood up. You hovered over the cutting board as still as a statue. Footsteps.

A lump formed in your throat as every possible scenario played in your mind, many of them ended with you dead but it was all a matter of how much fight you put up. Your knuckles turned white and the knife shook from how tightly you gripped it for dear life. The footsteps stopped just outside the kitchen, and you felt eyes burning into you; your heartbeat drowned out any other noise in your ears as a droplet of sweat formed on your forehead. You took a deep breath, these footsteps were light, and had you not been in the middle of transitioning you might not have heard them at all. Angie's were loud, and her voice would have given her away far before her steps ever could.

"I'm sorry for spying. It's just...I haven't heard music that beautiful in a very long time....my mother used to play before she passed. It won't happen again. I'm sorry."

There was silence, you waited for anything: a breath, a voice, steps, something. The kettle for the tea hissed and screamed, it startled you and the knife in your hand dropped onto the cutting board with a clank. You grabbed the kettle off the stove and faintly heard the same footsteps leave, slowly you turned around to the open archway that led to the hallway. Before you could think about it further the bell to the front door rang. Quickly you gathered the lord's lunch and steadily walked to their door then placed it in front of it. You hesitated for a moment, listening, but nothing could be heard so you sighed to yourself and returned to prepping the tea and finger foods. That was by far the oddest encounter you've had thus far.

The tray was heavy with the water from the kettle, it took every bit of muscle to balance while you bumped the elevator door button then waddled inside. Now came the tricky part, hitting the doors open. You balanced carefully when the elevator stopped abruptly then looked around before deciding to kick the side panel with your less-strong foot. The doors clanged and jolted open, you scurried out to the main room to set the tray next to the parcel on the coffee table. Your eyes wandered up to the four women that entered, the three you recognized from when you and Angie went into town; the fourth woman you didn't recognize but it took all your willpower not to drop your jaw. Your eyes widened a little when, whom you presumed was their mother, elegantly strolled into the manor: this proved it, there was something in the water in this village that made every woman gorgeous and tall. You peeked at Angie as thoughts crossed your mind about what she might have looked liked younger, but it was hard to imagine her as anything other than old and hunched over. Instead, you focused on the goddess in front of you and her equally regal looking daughters.

The mother delicately removed her black, wide brimmed hat that exposed perfect black curls underneath. She hung the hat on a coat hanger next to the door, then turned for one of her daughters to remove the thin shawl over her shoulders. She wore a form fitting cream colored dress that exposed her shoulders, with black gloves, a belt that accentuated her hips, pearls around her neck, and three black roses pinned just above her bosom. The next girl behind her was an exact replica as far as mannerism goes, she moved gracefully, her head held high and her back straight.

This girl removed the black cloak from around her, the other two did the same with theirs. The blond one who was first wore a simple short black dress that had a low V with a black corset. The brunette wore shorts with a black button up with the top few buttons undone and her sleeves rolled to her elbows. Finally the red haired girl wore frayed blue shorts, with a red shirt and all three still had a black rose pinned to them.

As they approached you, you bowed respectfully then motioned for them to take a seat. The woman in front of you, their mother, caught your eye when you looked up. Her crimson lips curled into a smile that returned that warm feeling in your chest, the same one when Mother Miranda smiled at you.

"Hello there, you must be the Y/N that Mother Miranda spoke of. I am Alcina Dimitrescu, and these are my daughters." She motioned to the three girls.

"Bela." The blond nodded her head in your direction.

"Cassandra." The brunette crossed her arms across her chest and only gave you a side eye.

"And lastly, Daniela." The red head waved at you.

"Pleasure to meet you all. Tea?" You offered.

"Yes please." Lady Dimitrescu responded.

All of them sat around the coffee table, Angie sat last at the head of the table in a red lounge chair. They thanked you for the tea and cut sandwiches to snack on, and when you finished pouring their tea you stood off to the side.

"So Angie, is everything ready?" Alcina asked.

"Yes. Your outfits for the festival are all packed and ready to go, I'll have Y/N bring them up before you leave. The package on the table are gifts for your daughters."

Daniela dove for the package with a wild giggle. You tilted your head as the three of them, including Bela, excitedly rushed out to the back. The sound of their giggles faded as they got further from the manor. You returned your gaze to Angie and Alcina who silently chuckled.

"My girls always love their gifts, the Benevientos have always crafted the most beautiful clothes, and toys. No matter how old my girls are, they always seem to revert back to children when they hear they have a gift." Alcina said with a smile.

That answered your question about what the lord did, and would explain why their clothes always looked professionally made. You leaned over and poured her more tea, offered anything she might want to add then stood back upright. You cleared your throat to gather their attention.

"Will anyone else be joining us?" You asked.

The lady co*cked an eyebrow in your direction before she covered her mouth to let out a reserved laugh. She settled herself and cleared her throat before soothing it with a sip of tea.

"Oh dear you're precious. No. No one else is joining us."

"There's no, Mr or Mrs Dimitrescu?" You pondered.

Now both her and Angie roared in laughter which make the tips of your ears burn. Your entire face turned red and hot as you tucked yourself into your shoulders. The two women's laughter died down after a moment. Alcina sipped her tea once more before turning her expression seeious.

"Are you offering to fill that position?" She teased.

Your entire body boiled with how hot it suddenly became. You tugged at the collar of your shirt and stutter to try and think of a reponse. She merely chuckled in response.

"That being said, I am on the search for a future daughter-in-law." Her eyes locked with yours.

Her eyes were the softest green that existed, they looked closer to gold in the sunlight that poured in from the windows. You cleared your throat again, this time from nervousness as you fidgeted with your clothes. If their laughter at your flustered state wasn't enough, you looked over your shoulder toward the hallway leading to the elevator, as if something was there. You shook your head and turned back to Alcina who only gave you another hearty laugh and smile.

"You're very adorable dear, and so much fun to tease." She took a sip of her tea.

You furrowed your brow in frustration to cover your embarrassment, Alcina smiled at you and motioned toward the empty couch across from her. After you took a seat you fidgeted with the bottom of your shirt as you thought about her daughters. As if she could sense your confusion, Alcina cleared her throat and placed her cup down.

"Mother Miranda found my daughters. Someone had left them abandoned as infants in the woods like a box of kittens. I am unable to have children of my own, so of course I took them in without hesitation. They have been, and always will be, my daughters." Her voice was soft, but toward the end her voice strained to hold back her obvious pride.

"I'm sorry I didn't-" You started.

"Don't worry about it. You're foreign and I'm sure things work differently where you're from. It took some time for the villagers to accept it too, but Mother Miranda has brought a lot of change for the better."

There was a brief silence before the girls returned with wide smiles on their faces. Bela sat next to her mother, Daniela sat next to you, and Cassandra stood against the mantel.

"Do you like your gifts?" Angie asked.

"Oh yes!" Answered Daniela immediately.

"I got a lovely new figurine to add to my collection." Bela said proudly.

"I got a new whittling set and some new layouts that I can carve, along with some new paints." Added Cassandra.

"My gift was the best of all!" Daniela reached behind her and held up a wooden boomerang, "I need to practice throwing it but boy does it fly!"

Alcina groaned and pinched her nose with her finger and thumb, "if you break anything inside so help me Daniela I will send you to boarding school."

Daniela giggled softly and leaned over to you, "jokes on her. I'd enjoy myself regardless."

You gave her a small smile and chuckled. Cassandra scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"What would your girlfriend think Dani? Or is it boyfriend this week?" She snarked.

"Why just one? Why not both?" She quipped.

You watched the two of them bicker back and forth while simultaneously tried to listen into the conversation between Bela, Alcina, and Angie. They kept mentioning this festival coming up, and you remembered Salvator asked you to go. You got Bela's attention by leaning over the coffee table.

"What's this summer festival you keep talking about?"

The three daughters perked up in excitement.

"We host a festival for each passing season to bring forth prosperity and good fortune for the next season. The summer festival is mainly for kids because there's a lot of games and prizes, but in the evening is when we'll be there." Bela said.

"Mother always sings in the evening, and that's when there's dancing." Beamed Daniela.

"And alcohol." Snickered Cassandra, "this will be the first year we can actually partake in the tastings. Of course, we'll be bringing some of our season's best wine."

"Are you coming?" Daniela directed the question toward you.

You looked at her surprised, the first you heard of it was from Salvatore and that put any desire to go down the drain. As fun as it sounded, you weren't much for alcohol and didn't know a thing about dancing; you also didn't want to run into Salvatore. Instead of verbally answering, you shrugged your shoulders.

"Oh you have to come! It'll be your first one ever. You'll love it!" Daniela pleaded.

"We'll see." You answered.

All of you talked until the clock chimed four times, Angie stood up abruptly and apologized for keeping them so late. It was odd to see Angie in such a polite manner, maybe she was replaced with her clone. Even when she ordered you to go downstairs and retrieve the clothing items for Alcina she said it politely. You went down into the basem*nt and found a large box in front of the workshop. The entire time you felt another presence, but when you looked around there was no one, it didn't give you goosebumps like the time before; this feeling was more like when you see a spider in your room, then look away for a second and it's gone.

You brought the box up carefully, although it was the size of you and felt as though it weighed as much too. After much difficulty you got it outside and stared at the four horses that snorted in your presence. It was over a mile from the manor to the village, and you presumed it was another few miles to their castle. One of the horses had a small cart attached to it which you secured the box to and shook slightly to ensure it wouldn't slip out.

"That's not going anywhere." You said proudly as you tapped it twice.

When all was said and done, you returned to the double doors and held them open for the women.

"Thank you for having us Angie, tell Beneviento thank you for us and we look forward to the new clothing. It was a pleasure to meet you Y/N, we hope to see you at the festival." Alcina said softly.

You smiled and waved to all of them, the three daughters waved back except Daniela who hugged you. The motion took you by surprise but you returned the hug anyway and relaxed at the physical touch. Everything melted away for a few seconds, it was enough to calm you when Daniela pulled away and waved goodbye. You were exhausted, physically and emotionally. As soon as the doors shut Angie whipped around to face you.

"Clean this up and get started on dinner." She ordered.

'And she's back.' You thought.

You sighed heavily and picked up the cups, plates, kettle, and tray. It was nice to talk to someone other than yourself and Angie, and that put you in a much better mood. Back in the kitchen, and after collecting the empty tray from in front of the lord's bedroom, you hummed the tune from last night to yourself. You didn't know how the rest of the song went so you made up what sounded good to you; you were content with what you were doing, and oblivious to your audience member.

Chapter 5: The Summer Festival

Chapter Text

Every day since the incident you've had this odd feeling of someone or something hovering over your shoulder; the first day after the Dimitrescus left you were jumpy over every sound. It wasn't the same feeling that you had before, it didn't feel threatening or off, it was as if a shadow was following just outside of your vision. It was always at inconvenient times too; just as you would get sucked into your duties you would feel your watcher. Once you were convinced that nothing was going to happen, you tried to sing, hum, anything to distract yourself but Angie would only yell at you to be quiet. Instead, you decided to make it a game; you would search every nook and cranny for where the lord could possibly watch you from: including the bathroom but thankfully you never felt uneasy in there. When you felt the familiar eyes on you, you would purposely get yourself into questionable positions to try and lure them out.

You groaned with your latest failure as the pain shot through your body. You weren't a clumsy person but you had hoped if you fell from a chair or something, that would work. Every attempt over the week failed, you started to think you actually became clumsy. Now it was Friday and you were no closer to your goal and it was starting to frustrate you greatly. Creaking above your head caught your attention, you glanced up toward the stairs not seeing anyone and you growled under your breath.

"If you're going to spy on me you might as well show yourself like a man!" You snapped.

"Last I checked I wasn't a man, but I'll accept it either way."

Angie rounded the corner and scowled at you, you cleared your throat and held your hands behind your back. You tilted your head at her and saw she was dressed in a bright blue dress with flowers braided into her hair. Her scowl turned upwards into a smile, something you rarely saw, as she clapped her hands together.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked.

"Go?" You replied.

"To the festival! My you're dense." She mumbled.

"I'm not going."

"Oh yes you are. Now get changed and come along before I drag you by your ear."

You groaned loudly in protest but you placed down your supplies and went upstairs to change out of your sweaty clothes. You came downstairs in a flared blouse tucked into trousers and some hand-me-down boots that Angie graciously threw at your head. Angie looked you up and down then reached into the bag hanging from her arm. She took out a wreath of sunflowers to place on top of your head then tapped your shoulder in approval. The walk to the festival was quiet, the air was sweet and carried a cooler bite with it that breezed through your hair. As you approached closer to the center of the village, music faintly swelled to your ears, and you lifted your nose to smell the aroma of food. Your stomach growled loudly as you licked your lips and hurried your pace toward the gate.

Angie was close on your heels as you caught the scene of the festival, lanterns lit the walkway all the way down to the maiden statue. Stalls decorated each side of the road with people surrounding them, your eyes widened at the sight and your mouth watered at the smells. The village looked completely different, whilst it was usually dull and gray it now bloomed with vibrant yellows, oranges, and life.

"Wow! This is amazing! Look at all the food and vendors." You beamed.

"Have you ever been to a festival?" Angie asked.

"No.." You whispered.

Three familiar squeals caught your attention as you looked over at the Dimitrescu sisters who ran over to you. Daniela and Bela looked gorgeous in their green and red dresses that had long trails of feathers behind them, Cassandra wore a dashing golden suit of similar design. Daniela hugged you tightly and you chuckled as you hugged back then looked at the other two. Bela and Cassandra walked with Angie as you and Daniela chatted toward the stalls. Angie tapped your shoulder and placed some lei in your palm, you eyed her before giving her a soft smile. You waved at the Duke who had a line around the corner, he smiled and waved back while you nodded your head to the music. Angie left the four of you alone to go do whatever she usually did. Daniela shared a cloak she had on with you so that you also looked dressed up.

"Hey Y/N!"

"Uck." Responded Cassandra.

You groaned in annoyance.

"Why won't he leave me alone?" You complained.

"He didn't leave us alone for a long time until mother threatened Mr Moreau that he wouldn't have an heir anymore." Snickered Daniela.

Salvatore approached you with his hands in his pockets, he had on a bright green suit with a yellow vest and his house crest pinned to the lapel. He must not own anything that isn't green, you thought. He cleared his throat and fixed his vest then ran a hand over his slicked back hair.

"Evening ladies. Good evening Y/N, I'm glad you could make it. I thought Lord Beneviento wouldn't let you come?" He pried.

"I said they wouldn't like it. Never said they wouldn't let me come. Maybe you should listen better." You retorted.

Cassandra snickered which earned a glare from Salvatore but it quickly turned back into his creepy smile.

"Well, care to join me in a dance and some food? I'd be honored to have you as my evening partner." He bowed and attempted to take your hand but you pulled it back before he could.

"Actually, I'm here with someone already." You replied.

He stood upright and furrowed his brows and pursed his lips, "yeah? Who?" He challenged.

"Bela." You said quickly as you grabbed her arm.

Bela looked down at you then Salvatore before she leaned into your side, her hips pressed against yours. The lines on Salvatore's forehead pulsed, his jaw clenched, and his face turned a light red. He looked like a child about to throw a tantrum.

"Okay then...maybe we could go on a date some other time. Could we do that? I'd love to take you out on my boat." He said forcefully.

"I would never get on a boat alone with you. Besides, I have duties to Lord Beneviento and I can't leave whenever I want." You muttered.

"You can't use him as an excuse for everything. You're your own person, he doesn't own you! You just work for him, and must have a day off at some point to come out with me. What's the problem?" He yelled.

"Back off Salvatore. If I had a sickle I would slice your jugular and watch you bleed out." Threatened Bela.

"I thought Daniela was the crazy one." He spat.

"Who do you think gave her the idea?" Daniela added.

Salvatore growled under his breath before he turned on his heels and stomped away. You sighed relieved and released Bela's arm as you thanked them for getting him away from you.

"No need to thank us, Salvatore has always been a creep. Then again, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. His father had been trying to woo our mother for years despite her being out since forever, even Mother Miranda had to intervene." Bela sighed.

"What happened to his mom?" You asked.

"Mr Moreau killed her and dumped her body in the bay." Cassandra answered casually.

Bela smacked her arm, "that's not true and you know it." She turned to you and her voice softened, "she disappeared one night and no one has seen her since."

"She's definitely at the bottom of the lake." Whispered Daniela as she nudged your arm.

An announcer tapped the microphone to get everyone's attention. The feedback whistled and whined loudly before dying out.

"Good evening everyone! Please put your hands together Lady Dimitrescu!"

Everyone clapped as Alcina walked up the stage, you gasped softly and your jaw dropped. You didn't think she could get more beautiful but she proved you wrong. She wore a feathered dress where the mixture of colors made it look as though she dragged fire behind her. Her shoulders were exposed, and her neck was adorned with pearls that drew attention to her defined collarbone. Her black hair was curled and framed her face perfectly. Alcina took the microphone in her hand, her smile radiated and dazzled like the lanterns above her.

"Thank you all for being here, now for the official opening of the summer festival so please find your dancing partner and meet on the dance floor."

You glanced over toward the sisters as Cassandra left and greeted a young brunette woman dressed in a yellow dress with sunflowers braided into her hair. Daniela took off running through the crowd and when she returned she was dragging a woman with black hair that looked lightly blue. She wasn't dressed up and covered head to toe in flour, but she smiled brightly behind Daniela. Daniela winked at you as she embraced the woman close to her, Bela remained by your side.

"Mind if I have this dance?" She asked politely.

You smiled brightly and nodded, you took her hand and followed her to the platform as her mother started singing. Her voice echoed throughout the entire village, it was smooth but raspy and deeper than her talking voice, very clearly a trained singer. Bela and you swayed to the music, she pushed you out and spun you around then back to her. You smiled and laughed when you returned to her, she wrapped her arms around your waist and you rested yours on her shoulders.

"So Bela, why didn't you have a dancing partner?"

"What do you mean? I have one right now." She answered.

"Before me." You rolled your eyes.

"Well....I never really cared for courting or dating. People have tried but, I've never felt any kind of attraction toward them. It wouldn't be fair to drag someone along if you're not fully committed. It's a blessing in disguise I suppose."

"Why do you say that?"

Bela chuckled humorously, "I'm to take over the Dimitrescu winery once my mother steps down. I've only seen a sliver of how much work she does so I wouldn't have time to date even if I wanted to. I don't mind though, I only hope my sisters find someone who treats them right.."

You hummed in thought but remained silent for the rest of the dance, goosebumps rose on your skin and you shivered. You glanced around until you caught Salvatore glaring at you and Bela, you furrowed your brow and turned back to Bela, trying to ignore the shivers of discomfort. The song ended and everyone clapped again, your stomach growled loudly which made Bela laugh and offer to go get something to eat. After looking at each stall you decided on a large bowl of noodles with meat and vegetables on top. Bela got the same, and the two of you stood next to a table to eat, Daniela and Cassandra joined shortly after; each of them had their own food as the music shifted again.

"So...tell me about your dancing partners." You started as you wiggled your eyebrows.

"Oh.." Daniela blushed, "well, that was Ina. We've been seeing each other for sometime now, I think it's getting serious." She sipped her drink.

Cassandra rolled her eyes, "they've been dating for two weeks. She always thinks it's serious."

"Well, who were you dancing with then Cassandra?" You smirked.

Cassandra coughed into her hand, "oh that...that was Johanna. She works with the blacksmith."

"And, Cassandra has had the hots for her since they were in elementary school but won't ask her out officially." Bela chided.

As the evening progressed you laughed with the sisters as they told you stories about them and you returned with stories from home. The bell struck eight times and you decided to searched around the non-food stalls located down one of the village streets. Jewelry, home brewed alcohol, potted plants, toys, you name it and it was there. You stared at the plants for a long period of time then glanced at the remaining lei in your hand, after a long time deciding you picked a bright red flower. You paid the woman some lei then tilted your head at some seedlings.

"You wouldn't happen to have something viney? That could climb up some wooden structures?" You asked her.

The woman tapped her chin before she snapped her fingers and searched near the back of her stall. She came back with two little seedlings with a picture of purple flowers attached. Out front of the manor were a few tent-looking structures made from wood, these would look perfect growing around them. The woman handed them to you but you refused, you had no more money. She insisted and you thanked her profusely until you heard Angie calling you. You trotted off until you found her and accompanied her back to the manor with the plants hugged against your chest.

Back at the manor you placed the seedlings in the backroom where they would get plenty of sunlight. You eyed the red flower, a thought crossed your mind and you smirked to yourself as you picked up the flower and walked to the elevator. At the bottom you walked through the kitchen and stopped in front of the lord's bedroom, hesitantly you knocked on the door and awaited some kind of response. Of course, nothing came, so you sighed heavily and placed the flower in front of the door.

Chapter 6: Flowers and Books

Chapter Text

The next morning was strangely quiet, Angie didn't yell for you per usual and your mind instantly went to the worst thing. You shot out fast enough that the bed shook, ran down the stairs panting then came to an abrupt halt when you found a note on the elevator. It stated that Angie had to run into town to get some supplies for the week since it wasn't done yesterday. She was older than time itself and you thought for sure you would have found her dead on the floor. Then again, she'll probably outlive you. You breathed out heavily as your heart rate came down then went to officially get dressed and do your morning routine.

You were excited and thankful it was Sunday, not only to recover from coming home so late last night, but also to work on the front of the manor. From the tiny glimpse in the village of the Dimitrecu manor, you saw that they had gorgeous gardens and vineyards, and you wanted the manor to be a sliver of that. As if someone or something read your mind, when you got to the top of the stairs, there was a book laying off to the side of your door. When you ran out you must have kicked it away or ran over it without noticing. You knelt down to pick it up and looked over the cover.

"Mountain flowers and how to care for them." You read aloud.

Maybe Angie left it before she left, even though she's never given you any kind of present before. You shrugged, took it inside your room and placed it on the desk near the door. The closet doors groaned when you opened them to expose your limited inventory of clothes that had fit into your bags. Now you regret thinking you were going somewhere nice because you could have fit more stuff into the briefcase rather than an unused journal, and a few sentimental items.

Maybe you could convince Angie to get you some supplies for clothing or some lei to buy some but that was an argument for another day. You pulled out some overalls and a shirt you didn't care much for. They were starting to look loose on you from the amount of work you were doing.

"I need some new clothes." You grumbled to yourself.

The outside was shrouded in fog from the waterfall and cool fall air rolling in, a shiver ran up your spine and you rubbed your arms for warmth. You groaned and grunted loudly as you ripped the old, dead vines from the wooden structures and put them all in a pile, unsure what to do with it afterwards. The wood looked old and worn from the years of exposure to water and sunlight, however the structure seemed intact and held its own.

"What are you doing?"

You stood up quickly from being startled as you stared at Angie holding a wicker basket with a blanket over it, in her arm. The sun was nearing its peak and now beat down on you, you hadn't realized how thirsty and tired you were until now. Luckily and unluckily it had warmed up enough for you to feel the sweat on every crevice when a breeze hit you. You had been going for hours non-stop and Angie broke your stride, but the yard looked far better and less....dead. Angie walked past you and eyed the torn up roots then tisked her tongue.

"Does the lord know you're doing this?" She asked as she shoved the basket into your chest.

"Um.." You thought back to the book, "I think so?" You answered with a shrug.

"Hmph."

Your legs shook as you took slow steps behind Angie toward the front door, however, the sound of crunching leaves caught your attention. Both you and Angie turned to look toward the path to see Mother Miranda walking straight for the manor, behind her was Lady Dimitrescu and Bela. You smiled brightly at the sight of Bela, she smiled half-heartedly with a small wave when they approached. On cue you leaned over to open the door for them, Mother Miranda bowed her head to you then strolled past. When Bela passed, you held the door with your foot and tapped her arm.

"Bela, what's going on?" You whispered.

Bela glanced at her mother then back at you, "to be honest, I don't know. Mother got a call then ordered for me to come with her here. I'll try to tell you when we're done."

"Bela." Called Lady Dimitrescu.

"Coming."

Bela hurried to the elevator with the other women, you closed the front doors and waited for the elevator to come back up so you could go to the kitchen. Angie waited next to you patiently without a word, she walked you to the kitchen then disappeared up the stairs toward the workshop. This was the first meal you prepared all week where you didn't feel someone lurking over your shoulder; somehow it felt naked and you hummed a song to yourself as a distraction. When dinner was ready you heard the bell for the main dining area. You took a tray and Angie appeared suddenly to take it from you. Before you could question her she motioned for you to grab the other tray and follow. You sighed and did as you were told: followed her to the dining area.

Mother Miranda, Lady Dimitrescu, and Bela were sitting in silence; none of them looked at you when you served them, including Bela who looked away when you tried to catch her eye. Angie and you stood off to the side and watched them eat. When they finished, Mother Miranda stood with her hands folded in front of her.

"Thank you for the meal and being generous hosts. I have preparations to do. Good evening."

Mother Miranda turned around and left, shortly after the door shut Lady Dimitrescu released a heavy sigh. The muscles in her jaw clenched, her lips pursed in anger, she brought her gloved hand to her forehead and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Is there anything I can get for you Lady Dimitrescu?" You offered.

"Yes. Do you have anything for a headache?" She replied.

"Of course my Lady, I will be back with something. Y/N, clean this up." Angie said.

"I'll help you." Offered Bela quickly.

Lady Dimitrescu waved her hand and leaned over, still clutching her nose. You and Bela carried the trays back down to the kitchen, everything was put in the sink for you to wash. Bela took off her cloak and hung it on a hook on the wall then hopped on the counter to dry dishes that you handed to her.

"Can you tell me what's going on now?" You asked cautiously.

Bela groaned, "Lord Moreau died."

You stopped your washing, the plate slipped from your grasp into the sink, your eyes widened when you locked eyes with her. She kept your stare and stopped drying the dish in her hands, setting it down beside her with a soft clank.

"How?" You asked worriedly.

"According to his son and Mother Miranda, he drank too much at the festival so he thought it was a brilliant idea to go on a night fishing trip without telling anyone. When they didn't find his boat this morning, Salvatore and his crew went searching for him. They found his boat anchored in the bay with his body...floating face down next to it in the water." Bela answered.

"Oh sh*t...so that means.." You started.

"Salvatore will be appointed the new lord after the funeral." Bela finished.

Everything around you spun, Bela slid off the counter and grabbed your arm to keep you upright. You supported yourself on the counter, after you composed yourself you nodded to Bela to let you go. She hesitantly released you then leaned against the counter with her arms crossed.

"Bela. If Salvatore comes within a 50 mile radius of me with a marriage proposal, I'm telling him we're engaged."

"Wow. I think you're supposed to ask me on a date before marriage." Bela teased.

"I'm serious Bela."

"Look...if La...Lord Beneviento doesn't stand up for you then we will. My mother despises Salvatore more than his father. You can come work for us."

You nodded your head with a half smile, then went on to continue washing the dishes. Bela helped by drying and eased your worry with funny stories about her sisters. When all was done, you and Bela went back up to the sitting area to find Angie handing Lady Dimitrescu some water and a pill. Lady Dimitrescu's eyes caught yours for a brief moment when she sipped the water then thanked Angie before she stood.

"We should take our leave as well. Thank you Angie and Y/N for the meal."

Bela and Lady Dimitrescu left, you waved goodbye to them as they vanished from view but a dark pit in your stomach formed. The familiar feeling of eyes on you was a welcomed relief, as if the comfort of a companion suddenly returned. Angie crept up beside you as you continued to stand in the doorway looking out.

"Lord Moreau died." Angie stated matter-of-factly.

You took a moment to act as if you didn't already know, then took a deep breath.

"When's the funeral?"

"A few days. Salvatore will be appointed that evening." Angie replied quietly.

"So soon?" You questioned surprised.

"Salvatore requested it that way. Why have the villagers gathered twice?" Angie shrugged her shoulders then walked away from view.

You shut the front doors then looked around the empty manor for wherever the lord was lurking. How they could hide so well in such a minimal space continued to astound you. You sighed softly but the anxiety grew with each step you took up the stairs. In the safety of your room you kicked off your dirty clothes and piled them into a corner. The bed creaked under your weight when you crashed onto it, but sleep would not come.

All night you tossed and turned, sleep only came in increments and when the morning sun peeked through your window to wake you, you were already awake. The thoughts and anxiety plagued every wrinkle of your brain and you weren't sure if you were going to throw up or not. The clothes from yesterday were still on the floor and you still had dried dirt stuck to your skin. With a soft sigh you got up from the bed, picked up the clothes, and put them in a basket to wash later, but first you had to wash yourself. You opened the door and your foot kicked something, when you looked down there were three rolls of fabric.

You leaned out to look down the empty hallway then over the railing down into the main sitting area. The clothes you had planned on changing into were set aside as you picked up the rolls, each had a different feeling to them; one was black, thick and warm, the other was white and soft like silk, and the last was dark red cotton. Of course underneath the fabric was another book. After you put the rolls of fabric in your closet you picked up the book that had a small bag attached. It was a book about sewing, clothes specifically, with patterns and designs and the bag attached had thread with needles in a small case.

Now you were certain: only one person could have heard you talk about needing clothes and Angie was in town. A blush crept over your cheeks at the thought of what else the lord might have heard you say, definitely every time you cursed under your breath when you got frustrated at Angie or chores.

"Y/N!"

Speaking of the devil. You stored the materials in your closet, and grabbed your change of clothes then went out into the hallway to glance down at Angie. She looked up at you with her hands on her hips.

"Get washed up, we're going into town to get you an outfit for Lord Moreau's funeral."

You nodded in response then walked down the hall to the bathroom where you washed yourself in a large wooden tub with lukewarm water. Once you were washed, dressed, and brushed your teeth, you greeted Angie downstairs. Before you finished walking, a speck of yellow caught your eye in the mass of vines from yesterday. It was a small yellow flower that was blooming amongst decay and rot. It felt only fitting that you pick it and set it down on Claudia's grave when you passed it. Angie guided you to a shop of hanging clothes, the material looked familiar to the ones you received, you furrowed your brows attempting to inspect them closer.

Angie waited patiently as you looked at the black outfits, you settled on a (your choice of suit or dress), and the man behind the counter helped you size it properly when you tried it on. After Angie paid, you waited behind for only a moment to ask the man if he had any stencils you could take.

"Sorry miss, all the clothes here are made by Lord Beneviento. I simply size and occasionally fix them." He told you.

"Oh." You said disappointed, "well, thanks anyway."

When you reached Angie she started walking immediately back to the manor, narrowly avoiding people who crossed her path. She subtly reminded you of your aunt: everyone avoided her like she was covered in boils, yet she held herself up with such high esteem. Angie and your aunt would have gotten along famously, or Angie would have torn her apart like a chew toy.

"Do you think Lord Beneviento will attend the funeral?" You interrogated.

"He better. Or else it's considered a great insult not to attend the funeral of a lord or mother who passed."

The funeral just might be your ticket to finally seeing the lord face to face. You had your doubts, they clearly were a master of hiding but there was still a spark of hope they would show. However, the anxiety deep in your stomach overshadowed that hope the closer the funeral got and the hope for the lord to show turned more into a prayer. If Lord Beneviento didn't show up to the funeral, would you be safe from Salvatore once he inherits the power of being a lord?

Chapter 7: Lord Moreau II

Chapter Text

The day you had been dreading arrived, unfortunately you didn't die or get horrifically maimed in some freak accident so you had to go. The final buttons on your (suit/dress) were buttoned, your hair was styled the way you liked, and you had to borrow make-up from Angie to cover the dark circles under your eyes. You hadn't been sleeping well, or eating, and you kept making mistakes while cooking or cleaning to the point that Angie had to monitor you like when you first arrived. The anxiety ate away at you piece by piece like you were a carcass at the bottom of the ocean being slowly eaten away by crustaceans. Now you were a walking skeleton but looked like a ghost; the blackness of your outfit didn't help either.

Angie hollered, you sighed heavily and looked toward the desk with the sprawled strips of fabric. You had tried to make...something during your sleepless nights; followed the instructions in the book but it came out looking like a tattered dog toy. In frustration you pushed the fabric off the desk into the bin before walking out the door into the hallway. You descended the stairs and looked over at Angie, she wore a black dress with a transparent shawl over her shoulders and head, she had pulled the shawl to cover her face but it remained visible enough for you to see the disdain on her face. For once in her life probably, she decided not to say anything about your appearance and merely hummed under her breath.

You opened the door for her and hesitated, only for a moment, to see if maybe the lord would appear and follow you. They didn't. Angie and you walked the path as usual, both of you paused in front of Claudia's grave to put a fresh candle down and light it. The longer you stayed, the more comfortable it felt to be around the grave, you paused every time you passed by. It felt wrong, insulting almost if you didn't. The fog added a haunting feeling to the surrounding foliage, if you weren't already looking like a ghost, you half expected one to walk alongside you.

The village was a sea of black and grays, you and Angie divided through the crowd down to the docks where a stage stood alongside the Cliffside. Alcina sat on it with her daughters, next to her was Mother Miranda, and an empty seat. On the other side of the stage was a man in a black leather hunter hat with greasy salt and pepper hair, and a five o'clock shadow for a beard. That must be Heisenberg. You hadn't met him yet but he looked disheveled and homeless from the disarray of his...suit, if you could even call it that. It looked like something you would have made only with more stains. His most prominent feature is the rounded sunglasses he sported despite there being little sunshine.

Next to him was Salvatore in a black suit with a flashy yellow tie. You scrunch your face. To avoid his gaze, you looked toward the dockside and saw a wrapped body in a small wooden boat, it didn't take a genius to gather that it was his father. The microphone's feedback echoed through the spread out speakers, you flinched from the high pitch but it drew your attention to Mother Miranda who cleared her throat.

"Thank you everyone for joining us on this mournful morning to see off our beloved Lord Howard Moreau. If we could all bow our heads for a moment of silence."

Everyone around you bowed their heads, the only sounds were the wind through the caverns, distant birds, and the water brushing against the docks and shore. Mother Miranda sighed, she stood with her hands folded in front of her.

"Now, his son Salvatore will do the honors of casting his father out into the bay, as was his final request."

Salvatore stood with a smug grin, it gave you a sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, something didn't smell right and it wasn't the fish. Shouldn't he be sad his father died? Then again, you weren't exactly sad when your parents died, but you also weren't happy. Salvatore went down to the boat and bowed his head, you couldn't hear what he said but after he lifted his head he knelt, and pushed the boat out into the bay. The crowd, along with you, watched as the boat floated out of view into the ghostly thick fog rolling over the calm water. A shiver ran up your spine, unsure if it was from the cold or not, but you hugged yourself anyways. Salvatore walked back up to the stage slowly, as if basking in the attention. He approached Mother Miranda who handed him a rolled document then dipped her fingers into a black liquid. She rubbed the liquid over his forehead while her lips muttered words that couldn't be heard. He bowed to her then waved Mother Miranda aside and took the microphone in his grimy hand. The black smear prominent on his forehead.

"Welcome my beloved villagers. As of today, I will be taking my father's place today as Lord, I see no reason to wait. This sorrowful day shall be turned into a day of joy. I want to celebrate my father's death, for that is what he would want, but also celebrate me. Please join me in food, drink, and all day festivities. In honor of my father!"

There was a dull cheer from select members of the crowd, all of them men, while the rest of the crowd shifted impatiently. You looked over at Alcina who rolled her eyes, her upper lip twitched as if holding back her disgust. The wind picked up and you shivered again, you really wish this outfit was warmer or that you were able to sew that jacket. The crowd pushed and shoved you around, separating you from Angie which sparked a bit of panic in you. Someone forcefully bumped into the back of you, lunging you forward but before you could hit the person next to you, someone caught your shoulders. In the blur of people, you hadn't noticed the hands being replaced with something heavier, warmer, and you were caught off guard by the new smell of whatever covered you.

Eventually you were slowly pushed through the crowd to the edge of the stage where most of the people had vacated. Your hands brushed the thick cloak over your shoulders, panic set in as you furiously looked through the crowd for who it might belong to, but no one looked your way. The cloak was black on the outside but mahogany on the inside. You lifted the collar of it toward your nose and it was intoxicating. It was a mixture of amber, sandalwood, some other wood you couldn't put your finger on, some hints of jasmine, and moss? It smelled earthy but heavenly at the same time and you wanted to drown in the smell. Instead you settled for wrapping yourself up in the large cloak as a way to coat yourself with it. It was still warm from whomever previous wore it.

With less people around, you got a clear look at those who went toward the direction of the docks and those who went back to the village. From the corner of your eye you caught the Dimitrescus taking their leave with Alcina in the front. You gave a small wave to them, the daughters returned the wave and leaned forward to walk toward you but your view was cut off by a certain disfigured frog. A groan left you but you roped it in quickly as you met the eyes of Salvatore. You crossed your arms and scowled, the goose bumps returned over your skin, a chill ran up your spine, and you felt naked in his stare.

"Hello Y/N. I'm so glad you could make it to my ceremony, care to join me in the celebration? Have some food, a couple drinks, and maybe an evening float on my boat?" He asked with his hand held out.

"Oh um no thank you I really should be getting back to the manor-"

"It's rude to deny a lord. I've been patient and nice Y/N, the least you could do is humor me." He cut off.

"I rather humor a polar bear while wearing a seal suit." You retorted.

Salvatore sneered, a growl coming from deep within his throat as he took a step forward and grabbed your wrist tightly. He yanked you closer to him, but out of instinct your other hand swung and hit him in the jaw. He stumbled back and his grip released you. Time seemed to slow down at that moment. Behind him you could make out Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela gasping with huge grins on their faces. Alcina looked surprised but impressed at the same time. Still on the stage was Mother Miranda who only had a look of complete neutrality.

"Ow f*ck.." You whined as you rubbed your knuckles.

Salvatore rubbed the side of his face that you struck, his entire body heaved in anger; he was hunched over and the sheer amount of rage in his face made it look distorted.

"First you insult me by refusing me at the festival. Then your lord insults me the greatest by not showing. Now...now you have the audacity to strike a lord?!" He yelled.

You backed away when he stood back up right, it was a tiny bit humorous to see him posture; you might not have been as tall as the other women in this village but you were taller than him and that gave you a microscopic bit of joy.

His glare turned to Mother Miranda, "aren't you going to do something about this?!" He snapped.

The man from before, Heisenberg, took Salvatore by the shoulder before Mother Miranda could speak.

"Easy there. You might be a lord now but you still have a lot to learn, so the girl has a little fight. Shouldn't you know a thing or two about fighting Moreau? You don't yank the line in on the first tug, you gotta wait until the bobber goes down."

Both you and Salvatore looked at him confused, "what are you talking about?" Salvatore asked, irritated.

"I'll explain it to you over a drink. Come on, leave the girl be. I'm sure there's plenty of feisty maidens in the tavern just waiting to settle in with a lord for the night."

Salvatore returned his heated glare back to you, "this isn't over." He threatened.

The two of them walked away to the village, your eyes were wide and you were stuck like a deer in headlights. The scuffling sound of shoes broke you of your trance when the three daughters shook you gently to life. All of them are still holding giant grins.

"That was awesome!" Daniela praised.

"I'll say, I'm just mad it wasn't me who smacked him." Cassandra chuckled.

"It must have felt so good to see the look on his face!" Bela giggled.

Alcina walked up behind them, they quieted their laughter and stepped aside to make room for her. She looked you up and down with no emotion, but the corners of her eyes gave the tiniest hint of amusem*nt. Her gloved fingers stroked the fabric of your cloak curiously. You watched her and caught a brief glimpse of what looked like the Beneviento crest inside the cloak. Alcina sucked in a breath softly then dropped the cloak, her eyes told you she recognized this cloak and that only ignited your curiosity.

"Moreau is a loose cannon like his father. You are a representative of house Beneviento. Both of you have greatly insulted him. As amusing as I find it, I would urge you caution. Mother Miranda has been forgiving before, but it is a rare sight. If I were you, I would go home before you offend anybody else." She stated coldly.

Like a scolded child you nodded your head and turned tail, you didn't bother looking for Angie; knowing she'd pop up unexpectedly but Alcina was right. The people returned to their homes to change, many of the villagers had gone back to their normal routines while others drank, sang, and ate. In order to keep the cloak clean, you bunched up some in your fists so it wouldn't drag in the slosh of the village. Who knows what kind of liquid it was.

You slammed the gate behind you and grimaced at the way it shook and the sounds the aging wood made. The fog still covered everything in sight along the path to the manor. Any attempt at running was foiled by loose roots and uneven terrain so you settled for a fast walk. It slowed to a walk, then eventually stopped when you came to Claudia's grave. You knelt in front of it to catch your breath and brushed away some of the debris from her headstone.

"What did I do..." You whispered.

The wind blew harshly, causing the cloak to whip around you frantically. You raised your arms to get ahold of the cloak until the breeze passed, only this time you felt eyes on you. Unfamiliar, uncomfortable eyes. The breeze wasn't the only thing that caused you to shiver with unease, so you quickly stood up and hurried to the manor. Once inside the safety and warmth of the manor you breathed out a heavy breath, your shoulders laxed, and you closed your eyes for a moment. Once you composed yourself you went upstairs and sat on your bed. You pulled the cloak to your nose and inhaled the scent again, relaxing in its alluring smell.

This had to be proof that the lord was at the funeral but deep down you knew no one would accept that, anyone could have put the cloak on you. The man at the stall did say that Lord Beneviento made a lot of the clothes for the village. You undressed to examine the material and sure enough the crest was stitched in the back. The look that Alcina had was what caused your head to hurt, she has seen the cloak before, that you were certain of. With a final inhale of the cloak, you folded it gently then carried it all the way down to the basem*nt to place it in front of the lord's bedroom.

You had to do something to distract yourself so you did what you did every other day: you cleaned. Sweat dripped down your face, it splattered on the wooden floors that you scrubbed until your knees were bruised. Every crevice was vacuumed, dusted, and cleaned thoroughly enough you could see your reflection. As soon as you collapsed onto the floor the door opened, you cracked open an eye to see Angie hobbling in with a grin and a giggle.

Before you could question her, she stumbled and bumped into the side table which answered it for you. She didn't notice you sitting on the floor, or maybe she did and didn't care as she found her way to the elevator. You listened to the ding of it, her snickering to herself as she shuffled in, then the creaking of it lowering until you couldn't hear it anymore. You closed your eyes again and continued to lay on the floor; you were on the verge of sleep when the cuckoo clock startled you from your break and you looked up at the clock. 8pm. You really had been working all day. Just as you were about to stand you heard yelling from outside, at first you mistook it for the wind until it got closer and louder.

"Beneviento!"

In a panic you rushed to the front window and peaked out behind the curtain to see Salvatore stumbled up the walkway. It was kind of impressive that he managed to get all the way up here without falling, that quickly faded once you saw the mud stains on his pant legs. He stumbled back and forth, yelling and screaming with every step until he reached the gate. You went to the door and pried it open, watching Salvatore grunt with the gate then kick it forcefully to stumble through.

"Salvatore? What are you doing?" You yelled.

"Shut up! I'm not here for you. Beneviento! Face me you coward, you insult me on the day of my lordship and the death of my father? You send your maid to make a fool of me? Come out here now!"

"Salvatore you're drunk, just go home." You tried to reason.

"Oh. Oh I see. The great, mysterious lord needs someone to stand up for him. Come out here Beneviento before I break my way through." He screamed.

You stood in the middle of the doorway when he approached with both your arms outstretched, he stood in front of you huffing enough you could smell the alcohol. He swayed back and forth trying to size you up, you could easily kick him down the steps from here but the words of Alcina were in the back of your mind. The elevator dinged, Angie would certainly thrash him into next week but it wasn't Angie's footsteps you heard. They were spaced out: step, one, two, step, one, two, step. Both you and Salvatore froze, you watched his eyes suddenly sober up as he went back down the stairs. The footsteps stopped behind you, slowly you lowered your arms and moved to the side. The presence stood next to you. Lord Beneviento stood next to you.

Chapter 8: Lord Beneviento

Chapter Text

Am I breathing? Can I breathe? Is that my heartbeat? Why is it so fast? What is happening?

All you could do was stare with your mouth hung open as you looked up at her, she was more than you could imagine. She looked like a statue carved from the purest, pale marble with a jawline sharper than a knife's edge. Her hair was black that was brushed back into a half braid and the rest cascaded down her shoulders. The suit was the same shade as the inside of the cloak; the top had six golden buttons with a large flap collar and a black, tucked, kerchief underneath. She also had black leather boots and gloves. The outfit curved with her body and complimented her stunningly.

The light squeak of leather made your eyes glance down to her black gloves, she clenched her fist tightly enough that you could see the details of her knuckles and tendons. You casted a look to Salvatore who had the same expression you did; mouth open, eyes wide, breath non-existent. The lord took a step toward Salvatore, with each step forward he took one backward until he stumbled into the dirt. She unclenched her firsts and held her hands behind her back.

"Go home Salvatore." She ordered.

Her voice. It did something to you deep down, things tingled and heated up and you . It was deep, raspy with a hint of honey in the mix. Salvatore scrambled to his feet, brushed himself off and for once he did the smart thing as he ran off down the path. When the lord turned around you finally sucked in a breath, half her face was covered in a white mask, with the eye completely covered. The other was an ebony inkwell that could write a thousand words. It was a galaxy that sucked you in with its dazzling reflection of stars. The two of you stared at each other for an eternity, the wind blew strands of her hair loose and she didn't flinch.

The stoic expression on her face softened, had you not been locked onto her like a sniper, you wouldn't have noticed. Her eye darted between both of yours and her lips sucked into her teeth for a brief moment. She was thinking. Did she want to say something to you? She approached you in the doorway, her lips parted but before a word could be spoken a gasp followed by a thud and clatter startled you from your trance. Both of you looked toward the right hallway to see a passed out Angie on the floor with some biscuits that used to be on a tray, scattered on the floor. She got to her before you but you knelt at the same time, the lord held her hand over Angie's nose then watched her chest to see it rise and fall.

"Help me lift her." She ordered barely above a whisper.

She took the upper half, you took the lower as both of you lifted her up. Surprisingly, despite how she looked, Angie was lighter than a full bucket of water. You carried her up the stairs then took a right down the hall from your room, past the bathroom, to the door on the end. Carefully Angie was placed back down on the ground so you could open the door but it was locked of course. Expectantly you looked at the lord who looked back at you expressionless.

"Do you have a key?" You asked her.

She shook her head no so you decided to pat Angie down to find a key with no success.

"I guess we can take her to my room." You offered.

Angie was picked back up and carried to your room, she was placed on your bed and you internally groaned at the thought of having to sleep on the couch, but better you than her. With her settled on your bed, you held your hands in front of you and fiddled with them while the lord stood in your room awkwardly. You watched her look around, suddenly embarrassed by the stark nakedness of it until her sight zoned in on your failed project.

"Did...you not like...my gifts?" She asked softly.

"What? No." You answered quickly and far too loudly, she looked at you with a hint of surprise, "I mean..I don't know how to sew. I got frustrated."

There was a long silence, the two of you looking at each other once more, when she finally spoke, "I'll teach you."

"What?" You squeaked under your breath.

"I'll teach you how to sew." She repeated as she went to leave, "meet me in my workshop tomorrow after you take care of Angie."

She left you in your room without another word, you listened to her footsteps until you couldn't hear them anymore. What just happened? You thought to yourself as you fell into muscle memory of stripping out of your clothes and into your pjs then eyed Angie who was still passed out. You peaked over the banister to not see the lord anywhere then went downstairs to the sitting area where a couch was. It was small and very uncomfortable, you curled into a ball to fit on it with a scratchy blanket you found in a cabinet. The pillow was stiffer than cement, you huffed in annoyance and couldn't sleep at all, not only from being uncomfortable but from the wild thoughts running in your mind.

Morning finally came, it felt like forever and your eyes burned from the little sleep you got. When you stood, everything popped and your body was sore enough you groaned in pain. After you put the blanket away and got the couch set back up, you went upstairs to find your bed empty. Thank goodness. You got changed the fastest you could, brushed your teeth, then stood in front of Angie's door listening to see if she was inside. The door flung open and you leapt back as Angie startled, it took every muscle not snicker at her expression but the satisfaction that you scared her was enough.

"Oh. There you are." She cleared her throat.

"I came to check on you. How are you feeling?" You asked genuinely.

"I have a bloody headache."

"Well, you did faint and fall on the floor." You told her.

"Right. That was because I swear I saw someone I once knew in the doorway."

"That was Lord Beneviento." You gulped.

Angie cackled, "guess the drinks were strong for you too. I don't have time for your jokes."

You scowled, "I wasn't joking Angie. Who do you think helped me carry you to my room?"

She stared at you hard enough you could see the smoke coming out of her ears from the gears grinding together.

She scratched her head, " well I suppose that's....you said she?"

You nodded your head.

"I would have never guessed." She mumbled while she waddled past you.

"You really had no idea?" You asked as you followed her.

"No. The previous Lord Beneviento was a disreputable man and very secretive. He destroyed everything that mentioned Claudia or his child, as well as most of their family history. I only knew about Claudia and her child because of Mother Miranda; all births and deaths are recorded. She never said if it was a son or daughter but my...she's a spitting image of Claudia."

You followed her down to the kitchen, she talked to you while she made herself some coffee then motioned for you to help her make breakfast. You eyed the time on the clock but perhaps it would be best to offer breakfast for the lord before she taught you how to sew.

"So, word in the village is someone hit Lord Moreau. Pretty hard too from the black eye I saw."

You froze, "well, he probably deserved it."

"Never said he didn't. I just wanted to tell the person nice shot."

Angie sipped away at her coffee while you finished up the breakfast. After you served her a plate you hurriedly platted the breakfast onto a tray to take with you, Angie looked at you curiously.

"Just where are you off to in a rush?" She accused.

"Um..Lord Beneviento asked me to see them in the workshop."

"What?!"

Before she could interrogate you, you rushes off from the kitchen. While you walked, you couldn't stop thinking about everything. The same thoughts and questions that plagued your mind last night had returned in full throttle. Why did she wear a mask? Why did her father destroy everything? Why all the secrets? Why does she never come out?

You hoped you could get some answers but deep down you knew that if it took her this long to show herself, it might take equally as long to get anything out of her. The door to the workshop was skewed open, you pushed it further to step in and gasped softly at the inside. All the other workshops you had ever been in were dirty, cluttered, and smelled. This was the complete opposite other than the subtle mildew smell. The workbench in the center had a stool and sewing machine set on top, on the wall behind it was a desk that extended the wall and onto the next.

It was a deep, red color and everything on it was meticulously organized; from the tiny drawers labeled buttons by color, to threads set up by color. You rested the tray on an empty spot of the desk then continued to examine everything she had, you could never come close to this level of neatness. A sudden presence behind you made the hairs on your neck stand up, it wasn't a malicious feeling so you eased your shoulders before looking behind you. There she stood. You hadn't heard her come in, where did she come in from? When did she come in? She walked toward you and you noticed she made no sound, her footsteps were silent and once she was closer you noticed she wasn't wearing shoes. Only socks.

She was however wearing a long-sleeved, black, button up shirt that had the top few buttons undone. Her slacks were the same shade and held in place with a blood red leather belt. The silence of her steps explained how she moved around the manor without you noticing, aside from the soft brushing of her pant legs and your breathing, there was no sound. She leaned over the tray of breakfast with a deep inhale followed by an equally powerful exhale.

"Did you make breakfast?" She asked.

"I did." You answered.

Her face remained neutral but the muscles on the corner of her mouth twitched; maybe it was just a twitch but you'd like to think it was her suppressing a smile. She took the fork and picked at the food, nibbling on it like a bird before she looked at you as if she remembered someone else was there.

"Thank you for the food. It's always delicious when made by you."

The smile you wanted to make would have been huge, instead you restrained it into a smaller smile. It had been awhile since you received an actual compliment, and not some side comment that was less mean than normal from Angie. You continued to smile as you examined this lord who crafted so many secrets and mysteries around them, now that you saw her closer she was kind of cute. Attractive absolutely, but her mannerisms were child-like cute. This was not the confident lord you met last night, who told Salvatore to leave, this one was very timid and nervous.

"I'm always happy to serve you my lord." You gave a half nod with your head.

"I don't like that." She answered curtly, she set down the fork and started to fiddle with the button of her sleeve.

"Me serving you?" You questioned sadly.

"Being called....lord. I don't like it."

"Would you prefer my lady?"

"That's worse." She scoffed then scooted past you to a small table with a radio, "I'm not Alcina."

"What would you like me to call you then?" You requested.

There was a very long silence, you burned holes into her back while you waited for her answer. You shifted your weight from one foot to the other, she stood upright and turned on the radio to some melancholy aria. She spun on her heels and was in front of you within a few long strides, the momentum causing a gentle breeze over your body.

Her eye darted between the two of yours, "you can call me Donna." She finally answered, with emphasis on the you.

You smiled brightly, attempting to contain your excitement, "Donna. That's a lovely name."

Donna turned around quickly and you could see her arms shift, most likely playing with her sleeve again. Her head looked around until it locked on the rack of fabrics.

"Let's...start sewing."

After you picked your favorite color and the type of material that felt the softest, you sat at the sewing machine on the center table. Donna showed you how to cut and measure patterns, she walked you through how to use the machine and what to do if the thread or material got stuck. Over an hour passed and you hadn't made much progress with the actual sewing. The speed of the machine made you uneasy, that you would accidentally going to sew your finger to the cloth. Two pale arms wrapped around your upper body, your entire body turned into a furnace at the contact.

Her hands were warm and smooth, she rested them over yours and pushed the cloth faster through. When she reached out, the sleeve of her shirt slid up to expose a bit of her forearm. It was scared up, with parts of flesh looking like it went through a meat grinder. You averted your eyes and instead focused on the contact of her hands over yours while the two of you sewed . Her breathing was even, and with each inhale her chest lightly pressed against your back, after a few motions you gained some confidence. Carefully you leaned into her, her body tensed and for a moment you thought she would back away, but she didn't, not right away at least.

It was the chime of the clock striking noon that broke your concentration. Donna moved away and the cold bit your once warm back. You turned on your stool to see her rubbing her finger nails nervously, again, how could someone who was so mysterious be so cute?

"I'm sorry. I've kept you from your duties. I'm sure Angie is peeved, um, you can come by anytime to finish."

"Will you be here?" You whispered.

Donna looked up at you then looked away, "sometimes." She looked toward the door and breathed deeply.

"Then, I'll come by whenever I can. I really enjoyed this, and I also enjoyed the gifts you left me." You added.

Donna looked further away, but not before you caught a dusting of pink of her face, "consider it a thank you for the plant, and for everything you're doing outside. I'm sure you've seen the greenhouse on the way to and from the village; it belonged to my previous gardener. I could...find the key if you'd like."

"I would love that." You beamed.

You thanked Donna once more before you took your leave, when the workshop door closed you squeaked under your breath and almost skipped back to the kitchen.

Chapter 9: The Greenhouse

Chapter Text

The next few days were spent carefully juggling your duties, your sewing project, and working outside. Angie didn't talk to you much after you went into the workshop, she still bossed you around per usual but it was less....bossy. You tried to surprise her with dinner when she came back from the village, but she ate in silence then went to bed; leaving you with the clean up and putting the groceries away. After that, you decided to avoid her as much as possible and not bother with her attitude change. You didn't see much of Donna either, she was never in the workshop when you were and you started to think things were going back to before you saw her, only now you felt even more alone. You refused to go to the village after the encounter with Salvatore, now that you think about it, you hadn't heard from Salvatore or the other lords since the interaction either.

You had finished the jacket you had started, it wasn't as pretty as some of the other clothes you'd seen designed in the workshop. Intricate clothing on blank-faced mannequins, whilst yours looked like you plucked it out of an elementary school lost-and-found. You made it though and you were proud of it; you snuggled your arms through the sleeves to check that it fit and it did perfectly. It was soft, warm, and you could now go outside without having to worry about getting frostbite.

"That looks nice."

You yelped in surprise then whipped around to see Donna there. She was wearing a black button-up, frilled shirt with equally black slacks and snow white suspenders with them. She was stunning, even if she blended in with the shadows of the workshop. Her mask looked shinier too in the stark darkness, you could see the paleness of her eye clearly while the other pierced through you.

"What is it with everyone wanting to scare me in this house?"

Donna fidgeted where she stood, you could have sworn she blushed but she looked away too quickly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's fine, you're just..so quiet. I'm pretty sure I heard the mice taking notes about how to sneak around better. Where have you been?"

Donna stifled a chuckle, you watched as her eye frantically looked around as if she was asking and answering a hundred questions until she realized she hadn't spoken yet.

"I'm sorry, I know I said I would be here to help you but with Salvatore being a new lord, we've had to do a lot of catch up meetings."

"Oh." That would explain why she hadn't been around, but not Angie's attitude.

"Was Mother Miranda upset with me about Salvatore?" You asked.

"Not this time, but I'd prefer if you wouldn't hit anymore people. Or fall off things. I don't want you to get hurt."

You snickered in embarrassment, that meant she had seen every attempt at getting her attention,"I will certainly try."

"I'm glad I found you though, I have something for you."

Donna reached into the pocket of her slacks then held out her hand, you walked up to her and she opened her hand when you stopped. It was an old, rusted key, with a faded tag attached to it; you took the key from her and examined it while trying to read what the tag said.

"What is it?" You asked.

"The key to the greenhouse." Donna muttered.

You smiled brightly, "you found it! Let's go take a look."

Before Donna could object you took her gloved hand and pulled her through the hallway to the elevator. She stood next to you in silence but you noticed her shift from one foot to the other when you didn't release her hand. You wanted to ask her about how she crept out so easily but decided to save it for another time, for now, you had to keep her next to you before she disappeared again. When the elevator opened you pulled her along, Angie was sweeping in the living room and she looked at the two of you confused as you got on your shoes then went out the front door.

Donna followed you through the front gate, down the path, and the two of you arrived at the greenhouse. Ivy had overtaken the building, parts of the building were broken in, there were broken pots, similar wooden structures to the front of the manor, even the fence was falling over. Ick. You released Donna's hand to insert the key into the lock, it took some pressure and elbow grease but eventually the lock clicked open. You pushed open the door with your shoulder, years of plant build up made it difficult and when the door gave in, you got a good, long, look at the place. It was worse than the outside. You couldn't take a step without stepping on a pile of dirt, broken objects, or miscellaneous stuff you couldn't identify. Two steps in you stopped and huffed while swiping a spiderweb and dust away from your face, turning around you saw Donna still in the doorway.

"Are you going to come in?" You asked.

She shook her head no.

You sighed softly and put your hands on your hips, "how long has it been like this?"

"Since my mother passed...gardening was something she enjoyed immensely." Donna whispered.

"Well then...we have a lot of work ahead of us to make this worthy of her." You offered cautiously.

"We?" She responded with a raised eyebrow.

You nodded your head, "but I think I'll have to teach you how to sew up some work clothes. You can't do yard work in that, it'll get ruined."

Donna looked down at her outfit then back up at you with a soft chuckle, she rubbed the back of her neck and looked away from the greenhouse. She walked away so you followed her, closing the greenhouse door behind you; she walked around overlooking the dead vines hanging off trellises that created a walkthrough arch. You watched her examine everything with great attention as if she were in a museum of aged artifacts. When she stopped walking, she paused in front of a tree. She stood there for a long period of time while you stood next to her, the tree was dead with bits of ribbon strung off the limbs. Her face gave nothing away, the mask didn't help in hiding her emotions but it gave you a chance to realize the white part of her eye piece was white fabric.

"What are you thinking about?" You asked softly.

"She would be so ashamed to see how far I've let this go. The garden was her pride and joy, she would spend hours in it with me..." Donna trailed off.

You put your hand on her shoulder which made her flinch back, so you dropped it immediately. Instead you offered a soft smile and held one hand in the other as you looked back up at the tree thoughtfully.

"I can think of something else that has been forgotten for too long. Perhaps it's time you and this garden get some much needed tlc." You said softly.

You and Donna walked back to the manor in silence, this time you didn't drag her and you walked on her other side so as to see her face. The setting sun made her porcelain skin look golden, it highlighted the streaks of brown in her hair, you could even differentiate the brown and black of her iris. She caught your stare as you got to the front gate and you quickly looked away, she waved you to go first and followed behind. Angie was nowhere to be found and for that you were grateful, the last thing you wanted was Angie to come in and sour the mood. Donna looked around the manor for a brief moment, you looked over at her and she let out a long sigh.

"Where have you been?" Angie's voice screeched.

You jerked around to see Angie in the walkway leading to the sitting room, she stomped through then halted when she saw Donna. She cleared her throat and bowed the furthest she could with her aged body.

"Apologies, I didn't see you there my lord. I was wondering where Y/N had run off to." She apologized.

"Her and I were taking a stroll." Donna answered.

You glanced up at her and gave her a soft smile before turning to Angie, "is there something you need?"

"Yes. Do you know what time it is? We have to get started on dinner."

Angie walked away toward the elevator and you looked up at Donna again with a brighter smile.

"Meet me in the workshop tomorrow to work on your gardening clothes? If you're not busy that is."

Donna remained silent for a moment before she finally met your eyes, "I would love that. I would also love it if you made dinner again, and maybe continue to do so?"

You stifle a chuckle and cover your mouth, guess your intuition was correct about having to eat Angie's sludge. You nodded your head in agreement then examined her face for a moment, Donna turned to face you and took your hand in hers. She leaned down and kissed the back of it with a soft smile.

"Thank you for listening, and getting me out of the manor. I look forward to working on the greenhouse with you."

Your cheeks got red and hot when her lips touched your hand, her lips were warmer than you expected, they were also very soft. It felt like a flutter against your skin, when she pulled away there was a lingering tickle where her lips had once been. Donna offered her arm and you took it, the two of you went downstairs and parted ways at the kitchen. Angie was inside, already started on dinner, her back to you and you put your hands on your hips.

"Did I do something to offend you Angie?" You asked frustrated.

She whirled around, "offend me? Oh no." She started, her eyes looking wet, "I'm shocked to put simply. I...she looks so much like Claudia that it feels like a phantom roaming the halls. I...I apologize if it seemed like that."

You walked up to Angie and took the spoon from her hand, "I understand Angie. Things are changing, hopefully for the better."

Angie scoffed some, "perhaps. Now, I never did hear the story about you sucker punching Salavator."

Chapter 10: Kindness

Chapter Text

You wiped the sweat from your forehead and released a heavy sigh when you stood up with a loud pop in your back. All morning you had spent scrubbing the kitchen floor after a very unfortunate explosion of batter; you wanted to bake something sweet to give Donna but learned you have the baking skills of a toddler. Thankfully Angie was in a giving mood and was willing to buy something from the village, on the condition you cleaned up your mess. As soon as you drained the water from your mop bucket, Angie walked into the kitchen and put a wicker basket on the counter. You turned around and smiled as she pulled out some covered pastries, cookies, even a small cake; all which made your mouth water.

"Wow Angie, you went all out." You complimented.

"Who said this was all for you?" She answered.

You paused for a moment then snickered, "never took you for having a sweet tooth."

"There's a lot you don't know about me and I intend to keep it that way. Now, take the cake and get out of my kitchen."

"Yes ma'am."

You tore off the cleaning apron to hang up on the wall to dry then picked up the cake and fast-walked out into the hallway. As you approached the workshop you heard soft humming, it was the same tune you had heard previously when you caught Donna playing the piano. Carefully you pushed open the door and watched for a moment: Donna sat at her workbench humming to herself, she was completely lost in whatever she was working on. You crept in and cleared your throat to alert her of your presence; she shot up quickly and grabbed some nearby cloth to cover whatever was in front of her. She turned around to meet your narrowed eyes before her eye fell on the cake in your hands, she gave you a soft smile while she leaned against the desk.

"What are you working on?" You asked innocently.

"It's a surprise." She answered shortly, "what do you have there?"

"It's a surprise." You mocked.

She scowled but didn't move, she watched you set the cake on her work table in the middle of the shop then tilt your head. She started to walk over but you grabbed the cake to hide behind your back, Donna scowled and crossed her arms with a soft huf.

"I'll tell you if you tell me what you were humming. It's the same one you were playing on the piano." You looked around, it just occurred to you that the piano wasn't anywhere to be seen, "speaking of...where is the piano?"

Donna tensed for a moment, "it's one of the first songs I learned to fully play." She caught your curious look, "the piano was a gift for Lady Dimitrescu."

You hummed then put the cake on the table, "I hope you like chocolate."

Donna looked at the cake curiously, she tilted her head then looked up at you like a child, "but..it's not my birthday."

"You can have cake on days other than your birthday." You laughed.

Donna gave you a cheeky grin then stood upright, "I appreciate the surprise, but that still doesn't explain why you brought me a cake."

You shrugged, "felt like it? I can take it away if you don't want it." You started to reach for it but Donna was quicker.

"I didn't say that.." she mumbled.

You chuckled and clapped your hands together, "we can eat it before we work!"

"Work?" Donna asked.

"Yes, you're going to help me in the greenhouse remember? But first we need to get you some gardening clothes. You can't do yard work in the outfits you wear, not that you don't look good or stunning even. I mean-" Donna put her finger on your mouth to stop your rambling.

"Where do we start?"

You giggled nervously then told Donna to find some clothes she no longer wore or wouldn't mind getting dirty. While she did that you went into the kitchen to get a knife, forks, and two plates for the cake. You beat her to the workshop and when she walked in you already had the cake served. Donna put some clothes on the table, there was a button up black shirt, some black slacks, and a black belt; you were expecting something different yet weren't surprised either. You examined them while Donna ate then asked if she had any shoes she could get dirty to which she tapped her chin before she nodded. She left to get changed and you dropped off the cake in the kitchen, washed your dirty dishes, then waited for her by the manor door.

She joined you shortly after, even in something so basic as that she still looked sleek and refined. In her hand were a pair of tattered shoes, probably the only tattered thing she owned in the whole manor. Angie came out from the sitting area with a magazine in her hand, she gazed up at the two of you curiously.

"Where are you off to now?" She asked.

"The greenhouse. Want to come?" You replied.

"No. If I never touch dirt again it'll be too soon."

"Very well Angie, we'll be back in time for Y/N to help you for dinner." Donna said softly.

"Thank you my lord." Angie coughed lightly.

The key to the greenhouse was heavy in your pocket, but it was a welcomed weight that padded against your thigh with each step. Donna walked beside you in silence, you looked up at the part of her face left uncovered. You couldn't stop looking at her, she was such a mystery and you couldn't place why on Earth she would hide away from everyone. Once the two of you were in the greenhouse, alone, without the prying ears of Angie, you decided to try and weed some answers out of her.

"I thought you didn't like being called lord?" You started.

Donna tightened her leather gloves and began to pick up shards of ceramic, "I don't."

"Then, why didn't you correct Angie when she called you it?"

She paused for a moment, "I have my reasons."

A soft growl left you as you took a garbage can to put debris in, she wasn't going to crack easily. Afterall, she had spent however many years without speaking to anyone let alone letting them see her yet here she was: working in the greenhouse with you. You attempted to pry deeper into her only to be given short, unsatisfactory answers.

"I was homeschooled."

"No."

"Sometimes."

"I like to read."

"Why don't you tell me about you?"

That caught you off guard but you weren't exactly getting anywhere with her, feeling snarky you gave her short one-worded answers too. She didn't respond but you could feel her eye on you, examining every move you made, and it was a familiar feeling you hadn't felt since you and Donna had been around each other. Too lost in thought you hadn't noticed Donna had gotten close to you when you turned to throw some debris away only to be met with her throwing debris at the same time. Dirt exploded everywhere: in your hair, on your clothes, and all over Donna. There was a long silence before both of you started to laugh, her laugh was angelic to say the least, it was high in pitch but soft on the edges. Judging from the look on her face, she hadn't laughed in a very long time and became flustered at the sudden uproar.

You pulled some cloth from your back pocket to wipe away the dirt from her face, as you were about to clean her mask, her hand grabbed your wrist to stop you. Her black eye locked with your E/C ones, frantically it searched for something as the two of you stood there. It softened briefly, then she brushed her thumb over your hand before she lowered it slowly.

"Is there anything that doesn't look good on you?" Your face turned hot when you realized you said it out loud.

Donna giggled softly, her pale cheeks were coated with a light pinkish tint before she cleared her throat and released your hand. Her gaze drifted toward the see-through door of the greenhouse to see it was getting dark out. She held up her arm with a slanted grin to walk you out, after you locked the door you leaned against her arm for warmth and comfort, and she allowed you too surprisingly. Donna led you back to the manor in her usual silence, only this time her shoulders were relaxed and not as stiff. She paused for a moment at the door then looked at you, her leathered thumb brushed some dirt away from your cheeks. Before you thought something was going to happen you could hear Angie's cough from the other side, you pushed it open to find Angie in her rocking chair in the main room.

As if she read both of your minds she waved her hand, "don't worry about me. Water went down the wrong tube, now....what happened to you?" She asked when she finally looked up.

"Um.." You started.

"You know what? I don't wanna know. Go clean up before you drag mud on my freshly mopped floor. That goes for you too. Just because you might be a lord doesn't mean you're above a walloping either. I have many years to catch up on." Angie threatened.

Donna looked at you then took your hand again and gave it a kiss, "shall we do this again?"

You nodded your head and felt the heat on your face again, you secretly hated how easily flustered she made you. Donna removed her boots, you did the same, then went your separate ways to get washed up for dinner. Thoughts ran wild, you couldn't stop thinking about the way Donna looked at you or how soft her lips were. Everything about her made your heart flutter, and suddenly your thoughts stumbled into more...invasive territory; how her lips would feel against yours, what her skin felt like, but Angie's cough broke you out before your thoughts went even deeper.

The next day you tried to catch a peak at whatever she was working on but she kept the workshop door shut. That was until she scared the living daylights out of you in her office: you had been dusting when you turned around to find her hovering nearby with her finger raised as if she were about to poke you. Angie wasn't feeling well, which meant you had to do the chores by yourself, that included running errands for Donna. She handed you a list, some lei, and whispered a quiet thank you before rushing out of her office.

The walk was cold, and wet, the fog seeped down to your bones causing a shiver to travel up your spine. This was the last thing you wanted to do, but how could you say no? Donna was your boss, and honestly, you don't know if you could say no to her. Anxiety crept up into your chest as you walked toward the village, you lost track of how long it had been since your incident. Donna didn't say anything more about it, Mother Miranda never came by, and Alcina nor her daughters called either. You hoped that everyone forgot about it. With a final shiver you arrived at the gate that separated the village from the manor, suddenly Donna's hermit habits made sense. Maybe she was rubbing off on you. Kind of ironic, at first you were terrified of the manor and now...you wanted nothing more to be in the safe, warm embrace of....it of course.

The gate into the village announced your arrival loudly, you cringed at the noise but no one else seemed to be bothered by it. You kept your head down with the hood of your jacket up until you found yourself at the Duke, he gave you a bright, welcoming smile. He had everything on your list, except one item that could only be obtained from one person: Lord Heisenberg.

Chapter 11: Dogs

Chapter Text

You thanked the Duke for the supplies then asked for directions to the factory as you tied the bag to your waist. You hated the fact that you had to spend even more time here but...you didn't want to disappoint Donna. A wild wind blew your hood clean off and as you went to pull it back up the mumbling of voices caught up to you. You wanted to get out of the village as fast as possible but when you turned a girl blocked your path. She couldn't be older than 12, 13 on a good day.

"What does Lord Benviento look like? Moreau said he saw him, is it true he's horribly disfigured?" She asked with curious eyes.

"W-what?" You stuttered.

Before she could ask again, you took a step back only to be greeted by villagers eyeing you. It was different then the first time they eyed you, when you first arrived, they looked at you because you were a new face: now they looked at you the way wolves looked at a wounded animal. They swarmed you just as fast. Questions slurried around you, you pushed through the ocean of people as their voices became a blizzard of noise. Somehow you managed to pry your way through until the factory was in-sight, as you neared the gate with a rush in your step the villagers slowly broke away. That you were grateful for, but it also made you extremely nervous. There was a large black gate out front with a buzzer, with hundreds of dogs barking behind it. When you clicked the buzzer it crackled to life with a flash, followed by a long static.

"Shut the hell up!" The man hollered hoarsely.

Lord Heisenberg appeared from seemingly nowhere and didn't look the same as you remembered: his hair was covered with a splotchy tan hat, there was oil all over his clothes, and you smelled him from where you stood. The dogs surrendered their barking and cleared a path, some of them whimpering away from his presence: another hit to your nerves. He swung the gate open with a loud THWANG as the metal hit metal, then stared at you through his black glasses. You scrunched your nose when he removed the cigar from his mouth and blew the smoke in your direction. He was the same height as you, making the smoke land directly on your face, you coughed and waved your hand to clear it away.

"Well, well, well, looky here. Come on in."

He turned around and you followed. The garage door swung open loudly enough you flinched and covered your ears. The two of you walked into the workshop, the smell burned your nose and made your throat dry; just looking around made you get tetanus. Heisenberg leaned against a desk on the opposite wall, you stood a good distance away from him as he hummed softly, and removed his glasses to toss them onto the desk.

"So...what brings you to my humble abode hm?"

"I need something for Lord Beneviento and I was told you could get it for me."

"What do you need?"

You took out the list and reached out your hand to hand it to him, he stood upright and walked over. He looked over the list with a hum then nodded his head, then disappeared behind some double doors. Your heart was racing frantically, you tried to tell yourself you were being paranoid. The dogs had returned to barking and that didn't ease your anxiety any. You walked over and peaked into the window of the doors, catching a little glimpse of bright, orange lights but not much else through the grime. The door opened causing you to scuttle back to your original standing spot; Heisenberg held up his hand, in it were a cluster of intricate springs, gears, and other metal bits that he then settled on the desk.

"You know, I like you." He chuckled as he walked closer to you, stopping in front of you.

"Um...why is that?"

"Because, all those village girls are nothing but trashy, worthless, good-for-nothing whor*s. They throw themselves at my feet just begging for attention, thinking they'll get whatever they want. You, however, want nothing to do with any of the lords, except maybe that cripple Beneviento."

His hand made its way to your arm, you leaned away as he leaned forward, "why not be with a real man? I can make you feel far superior, nothing that Salvatore nor Beneviento can make you feel."

"I'll let you know when I find one." You snapped and yanked your arm away.

"Oh don't be like that."

Heisenberg grabbed your arm forcefully and pulled you forward again, you wrinkled your nose again at his smell. His hand tightened its grip, he leaned closer and you tried to lean as far as you could. You promised Donna you wouldn't cause any more trouble for her, but first Salvatore and now him? He had a good grip on your arm, you tried to swing your less dominant hand but he grabbed it forcefully too.

"I won't go down so easily there you little bitch. I can't wait to hear you squeal my name. Now be a good girl and stop fighting."

He leaned down to kiss you, with both your arms trapped that only left one other option. You swung your knee clean into his groin; he yelped in surprise and pain but he released your arms to cover his crotch. With him debilitated you took your chance, and ran for the desk to grab the parts to stuff into the bag from the Duke. Heisenberg stood upright to grab you again but you ducked behind one of his stands of miscellaneous metal parts. It took some work but with enough force the stand came crashing down on top of Heisenberg, he yelled loudly then started to laugh hysterically when you ran toward the garage door.

"Good luck you little bitch. The dogs out front only listen to me!"

You ignored him and pushed the garage door open to the side and froze in place, the dogs saw you; their hackles rose on the back of their necks as their barks shifted into growls. The crashing of objects behind you caught your attention, you looked over to see Heisenberg starting to get back up from underneath the rack. It was either him or the dogs, and you decided to take your risk.

You ran as fast as your legs could go through the dogs, they nipped at your heels as you passed but none of them moved otherwise. The gate came into view and you broke through just in time to hear Heisenberg yell for the dogs to follow you. sh*t. You couldn't outrun dogs, you barely could run the mile in highschool and you certainly hadn't ran since. The village came into view but the dogs were hot on your tail, the few villagers that were out ran for the safety of their homes. The castle was too far, not like you knew how to get there anyways, and you doubted anyone would let you into their house, so that only meant one thing: you had to make it home no matter what.

The dogs got caught up by a cart full of smoked meats, that gave you enough time to cross through the village center to the gate leading to the manor. You slammed the gate shut and locked it behind you, with a heavy sigh. Before you could catch your breath, a snout broke one of the wooden boards at the bottom. You started to run again, was the path to the manor always this steep? Damn you were out of shape. The manor came into view, you were almost safe, but the dogs had caught up to you.

"Donna!" You screamed as loud as you could muster.

One dog grabbed your heel and forced you down into the mud, it didn't puncture through but you could feel the teeth through the leather. You flipped onto your back and tried to yank your foot free, other dogs surrounded you with drool hanging from their mouths. Great, eaten by dogs is how you die. At least it'll be memorable. You slammed your foot into the snout of the dog as hard and fast as you could until your foot was freed. Another dog started to charge but was kicked away from you with a loud yelp. You looked up to see Donna next to you, this really was beginning to become a habit.

You scrambled to your feet, Donna stood in front of you as more dogs barked in a circle around you. Donna was baking you toward the iron gate, a dog lunged forward and you struck it with your heel. It yipped and backed away, the two of you kicked back the dogs until you reached the gate. She shoved your through onto the ground, the gate swung closed behind her but she remained on the other side.

"Donna, come on!" You begged.

Donna looked at you for the briefest moment as a dog jumped up and bit down on her arm. She didn't yell, didn't scream, nothing, only turned to the dog and gripped its muzzle with her other hand. She tore off the mouth until it whimpered loudly and let go of her arm, the last of the dogs ran away with their tails between their legs. You panted heavily, she walked through the gate and grabbed onto her arm with a flinch, a soft whine from her throat.

"Donna." You breathed out.

You stood up to touch her but she waved you away, "what the hell were you thinking?!" She snapped.

You took a step back, "I didn't do anything."

"Didn't do anything?! Then why were Karl's dogs chasing after you?! I thought I asked you not to cause anymore trouble! This is your idea of not causing trouble?!"

"It wasn't my fault! Heisenberg tried to-"

"I don't want to hear it."

Donna flinched again, you looked down to see her red jacket sleeve darken with blood. She walked past you, still holding onto her bleeding arm and you followed behind. Droplets of blood dripped from her leather glove, she burst through the door and Angie looked up shocked.

"What the hell happened?!" She yelled.

"Angie, get some first aid supplies, towels, wash cloth, and warm water!" You ordered.

She huffed but did just that, Donna slumped down on a chair with another whimper, you knelt down and reached to remove her jacket sleeve.

"You've done enough." Donna spat.

"Will you stop being a stubborn asshole for one minute and let me help you? Or should Angie?"

Donna stared at you for a moment, she sighed heavily but the anger was still apparent on her face even with the mask. She hesitated greatly which only made more blood pool on the floor beneath her arm. Angie came back with everything you asked for, she stood there until Donna looked up at her.

"Leave us Angie. Please."

Angie sighed again, "sure! Just leave me out of it per usual. I've only been here longer-"

"Angie!" You and Donna yelled at the same time.

Donna looked back at you, she nodded and looked away from you, she leaned forward and took off one sleeve of her jacket. Carefully you removed the other sleeve to expose her arm followed by her glove, you ordered her button up next. She growled under her breath but listened to you, she sat up and removed one sleeve of her button up, with your help the other side was taken off. You held back your gasp, her entire side from where the end of her mask was on her face all the way to her fingers was covered in scar tissue. You could see the blood pump out of the bite wound, her muscles and tendons flexed underneath the skin where your fingers touched. Her arm looked water logged with the veins and tendons slightly visible, the blood didn't help the discoloration.

Before Donna caught your staring you dipped the washcloth in the warm water and began to wipe away the blood. She sucked in a breath and groaned loudly, you looked up at her but she didn't look at you. Once the blood was mostly cleaned away you took a green bottle and poured some of the contents onto a clean cloth to dab onto the bite wounds. She sucked in another breath and pulled her arm away before you could finish.

"Donna...I can't treat your arm if you keep pulling it away."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't pissed off yet another lord."

"This wouldn't have happened if Karl wasn't a f*cking creep like his brother and tried to assault me."

Donna suddenly tensed which caused blood to pool out of the bite marks again, you brought her arm back to you and cleaned her arm, again, then resumed putting the medicine on. She looked at you with her other eye, when she relaxed her face turned sullen and guilt ridden.

"..I'm sorry. I...I should have let you explain. I shouldn't have snapped at you."

"Not your fault, you can't control him."

"But if I hadn't sent you out to the village.."

"Donna.."

You reached up and pulled her face closer to yours, "you couldn't have known, however, I now see why you never leave the manor. Bad things seem to follow me around lately and now, you're hurt because of me because of it. I'm so sorry. Perhaps if I left, you wouldn't be in this situation." You sniffled as you started to wrap her arm in gauze.

Donna put her other hand over yours to pause what you were doing, you looked up at her with wet eyes. Her eye softened, your face suddenly became very hot at the realization of how close the two of your faces were. She sighed softly, her thumb rubbing against your skin soothingly before she leaned in further to close the space between the two of you. Her lips were softer than you expected, they were kind of wet but you pushed against them to fully seal the kiss. Accidentally you pressed on her arm and she sucked another breath, but she kissed you again before you could apologize.

"Please don't leave." She whispered against your lips.

Chapter 12: She said, he said

Chapter Text

You looked up into Donna's eye, you could see your reflection in the obsidian. A soft sigh escaped you before you leaned up and captured her lips again, this time lingering on their warmth and softness. Your hand crept up to the side of her unmasked face, holding it gently as her uninjured hand rested on top of yours. When you broke the kiss you remained close to her, feeling her breath brush against your nose and cheeks; it smelled surprisingly minty.

"I'm not leaving you Donna." You whispered.

The clearing of a throat jolted you away from her and spring your head toward Angie who stood there with a fist on her hip.

"Excuse me for interrupting...whatever this is. Mother Miranda just called, she wishes to see the both of you."

"Now?" You squeaked.

"First thing in the morning. With the other lords."

It felt as though your heart would burst through your chest in anxiety, she knew now and your mind was rampant with worry. Would she kick you out of the village? Where would you go? What about Donna? You had feelings and needed time to figure it out, and clearly Donna had some semblance of feelings too. You turned to look at Donna but she hadn't stopped looking at you, her facial expression was still the same as well, she looked alarmingly calm. She stood abruptly and you dropped your hands to keep the bucket of water from spilling, you watched her pace around the room for a brief moment before she paused in front of you.

"Thank you for helping me with my arm. I suggest we get some rest, I'll wake you in the morning."

She fixed her shirt and jacket then walked away with long, fast, strides leaving you alone with Angie. You picked up the bucket of bloody water and strolled past Angie then stood in front of the elevator to come back up. Angie stood next to you in silence but you knew she had some sarcastic remark brewing inside her head. The elevator door opened and you stepped in with her, the two of you rode down then she followed you to the kitchen as you dumped the water. It wasn't until you tried to leave that she blocked your path, you huffed in frustration.

"Angie. I'm muddy, sore, and tired. I just want to go to bed before I face my doom tomorrow."

"You're turning your butt around and going into her room even if I have to lock you in. Take it from an old woman, don't let this opportunity pass you by."

Your face became hot and you flustered in surprise, "can I at least bathe first?"

Angie narrowed her eyes at you then moved out of your way, she followed you to the bathroom, brought you a change of clothes, then "escorted" you back down to Donna's room. You looked back at her as she stood in the archway to the kitchen before you sighed under your breath and knocked on the door. As if she was waiting, the door swung open to reveal Donna, she was wearing some skin-tight shorts, and a long sleeved shirt with her hair covered in a towel. Your face felt hot again as you wrung the bottom of your shirt in your hands, you peaked behind your shoulder to see Angie had disappeared. When you met Donna's gaze again she was smiling a little, the corner of her mouth curved upward the tiniest bit.

"Um..Angie made me come here."

"I see. Why is that?" She asked almost smugly while she leaned against the doorframe with her good arm.

"I'm guessing she wants us to spend the night together."

Donna hummed humorously then moved out of the way and motioned for you to come in, you walked in and stood awkwardly in her room. She had a large bed on the right side wall with a floral design comforter, two nightstands on the sides, a large rug at the end, and a tall dresser on the left wall. Donna walked past you to the wall directly opposite you, there was a door there that you presumed was the bathroom. She unraveled her hair from the towel, it cascaded down her back and she pulled it over her shoulder. You couldn't help but stare as she stood in front of a small dresser with boxes on top; she tied her hair into a braid that rested on her shoulder. She turned around and caught you staring which made you look away quickly, you heard her chuckle under her breath then the shuffling of sheets.

You looked toward the bed and saw her sitting there expectantly, she pulled the comforter away to expose the other half of the bed. You crawled into the bed and stayed as close to the edge of the bed as possible, the bed dipped and you felt her shimmy down into the sheets. She sighed softly and you looked over at her, she still wore her mask but you could see the exposed part of her neck. You laid there for what felt like hours until her breathing looked even, your heart was hammering and you didn't think you could sleep.

Damn you Angie. You thought.

You slowly moved closer to her, the bed getting warmer from her body heat until you were right next to her. You moved slowly, as slow as you could possibly move, you moved her injured arm up then pressed your body against her side. As you rested your head on her shoulder you felt her body tense which made you tense in return, when you two finally relaxed her arm had moved around you. You sighed softly and buried your face against her while you listened to her heartbeat.

The next morning you were woken by a soft shaking, your eyes fluttered open and you stretched with a loud groan. You were facing the nightstand and felt a hand on your waist, when you rolled over Donna was behind you. How could she look so beautiful even in the morning? Not even her hair was out of place.

"Good morning, sorry to wake you but we have to get ready, Angie brought you some clothes and you can use my bathroom."

"Okay. How's your arm?" You asked hoarsely.

"Um..it hurts. The bandage will need to be replaced but we can worry about it later."

You nodded your head and got up out of the bed, you were still sore from your brush with death but not nearly as you could have been. Her bed must have been made from clouds. In the bathroom you flicked on a light and saw yourself in the mirror.

What. The. Actual. f*ck. I look like I was ridden hard and put away wet.

Your hair was everywhere from going to bed with it wet, a drool line was visible from the corner of your mouth, and your throat was a bit sore which meant you had been snoring. Great. Donna was definitely attracted to you now. You sighed and fixed your hair, washed your face, drank some water, and got changed into the clothes set out for you on the counter. When you opened the door you paused to see Donna already changed too. She was wearing the same outfit you had first seen her in: the dark crimson suit that complimented her so well. She caught your gaze and looked away suddenly then waved to the bed to see a familiar cloak lying there.

"Wear that please."

You cleared your throat then walked over and put the cloak around you, she looked you up and down and nodded in approval.

"You look beautiful."

"Now you're purposely trying to flatter me. I look like a ugly duckling next to a swan." You teased.

Donna stood in front of you, her leathered head lifted your chin to look at her, "don't ever say you're ugly ever again." She warned.

"Yes ma'am." You answered instinctively.

She smirked a little but it quickly vanished, "good. Let's go."

You followed Donna through the kitchen without seeing Angie, weirdly she led you to the workshop rather than the elevator. There was a hallway to the right of the workshop that turned right to a door, when Donna opened it you saw some stone stairs leading straight to a tunnel. That would explain how she got around without being seen. The tunnel was lit by dim lanterns, and now you see why she made you wear the cloak: it felt like it was freezing. Donna held your hand the entire time you two walked, there were a few different routes that she walked by. She stopped in front of another set of stairs that led to another door, behind it was yet another hallway.

This hallway was attached to Mother Miranda's cabin and it was hidden behind a bookshelf. The two of you walked a different path away from the village, this path led to a larger looking church than what was in the village. When you stepped in there was a podium, and seats set around in a circle. Donna walked to a seat in the far corner where she was shrouded in darkness, she offered you a chair but you decided to stand to keep your nerves down. She took a seat but her hand only left yours when the next person arrived which was Alcina, her daughter Bela, and an older woman wearing an outfit like Angie's. Alcina sat near Donna without looking at either of you, Bela however waved and you waved back. Salvatore, Karl, and Mother Miranda arrived shortly after, Mother Miranda stood at the podium and cleared her throat.

"Thank you all for being here. I hate to call you all so early in the morning, but I'm afraid a difficult situation has arisen. Twice now Y/N has caused issues: first with attacking a lord and now this. I was willing to be forgiving the first but I cannot allow this to be excused. Karl called me late last night claiming he was attacked and his garage trashed, in retaliation his dogs had chased the person. Care to explain Y/N?"

"What? That's not what happened at all!" You yelled.

Donna grabbed your arm gently to keep you calm, you took a deep breath and continued with everything that happened. You included that Donna was even bitten by one of the dogs and now had an injured arm. Karl jolted from his seat and laughed hysterically.

"Oh come on Mother Miranda. You don't believe this, do you?"

"You don't exactly have a great history with women, Heisenberg. Might I remind the court that I have many women on my staff who've had similar experiences. All of them were promptly disowned by their families because they were 'unmarriageable.' " Alcina chimed in.

"A policy that was enforced by the previous Mother unfortunately, but you are not wrong Alcina. However, there is a fact that can be proven promptly to see who is telling the truth."

Mother Miranda turned to look toward Donna, you tensed and took her hand in your own as she approached. She looked down at her then leaned in and whispered something, despite being right next to Donna you couldn't hear what she whispered. Donna released your hand when she stood and walked into the light enough for her arm to be seen, she exposed the bandaged arm which made Alcina gasp and Karl snicker.

"How the f*ck are we supposed to know that's from one of my dogs? The entire arm looks like it's been through a meat grinder." He scoffed.

"Silence." Mother Miranda ordered.

Donna lowered her sleeves and returned to her seat, you went to hold her hand again but she pulled back to hold her arms against her chest. Something inside you seared in anger and hurt, you wanted so badly to show Heisenberg how hard you could hit, but knew better. Mother Miranda eyed you before she returned to her podium and stared him down in silence until he shuffled uncomfortably.

"I have made my decision. Alcina, you will take Y/N until further notice.." Donna sprang from her chair with enough force that it toppled backwards. Mother Miranda seemed unphased.

"Hopefully she can learn from you how to behave and control her temper. Karl, I give you two weeks to thin your herd; how you do is not my concern. As for Beneviento.." Mother Miranda turned to face the two of you, "I'm sorry it had to come to this."

You looked between Donna and Lady Dimitrescu before landing back on Donna; she didn't even look at you. Your heart sank into the pit of your stomach and reached for her but she turned away and disappeared into the shadows. Bela approached your side to take your arm, at first you resisted but eventually gave in to everything. Tears stung your eyes that you furiously tried to blink away with no success, Lady Dimitrescu walked on your other side. They paused for only a moment when Lady Dimitrescu whispered to her maid who scurried off somewhere then they continued to walk to a large, black, carriage.

The carriage was pulled by two large, black, and white Clydesdale horses whose breath crystalized in the frosty morning. Inside was black velvet and leather, Lady Dimitrescu sat across from you, and Bela sat beside you. The entire ride was silent, you stared down at your hands wishing that this was simply a dream, a really, really, bad, dream. You clutched the cloak tighter around you, lowering your face to try and catch the fading scent on it. A few minutes later the carriage jolted to a halt, the door was opened by the driver but Lady Dimitrescu held her hand up to pause you.

"Follow me to my study. I believe we have some things to discuss."

Chapter 13: Truth

Chapter Text

You followed behind Lady Dimitrescu silently, your gaze wandered to the finely detailed pillars. Golden crown molding on the ceiling, every painting you passed looked elegantly done and it took everything to keep your jaw from hanging. She opened two large, mahogany doors into a room probably larger than Donna's whole basem*nt. Across was a polished marble fireplace with a warm, roaring fire crackling inside it. Next to the fireplace were two love seats, a coffee table, and a side table with each loveseat. Two of the walls were made entirely of windows with thick, crimson curtains covering all of them. A maid was dusting bookshelves when she saw you and Lady Dimitrescu enter, with a bow she paused her dusting and opened the curtains to allow the rising sunshine in.

With the new light you were able to see a desk in the far corner, obviously Lady Dimitrescu hadn't expected company for it was covered in scattered papers; some of the papers even littered the floor below the desk. After the windows were opened, the maid somehow read your mind and organized the papers while Lady Dimitrescu went to the coffee table to pick up a small, metal box. On the lid was the same design as her brooch, and she pulled a cigarette out from the container then put it into a cigarette holder. She offered you one but you shook your head, you looked over at the maid who had made her way over to you.

"May I take your cloak?" She asked.

You paused for a moment and held the cloak tighter to your body, "um..no thank you."

The maid nodded her head before she turned and left, you listened to the doors closed then turned back to the lady. Lady Dimitrescu motioned for you to take a seat while she walked to one of the windows and propped it open on top. She struck the cigarette ablaze and took a long, deep, inhale then blew the smoke out of the window. You walked over to the loveseat furthest from her and sat down with your hands on your knees. Your hands were sweaty, your heart raced, and you felt nervous all over; as if you were waiting for the judge in your trial. When Lady Dimitrescu finished her cigarette she turned to you with a soft smile.

"Are you hungry?" She asked suddenly.

The question surprised you and made you realize you were, in fact, hungry because you never ate breakfast. Your stomach growled in response, you bit your lip embarrassed and sighed softly.

"Yes Lady Dimitrescu."

"Oh please, no need for formalities. You can call me Alcina, I saw the way you looked at Donna. You might be family soon." She teased.

You furrowed your brow in confusion and opened your mouth to question her but she lifted her hand to stop you. That didn't stop the rush of heat to overtake your cheeks and ears. She moved over to the double doors and pulled on a rope, followed by a loud ringing bell that echoed throughout the entire castle. A different maid appeared behind the opened door, Alcina leaned over to speak to her but you couldn't hear what they said. The maid nodded and Alcina reached down to brush her cheek, almost motherly, and that made the maid smile before running off. Alcina came back to take a seat across from you, she crossed her ankles and you couldn't fathom how someone could be so elegant. She could wear a potato bag and still look drop dead gorgeous.

"What did you mean by 'be family soon'?" You asked.

Alcina smiled slyly as she adjusted her posture to look off into the fireplace, "I mean that I hope you'll be my in-law someday. Donna is my niece."

Your surprise couldn't be held back now, "niece?" You stuttered out.

"Yes. Claudia was my sister, which is what I wanted to talk to you about. It was long before Donna was born..."

"Alcina! Alcina! Alcina!" A shrill, excited voice called.

Alcina rushed into the courtyard, she held her dress in her two fists to keep from tripping on the fabric. When she came into the clearing, Claudia stood under the gazebo next to their parents. She slowed her pace and recomposed herself, with a quick fix of her dress and after she evened her breathing, she greeted them. Claudia hopped on the balls of her feet excitedly, as she took Alcina's hands into her own as she bounced.

"I'm getting married!" She squealed.

Alcina's stone face cracked for the briefest of moments, her dearest baby sister was getting married. She quickly feigned a smile and held up Claudia's hands to her chest.

"To whom?" Alcina asked with fake enthusiasm.

"Lord Beneviento! Oh Alcina he's so handsome and kind. He just came by and asked daddy for his blessing. Of course he said yes! We're getting married in two weeks!" She couldn't contain her excitement.

"Two weeks?" Alcina gasped out as her eyes drifted to her parents.

Their father stood there proudly whilst he fiddled with the edge of his mustache and their mother had a grin so wide her eyes squinted.

"Yes my lovely dove. Lord Beneviento will make a fine husband, and will take good care of you." Their father proclaimed.

Deep down Alcina always had a bad feeling about the lord's son; he had tried on numerous accounts to ask for Alcina's hand but each time she refused. It was no secret she didn't favor men, and her saving grace was she proclaimed to take over the family wine business and therefore had no time, nor interest, in marriage.

The wedding was simple, elegant of course, and her sister looked more beautiful than the brightest sunset. Her raven hair that reached her lower back was braided into two different braids that met in the back and the rest of her curled hair flowed freely. She wore their mother's wedding dress, it had been adjusted to fit Claudia's smaller frame but it complimented her complexion perfectly. The top of the dress had a sweetheart neckline with real diamonds adorning the tops of the breasts, a long transparent train attached, and the A-line reached the floor. Alcina was the maid of honor, she stood at the altar, her gaze never left her sister for something told her she should memorize this moment. Villagers cheered when they kissed, Alcina remained quiet and watched as the two of them happily ran down the aisle, hand in hand.

"I would have savored that moment longer had I known that would be the last time I saw her. Alive. That is."

Alcina's face dropped as there was a knock on the door, she called out for them to enter and it was the maid from before. She lowered a tray that consisted of a teapot, two tea cups, and a plate with polenta, bread with jam, a few slices of meat, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, and a scallion on the side. The maid handed the plate to you with a napkin and fork, you thanked her but your hunger had disappeared; you were full from this new information. However, you didn't want to be rude so you ate the food anyway.

After you finished the maid poured tea then took the plate and disappeared through the double doors again. Alcina reached over and sipped on the tea slowly, when she removed the cup and returned it to its resting place you noticed the imprint of her lipstick on the rim. You picked up your tea and swallowed the warm liquid, it was a bit bitter than you normally drank, but also had a weird cooling effect when you swallowed. The flavor was unfamiliar, and you couldn't decide if you liked it or not.

"I didn't know Donna existed until Mother Miranda. The previous Mother neglected to communicate that her identity was meant to be kept secret, a request from her father, but Mother Miranda insisted that I knew. Afterall, I was the only family she had left once her father passed."

"What happened to her parents?" You whispered.

Alcina sighed, "I only know that my sister had to be buried with a closed casket because of her state. Soon after her husband went missing. Donna...she must have been a mere child then."

You set the cup down then removed the cloak so it rested on the back of the love seat, "so, does that mean you know what happened to her?"

"What do you mean?" Alcina questioned.

"She wears a mask, and you saw her arm when she revealed the bandage."

Alcina met your eyes, the faintest bit of surprise in hers, "you've seen her face?"

"Not without the mask."

Alcina hummed, "I'm afraid that is not my story to tell."

"Then why are you telling me all this?" You questioned.

"I'm telling you this as a way to urge you caution as you migrate through whatever relationship the two of you are going through. I care about her dearly, I do not want to see her have the same fate as her parents. Whether this relationship is romantic or platonic, it's clear that both of you have feelings for one another."

"Oh..I don't..you really think so?"

Alcina sighed, "I saw the way you looked when Mother Miranda said you had to come with me. Only a woman who has deep feelings for another would look so heartbroken."

You felt the sting of tears in your eyes and tried to blink them away, "she..didn't even look at me."

Alcina switched her crossed legs, "I can only imagine what she's going through. Allowing herself to trust someone only to have them taken from her. I'm sure she feels a lot of resentment toward Mother Miranda."

Another knock drew your attention away, Alcina called for them to enter and it was Bela. You would have been excited to see her but you couldn't overcome the deep feeling of empathy you felt for Donna. Bela approached her mother and whispered something into her ear, she straightened up immediately.

"I apologize, we'll have to continue this conversation another time. It seems my maid hasn't returned yet."

You watched her walk away then turned to look at Bela who gave you a wink. You furrowed your brow as she motioned with her hand for you to stand. You put the cloak back on and followed behind her. She peeked around the door then hurriedly walked through the hallways, there were many twists and turns and you worried if you looked away she'd disappear. After seemingly hours she stopped by a large wooden door with iron brackets across the front. Bela pulled a rusty key from her dress pocket and turned to you.

"You don't have much time. This leads to the basem*nt, we're not allowed down there because the ceiling caved in. If you climb up the rubble then follow the deer trail you'll arrive at the river. Follow it down river until you reach the dock, go up the stairs and take a left you'll be at the village center."

You blinked a few times, "what?"

Bela sighed and rolled her eyes, "my sisters take this route to see their girlfriends when mother says they're not allowed to. You want to see Lord Beneviento don't you?"

After it clicked you hugged Bela tightly, she tensed for a moment before she hugged you back lightly. She released you then turned and unlocked the door for you, the door closed behind you before you could thank her. You followed the directions to a T. The rubble from the cave was difficult to climb up, for every two steps forward you slid back one. Everything was loose and slick from the rain, but you were determined and eventually crawled through the hole in the ceiling.

Your legs were still sore from running away yesterday, you rested against your knees and panted to catch your breath while everything shook. You had to keep going. Like Bela said, there was a little deer trail through the brush, sure enough you arrived at the river. The rapids roared loudly and sprayed droplets of water onto you, that made you try to walk as quickly as you could before you got soaked. Your shoes slipped in the mud of the bank, you groaned in frustration with each step, feeling the mud soak through.

When you got to the dock you struck your shoes against the side to shake off as much mud as you could. You also scraped your shoes against the cobblestone to get any remaining mud off too. Now you knew where you were, everything was familiar and the soreness in your legs disappeared as a burst of adrenaline shot through your entire body. You jogged the path all the way to the headstone, you paused for only a moment and smiled sadly at it before you continued your jog. When the manor came into view your jog turned into a sprint, your heart screamed for you to stop, your lungs burned, your mouth tasted metallic but you kept going.

You threw the front door open and panted heavily, the loud noise drew the attention of Angie who looked at you curiously. You kicked off your shoes and panted so hard words couldn't escape but Angie knew what you wanted. She pointed toward the elevator and you nodded your head in thanks but before you could take a step forward she stopped you by pressing the end of her broom toward you. She glared then pointed at the cloak with the broom, you looked down at the end of the cloak that was drenched and covered in mud.

You sighed and untied it, she held her hand out and you handed it to her before she allowed you past. The elevator felt slower than normal, usually it took a minute to go up and down but this time it felt like an eternity. Your fist slammed against the side when it raddled to a stop to open the doors, it didn't take long for you to figure out where Donna was. She wasn't in her room which only left the workshop. You took another deep breath to try and calm your heart and breathing before you pushed the door open. The workshop was trashed; cloth was unraveled, materials were scattered everywhere, and Donna was sitting at her desk with her head down.

"Donna?" You called cautiously.

Donna's head slowly lifted up, she twisted around and you choked back a sharp gasp. Her unmasked face stared straight back at you.

Chapter 14: Breakdown

Chapter Text

Your heart was thudding in your ears, you couldn't differentiate whether it was from running or from seeing Donna unmasked. The other half that had remained hidden looked similar to her arm. What caught you the most by surprise is her other eye was entirely white. The scar tissue of her face traveled over her eye, across her jaw, and down her neck. Donna tensed her jaw as the two of you stood there in a thick tension, she shifted from one foot to the other uncomfortably. She shook her head violently and turned away, her hands shook from how hard she gripped the edge of her desk.

"No...not these again!" She yelled as she swiped her arms across the desk sending the last bits of materials onto the floor.

"You're not real." Donna said loud enough for you to hear.

"You're not real." She repeated like a mantra.

You took a few steps toward her cautiously, when you reached her she jumped at the contact of your hand on her back. She looked you over surprised, you couldn't help but stare at the stark contrast of her black and white eyes.

"You're...not real." Donna whispered less confidently.

You reached up a hand but she caught it by the wrist, her blood-shot, obsidian eye darted from your hand to you before the realization set in. Both of her eyes started to water. Donna's grip on your wrist loosened and she dropped her hand allowing you to reach up. She flinched when your thumb got near, but relaxed after you paused then continued to wipe the tear away and settle your hand against her scarred cheek.

"You're..." She started.

"I'm here Donna."

Her lips crashed into yours causing your heart to skip a beat, but you refused to let her pull away; the moment she realized she wasn't wearing her mask, this would be ruined. Her lips tasted salty from how much she cried, the thought of her being so hurt over you leaving made tears begin to well in your own eyes. You wrapped both arms around her neck, tightening your fists on her hair as her hands slipped around your waist, closing the space between you and her. You leaned up on your tiptoes, naturally inviting her to slide her arms underneath your thighs and lift you onto the desk. Both of your breathing became heavier, she never broke the kiss and only pushed to deepen it as you locked your legs around her. Now she couldn't escape you.

You pulled away from the kiss, she chased after it which trailed along your neck, her hot breath emanating against it. Goosebumps broke over your skin as you felt her burrow her face against the nook of your neck. It felt as if Donna was trying to mold into you and breathe in every bit of your smell. You brushed your fingers through her hair; the closeness allowed you to feel her body tremble. Her grip was borderline painful but you weren't about to tell her to let go.

"What are you doing here? If Mother Miranda finds out.."

"She won't." You interrupted, "I came because... I had to see you. I need you to know that I'm not leaving you."

"She took you away from me... why would she take you away?" Donna asked aloud.

"I'm sure she had her reasons. I don't exactly have a perfect track record with her right now. The important thing is, I'm here now."

Donna only responded by further burying her face into you. Her jaw trembled with the sobs she tried so desperately to hold back. After a moment you cleared your throat to grab her attention.

"Donna...Why did you think I wasn't real?" You questioned.

Donna tensed, in response you tightened your hold on her with your legs as she shifted uncomfortably. She sighed defeated, and flipped her head just enough to face away from you but still kept it against your shoulders.

"After my mother passed...I used to see her everywhere. She was so lifelike, and I wanted her to be back so badly that at points I couldn't tell what was reality. It went away...eventually...with the help of Miranda. I haven't had anything like it since...but I thought..I thought I was again..." She whispered.

"What happened to you?" You asked cautiously.

Donna struggled against you, she jerked hard enough that she broke free of your grasp with little resistance. The expression on her face was unreadable, did your question make her angry? She looked away but you saw the muscles tense in her jaw. She walked around the destroyed workshop, kicking materials softly with her foot. You remained sitting on the desk, not wanting to further upset her.

"What did Alcina tell you?" Donna finally asked.

"Only that she's your aunt. She said it wasn't her story to tell." You answered.

Donna fiddled with her gloves before removing them and picking at her nails, she began to pace back and forth as she pondered what to say next. She looked equally surprised and confused as her gaze never left the floor. She had carved a path through the destruction enough to safely pace. The tension in her jaw never faltered, even as she came to an abrupt stop in front of you.

"You really want to know?" She asked quietly.

"Yes." You answered.

She looked up at you, her eye searching your face, "why?" She asked sharply.

You sucked in a sharp breath, the words of Alcina playing back in your mind as you looked at Donna's beautifully exposed face. You barely knew her, yet you can't escape the feeling that you've known her your whole life. In the few precious moments you've had with her, time seemed to still and it was only you and her in the whole world. You knew deep down that you didn't want to leave this village, unless she came with you.

You reached up once again to caress her exposed face. She recoiled from the touch and brought her hand up, only now realizing she wasn't wearing her mask. Her eye widened in fear but you reacted quicker before she could run off. You grabbed each wrist forcefully and yanked her back toward you. S

"Because I love you Donna." You answered.

Donna's face contorted into shock, she blinked a few times before she looked down at her hands, "don't say things you don't mean."

"I never do."

Donna met your gaze again as she took long, deep breaths. She stood in the uncomfortable silence for a long time before you saw her shoulders begin to shake. You waited patiently, releasing her hands so she could step back and hug herself. You created space for her to grieve in the rawness of her past, which would be a privilege to have her invite you into. When she was finally ready, she sat on the floor with her knees tucked, forming a protective barrier between herself and the pain.

"It started off like every other night.."

Her father had come home drunk, again, and this time he was in a ripe mood. Normally her mother could hide Donna away and take whatever punishment was doled, but this time she wasn't enough. When he had his fill, he then turned toward Donna. He backed her into a corner and in her attempt to run, she hit the work desk and spilled acid all over the floor. In his blinding rage, he grabbed the remaining acid and splashed it over her. She tried to shield herself from the blow, but it was futile against the burning liquid. The sensation was so intense, she instinctively fell to the floor, which drenched her entire side in what had already spilled.

When the priestess was finally called by a worried villager who heard Donna's screams, the scene she found was nothing short of horrific: Donna's father was passed out on the couch, while Donna could be heard moaning, still on the floor covered in blood and flesh dripping from her arm and face. Her voice was sparse from screaming, and her mother laid motionless in the living room in her own puddle of blood. The priestess quickly whisked Donna away, grafting any salvageable areas of tissue, but that was all she could do except make Donna as comfortable as possible. She lost sight permanently in her eye, and her father reminded her every day how horrifically disfigured she was now.

Despite it all, no one would take her. No one wanted to cross her father, so she was forced to live with him once again. From then on, she wasn't allowed outside the manor at all. She wasn't even allowed to go to the funeral, and her father had the gall to lie and say her mother died from a disease. Anger boiled inside Donna, she never felt so much hatred coursed through her, and she knew she could not allow him to continue on after he caused so much darkness and destruction. All she had to do was wait, knowing he would fall back into his old routine. When her father was drunk one night, he wandered to the back of the manor. Donna wasn't about to throw away her shot. No one could hear him scream over the sound of the waterfall. The villagers didn't know he was ever gone, because Donna had secretly been learning his craft so she seamlessly picked up where he left off.

As Donna spoke you creeped toward her until you sat across from her on the floor. She stopped shaking, and stared at the ground. Her voice became monotone yet her face contorted in discomfort. You took a deep breath and let the information consume you. You needed a minute to process how traumatic that must have been for her, and how hard it must have been to be alone ever since. You leaned over and took Donna into your arms. She remained curled up but she leaned her weight into you. I could feel her body relax from its fight or flight state, and she began shaking in your arms, knowing that you were capable of carrying some of the burden she has single handedly shouldered for all this time.

"I'm not worthy of your love..someone who looks like me..I'm ugly...a monster" she whimpered.

"If I can't call myself ugly, you're not allowed to either." You said sternly.

"That's because you're perfect."

"Donna, whatever your middle name is, Beneviento, no one is perfect. But a monster wouldn't have left me a book on flowers, or taught me to sew, and certainly wouldn't have thrown a tantrum over me leaving. Monsters aren't capable of showing that level of kindness and compassion."

"I didn't throw a tantrum." Donna whined.

You looked around the room, "so this is your version of not throwing a tantrum? I would definitely hate to see you actually throw one then."

A laugh bubbled through and Donna's shoulders shook from it; the vibrations caused you to giggle.

"I...may have thrown a little tantrum." Donna admitted.

"A little?!"

"A...big tantrum."

The two of you sat there in comfortable silence for a moment before Donna shifted backward to look at you. She took your hands into her own, examining the back of your hands and fingers thoroughly as you watched the gears in her mind turn. She finally settled both of your hands into her lap when she dropped her legs and crossed them.

"I don't care what Mother Miranda or Alcina say...stay here with me. Just until the morning and I'll get you back before they know you were ever gone." Donna begged.

You chewed on your lip in thought. Should you stay the night or return to the castle? In your gut, you know what the right answer is. You sighed and clutched Donna's hands.

"Okay." You answered.

Chapter 15: Need

Chapter Text

Donna made you walk first, in case Angie was still around downstairs. She was ashamed of how she behaved and the state of the workshop, the last thing she wanted was to be scolded by Angie for it. Not now at least. You looked over your shoulder at Donna who only stared back at you, the way her eyes looked through you made a chill run up your spine. Warmth rushed to your cheeks and you turned back around to watch where you were going before you ran straight into a wall. Once the two of you were in the kitchen, you turned around to face her, she tilted her head at you when you crossed your arms and furrowed your brows.

"Have you eaten at all today?" You asked.

Her silence was enough of an answer as her eye drifted away from meeting yours. You huffed and went to the hooks where the aprons hung, you could feel the familiar burning of her eyes on your back as you tied it on.

"I'm not hungry for food." She mumbled.

You decided to ignore her while you squatted down to take out some bowls and a cutting board but when you stood up Donna was right next to you. You nearly dropped the items from jumping out of your skin, you still couldn't fathom how someone could move so silently. She took the items from your hands and placed them back into the cabinet below the counter.

"Um, I need those." You pointed out.

"I told you. I'm not hungry." She replied.

"Donna, I'm not letting you go to bed without eating. That's not healthy. At least let me make you something."

"I promise I'll eat double tomorrow."

Donna stared at you again, you couldn't get over the endless night sky of one eye, and the blinding blizzard of the other. They both felt warm and welcoming and you wanted nothing more than to be soaked in their attention. She buried her face against your neck, her hot breath tickled across the back of it as she inhaled and exhaled your scent. You pressed your hands against her chest, pushing her away gently despite the fever that fluttered over your body.

"That's not how it works." You countered.

"Fine.." She sighed.

She removed her face and planted her hands firmly on your waist, she twisted you around against the counter. You sucked in a sharp breath as she lifted you onto the counter effortlessly, for someone the size of a stick she was shockingly strong. She opened the fridge to the side and examined the contents. She pulled out some fruit that you had prepared for breakfast earlier today but, obviously, never got to. She popped a few bits into her mouth and looked at you for approval, you crossed your arms then sighed and waved her hand to continue. After a few more bites you gave her the okay and she put the fruit back into the fridge, the look she gave you after was unreadable.

She approached you and spread your legs which flooded your core with burning want, it burned hotter when she got between them and started to kiss your neck. She hummed approvingly when you instinctually tilted your head to allow her more access.

"I think...no...I do love you too Y/N. I want to make you mine, so no one can take you away from me again." She whispered against your skin.

The words shook your entire body, you took a shaky breath while your hands wandered over her back, "are you sure about this Donna?" You asked quietly.

"Are you?" She replied after she paused her kissing,

"Yes."

Donna resumed her kissing, "then I'm sure."

Your heart skipped a beat, "make me yours." You breathed out.

Donna stopped kissing your neck and moved away from between your legs, a huff left your lips and Donna flashed you a knowing smirk. She took your hand with one hand and with the other untied your apron, letting it pool on the floor. You couldn't wait as you pressed a heated kiss to her lips with your arms tightly around her neck, she returned the kiss with her hands back on your hips. Your back hit the wall with enough force that a few spoons fell off their hooks, yet you never broke the kiss. The two of you fumbled out of the kitchen toward Donna's room, luckily Donna was very familiar and led the way, all the while your hands traveled to her coat.

As you entered her room you threw the coat off her shoulders, she kicked it off to the side to let the door slam shut. The only time the kiss broke was when Donna lifted and slammed you down onto the bed, it creaked and groaned loudly from the impact but you didn't care. You watched Donna remove her socks and suspenders, you took off your own and went to unbutton your pants but her hands stopped you.

"Allow me." She ordered.

You placed your hands at your sides as her fingers masterfully unbuttoned your pants and pulled them off to expose your legs to the frigid air. You hadn't noticed how cold it was until now as the searing heat from between your thighs was exposed. Donna crawled onto the bed and put her hand around your neck to pull you up to a sitting position. You moaned softly at the contact, her eye flashed a little when she heard you.

"Do you enjoy this?" She asked as her thumb stroked the side of your neck.

"Mhm." You answered.

"Noted." She growled lowly.

When you were upright she released your neck and leaned down to undo the top few buttons of your shirt then pull it up, you lifted your arms to make it easier for the fabric to be removed. You put your hands on the side of her face and pulled her into another kiss, you wanted a permanent indent of her lips against yours.

Her vest was the softest fabric you ever felt, the turtleneck underneath equally soft but a primal urge begged you to rip it off her. You doubted you could with how well her clothes were made. The buttons took little time and the vest slid off her body with ease, when you reached the hem of her waist high pants she stopped you again. She broke the kiss and took a deep breath, you watched her close her eyes and bow her head, you tilted your head to try and look at her face better. It was as if her confidence faded as quickly as it appeared.

"We'll go at your pace Donna. I love you regardless of how you look." You said encouragingly.

"I know..I just..I need a minute. You're the first person to fully see me."

When Donna was ready she removed her hands and took another breath, you slowed your movement almost painfully slow. She raised her arms to help the shirt come off easier, she knelt there on top of you in her bra and pants. The scar tissue from her arm coated the entire side of her face and shoulder, but the rest of her was nearly untouched. A perfectly carved statue made from marble, with a few freckles here and there; one of them just above her belly button between the ghost of abs. Your hands roamed her body until they stopped on the clasp of her bra, she reconnected your lips and reignited the confidence fire in you and herself.

At the same time your hands unclasped her bra, hers undid yours leaving both of you topless. She broke the kiss to overlook your breasts while you did the same, her breasts were no bigger than your hands and the hardened nipples curved upward. You took one in your mouth and she sighed loudly, your tongue swirled around the nipple and grazed your teeth over it teasingly. The other breast was given attention with your hand, rolling and pinching the nipple between your fingers. Donna breathed heavily but otherwise didn't make much noise, when you were content with one nipple, you switched to the other. The cold bud being warmed in your mouth while the other had goosebumps crawl over it after being exposed.

Donna took your face in her hands and pulled you away from her breasts only to stand up on the edge of the bed where your legs hung. She knelt down on the ground and yanked your core closer to her face, she hooked her fingers underneath the top of your underwear and pulled them off. You whimpered and tried to clench your legs close but she kept them open, she gave you a soft tsk before lifting your legs onto her shoulders. Your hands immediately went to your own breasts and started to fondle them. Donna's tongue licked up your slit and made you moan loudly. You arched your back to further push your core into her face needily, she tightened her grip on your thighs and gave you a nip on your left one.

"At my pace, remember?" She said teasingly with a bite of warning.

You groaned in frustration, you almost wanted to threaten her back with finishing yourself off but also desperately wanted to feel her. Wanted to feel her inside you, but also wanted to feel the inside of her. You wiggled your hips, a soft whine leaving your throat as you continued to fondle your breasts between your hands.

"Although, I do like this view very much."

"Donna..please" You whined.

"Only because you said please."

Her tongue found your lips again and she dragged it across the full length of your dripping c*nt until she paused at your cl*t. She pulled it into her mouth and rolled it with her tongue, you unleashed a deep moan from your chest as she swirled it. It felt as though she knew you better than you knew yourself from how she flicked and sucked your cl*t while hitting every right spot. Her teeth grazed over the sensitive bud, you bucked your hips and yelped in surprise followed by a moan from how good it felt. Her tongue was replaced by her thumb as she continued to roll your cl*t with it and her tongue teased your entrance. She rolled her tongue around and slipped it inside you, she knew exactly what she was doing. You needed more.

She removed her tongue and hand, but before you could protest her mouth returned to your cl*t, her tongue making a wave motion against the vestibule. You groaned and arched your hips against her mouth, with your hips raised she put two fingers inside you. They reached deep inside you and when she curled them upward, you saw stars. Her tongue continued to attack your cl*t and stroke you up and down while her fingers worked in and out. You buried your head back into the pillow and moaned again, your fingers tangled into her hair, pressing her impossibly closer. Your hips rolled with her thrusts and each curl hit your spot that made your toes curl and your muscles tense. It had been a long time since you were touched by another person, let alone someone who made you feel so good.

Your hips slowed their roll and lifted up as the muscles in your legs and abdomen tightened. Her thrusts turned hard, her fingers professionally examining every inch inside you, she sucked on your hardened cl*t with a final graze of her teeth. Your body trembled, the muscles that had been tightening released and your hips froze in the air. The muscles in your abdomen released and sent a shockwave of pleasure over your body, your toes curled and your legs shook as your thighs tightened around her head. Donna lifted her head up, she kept her fingers inside you until your org*sm subsided and your hips slowly lowered back onto the bed. You moaned softly when she pulled out and looked at the fluid that coated her fingers, she smirked victoriously before licking them while making eye contact with you.

Something fluttered in your stomach as you watched her, she pushed aside some strand of hair that stuck to her forehead from the sweat. She lifted herself off the floor and towered over you once again to capture your lips against hers, you groaned into the kiss as you tasted yourself.

"My turn." You whispered against her lips.

You bucked your hips and threw her onto her back with you on top, she looked up at you with surprise that quickly changed to lust as you looked over her body once again. Her nipples were still hard and begging for attention again. You rewarmed them with your mouth, flicked the nubs with your tongue and covered them in your saliva before leaving a bite-size hickey on the side of one. Donna breathed heavily and sighed when you traveled down, she was silent and you didn't mind, her heavy breathing was enough motivation. You got to her pants and paused, you made eye contact with Donna who nodded her head in approval. In the swiftest motion you yanked her pants off from her legs, just like the rest of her body it was toned and she had moles littered over the pale skin. Each and every one got a kiss as you made your way up to between her legs where only a thin piece of cloth stood in your way. With your thumbs tucked underneath the sides, you pulled them down to reveal her to you fully nude. It took you a moment to admire her, she closed her legs in embarrassment but you pressed them open with your hands on her knees.

You knelt down on one knee in front of her and lifted one leg over your shoulder, she was soaking wet and begging for attention. You ran your tongue along her slit slowly, savoring her taste and the way her breathing hitched and stopped before resuming. It was faster than before and you smirked as you parted her lips and buried your tongue inside her. Her thighs tried to shut on your head but you firmly held them open by wrapping your arms underneath them. Her cl*t was swollen against your tongue, you rolled it around, swished it from side to side, and sucked it until her hips shuddered.

Your head bobbed up and down with your tongue, adding force and friction behind each lick and pressing against her vestibule. One arm unlatched from Donna's thigh and you covered your fingers with the mixture of her fluid and your saliva. You started with one finger inside her, she was easy to slip into with no resistance, her breathing quickened. After a moment of waiting you began to thrust your finger in and out of her, she remained silent but her hips lifted and lowered with your finger. When you slid another finger in she gasped softly and sighed heavily, her hands took fistfuls of the comforter as her hips lifted up. Another smirk crossed your face as your tongue continued to flick her cl*t in continuous motion, her hips continued to rise and your fingers curled up slightly and pressed up into her walls.

Donna's breath hitched again and her breathing sputtered as it became more difficult for her to control her breath. You knew she was close and further pushed yourself into her, your thrusts got faster and harder. Her walls tightened around your fingers and you couldn't hold back her legs as they clamped around your head and her entire body shuddered. Her hips rocked up and down, you felt every quiver of her muscles until they relaxed. Donna laid there breathing heavily, you smiled at the way her chest rose and fell and the way she arched her head when your fingers pulled out. She sat up on her elbows as you leaned in to kiss her, she grabbed you forcefully and pulled you on top of her, deepening the kiss.

She shifted on the bed, her head now comfortably on a pillow, somehow managed to pull the comforter out from under her and covered you up. Still you laid on top of her with your head against her chest, you listened to her heart beat slow down to a steady thump thump....thump thump..thump thump. It was soothing and soon enough it grew harder and harder to keep your eyes open, but your hand rested on her shoulder and absentmindedly traced the scars. The sweat made your bodies sticky but you didn't mind, you wanted to stay here forever; feel her skin against yours, her hands rub circles over your back, and listen to her breathing beneath you. You had everything you wanted at that moment.

Chapter 16: Morning

Chapter Text

The next morning when you awoke the first thing you noticed was the warmth and pressure against your back. You sighed contently as you cuddled against Donna who tightened her arm around your waist with a soft sigh followed by her face being buried into your neck. The second thing you noticed was the absolute blackness around you, your eyes could make out some things, grasping at any, singular, molecule of light it could. Unfortunately the moment was ruined by a clock that chimed in the distance: one chime, two chimes, three chimes, four chimes. Donna groaned and held you impossibly close, she didn't want you to leave, and frankly, you didn't want to leave either. That wasn't an option though, if Alcina found out you left the castle who knows how much more trouble you would be in.

After another moment of enjoying her company, you begrudgingly lift her arm off your side and sit up on the bed. You rolled your head to pop your neck before you stopped to look at Donna who still had her eye closed with a look of discontent. She looked so peaceful with sleep still holding her tightly, and the other pillow engulfed in a sea of Stygain hair. Donna lifted herself off the bed and propped herself on the side of the bed and flicked on the light; both of you flinched and grunted from the intrusion but once your eyes adjusted you engulfed the sight of Donna.

The few times you had seen her hair, it was always up in a bun of some sorts but seeing it fully laid out made you realize just how long it truly was, it came down to her mid back. She stood up and you watched her search for the items of clothing you had discarded the night before, most of them were on your side so you eventually decided to help. You stood up from the bed and collected your clothes, you set them on the bed and began to pick up hers but a hand on your shoulder stopped you. She stood in front of you still in full nude, you knew you had to leave but being able to actually see her made a fire erupt in your core.

Part of her body was the scar tissue that you had seen before, except now you traced it fully; you started with her eye, circled around it to her neck, over her shoulder, and down her arm. The part you hadn't seen or noticed before was on her other arm, it was covered in scars starting at the wrist and ending at the crease of her elbow. Her arm moved behind her when she noticed your stare, you looked up at her but she looked away shamefully. You grabbed her cheeks to force her to look at you and gave her a deep kiss against her lips.

"I love you Donna. Every part of you. Don't forget that."

"I know, I'm still getting used to someone seeing...all of me."

"And I thank you for trusting me enough to be so vulnerable. I especially love that little freckle by your belly button, it kind of looks like a heart."

Donna's face turned red and hot, she abruptly turned away and covered her stomach with her hands to hide it away. You couldn't help but chuckle as she went to the standing closet and searched through it for some clothes. Deciding not to push your luck by further teasing her, you got changed into the clothes you wore there, all except the cloak which Angie still had. Donna dressed quickly, in a blink of an eye she was in black leather-like pants, a long sleeve button up with a flared collar, knee high leather boots, and was currently putting her hair up. How did she do that so fast? By the time you got fully dressed, she had her mask back on and was covering her shoulders with another cloak. She looked you over and furrowed her brow a little, she glanced over her closet again and tapped her chin.

"You can't go out in this weather without something to keep you warm. Didn't you wear something when you came?"

"Yes, the cloak you gave me but Angie took it because it was soaked and covered in mud."

"I see..."

Donna hummed to herself before she pulled out a trench coat, the inside was extra lined and instantly trapped your body heat when you slipped it on. The outside was some kind of fur that Donna assured was fake but repelled water just like the real thing. You looked up at her one last time as she smiled at you sadly, you took her hand in yours and walked with her through the manor. Thankfully it wasn't raining but the fog was thick enough it could be cut with a knife, even the lantern that Donna had grabbed gave little visibility. At least no one would see you, because no one was awake at this hour, but also because of the fog giving you the perfect cover.

You led the way, the mud sloshed beneath your boots and the dried mud from the night before didn't help your traction at all. When you got to the hole leading down to the basem*nt, you sighed heavily and watched your breath form in front of you then blend with the fog. You turned around to Donna and gave her a tight hug, she hugged you back and squeezed, you wished you could stay in her arms but time was ticking away. Literally. With a quick kiss goodbye, you finished the journey alone, using your hands and feet to scoot down the rubble. Every time a rock rolled down the pile and clattered to the floor you froze in place, praying to whatever being looked over you that no one heard. One on solid ground, you felt your way along the wall and up the stairs until you hit the wooden door, you tried to push on it but it wouldn't budge.

You tried again thinking maybe it was stuck and not locked, with a few grunts and bangs with your shoulder the door suddenly clicked to life. Your heart shot to your throat; what if it was Alcina? You started to get nauseous as your heart raced faster, the light from a lantern peeked through the crack and everything fell in relief when you saw Bela. She stared at you shocked and quickly moved to the other side of the door and shut it behind her.

"Where have you been? I was up all night worried that something happened to you! I was expecting a few hours at most, not all night!" She paused for a moment then looked you over, her shocked face turned to one of realization, "oh...oh! Oh my..did..did you and Lord Beneviento? You know what, I don't want to know."

"I'm sorry Bela, I hope your mother isn't angry."

"Oh she's pissed, but not at you. That maid who disappeared yesterday still hasn't returned. That doesn't matter right now, we need to get you changed before my mother sees you and knows you left the castle. The maid was supposed to retrieve your things but considering that didn't happen..you'll have to borrow some of mine. Take off your boots so you don't track in mud."

Your face got hot in embarrassment but you still complied and took off your boots then followed her from the basem*nt in your socks. The staff must be very thorough because every few steps you would slip on how polished the floors were. On your way to Bela's room you passed Cassandra who erupted in a fit of giggles, you gave her the side eye as she motioned her pointer finger over you.

"I know a walk of shame when I see one." She giggled.

"It's only a walk of shame if you have something to be ashamed of. Perhaps you should reevaluate your definition." You remarked.

"You got me there." She chuckled.

Bela rolled her eyes and sighed sarcastically, otherwise she remained quiet until you got to her bedroom.

"You got five minutes. Find something that fits, you look about the same size as me so you should be fine. Shoes are in the organizer off to the side, all of them are inside shoes. If you are assigned to go outside you'll have to change your shoes."

You felt anxious to be searching through her things but..she did give you permission so you rummaged through her stand up dresser and another dresser on the other side of the wall. She mostly had dresses but you managed to find something you would fit comfortably in, after you changed you opened the door and twirled around for approval. Bela shrugged and gave you a nod of approval then waved her hand for you to follow her once again.

"I don't know what mother has in store for you, but with the maid missing she might make you take her place. She hasn't slept all night because of it, so to be safe I'm going to escort you to the main hallway where she always gives out the daily assignments. Maybe she'll give you something, maybe she won't." She said quickly.

Her pace increased when she noticed a maid up ahead, you picked up your pace to keep up with her and started to pant a little. The consequences of not eating or drinking or anything starting to catch up to you. The main hall was as you remembered: grand, full of golden, ornate decorations around the molding, and an equally grand fireplace with a fire whose flames burned the edges of the mantle. The maids stood at attention with their backs against the fire, when you stood next to one your back immediately started to sweat from the intense heat; it felt as if your back was being set on fire.

You glanced over at the maids next to you, they ranged from girls no older than 16 or 17 all the way to 50 year old women. The woman next to you looked to be around the same age as you, give or take a year or two. It made you wonder how they came to work here, Alcina said something about them having run-ins with Heisenberg but that couldn't be all of them. Shortly after Alcina entered from a door far off to the left in a second portion of the main hall, she glided up the steps to where you and the maids stood. Bela disappeared, you looked around to see if she moved elsewhere but she was nowhere to be found. Alcina walked down the lane of maids, giving each of them a direct chore or order to complete until she stopped at you. You looked at her and she looked you over, now that she was closer you could see the exhaustion over her features. The crows feet and bags underneath her eyes were prominent from lack of sleep, her half-hearted smile exposed the wrinkles on her cheeks.

"Y/N, what are you doing here?" She asked softly.

"Well, when mother Miranda said I had come here, I figured she meant I would work for you." You answered.

Alcian sighed and held her hands in front of her, "that's not necessary my dear, however perhaps you can help me."

She dismissed the staff then started to walk toward the large doors on your right, you followed behind as the two of you passed through a dimly lit dining area. She pushed open a second set of doors and held it open for you to go first, this led into a courtyard with a stunning gazebo in the middle with gorgeous foreign flowers surrounding it. Alcina walked past you and took a sharp left, this part of the castle was completely wooden on the inside which made sense after she took an immediate right once inside. You audibly gasped, thinking about how this room alone would have made your parents die from awe. The stage alone was massive with velvet, red curtains that hid whatever was behind them.

A grand piano was in the center of the room, with a few chairs scattered around it and bits of music sheets carelessly sprawled on the bench of the piano. It occurred to you that this must be where Alcina and her daughters practice when Alcina has a performance. Alcina cleared her throat which caught your attention, seeing she was on the other side of the room and you were still standing in the doorway. You scurried over to catch up with her, she proceeded to walk up the rest of the stairs until she stopped in front of a door with the Dimitrescu crest etched onto it. She unlocked the door and let you go first again. This room had broad windows across one wall that overlooked the mountains with a vanity on your right, a standup dresser to your left, and a puffy chair next to the dresser. She opened the glass doors that led to the balcony, she rested a metallic case on top of the concrete railing that revealed a row of neatly arranged cigarettes when opened.

Below the cigarettes was a striking strip and matches that she used to light one of the cigarettes. After a long breath in, followed by a long exhale she turned around and leaned against the railing. Her viridescent eyes looked you over, her brows furrowed for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders and looked off into the distance.

"My maid Tatiana never returned after the meeting, I sent her to fetch your things from Lord Beneviento but when I called this morning Angie said no one arrived. I do hope she didn't get hurt by Karl's pack of incestual beasts he calls dogs. Did you see anything on your way to or from the manor?" She asked.

"No, not that I could see..." you froze once you realized how quickly you answered, "h-how did you know?" You stuttered.

"Oh please, I may have been born at night but it wasn't last night Y/N. I gave up long ago trying to stop them from going into the basem*nt, once they get hurt maybe they'll listen. However, I know they think I don't know, and I had my suspicions, but your answer only confirmed it." She replied nonchalantly.

"I'm sorry for disobeying you Alcina.."

"Technically I never said you couldn't leave, I only wished you had asked rather than assumed. Now back to the topic at hand, Tatiana is still missing and Mother Miranda hasn't answered any of my calls but I'm sure she's busy in the village."

"Don't worry Alcina, we'll find her or find out what happened to her. Perhaps Bela and I could go to the village and ask around?" You offered.

She took another deep breath of her cigarette, "no...with your attack and now my missing maid, I don't want anyone leaving without at least two other people. Or without protection."

Chapter 17: Missing

Chapter Text

Eventually Alcina allowed you and Bela to go to the village, with one exception: Mother Miranda had to accompany you. Bela secretly stashed a knife in her boot underneath her dress, she offered you one and you gladly accepted. Your knife was stashed on your belt underneath the cloak you borrowed from the girls since you left yours with Donna. Mother Miranda, Bela, and you walked from Castle Dimitrescu to the village. People were more approachable to Mother Miranda than they were to you or Bela. Despite that, you couldn't help but be acutely aware of the side-eyes and whispers directed toward you. Bela noticed your discomfort and took your hand in her own, this helped a little but the villagers still avoided you as if you were radioactive. Of course Mother Miranda knew you were desperate to go back to Donna, she purposely avoided that side of the village to not give you any temptation. That's how it felt at least.

Mother Miranda had also given you the cold shoulder, anytime you tried to start a conversation she responded with one-worded answers. After your third attempt you got the hint and stopped talking all together, instead you opted to keep holding Bela's hand and lean your head against her shoulder. The villagers hadn't seen Tatiana at all, if they had it was briefly in the Dimitrescu carriage. Your final destination was Salvatore and Karl's homes but you stood your ground and refused to go to either of them; even with Bela and Mother Miranda there with you. The sun had started to set when a villager ran up to Mother Miranda to inform them they found a body matching the description of Tatiana.

You tasted iron in your mouth, your lungs screamed for oxygen but your pride hurt the most as Mother Miranda was neck and neck with you while running. To add insult to injury, her breathing hardly quickened at all. You followed the villager to the river nearby Donna's manor, the same river you followed when you snuck out last night. The villager jumped down from the dock onto the bank and stood next to the body of Tatiana. Bela gasped and covered her mouth with the hand that had been holding yours, Mother Miranda mirrored her movement and all you could do was stand there with your mouth open.

Next to you Mother Miranda began to whisper a quiet prayer with her head bowed, when she finished she lifted her head and sighed heavily. A few other villagers came and carried Tatiana back to the castle at the request of Bela. You followed behind the villagers and couldn't help but stare at the deceased girl; you didn't know much about dead bodies but you watched and listened to your share of murder shows and could make a very uneducated assessment: She couldn't have been dead long, she definitely wasn't dead this morning or you would have seen her. She drowned recently and you had an inkling of who was responsible because everyone but two people were accounted for.

To say Alcina was distraught was an understatement; she wept as though one of her own daughters had perished. According to Daniela, Alcina loved all the maids equally and welcomed them as family considering many of them didn't have any actual family. Mother Miranda and Alcina went into a room together with the body, leaving you outside with Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra. The four of you tried to listen in, but the door was so thick you only caught bits and pieces of the conversation.

"She drowned recently. She's pale but there's no signs of bloating, her back is bruised, and her eyes are glassy." Mother Miranda stated.

"Who would do such a thing?" Alcina asked.

"I'm not sure, but you have to consider that–"

You couldn't make out the rest of what she said, and after that their conversation faded as they left the room. You sighed softly and looked over to the girls who looked back at you with worry in their eyes, but you had nothing but determination.

"You think they're gone?" Daniela whispered.

You didn't wait for an answer and pushed the door open, Tatiana was in the middle of the room on a table covered with a sheet. The girls followed you and circled around the woman, none of you said a word but you couldn't help but sigh loudly. You shook your head and crossed your arms, Cassandra tilted her head up at you curiously.

"What are you thinking about?" Cassandra asked.

"I know Mother Miranda and the villagers will try to pin this on Don-Lord Beneviento but we all know that she isn't responsible."

"She?" Daniela asked as she looked at Bela and you.

"Lord Beneviento." Bela answered coolly.

Daniela gasped loudly and Cassandra looked surprised, Bela simply raised her hand to talk about it later. Your slip up wasn't something to discuss now but you felt a little guilty for saying her name out loud.

"We all know who did this, we just need concrete proof that he did."

"There's nothing we can do about it tonight. I'm sure Mother Miranda is going to do her own investigation but Johanna and I can go to the church tomorrow morning." Cassandra offered.

"Ooohh Johanna." Daniela teased.

"Knock it off Dani." Bela scorned, "I think that's a good idea Cass. See if you can find anything before Mother Miranda goes there. Danelia and I can search the bay and factory."

"I just wish I knew what happened." You mumbled.

The Day Before.....

Karl grumbled under his breath and cursed Mother Miranda, fuming at the audacity she had to order him to kill his dogs. How badly he wanted to watch Mother Miranda be chased by his dogs and string up her corpse. He hated Mother Miranda with every fiber of his being. He liked the previous Mother because whenever he did something wrong, all he had to do was break her back like a glow stick and be off scott free. Then again, he hated everyone in this room to some level of degree with the exception of Lord Beneviento. They never said a word nor saw each other, and that made Lord Beneviento his best friend in Karl's book: until today that is.

If Karl had to rank who he hated the most to the least it would go: Mother Miranda, Alcina, Salvatore, and Lord Beneviento. However, that little pest Y/N was making her way up the ladder now. Speaking of pests; Salvatore approached Karl shortly after the meeting requesting to talk to him, Karl groaned loudly but eventually stood and followed the wormy man-child. Outside of the church Karl leaned against the side of the building lighting up a cigar, before he looked over his shoulder to see Alcina Bitchescu leaving with Y/N. Mother Miranda was next, but he didn't see Lord Beneviento but he could care less, meanwhile Salvatore paced back and forth until there was a visible line in the grass.

"Are you trying to sabotage me Karl?" Salvatore whisper-yelled.

"What are you talking about Sal?" Karl asked nonchalantly.

"Don't call me that. My father called me that."

"Whatever. Now why do you think I'm trying to sabotage you?"

"You were supposed to have your dogs chase her to my domain! I was supposed to be the one to save her, had you followed the plan then we wouldn't be in this mess!" He growled.

"Not my fault, they caught wind of the butcher shop. Why are you so obsessed with this girl anyway? There's plenty of fish in the sea." Karl took a deep breath then exhaled the smoke in Salvatore's direction, "or are you more interested in the literal fish?" He chuckled.

"That is none of your concern! I promised you money if you did this, well the deal is off now. You blew it."

Karl's eyes darkened, he stood upright and towered over the boy, "watch yourself boy. I'll make your daddy's beatings look like playground rough-housing. This whole sh*t show became my problem the second your slimy salamander ass slithered into my garage. Now, tell me."

"You have no idea who she is, do you?" Salvatore scoffed, "her parents were the biggest real estate agents in the entire state they lived in. Her aunt alone comes from a lineage of hoarding dough and screwing people over. Here's the best part: I may or may not have 'intercepted' an envelope containing the last will and testimony of said aunt. Now the worst part: because she's dead, the money and assets will only be given to Y/N if she's married, preferably to someone of notable status. If I get her to marry me I can finally get out of this goat-f*cking village. All my life I've been stuck here, all the mothers before Miranda and all the ones after will never allow us to leave or know what's beyond those mountains-"

"I swear if you start singing I'm going to hurl." Karl interrupted, "why not just ask her to marry you, split the assets, then divorce and you two can go your separate ways."

"Because she doesn't know about the will or aunty dearest kicking the bucket. The second she finds out, she'll forget about splitting the assets and go right to Beneveiento. There goes my chance."

Before Salvatore could speak again he spotted something out of the corner of his eye, there in the doorway of the church was the maid that accompanied Lady Dimitrescu. She gasped when she was spotted and took off running, Salvatore chased after her and unfortunately for her, he wasn't hindered by a dress. He caught her promptly and dragged her back to the church with his hand covering her mouth to keep her from screaming. He dumped her onto the ground and sat on top of her, hitting her until she fell unconscious, he panted and stood up to look at Karl.

"What are we going to do with her?" Salvatore asked.

"Ha. Oh no no no, you already dragged me into one of your brain busting schemes. She's your problem." Karl chuckled as he flicked his finished cigar off into the distance.

Chapter 18: Investigation

Chapter Text

You couldn't sleep, all night you tossed and turned violently, threw the covers off you just to cover yourself back up. Exhaustion crept in slowly and eventually you fell into a dreamless, cold, sleep only to be woken up a measly few hours later. The sun leaked through the cracks of the curtains and illuminated the room in a soft, yellow glow. You sighed in frustration, you could hear the faint ringing of bells and presumed that it was meant for the maids to start their day. Your mind couldn't stop wandering back to Donna, hoping that she'll be okay and that Mother Miranda hasn't already interrogated her.

Breakfast was quiet, Alcina watched you like a hawk watching a mouse scurry across a field. Cassandra broke the silence by requesting to go to the village with her sisters, you perked up to join them but Alcina refused before you could let out a breath. She granted her daughters permission but made it abundantly clear that you would not be going anywhere. After the sisters were dismissed you started to stand when Alcina raised her hand to stop you, she motioned for you to sit back down and you obeyed. She sighed heavily and leaned back in her chair, she crossed her ankles and looked out the window adjacent to the dining table.

"Walk with me." She suddenly said.

She stood up and walked to the double doors directly behind you, you got up from your chair and followed behind her into the courtyard. It was cold. You shivered and hugged yourself in a futile attempt to warm yourself, silently wishing you had Donna's cloak to keep you warm. Morning mist blanketed the courtyard, Alcina stopped walking underneath a gazebo in the center breathing heavily before she reached into her own cloak and pulled out a metallic box. Inside was a row of cigarettes neatly holstered on one side with an intricately detailed lighter on the other. She looked over at you, silently asking if this would bother you and you only shook your head.

The cigarette was placed delicately between her perfectly painted lips, you couldn't help but stare at her as your breath crystalized and disappeared in front of your vision. The lighter flicked to life and the end of the cigarette caught aflame, she tucked the lighter back into place followed by the metallic case. She took a long inhale of the addictive chemical before blowing it out into the empty space above her. After this moment of tranquility she seemed to remember you were there too, she shook her head alert and chuckled embarrassingly.

"Oh my dear I apologize. Here."

Alcina shimmied her shoulders to remove her outer cloak, underneath she was wearing a body-length, eggshell dress with long sleeves that hugged everything. She wrapped the cloak around your shoulders, the sheer size threw you off first for it never occurred to you just how tall she really was. The cloak swallowed your entire being with part of it dragging on the ground, the smell of her and cigarette smoke drowned you in a dizzying cloud. You wouldn't deny that the warmth was welcomed, but the lack of Donna's scent pained your heart. Alcina cleared her throat and drew your attention away from your thoughts and back to her as she looked down at you.

"You know, Tatiana was one of my best maids. She was more like family than a servant really, her parents passed from a horrible disease when she arrived here. We were all she had. Mother Miranda wants to bury her in the village graveyard, but I hope she'll allow me to bury her in the family graveyard here at the castle. It's where she belongs." Alcina spoke quietly.

"I'm really sorry for your loss." You whispered.

"Why? You had nothing to do with her death, but I would be a fool to think that her death was accidental." There was a long pause as Alcina snubbed her budd out in a tray nearby.

"It was Salvatore." You blurted out.

Alcina turned to look at you, "Do you have proof?" She asked.

"No, but I know that Salvatore is somehow involved."

Alcina sighed heavily, "It is not for us to decide. Mother Miranda will investigate and deliver her judgment based on the evidence."

"Mother Miranda will pin it on Donna and we both know it."

Before she could counter, you take off the cloak and hand it to her, then thank her for it and leave without another word or listening to anything she says. You go to the guest room and lay on the bed staring at the wall as tears spill from your eyes. A frantic knocking on your door woke you up. You don't know when you fell asleep, or how much time has passed but you sat up and rubbed your sore eyes before getting out of bed. The second you clicked the lock Cassandra burst in with Bela and Daniela hot on her heels. You blinked a few times to comprehend the sudden intrusion but quickly closed the door and looked at the three of them, all of them fidgeting anxiously.

"We have news." Daniela breathed out.

"Johanna and I scoured every inch of the church-"

"And each other." Coughed Daniela.

Cassandra glared at her and rolled her eyes before she continued, "and we did find some interesting things. First we found a cigar near which points toward Heisenberg so we started to go in that direction until we saw signs of a struggle in the opposite direction. We followed what seemed to be a trail of somebody being dragged and guess where it led to?"

"The bay." Bela injected, "Daniela and I went to the bay and Salvatore was nowhere to be found and his boat was out, which normally wouldn't be suspicious except that he left all of his fishing gear on the dock. About an hour later he came back and went straight to his cabin."

"Unfortunately that's all we could find before Mother Miranda caught wind of us. We wanted to check the ravine first but she was already there with a few others. I tried to eavesdrop on their conversation but couldn't make out anything. After that we had to make ourselves scarce." Daniela finished.

You sighed heavily, "that's not much to prove anything. I know Salvatore is behind this."

"We agree with you, but maybe we should go to our mother with this." Bela offered.

"She won't believe anything. I already tried talking to her this morning but she is convinced that Mother Miranda will make the right judgment."

Cassandra snorted at that, "look I like Miranda but, she's no different than all the others mothers before her. She takes everything at face value. To make matters worse, Karl and Salvatore might be working together which means that any evidence we found will be merely hearsay, and they most likely already altered anything else."

The dinner bells rang aloud throughout the castle, you looked at the sisters and sighed heavily at having to face Alcina again. You feel guilty for how you left things but at the same time, your anxiety was at an all time high. You walked with the sisters to the dining hall and you froze in place upon seeing Mother Miranda sitting at the end of the table opposite Alcina. Alcina eyed you and swirled her wine in her glass as she nodded her head in the direction of the seat next to her.

You took your seat and looked at Bela who only stared back at you with her shoulders shrugged. Mother Miranda stood up, you could tell from her facial expression that your worst fears are about to come true. You tightened your hands into fists, they became clammy and sweaty as you felt your heart thud in your throat.

"Myself and the local officials of the village have looked over the case of Tatiana, we followed the trail from the ravine and found nothing in the immediate area. However, upon further inspection we found blood in front of the gate leading to Beneviento manor. When we walked the path toward the manor we found multiple sets of footsteps, more blood, and signs of a fight. We also found pieces of her uniform caught on the blackberry bushes."

Mother Miranda locked eyes with you, all you could see was sympathy, "it pains me to say but the village officials are demanding Lord Beneviento answer for the evidence pointing toward them."

"But it wasn't them!" Cassandra slammed her hands on the table.

Alcina stared at her daughter in shock, "Cassandra! Manners!"

"Mother, we went to the church and also found evidence pointing to Karl and Salvatore. There was a patch of grass torn up as if someone was fighting, all the way to the bay there were broken branches and two divots in the mud as if someone was dragged." Bela added in defense.

"Girls!" Alcina yelled.

"We didn't find any of that in our search. Accusing Lord Moreau is a very serious accusation. Do you have any proof that he did it?" Mother Miranda said calmly.

"I have proof that Donna didn't do it." You chime in.

All of them looked at you surprised, you closed your eyes and cursed yourself for slipping. Again. You would have to deal with the repercussions another time, but now was not the time. Mother Miranda's once welcoming and kind blue eyes now stare at you with nothing but ice.

"Well?" Mother Miranda beckoned.

"I was with her that night. We were together until early in the morning, Angie can attest to that. Look at the body again, you'll see that the timeline doesn't match up, there's no way Donna killed her because she would have been with me."

Mother Miranda stood, she walked painfully slow to you until she stood in front of you. You swallowed a lump in your throat as you looked up at her, her eyes examined yours briefly before she sighed. Her hands rested on your shoulders and squeezed, not in a malicious way but in more of a 'disappointed mother' way. You were well acquainted with that feeling.

"You are on very thin ice Y/N. I want to believe you, but I need more."

"Do you want me to flash my breasts and show the hickies? Would that be proof enough?" You snapped.

Daniela coughed and choked on her drink, she slammed the drink on the table and coughed violently. Bela patted her back soothingly as Daniela eventually sucked in a breath and her coughs got more even and her breathing came back. Mother Miranda squeezed your shoulders tighter, she kept her face composed but the redness of her cheeks gave her away. You yanked your shoulders away and kept your gaze on Mother Miranda who folded her hands in front of her as she looked away.

"That won't be necessary. I will speak to Lord Beneviento and Angie on their whereabouts. I make no promises though."

Mother Miranda turned away but paused in the doorway leading to the main hall, "oh and Alcina? They approved your request to bury Tatiana in your family graveyard. Goodnight."

The only noise that followed was that of Alcina's chair scraping against the wooden floor, you looked over your shoulder at her and she didn't look at you. Instead her gaze was locked in front of her, she stood upright and took a deep breath.

"Girls. Rooms. Now. I will talk to you three later."

The three sisters got up from their seats, they each stole a glance at you before they proceeded to look at the floor in shame. You watched them leave before turning your attention to Alcina who finally locked eyes with you, her expression unreadable. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

"You are rather annoying, you know that? I can see why Donna likes you. The quiet ones always go for the loud, fiery ones." She sighed again, "I have the subtle suspicion that you'll disobey my orders and sneak out to see Donna anyways so, I am putting all of my faith and trust that you are correct in your suspicions. Go and spend what might be your final moments together."

"Do you mean it? What about Mother Miranda?" You ask surprised.

Alcina opened her eyes and sighed softly, "I will deal with Mother Miranda, she knows she cannot truly touch House Dimitrescu. However, I do not want to be caught in the middle of this mess. You've already dragged my daughters in and I will not let you continue any further. So go before I change my mind and chain you in the basem*nt."

Part of you wants to think she's joking, but the other part firmly believes that she is, in fact, not joking. You step forward and hug her tightly on her side, you feel her muscles tense at the contact but they slowly relax the longer you hold her. She sighed and brushed your hair back, planting a soft kiss on your forehead.

"Go to her my dear." She ordered.

Chapter 19: One Last Time

Chapter Text

You couldn't move faster out of the castle, Alcina offered a carriage to take you to the edge of Donna's property but you vetoed it. The news from Mother Miranda ignited a fire inside you and gave you a surge of adrenaline that you used to propel yourself from the castle grounds. People in the village scurried to move out of your way, some of them recognizing you and giving you glances of worry but you paid them no mind. In the distance you saw the altar, which meant you were so close to the gate but life wasn't kind to you for long. The gate opened as you approached, making you skid to halt and panic set it for a brief moment. Panic turned to contempt when you recognized the pasty, scrawny, pathetic excuse for a human come into view.

"Salvatore." You nearly spat.

Mother Miranda warned you, maybe you could beg on your knees for forgiveness, but what could she really do? Throw you out of the village to be exposed to the elements? You would live as a hermit with Donna, because you knew she would rescue you. She always recused you. Before he could speak you approached him, fist clenched, you wanted nothing more than to put him in the dirt where he belonged. You swung your first toward his head, it would have hit him in the nose but he dodged at the last moment, before you could rewind he grabbed your hand with his own. He smirked at you, flashing his yellowing teeth as he tightened his grip enough to make you flinch.

"Nice try sweetie, but I've done this-"

He was cut off by another fist flying through the air and hitting him square in the jaw, the impact enough to send him stumbling to the ground. He sat up rubbing the spot, groaning loudly as the few villagers around gasped and made 'ooh' sounds. You looked over to see Cassandra shaking her hand then bringing it up to her lips to kiss her knuckles.

"Wow, that felt good." She giggled.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were in trouble with your mother."

"I am but Mother thought you might run into a certain pest and didn't want you to make any rash decisions."

"And this was the solution?" You motioned toward Salvatore.

"She didn't say I couldn't do anything." She said dramatically while emphasizing the 'I'.

Salvatore spat near your feet and growled, "you'll regret this! Wait until Mother Miranda hears about this."

"You know, I think you deserve another punch because obviously you can still speak." Cassandra threatened.

She turned toward Salvatore, from where you stood it was kind of humorous to see how Cassandra towered over him. She had a good six or seven inches on him easily, and judging from how hard the hit sounded, outmatched him in strength. She looked over her shoulder at you and winked as you smiled in return and went through the gate. On your way to the manor you paused at the sound of other footsteps, you were near Claudia's grave which didn't give you many options as far as hiding. You took a dive into the brush behind a tree, squatting down and peeking through the bushes to see Mother Miranda come into view through the fog.

She paused in front of Claudia's grave, kneeling down in front of the name plate as she ran a hand over it to brush away some fallen leaves. You couldn't hear what she said but could see her mouth moving, probably saying a prayer. Mother Miranda stood up from the grave and turned around to leave the way you came, once you were certain that she was out of range you darted for the path to the manor.

The manor stood in all of its doom and gloom, shrouded in mist from the waterfall but to you it was beautiful. You were finally home again. You slowed down and worked on catching your breath rather than controlling your descending thoughts. You guessed that the manor would be called your home now, obviously you weren't returning back to the states or leaving in general. Did you really want to leave? It seemed like that would be the best course, if you left all of this behind you could start fresh.

Before this you were always cautious, sheltered, didn't go out of your comfort zone, and never dreamed of shaking the boat. Since being here you've punched someone, yelled at someone superior to you, got involved in a murder, and currently are head over heels for a woman far out of your league. Maybe being here is a bad influence on you. You looked up at the manor one more time, thinking about Donna and how she looked at you, how she trusted you, and how much you longed to be in her arms again. Alcina was right, this may be the last night you have together and you couldn't waste it.

You stopped at the large metal gate, when you pushed it open it announced your arrival by creaking loudly. You stepped through the gate as the door opened to Angie, she looked you over with not a hint of of surprise at seeing you once again.

"Hi Angie. Miss me?" You asked with fake enthusiasm.

"As much as a cat misses a flea." She remarked.

"Oh come on, you like me."

"I-" She grumbled and waddled toward the stairs, "it has been quiet with you gone. Lord-Donna has gone back to her old habits: bedroom, workshop, repeat."

She whipped around suddenly, making you jump back to avoid being hit by the broom she held in her hand.

"You go down there and tell her that if her workshop is still a mess, I will personally drag her by the ear and make her clean until that floor shines." Angie threatened.

"Will do."

"You too! Scampering around with the lords has made you lazier than ever." She scorned.

You gasped and tried to protest but she held her broom threateningly and you decided that you would not win in a fight against Angie. She turned back around and started her slow ascend up the stairs, while you scurried off downstairs. The first spot to check was the workshop, which unfortunately was still destroyed, but that was a future problem. That meant Donna was in her bedroom. You approached her bedroom door, seeing an untouched tray of mystery food in front of it, you gently scooted it with your food and knocked on the door. No answer. You knocked again and heard some shuffling around but still no answer after waiting for a moment. You huffed and tried the door discreetly to find it locked.

"Donna?" You called quietly.

There was a shift in noise, you heard some clattering and some words that you couldn't make out followed by some more shuffling around before silence. The door swung open to expose Donna who stood there in a button down shirt, some type of slacks, and black socks. Even when she was lounging she still looked so good. You bit your lip softly and chuckled nervously, losing the nerve you once had at seeing her without her mask again. She looked so beautiful in the lamp light, the light perfectly highlighted her jaw and the shadows didn't help.

Her eyes were shadowed, the pure white one like a beacon in the night while the other pulled you into the ocean of darkness. She reached down and pulled you into the bedroom, locking the door behind you before she engulfed you in a tight hug, her nose burying into your neck.

"I miss the way you smell." A kiss on your neck.

"The way you touch." Another kiss on your jaw.

"The way to taste." A kiss behind your ear.

"The way you say my name." She whispered in your ear.

Goosebumps covered your skin as your hands traveled up her back to her shoulders, pulling her in tightly. You whimpered a little as her fingers dug into the small of your back, pressing you impossibly closer to her. She continued to plant kisses against your skin, you tilted your head and managed to see a book on her bed. Upon narrowing your eyes you saw it was the same book she gifted you, Mountain Flowers and How to Care for Them.

"Doing some light reading?" You questioned teasingly.

Donna stopped kissing you and shot her head up, you frowned when she released you and stretched over to grab the book. She tossed it into one of the nightstands, closing the drawer and standing in front of it. You giggled a little at how she toyed with her fingers nervously, not looking in your direction.

"I...we started all that work in the greenhouse so..I didn't want that to go to waste."

You smiled at her sweetly, taking her hands in yours and pressing kisses to her knuckles, "that's very sweet of you."

The two of you stood in an awkward silence, you sigh and rub your thumbs against her soft skin. She leaned forward and rested her head against your shoulder, you inhaled her scent deeply while you let go of her hands in order to wrap yours around her neck. You opened your eyes and lowered your head so that your forehead was on her chest, holding in a giggle at seeing her toes wiggle.

"Donna...we need to talk."

"Not tonight."

"But-"

She sighed, a low rumbling resembling a growl came from her throat, "it's about Miranda isn't it?" She asked, hinting on annoyance.

"Yes."

Donna sat down on the bed, sighing again as she planted her hands firmly on each side of her on the bed. She shook her head a little, you pushed her legs apart and held her head against your abdomen, stroking your fingers through her hair after untying it from its bun.

"I heard her speaking with Angie. She thinks that I had something to do with the maid showing up dead and asked Angie where I was. Angie of course was an open book on where I was." Donna said.

"Did Mother Miranda say anything else?"

"That she'll consider Angie's testimony and that she'll call us tomorrow about her decision."

"So, tonight might be our last night together." You mumble.

You could feel Donna smirk against you as she wrapped her arms around your torso and pulled you down onto her lap. She kissed underneath your jaw and down your neck, her hands slipping underneath your shirt.

"Mhm, which is why I'm going to worship you as if it is." She growled.

Chapter 20: Dance

Chapter Text

You squeezed your legs together as Donna's teeth grazed against the skin of your neck causing goosebumps to rise over your skin. Her cold fingers gripped your waist, pulling you impossibly closer to her body as her mouth clutched onto your exposed collarbone. You took your hands away from her shoulders and unbuttoned the top few buttons of your shirt while her hands released your waist and slid upwards. She pulled away to allow room for your shirt, you lifted your arms above your head then immediately wrapped them back around Donna's shoulders. She threw your shirt aside and latched back onto your collarbone, biting and sucking until a bruise in the shape of her mouth formed.

A soft whimper escaped your lips when her hands expertly caressed your stomach and sides. She unclipped your bra with a single hand, you moved your arms down to remove the garment then rested them on her shoulders. You moved your hands around to her chest and pushed her back slightly, she paused her movements and looked up at you. Her obsidian eye pierced through your soul, you felt as though you could see the thoughts playing in her mind. Your breath hitched when her eye somehow got darker, her jaw muscles flexed which made your stomach flip. You cupped her face, running your thumb against the smooth porcelain mask on her face.

"Take this off."

She tilted her head, her eye never left yours, "I thought I was supposed to be ordering you around."

You scowled, "take it off, or we end this now."

If you hadn't been locked on her you would have missed the twitch of surprise on her face. She reached up and removed the mask painfully slowly, neither of you broke eye contact as you heard the soft thud of the mask being set down on the nightstand. Within a blink she grabbed underneath your thighs, stood, and flipped you onto the bed. The bed creaked from the jolt of your weight, you gasped as you looked down at her about to say something. You quickly shut your mouth when you looked down to see her knelt between your legs.

"What are you doing?" You squeak out.

"I said I would worship you, and I fully intend to do so."

In one swift movement she ripped your pants off your legs, exposing them to the crisp cold air. She ran her hands along your legs, the warmth of them easing the chill until they paused on your hips. Her fingers curled underneath your underwear and pulled them down until they dropped onto the floor. You continued to watch her, your heart started to race when she leaned over and pressed a kiss against the top of your ankle.

"Great ones, hear our voice, together as one in reverence." A kiss on your shin.

"We call on thee within the endless dark to deliver us into fate's hands." She kissed your knee.

She kissed your hip bone now hovering dangerously close to where you desperately needed her. She knelt again, this time dragging you to the edge of the bed with your legs resting on top of her shoulders. You arched against the bed, your fist clenching the comforter in anticipation as you felt her hot breath against your skin.

"As the midnight moon rises on black wings, so we make our sacrifice and await the light at the end."

You were about to shove her head down but she beat you to it, her tongue fully ran along your slit making you moan out loud. Your head tilted back and you closed your eyes, allowing yourself to slip into this moment and solely focus on her actions. Donna's hands wrapped around your thighs, her grip was bruising to keep you in place but you had no objections. She buried her tongue between your lips, a gentle moan vibrated from the back of her throat. It slipped inside you then trailed up against you until it landed on your cl*t, you moaned against and lifted your hips up to give her better access.

Donna took the bud between her teeth, gently grazing it then flicking it back and forth with her tongue, repeating the process numerous times. Each time her teeth touched you, you arched and moaned with a shudder in your breath. Your fingers tangled into her hair, scratching her scalp with the tip of your nails while pressing her down into you. She released your legs which made you cross your ankles behind her head to lock her into place. Her fingers replaced her tongue momentarily, coating them in the mixture of slick and saliva before slipping into you with ease. At once she curled them inside you and you bucked your hips in response.

Her tongue returned to your cl*t, this time pressing her tongue flat against it then swirling it around as her fingers pumped in and out of you. You moaned loudly, gasping for a deep breath of air but the way her fingers masterfully worked inside you made it difficult to fully expand your chest. Suddenly the coolness of her room was welcomed as your body started to heat up with the rise of your org*sm. The heat pooled in the pit of your stomach, your hips lifted further into the air and your fingers dug into her head harder. Donna added another finger and that sent you overboard. The heat crept up from your stomach until it popped at its peak, every muscle in your body shook with pleasure. A haze covered your mind as you finally sucked in a deep breath, each thrust of her fingers sent an aftershock of pleasure throughout your lower body.

You unlocked your legs, Donna pulled her fingers out and licked up the aftermath before she aided in lowering your legs down to the ground. She stood up and looked down at your body, you panted watching her as she started to unbutton her shirt. A spark of excitement reignited in you when her torso was exposed, her nipples perky from the cold. You bit down on your lower lip as you propped yourself up on your elbows, Donna flashed you a smirk then it disappeared as she continued to strip for you. Her pants hit the floor and you gawked at her in all her nudity; you'll never get tired of seeing her naked, and that thought alone made you giddy with happiness. Donna was all yours. The bed dipped beside you as she put her weight onto one knee, her hand rubbed your thigh and pushed on it to spread your legs again.

"You didn't think I was done did you?" Her voice was huskier than usual.

You swallowed at the sound of her voice, with another breath you leaned back with your arms raised above your head.

"What happened to that cute, shy, gentle-woman I knew?"

Donna leaned over, inches from your lips, "she met you."

You lifted your head and captured her lips, she pressed against you until your head hit the bed again and you pulled her down with your arms around her back. Her hand slipped back between your legs, her thumb against your cl*t and her fingers ghosting your entrance once again.

"I want to watch you f*ck yourself with my hand." She growled.

"Oh." You breathed out.

The Donna you once knew and loved was gone, replaced by this Donna who's words made you clench in excitement. You'll throw a funeral later. You rolled your hips indicating you were ready as Donna's fingers found their way back inside you. Her mouth latched onto your shoulder, biting down harder than last time; you yelped in surprise but quickly replaced it with a moan as you grinded down on her hand.

At the same time, you slithered one arm between your two bodies and found Donna's dripping c*nt. You rubbed two fingers around her cl*t, eliciting a moan from her in response which only encouraged you further. You managed to angle your hand so that you could thrust two fingers into her and use the palm of your hand to rub against her cl*t. Donna started to rock back and forth, now the body of you riding each other's hands. Your nails on your other hand dug into the soft skin of her back as you bucked your hips more. They started to get sloppier the longer you went as the familiar bubbling heat began to rise in your stomach again.

You used the momentum of your hips to thrust your fingers inside her, she stifled a moan against your shoulder while her hips rolled in sync with your fingers. Donna watched you grind your hips against her fingers, she watched you close your eyes and tilt your head back. The way you breath got erratic told her that you were close, and she decided to use her hips and thrust her fingers deeply inside you.

The sensation made you squeal a mixture of a moan and her name, you clutched onto her as your org*sm rippled throughout your body. As you did, you heard Donna moan loudly into your ear and her own body shudder at the same time. The final shivers of pleasure passed through your legs, when Donna pulled out her fingers you quivered and moaned soft enough that Donna would have missed it had she not been right next to you. She placed tender kisses along your forehead, down your cheek, and ended at your neck, when you pulled your fingers out she sighed heavily.

Her body pressed perfectly against yours, you trailed your hands over her hips and held her close. She lifted her head and captured your lips in a long but tender kiss, you moved your hands into her hair to hold her in place. She broke away first to catch her breath before kissing you once again. You sighed against her lips, the saltiness of yourself on the tip of her tongue as you lost yourself in feeling her presence against you.

You don't know when you fell asleep but a moment later your eyes groggily opened and looked around the pitch black room. You shifted under the covers, feeling an arm tighten its hold on you when you did. Donna's breath ghosted over your shoulder blades as she moved closer to your backside, her naked body a welcomed feeling. You twisted around and planted a kiss on her forehead while carefully moving her arm off you in order to stand. It was difficult finding anything in a room where you couldn't see anything, but a few moments and jammed toes later, you found your clothes.

You tiptoed out of the bedroom, holding the door and ensuring it closed without a sound then turning around to walk down the hall. Thankfully the hall was dimly lit by a few lamps and you didn't have to worry about any more assaults on your feet. The manor was quiet, quieter than usual but it's just what you needed in the moment; silence. Everything from the last few days came crashing down on you all at once, you questioned what you were even doing anymore. If you went back in time and tried to convince yourself not to come here, you would have called yourself crazy. You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed heavily, you wanted to go upstairs but the thought of the elevator grated on your nerves.

Instead you voted for the workshop, maybe cleaning would get your mind off the stress. You opened the door to the workshop to find it still in disarray but not nearly as bad as when you arrived there last. You ran your fingers along some fabrics stored in the corner, the least you could do was some pick up, maybe some sweeping, but that required going upstairs. Picking up it is. The repetitive action of picking things off the floor was strangely soothing, your mind calmed from the storm of thoughts and for once it was as quiet as the house.

"Can't sleep?"

"Ah!" You screamed and dropped the object in your hands.

You whipped around to see Donna standing in the doorway, she wasn't wearing her former clothes instead she wore simple, silk pajamas.

"I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Donna looked away, "I don't sleep very well and I got worried when you left.."

"I'm sorry. I'm just..nervous."

"About tomorrow? Or..perhaps it's today. Hard to tell with no clocks."

You tilted your head, "did..did you just make a joke?"

Donna looked back at you and you half-heartedly chuckled before leaning over and picking up the object you dropped. She walked over to you, taking the object from your hands and setting it off to the side before she took your hands into hers. You looked up at her as she only smiled down at you.

"I think I have something that might help. I-" you watched her throat bob from swallowing, "I finished it the other day."

Donna let go of your hands and went through a door with tinted windows, light momentarily flickered on behind it and you could only make out the color of her pajamas. The light turned off and she came out with her hands behind her back, she stood in front of you and you looked up at her expectantly. She maneuvered her hands around and held a black box in front of her, on top of it a key of some sorts. Donna picked up the key and opened the top, your face dropped seeing the beautiful, intricate gears inside. She put the key on the side and twisted, the gears started to turn and in doing so the most beautiful music played. Donna continued to wind it until it wouldn't budge then set the box down on the workshop. She held out a hand for you and you smiled while taking it, she pulled you close to her body with one hand around your waist and the other holding your hand.

She swayed back and forth to the music, lulling you into a blissful comfort. You rested your head on her shoulder, she put her chin on top of yours and hummed along with the music. Even after the music stopped the two of you kept swaying until your eyes grew heavy and you leaned further into Donna for support. Donna chuckled softly and kissed the top of your head, breaking you from your hypnotic state.

"I made this for you. It's a song my mother used to hum for me, and I wanted you to have a piece of me." Donna whispered.

You cupped her face in your hands and pulled her face down to kiss her deeply, you held her there until you needed air. How you got so lucky to have someone like this in your life, you couldn't comprehend.

"You are absolutely the greatest thing to happen to me. No matter what happens, know that I love you."

Donna smiled brighter than you had ever seen, her smile spread to her eyes as she kissed you again.

"I love you too." She whispered against your lips.

Chapter 21: Trial

Chapter Text

For the thousandth time Donna tugged on her vest, messing up her entire outfit and you having to fix her. She was wearing her red suit, the one she was wearing when you first saw her. It was your absolute favorite outfit on her, the red complimented her skin beautifully and the way she looked so confident in it made your heart flutter. You folded down the collar of her shirt, fixed her necktie, and held your hands on her chest. Her eyes didn't look at you, they looked everywhere else nervously but you reached up and cupped her face, forcing her eyes to momentarily look at you. You smiled at her gently, leaning up and pressing a gentle kiss to her lips, the cold ceramic of her mask made it difficult to press further. She kissed back half-heartedly, breaking the kiss quickly and fidgeting with the buttons of her suit coat. You wore the best outfit that you had, smoothing out the wrinkles one final time before taking her hand into yours. The walk to the cabin was startling quiet, not even a droplet of water to break the tension as you walked beside Donna.

If she held your hand any harder she would break the bones, although uncomfortable and painful you didn't want to let go. With your other hand you tightened the cloak around your shoulders; it was the one Donna originally gifted you, Angie finished washing it after your trek through the mud. Donna stopped in front of the cabin door, you flinched when her hand tightened impossibly more on your own. She shot you a look when you sucked in a sharp breath, quickly releasing your hand and holding her own with her other.

"Sorry." She muttered.

"It's fine. I understand you're nervous."

Donna took a deep, shaky breath before pushing the door open into Mother Miranda's cabin seeing it empty. She sighed heavily, her shoulders visibly relaxing before pushing the door further open for you. She closed the door behind you and you walked the same path you did a few days ago, getting a strong sense of deja vu. Donna stopped in her tracks, you ran into her back because you were busy looking at the ground rather than in front of you. You peeked around her to see a huge crowd around the church, Donna started to hyperventilate violently. Acting fast you turned her around and cupped her face again, her eyes were squeezed shut and she instantly held her hands over yours.

"Donna. Donna, look at me."

Donna's eye opened, it was wet with oncoming tears as your eyes darted between the two opposite eyes. You soothingly ran your thumb along her prominent cheekbone, you held her gaze and said nothing until her breathing slowed. With your other thumb you brushed the tears away from her eye, you pulled her head down to your level and kissed the top of her mask.

"You know you couldn't remain unknown forever right?"

"I was doing fine until you came along."

"You're welcome." You replied sharkishly.

Donna glanced at you then scoffed, but her lips twitched upward before she straightened up and breathed deeply.

"Besides, you and I both know that if you don't show yourself, you will only admit your guilt." You reason.

"But I'm not guilty." She countered.

"They don't know that. I do."

Donna nodded her head then turned around, she reached back with her hand and you took it at once. She proceeded to walk again, this time faking her confidence with her head held high and her chest puffed out. She looked a little silly but you weren't going to comment, not wanting her to lose whatever shred of self-assurance she conjurged. The villagers crowded the doors of the church, everyone was yelling something and you couldn't make out anything. One by one villagers turned around as Donna approached, they backed away to make a clear path to the door. Their yells dulled to mumbled whispers, as you walked through the cleared path you made out bits and pieces.

"Is that?" One villager whispered.

"There's no way.." Another whispered.

"Where's Lord Beneviento? That's a woman."

"Murderer."

"Freak."

You tightened your hold on Donna's hand, she squeezed in acknowledgement until she reached the wide church door. She pulled it open and ushered you in first, following behind you with a loud thud from the door. At the podium was, of course, Mother Miranda with Donna's empty seat behind her. Salvatore and Karl were seated off to Miranda's left, Alcina off to the right. You walked down the aisle and glanced at the pews; Bela, Daniela, and Cassandra sat in the pew directly behind their mother, all three of them smiled at you sympathetically. Angie sat next to them which surprised you, how a woman of her age managed to move so fast was beyond you.

On the other side were four other people, they must be the villagers that investigated Mother Miranda. One man was around Angie's age and he had a thick blue jacket on with fur around the collar. The man next to him was younger, his son from the similarities in facial structure and he wore the same kind of jacket only it was brighter and less ragged. There were two women at the end of the pew, also an older and younger one but complete opposites. The older one was wrapped head to toe in a red, wool shawl making you unable to see her features. The younger woman you knew as Ina, Daniela's girlfriend. She was the only one to look at you and give you a small wave before turning her attention back to the front.

Donna tugged your shoulder, indiciating for you to pause. You looked behind at her and she motioned toward Angie, glancing between her and the pew you sigh and move along to sit next to her. You hold your hands in your lap, scrunching the material of your outfit in your fist nervously, another hand unravels yours and interlocked the fingers. You glance over to see Angie looking forward but when you look down you see her hand in yours. You looked over at Donna who was partially shadowed but you could feel her eyes on you, subconsciously making you squeeze Angie's hand. Mother Miranda cleared her throat to gather everyone's attention.

"Thank you all for coming, I now start the trial of Tatiana Linnea Dimitrescu and call forth Mr. Olsen to present."

You watch the older man stand with the help of the younger one, the older one leaned against the young one for support as the two of them walked toward the podium. You lean over and catch Cassandra's eye who locks onto you and leans down across Angie.

"Why does she have your last name?" You whisper.

" Some of our servants take our last name as a source of status, but most of them take it because they were disowned by their families and have no last name." She whispers back.

Angie makes a shushing sound, both you and Cassandra sit back up and look up at Mr. Olsen as he taps some papers against the podium, coughing into a handkerchief briefly then stuffing the material into his coat pocket. He presented evidence pointing to Donna being the culprit, although it was evidence that everyone in the room already knew. Angie was called upon next, recounting in exact detail of what she witnessed the night and morning of the murder. Saying how you were there in the manor that night, and you didn't leave until early the next morning and that Donna ate breakfast. Although it was a huge dent in Mr. Olsen's theory, it now pointed a huge, neon arrow right at you.

Alcina came to your defense which only sparked a further debate of back and forth bantering. Your anxiety died down and now you found it hard to stay awake, your eyes fluttering and your head bobbing up and down in a futile attempt to stay alert. They kept talking in circles, repeating the same information that everyone here already knew: Tatiana was found in the river, blood trail led to Donna's manor, signs of a struggle and fighting near the church, you were seen near the sight, etc.

It was Ina who finally stood and ordered the body of Tatiana to be presented, claiming she had a smoking gun to put aside all doubts. Now your interest has been reignited, although Alcina looked like she was ready to commit another act of violence. Tatiana's body was rolled out on a gurney by two other maids who had the Dimitrescu logo on their uniform. She was covered with a sheet and Ina asked she be kept that way except for one arm. You leaned forward in your seat as Ina took out one of Tatiana's arms to show an unmistakable bruise in the shape of hand print on the wrist.

"If Mother Miranda would allow it, I think we should have Mr. Moreau, Miss L/N, and Miss Beneviento put their hands into this handprint. Whoever matches the print we can say without a doubt struggled with Tatiana, and most likely this handprint belongs to the killer."

The silence that followed was deafening, even the villagers outside the church had died down in anticipation for the results of the trial. You stood up first, Ina moved to the side and you walked up to the body slowly. You looked over the sheet then up at Alcina who nodded at you, giving you permission to proceed. Ina held up the arm while you wrapped your hand around the print, Tatiana's wrist was incredibly tiny, tiny enough that your fingers overlapped themselves when you fully clutched it. Obviously the print didn't belong to you. Donna was next, she approached the corpse and did the same as you, looking to Alcina first before continuing. Her fingers were long and slender, although they grasped the wrist in the exact manner, the bruises were too large to fit her fingers. Next was Salvatore who scoffed and crossed his arms.

"This is stupid. She's been dead for how long? There's no way the bruise is accurate now."

"Sounds like someone is scared their hand will fit." Ina threatened.

Salvatore scoffed again and stood up, he approached Ina with clear hostility in his step which was enough for Bela to grab ahold of Daniela's arm. Salvatore grabbed the wrist away from Ina, and slipped his wrist just enough the print didn't match.

"See? No match." He said proudly.

"Hold it properly." Mother Miranda ordered.

Salvatore stood there, he twisted his grip and his hand, of course, matched the bruise perfectly. No one looked surprised except the three other villagers on the other side of the aisle. The older woman gasped loudly and covered her mouth with her hand. Salvatore dropped the arm with an audible thud against the table.

"That doesn't prove anything." He started with his voice raised.

"Enough!" Mother Miranda stood from her seat next to Donna, "return to your seat Moreau. Miss Hansen, thank you for your input, you may return to your seat."

Mother Miranda waved her hand toward the table, the two maids went to the opposite side and pushed the table out of view once again. Mother Miranda stood at the podium, your heart shot to your throat feeling it throb and choke you with each beat.

"I have heard all the evidence. I will take into consideration any last testimony before I voice my verdict."

Salvatore opened his mouth but was shut down by Miranda raising her hand, "I will consider any testimony we haven't heard already. Simply stating you're not guilty is neither helpful nor wanted."

No one said anything, everyone was leaning in their seats, even Donna looked more rigid than usual. Angie and you held hands so tight that both of you were slowly losing blood flow to the fingers.

"I have something to add."

Everyone looked at Heisenberg, he had his feet propped on a turned over pew but dropped them as she stood up from his chair. You could feel Alcina roll her eyes and scoff under her breath.

"Always with the dramatics." She muttered loud enough that you heard, but seemingly no one else.

"What do you wish to add, Heisenberg?" Mother Miranda asked.

Salvatore grabbed onto Karl's jacket to pull him down to his level, whispering something in his ear. Karl shoved him off hard enough he stumbled back but managed to catch himself on a nearby pillar.

"I didn't want to say anything because frankly I'm over this whole bullsh*t, but if I don't then we'll have to do this all over again and I don't want that. The day of our meeting where you ordered to kill my dogs, Salvatore and I were talking when he spotted the wench eavesdropping on us. He asked me to help dispose of her but I refused not wanting to get wrapped up in his crap any further."

"And what, pray tell, were you two talking about that was worth taking a life?" Alcina snapped.

"Shut the hell up Karl!" Salvatore yelled.

"Prince Charming here had me order my dogs to chase Y/N, he wanted her to go running to his domain but things took a turn and, well, you all know what happened. Because of that, you," he pointed to Mother Miranda, "ordered me to kill off my babies. I care more about them than I do this pathetic worm so I'll tell you everything I know in exchange that my pups don't have to be punished."

"I'll consider it, but you still need to be punished for your original crime."

"Fair enough."

"Karl I swear-" Salvatore started.

Karl turned to him, "you swear what? I'm twice your size, you overgrown fish with legs, not some dainty woman you can toss around. You lay a finger on me and my dogs take all ten of yours ya hear?"

Salvatore swallowed and took a step back, Karl adjusted his coat and cleared his throat loudly and exaggeratedly.

"After our meeting a few days ago, Salvatore approached me to ream my ass about my dogs not going along with his plan. That maid overheard us and Salvatore attacked her, saying she was going to tell you or super bitch over there" he waved his hand toward Alcina, "that he planned the whole thing. Then he asked me to help him dispose of her."

As if Angie read your mind, her grip on your hand turned into one made of iron, her other hand grabbing onto your upper arm to keep you in place. You wanted to bash Salvatore's face in, scratch his eyeballs out, never in your life had you felt more violent and angry than you did now.

"That is very serious." Mother Miranda stated.

"If you want more evidence, check his house." Karl chuckled.

Karl made eye contact with you and gave you a wink, you lunged from your seat but Angie's grip was true as she held you in place. You were trembling with anger, in fact, almost everyone was as their eyes turned now to the slimy, disgusting creature of the deep known as Salvatore Moreau. You could hear the girls shift in their seat, waiting, begging for a word from their mother to do something. You looked over at Donna but couldn't see her face in the shadows yet her body language was rigid, if she hadn't been wearing gloves you would swear her knuckles were white from how hard she held her hands.

"In light of this new confession, I have made my verdict-"

"But-" Interrupted Salvatore.

"Silence!" Miranda screamed.

She recomposed herself and took a deep breath, "I hereby find Donna Beneviento in the case of Tatiana Dimitrescu, not guilty. I also bestow my deepest apologies to you and Miss L/N."

Everything released, everyone around you let out an audible sigh of relief that even the building seemed to shrink as if it had been holding in a breath too. Your eyes remained on Donna who leaned into her chair, her entire body caving from how tense she had been. When you tried to stand to go to her, Angie tugged you back down and shook her head when you shot her a glare.

"As for you Salvatore Moreau, I hereby-"

"I invoke the right as lord to a challenge. I challenge Donna Beneviento."

"What?!" You and the girls all screamed at once.

Mother Miranda turned to face Salvatore fully now, "challenges have been banned for over a century."

"For the villagers, yes, but not for lords. I checked."

Mother Miranda snapped her fingers, and in came a woman running from the very back of the church dressed in a simple black robe, with white and gold stole around her shoulders. Miranda leaned over and whispered in her ear, the woman nodded and scurried back to the back of the church behind the altar. Minutes passed when the woman returned with a large book, Miranda took the book and opened it on the podium. While she searched for whatever she was looking for, you leaned over to Cassandra again.

"What's a challenge?" You asked.

"Before this village had actual laws, trials, even before their first Mother, villagers used to settle disputes by fighting. One would invoke the challenge, the one being challenged chooses the means of fighting. Sometimes it was to the death, other times until one is knocked out. Most disputes died before any actual fighting took place, many people chose to forfeit according to records."

"They were banned around the time the third or second mother took over a couple hundred years ago." Angie added.

You sat back up, looking between Salvatore and Donna before Mother Miranda slammed the book shut and practically threw the book back at the young woman.

"I'm afraid Mr. Moreau is correct. Miss Beneviento, do you accept this challenge?"

Donna stood up, she took a step into the light that reflected off her mask and made her look as though she was glowing. She fixed her coat by rebuttoning the button she undid then brushed her hands over the top of it.

"I accept. My weapon of choice is the rapier." She answered.

"Very well. Ceremony site, dusk. We fight to the death, the winner is absolved of all crimes, takes the other's portion of the village, and Y/N." Salvatore added.

"No." Donna answered.

"Then you forfeit."

"Y/N is a human being, not a good to be traded. I accept everything else."

"Fine." Salvatore spat.

Salvatore approached Donna, he stuck his hand out and Donna shook it before he stormed out of the church. You sat there dumbstruck. As much as you would love to see Moreau's head on a spike, that meant Donna would have to fight. You launched yourself off the pew and approached Donna with such hostility that she took a step back from you with her hands raised in front of her.

"What are you thinking?!" You scream, hitting her square in the chest with the side of your fist, "now is when you decide to let your pride take over? You're no better than a man."

Donna took your hands into hers, holding them tightly to keep you from hitting her any further. You panted heavily, now trying to headbutt her but giving up and resting your forehead against her chest.

"This has nothing to do with my pride, love. If I did not accept, he would have taken everything from me. Including you."

"I can handle myself. I would fight him again in a heartbeat."

"I know." Donna leaned down to your ear, "but would you kill him?"

Chapter 22: The Challenge

Chapter Text

"Y-Yes." You answered.

"You hesitated." Donna responded.

"Well I-"

Donna only looked at you and it was enough for you to sigh in defeat. Who were you kidding, you said you could kill but doubted if you realistically could. She kissed the top of your head and lowered your hands down, when you lifted your head you looked around to see that everyone else was leaving. Except Alcina and the girls. Alcina approached Donna, her daughters formed a single file line behind her.

"Donna, may I ask a favor of you?" Alcina asked.

Donna nodded her head.

"I would like it if you used House Dimitrescu's family rapier. I know you will win, and it would give me great joy to see House Moreau fall at the blade and hand of the families they tried so hard to erase."

You looked up in time to see Donna swallow, her jaw flexed with tension as her eye drifted off in thought. She then gave Alcina a short, curt nod of her head to which Alcina smiled proudly. Her head was held high and her shoulders visibility relaxed, she took a deep breath and also nodded her head.

"Excellent. I will have Cassandra sharpen it for you. Would you two like to join us at the castle? We do have some time before dusk, and, perhaps it would be best not to be alone right now."

You and Donna looked at each other, she tilted her head at you meaning it was your choice.

"We'd love to." You answered.

Angie stood from the pew with the help of Daniela who then pranced over to her girlfriend, linking arms with her. Donna squeezed your hand and followed behind Alcina with you directly behind Donna, Angie behind you, and the girls formed in a half circle around the three of you. The first thing you heard was yelling, some of it angry, some of it cheerful, and you flinched when the door opened. The roaring of the crowd stung your ears, you cupped one hand over one ear and leaned against Donna to cover the other.

The crowd was surrounding Salvatore, some of the people rooting him on, others cursing him, and a few others making bets on who would win. Some of the villagers spotted you and Donna, they tried to crowd around but Alcina firmly stood her ground, ordering them to let her pass. She parted the crowd for no one dared to be too close to her, she looked over at Donna who exhaled audibly while squeezing your hand. It seemed like forever to get to the Castle and by then the crowd had dispersed enough you could uncover your ears.

Although your time was very brief here, the overwhelming shudder of dread and fear ran up your spine. Once you were safely behind the castle doors, you relaxed and leaned more against Donna. There were still hours before dusk and you could feel the exhaustion of the stress and anxiety starting to get to you. Daniela, Ina, and Cassandra all went their separate ways leaving Bela, Alcina, Donna, and you in the main hall. A maid appeared from the double doors leading to the dining room, you didn't recognize her but then again, there had to be at least 50 women working here. The maid approached the matriarch without so much as a look in yours or Donna's direction and held out her arms, Alcina removed her long fur coat and handed it to the maid.

"Thank you Ingrid. Please be a dear and inform the kitchen we have guests, I'm sure these two are starved. We will be in the seating area next to my chambers."

"Right away ma'am."

Ingrid curtsied and left the hall as quickly as she arrived, the seating area was directly down a hallway from the main hall. Inside was a roaring fire, bookshelves from floor to ceiling, a couch, a very large coffee table with a marble top, and two chairs on the other side. You and Donna sat on the couch, Bela and Alcina sat in the chairs, the warmth from the fire wasn't unpleasant although a bit warm for your liking. You slipped off the cloak to relieve yourself of some of the warmth. You looked around at the portraits hanging between bookshelves, and the expensive looking dishes above the fireplace. No one said anything, the only sound being the crackling of the fireplace until Bela finally broke the tension.

"I think this is the first time you've been to our home Donna. Sorry it's under such circ*mstances."

Donna stared at the fire, the flames reflecting in the virgin white of her mask. She took a breath and turned to look at Bela, her cold, resolved face softening the same way it did when she looked at you. Donna gave her the tiniest smiles.

"I had always hoped to see it but could never find the courage. I'm sure after today that will change." Her hand squeezed yours.

There was a knock on the door, Alcina gave the order to enter and the maid from before, Ingrid, came in with a rolling cart of goodies. She set down a cup in front of everyone, some pastries, finger sandwiches, and cut seasonal vegetables. Then she stood upright and held one hand out, palm up, in front of three pitchers on top of the cart.

"I have brought coffee, tea, and water. What would everyone like?" She asked as if she's repeated this line a thousand times.

"Coffee please." Alcina answered almost excitedly.

"Tea please." Bela answered.

"I'll have tea please." You answered.

"Coffee please." Donna answered.

You were surprised to hear Donna speak so easily, but then again, she's known Alcina much longer than you and they are family. Ingrid pours each of the liquids and Alcina dismisses her but she leaves the cart there. You lean over to watch her leave then straighten back up.

"Is that what Mother Miranda wanted me to become?" You asked.

Bela snorts into her cup and coughs to clear the burning liquid from her nose and throat, she uses a handkerchief to wipe herself clean. Donna's shoulders shake and you see her suck in her lips to suppress her laughter. Alcina attempts to sigh as if she's irritated at the question, but even she cracks a smile.

"One could only hope. Ingrid is by far my proudest work and somehow I have yet to replicate that amount of servitude. She's rather impressive." Alcina explained.

You look over at Donna who pours some cream and sugar into her coffee then leans back sipping it.

"Is that how you want me to be?" You asked in a playful tone.

"No, you're plenty submissive and obedient when I want you to be."

Now it was your turn to choke, your face burned from the intense blush and your jaw dropped. Where was your sweet, innocent, shy, Donna? Bela erupted in laughter, even Alcina chuckled to herself as her cup hovered by her lips. Despite the hours of talking and near rib-breaking laughter, you could see Donna stare off into the distance. She sipped her coffee and when she was done, she switched to water and only nibbled on the food. Her mind is obviously somewhere else and unable to fully relax, you couldn't blame her though, you're not the one who has to fight. When the clock chimed six times, all three pots and the plates were empty and Ingrid returned to announce dinner was ready.

You sat with Alcina and Bela at the dining room table, Daniela and Ina joined soon after but Donna didn't sit. Instead, she waited for Cassandra to appear who was holding a long, slender box. Donna took the box and leaned over, kissing you briefly before she turned around and went out into the courtyard. You wanted to ask her to stay but Cassandra shook her head at you, when you looked at Bela she gave you a sympathetic smile.

"It's bad luck to eat a big meal before a fight. If you're too full it slows you down, and if you're too hungry you get distracted." Bela explained.

"Also when you die all your bowels unleash at once so, less food also means less crap. Literally." Added Cassandra.

"Cassandra, language." Alcina scolded.

You looked back toward the door and sighed before turning yourself fully to the table as the maids from the kitchen served dinner. Not wanting to seem rude you picked at the food but now the anxiety was getting to you again. Over an hour passed and just as dinner was being taken away did Donna return to the dining hall with the box underneath her arm.

"This will work just fine." She stated calmly.

She looked down at you and you back at her, she offered her free hand and you took it when the clock struck seven. Alcina stood from the table and took a deep breath, everyone including you silently understood that it was time to leave. Ingrid came out and handed Alcina her fur coat, the girls each a black cloak, and you the cloak the cloak you left in the seating area. Alcina was right, Ingrid certainly is impressive. Your group walked in the same manner as before with Donna directly in front of you, holding your hand, with the girls around you. They didn't think anyone would try anything, but it was better to be safe rather than sorry.

By the time you arrived at the ceremony site the sun was setting below the mountain range in the distance. Mother Miranda stood near the cliff's edge directly across from where you walked in, you, Donna, and the Dimitrescu women approached her right side. You could see Karl's factory from there and huddled against Donna who let go of your hand to wrap her arm around you tightly. Villagers slowly arrived in single file, many of them carrying lanterns or torches and some of them lighting the large basins of wood. Fire light slowly illuminated the site until every inch was covered as if it were the middle of the day. Now you can see the site clearly for the first time, and thankfully Karl was seated on the opposite side .

Four enormous statues of sitting kings were erected in each corner, there was a ring engraved in the ground with a chalice looking statue directly in the middle. Carved in the mountains on each side between two of the statues were what looked to be rows of seats that the villagers were now sitting on. Alcina gently took your arm, silently urging you to go with her to the stands and leave Donna there. You wiggled out of Donna's grasp and cupped her face, pulling her down to kiss you deeply. She returned the kiss, her lips still as soft as you remember and when you pulled away you could see the tiniest speckle of fear in her eyes.

You were politely dragged away by Alcina who sat you next to her on the cold stone, Bela sat next to you. Cassandra sat on the very end whilst Daniela sat on the other side of Alcina with Ina. Your heart thudded loudly in your chest as you heard a dull roaring of people, Salvatore, followed by a group of loud supporters arrived. She stood on Mother Miranda's left side, in his hand a rapier that looked freshly plucked from the ocean floor. Donna knelt down on the ground and set the case down, she knelt upright and shimmied off her coat then opened the case.

She pulled out a golden rapier with the hilt cover being the Dimitrescu signature flower. Even in the dim firelight you could see how beautiful of a weapon it was, it gleamed with pride. If a weapon could be excited to be in battle once again, that rapier was the picture perfect example. Donna approached the center chalice with Salvatore across from her, Mother Miranda walked up to both of them.

"How are you feeling?" Bela whispered in your ear.

"Honestly? Half of me is pissed that Donna is letting this happen even if it's some ancient law or whatnot. The other half is terrified." You answered.

Bela reached over and grasped your hand, holding it on your thigh in reassurance. You were terrified, but also a tiny, microscopic sliver of you was incredibly turned on by how attractive Donna looked right now. Mother Miranda raised her hands to silence the whispers, she cleared her throat and spoke clearly.

"Great ones, hear our voice, together as one in reverence. We call on thee within the endless dark to deliver us into fate's hands. As the midnight moon rises on black wings, so we make our sacrifice and await the light at the end." She prayed.

You bowed your head and swallowed tickly trying to hold in the giggle that wanted to erupt from your throat. Somehow you managed to hold it in and coughed when the prayer ended, you could only imagine the smug look Donna would have given you.

"We are here as witnesses to the challenge of Salvatore Moreau and Donna Beneviento. The challenge will end when one takes the life of another. May the black God carry you to eternal paradise." Mother Miranda stepped back from them.

Donna and Salvatore raised their rapiers, with your limited knowledge it was obvious who had more experience. Donna's stance looked true, grounded, while Salvatore's looked like one you saw in a movie. The sound of metal striking metal startled you despite seeing it happen, they clashed swords. They danced around the chalice until Donna lunged back to give herself more space, Salvatore charged at her and she easily blocked it. Yet somehow whenever she moved to strike he managed to either block or dodge it.

Salvatore was like an enraged drunk, he was yelling, swinging the rapier violently. One swing was strong enough that when Donna blocked her arm was thrown back, leaving her torso open. Salvatore swung but was just barely out of reach, cutting open Donna's vest and partially her shirt but nothing else. Donna regained her traction, she came to the same conclusion you did; Salvatore was stronger physically but she had speed and dexterity. Even with that though, Salvatore quickly realized that Donna was blind on one side, he would move around and she would turn her whole body rather than follow with her head.

He now moved so strike her on that side, he darted off and before she could fully turn he would attempt to hit her. She of course would block within a moment's notice, but it was clear she needed to do something before he actually got another good strike. She circled back around toward the chalice, perhaps utilizing it to her advantage to gain the upperhand. Now that he had one strike under his belt, Salvatore became much more confident.

He swung again but this time Donna lunged forward and caught him mid swing, making him stumble back against the chalice. She was hovering over him, using her body weight to press down onto him into the statue, her blade digging into his. Both of them were trapped, pushing against one another but from the lying position he was in, Salvatore had little maneuverability. That didn't stop him from swinging his other arm straight into Donna's face, she flew backwards and landed on her hands and knees.

"Cheap shot!" A woman screamed.

That woman being Alcina which made you, Bela, Cassandra, and everyone in the stands look at her. She cleared her throat and acted composed as if she didn't just scream at the top of her lungs. You're thankful she did, because you were about to and might have done something drastic if she didn't. Salvatore pulled himself off, adjusting himself as he started his approach toward Donna. Her back was to him, her sword was off to the side and she held her face with one of her hands, you couldn't see her face or anything. He raised his rapier up with the point directly at Donna's backside.

"Donna!" Now you screamed.

Donna threw herself to the side, rolling over as Salvatore's sword came crashing down onto the stone with a clang. Donna grabbed her sword and stood abruptly, Salvatore stopped in his tracks and you heard a collective gasp from the other side of the site. You stood up from your seat with Bela still holding your hand, the only thing you could see was a few pieces of white porcelain on the ground. Salvatore stood like a deer in headlights, and Donna flexed her sword to her side. She leapt forward and charged her rapier forward, Salvatore didn't have enough time to react as it pierced into his chest.

It wasn't a fatal strike, but it was enough then when Donna removed the sword that his former light blue undershirt was now being dyed red. He clutched his hand over the wound and raised his rapier, snarling at her. He opened his mouth to say something at her but she slicked her sword upward and cut him across the mouth, splitting his lips open. Salvatore coughed and out of instinct dropped his sword to cover his mouth, the blood leaking through his fingers. Donna charged him, and this time her sword went clean through.

You looked away, squeezing your eyes shut and burying your face against Bela's arm. Basic scrapes and cuts were fine, but this was a level of blood that made you want to hurl. Bela tapped your head, you looked up to see Donna standing there with Salvatore's body blocked by the chalice. She turned around and there was another collective gasp, even Bela and Alcina sucked in sharp breaths. Donna's chest visibly rose and fell with her heavy breathing, and you saw her face fully exposed with blood running down from her hairline. The burnt half looked more horrific in the firelight, giving her the illusion that part of her face had melted off and only bloody charcoal remained.

Without thinking you bolted from the stands, thankfully you were on the first row and didn't have to climb over anyone. You ran to her and she caught you in her arms, her rapier clattering on the ground when she dropped it. Her arms embraced you tightly, holding you, she hid her face against your neck and you felt something wet against it. You told yourself it was probably tears so you kept some fabric of your sanity intact. Your eyes were sealed shut because you knew if you opened them you would be tempted to look at Salvatore's body, and you didn't want that image in your head.

There were sounds of shuffling, whispering, and footsteps all around you but you pinpointed that people were leaving the stands. Mother Miranda's voice was nearby you as she talked to somebody about removing the body; some other voices were muffled but you distinctly heard Donna's name and something about her face. A hand touched your shoulder and you let out a choked sob as if the touch burned you, that surprised you, Donna, and whomever touched you.

"It's just me." Said Angie.

You and Donna both relaxed in each other's arms, your eyes peeled open and you looked around with your eyes. Angie moved around into your eyesight, she looked tired but still managed to give you a half smile.

"Come on, let's get you two home."

Chapter 23: Into the Light

Chapter Text

You brushed your hands through Donna's hair, she leaned back against you as you messaged her scalp with your fingertips. The steam from the tub filled the entire room in a dense haze similar to the fog outside the manor. Your skin was red from how hot the water was but after a moment adjusting it was rather pleasant, and the room soon warmed from the radiating heat. Donna didn't say anything to you, but you didn't mind the silence in that moment, instead you enjoyed the closeness of her. You combed her hair of any lasting dirt or debris then carefully ran your hands over her chest, and rested your arms there for the rest of the time. After the bath she laid in bed with her arms open for you, when you snuggled against her she held onto you like a lifeline.

Over a week passed since the challenge, and neither you nor Donna left the manor for anything. Angie was the one who went out to get groceries while you stayed back and helped Donna reorganize her workshop. She kept changing her mind: she wanted it sorted by color, no she wanted it sorted alphabetically, no she wanted it by size. Frankly, you were getting a bit stir crazy but did what she asked anyway because she worried you. She refused to talk about it and you didn't want to push it too much, trying to give her space and time; however she hovered around you whenever you went anywhere, always having to be within arm's reach or just outside the door.

Your breaking point was when she launched awake in the middle of the night, panting and sweating frantically. She tried to act like she wasn't bothered, that this was just another chore she had to complete, but that was a lie. The next morning you reached out to her and placed a hand on her bicep, she looked over at you a bit startled but instantly relaxed upon seeing you.

"Donna, it's been a whole week." You started.

"I know." She responded.

"You're clearly bothered by what happened, and I want to help you but I don't know how."

"Just being here is helpful but honestly, I don't know how you can be helpful either. The entire village saw my face, and now I have even more blood on my hands. I just feel so....exposed." She whispered.

She turned around onto her side and you scooted closer with your front pressed against her back. You wrapped your arm around her waist and held her tightly, pressing your nose against her neck. On the second floor you heard the telephone ring numerous times, eventually the ringing stopped and you could hear the muffled sound of Angie's voice. She talked for a long time and then there was silence, after a few minutes you could hear her shuffling feet outside the door. Then there was a knock.

"Y/N, Donna, that was Alcina. She's on her way with Mother Miranda to come check on you. I tried to tell her that you're fine but that woman is as stubborn as a bull, and it sounds like Mother Miranda has something important to talk to you two about."

"Thank you Angie. We'll be up in a minute." You called, turning your head away from Donna.

You looked back down at Donna, brushed some of her hair back and kissed the side of her face gently.

"Maybe talking to Alcina or Mother Miranda might help. It's time you stopped shouldering all your emotions by yourself. You have so many people who love you and are here for you."

Donna continued to stare off into the distance but she nodded in acknowledgement, you laid with her for a few more minutes before giving her one last kiss on her temple. You shuffled out of the bed and exited her bedroom, when the elevator doors opened on the main floor there was a knock on the front door. Angie was halfway there but you waved her away and answered the door to find Mother Miranda, Alcina, and her daughters all standing there. You moved out of the way to let them in but were quickly swarmed in an array of hugs, you chuckled and wrapped your arms around Daniela who only tightened her hug.

"Hello to you too Daniela." You choked out.

"Hi." Daniela replied when she let go.

The second she released you another hug engulfed you, this time Bela. You smiled warmly and hugged her back, holding her tightly against your body until she decided to end it. Cassandra waved at you, Alcina nodded her head, and Mother Miranda didn't look your way but you caught a glimpse of an envelope in her hands. You motioned them to the back room where the fireplace was, Angie was in there and had just set the rapier box on the desk parallel to the fireplace. The girls sat on the couches closest to the warmth of the hearth while Alcina, Mother Miranda, and you sat off to the side.

"Will Donna be joining us?" Mother Miranda asked.

"I'm not sure." You responded.

"Would you mind if I went and checked on her?" She asked quietly.

"Not at all, she's in her bedroom downstairs."

Mother Miranda placed the envelope on the tea table between the two seats then stood and left you alone with Alcina. The girls giggled around the corner with Angie, their conversation not making much sense from the bits and pieces you could make out. Instead you turned your attention to Alcina who gave you a warm smile.

"How are you doing dear?" She asked.

"Honestly? I could be better. I don't know how to help Donna through all this because she won't talk to me and I feel this immense guilt that she did all this because of me."

"You give yourself too much credit dear. This was a long time coming especially with how impulsive Salvatore was and the already strained relationship Donna has with the village. However, you must remember she went her entire life practically alone, it'll take some time for her to lean on someone else after depending on herself for so long."

"Wow." You remark with a hint of sarcasm, "speaking of, have you heard anything in the village since the challenge? Everyone saw Donna's face. I can imagine the rumors are spreading like wildfire."

"There are a few whispers here and there by those who were loyal to House Moreau, otherwise they are being snuffed out quickly. Of course Mother Miranda and I are diluting any lies that come our way without giving away too much. Did anyone come and bother you?"

"No, which is why I asked." You paused for a moment then snapped to attention, "I'm sorry. Do you want anything to drink?"

Alcina gave you a knowing smirk, "I'm fine dear but thank you for asking. Perhaps we'll instill some manners in you yet." She teased.

You rolled your eyes in time to see Mother Miranda return through the opposite door with Donna directly behind her. Donna looked a bit more relieved, her shoulders weren't as stiff and when she made eye contact with you she smiled bigger than she had all week. You smiled back at her and scooted over to give her room on the seat, she sat down next to you and placed her hand on your thigh. Mother Miranda walked over to the girls and Angie, she leaned down to tell them something and you leaned over to see the four of them leave to go elsewhere. Whatever Mother Miranda had to tell you must be important. She sat back down next to Alcina and picked the envelope back up, examined it then sighed heavily.

"I have some things I need to discuss with the two of you, one of them being about taking over Salvatore's portion of the village, and the other concerning this." She waved the envelope.

"I don't want anything to do with the bay." Donna spoke directly.

"I figured as much which is why I put Alcina in charge until we find a suitable candidate to take over. Now as for the contents in this envelope, we found this while searching Salvatore's personal home for any more evidence on his crime."

Mother Miranda handed you the manilla envelope, you took it with one hand and examined it briefly before opening the already torn top. You pulled out a thick packet of paper with the words, 'Last Will and Testimony of Sabine L/N' written on the top. You took a long, deep breath as you absorbed the words and tried to decipher how they made you feel. Some part of you is sad that she died and you had no idea, another part is pissed that this was withheld from you, but the biggest part felt completely neutral. That was until you got to the stipulations of the will.

"I have to be married?! Oh that bitch!" You screeched.

The sudden change of volume made everyone around you jump, Donna squeezed your thigh to keep you grounded. You groaned loudly as you read over that section over and over again. The rest of the will was pretty standard: all assets belonging to the L/N family shall be passed onto the oldest living relative. You had a cousin who was older than you, but then you read that the recipient couldn't be in prison which eliminated him and left you. The more you thought about it though, the more it concerned you that Salvatore had this in his possession. This must have been why he was so adamant about

"What if I don't want any of this?" You asked.

"Well, that would be something to ask the lawyer in charge. I could try and contact him but it takes days for anything via the internet to reach out here, and calling internationally is a hit or miss."

You sighed heavily, "I need some air."

You stood up and placed your hand on Donna's shoulder to keep her from following, you looked at her pointedly then jerked your head toward the other two women. She got the hint and folded back into her seat while you made your way to the front of the manor. The crisp fall air hit your lungs and you breathed it in until your lungs hurt, the air was chilly and caused goosebumps on your skin. You leaned on the railing overlooking the cliff's edge, the porch was protected from the spray of the waterfall. In the distance you heard the voices of the girls grow closer, you looked in the direction of the path and saw them come over the edge.

They waved at you and you waved back, most of them went inside into the warmth of the manor except Cassandra who leaned on the railing with you. At first you didn't say anything to her nor she to you, that was until you saw she had the same downturned look on her face.

"Everything okay?" You asked.

"I should be asking you that. I know as an outsider it must be hard seeing someone killed like that." She responded.

"You say that like you have experience." You stated.

Cassandra looked off into the distance, her silence was enough of an answer for you. You swallowed thickly and rubbed the sides of your arms for warmth. She wasn't wrong, the imagine of Salvatore being stabbed played on a constant loop when your mind wasn't distracted; it's not the first time you've seen someone killed per say, but it is the first time you've seen someone killed in real life.

"I'm fine really, I had unlimited and unmonitored access to the internet at a very young age and saw some pretty f*cked up stuff."

"What's it like?" She asked after a long pause.

"What's what like?" You asked back.

"The outside world. I've grown up in this village my whole life, only reading things in books. Hearing about things from the few outsiders we get."

You perked up a little, "are you interested in leaving the village?"

"More than anything. I don't want to live in this village the rest of my life."

"What about Johanna?" You pried.

"Her and I are on the same page. She likes being a blacksmith but, there's only so much one can do you know? I tried talking to Mother about it. She said no, so did Johanna's parents, saying we were too young and that the world is too dangerous. Since then she's been trying to convince me to stay but I keep telling her it's in vain. Bela is going to take over for her someday, Daniela wants the domesticated life, and where does that leave me?"

"Maybe if you had a way to prove that you could provide for yourself and for Johanna, they might change their answer." You said.

You could see the wheels turning in Cassandra's head, at the same time the wheels in your head started to turn too. If you could reach out to the lawyer about giving all the assets away to someone, then Cassandra could get her wish and you might finally be able to live in peace. Cassandra suddenly shook her head and stood upright with a chuckle, her fingers were red from the cold air.

"Maybe. I'm sorry I went on a tangent there."

"It's fine. Let's go inside and get warmed up."

Cassandra smiled at you and nodded in agreement, you walked in with her and found her sisters sitting with Angie in the front room. You squeezed Cassandra's shoulder and went back into the other room where Mother Miranda and Alcina were, they all looked up in your direction when you entered. Donna had puffy eyes from crying which she quickly wiped away and recomposed herself, you sat next to her and leaned your head against her shoulder. She moved her arm and wrapped it around you, rubbing your opposite arm to warm you up.

"Have you come to a decision?" Asked Mother Miranda.

"Yes. If possible I would like to reach out to whomever is in charge of the will about giving the assets to another person."

Mother Miranda nodded and stood up to leave, Alcina followed after and gave you a wink before turning her back to you. When everyone left Angie huffed and excused herself for the evening, you watched her waddle up the stairs then faced Donna and took her hand. You walked in silence with her back downstairs to the kitchen, you released her hand and started searching for something to make to eat. Two arms wrapped around your waist and halted your quest, you straightened up and rested your hands on top of Donna's.

"Thank you." She whispered in your ear.

"For what?" You asked.

"For everything."

Chapter 24: A Wedding

Chapter Text

"I apologize that it took so long, the internet isn't very fast out here neither is phone services. It takes a few days for anything to come or go, however I did manage to contact the lawyer in charge of the will. Unfortunately, you still need to be married to do anything with it. Including giving it to another person."

"I understand. Thank you Mother Miranda." You said calmly.

You hung up the phone with a soft click of the receiver, swallowing thickly as you stared off through the window toward the waterfall. The thought of being Donna's wife made your heart soar with happiness, but you didn't want her to think you were marrying her only because of the will. Perhaps you should take your own advice, and just talk to her. It's been another since Mother Miranda and Dimitrescus visited, Dona has been more communicative about her needs and boundaries. Maybe broach the subject lightly. You snap out of your thoughts at the sound of glass dropping, running toward the sound you push open the door to one of the seating areas to find Angie hovering over some ceramic bits.

"Oh dear. Y/N, go get me a broom please."

"Please? Are you feeling alright?"

"Oh shut it and get me a broom."

You chuckled and turned away to go get the broom and dust pan, when you returned you knelt down to carefully sweep the shards into the pan. Once everything was clean and clear Angie smacked her lips and huffed with her fists on her hips.

"That was my favorite mug. Now I'll have to go to the village and get another one. Blasted."

"I would like to go with."

You jumped from the intrusion of Donna's voice, even Angie gasped a little from surprise. You looked over at Donna standing in the doorway, her hands rubbing each other nervously as she looked from you to Angie.

"Fine, but I ain't waiting for you to catch up." Angie scoffed.

Angie waddled out of the other door and you gave Donna a half smile, she only stared back at you then followed you to return the broom. You gathered your cloak that was kindly returned to you and tightened it around your neck, Donna put on a thicker coat than normal over her attire. Fall was coming to an end and Winter was starting to rear its cold heart, the mornings were always frosty but the afternoon sun was still plenty warm. It's mid November which means the Fall Festival will be arriving soon, and everyone in the village needs to stock up and winterize their homes. Winter means life or death this far in the mountains, Donna's manor is plenty warm and Angie said that Lady Dimitrescu often opens her castle when blizzards hit.

"Are you sure about this Donna?" You asked.

"The entire village saw my face anyhow, I cannot live in hiding any further. I need to do this."

You sighed and took her hand into your own with a smile, she squeezed it in return and pushed the door open. You walked next to her in silence, the walk was nice with the fall breeze blowing through the trees. Donna tilted her head upwards and breathed in deeply, a smile crept over her lips and she paused for only a moment to savor the air. The sun highlighted her dark hair, giving it a blueish tint and matching the dark colored outfit she wore. Eventually the gate to the village came into view and Donna hesitated, her eye drifted over the wooden gate and you squeezed her hand in reassurance.

She walked beside you as you passed through the gate into the heart of the village. Her hand tightened on yours so hard that your fingers started to tingle as people passed by. Some of them smiled and bowed their heads toward Donna, others moved out of the way but otherwise said nor did anything. You stretched out your neck to look toward the bay, the same fishermen and women carried their catches to the town square, some of them wore black while others didn't. Donna led you toward the church path up the hill, she paused again outside the door of the church. When you looked up at her, her eye was closed and her head was down with her chin against her chest. With how tightly she was holding your hand, her pulse clashed against your own with how fast it was going.

"You know, I've only been scared three times in my life." Donna said suddenly.

"Really?"

"The first time was the night my father attacked my mother and I. The second was when Moreau knocked me down. Up until then I had not feared death, in fact, I would have welcomed death like an old friend had I not met you. I was so scared I wouldn't see you again."

You sucked in a sharp breath and twisted around to rest your other hand against her cheek. She looked over at you, finally opening her eye to meet yours when she blinked slowly and a single tear rolled down her cheek. You let go of her hand and placed it against her mask, running the pad of your thumb against the smooth porcelain. She raised her hands and placed them over yours, you wiped away the tear and she chuckled under her breath when you broke the silence.

"When's the third?"

"Right now." She answered.

"Why?" You chuckled out.

Donna gave you another smile, she straightened up and broke free from your grasp then leaned over and opened the door to the church. It swung open with a loud creak and thud, you looked at her confused and she nodded her head in the direction of going inside. You walked down the short hallway and gasped when you came into view of the inside of the church. Inside was Angie, Alcina, and her daughters all sitting in the pews with Johanna and Ina sitting with them. Mother Miranda was at the podium and white fabric was strung up along the ceiling and walls. Lights were strung up in the banisters of the ceiling coating the entire church in a warm glowing light. Everyone was dressed in their finest clothing and they turned to look at you with broad, knowing smiles. You whipped around to look at Donna who stood next to you, she held her hands behind her back.

"Because I'm scared you'll say no." She whispered.

You looked at her shocked.

"Angie told me about your conversation with Cassandra and I told her that I wanted you to be my wife regardless. She came up with a plan and I agreed to it because I knew I wouldn't ever have the courage to ask you otherwise."

Donna turned to look at you, she knelt down onto one knee in front of you, "Y/N, will you marry me?" She asked, looking up at you.

You stared at her, your eyes darting between hers before looking over to see everyone in the church waiting for you to answer with baited breath. You smiled brightly and felt tears threaten to spill over your eyes as you nodded your head and used the palm of your hand to wipe your eyes.

"I'll marry you Donna. Even if it's only for my money." You joked.

Donna laughed and the girls swarmed around you in an instant, they dragged you along toward the back of the church. You glanced over your shoulder to see Donna being taken away by Alcina and Angie to another part of the church. Inside a small room in the back were two strikingly white outfits: a dress and a suit. The suit was a three piece suit with a ruffled collared button up, a jacket similar to Donna's with the six buttons on the front, and slacks. The dress was the same height as you with a mermaid cut and a deep V neck that would accentuate your breasts. You picked your outfit and was whisked away behind a curtain to change into it, once you did Daniela shoved you into a chair and sat in front of you. She did your make-up, highlighting your best features while Cassandra made sure your hair looked nice.

Bela pulled out a camera and started to take pictures, you laughed loudly at their contagious excitement. You never thought you would get married so you never daydreamed about your dream wedding, but this set up felt absolutely perfect for you. When you were ready they took you back outside and fixed you up in the tiny hallway by the front entrance. Daniela, Bela, and Cassandra of course held bouquets of fake flowers to be the bridesmaids. They walked down the aisle first as a piano started to play, Alcina appeared around the corner and smiled at you warmly.

"Mind if I walk you down dear?" She asked, offering her arm.

You smiled brightly and took her arm with your own, a ping of gratefulness struck you in that moment. You lost your parents, your aunt, and didn't have any friends to share this important step with. Alcina was there though, and she was closer to a motherly figure than your actual mother ever was. She pulled you along down the aisle and you locked eyes on Donna who stood at the podium next to Mother Miranda. Of course she was wearing an all black suit, a white button up, a black neck tie, and all of the buttons on her suit were shimmering silver. Better yet, she wasn't wearing her mask and you could see her entire face beaming with happiness when she looked at you.

By the time Alcina handed you off to Donna you were blinking feverishly to fight back the tears and not ruin the make-up that Daniela worked so hard on. Donna however was letting her tears flow freely, her eyes had a tint of red from them but her smile never faltered. She held both of your hands in her own, she looked down at you and leaned down to whisper into your ear.

"You look so beautiful." She whispered through a choked sob.

"And you look so handsome Donna." You replied.

"Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate the matrimony of Donna Benviento and Y/N L/N. I call upon the Black God to oversee this union between two souls to be forever joined. Let us pray." Mother Miranda announced.

"Great ones, hear our voice, together as one in reverence. We call on thee within the endless dark to deliver us into fate's hands. As the midnight moon rises on black wings, so we make our sacrifice and await the light at the end." Everyone but you and Donna said.

Your eyes widened and your cheeks burned, Donna only smirked at you when the realization hit you. She chuckled lowly and you squeezed her hands, narrowing your eyes at her as your face only burned hotter. Thankfully Mother Miranda cleared her throat to grab your attention.

"Donna Beneviento, do you take Y/N L/N as your partner, a part of your soul, to lift her sorrows, to be the drink that fills her cup, the light to guide her through darkness, until the end of eternity?" Mother Miranda asked.

"I do." Donna said proudly.

"Y/N L/N, do you take Donna Beneviento as your partner, a part of your soul, to lift her sorrows, to be the drink that fills her cup, the light to guide her through darkness, until the end of eternity?"

"I do." You answered.

"Please exchange the rings."

Donna winked at you when you started to panic that you didn't have a ring. Someone tapped your shoulder and you looked over to see Cassandra holding up a ring in her fingers. You sighed with relief and took the ring in your hand, Donna held out hers and you slipped the simple band onto her ring finger. She then took your hand and slipped on a golden ring encrusted with small diamonds along the top.

"Then by the power invested in me by the Black God, I pronounce you two bonded until the end of time. You may kiss."

Donna leaned down and you didn't hesitate to jump up and wrap your arms around her neck. You clashed your lips against hers, everyone clapped and of course the girls cheered loudly as Donna locked her arms around your waist. She pulled you close to her, your body molding against hers until nothing could pass through. You broke away from the kiss and finally let the tears roll down your cheeks.

Chapter 25: Home

Chapter Text

The music roared from behind the gate, if you looked closely enough you could see it shaking from the vibrations. The fall festival was in full swing, the smell of pumpkin pie, spices, and cider made your mouth water in anticipation. You looked up at Donna who smiled back down at you, she held your hand tightly and you squeezed hers in response. Donna took a deep breath and pushed open the gate to reveal everyone dressed up like different monsters and creatures; kids were running around with chocolate and other sugary delights coating their mouths. You clutched the envelope closer to your chest to keep it from blowing away in the cold breeze, Donna side stepped out of the way for some children to run through.

Since the wedding she's been more open to coming into the village, the villagers threw you and her a large celebration in honor of your marriage. Contrary to her belief, the villagers were accepting of Donna, many of them understandably skeptical at first but welcomed her nonetheless. You and her passed by a stall with freshly baked cinnamon rolls, Donna's eye widened to the size of the moon and stopped dead in her tracks. It seems the kids of the village wouldn't be the only ones with a sugar high this night. Donna looked over at you, silently asking to get one and you sighed defeatedly.

"Fine, but only one you hear me? Otherwise you're sleeping with Angie tonight." You warned.

Donna perked up and kissed your cheek before turning toward the vendor while reaching into her pocket for the lei. On your wedding night, instead of f*cking your brains out, Donna spent all night puking out hers because she discovered the wonders of unadulterated access to sugar. You waited patiently until she returned with half the roll already eaten within the two steps it took from you to the stall, she offered you the other half and you acted shocked at the gesture. She shrugged and pulled it back to eat it but you swiped it from her hand and stuffed it into your mouth. Donna smirked and kissed you, licking the sugar from the corner of your lips while doing so.

With your face fully red all the way to your ears, Donna smirked triumphantly then took your hand again to lead you toward the village center. The music was getting louder to the point it hurt your ears from how close you were standing, but thankfully you didn't have to stand long because you saw who you were looking for. Cassandra was walking on the other side of the center with her sisters, their mother right behind them and all of them ducked into the blacksmith's shop. You ran over with Donna in tow and caught the door before it fully closed behind them and slipped on in, Daniela spotted you first of course and embraced you in a bone-crushing hug.

"Oh you guys came! I'm so happy to see you." Daniela squealed.

"You just saw us a few days ago when we visited you." You choked out.

"A few days is a few months in Daniela time." Bela joked.

Daniela released you and paused in front of Donna, she hesitated at first but then opened her arms and braced when Daniela lunged into her full force. Johanna came out from a door behind the counter and smiled brightly at Cassandra who leaned on her elbows on the counter. You glanced over at Alcina who was distracted by something hanging in the window then crept over to Cassandra and leaned next to her.

"I have something for you." You said quietly as you slid the envelope over.

Cassandra gasped and took it within a blink, "what is it?" she asked curiously.

"Well...remember that conversation we had where you said you wanted to leave the village? I'm giving you all the assets my aunt left me. You can do whatever you please with them, sell them, keep them, I don't have any use for any of it. There is one condition though, you have to mail me a souvenir from every place you travel to, even if it's just a postcard."

The two of them stared at you like you just spoke to them in a different language, you glanced between them and felt a familiar heat rush to your ears.

"Do-do you mean it?" Johanna asked quietly.

Cassandra looked up at you as you smiled at her and nodded your head, she set the envelope down carefully then took you into an even tighter hug than Daniela's. You choked a little but wrapped your arms around her and held her until she let go, backing away and then reaching over to take Johanna's hand.

"I guess we better break the news to everyone then."

Johanna nodded in agreement, "lets meet in the dining room with my parents."

Johanna called everyone's attention and invited the Dimitrescus, Donna, and you into the dining room. In there was a man and woman who looked about Angie's age, the man was shorter than you which made you feel better about being surrounded by extraordinarily tall women. He stood and offered his seat to Alcina who graciously took it and sat next to, whom you presumed was his wife. Cassandra and Johanna stood in front of the table with everyone looking at them, you and Donna stood in the back toward the door. You wanted to make a quick exit in case you needed to once Alcina heard the news.

"Um Johanna and I have something to tell you all." Cassandra took a deep breath, "we're going to get married this winter and leave the village in spring when the snow melts from the pass."

You could hear an ant fart with how quiet it was, the news settling thickly in the air until Alcina abruptly stood. The chair scrapped against the wooden flooring and made you flinch, even Daniela and Bela leaned away from her. Alcina took a deep breath and held her hands in front of her, her shoulders tense despite her calm facial expression. Johanna's mother sniffled at tears fell down her cheeks and she used a handkerchief to wipe them away.

"How do you plan on accomplishing this?" she asked calmly.

"With this." Cassandra held up the envelope, "Y/N gave us enough money to not only travel but live a comfortable life outside of this village. I promise we'll come back to visit in the spring and summer. Our compromise was having the wedding here. Please mother, this is all I've ever wanted."

Johanna's mother stood, "why do you want to leave me?" She sobbed.

"Momma I'm not leaving you but, you and I both know that there's only so much I can do here. All I do is fix farm equipment now and then. I want to explore, learn, and start a family."

Cassandra turned sharply in Johanna's direction, Johanna and everyone in the room tensed as Alcina walked around the table. She approached them like a predator stalking its prey, she stood in front of the two women, silently looking them over then her shoulders sagged.

"I did try to change your mind, and I am upset that you went behind my back to find an alternative way to leave but I suppose it's my fault for pushing you away rather than accepting your wishes. I didn't want to accept that my baby wants to spread her wings and start her own life. Please promise me that you will be safe, you will write, you will visit, and most importantly remember that you always have a home here." Alcina stated firmly.

"I promise mother." Cassandra responded.

Johanna and Cassandra looked up at Alcina then hugged her tightly, she hugged them back and held them close. She kissed both of their cheeks before standing upright, you looked over at Johanna's mother who still sobbed but her father stood behind her with his hands on the back of the chair. She stood up and walked out of the dining room, covering her face with her handkerchief as Johanna's father sighed.

"Johanna, I always knew you were too bright for this village. Your fire burned hotter than any hearth, and you know your mother and I only want the best for you. You can't get much better than blessings from three lords, I'll support you in any way possible."

"What about momma?" Johanna asked.

"She'll come around. She always does."

He held his hand out and Johanna walked over to shake it, then she jumped up and hugged him around his neck. Daniela groaned loudly and this time the attention was on her as she dramatically threw herself back against the wall with Bela smiling proudly.

"Thanks a lot Cas, now I owe Bela 500 lei." She sighed with feigned annoyance.

"We made a bet who would get married first; you or her. Congratulations Cassandra and Johanna." Bela clarified.

"We need to start planning!" Daniela exclaimed to change the subject.

Daniela dragged Johanna and Bela dragged Cassandra out of the home, Alcina reached over and took the envelope for safekeeping. Cassandra smiled at you as she passed by, you waited until they left the shop and looked up at Donna who raised an eyebrow back at you.

"He said three lords, there's you and Alcina. Who's the third?" You asked.

Donna smiled widely and giggled quietly, "you my love. When you became my wife, you also took on the title of lord. Would you prefer lady like Alcina?"

You shook your head and scrunched your nose, the thought of being a lord made your anxiety spike, "will I have to come to those meetings that you go to?"

"Only if you want."

You were about to say something back when Alcina approached you, she looked down at you and you shrugged down into yourself. She motioned with her head for you to follow her and that you did; she walked outside and around the corner where the music was dulled. She held the envelope tightly and looked off into the distance, Donna stood by you and leaned against the brick of the building.

"Alcina let me-" you started.

"Quiet." She ordered.

"Yep."

She turned to face you and you expected to see anger, resentment, something but her face remained neutral. Her green eyes almost shined from the street lamp above her and you could see them dart around your body. You rolled and unrolled the hem of your shirt, you wanted to beg for forgiveness and tell her you were sorry but another part of you wanted to stand your ground and tell her off. Instead you stood there frozen under her gaze, she blinked slowly and she looked up toward Donna.

"Would you mind giving us a moment?" Alcina asked.

You looked over your shoulder and saw Donna push herself off the wall and walked around the corner. Your throat felt dry and you tried to gulp but you produced nothing, leaving you to choke a little on the air.

"I knew this day would come and I couldn't be prouder of her. Johanna is a wonderful woman, and I knew that eventually I would give in. In fact, I was going to surprise her this upcoming winter solstice with the money and means to leave, but you beat me to it."

She held up the envelope, twisting it around in her hand, "so, you're giving everything away hm?"

"If there was anything you wanted of hers, you can look through the list of her things. I know you two were close."

"I absolutely loathed the woman, the only reason I humored her was because it's the proper thing to do. I do not want anything."

Your mouth dropped and you started to laugh, you weren't expecting that. Alcina dropped her hand and chuckled, covering her mouth with her other until she stopped laughing. She took a step toward you and rested her hand on your shoulder, she leaned down to your ear, close enough you could smell her perfume.

"If you ever go behind my back or pull something like this again, I will end you."

You shot a look at her and nodded your head in understanding, she tapped your shoulder and walked away. After you unclenched your jaw and could breath again you went back around the corner to find Donna waiting for you. She was standing by herself next to some other villagers who didn't have dance partners, when she saw you her face lit up and her eye crinkled from how big she smiled. She approached you and wrapped her arms around you, kissing the side of your head.

"Thanks for leaving me." You mumbled into her shoulder.

"Sorry mi amor but you're on your own when it comes to Alcina. She is one out of three women I will never cross. The other two being Mother Miranda and Angie."

"Understandable." You groan.

"Still love me?" She asked.

You look up at her and narrow your eyes, "yeah I guess."

She chuckles lowly and brushes her fingers through your hair while holding you tightly, you sigh and breath in her smell. You wrap your arms around her waist and you listen to her heartbeat beating, everything else fades away. When you came to this village you wanted nothing more than to leave, you never saw yourself finding a life out here let alone someone like Donna. For the first time in many years, since you could remember, you felt safe. You felt at home.

The end.