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Chapter Text

When her eldest came to her with what looked like a lump of wet clothes, she thought nothing of it.

She assumed it was just some unfortunate intruder who hadn't even had the chance to break into her abode to harm herself or her daughters. But it didn't smell like the others, nor did her daughter behave like she normally would when finding an intruder on their lands.

She looked concerned for once, either for bothering her mother in her rare time of tranquility or for whatever well-being of the heap in her arms. Looking from her vanity's mirror, she would only arch a brow as she hummed a wordless question, prompting her eldest into speaking about what was troubling her.

Instead her daughter would only look back down at the bundle in her arms before walking over to present it. Finally placing her washing cloth down, she would turn halfway to look at her eldest in time to see a woman in her daughter's arms, blue and barely breathing. Mangled by the looks of the horrid bites that reeked of what would only be from a lycan. It was extremely confusing how the thing had survived in not only the blizzard raging outside, but also a lycan attack as well. She could only imagine how Bela had stumbled upon her in the first place.

She would arch a fine brow at the sight of the unconscious woman, noting the matted platinum hair stained red and the black bruises against tanned skin. Even now calloused knuckles white in their attempts to cling onto the first thing presented that would be her daughter's sleeve. With her face partially obscured she could only assume that the girl's age to be perhaps early twenties...

Just the sight of her had her heart melting, she was so small and fragile, with blood smelling so sweet despite the stench of dog on her. For once she thought not of simply throwing her into a vat for wine like other unfortunates, instead she would be surprised to find herself carefully reaching toward the crumpled girl in her daughter's arms and bringing her into her own. She had already seemed so small in Bela's arms but she was smaller in her own.

Almost like an infant.

There would be a strangled whine coming from the girl but Alcina had ignored it, simply to take a look at the wounds on her arms and shoulder. She would carefully move the most affected arm and scowled at the scent permeating from the wounds the more she agitated them.

Thankfully the mutts her brother owned hadn't managed to go for the throat, but she knew it would be a long process for the human to heal from what did transpire. She was losing blood, and no doubt would succumb to them tonight should she choose not to do anything.

Not quickly, but it would be sometime in the night...

But she would stare with golden eyes, slightly wide as they took in the smallest nudge of the girl's nose against her bosom, her form trembling and a brow furrowed in discomfort. She reminded her of times so long ago with her three daughters, when they had come to her fresh and new and so, so vulnerable... 

This little one needed her.

She had recently found herself yearning for something lately but she hadn't a clue what. She only ever wanted her daughters, the knowledge of their safety and the approval of Mother Miranda, but with this little one in her arms clinging to her warmth so needily, she felt as if she had gotten a fresh breath of air in a decade of breathing dust.

"Have one of the maids make a drink for this one, and bring Cassandra's medical bag." she requested of her eldest, taking a moment to stand carefully and carry the fragile thing over to her bed to lay down. She didn't need to look back to her daughter, the buzzing of her insects told her enough she would have what was requested within the hour.

With that she would sit at the side of the bed and look down at the girl in her bed, smiling and cooing softly to her as she reached over and stroked a frozen cheek, tsking at the sight of frost clinging to her skin even now. She wouldn't be able to wrap her littlest up in fresh blankets if she bled all over them. She would need to tend to her wounds first and that horrible stench of wet dog that no doubt would stink her linens for a good day or two. She would only hope for the maids' sake they did not disappoint her with their inability of ridding the stench quickly from her bed.

She got up then to turn back to her bathing room, keeping an ear out for anything from the little human as she filled a basin of warm water and tossed in a small sponge. 

As she waited for her daughter and maid to return, she would work on peeling off the tattered shreds of a dress, furs, and trousers. She took in the starved form of her youngest, a frown marred on her face as she tossed the soiled rags to the floor, to be burned as quickly as possible. She then delicately went about dabbing at the wounds, her eyes ever observant to the smallest twitches of the unconscious girl before her. Luckily she was so out of it that all she would get from her smallest would be whimpers and whines, as if a newborn fussing about being disturbed.

She would hum to the small whimpers, cooing and comforting as best she could in the hopes of calming her should she rouse enough to wake. As she tended to her wounds, she let her mind drift as she took in more clues of her newest addition to the family's.

She was sun kissed, meaning she had spent far too long in the sun working. She took in the calloused hands and cracked fingertips, her youngest worked her hands to the near bone. Her starved form told her she wasn’t of higher stock, and even her meager life was already a struggle to survive. Her hair, while so beautiful in its pale color, wasn’t as healthy as it could be. Most else the frost and her brother’s mutt had ruined so she couldn't get much else from her newborn's now past life.

She could only surmise she was from the village, perhaps a laborer, and had gotten lost in the current blizzard outside. She would need to find out more about her, what her name was, if she had family she would need to worry about...

Because as far as she was concerned, this little one was hers now.

Chapter Text

The next she woke would be to the sounds of quickened breathing, the thundering of a small heart, and the rattle of a locked door.

Surprised even as she slowly sat up onto her elbows, she would squint into the dim room to see the small figure leaning hard against the door, her one good hand trying to grip onto the doorknob despite them being currently encased in small mittens. The other would be bound in a sling with multiples of bandaging covering her torso and arm. There would be gurgling grumblings from her little one that had her somewhat worried.

“Up and about so soon aren’t we, darling?” she called, her smile growing when the girl at the door stumbled and buckled to her knees with a startled grunt.

She gave a playful gasp, acting surprised her little one fell before she soon climbed out of bed and walked over to the panicking woman who tried to scurry away from her approach. “You should be in bed keeping warm.” she added, tsking as the woman scrunched up when she bent down to scoop her up. From here she would try to check on her wounds, though the girl squirming had her fearing she might drop her. She was surprised at how much energy her little one had after her arrival the previous night.

After cleaning her wounds and stitching up the bites, she had given her a small cleaning and placed her in a pale lavender onesie, one that Cassandra had outgrown soon after she had gotten her. Along with this she briefly patted her youngest’s bottom to check it. Thankfully there weren’t any accidents so soon in the morning.

She could tell the woman was disoriented and confused, with gray eyes wide and darting everywhere around the room, looking for any route of escape.

“You had a very rough night, darling. A nasty mutt had gotten a hold of you and if it weren’t for your oldest sister, mommy wouldn’t have ever known.” Alcina frowned, soon tucking the woman against her hip as she carried her over to the window. With a free hand she would open the curtains and let the blinding light in, soon chuckling tiredly at the small hitched breath of her smallest and how she shielded her eyes.

“But that is never going to happen again. Mommy will be here to protect you from all the big, scary things out there.” she promised, soon carrying her back to bed to place on her back and go about unbuttoning her onesie.

There would be a raspy, strangled cough coming from the woman, leading Alcina to look up in concern as the flabbergasted woman held her throat and tried to speak. Her face flushed red and such gorgeous gray eyes widely staring at her in confused fear. This woman definitely recognized her, her shivering form and quickened heartbeats telling her that the woman knew who she was quite well indeed. The girl’s free hand would be trying to grab at Alcina’s much larger ones, trying to prevent her from taking off the only article of clothing she had despite the embarrassing aspect of a certain nappy.

Alcina pursed her lips and hummed disapprovingly, “Mommy needs to check your wounds, dear. She can’t make sure they are alright if you won’t let her look.” she tried to explain, though the woman would only sputter and rasp more, shaking her head soon after.

“Ah… a shame then. If you refuse to let her look then they might become infected, and you might become a dirty little dog yourself.” she tried once more, this time smirking softly once the girl stiffened and side eyed her bandaged shoulder.

Finally the hand gripping her index finger so tightly would loosen, before letting go completely and the girl would lay back to let Alcina do as she was intending.

“Good girl. Thank you for trusting mommy now.” she praised, cooing as she resumed her task of undressing her youngest and carefully moving the girl’s arm. She would move the bandages lightly, cooing when she saw the girl wince. The young girl would look away in a bright blush, her brow furrowing and her bottom lip quivering. She was such a sight of a pouting toddler and she was adorable. With her trying to distract herself, the mother had turned her attention finally to the angry wounds and delicately peeled back the bandaging.

The bite looked horrible, with black veins settling around it but thankfully not spreading down her girl’s arm or chest as she investigated. Dark purple and black bruising was still prevalent with the stitched closed bite still raised and inflamed.

It was healing as best as it could with what little time she had. Today would be different once she had gotten a proper brew for her little girl. She could use the medicinal elixirs she had in the dungeons, it would make her daughter right as rain with full autonomy of her arm near instantly, but she decided against it.

She wanted her little one to rely on her, and she knew if she healed completely then her little one would have more agency to try and throw herself in harm’s way. She knew just from her sneaking out of her bed and trying to leave her room that her youngest would be a runner. So she would let her little girl heal slowly, with a slow drip of elixir to have her not lose any real usage of her limb. But that would be something for the night to handle the proper measurements. For now she would focus on other things.

Which led to her snapping out of her thoughts to lightly rub her daughter’s belly and cooed with praise toward her.

“You’re being such a brave girl. The wounds are looking much better than they had last night, but you have a long way to go before you can use that arm properly.” she explained as she began peeling off the onesie, much to the girl’s dismay as her skin flushed a dark red in embarrassment. Frail and starved, trying to hide what little decency she had despite the Lady already seeing it all the previous night.

She let her have that at the moment. “I think a nice meal will help warm you right up. And I’m sure your sisters are dying to meet you.” she mused, moving over to her wardrobe to find something for herself to wear. She would need to unpack all her girls’ infant clothes for their newest sister, but for now she would simply redress her in her current one once she got her nappy changed.

Which ended up being almost comical how her youngest was behaving. Again her tiny hand would grip onto her own, trying and failing to tug her own hand away from attempting to help dress her. She even kicked her once but to Alcina it was the lightest tap. Her newborn was feisty and she was so happy she had such energy given the night prior.

‘Energetic days always led to restful nights.’ she would always say when she had to raise her oldest three.

Bela was her first and thus she had so much to learn with her. How her firstborn would throw herself into danger in the pursuit of escaping back to her life in the village, much like her youngest she had stopped trying to run away when a lycan chased her back here. Into the arms of her ever protective mother. She would stick to her side like glue all the way until Cassandra came along.

Perhaps that was why her daughter had decided to bring her little sister to her.

Cassandra was the opposite, ever clinging to Alcina’s leg and dress. She would fuss and cry if left alone, and would terrorize the poor staff until she had gotten her mother’s attention. There were many invaluable pieces of art and irreplaceable staff she had destroyed in her pursuit of making her mother pay her attention. Her neediness had lessened once Alcina had introduced her to hobbies she could put her energy into and she thankfully calmed as she got older… somewhat. Now she was definitely in her moody stage.

And sweet Daniela, ever aloof and in her own world, would be a mix of her older sisters. Alcina would find her in the strangest places, napping or reading or playing with a maid forced to be a princess. Her imagination was grand and thus she could be somewhat unpredictable. Alcina found she was her hardest to raise, being as the moment she thought she understood her mannerisms, Daniela would throw a wrench in her assumptions with some new tidbit.

As she was busy redressing her youngest, she couldn’t help but think of what personality she would have. Would she be like calm Bela? Or needy Cassandra? Or would she be like her unpredictable Daniela? She couldn’t wait to find out.

“Come here, you.” she hummed, soon scooping her up from bed to take her over to her vanity. She had so much to do to fix her daughter’s mangy appearance, and the first thing she was going to attempt would be tackling that rat nest of beautiful white hair.

-_-_-_-_-


The morning led to somewhat of a frustratingly horrid hour. With the rat nest being far worse than she assumed, and how her youngest resisted every step of the way, she was surprised to find out they would almost be missing breakfast. And she despised being late for anything, especially when it led to her daughters’ waiting for her arrival as well.

She sighed heavily as she looked down at her ever flustered young girl, smiling softly at her and the slick wavy hair of white that cascaded down to the small of her back. She would lightly run her fingers through the combed tresses, cooing more as she looked at her youngest through the mirror.

“You know, you have such wonderful hair. I’m sure it will shine in no time once we give you a proper bath tonight.” she hummed, chuckling at seeing the girl flush red all over again, with gray eyes looking down at her own lap to keep from staring at her own golden.

Once she had gotten her as presentable as she could, she had placed her back on her bed and lightly tapped the tip of her little girl’s nose. “Don’t hop off this bed, mommy will be back shortly to take you down to breakfast.” she requested before she turned to get herself dressed for the day.

She wore her usual silk dress, with her signature ebony curls in their usual style, and her makeup ever pristine. All the while she would keep an eye on her youngest through the mirror, seeing that the girl was thankfully listening this time and was more focused on the buttons on her onesie. The mittens she had placed on her proved to be a nuisance to her little one, who was trying to bite them off.

“You lost your voice during the storm, didn’t you?” she asked once she applied most of her makeup, smiling at the sight of the girl jumping and looking over with those terrified gray eyes. They both knew she wouldn’t be able to verbally reply, so all she saw was the girl shrugging, unsure herself.

She had a feeling it was during the attack, the mere thought of her screaming out in pain as some mangy mutt tried to shred her to pieces had the mother’s chest twinge in pain, her fingers flexing with claws ever so slightly presenting themselves. If she ever saw that particular beast she would take immense pleasure in ending its pathetic life for almost stealing from her such a special opportunity.

Unnoticeable to the girl on the bed, but it had the mother inhaling deeply to ground herself and nod. “That’s alright. We will find ways for you to communicate until your voice comes back.” she promised her.

How she could would be another conversation entirely that she was sure her youngest wouldn’t like at all…

-_-_-_-_-

Breakfast hadn’t started thankfully, but the sparring of her two middle daughters would begin like clockwork.

While normally breakfast would be civil and there would only be word battles shot across the table at each sister. There would be times where her girls would spar over the most trivial things. The last pancake, an extra glass of wine, or just teasing about one’s day in the castle, sometimes tempers would flare and the only way to let off steam would usually be brawling.

But it was certainly unladylike to have them rolling on the ground trying to scalp one another over what appeared to be who would be sitting near her today.

“ Girls. ” came Alcina’s warning, surely looking like a sight herself with her youngest sitting on her hip who looked ever petrified to be there. Mittened hands trying desperately to ball into her dress. Bela would look over and seem to sag in her seat in relief seeing the girl in her arms, however Cassandra and Daniela…

“Who’s that , mother!?” came Daniela’s surprised cry, trying to untangle herself from her older sister to look at the little human her mother held. Cassandra was of the same mind as she dematerialized into a cloud of flies to race her sister to her mother, both even in cloud form trying to push one another away to materialize back and get a closer look.

Alcina was so sure her youngest’s poor little heart would give should she let them get any closer, so she simply took a step back and walked around them to her seat at the head of the table. She took a moment to try and rub her youngest’s back, frowning more as she watched her youngest’s petrified stares at the incoming cloud of flies, her grip on her dress so tight she feared her blunt nails would cut tears right through her mittens and into her favorite dress…

“Girls, behave yourselves. You’re going to give your baby sister a heart attack with how chaotic you two are.” she lightly scolded, though the tone she held was calm and sweet, wanting to ensure that their excitement to investigate wouldn’t be hindered by any chance of her assumed annoyance.

Though she knew all three would be surprised to hear her proclaim that, with Cassandra making an indistinguishable noise and Daniela squealing in excitement.

“ I’m not the baby anymore!? ” She couldn’t help cheering as she buzzed over to Alcina’s side to look at her new sister, with Cassandra materialized into her seat with a scowl on her face, suddenly wanting absolutely nothing to do with the little human.

Alcina would coo more, smiling softly at her second middle daughter and reaching over to stroke her blood stained cheek, smiling more at her sweet girl nuzzling into her gloved hand. “It appears so, my darling. And with this I expect you to be a proper role model to your baby sister. She’s had such a rough night and I want her to calm down today, alright?” she explained, glancing from Daniela to her other two daughters, her oldest would nod while her oldest middle child rolled her eyes and went about piling her plate with food.

Oh, she could already tell that she would be difficult about this…

But she would offer her a sweet smile regardless, she would give her the chance to come around and hoped it would be soon, considering she didn’t want any unneeded stress between her daughters and herself.

“Did she sleep well?” Came Bela’s calm question, being soft as she went about making her own plate and glancing up at her. Daniela would buzz away to her own seat and grab her plate, she’d switch seats to be closer to Alcina’s free side and tried to speak to her stun locked sister.

Alcina nodded as she held her youngest snugly against her front, being as she didn’t have any of the girl’s furniture out yet, so for now she would ensure her smallest girl would stay in her lap. She was acutely aware that her youngest would fight if she was placed anywhere else that might not be safe.

“She slept so snugly, didn’t wake up at all during the night once she was fed and warmed..” she assured, knowing her daughter had wanted to stay in case she had gotten overwhelmed, but compared to her other children her youngest was still a saint.

“That’s good… I worried about her.” the oldest confessed, ignoring her younger sister scoffing beside her.

Alcina smiled at her and chuckled softly, “It warms my heart to know you care so much for her already.” she praised, smiling more at the sight of her flustered daughter trying to appear the regal image of her firstborn.

“Now I’ve made you wait long enough, eat your fill and please use your utensils.” she begged, having noticed her second youngest eating with her hands… again.

-_-_-_-_-

It seemed today would be nothing but battles with her youngest, with her skin forever blushing as she attempted to move her head away from Alcina and the spoonful of porridge she presented to her. Her daughters would watch curiously and try to act civil with one another with the exception of Cassandra, all for the sake of their mother who was trying her best to remain patient.

With mittened hands her youngest had tried to feed herself, however Alcina refused and assured her that she would help her instead. Much to the horror of her youngest who seemed to like her independence very much.

“Darling, you need to eat. You’re much too frail and I will not allow you to waste away.” she urged, having to pause to clean up what had slipped off the spoon and dribbled onto her daughter’s chest. She would sigh in exasperation at hearing the stubborn grunt, along with the small snickering of a particular daughter of hers who was so evidently not so happy about the newest addition to the family.

She could hear the snide remarks Cassandra was doing under her breath and between chews, however Alcina would let her have her moment considering she was trying to feed her youngest.

“You surely can’t feed yourself, little thing. You need to gather your strength up from your horrible night.” Alcina persisted, briefly placing the bowl of porridge down to grab her own coffee to lightly sip from. She was neglecting feeding herself at the moment due to wanting to ensure her daughter had a full belly.

Holding her so close she could feel how frail she was.

“We’re not leaving this table until you’ve eaten enough for me to be satisfied.” She had warned, showing her daughter that she could and absolutely would be just as stubborn as she was being at the moment.

Of course that rewarded her with an admittedly adorable stink eye, before the girl would look back at the bowl in question and scowled more. Finally the girl would reach for the bowl, surrendering for now for both of their sakes. Though something told her that her youngest was just wishing this to be over so that she could return back to resting, given how her form was ever trembling since coming into the dining room.

Smiling and cooing more in praise, she would grab the bowl herself and make another spoonful for her. She kissed the top of her smallest’s head and praised her sweetly as she began to slowly, and as carefully as she could, feed her. She would ensure that she ate the entire bowl, and trying to focus on her youngest but when her older daughters tried to add her into conversations, she happily obliged.

This was certainly bringing up memories all over again, when she had fed all three of her daughters here on her first days with them. Oh, they were just as defiant as her youngest, and she couldn’t help the light laugh as she looked down at the little human in her lap.

She surely couldn’t wait to make more memories with her.

-_-_-_-_-

True to her assumptions earlier in the day, Alcina had battled constantly with her ever stubborn newborn. From feeding and changing, to her trying to stumble on weak legs away when a maid slipped into her study to place down her usual tea and daily paper, to her even trying to open a window of all bloody things.

She was certainly going to be harder than Daniela and Cassandra combined, with a tinge of Bela when she first came to her.

While the little human would normally try to run and hide from her, her youngest hadn’t dared to run into any rooms, instead she would keep to the hallways and would hide to the best of her abilities when Alcina called for her older daughters for aid. She knew from experience that her youngest was looking for a way out, as foolishly as she was to attempt it given her wounds and lack of proper clothes.

Which was her current situation now. Having just the briefest break from watching her smallest to answer an admittedly unimportant business call, her daughter had managed to bully her way past a maid who hadn’t been informed of the newest addition of the family. Now she would be stalking the halls, trying to pinpoint the exact location she could hear that tiny heart pounding against raggedly breathing lungs.

The buzzing of her daughters was drowning out most of it, with them also trying to locate their smallest sister and Daniela singing in hopes of comforting the little human. Cassandra would be the only one not too enthused to look and would be the only one walking about in her physical form, sickle twirling in her hand as she whistled hauntingly.

So much was happening in the span of a day that she was a little flabbergasted herself. She had forgotten the trials and tribulations of rearing such a young thing, so very adamant and stubborn in her first days. Her daughters for the most part were accepting of the newest member aside from her middle child, and she was expecting some pushback given Cassandra had done the same when Daniela came around.

Her then youngest had even tried to lock Daniela out of the home before, and had panicked when her younger sister was beginning to crack. It was by sheer luck she was returning home from a visit to Mother Miranda she had found her smallest falling apart.

That was the first and only time she had ever truly unleashed her rage upon her daughters, and even then she held back. But the incident had brought them together with Cassandra thankfully calmed afterwards after assurances she would not be replaced… and aiding her little sister during her recovery.

She would have to keep an eye on her the most with her new youngest. Humans were much more fragile than her daughters and even the slightest gust of wind would send them flying away. She would not let anything happen to her daughters.

“ Mother, I found her! ” came a call from Bela, a breath of relief leaving the giantess as she briskly made her way to her eldest. She was a little glad she had found her, given Cassandra’s mood and Daniela being far too excited for her own good, she didn’t want the poor thing being harmed more than she had the previous night.

She would make it to a hall very close to the front lobby, having her frown and tsk at her youngest as she was held in her older sister’s arms, hanging there limply with a pout on her face, like a very grumpy cat being picked up by a toddler. Her eldest would be smiling brightly as she presented her like a special toy, leading Alcina to coo and chuckle as she hooked her arms under the human’s arms and lifted her to her chest.

“Darling, you shouldn’t be running around on your own. You don’t know what could be lurking through these halls and I would hate to see my youngest hurting herself.” she scolded lightly, nuzzling against the human and ignoring the pushing the girl was trying to do.

“Thank you Bela for finding her. I didn’t think she would have so much energy considering what transpired last night.” she sighed dramatically and pursed her lips, purposely feigning exasperation and cocking her head to the side to smile fondly at the ever pouting human perched on her hip, glaring right back at her attempts at being playful.

Bela laughed and looked at her sister as well, “I don’t think she’s so bad. Cassandra was much worse, anyway. Always escaping to go running to you.” she teased lightly. Since the maids weren’t safe around her sister’s temper tantrums, it fell on her to watch her while their mother took her calls. Suffice to say it was still a humorous memory.

“Ah yes, she was ever the mommy’s girl.” Alcina cooed, soon turning and beginning to walk back to her room. Behind her she could hear her daughter fall into step smoothly with her to continue their conversation.

“That reminds me, have the maids find all of you and your sister’s belongings. She will need something while I make calls to gather her own items.” she requested, looking over her shoulder at her daughter who tilted her head curiously.

She wouldn’t need much, just their clothes they no longer fit in, any toys to entertain her youngest, and finally her own furniture. While she adored carrying her all around the castle, there would be times where her hands would need to be free and she knew a certain little thing would take the opportunity to flee into unknown dangers outside her view. She absolutely refused to chance that happening.

“As you wish, mother.” Bela replied, grinning as she instantly combusted into a storm of flies and flew past her down the hall. The action alone would have Alcina cooing and nuzzling her youngest once again who had clung to her for dear life, her little heart thundering so hard suddenly at the sight of her older sister.

“All is well, little one, you’re safe here.” she tried to console, kissing her on the cheek and chuckling softly at her little girl stuttering and hastily wiping the lipstick stain off her cheek. With her youngest so overwhelmed with everything today, she hummed softly as she held her snugly against her chest for a moment, cupping the back of her head to prevent her from pushing away her affections.

“Let’s return to bed, my dear sweet. I want to ask you a few questions.”

Chapter Text

“Now, I hope that you aren’t illiterate, and will be able to answer easily enough.”

Gray eyes stared at the large woman cautiously, her small form tense and curled up in the intricate chair that had been placed alongside the much, much larger chair and desk. A parchment of paper and a very beautiful pen had been placed nearby, sized perfectly for the Lady of the house to use comfortably. The larger of the two watched the smaller girl who looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but there.

Alone with a giant who was so adamant on mothering her to death with her three monstrous daughters looking hellbent to interact with her. What could go wrong?

She didn’t know how she had gotten here. The last she could remember was packing up everything she ever owned, which was barely anything, hellbent on running away before the blizzard. Running from what her life was about to become… then the pain… the blood… the fear.

Then she woke up here.

Smothered against a stranger in a home she knew was too good to be real. Too eccentric than where she would rest her head, the bed far too soft and smelling of perfumes rather of the straw bed that reeked of mildew. The body beside her was warm, and soft, and she was so nearly ready to fall back asleep until the pain in her shoulder stirred her more awake.

More alert. Her brain sparking to life with memories of that previous night.

“Well?” came a prompt from the giantess, making the small girl jump in fright and snap out of her thoughts.

The girl would furrow her brow as she slowly unfurled herself, however she would remain hugging herself as she turned her attention toward the desk. She licked her cracked lips and swallowed before she finally tried to grab for the pen. Much to her embarrassment the mittens prohibited her from having a decent grip, thus making her drop it at least two times until frustratingly she had gripped it childishly in her good hand.

There would be a pleased hum above her and a hand would rest itself on top of her head, making the girl scrunch her shoulders and wince. “Good girl. Now, I’d like to know where you came from. You were very foolish to think you could weather walking through a blizzard. But you’re very lucky your older sister found you.” the deep yet sweet voice inquired.

The ticking of the clock nearby would be the only sound as the girl looked up at the ever patient, smiling giantess watching her. Those predatory, golden eyes watching her half lidded, lovesick already and she had only known her for only a few hours!

But the hand in her hair was a heavy thing, making the girl acutely aware of the fingers lightly playing with her silver locks, leading her to frown more as she tried to shrug off the hand on her head despite its stubbornness to cling on.

Ultimately she tried to ignore it as she turned to the paper and tried to write what the giant woman wanted.

She would attempt to write that she couldn’t remember, a lie she hoped would be taken easily as she turned the chicken scrawl that was her writing over to the bigger woman. There’d be a hum as the giantess looked, squinted, then frowned before she reached into a drawer on her desk to gather a set of comically small glasses. A long pause would linger as the larger woman picked up the parchment and tried to understand exactly what she was looking at.

Who knew such a big, intimidating woman could be so hilariously silly…

“I… see…” she replied, still a little perplexed but seemed satisfied with the answer. “And you are from the village.” she added, glancing down and waiting for the girl to nod her head slowly. There wasn't much else for miles on end after all, of course she would be from the dilapidated village.

“Do you remember anything?” she asked next, placing the paper back down and looking back at the girl in the seat. A simple shake of her head would be the giantess’ answer.

And the response was so painfully long, with that horrid clock tick-toking along with the beats of her heart. An awkward dance as the Lady continued to stare at her.

“Then I suppose all I will need to know now is; what is your name, little one?” the Lady of the house asked, offering another smile as she moved the half written on parchment toward the girl and leaned back in her seat, being patient as ever as she glanced behind the girl to no doubt look at that damned grandfather clock.

Why would she want to know her name? She seemed so adamant to dictate everything in her day so far, and she had been doing nothing but calling her nicknames… What was stopping her from just simply naming her, herself?

Not that she would even let that happen, but she was surprised it hadn’t yet.

Furrowing her brow as she thought a moment, should she tell her, or perhaps lie with something new? Could she even get away with that? Would she even want to?

Her name was the only thing she had been given before…

This would have the girl frowning as she looked back at the paper, she’d grab the pen again, huffing at the wobbly hold she had on it before slowly writing her name as clearly as she could.

The woman would lean over again with her glasses raised, she’d try once again to decipher what she was looking at before the most sweet smile formed, unfortunately showing her fangs.

The stories were real…

“Vhaella. My sweet Vhaella.” she practically sang, delighted with the news as she looked down at the girl, earning a strangled grunt from her as the giantess scooped her up to snuggle close to her bosom.

Again Vhaella’s heart would thunder, slamming against her rib cage as gray, glassy eyes stared petrified at the Lady of Castle Dimitrescu. Nuzzling into her with so much love and affection. She was betraying the image she had in the village. Of the bloodthirsty Mistress of the night who whisked young maidens away with the promise of work, of better lives, only for them to never be seen again.

She had never thought the rumors were real, they had seemed so outlandish as she never saw hide nor hair of the inhabitants of Castle Dimitrescu. She saw the wolf men in the dark though, or at least what they could do to the drunks foolish enough to leave the protection of the village. She couldn’t deny that herself as she heard all the men cry the same thing.

However, those about the Castle were far too barbaric. She assumed the girls had just raised enough lei to leave for greener pastures, she wouldn’t blame them if they did. This place was a miserable hellhole.

But now… the rumors were true… they were truly monsters!

Her daughters could conjure black clouds of insects to soar through the halls, their faces stained red no matter how much they cleaned their faces, sickles rusted with the blood of countless victims. They were feral, they were unpredictable, and one she was fairly certain wanted to devour her alive.

But their mother was here fawning over her as if she was one of her own. This was either the sickest ploy she had ever been a part of, or something was truly wrong with the Lady…

Either way she was alive for now and she would find her way out before the Lady came to her senses. She would rather freeze in the blizzard than die to whatever horrors that were here; at least she would be going out on her own terms!

“Such a lovely, beautiful name.” The Lady continued to praise, lightly swaying her arms side to side with her now named daughter in her arms, ignoring the tiny hands trying their damnedest to push her away. Ultimately she was cradled in the larger woman’s arms, curled against her as if a rowdy newborn who was just learning how to use her limbs. Her head forced to rest against the giant bosom with her arms tucked against her chest and her legs curled under one of the Lady’s arms. She had wiggled just enough to free her arm and try once again to free herself.

The giant woman hummed more, nuzzling more and trying to pepper Vhaella in as many kisses as she could. Her lipstick landing their marks against a shielding hand and the briefly exposed cheek. A chuckle sounded as she nuzzled against her cheek again, ignoring the hand trying to grab her face to push her away.

“There is much to do now that you’re here, darling. But for now, my little girl needs a bath after such a messy breakfast. Then perhaps a nap.” she practically purred, soon getting up with her and carrying her to the bathing room to give her youngest a proper bath and finally be settled down for a nap.

Thus led to yet another fight.

-_-_-_-_-

The whole day felt like a forever blurring mix of a dream and nightmare.

Each time she thought she was done for, the Lady would throw her fears right out the window and leave her with nothing but stunned confusion.

Despite the fight with undressing; the bath she wouldn’t deny that the warm water for once felt so good for her aching body. Never mind that this bath was built for someone of the Lady’s size, and Vhaella was practically swimming in this bathtub, clinging to the side and kicking in determination to keep afloat.

The sight of the Lady was near comical, and she would laugh had she not known who she was prior to this. She had rolled up the sleeves of her ivory dress, her sleek black hat resting on the counter nearby, and at the moment was sitting on her knees with a soaped sponge oozing with bubbles in her hand. The other would be helping keep Vhaella from submerging.

The conversation she couldn’t pay attention to much, it was mostly just the Lady commenting about ‘feeding her baby more’, but she would notice the Lady look upon her form with some sort of frown. Pity? Disgust? She wasn't so sure. She hated it regardless.

She had seen that look enough in the village, with the others looking upon herself and her brother as if they were unfortunate rats as they scurried through the streets for their next meal. The village cared not for them when their parents died, they were wasted mouths to feed with a sickly child not strong enough to hold a rake, and an infant sister toddling after him. But they managed…

Suddenly a splash of suds and soap startled Vhaella, having her sputtering and shaking her head. She tried to keep the soap from sinking into her eyes and heard the Lady above her tsk and coo.

“Hold still, dear.” came the gentle assurance of the giantess, her hand dropping the sponge she had just attempted to use to clean the young girl’s face before Vhaella had startled out of whatever thoughts she was lost in. Carefully the Lady would go about trying to rinse Vhaella’s eyes of any stinging suds, cooing and humming all the while despite the sputtering coughs.

“I know, darling, mommy is almost done.” she continued.

Vhaella couldn’t understand anything, this woman should have killed her already! She had seen so many bright eyed girls so excited to see their letters from the Castle, the idiots making promises to their families of returning to make their lives better. 

As if they weren’t the sacrificial lambs going to slaughter.

Did they know they would never come back? Did they accept it? Did they try to escape?

Had any succeeded?

Could she escape?

Despite the large lady tenderly drying her eyes with a nearby towel, Vhaella looked up at her and her motherly smile. The crow’s feet by her eyes becoming more prominent, laugh lines evident along with those terrifying fangs. Vhaella would cringe into herself as she looked away, trying to ignore the feelings stirring in her.

She wondered if her mother would have looked at her like the Lady was doing? Would she feel this fuzzy as well?

She shook her head and scowled at her thoughts. This was all a ruse, a ploy to make her lower her guard. Perhaps the Lady needed something out of her when she was calm… maybe she was just waiting for the opportunity to take it… she would just have to make sure not to let her guard down.

You never run a stag after all, it would spoil the meat.

-_-_-_-_-

Once the bath had concluded and she was dressed in something made of thick wool, a night shirt for now until supposedly clothes her size would be recovered. The blasted mittens were placed right back onto her hands, and thick wool socks that reached her knees were placed on her feet. To make matters worse yet another despicable nappy was placed on her as well. All of it to prevent her from being able to move much of her own accord.

But now she was horrified to be back in the giant bed again, the smell of the lady’s perfume permeating the fresh sheets underneath, the silk cool to the touch. She would’ve been calm had it not been the fact one of the sisters decided to come peek.

She didn’t know her name, but she was the redhead at the dining table, the one happy she was introduced. Or that she wasn't the youngest anymore. She couldn’t remember anymore.

But she definitely remembered she was one of the feral women fighting on the floor during breakfast, and she had a crazy look in her eyes during the excitement.

“Mother! Is the baby asleep?” came her singing voice, half cloud half human as she floated about in the air, looking toward her mother despite the disappointed look of her mother.

“She was calm . But your intrusion has undoubtedly startled her.” The Lady sighed heavily as she looked to the taller woman then to Vhaella. “You should knock next time, dear.” she reminded, sounded as if she had said this a million times before.

That instantly had the woman materializing fully and landing hard on her feet, her golden eyes wide in horror as she rushed to her mother’s side, looking down at the curled up little girl clinging to the blankets.

The redhead was taller than any woman she had seen before, however she was still dwarfed by the Lady herself. No doubt she would tower over any man, however she only came to the belly of her mother in height. Her round cheeks still stained with red and smeared black lipstick, the eyeliner running down her face despite her best efforts to spruce up. Ultimately she still had that crazed look in her eyes, but she looked guilty and saddened she seemed to waken the baby.

“Oh, I’m sorry baby sister!” she whispered harshly, soon grinning and wiggling in delight as she leaned against her mother, wanting to get a better look. She soon turned to her mother and cupped her mouth, leaning up close to her mother’s curious ear and speaking. “I wanted to ask for her name; I want to make her a gift!” she whispered to her mother, unknown her whispering was anything but quiet, as if Vhaella wouldn’t be able to understand her regardless.

There would be yet another smile on the Lady’s face, as she turned to steal a kiss against her daughter’s cheek.

“That indeed sounds like a wonderful idea, Daniela. I’m sure she would love a gift from her older sister.” The giantess mused, lightly laughing at hearing the buzz in the air due to her overexcitement and her struggle to keep her form. “I will announce her name at dinner, dear. She needs a proper introduction into the family after all. However I am hoping to sneak in a nap for her since she is so grumpy and energetic.”

“For now, let mother tend to your sister. She’s had such a big day, and none of us wish to see another tantrum at the table again.” The Lady urged, giving her daughter a soft look as the redhead- Daniela - seemed to deflate and sigh dramatically.

“Yes, mother. But I will be making her a gift! I hope she’ll love it!” Daniela hummed, side eyeing Vhaella and seeming to shiver with excitement at her trying to hide underneath the blankets. Finally she decided to quietly leave by walking out, though the slamming of the door defeated the whole purpose.

“Now-,” Came the Lady’s voice as Vhaella peeked over the covers to look at her, the sight must’ve been adorable to the Lady, as it made her swoon at the sight and smile bigger. “-my darling girl needs to sleep. Such a big day for one so small.” she persisted, reaching over to tenderly stroke her fingers through Vhaella’s hair, being mindful of the little flinching and how Vhaella would try to turn away from her affections.

“Rest, Vhaella. Mommy will be here when you wake.” she promised, before slowly getting up and walking over to her vanity, wanting to redo her makeup since a particular little girl had made it her mission to smudge it during a snuggle session.

-_-_-_-_-

It was thanks to a phone ringing that she was given this opportunity, not even the wool socks would deter her from rushing about the room to grab anything she could wear, shed the dreaded nappy, and finally sneak out into the hallway. She might’ve kicked that dreaded thing angrily on her way out.

She had just begun to doze off unfortunately; the Lady wasn’t lying when she said she would be with her, as she was going through papers it sounded like nearby. Vhaella was trying to feign being asleep so she didn’t dare take a peek for fear of being caught. However it seemed that phone was important because the Lady hadn’t dared to let it ring for long. She didn’t hear the buzzing of those women, and so far the only thing she would see would be a maid here and there coming in to tidy things up.They never dared to look at her, their dark eyes staring down at the floor once they had finished their tasks with expert precision.

But none of that mattered now, she was out of that dreaded room and she remembered the last time she had stumbled upon these halls. She had heard the raging winter outside, and knew she would be risking it if she didn’t get the right things, but she was sure she could manage.

Clothes she would hastily dress on, slipping and sliding on waxed wood floors. The wounds on her shoulder were getting more agitated, but she figured she would be able to get aid in the village before she left. Perhaps the Dimitrescu had horses, ones that weren’t too far from the main grounds; she could pack food in a sack and run for it.

Nonetheless she had some semblance of a plan. She could only hope it would work-

“You know… you’re going to be walking on very thin ice with mother if you keep this shit up.” came a sudden voice, annoyed and nonchalant, leading to Vhaella gasping and clamping a hand over her mouth to keep from rasping out a scream.

Swirling around, she looked down the empty hall and furrowed her brow, a look of confusion on her face as she looked both ways. She shuddered a breath as she tensed and very slowly looked up, paling when she saw the raven haired daughter, the one who looked ready to eat her alive on the table.

Floating above so silently, like her sister half formed, looking as if she was simply laying on the cloud that would be her legs. Sickle in hand and looking more polished than it did that morning.

“Not that I wouldn’t mind seeing you get punished, but I would hate for mother to be distraught should something happen to you.” the woman continued, lazily rolling onto her side and lowering herself closer to the shrinking human. “She looked very happy to have you. I don’t know why; you don’t look impressive like us .” she spat, making Vhaella flinch and take a step back.

“Do you really think you will be able to go out in that storm? You barely survived a dog attack.” she continued to taunt.

Suddenly Vhaella would fluster and puff her cheeks, her brow furrowing as she scowled at her and turned her back on her. It was clear that the raven haired brat was adamant to be a pain in her ass rather than be a legitimate threat. Of course she would, with how clingy her mother supposedly was to her, even the woman’s own words rang true.

She couldn’t lay a finger on her without the wrath of her mother. She was safe… maybe .

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t rat her out that she had escaped the Lady’s room.

That dawning realization must’ve been read on her face, as the raven haired woman grinned fiendishly. “Did you really think mother would’ve let you be on your own when she left? She knows all her children.” she hummed and stretched, looking the very image of a lazy cat toying with its prey trapped in a corner.

“We can be civil about this. You can go back to mother’s room and take that damn nap like a good baby sister. Or you could do what I really want you to do; and try to escape. Run off into the snow and let the dogs finish what they started.” she spat, scowling more as Vhaella continued to glare at her, seeming of the same mind to take her chances out in the snow.

But as much as she wanted to, she was painfully aware of a number of things.

She was still injured from the previous attack, her one arm unusable at the moment and the Lady had tended to all of her wounds…

She didn't have the proper clothes despite what she was wearing. All of these seemed oversized for her small frame and she was sure these were the hand-me-downs of the daughters, if the raven haired woman’s reaction to her earlier onesie was anything to go by.

And finally the blizzard. She was still so stubbornly thinking she would be able to go out there. She had no proper equipment and even if she preferred to go out on her own terms, she still would have liked a chance at surviving. She deserved that much given her shitty existence.

However she didn’t even get that chance to choose with the incessant buzzing of yet another cloud of insects.

“ Cassandra ! Leave her alone!” came the familiar cry of Daniela, the buzzing near deafening in their fury.

Vhaella only had half a second to react before Daniela’s cloud of bugs came crashing into her, having her strangle another scream and stumble on her feet. The damned wool socks making her slip and fall. She tightly closed her eyes, expecting to crash into the floor onto her bad shoulder.

Only she never felt the floor. In the confusion of insects crawling all over her, the sudden whoosh of air and the weightlessness of being in the air. She would be practically cocooned in Daniela’s cloud before she materialized with Vhaella in her arms, and she landed hard on her feet with a snarling growl. Vhaella nonetheless would be clinging to her in pure fright, eyes glassy all over again with mittens failing to keep her blunt nails from digging into the redhead’s arms.

Cassandra, the now named raven haired woman, rolled her eyes as she moved away from her sister to her previous elevated height and looked down at the both of them.

“What are you thinking telling her to go out in a blizzard!? She’s going to die out there!” Daniela snapped her fangs, seeming protective of her little sister despite only knowing her for a few hours.

Cassandra pouted more and narrowed her golden eyes at her second youngest sister, “As if I was going to let her actually do it, dummy. She’s been hellbent on leaving and perhaps seeing the damn storm would deter her from trying to run into it.” she explained simply, as if her logic was sound and she wasn’t egging the human on.

Daniela definitely wasn't believing it and would scoff, roughly she’d stroke Vhaella’s hair as if she was a kitten, her bloody face marred with a frown as she looked down at her little sister. “Why do you want to leave? Mother isn’t that bad, I promise! She reads us stories before bed and lets us sleep in her bed when we have nightmares!” she tried to assure, frowning more as Vhaella shook her head violently.

“Because she’s a brat, Daniela. She doesn’t know how lucky she is to have mother fawning over her.” Cassandra sighed once again, scowling at the sight of her two sisters. “Mother has let her get away with so much today due to that attack, and this little human is taking advantage of her!” she hissed, showing her true emotions.

Daniela shook her head and huffed, “I don’t think so. Maybe she just wants to explore, or perhaps she’s looking for mother!” she perked up, seeming excited with the idea as she looked down at Vhaella, seemingly not noticing how the girl would now be frantically shaking her head in denial.

“Bela said you would run around the castle too looking for mother, Cass. Perhaps she’s the same.”

“Daniela, I fear the frost has frozen what little brain you had left in that skull of yours.” Cassandra huffed, leading to Daniela giving her a stink eye long enough to have the middle sister relent and sigh dramatically.

“But by all means, Dany. Put her down and see where she goes, I will bet my weekly privileges in the dungeons that she will be out of this castle within this week.” Cassandra spat, gesturing out to one of the many curtained windows to reveal the white out that was the blizzard.

Daniela would continue to frown as she snuggled her little sister, seeming to think about it as she sighed softly and slowly went to place Vhaella down. “I don’t know why she would ever want to leave our home. It’s perfect here.” she mumbled, genuinely confused on Vhaella’s stubbornness.

“Some won’t know how lucky they are until it’s too late. It’s the fault of humans.” Cassandra shrugged as she decided to fully materialize herself and land on her feet with a small grunt.

Daniela frowned as she held her hand out to Vhaella, “We should get you back to mother’s room. She’s going to be disappointed you’re not napping like she wanted you to.” she urged, waiting as patiently as she could for the human to make her decision.

Vhaella was certainly unsure what to do, as much as she hated agreeing with Cassandra she unfortunately was too injured and ill prepared to escape. The blizzard she had no clue how long it would last, and she didn’t even know if her arm would ever be the same again… but she also didn’t know how much time she had before she disappeared like all the other village girls.

She had seen the maids, she could recognize a few of them, so that meant some survived long enough to see some benefits… but she didn’t know if she would be one of the lucky ones. Especially if she continued to push her luck.

What if she played her cards right instead? She could pretend to be the baby Lady Dimitrescu wanted, just until she could heal enough and find an escape after this blizzard. She would need to be careful since she knew the daughters would be keeping an eye on her, and she couldn’t trust no insect should she enact her plan. Looking at the pair, one looking smug and the other genuinely concerned, she frowned as she slowly took Daniela’s hand.

She just hoped she didn’t come to regret this decision.

-_-_-_-_-

“She took her nappy off!” Daniela gasped.

Cassandra would scowl at the sight of the discarded nappy that had been kicked away and decide to float off the floor to keep away from it, giving the blushing Vhaella a skeptical look before sighing heavily.

“Well I’m not putting her in one. “ Cassandra declared confidently.

“Good, you’d do it wrong anyway.” Came a new voice of the eldest daughter who had been coming to check on her sister, though she wasn't exactly surprised to see Daniela and Cassandra here with their sister looking as if she tossed on any article of clothing on. She didn’t need to ask about what had transpired and shook her head.

“Go get me a clean one and throw that one away. We should get her changed and dressed in something simple before mother finishes her call.” Bela urged her sisters, Cassandra would scowl even more and crossed her arms, absolutely refusing to do either of that.

Daniela would listen though and went buzzing around to do as she was told, though making a stink face at having to discard the nappy.

“It’s going to get colder, we should put her in some thicker pajamas.” Bela commented as she walked over to the stack of clothes the maids had brought, it would be of her own clothes they had found in the upper levels of the castle. She assumed that something with built-in socks might help their youngest sister with keeping warm.

All the while Vhaella was strangely calm, it certainly had Bela being a little cautious given how adamant she was to fight earlier that day, and including this little escape attempt as well.

“I think our sister is willing to give mother a chance. Cass said some mean things and I think she wants to prove her wrong.” Daniela tattled on her sister, leading said raven haired woman to growl and curse at her.

“She has been attempting to run all day, I was only telling her the truth.” Cassandra would defend herself.

Bela would look at the both of them as she undressed the blushing and flustering Vhaella, shaking her head again and grumbling. “Mother chose her, Cass. Just like she chose us. We shouldn’t question her decisions.” she reprimanded.

“Tell that to our sweet baby sister who has been refusing mother’s affections and attention all day…” Cassandra would grumble as she turned her back to Bela and Vhaella.

“ Someone sounds jealous~ !” came the sing song of Daniela, briefly before she yelped when Cassandra tackled her to the ground and tried to slam her nose into the ground. Bela would growl at the sight as she glared at them before she walked past them to gather a nappy and onesie Daniela had dropped. Once she had gotten Vhaella dressed and settled back into bed, she would turn to her sisters and attempt to wrangle them apart from their roughhousing.

“ Enough ! Not in front of the baby!” she spat, earning whines and growls from her sisters as she pulled them apart.

“Ow! Ow! Let go of my ear!” Daniela whined pathetically as she looked to her oldest sister, leading to Bela frowning and releasing said ear.

Finally having her sisters calm and the baby back in bed, Bela would cross her arms and study them closely. “Just trust that mother knows what she’s doing with our young sister. She’s raised us after all, she can handle a fourth.” she persisted, glaring at Cassandra pouting and looking ready to make a snide comment.

“ And , she hasn’t looked this happy in so long. I think she’s been missing having a baby in the castle. As her daughters it is our duty to help to the best of our abilities.” the eldest interrupted before the middle child could, “She loves all of us. She’s never going to replace us, Cass.” she frowned, speaking softer and hoping her sister would just relax for once.

There would be a long pause afterwards, with the ticking of the grandfather clock and the moaning wind being the only things to be heard. A slight shuffle in bed with Vhaella trying to get comfortable under the blankets.

“ Fine . But I’m not going to pretend to like her right now, not when she’s been a brat all day to mother.” Cassandra finally relented, having her two other sisters sigh in relief.

“I’m not asking you to. Just asking you to behave.” Bela insisted before she finally looked at their youngest sister and gave her a sweet smile, much like their mother. “And you, no more running off. Mother would never forgive herself if something happened to her daughters and that includes you now.”

The only thing she would receive would be a pout and the little girl hiding underneath the blankets.

With this the three sisters tidied up the room as best as they could before finally leaving, however Daniela would linger behind as she looked over to her mother’s vanity. Amidst the hustle and bustle of their smallest sister running off, she hadn’t been able to give her her gift.

She grinned as she rushed over to it and then to the bed. She tapped at her smallest sister’s shoulder incessantly, smiling more as the little girl peeked from under the blankets. Daniela would wiggle in excitement as she presented an old stuffed animal. A large pale cat with a fluffy mane and tail, covered in numerous colorful patches of fabric. 

“For you, baby sister. I spruced him up as best as I could. He can be your best friend here!” she whispered excitedly, grinning as she all but shoved the old, patched up lion into the girl’s arms.

“Sleep well.” she grinned, soon leaning forward to nuzzle and kiss the top of her sister’s head before she dematerialized and rushed out of the room, the door slamming shut behind her in the gust of wind she created.

She hated it when they did that!

But as she stared down at the lion shoved into her arms, she blinked in surprise and delicately stroked the old mane of the toy. She never had a toy before...

Unknowing to herself, Vhaella would be smiling as she hugged it close and tried to settle down, for once actually tired from the long and stressful day she had. She could only hope this dinner wouldn't be so bad.

Chapter Text

When she had returned to her room, she had indeed seen the most adorable sight.

Already she could tell her other daughters were here, she could tell that a certain little girl wasn't asleep earlier, and had surely tried running off again. But it wasn't like she could deny Mother Miranda’s call either. It was a little bit difficult knowing the moment she left her littlest had hopped out of bed, off to run out of the castle like she was intending to do earlier that day. But she was proud that her daughters had stepped in.

Now she was back in bed, dead to the world and clinging on to what had been Daniela’s favorite toy. In Bela’s old onesie as well.

She looked peaceful finally, and she hated the thought of having to wake her for dinner. However she had promised her girls that they would attend, and Daniela especially was so excited to know her sister’s name.

Sighing, Alcina would walk over to her bed and carefully sit at the side of the bed, a smile on her face once again as she leaned close and properly watched over her little girl. She adored watching her sleep already. When she first came to her she looked so sweet, so innocent despite the cruelties of the world thrown at her. She had that same look right now. Relaxed without a care in the world, that constant furrowed brow of hers none existent now.

She was determined to preserve this innocence for as long as she could. Her little girl deserved that much.

But there was much work to be done before that could happen.

Gently she would reach forward and cup her daughter’s cheek, her golden eyes holding nothing but love as she watched the little one stir and so softly nuzzle into her gloved hand. She began to hum, wanting to gently rouse her little one as she gently stroked her cheek with her thumb, “My little one.” she whispered softly, watching her stir more and more.

Ultimately Alcina decided to carefully scoop her up, making sure to bring along the toy her older daughter was so excited to give her. The girl in her arms would grumble and whimper at being disturbed, leading the mother to hold her close and stroke her back.

“Shh… mommy is so sorry for waking you. But dinner is soon and she wishes for you to eat.” she assured, carefully getting up with the girl half asleep in her arms, so limp and resting her small head against her collarbone. She was just too adorable for her own good, and for once she was so tired she didn’t fight against her affections. Instead the little one was practically sprawled against her, with one arm so dangerously close to hugging her neck and the bandaged one tucked into her chest, her little hand splayed against her chest just above her bosom. Toy tucked into the crevice of her arm.

When her little girl had settled with a tired huff Alcina walked out, a proud smile on her face with the tiniest progress she had that day. Certainly it was too good to be true given how her daughter fought earlier and no doubt her escape attempt while she was busy, but she would hope that her little one would accept her new life easily enough.

She would just have to be patient. She had done this three times already now, raising a fourth would be no different to her.

-_-_-_-_-

At the dining table Alcina noticed her daughters first. All three were currently at their seats and watching eagerly for her arrival. When she quietly walked through the double doors with the drowsy little girl in her arms, she was surprised even Cassandra seemed to like seeing her here, if her little attempt at straightening her posture was anything to go by.

Perhaps she was finally coming around as well; she doubted it given she knew how stubborn she could be as well, but she would like to hope. Daniela would happily wiggle about in her seat and seemed to buzz in delight at the sight of her baby sister still holding onto the toy she had given her earlier. Bela would be smiling regardless, though she wouldn’t say anything as she glanced over to a particular piece of furniture they had retrieved.

She had already been in contact with the Duke to gather more items she would need for her little Vhaella however they wouldn’t come in for another week or so; she was glad she had given the order to retrieve the girls’ old things to be in their stead during the meantime. This particular highchair would be of Bela’s with her name plaque unfortunately faded to time on the back of its backrest.

With that one thought she walked over and placed her sleepy girl in, taking a moment to cup her face and gently rub her cheeks more, in the hopes of rousing her awake. “Rise and shine, darling. Dinner will be soon.” she urged, being rewarded with another tired grumble before finally Vhaella seemed to be waking up.

And then so suddenly her back shot up, and those wonderful gray eyes widened, and she was looking around in confusion before she realized where she was sitting. Now she was blushing so brightly red, leading to her mother cooing sweetly and kissing the top of her head.

“You’re alright, sweet. Mommy will need her hands free if she is to feed you dinner.” she spoke as she finally sat down at her usual seat at the head of the table, the highchair being on her right with her row of daughters sitting at her left, even if Daniela quickly got up with her plate to sit on the other side of the highchair.

With that, Alcina would glance off to the side, soon seeing the numerous maids coming out like clockwork with trolleys of dishes. Each was careful as they placed platters and bowls and trays down for the ladies to sample, as well as a fine vintage of their usual wine that had been so carefully poured for them.

For her smallest, she was adamant to have her eating only the most dense of meals. Anything to have her shooting up in weight given how frail she was. While she and her daughters were required to eat a particular type of flesh, Vhaella was human and thus she would have to ensure her diet was a smidge different than theirs.

Thus led to her youngest being given a bowl of beef stew, a buttery bread roll and a bottle of milk.

The bottle of milk was certainly looked at with disdain as Vhaella looked up to her, Alcina grinning as she lightly sipped at her wine glass and hummed, this time a teasing smirk instead of her usual genuine smile. “Mommy wants to ensure her darling grows big and strong, draga.” she assured as she placed her wine glass down and turned to get a mouthful ready for her youngest, much to Vhaella’s dismay.

Yet to her own surprise; little Vhaella would lean forward and open her mouth after only a small pause, still looking uncomfortable but the grumble of her belly must’ve encouraged her. Alcina would certainly praise this as she carefully fed her, making sure her little one wouldn’t make a mess as she leaned close to kiss Vhaella’s cheek once again.

“Such a good girl for mommy.” she cooed sweetly, Daniela seeming to be praising her sister as well.

“Perhaps she really did need a nap!” came her daughter’s giggle.

Vhaella would be blushing hard as she tried to chew through the stew, her brow furrowed near constantly as she looked around to the other sisters working on their own meals happily.

The older daughters would have their own plates, a strange looking steak drizzled in strange reddish brown sauce, along with various other foods for the girls to eat should they choose. Alcina would notice this but say nothing for now, not wanting her little girl’s curiosity to get worse should she let her figure out what it was.

“Eyes to me, draga.” she requested, smiling more when Vhaella had done what was requested, even if she would steal glances to the other’s plates from time to time.

So distracted was she that she had half attempted to bite onto the spoonful of stew, with some of it overflowing and trickling down the corner of her mouth and chin. Alcina hummed as she turned briefly to gather a napkin and tenderly cleaned her little girl’s face. “Such a messy darling I have.” she cooed teasingly, smirking at Vhaella blushing.

But as much as she would love to give her littlest all of her attention, she did have three other daughters who were just as close to her as she was to them and her smallest. So once she had cleaned and fed Vhaella another bite, she would pause in feeding her to look to her other daughters.

“How have you all been faring, my loves?” she asked, taking a moment to sip from her wine glass and watch as Daniela seemed to perk up considerably, her whole body wiggling in her seat all over again.

“My middlemists are finally producing, I’ve potted its cuttings into another so it can flourish!” Daniela buzzed, delighted with the news since she had been working hard on making them multiply for decades now.

“I finally got that specimen I requested, and my beetles are making quick work cleaning it up. Should get to work in a few weeks…” Cassandra huffed, more focused on her food at the moment than talking. Though Alcina caught her rolling her eyes when her daughter noticed her look to Vhaella, who was looking just a smidge green at the idea of what Cassandra was talking about.

Bela would take the longest to think before she looked to her mother, “I’ve arranged everything that you’ve requested of the maids to be sent to her room for now. And business with the wine distribution has been going smoothly.” she smiled, seeming to blush when her mother looked at her proudly and nod.

“Good, I’m glad things are working out so well for you all.” Alcina praised, genuine as she was always so curious in their interests, it was their windows into their own little worlds and she couldn’t be happier to be able to view them. Her daughters were indeed the apples of her eyes.

She could only wonder what her youngest would be like once she had finally settled down. She simply couldn’t wait.

“Mother…” came Daniela’s call, making Alcina look to her with a curiously raised eyebrow. “Will you announce her name now?” she asked so innocently, even going so far as to bat her eyes and purse her lips in a small pout for effect. It certainly had the mother smirking at the sight.

“I suppose now is the proper time for you all to be introduced...” she agreed, looking to Vhaella who was busy biting into her butter roll, determined to feed herself despite the wool mittens encasing her hands.

“Girls, meet your sister Vhaella .” she announced, taking a moment to gently place her hand over Vhaella’s mittened ones, wanting her to pay attention.

“Vhaella, meet your older sisters.” she mused, soon motioning to her oldest daughter, who looked so proud yet tried her best not to appear so emotional like sweet, excited Daniela. “She is your oldest, Bela.”

“Hello, baby sister.” came Bela’s sweet reply.

Then she would motion to her middle child, who was still so uninterested in the whole deal but would politely keep her mouth shut, simply for the sake of her mother, “She is your second oldest, Cassandra.”

All she would get from her middle child was a grunt of acknowledgement.

Then finally Daniela, who by now was half formed and half cloud as she simply couldn’t keep her form due to her excitement. Alcina had never seen her behave in such a way before and was delighted to know that even now she would be discovering things about her daughters that she hadn’t before. “And she is your third oldest, Daniela.”

“Hi, baby Vhaella! I hope you slept well with your gift!” she giggled maniacally.

Alcina watched curiously as her youngest looked to each sister, seeming to recognize them from a time she wasn't around- most likely her escape attempt- and would give each the tiniest nod. Even if she was still unsure of her situation and was only appeasing the Lady of the house.

She certainly would have to see about regaining her voice, it simply wouldn’t do to have her so mute.

A small part of her was also guilty of daydreaming of her smallest calling her ‘mommy’ for the first time.

-_-_-_-_-

The rest of dinner had gone as smoothly as it could, save for the end when all had been eaten except for a lone bottle of milk.

Vhaella even now would be glaring at it and the symbolism of it, her nose crinkled as she looked to the Lady then to her daughters, who all had relaxed and were simply conversing amongst themselves.

The Lady had long since finished her own meal, and was nursing her second glass of wine for the night, a knowing smile on her face as she watched her, the both of them locked in a silent fight over one damn bottle.

She knew from that morning that she would not be leaving this damned seat if she didn’t drink it. She also knew that she wouldn’t be able to live with the embarrassment of suckling on the damn thing either. And the Lady knew she was thinking this, as evident in how she got comfortable in her seat and patiently waited for Vhaella to make a move.

She was prepared for either a fight or finally her being a good little girl and doing as she was told.

The meal was wonderful, very rare was it that she had meat in the village. Especially the type of beef she only saw in the butcher’s display. She didn’t know its name, however the meat was soft and tender. It melted in her mouth and made her want more and more. The bread roll was also so soft in her mouth. It didn’t crumble in her hand nor choke her, and she didn’t find spots of mold in its center, its aroma so sweet with butter. She loved the meal in front of her for once. It was fresh, it was hearty, it was pleasantly warm in her belly.

But the bottle certainly was too far.

Milk was another thing she rarely had. Her brother had scrounged for what he could with goat’s milk when she was small, and even then it was rare as she was growing up. She remembered they would sneak into the farmer’s barn and steal the milk of the goats there to survive for another day. When she was a toddler stumbling after him when he was still able to walk, they had made do with what they could. She was too scared to go on her own once he could no longer walk.

Never had she had cow’s milk, as no doubt this was what it was. The Lady definitely seemed the type to have only the best of the best for her daughters.

That included her now…

She still refused to trust it. It was too good to be true.

“If you’re too full to drink it now, you will later tonight.” The Lady bargained, Vhaella looking up at her skeptically.

What had she meant by that?

Looking back at the bottle in front of her, she decided to push her luck and pushed it away with her good hand. Her action led to the larger woman sighing in disappointment but nonetheless nodded.

“Very well, then. I do not want to see you fight later.” she warned as she went about finishing the last of her wine and getting up. Effortlessly she would lift her out of the highchair and tuck her against her side, arm under her bottom with her other placed safely on her back.

Vhaella was only half paying attention to the Lady bidding her daughters good night, as she was more focused on trying to get a hold of the woman for fear of falling. She hated being this high up.

Soon they would be moving, and Vhaella would be clinging to the Lady holding her so tightly, her mittens being the only thing to save the Lady’s dress from having scratch marks in it.

She looked over the giantess’ shoulder to the other daughters, blinking in uncertainty as she watched Daniela wave her goodnight.

-_-_-_-_-

The walk back to the Lady’s room for once seemed to be taking forever, as Vhaella was still clinging to her so close with her form so tense. She looked around at the halls littered with paintings; she could only imagine how old they were, statues of women on pedestals and vases of flowers lining each wall. She couldn’t remember a time she had seen so much wealth on display. She thought she knew it from the higher families in their village. Most ones who worked for the lords were able to afford such luxuries. They were the ones to afford the meat on display at the butcher’s or buy fresh bread at the bakery, have grand oxes pull their carriages. Feed cow’s milk to their children.

But being here she knew now they were still peasants. Nothing they owned would compare to the luxuries Castle Dimitrescu had.

Even the air smelt better here. Fresh, crisp, floral, with just the faintest hint of metal ; why that was she weren’t so sure.

But it had her calming just so slightly, her form must’ve finally relaxed enough to where the Lady held her better against her chest. Currently she had her in a way that Vhaella could hang her arms over her shoulders, with her cheek resting on the Lady’s collarbone and her nose nuzzling against the Lady’s throat. The giantess’ arms were tucked under her thighs to keep her from slipping out of her arms. The patched up toy was currently held in her good hand, dangling and bobbing about with each step the Lady took.

She wondered if her mother would have carried her to bed like this? Or would it be her father doing it perhaps? Would they tuck her into bed like her brother did, tell her stories of dragons and kings and adventures till she fell asleep?

Would she have felt this warm in their embrace… so tired and exhausted from a day of mayhem. A belly full of fresh wonderful food.

Would her mother smell like Lady Dimitrescu?

Suddenly her eyes sharpened and she would sit up, a frown on her face as she listened to the Lady tsk at her softly.

“So stubborn to sleep now, draga?” came the Lady’s question seemed to hum, not expecting an answer as she took a brief moment to open a door. Here she’d reposition Vhaella in her hold as she walked into her room.

Once she was placed on the bed, the Lady had turned to her wardrobe and began pulling out her sleepwear, a nightgown that was thankfully modest for the night before she went to place it in the bathing room. When she returned, she placed her hat off onto her vanity and turned her attention to Vhaella.

Even though she had a bath earlier, it seemed this time would be with the unfortunate added bonus of the Lady joining her this time.

Vhaella would be blushing dark red, gray eyes nearly crossed as she doggedly kept her eyes to the tile beneath them, trying to ignore the shuffle of clothing and the light thud of them dropping to the floor. Suddenly she was quite glad for the lion toy in her hands, as it was the poor victim of her squeezing it to near death.

She had never shared a bath with someone before, not even her brother although most of the time they would rely on sponge baths. They never had enough water for a proper one and they never had the means to warm it up either. They would wash what they needed to and be done with it. The bath earlier was heavenly to her aching bones, but now she wasn't sure even that tidbit would be enough for her to want to be in the same bath as the Lady.

Nonetheless, like the entirety of that day, she didn’t have a choice.

She was startled out of her thoughts when said large woman had scooped her up and placed her on the sink’s counter, the Lady in nothing but her undergarments at the moment and was currently undressing Vhaella first.

Off came the onesie Bela had chosen for her, off came the nappy- she would relish the fact- and finally her toy was placed to the side so it wouldn’t get wet.

Then off came the Lady’s last line of clothing, Vhaella squeaking as she tried to look elsewhere, briefly aware of her own nakedness and would curl in on herself, much to the Lady’s amusement.

“There is no need to be shy, draga. I’ve raised three girls already, there is nothing I haven’t seen already.” came her joking assurance, a smile on her lips as Vhaella shook her head, refusing to relax once again.

There’d be another tsk , though still the Lady scooped up her daughter and carried her back to the tub.

The water was definitely much hotter than before, and it had Vhaella hissing and wincing at the intensity of it as she was settled in the Lady’s lap. She squirmed slightly, trying to slide off the giantess’ lap to be somewhere else; however an arm would wrap around her waist, keeping her in place.

“The water is higher than it was earlier, little Vhaella. Mommy doesn’t want you to drown.”

Scowling, Vhaella would huff and cross her arms, deciding to pout now as the Lady chuckled at the sight of her.

It wouldn’t be long until the Lady had begun to bathe however, she was focused on washing Vhaella once again of any grime she might’ve gotten between her morning bath and now, along with her silver hair she seemed determined to bring back to health before finally working on herself.

It was during this that Vhaella, now scrubbed raw and blushing redder as ever, would be allowed to wander back into her thoughts of the day.

All of that day she was expecting to be killed, either by one of the daughters or the Lady herself, but so far everything had seemed so… domestic … unnatural given the stories she would hear around the village. This whole day spat in the face of the fearful villagers. Would they deem her mad if she was able to escape and tell them of this strange day?

She had thought it a ruse at first. Cassandra, she was sure to prove her point with how adamant she was for her to run out in the blizzard, but then Daniela came and whisked her back somehow. She didn’t know which one to believe. They all seemed to follow their mother’s wishes however and that was to ensure her safety; they were actually acting like sisters to her. Right down to the childish jealousy of an elder child and another excited to be a big sister.

She couldn’t understand it.

She wished she could ask what the hell was going on, but she couldn’t speak for the life of her. The wounds on her shoulder must’ve somehow messed with her throat… or perhaps the chill had done so. She couldn’t be sure. And she hadn’t been given paper or a pen since earlier that day, when the Lady wanted her own questions answered.

But even if she asked, would she be given the truth?

Frowning now, she looked at the bubbles floating about the water and reached to scoop some of it up into her hand. This stuff was so strange to her, she never knew soap could make so many before.

The soap she and her brother used would be nothing more than animal fat smashed together with ash and anything that had the slightest smell that was good; it didn’t smell as nice as this, and it certainly didn’t make bubbles like this either. It was enough to get them cleaned up for the day though…

The splashing of the water would bring her back to the present only briefly, tired gray eyes would look up to the Lady, swallowing thickly at the mere size of her.

The Lady had unpinned her hair and let it cascade down to her shoulders, at the moment she was washing her face delicately and seemed undisturbed with having her in her lap. For once she had seemed tired as well, the day just as long for her as it was for Vhaella apparently.

She looked like a normal woman here… save for her golden eyes, those fangs…

She indeed felt small in her presence, felt like a toddler again in her lap, helpless and confused. She must’ve looked the sight as the Lady soon noticed her staring and gave her a tender smile, softly she cupped Vhaella’s cheek and lightly stroked under her eye with her thumb.

“It’s not polite to stare, little one.” she commented, though she made no move to deter her daughter from looking up at her. Vhaella’s frown only deepened as she looked away, however she would lean into the hand only slightly against her face.

The hand was soft, the skin smooth like silk with that same lavender scent from earlier, her painted fingernails were more like claws, with just the faintest black dying her fingertips. Although it didn’t appear the most human, Vhaella found herself fascinated regardless. Silently lifting up her own hand, she would reach for the Lady’s and investigate, much to the Lady’s curiosity.

Her hand was massive, but it was gentle in her hold, light. Compared to her own that was splayed against the Lady’s open palm, she didn’t see any cracks on her fingertips from hard work, or calloused knuckles, she didn’t see anything wrong with them at all. No scars. Not even a blemish.

She looked normal . And she was perplexed by it.

Given how her daughters behaved, what they were, she thought she would be hiding something underneath those leather gloves. She hadn’t seen the Lady once turn into her own cloud of flies either, wasn’t she the same as her daughters or was she something else entirely…?

The Lady wiggled her fingers in her hold, leading to Vhaella giving the faintest smile as she watched.

Maybe the Lady wasn't so bad.

-_-_-_-_-

Settling down in bed was another thing she wasn't used to. Staring wide-eyed up at the Lady who was so sweetly dressing her in another onesie and a dreaded nappy, she found herself too tired to fight being put in yet another one. The heavy dinner as well as the wonderful second bath was putting her in a state she didn’t think possible. She felt so light and her eyes were so heavy, lazily she would rub them with her knuckles and try to resist the yawn escaping her.

The sight made the Lady coo in delight, “Someone is tired finally.” she mused, a deep chuckle emanating from her as she finished dressing Vhaella in a light pink onesie, more wool socks, and her wool mittens from earlier after the Lady had rubbed them down with lotions, it certainly made her hands feel softer.

Medicinal creams were spread against the wounds of her attack, and fresh bandages were wrapped around her shoulder and right arm, the sling for now discarded for the next morning.

Vhaella would grumble at that and frown, not liking being teased but didn’t say anything, the sooner she would be able to sleep the sooner she would be able to plan her escape.

But would she really want to?

She was a little startled with that question, her eyes sharpening just slightly as she realized the Lady had finished dressing her and was currently tucking her into one side of the enormous bed she was in. She watched as she leaned over to pet the messy bangs out of her face, tucking them behind her ear, and leaning down to nuzzle and pepper her in sweet kisses.

She had never gotten any of this before. She didn’t know what to make of it.

Her brother would tuck her in, true. Told her stories till she fell asleep. But she never had a goodnight kiss, never been sung a sweet melody as one was adamant she wouldn’t get cold during the night. She didn’t have a mother look at her so lovingly, never had her body relax so quickly under its warmth, under her watchful gaze.

She certainly never had someone sleep in the same bed as her. Once the Lady had done her nightly routine, Vhaella was a little surprised to find the Lady return to the bed and crawled in on the other side. But of course she would climb into bed, this was her bedroom after all.

She was pulled to the larger woman’s front, her arms wrapping around her waist as if she was a teddy bear in her arms, and the lady’s nose buried in her hair. The woman would continue to hum- wanting to keep Vhaella calm no doubt- as they finally settled down to sleep.

She shouldn’t be relaxing this easily! This was all a trap! She needed to escape!

But as she laid there, listening to the Lady’s lazy humming and the hand lightly stroking her back, she found herself relaxing against her better judgment. She had never felt any of this before.

Her cheek was pressed against the Lady’s chest, her ear able to detect the strong beats of the woman’s heart, her breathing. Given her interactions with her other daughters, Vhaella was surprised the Lady had any of that. She was sure they were all otherworldly… monsters .

Perhaps they were, and Vhaella was fool enough to ignore the obvious danger signs, but at the moment she didn’t care.

Wrapped so warmly in the arms of the Lady, having been fed such a wonderful meal and given two proper baths. She found all her aches and pains of her life gone for the most part.

She was beginning to wonder if this was all just a dream. It wouldn’t be the first time she dreamt of something like this. Of a mother holding her so close and keeping her safe from all the horrid travesties of the world.

It was so easy to just… let go…

The last she heard was of the Lady tiredly humming in delight, “Sweet dreams, my little one.”

-_-_-_-_-

Later that night Vhaella stirred to the Lady shifting her in her groggy, sleepy state. She was unaware she had been completely moved out of bed and was now cradled in the Lady’s arms.

Unknowingly, Alcina had moved them to her sofa, currently in front of a strong fire that had been recently stoked. She had her little girl wrapped up in a blanket still to ensure she kept warm during the night, with herself tucked against an armrest of the sofa and happily looking down at her little one in her arms.

Alcina was holding true to her word during dinner, and a fresh bottle would be placed nearby for her to take when she had gotten Vhaella situated in her arms.

She didn’t expect the girl to fall so hard into slumber, nor did she expect her to cling to her warmth so needily as she did when she first held her. But she treasured it as much as she did the first time.

Vhaella in her arms was as complacent as she was during her second bath, eyes half open and fighting with slumbering again. It was easy to have her cradled to her chest, the little one’s head resting against the crevice of her arm.

Alcina would introduce the bottle soon after, a tired smile on her face as she watched that stubborn brow try to furrow, and lips seal tight. But eventually her little one would confusingly open her mouth, attempting to try asking a raspy question; however it allowed the nipple of the bottle to slip in and would stir slightly in surprise when a squirt of milk trickled into her mouth.

Gray, unfocused eyes would open to look up at Alcina, her nose scrunching up in dismay as she tried to spit the nipple out and go back to sleep like she had wanted. The mother would coo sweetly and couldn’t help the chuckle leaving her at such a sight.

There’d be a grumble, with Vhaella shifting and trying to move her head away from the bottle, yet Alcina was persistent and led the bottle along with Vhaella’s movements, wanting the latch to be consistent.

Even though her youngest had a big dinner, she knew it wouldn’t be enough for a growing daughter and she wanted to ensure she was a healthy weight. It pained her to see how frail she was in the bath, with her shoulders protruding too much, the columns of her spine evident. What fresh hell had her little one endured out in that decrepit village?

She didn’t want to know. It didn’t matter at all now.

Mother was here now and she would make sure her little one would want for nothing. She would keep her safe like her other daughters, love her like the little one unknowingly craved, protect her from the monsters of the world of man.

As she looked down at her little one, she studied her face. A smile was ever present on her face as she lightly stroked Vhaella’s cheek, trying to encourage her to drink. The girl seemed to not know what to do, but soon enough there would be a noise. Squeaky and endearing, as finally her little one began to suckle. It was awkward for her girl to be sure, as she tried working her jaw to produce the most milk, yet she was slowly but surely getting the hang of it. She was a quick learner, and soon she had settled down enough in her arms where Alcina dared to relax and indulge in watching her so proudly.

Even though she was so stubborn and tried resisting, it seemed it was extremely easy to have her doing exactly what she wanted her to.

It was a little surprising, and it made her wonder how deprived her daughter was that she was able to get her to do these things with near zero resistance. Even her eldest three fought tooth and nail for months before they finally gave in. If this continued, she was sure Vhaella would be her quickest to regress into the darling little girl she wanted her to be.

She would just have to keep pushing. The walls her daughter built in her previous life were brittle with neglect, it wouldn’t be so hard to crack.

She certainly wouldn’t complain. She leaned down to nuzzle against her daughter, her form positively brimming with excitement as she listened to the sleepy suckles of her daughter, and the smallest of whines at her physical displays of affection. She certainly was the type of baby who preferred her sleep undisturbed, unfortunately her mother happened to like showering her in affection when she was this sleepy and sweet.

As long as her little one accepted her affections, and her new role in her new family, Alcina would be content. Things would be well and she would be able to shower her daughter in all the affection and protection her littlest one craved. Whether she knew she needed it or not.

She just hoped she continued to be her sweet little girl. She’d hate to have to punish her should she misbehave. But like her other daughters when she first began to raise them, they all had one thing in common-

She knew that it was only a matter of time before her smallest attempted something naughty.

Chapter Text

Time blurred when one never saw the sun. Never saw the cycle of night and day and had only the Lady to rely on for the concept of time.

Her routine was the most basic.

The Lady would wake her up and she’d have to suffer being changed, having her teeth brushed for her, her hair tussled with numerous oils then detangled. Some days she would take baths with the giantess, even now she was unable to get used to the skin to skin contact. Then she’d be given to the care of her sisters as the Lady had to focus on work, mostly Bela and Daniela as Cassandra refused to humor her mother.

With the sisters she would normally be in the library with them. Bela curled on the sofa doodling in her sketchpad while Daniela read Vhaella short stories. Ones normally for children with pictures. Vhaella had never seen books like this before and was genuinely fascinated about them. She adored the books of a little boy and teddy bear having adventures in an acre wood with other little stuffed animals.

When things were done and she was back in the Lady’s care, Lady Dimitrescu attempted to help her move her shoulder, as it was healing faster than she thought it would. She was still definitely cold to the woman’s affections however, as she often tried to get away from the giantess’ smothering despite all she had done for her so far. But the Lady never judged, she was ever patient.

Although Vhaella found herself liking the little touches as time went on, the pet names, the warmth it gave her. She tried to resist it.

Then she was forced to take a nap after lunch, this was the only time she was able to truly do something as the Lady usually left to check on whatever she needed, and the daughters weren’t nowhere to be seen. Sometimes the Lady would stay, reading from a book near the grand fireplace and sipping wine till dinner. Sometimes the daughters would visit, mostly Daniela who brought her more and more toys.

She found out later that Daniela was manically making these by hand each night. Various stuffed animals she sewed together to ‘keep her company’. Courtesy of their Aunt Donna giving her the skills to finally put them to use.

Vhaella found the lion she was first given was her favorite. She wouldn’t openly admit that she had named him Patches.

They were definitely complacent with her due to her not fighting as much to be babied. The clothes she could bear and the embarrassment wasn’t as bad as it used to be. Being fed by the giantess was done without much fuss. She had done far worse in the village when she and her brother needed to survive. The maids seeing her in compromising situations such as baths and being fed didn’t sting as much as it did when those same girls saw her and her brother scavenge in trash for food.

All of it was working in her favor.

Each time she would ‘nap’, she would scan for any flies around before hopping out of bed. She kept an ear out for any heavy footsteps that she knew would be the Lady, if she had come back sooner than expected, Vhaella dived right into bed to look the innocent part.

It worked so far, and she was making progress.

This would be one of those times where the Lady had left to handle a phone call, this was the perfect opportunity given that she learned those from the telephone had the Lady busy for at least a couple of hours. So with the grandfather clock ticking, Vhaella hopped out of bed and rushed out of the room.

The first day she was here, she had looked around the room for a way to escape through the windows of the Lady’s room, however poking her head out one had revealed they were higher than she assumed, and even if the blizzard had subsided by now she would kill herself simply jumping out onto the iced cobblestones. The curtains that hung heavy on each window were giant and intricate, though they would not be long enough even if tied together. So the windows on this level were out of the picture.

Then she went down a level, and found she was still too high to ensure she wouldn’t die from the fall.

However on this level she had discovered it to be the sisters’ wing, and she felt as if she had just walked into the lion’s den.

Swallowing thickly she tip-toed down the hallway, trying to be mindful of any buzzing or mass of flies she could see. She knew they could turn into clouds of insects, but would they know if a singular one happened to see her? Would it be able to tattle? She certainly didn’t want to give it a chance.

As she walked she was painfully aware of her legs aching, her feet feeling as if an ax split them right down the middle, this was the longest she had been off her feet and she had gotten lazy. The Lady was adamant to carry her around everywhere in her arms, her tiny legs unable to keep up with her when she had let her walk once and it didn’t help that these damned socks would make her slip and trip. She could only assume her lack of mobility was intentional of the Lady as she would always coo about her toddling after her with unsure feet.

She couldn’t deny though that they indeed kept her warm, and even now she’d wiggle her toes and fingers, feeling the fabric of the socks and mittens. She had never felt wool this soft before, the type she and her brother would get would be ones they’d steal from clotheslines, rough and ragged. Occasionally they’d hunt something for its fur and meat as well, but it was rare.

Well… usually it was because they’d steal from a hunter’s trap. Her brother was much too weak to provide and she spent all of her energy caring for him as he did for her, so they would be thieves and scavengers to survive. She was quick to learn the lay of the land, quick to find escape routes in dire times, quick to learn behaviors.

Shaking her head, she tried to refocus on her lookout for bugs, adamant to get to the lower level which she hoped would be the main floor.

The sisters at this time should be in the library; Daniela had been dragging her sisters there for something called a ‘ book club ’ recently and thankfully it was something that was deemed too complicated for her simple mind.

But she would still keep an eye out for any bugs.

The maids were a group she didn’t mind seeing her, they normally would keep their heads down and scurry away from her. But there would be a couple that were brave enough to linger. Performing their duties doggedly or else some punishment would be enacted on them. Vhaella was not naive enough to think they were afforded the same immunity as herself, and would try not to cause trouble around them simply with that in mind.

But there was just the smallest part of her that relished at the sight of those girls, the fear in their eyes, some she recognized as the same ones who sneered in disgust at her and her brother when younger. These same girls saw them running about the village for their next meal as these girls watched with either pity or disgust. They never graced them with mercy or compassion and yet here she was doing it for them.

Here they feared her instead of pitying her, perhaps the disgust was still there but they no longer dared to show it. Not when she was the Lady’s main focus at the moment, any who dared she shuddered at the thought of their punishment.

She wondered if she was pushing her own limits too far. If she got caught or she failed to escape, what would happen to her?

Would Lady Dimitrescu deem her unworthy and sentence her to the same punishment as the maids?

She shuddered at the thought, she did not want to find out.

She just needed to find a way out before that happened.

She just needed to find something to make this all worthwhile.

But what was she going to do once she left? She couldn’t go back to the village.

She shook her head and huffed, ignoring the doubts nibbling at her brain like hungry vultures. She would figure out what to do once she was about to get out of this castle. But she was glad that she wouldn’t need to rely on the village for her arm, being as it was healing far better than it ever would there.

She paused in walking to tiredly rub at her eyes, growling softly to herself as she tried to focus. Lately her brain was so fuzzy, she couldn’t make up her mind on whether she wanted to stay or wanted to go.

She wanted freedom . She wanted to finally breathe, to finally have a smile on her face without care and no risk of it being wiped clean with the harsh realities of the world. She wanted to live.

And she was so fucking confused why she wanted to stay in a den of monsters of all things!? They treated her like a doll for their mother, despite her niceties and her sweet words, she was doing something to her. She could feel it! She was feeling different .

Two weeks ago she would’ve flung herself out the window the moment she saw the daughters turn into clouds of bugs. She ran into a blizzard in the hopes of disappearing from her nightmare of a life, not caring that she could’ve died. The wolf man was the only thing to snap her awake, to make her realize she wanted to live .

But she didn’t know if she wanted to live here . She was still unsure how long she had before she would disappear as well. Before something happened to her and all of this was just too good to be true…

And the Lady never answered her questions. She would dodge them, tell her she was being ‘ silly ’ with such an ‘ imaginative mind ’. She promised her that no harm would come to her; that she was safe.

She didn’t trust any of that!

She remembered sitting with the Lady, curiously watching the giantess so elegantly write through the papers on her desk. The Lady had her sit in her lap, toy in hand in the hopes of distracting herself. She remembered looking over to the goblet of wine, seeing its thick fluid and how dark the red was. She was so curious about what it tasted like, or what it even was. She looked up to the lady and then back to the goblet; and seeming to know what she was thinking, the Lady had absent mindedly moved her drink further from Vhaella’s reach.

Pouting, the girl furrowed her brow at her before finally turning to find something to write with. The blasted mittens were still on her hands, thus it led to her awkwardly holding a pencil and she turned back to the Lady. She raised the pencil into the Lady’s view, grunting in hopes of getting her attention.

“Yes, I see you want to draw.” The Lady replied as she paused for a moment to get a fresh parchment of paper for Vhaella to take, a distracted smile on her face as she looked down at her.

Vhaella huffed, shaking her head as she soon dragged the paper closer, frustratingly she would write as cleanly as possible, her tongue sticking out in determination as she focused. The Lady curiously leaned closer and tried to see exactly what was being written.

‘What do you want with me?’

There would be a sigh from the Lady, she placed her pen down to lean back in her chair and shook her head at her. Looking like a mother who was exasperated with her daughter’s constantly repeated questions, even if Vhaella hadn’t been able to talk a single word once! A long pause hung in the air before the Lady stroked Vhaella’s back idly.

“There’s nothing I want from you, micuțul meu. I simply wish to take care of you like a good mother should.” she replied as if it was so simple. Vhaella grumbled and shook her head as she turned to write furiously again.

‘But you’re not my mother.’

This led to the Lady tensing, the light stroking down her back pausing, it was definitely noticeable and had the girl swallowing thickly.

“I’m your mother now . And you will do well to remember that.” she warned, her voice calm but held a sense of danger should she continue to prod. She continued to stare with those sharp, golden eyes until Vhaella whimpered and nodded, hugging her toy lion in the process. Vhaella could tell that she could only do so much to defy the Lady now that she had been here for almost two weeks now…

She had been given leniency, as Cassandra put it, but it seemed it had run its course.

The Lady surely didn’t like seeing her look so scared and hurt though, and had melted near instantly as she scooped her up better into her arms. “Oh, my little darling. Such an imagination you have, you are safe here.” she urged, nuzzling against her hair and humming softly in hopes of calming her little darling.

Somehow she had her doubts. Especially if she refused to do as Lady Dimitrescu wanted, who was to say her temper wouldn’t snap if she had a particularly bad day? She felt she was teetering on the edge of pissing the Lady off, the more she tested the waters, pushed against the door with the warning sign.

“All I want is for my little girl to be safe and happy.” the Lady continued, running her fingers through Vhaella’s hair, untangling any small knots that could’ve formed from the day. “Don’t be so frightened of us.”

Of her .

“Mommy only wants to take care of you.”

Nervously, Vhaella would move out of the Lady’s arms to write one last question before presenting it, looking the very image of a child so nervous to show their newest drawing they worked on.

‘Do you promise?’

The Lady looked back down at the paper, before a warm yet sad smile formed on her face as she locked eyes with Vhaella. She cupped her cheeks and stroked them lightly, cooing softly, “ I promise .”

Stumbling on the rug in the hallway, Vhaella grunted and glared at the wrinkle as if it personally insulted her and tried to stomp it down. In her little temper tantrum however she noticed that she happened to make her way down to the main floor, and she paused as she looked around.

She recognized this area. Bela had caught her hiding here on her first day, she had seen the grand main doors and knew that could be her way out. She was so, so fucking tempted to just bolt out the front door. But if she used it, it was an obvious escape route, one that would garner her no time to make it to the village should someone see the doors tampered with. They would be out that door in a heartbeat and she was sure she wouldn’t make it out of the castle grounds without being caught.

She needed to be more subtle.

With the blizzard gone and all that remained was the walls of snow, she was unsure if she would be even able to open the front door… so as much as it pained her, she would turn away from them to look for another way out. One that would not be so obvious and she could come back to later.

She tried to play ignorance, acting the role of the dumb infant who was simply lost.

Each day during her nap time she took the time to scope out the castle, sometimes she could only get down the hall before one of the sisters had taken her back to the Lady’s room, or she would bump into the Lady herself who scooped her up to take right back, adamant on putting her down for these damned naps.

Not to say she didn’t enjoy them. The first few days she stayed in bed for once, lazy and so groggy. The Lady was content to just let her do so as long as she took her bottles, much to her disdain but if it meant she could stay in this nice warm bed, she would relent.

But she could only stay there for so long. Her comfortable bubble that had formed burst the moment she heard distant screams.

The Lady was furious when Vhaella jerked awake in her arms, she tried to comfort and distract her in vain as Vhaella looked to the bedroom doors, wondering what could’ve made such a death cry.

“Shh… all is well, micuțul.” she sang softly, though the girl would refuse to listen, gray eyes glued to those doors.

Something wasn't right.

Passing the kitchens she noticed a set of stairs, going down yet another level that had her just a bit curious. The smell of metal was strongest here, and herbs she couldn’t recognize.

The air was stale here.

The hairs on the back of her neck raised, her curiosity getting the better of her, she descended into the staircase.

It was dark and damp down here, with the walls slick with condensation of the warmer levels and the chiller temperature down here. Vhaella would swallow thickly as she hugged onto the lion toy in her arms, since she had gotten this gift she was never seen without it. Daniela was right when she said it would be her friend here, it helped a lot with her not feeling alone.

But even its presence couldn’t get the feeling of dread out of her bones. She could hear something down here.

Moaning.

The scrapping of metal.

The drip of liquid.

It was far too thick to be water, perhaps it was sap, or syrup… Vhaella didn’t know and she was unsure if she wanted to find out. Despite her better judgment she continued down the cellar- the stairs longer than she had anticipated- looking around at the obvious storage for wine and the many, many bottles and barrels of the same thing. She assumed this was the place the Lady made her wine. She didn’t think she would have a separate building for this, as her and her brother normally found alcohol in the cellars usually. She could recognize this as the vintage the Lady and her daughters indulged in.

Sanguis Virginis?

That had to be a play on words truly. It surely couldn’t…-

The stained cheeks, the thick wine, the smell of metal. Fangs .

She forgot she was sleeping with monsters. Dining with them. Being held by them.

She had gotten familiar with the clouds of insects, they were harmless in that form. They may growl and snarl like animals, behave like a pack, but she never felt she was in danger at such displays. And she had not once seen the Lady transform into a cloud herself. She was the most human out of them all…

The moaning continued, and now Vhaella had to see this through. This place was truly too good to be true. All the promises, the affection, the sweet moments she found she was beginning to look forward to. The thought of a mother, of a family, one who wouldn’t hurt her.

They promised she was safe.

She promised she was safe.

She promised.

How could she believe her when this was right under her feet?

A shuddering breath left her as she rounded a corner, gray eyes blown wide as she took in the lower part of the cellar, or perhaps this was something else entirely.

She could see more things to make the wine with- she didn’t know their names- giant metal drums with various pipes and tubing. She could recognize the multiple bottles and barrels. Strange machinery that hummed softly, the sloshing of something inside the metal drums.

But she was getting closer to the moaning, the stench of death the strongest here. She groaned and gagged in her mouth as she used the lion toy to cover her nose and mouth, hands gripping onto the poor creature with a white knuckle grip.

She could hear… music?

Even though they were so deep into this cellar there was enough light from its torches where she could see exactly what was going on, and she had to stumble into a hiding spot as she saw Cassandra of all daughters walking by, thankfully not noticing her. The daughter hummed along with the music, the gramophone nearby singing something catchy with smooth jazz playing. Vhaella peaked over the barrel she had hidden behind in time to see the middle daughter grab a small blade and turned to something obscured by a column.

“I’ve been waiting for you to fuck up. You always cleaned off my damn desk despite my wishes, I lost so many pieces because of you.” the daughter sneered, the moaning briefly turning into a choked sob.

“Just hurry up and get this done before Daniela comes whining. You know she’s been excited for that book club she’s been wanting to do.” Came Bela’s voice, sounding annoyed as she walked around Cassandra to retrieve what appeared to be a metal drum, polished steel with tubing connected to the bottom of it.

Cassandra scoffed as she walked past the column passed Vhaella’s views, “What’s the story even about? I haven’t read it yet.” she huffed, sounding uninterested. Bela rolled her eyes and looked over to her sister.

“Something about dragonriders, I believe. Fire and Blood .” The eldest shrugged, crossing her arms and waiting for Cassandra to finish what she needed to, “Something fresh she had gotten from the Duke. It’s better than the romances she reads.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me.”

Vhaella swallowed thickly as she dared to shuffle to a position she could see what the two daughters were doing.

She wished she hadn’t.

On a bloody chair with leather binds stained red, laid a maid she recognized only in passing. She was still in uniform, bound to that chair with binds around her throat, arms, waist and legs. However the sleeves of her uniform were torn away, exposing her arms to the air and allowing the thick tubing to be embedded into her wrists. She could see under the skin it was buried deep up the forearms. The tubing was clear, with the bright crimson of what could only be blood, trickling and splattering into the new drum Bela had installed below the chair.

They were draining her.

That girl was the same age as her. Her skin paling to a gray with her eyes sunken in, she had been here for a while, lips noticeably blue. Her form trembled harshly as glazed eyes trailed along with the movement of the sisters. Each talking above her as if they were simply preparing supper, the girl in the chair the main course.

They looked as domestic here as they did at the dining table. Talking about books and how they dreaded being cooped up in the library as they had wanted to do their own hobbies for the day. Talking about what they hoped would be for dinner.

“This one isn’t going to be ready for dinner tonight. Most likely it will be that man thing we found in the garden the other night.” Bela hummed, earning a groan from Cassandra.

“Damn, I bet she would taste amazing.”

They ate them!?

She remembered the too rare steaks the Lady and her daughters ate, the wine each was adamant on drinking all day practically. The giantess adamant not to let her stare too long at their meals for fear of something.

Now she knows why.

The incessant buzzing flooded her ears, her head flushing with a dizzy spell.

“ Bell! Cass! The baby is gone! ” came Daniela’s wail, making Vhaella’s blood run cold as she saw Daniela’s cloud fly above her to her sisters, the both of them tensing as Cassandra cursed.

“ What!? ”

“ Dammit…! ”

Suddenly she needed to run, her brain screaming at her that she had spent too much time here. She was a fool for trusting, an idiot for warming to the idea of staying.

They were going to do the same to her!

Why else would the Lady be so adamant to feed her? Keep her clean? Healthy? Like a wounded, sick animal Lady Dimitrescu wouldn’t get anything from her without risk of spreading disease. Maybe it made the blood and meat taste terrible. Maybe it just gave them a damn stomach ache.

As long as she was healthy, she would be able to get a bottle out of her, perhaps two. Maybe make a good stew out of her too.

Did she eat anyone!?

She was only briefly aware of all three sisters flying past her, the storm of wings buzzing so loud it had her clutching her ears. The dizziness was getting worse down here.

If she didn’t get out of here she was going to end up like that maid, that was guaranteed now with the daughters finding out she was missing. What would they do if they knew she was down here? This would be the day she would be turned into a bottle.

Shuddering again she would stumble onto her feet, this time rushing into the room the girls were just in, looking at the table of blades beside the chair. Her vision was fuzzy, whether from the blurring tears drowning her eyes or her confused mind she didn’t know. She hissed a curse as she grabbed a random scalpel and turned to mittens encasing her hands.

She placed the toy lion off onto the table, not knowing she placed it on tools already crimson; she did her best not to look at the girl on the chair. The maid was too far gone to help. Instead Vhaella turned to her own hands, with her mittens once again hindering her grip but she didn’t care. She dug the blade close to her wrist, cutting at the hem of the mitten until it loosened enough for her to pull off the damned thing.

She flexed her fingers in relief before turning her attention back to her other hand, soon rubbing them together and enjoying the freedom.

Then she yanked off the socks so that she could actually run .

And run she did, her brain was screaming it, demanding it, the need to escape clawing at her brain like a wild animal.

Fuck subtlety, she needed to run for her life.

Her legs were already burning but she didn’t care, her lungs raggedly sucking in air, eyes blurring all the more and staining her cheeks. Climbing up the stairs on hands and feet, her limbs weak and tense all at once.

She knew this all was too good to be true!

She should’ve been out of this castle last week!

She had almost been fooled.

She was an idiot.

Why did this hurt so much!?

Chapter Text

“ Mother! ”

Alcina frowned hard as she briefly moved the phone away from her ear, fingers quick to cover the receiver. She was thankful it weren’t Mother Miranda otherwise she’d be stuck listening to her ramblings for another hour should she hear Bela interrupting them. As much as she adored and respected her; she could be a bit… much. Especially when she was interrupted by anything she deemed unworthy of attention.

Bela had flooded under the door and materialized with a panicked look on her face, making the mother tense as she furrowed her brow and silently demanded Bela to speak. The businessman on the phone was no longer being humored with his horrid negotiations.

“ The baby- she’s missing…! ” Bela whispered harshly, cringing when Alcina had abruptly stood from her bench and glared in anger, the bench she was sitting on toppling onto its side with a thump. Alcina was not angry at her. No, she had been remiss with letting her daughters resume their hobbies due to Vhaella taking to napping so well, that had been her mistake. She knew eventually Vhaella would try something but she didn’t think it would be something like this anymore.

She hadn’t found her wandering the halls anymore, nor had her daughters told her that they had seen anything. She assumed and hoped that her smallest was behaving herself. Each time she checked on her she had found her sleeping in her bed. She thought her daughter was finally settling in.

Perhaps she still was. She wanted to hope that she could be just as Cassandra was, wandering the halls looking for her instead of a way out.

She severely doubted that. Her affections were still being fought against every so often now. They were lessening, but it wasn’t quick enough for her taste.

She growled low in her throat as she turned to the man on the phone and abruptly hung up on him, his offers were abhorrent anyway so she could bear giving the insult. With that she stormed out with Bela quickly buzzing out of her way and following behind her, the door she practically ripped open and left it hanging barely on its hinges.

“ Mother! ” Came another cry, this one of Cassandra as Alcina and Bela stalked through the halls in hopes of finding little Vhaella. Alcina made a beeline to her middle daughter and slowed at the main hall of the castle, with the doors flung open and snow gently floating in, her other two daughters cut off from her and hiding in a hallway to keep away from the frost.

Her heart was already sinking in her stomach, and she could see in her Cassandra’s hand a particular toy her smallest was never seen without, the side of it soaked red…

Where did her baby go!?

She looked back at the grand doors and snarled, her perfect lips with their immaculate lipstick stuck in a constant scowl as she rushed to the double doors and stepped out. She roughly slammed the doors behind her to keep the frost from invading her warm home further and harming her other daughters.

She could see the small footprints out here, the snow slowly covering them. There was only one set and she was unsure if it was Vhaella’s or someone else’s. Alcina continued to growl as she tread unimpeded. She followed the little steps of her youngest, wondering where in the world she had been to have her toy stained and her out the door.

Had an invader raided her home again? Did her daughter stumble upon them? Did they take her little Vhaella?

Lately there had been men found on her grounds. They were never able to break into her home, but their very presence attracted those of lycan and the moroaică much to her dismay. She tried to keep Vhaella from noticing them as she was sure knowing they wandered the grounds would have her youngest frightened all over again, but the mother was demanding to know why men dared to step onto her land.

The ones her daughters retrieved hadn’t survived their attacks with the moroaică so they unfortunately couldn’t get anything out of them. But the items on their bodies told them they were scouting them out…

Was her baby hurt?

More and more she was growing furious at the thoughts so violently intruding her mind, her claws already growing in size as she followed the tracks all the way to the gate.

She paused when hearing a piercing scream, followed by the sounds of a lycan. Immediately the gates blew open off their rusted hinges as she slashed them open and went running into the snow, her hair unraveling from its style of the day to cascade down her neck. She surely looked the sight of a disheveled woman rushing through the wilderness surrounding her castle grounds in nothing but an evening dress and house slippers, but she didn’t care. Not right now.

Down the mountain road toward the village she could smell the scent of dog, scowling and hissing as she ran harder, her crimson dress suffering snags and cuts of the rough cobblestones, the twigs persisted to snag on her. Her house slippers would be ruined after this.

She could smell the blood, her form rippling in anger as she grew in size, her poor dress straining to keep together.

She had barreled into a scene of a lycan snapping and yowling, her daughter very narrowly dodging its pounce and hiding behind a tree. She saw the briefest sight of her daughter clutching onto her injured arm, the bandages red and her onesie slashed at her thigh. Alcina was damn near ready to burst out of her dress due to her size rapidly growing. She had made quick work of making it to the lycan before it was even able to round the corner.

Easily grabbing it by the back of the neck, she had snarled ferociously as she flung it away from the tree her baby was currently hiding behind. The lycan had wheezed a wet cough before it was thrown away, slamming hard enough against a tree to have it splinter and slowly topple to the ground. She had fought against these mutts before, and was narrowing her eyes dangerously as the beast was able to reset its dislodged bones before prowling near her, the little human long forgotten.

Alcina scowled down at it in disgust, she kept her head held high, locking her golden eyes on the wretched thing as she confidently moved to stand in front of the tree her daughter was still whimpering behind. She was furious and feral, determined to protect her baby. Her claws fully extended and simply waiting for the mutt to try something foolish.

She didn’t need to wait long as it pounced at her with frothing fangs and dull claws, another scream shattering the mute air around them. The speed inhuman yet it was not nearly as quick as she was.

She angrily roared back at it as she slashed against it mid air, her claws cutting through like a warm knife through butter, the beast’s lower jaw the first thing to go flying off somewhere with a splatter of disgusting blood trailing behind it.

Soon its severed head rolled after. The head gaping like a fish out of water.

Then the body soon splattered after its head, with its shredded pieces plopping onto the snow like wet meat, limbs trying their best to move still. Blood and rot smelling organs steaming hot in the snow from its eviscerated stomach. The gurgling coming from it truly disgusting and revolting. A lone arm twitched and spasmed in the snow, a severed leg twitching and stirring up powdered snow. Alcina would continue to watch with tensed muscles as she listened to it, soon stilling when the beast had finally shut up for good.

She scanned the surrounding area, relieved to see this would only be a lone dog wandering around. But its presence so close to her territory would not go unheard. Her brother would get on hell of an earful soon enough. This, she swore.

Then she turned to the sniveling tree, her rage not yet receded as she stalked the tree. Briefly she placed her hand on the trunk of the tree, noticing her claws were still out she paused.

Her little one was terrified of them. Terrified of her. She knew that. And if she was to reveal herself to her like this, she would only be proving to the little one that she had a right to be afraid. That she would have had a valid reason to run away from her.

She had promised her she was safe, and if that meant keeping her in the dark of what they did to survive for now…

What she was.

She would do it in a heartbeat.

She was never ashamed of who she was. What she was. She finally had power and control of her life, she finally didn’t have the loom of death haunting her each day. Her life ticking down like a countdown. Now the clock was broken, shattered and long forgotten along with her old life. She had her wonderful, beautiful daughters, each who she could protect for eternity and then some. She had a glorious home, one far away from civilization like she had wanted in her ‘final’ days. She had a business that was well respected, with many fighting to become even associates of her company, others killed to be partners.

Death didn’t matter to them. They were above it. They were goddesses amongst mortals, never having to worry about the worries of man.

But even the gods got lonely. Even they would want more. And right now Alcina wanted her baby to not fear her. Not like this.

Her little one was far from ready to see who they really were. She still needed time. She still saw them as monsters.

Inhaling deeply she forced herself to calm, her emotions were all over the place and all she wanted to do was reprimand her daughter for her foolish behavior, but this encounter she hoped would be enough. Near death experiences usually were the perfect way to teach her staff, unfortunately it would be the same for her smallest.

“ Vhaella. ” She spoke, voice deeper than usual but held the same sweet allure it had usually. Alcina frowned when she heard the tiny breath hitch and the spike in her little one’s heartbeat, but she ignored it for now as she finally rounded the corner of the trunk and looked down at her with concern evident on her face.

Vhaella was crumpled against herself, hands free of their mittens and clutching at her rapidly rising and falling chest. The mint green onesie she wore was filthy with red and browns, dirt and blood stains obviously as she ran through the woods and her small spat with the lycan. Her fingers and toes were tinged blue, near frozen in such little time she had been out here, her nose and cheeks bright red as gray eyes stared at her with a look of horror. Her thigh slowly bleeding into the snow.

Something happened to her outside of this event.

She took in more things about her daughter, she knelt down as best as her dress allowed and frowned more. She saw cobwebs in her frizzy silver hair, the hint of herbs she had only in one place. Her stomach twisted at the realization.

“My little girl…” she tried, reaching for Vhaella and freezing instantly when the girl cringed back, the small thing near ready to break down all over again as she furiously shook her head.

“ No! ”

The voice was small; pathetic and weak with unuse. This was not how she imagined hearing her daughter for the first time. And she was furious she was robbed of that single fantasy due to her own carelessness.

Her little one was so close to being her baby. She was warming to her affections. The fights lessened.

All that ruined by what her little one saw before she was ever ready. The blood on her hands surely didn’t help the situation…

Alcina swallowed back a whine, refusing to let her daughter sit here in the snow and risk her being sick as well as injured and scarred. With this she had slowly reached for her daughter again, hating to see the girl shudder and shrink in on herself as Alcina scooped her up. She was immediately rewarded with the girl pushing against her just like her first day, followed by frightened noises as she tried to climb out of her arms.

As much as she dreaded touching her with hands coated in man blood, she unfortunately had to for fear of dropping her daughter.

“I know, my darling, I know. We will speak of this once we return home. You’re safe.” she tried, jerking briefly when the girl had pushed her face away, smudging her makeup meanwhile.

“I don’t want to die!” came a pathetic sob, making the mother pause in surprise. Alcina frowned hard at that declaration as she began to briskly walk back to the castle.

“ Vhaella . You are not going to die. I promised that you were safe.”

“You lie ! You’re only waiting me out…! I will be like the others drained and eaten!” came another sob, her efforts to free herself renewed as she now began to kick against Alcina.

She had seen the dungeons.

She was a fool to assume her daughter was being so good so soon. None of her daughters were ever so good this soon. Vhaella would be no different.

“You were not ready to see that, dragul meu. You’re far too young to have seen any of that.”

“I’m not a child ! I’m not a baby !” came Vhaella’s spat and a particular kick to her stomach, leading Alcina to huffing and pausing as she hooked her hands under the girl’s arms and peeled her away from her chest. She expertly dodged the girl throwing her fists at her and gave her a stern look.

“Let me go!”

“ Hush .” Came Alcina’s warning, Vhaella thankfully flinching into being quiet and staring at her with those glassy eyes of hers.

Staring at one another, Alcina had looked so hurt to see her daughter untrusting, so scared and ready to bolt the minute she let her down. She saw that rebellious spark in her eye, knowing she would attempt to escape again if she was given a chance.

She would need to show her that she would not be like the others. She was a Dimitrescu now, not some filth that came from the village.

She was Lady Alcina Dimitrescu’s youngest daughter. And she would remind her for as long as she had to.

The rest of eternity perhaps.

“You are my daughter , little Vhaella. You are not livestock , you are not filth . You are a Dimitrescu and as such you are under my protection.” She said firmly, determined to have the girl believe her for once. Gentle coddling didn’t work as well as she thought it would, affectionate actions clearly viewed with doubtful eyes. Her promises and her sweet pet names were viewed as lies and acts. It truly hurt.

But she would do it all again. She will squash whatever fears her daughter had, assuring her that she was more than what the villagers and maids were.

She would just have to remain patient. Her little girl was in there, she had seen glimpses of her. She would just need to help her come out again.

“Mommy has only ever wanted to protect you, my little Vhaella.”

Vhaella’s bottom lip trembled, and her gray eyes flooded in tears, her form trembling all over again as sobs wracked her body. Her little heart pounding so hard in her chest as she finally relented and looked away from Alcina’s golden eyes.

The mother, frowning more and finally letting herself relax, pulled Vhaella tight against her chest and buried her face in the girl’s silver hair, gently shushing her as the girl bawled against her bosom. Tiny fists balling into her silk dress, clinging to anything for fear of sinking further into despair.

She knew her daughter saw all this as punishment.

She knew her daughter thought she was trapped.

She knew her daughter feared this was all another act.

And she hated how broken she was. But she would be here to pick up the pieces, build her back together into the little girl Vhaella never got to be. Her little one deserved that and so much more.

“There will be no more secrets, draga mea. Mommy will never let you stray into those dark thoughts again.”

She would answer any questions her daughter asked this time. Never brushing them off as her being silly and imaginative, she had seen now that doing so only helped build this fear in her smallest. She let her fester in her anxiety, her doubts and whatever stories the village spoke of Castle Dimitrescu. She, as much as she wasn’t intending to, helped fortify those brittle walls that would’ve come crumbling down so easily had she been a little more open. A little more aware. None of this would’ve happened if she had just simply paid a little closer attention to that horribly scarred mind of her baby.

Bela, Cassandra and Daniela all had their traumas from their past lives. Bela was trapped in her conforming life expecting to fall in line to the rule of man, Cassandra’s replacement and abandonment issues, and no one understanding Daniela’s mind, deeming her insane for behaving as she did. Each she handled with as much grace they needed and more. But this was something she hadn’t ever been exposed to.

She never handled a daughter who didn’t even know what love was, much less how to accept it. The very concept of it deemed suspicious and untrustworthy…

She paused in her walking to give her small girl a kiss on the forehead, smiling sadly that even now Vhaella would lean into it desperately for a half a second before pulling away.

“Whatever fears you have, I will vanquish them.”

Chapter Text

Into the bath she went; the water piping hot and warming her bones up too quickly.

Behind her would be the familiar presence of the Lady, her cleaned hands now massaging her scalp, wanting to get any dried blood and cobwebs out of her hair. The atmosphere of the bathing room was tense even now.

Once they had returned from the road, the Lady and Vhaella had been swarmed by three concerned clouds, all three daughters half formed and asking so many questions that they were as loud as their buzzing insects. Vhaella was too numb and tired to pay much attention to the conversation but she remembered the Lady telling them she would speak with them later.

The Lady hadn’t once left her side. Determined to chase away any fears Vhaella might have had by being brought back to the castle. 

When they walked past the carcass of the wolf man, the Lady had shielded her eyes from it and whispered sweet promises that things were alright.

“You’ve seen enough today.” she had explained.

Vhaella shuddered at the thought, her form tensing more as she felt a familiar hand cupping her cheek and stroking it lightly. It was the Lady’s way of comforting her, her effort of dragging her out of her thoughts. It was working for the most part and Vhaella was disgusted with herself that she leaned into the petting.

She saw what was in the dungeon. She knew what they were. She heard what the Lady had done to that wolf man. Why was she still leaning into the Lady’s affections!? Why did she feel like a toddler looking for comfort after scraping their knee…?

What was wrong with her!?

What did the Lady do to her!?

Trembling all over again, she hiccuped and sniveled against the hand. Her bottom lip quivered as she moved away from it and pressed the palms of her hands against her eyes. A sob building in her throat enough to choke her.

“No more tears, my sweet. Mommy is here now.” came the Lady’s soothing voice, the hand returning to slowly untangle her silver locks.

She didn’t know if that was a good thing. Not with what she brought out of her. She didn’t even know what to call any of this.

“What are you doing to me?” she rasped, her voice still raw from neglect. She felt as if she had been swallowing shards of glass with each word she spoke.

There would be a pause, as hands stopped working, the water around them sloshed as the Lady shifted to look down at her.

“I am untangling your hair, darling.” she replied simply, knowing that wasn’t what Vhaella meant.

Another pause drifted through the air as the Lady resumed her work.

“I am giving you care. Something you obviously never had, little one.”

Vhaella frowned harder, she couldn’t understand why .

As if knowing what she was thinking, the Lady continued.

“You are my youngest daughter. It is my duty and my pleasure to care for all of my little ones. A mother should always thrive to ensure her children are well protected and cared for.” she hummed, briefly pausing in untangling Vhaella’s hair to rest her hands on the girl’s shoulders.

“We are not blood, that is true. But you are mine regardless. Blood will not matter eventually.” she spoke as if she could read Vhaella’s mind.

What did she mean by that last part?

Another long pause lingered as Vhaella turned to her and frowned, looking up at those concerned golden orbs that were becoming more and more familiar to her.

“Why me ?” she whimpered, looking so sad and pathetic it had the Lady’s frown deepen.

“Why not you?” she countered, arching a brow at the girl who was so confused and perplexed, unsure of how to answer.

“You came to me, little one. Cold and clinging to life so desperately, clinging so tightly to me . How could I not choose you?” the Lady continued, cupping Vhaella’s face in her hands and smiling sweetly when the girl slowly melted into them so needily. “You’ve had such a hard life so young. You’ve never known a mother’s touch, have you?”

That definitely hit a nerve as the girl’s gray eyes flooded in unshed tears already, the Lady gently rubbing underneath her eyes in an attempt to wipe them away before they streaked her face.

She didn’t know her parents. She was too young when they died from illness. Her brother was the only one who remembered them and he never spoke much of them. He would get incredibly angry if she ever asked about their mother, she was always fearful to ask after witnessing his many outbursts about it, so she had stopped. All she knew of her mother was that she was the one to give her her name, that her brother told her. That was all she knew and would ever know about either of their parents.

She sometimes let her imagination run wild with dreams , when she saw sights of other mothers lovingly tending to their children in the streets. She had always wondered what a mother was.

Lady Dimitrescu was one of them. She saw how she treated her daughters and she craved that so damn much. She was so jealous and envious of it.

And she was behaving like a mother to her of all people. A stray no one wanted, scavenging like a rat to live, she had no name. No skills to offer. The only thing she would only be good at was…-

She choked another sob as she leaned hard into those soft hands, burying her face into the Lady’s palms and reaching up to hold them hard against her face. She could hear the Lady coo and lean down closer to pepper the top of her soaked head in kisses and nuzzles.

“You’re alright, my little girl. You’re safe with mommy.” the Lady whispered, nuzzling and pulling Vhaella closer to her form. She tensed ever so slightly when Vhaella had wrapped her arms around her and buried her face in the crook of her neck, her form trembling so violently in her sobs.

There was a battle happening; one she was unsure which side would win, but Vhaella didn’t want to be alone right now. 

The dark was too scary.

-_-_-_-_-

Alcina looked upon her youngest sadly, a frown still evident on her face as she lightly stroked Vhaella’s hair.

It was incredibly hard to get her youngest to fall asleep. The small thing would constantly jerk awake and begin her sobs anew until she had to chase her fears and tears away again and again. Things were happening in her little girl’s head and she didn’t know if Vhaella would make it out of there whole.

She absolutely hated seeing her like this. Her other daughters never had these reactions before, none that were so violent.

Things had happened to her smallest, and she wished nothing more than to take whatever memories she held away from her. Anything to keep her away from this pain.

She tenderly stroked her darling’s cheek, noting the rosy red still present from her most recent breakdown.

What in hell happened in that village?

The lightest knock at her door startled her from her thoughts. She quickly looked to Vhaella and relaxed only slightly when the girl didn’t stir from her long overdue nap.

“Enter.” she called softly, keeping her hands stroking Vhaella’s cheeks as she listened to her door open slowly. She noticed these gentle touches were able to calm down her baby the most.

She glanced over her shoulder to see her three daughters, looking more concerned as ever as they shuffled in as quietly as they could. Even sweet Daniela was making an effort to be as silent as a mouse.

“Is she alright?” Came Bela’s hopeful question.

The mother sighed heavily through her nose and shook her head, uncertain herself as she finally sat up to properly address her daughters.

“What did she see in the dungeons?” she asked bluntly, Cassandra flinching and frowning hard as she looked down at the floor in shame. Alcina gave her an apologetic look, not wanting to blame any of her daughters when it was her own actions that led to complacency, which led to Vhaella seeing things she wasn’t prepared to see or know.

There would be another long pause, the grandfather clock ticking particularly louder this time as the girls shuffled in place.

“One of the maids. The one who always cleaned my desk and ruined my specimen works… she was caught stealing silverware.” Cassandra finally confessed, Alcina closing her eyes at the news and inhaled deeply. Of course it would be the worse of the worse Vhaella saw.

“She left her toy down there.” Daniela frowned, presenting it freshly cleaned up and smelling heavily of cleaning supplies that got blood out of its white fur and colorful fabrics.

“We didn’t know she was down there with us. We didn’t hear or smell her down there.” Bela chimed in, looking ashamed she hadn’t at least checked on the baby once before going to help Cassandra with the maid.

Alcina held a hand up that stopped them from trying to explain themselves, the mother frowning more as she shook her head. “It’s none of your fault, girls. The fault lies with me for thinking she was settling in.” she assured, leading the girls to frown more and look amongst themselves.

“We still should’ve checked on her. Given you were on the phone and…-”

“It’s not your sole duty to check on her as much as I’m supposed to. You’re not her mother, you are her sisters.” Alcina persisted, shaking her head at them and taking a moment to rub her temples, a migraine was certainly trying to settle in.

“That doesn't matter now. I know she will try again, she’s seen us at our worst. She has not settled in as much as she pretends that she has.” she explained, looking hurt that these past two weeks were a ruse. “I will keep her with me at all times, she’s not well after what she saw in the dungeons. Do not let her go near them again until I say she is ready.” she warned them, all three nodding fervently, determined to protect their youngest sister from any sights that might scare her.

“What about the surprise?” Daniela asked, looking back at her mother’s bedroom door then back to Alcina.

She had forgotten all about the surprise.

“That can still happen. It might be more vital now than ever before that she sees it.” Alcina sighed, glancing back at Vhaella and reaching over to pet her bangs out of her eyes.

The girls nodded as they all looked to their youngest sister, no doubt they still felt varying levels of guilt over the day but there was nothing to be done about it. Unlike herself, her daughters couldn’t hide what they were. Vhaella had seen what they were, and now she knew what they could do, what they had to do to thrive.

Now it would be a lesson to teach her that she was safe with them. None would ever hurt her. Alcina had promised her that and she always kept her word to her daughters.

“For now let her rest. Have one of the staff prep her dinner later. She still needs to eat.” Alcina requested, Bela nodding again as she silently left to do as requested.

Cassandra would still stand there as Daniela slowly walked closer to her mother, silently asking permission before she was allowed to lean over the bed and place the lion toy close to Vhaella. With that the second youngest would leave to ensure that the maids were told of the new rules regarding Vhaella.

Now it left Cassandra, lightly biting her bottom lip as she kept looking from the floor to the girl sleeping in bed, then back to the floor again.

Alcina noticed this and shifted in at the end of the bed, watching her middle child silently who looked like she had something on her mind.

“Are… are you mad that she saw us?” she asked softly, still not making eye contact.

The mother slowly relaxed as she looked at her middle child sadly, a smile on her face as she slowly shook her head. She beckoned her daughter and tsked softly as her middle child slowly walked closer. She soon pulled her into an embrace and lazily stroked her back, nuzzling her shoulder as she felt her daughter wrap her arms around her waist.

“She was going to see who we were eventually. That was always my plan. But her stubbornness and determination has led to her finding out before she was ever ready.” she tried to console, resting her chin on top of Cassandra’s head and humming.

“This is only a small setback. Your sister is still in there. She just needs a little more time now.” she promised before going quiet, letting her daughter think on her replies.

Eventually her middle child sighed heavily and nodded before pulling away. Only briefly did she see runny mascara and shiny eyes.

“Alright.” she mumbled, giving her mother a shaky smile as Alcina reached to cup her cheek, running a thumb over the ruined mascara.

Perhaps she was thinking this the same as she had done to Daniela when they were small. Each time a sister was out in the snow and they got hurt…

“It’s not your fault.” Alcina reiterated, watching her daughter closely as Cassandra slowly relaxed her tense shoulders.

She would only get a nod from her before her daughter pulled away to leave finally, quietly she shut the door behind her, leaving the mother to tend to the youngest of the family. She would personally ensure that her youngest sister wouldn’t be able to get in the dungeons ever again without the help of either their mother or one of them.

With that the mother slumped her shoulders finally before she slowly got settled in bed. She pulled Vhaella into her arms and cooed softly at the little one’s whines, petting her face like she seemed to crave and relaxed when her smallest’s form slackened in her arms.

She had so much work to do to rebuild what had crumbled today. But all was not lost. She could see the sweet baby who craved a mother’s touch. However her old life was keeping her prisoner, her rational adult brain not allowing herself to indulge in what she had always wanted. Whatever scars she bore mentally were still raw and fresh, always making her frightened of her own thoughts, an overworking mind brewing up the most horrible fantasies.

She wouldn’t let her fester in them this time. She now knew of their existence.

-_-_-_-_-

Vhaella would wake in the arms of the Lady, her scent lighter and the sounds of light snoring had surprised her. Slowly she opened her eyes and looked up at the woman, aware of the Lady’s arms wrapped protectively around her with her face close to her own. She was curled around her smaller form, blankets tucked in tight to keep her secure and warm for the night.

She was so sure she wouldn’t wake up again…

But she was here. Back in bed in the Lady’s arms. As if the entire day had been nothing but a nightmare.

The only thing that told her it had happened was the throbbing pain of her thigh, the aches and pains in her arms and legs. Her entire form still so exhausted from her sudden bout of exercise.

Yet another failed attempt at escaping. She didn’t think the wolf men would be so close to the castle like they had been. She never thought the Lady herself would leave her castle to come save her.

She never thought a lot of things apparently. This entire day was extremely fucked up with what she knew now… what these women did to the girls of the village…

But… she found herself snuggling closer into the Lady’s arms. Inhaling the familiar scent of the nightly creams she wore to bed, indulging in her warmth, the sound of her breathing and her strong heart.

She could go back to sleep like this.

Unfortunately the woman holding her would stir slightly, her snoring fading away as she began to wake. Vhaella swallowed thickly as she dared look up at her, stunned to see familiar golden eyes glowing in the night.

Looking down at her sleepily.

“Are you alright, darling?” she asked tiredly, a hand pulling itself out of the covers to cup her face, Vhaella sighed into the familiar touch and leaned into it. She could only muster a silent nod.

“That’s good…” the Lady replied, before she slowly began to stroke her cheek. “You’ve slept through lunch and dinner…” she began, Vhaella already knowing where she was going with this and slowly began to tense.

“No meat. Not tonight.” The Lady was quick to interject as if sensing where Vhaella’s mind was going immediately. “You’ll only get liquids tonight.” she promised.

Vhaella’s stomach churned with even that knowledge, but she glanced up at those glowing eyes, a frown trying to form on her lips.

The Lady kept saying that she was safe. That she had nothing to fear from her or her daughters…

Slowly she nodded as she slowly sagged into the blankets, she could swear she felt the Lady relax for a moment before she slowly got up.

“Stay there, darling.” she spoke as she made her way out of bed and walked over to her door. She merely poked her head out the door and said something out there. Vhaella could only assume a maid was made to stay on standby should she wake up… she watched as the Lady adjusted her white feather robe around herself before walking to the simmering fireplace. Lazily tossing a log in and poking it to a point it wouldn’t be a risk of rolling out later. After she returned to bed to sit and made it a point to scoop Vhaella into her arms once again.

Once settled in her arms again, the Lady began to hum, gentle and sweet as she slowly began to rock the girl in her arms. Vhaella would continue to stare up at her, confused about the warm feeling bubbling in her chest, how her heart raced as she listened to the sweet melody of a lullaby. She had never been sung to before.

The Lady’s voice held a sense of authority even now. It was deep and hypnotic, sultry as she rested her head on top of her own. Her whole chest rumbled with her hums if she hit a note low enough, with others sounding breathy and sweet. The whole scene had Vhaella mesmerized.

So enthralled in fact she hadn’t noticed the faint knock at the door and the maid slowly walking in with a small platter. The girl in the Lady’s arms only snapped out of it when said Lady leaned over to retrieve whatever the maid had been sent for.

Soon she saw the unmistakable sight of a bottle, pale white in this lighting. She certainly didn’t like the look of it and the Lady knew by her apologetic smile.

“I know. But you need to eat.” she pressed, still leaning back and forth in her attempts to lazily rock Vhaella to keep her calm. The human thought otherwise, she was perfectly happy to just never eat again…

Frowning more, Vhaella grumbled and was going to protest until she stopped herself.

Why fight this?

She wasn’t going to win.

What harm was it in indulging…?

She furrowed her brow now, looking between the bottle and then to the Lady, swallowing thickly as she racked her brain, wondering where these questions were coming from.

She loved when the Lady fawned over her.

Needed it. Craved it. Cherished it.

The Lady was here to comfort her in her lowest moment. When she was questioning herself she was here, wiping the tears away and patiently holding her against her breast.

She stayed by her side when she woke constantly from nightmares. She stayed all the way until now.

She left her castle to save her. She protected her from the wolf man.

Why not give the Lady what she wanted most? It was the least she could do after all the shit she had pulled today…

She promised that she was safe… that she only wanted to protect her.

With that last thought, she slowly relaxed and resigned herself to her fate, cheeks blushing red as the Lady smiled down at her and leaned close to kiss her forehead.

Then the bottle was presented, the nipple strangely warm and not as invasive as it had been many times before. Vhaella swallowed nervously as she shifted in the Lady’s hold, merely to get better comfortable before attempting to latch onto the bottle.

She had been fed many times before to the point she knew how to work her jaw to produce the most milk. Her cheeks flushing brighter red as her suckling was ever noisy as usual and that the Lady was looking down at her with such affection in her eyes.

Her fears were unfounded that perhaps the Lady was feeding her something else, as she could recognize the cow’s milk she had normally been fed during midnights. She found she quite liked it, it was far better than goat’s. The more she suckled and gulped down mouthfuls, the more relaxed she became to the point her eyes were half lidded.

It didn’t help that her arms were tucked against her chest, smushed against her own body and that of the Lady’s. She was only half aware of how easy it was to fit into the Lady’s arms, how small and safe she had felt. It was mind numbingly blissful…

She surely had to look the sight as the Lady was nothing but motherly smiles as she resumed her humming. She never allowed Vhaella to hold the bottles, so the girl for once was simply happy to listen and drink.

She wasn't even aware of when she began to doze off, the bottle slowly but surely being drained dry.

-_-_-_-_-

The next she woke she found her face buried in the Lady’s breasts. The Lady herself was back asleep with her tucked into her arms as snuggly as she had been that entire night.

She was blushing hard all over again yet she made no move distance herself. Instead she was strangely comfortable, she felt safest here. She was unsure why…

But this time the Lady didn’t stir from slumber, the day must’ve finally hit the Lady as it had done to her, though her hold on Vhaella was near constant. As if even now in her sleep she wanted to ensure that Vhaella knew she wasn't alone.

She appreciated that so much.

She sighed softly as she closed her eyes. Adamant on sleeping more since she was sure she would have a strange day ahead of her today. She didn’t even know what time it was now, but she felt it was early in the morning…

She had given it some thought when the Lady was feeding her last night… and perhaps she would let her baby her… genuinely this time. Being as the Lady had only ever repeated that all she wanted to do was care for her.

She promised she was safe.

She had shown no other objective besides the cellar… but that was her own fault for wandering down there…

She protected her from the wolf man.

She stayed by her side throughout the entire night.

She was still here…

Somehow it was easier to think about letting go…

She would give this a shot… she should see what happened…

She just hoped she wouldn't come to regret it eventually…

With that decision made, Vhaella would shimmy closer into the Lady’s arms, tucking her own against her chest as she buried her face into Lady Dimitrescu’s breasts. The familiar scent, sensation and the sound of her strong heartbeat were enough to lull her to sleep once again.

Chapter Text

She expected her to fight as soon as the next day came along.

Expected her girl to somehow make her way out of the bundle of blankets she was swaddled in to sleep somewhere else at the bed. It was the norm nowadays that she had gotten used to.

But when she woke she was becoming acutely aware of a certain nose nuzzled against her breast, tiny hands gripping into her nightgown lazily, a smaller form so tightly snuggled against her. Alcina thought she was still dreaming.

Slowly she shifted to see little Vhaella snuggled close without a care in the world, awake and just simply laying there in her arms.

She had never thought she’d see the day where her little one stayed in her arms the entire night.

Humming softly, she alerted her daughter that she was awake and smiled tenderly as those sweet gray eyes looked up at her, unsure of what to do with herself as she slowly loosened her grip on Alcina’s nightgown.

“Did you sleep well?” Alcina asked, making a move to take Vhaella’s hands in her own and kissed the healing knuckles. The skin much softer than they had been on her first day.

There would be a meek nod, it seemed today Vhaella didn’t want to use her words.

“Good. Mommy was very worried about you.” she continued, nuzzling against her daughter’s hands.

Then there’d be a comfortable silence, one that was left undisturbed as Alcina showered her darling baby in gentle affections, seeing as how she was so receptive to them finally last night. Those gentle gray eyes watching her every move, her every word, she didn’t know what was going through her little girl’s head at the moment.

Then those tiny hands held onto her own, the faintest smile on her little girl’s lips.

She realized she had never seen her smile once since being here.

Oh… what a gorgeous sight she was…

Alcina smiled back at her, cooing sweetly as she shifted closer to nuzzle the top of her daughter’s head, stunned slightly to feel Vhaella lean up into them, her own pleasant hum sounding so content.

She would be cautiously thrilled by this, knowing the last time she had thought her daughter was settling in she had escaped into another lycan’s drooling maw.

“What a sweet girl you are this morning.” She couldn’t help but praise however, smiling more and more as she saw her little one blushing and seeming unsure of herself. Unsure of what to do.

She could see something changed in her little one, that rebellious spark she saw in the snow no longer there… She could only hope.

“Mommy and your sisters have a surprise for you, darling. We were going to show you yesterday.” she announced, watching carefully as Vhaella’s smile lessened slightly, though she looked curious as she glanced over Alcina’s shoulder.

“I think you will love it.” Alcina promised, leaning close once more to pepper her sleepy face in kisses before finally shifting to sit up.

Vhaella was quick to follow right beside her and scooted close to lean against her side, much to Alcina’s delight as she wrapped an arm around her protectively.

“But first, we should fix that hair of yours and see your sisters at breakfast. They were very worried about you as well.” she planned out.

She didn’t expect her darling to mumble, “I’m sorry…”

The larger woman tensed more, looking down at Vhaella and her guilty eyes, her hands nervously wringing the sleeve of her nightgown.

“Oh… little one. You were going to learn of that eventually, you just needed time…” she sighed, reaching over to run her claws through Vhaella’s silver locks, enjoying that it had a healthy shine now. “That was never going to be hidden from you. As a Dimitrescu you needed to see what we do. But we do what we do to survive.” she explained simply.

“Will…-”

“ No. ” Alcina interrupted, her golden eyes hardening in resolve, “ Never. ” she promised.

Another silence lingered, still calm from that morning, for once Alcina didn’t hear the rapid beats of her little one’s heart, her breathing calmer than it usually would be.

“What if I mess up again…?”

“You will never be in that chair. You are my daughter. My sweet little Vhaella.” she repeated, determined for her little one to believe her, to chase that particular fear away. She failed last time to help resolve any fears that brewed in the mind of her baby, she assumed her little one was like Bela, Cassandra or Daniela where they easily took her word.

Vhaella was different. She had been betrayed before. She has horrible trust issues. A mind that constantly worked against her. The rational part of her brain she relied on for survival for so long being the only constant in her life.

A dark mind that told her she was unworthy of more.

She would be here to chase all of those abhorrent things away and allow her little girl to finally be the child she never got to be.

“That chair is only used on those who disobey or intend to harm us. It’s only reserved for those below us.” Alcina continued, keeping an ear out for any change in noises from her calm little one. “You are above them. You will never be their equal or below them. Not anymore.”

“Why me?” Vhaella asked again, the mother sighing softly through her nose and frowned softly.

“Because I chose you.”

It was that simple. She held her for the first time in her arms two weeks ago that night, and like a mother being introduced to her newly born infant; she was smitten for her.

Love at first sight.

The same she felt for each of her daughters. She was very particular to who she accepted into her arms, into her small family. Countless decades passed and she had only chosen three within those many years.

And now she had her fourth.

“And I will continue to choose you and your sisters. I will never falter.” she chuckled as she lightly tapped the tip of her girl’s nose, the girl leaning on her arm giving her another small smile as she finally moved away.

With that Alcina smiled and got up to slowly stretch and hum through her yawn. She hadn’t slept that hard in so long, not since Cassandra was small and had a horrible habit of running around the castle terrorizing the maids. Not even Daniela had drained her as much as little Vhaella did.

“You’ll never change your mind?” came one final question, making Alcina pause walking to the bathing chambers and turn halfway to look at the nervous girl so tense and squeezing the lion toy in her hands.

“ Never .” Alcina sang sweetly, smiling when the girl seemed to melt and relax before she finally climbed out of bed carefully and shuffled to follow her to the bathing chambers. Today Vhaella was surprising her every few minutes, she wondered what had finally clicked in her mind…

She truly hoped that things would finally start settling, more and more she dreamed of seeing her little girl happy for once in her short life.

-_-_-_-_-

“ Baby sister! ” Daniela wailed, a flurry of wings and buzzing drowning the dining hall as she barreled into her startled little sister.

For once Alcina had let Vhaella follow behind her, realizing that while the little girl wanted to be so close to her, she also wanted to walk despite her newest injury on her thigh. It didn’t hinder her walking thankfully but Alcina was still worried her little one might agitate her new wound. However she was adamant to hold Alcina’s hand and press herself against her side as best she could.

As much as she wanted to pick her up and snuggle her more, she would allow this silent request and walked slower than normal so that her smallest could keep up with her.

And now she was just a smidge glad since she did not want to be bombarded by Daniela’s flies so early in the morning.

Alcina would keep close by as the cloud cocooned Vhaella into a familiar cloud, with her second youngest forming quickly with her small sister in her arms. She hugged her tightly as if a teddy bear and spinned on her heels, squealing and giggling in relief at seeing her.

“ You’re alright ! You scared us so much!” Daniela gasped, roughly nuzzling against her sister who was sputtering and trying to block Daniela’s smothering affections. “We’re so sorry you saw that down there! We didn’t know-!”

“I-it’s okay…-!” came Vhaella’s sputter, before she strained hard when Daniela was hugging her so suddenly tight, Alcina startled as she was quick to place a hand on Daniela’s shoulder and the other on the constricting arms around her smallest.

“Daniela, don’t crush her.” she requested, her suddenly buzzing form having such a hard time keeping physical as she let her mother scoop Vhaella into her arms.

“She speaks! And she spoke to me first!” Daniela cheered, her form now fully gone into cloud and would spaz about in place in delight. At the dining table Alcina caught the sight of her other daughters looking on in jealousy. Even Cassandra had looked so utterly jealous of Daniela at the moment, if that glare aimed at her was anything to go by.

Alcina could only shake her head at her daughter’s excitement before she checked on her youngest, cooing gently as Vhaella laid against her and wrapped her arms around her neck. “Yes, her voice is coming back. She’s being very brave with letting us hear her, so please be gentle with her.” she warned her girls, smiling at seeing them all nod… or buzz in agreement.

“Now let’s get some food in you, dear.” she mused to her youngest as she walked to the end of the table. No more did Vhaella fight when placing her in the highchair, though she looked a little perplexed as she looked to her unclothed hands then to Alcina, who gave her an assuring smile.

“I think your hands are healed enough for you to use, little one. Mommy only kept those on so that you didn't hurt yourself.” she explained as she sat down, resting her chin in her palm as she watched Vhaella look back down at her hands and clenched them. She could tell her little one felt naked without them.

She took a long drag from her cigarette holder and left the smoke slowly waft out her nose, away from her baby.

“If you want more… I can have them commissioned by your aunt; Donna.” she offered, Daniela quickly flew back to her seat, the force of her physical form slamming into her chair had it nearly topple before she leaned forward enough to have it slam back down onto all four legs.

“ Mother ! I can make them!” Daniela begged, giving her mother puppy eyes and whining dramatically as the mother chuckled more.

“You’ve done so much for her already, love. Let your aunt do something for her too.” she tried to assure, however her daughter would immediately pout and huff with her arms crossed.

“I don’t mind making her stuff…” she pouted childishly, but her attention would turn to the maids coming in with their breakfast.

Alcina kept an eye on her youngest the most, seeing how she paled so slightly as she watched the maids come along with their course, healed hands squeezing her lion toy all over again as her brow furrowed.

Those gray eyes turning glassy.

“You’re not eating the same as us, little Vhaella.” Alcina assured, reaching over to cup Vhaella’s cheek and smiling at seeing her girl’s distracted eyes finally clear and focus on her, her hands slowly relaxing against the toy in her hands.

The timing couldn’t have been perfect as a maid had carefully placed a plate onto the highchair. The plate consisted of scrambled eggs, buttered vegetables and a small slab of fish that had been cut into bite sized cubes. Things her daughter could eat with her hands. Herself and her daughters would be eating their usual man flesh, their own vegetables and toast with a glass of wine.

She kept a close eye on her daughter as she studied her food, her little girl seeming to relax more and more as she was able to recognize the food on her plate. Alcina chuckled softly more to herself as she finally pulled away to take a sip of her wine. Seeing as Vhaella was calmed and she wasn't exactly freaking out at seeing what they were eating, the girls began to relax and enjoy themselves.

Her daughters finally dug into their own meals but they would turn to look at Vhaella, curious to speak with her now that the little one had her voice back.

“Did you tell her about the surprise yet?” Cassandra asked randomly, mouth half full as she watched her mother elegantly eat her own meal.

Alcina took a moment to respond as she grabbed a napkin and dabbed at the corner of her lips, “I told her of it, but not what it is.” she assured, the middle child smirking as she looked to Vhaella who was looking between her and Alcina.

“What is it…?” Vhaella asked softly.

“It wouldn’t be a surprise if we told you before you saw it.” Bela laughed as she shook her head, Alcina smirking and nodding in agreement.

“You’ll see once you finish your breakfast.” Alcina mused as she reached over to run her claws through her daughter’s silver hair, smiling when Vhaella leaned against the petting.

“Just know we worked hard on it.” Cassandra huffed, trying to act as if she didn’t care however Alcina saw right through it, she could see her daughter slowly but surely warming up with her newest sister.

“ You’re going to love it !” Daniela stage whispered, winking playfully at her little sister before returning to her meal.

-_-_-_-_-


Vhaella would shift and squirm in the Lady’s arms, frowning nervously as she listened to the sisters chatting ahead of them, leading the way back down a familiar hall she could recognize leading to the Lady’s bed chambers.

The Lady herself would be silently following, a smile on her face as she would occasionally nuzzle and kiss Vhaella’s face to snap her out of any fearful thoughts.

She was a little fearful that after breakfast things would turn into a nightmare and she would die, but each time she began to panic the Lady was there to gently pull her away from her fears. Away from what her mind was so cruelly brewing up. When they didn’t go near the kitchens, finally Vhaella would calm and just try to look around for whatever surprise was as everyone refused to tell her about.

Passing down the Lady’s door they ventured further to a door just a couple of steps from her, the Lady paused and waited for the girls to move aside so she could place Vhaella down.

“Why don’t you go in first, my love? We will be right behind you.” she promised, Vhaella swallowing thickly as she looked up at the Lady, then to the sisters, then to the door looming so intimidatingly before her.

She didn’t think there would be anywhere else like the dungeons, she hoped at least, and at this point she replayed what Lady promised her in her mind like a mantra.

She reached for the Lady’s hand nervously and looked up at her, pleading, the Lady cooing sweetly as she held her small hand. With this, Vhaella looked back to the door and opened it slowly.

Her gray eyes widened in stunned surprise at what was revealed.

The room was decorated in various items she could recognize, most of the numerous toys Daniela had sewn for her in the many days she had been here. The room smelled floral, sweet, fresh, with many flowers she never saw before in small vases about the room.

Paintings she never saw before were hung on the walls, of various scenery to the characters of her favorite books, a gramophone off to the side gently playing music.

There were various other things; chests, dressers, wardrobes, a giant doll house that looked like Castle Dimitrescu that looked so expertly handcrafted. A little area with various art crafts with its own chair and table.

Then she blushed at seeing a large crib near the center window with a giant yet soft looking rub underneath it. The curtains at the moment closed from the windows with the small fireplace nearby being the only light source.

This was a baby room…

This was her room.

“Do you like it, darling?” the Lady asked, gently urging Vhaella to walk in and explore to her heart’s content.

Vhaella was stunned as she slowly walked into the room, her brain fizzling into a static as she tried to think on how to process any of this.

She never had her own room before…

She never had so much stuff before…

Her and her brother had slept in an abandoned home falling apart, the both of them huddled alone sleeping in rags. They only had what they could carry. She never dreamt having any of this before.

The Lady and her daughters followed after her, the sisters going about the room as well and smiling at the finished product of what took so long to prepare.

“I made these for you!” Daniela chimed in, her little sister startling as she watched her run to the various toys, then she pointed to the rug, then the many vases of flowers. “Mother said you liked her flower soap the most, so now you get to smell all the flowers you want!”

Vhaella blinked in surprise, she didn’t even think they noticed that.

“I think the paintings look better here than in my gallery… and you really liked those Hundred Acre Wood books.” Bela smirked, walking over to what Vhaella realized to be paintings made by her hand, the eldest sister fidgeting with their frames to make sure they were as straight as could be.

Then finally Vhaella looked to Cassandra, who was shuffling and crossing her arms as she stubbornly stayed near the Lady. Alcina smirked down at her and gently urged her to walk further into the room, leading the second eldest to huff and walk over to the dollhouse.

“Since you wanted to explore the castle so badly, I think this one might be safer for you.” she grumbled, refusing to look at Vhaella who blushed and looked at the dollhouse in a new light. Out of all the sisters she was so sure Cassandra hated her guts.

“No expense was spared to make this room as comfortable as possible. Only the best of the best for my girls.” the Lady chimed in with pride thick in her voice.

She never had so many people give her so many things… so many items she thought no one would notice she liked…

Not even her brother noticed…

Suddenly a sniffle left her.

All three sisters tensed in fright as they stared at her, their smiles and hopes slowly crumbling before their mother had gently cooed at all of them.

“Oh, don’t worry, darlings. She’s very appreciative of everything you have done for her.” She was quick to assure them, as she scooped up Vhaella and rubbed her back.

“ All of this is for me ?” Vhaella hiccuped, eyes blurring and cheeks reddening as she kept looking around, unsure of everything.

The Lady nodded as she walked around the room so that little Vhaella could look at everything properly, “All for you, my little one. Your sisters and I worked very hard on this room, we hope that you feel welcomed in it.” she hummed.

Vhaella nodded so violently, the sisters perking right back up as they began to grin and buzz, even stoic Bela was having a hard time keeping her from and Cassandra looked relaxed finally.

“ I love it here !” Vhaella cried, suddenly overcome with emotion as she began to bawl her eyes out, the Lady laughing lightly and snuggling her so close. The sisters floated nearby in hopes of offering aid in calming their sister from this emotional moment.

The Lady grinned now, happy to let Vhaella back down to let her little one fully explore her new room with all three sisters buzzing after her and happily explaining how they made their gifts to her, and how long it took. She was content to sit on a nearby sofa near the fireplace and watched as her daughters showed their youngest sister about her new room. Occasionally playing with toys and reading stories in the bookshelf nearby.

This truly felt perfect.

And Vhaella was happy to be in the center of it.

She and her brother used to play; tag and building things in the snow when he was young enough. But he stopped once things got harder. Where he could no longer sneak into the farmer’s barn and steal milk for her, when she had grown big enough to need actual food. When they had to scavenge more and more to survive another day.

She never had toys to play with, or siblings who enjoyed playing with her no matter how dumb it seemed.

These sisters were acting more like her siblings than her brother actually had been.

She was aware of how easy it was to let go and indulge them, her excitement and delight with her own belongings encouraging her to finally just relax.

She wasn’t aware that they had spent hours in this room. The mother sat nearby reading her own book as she and the sisters were sitting near the fire. Daniela was reading aloud from one of the children's books with Bela drawing in her sketchbook, and Cassandra with a block of wood and a knife currently half carving it into a bird. The gramophone playing gentle music in the background. Vhaella currently curled against Daniela, idly chewing on her thumb as she sleepily listened to her very animated narration.

She never thought she would be this content before… this relaxed…

Despite what she saw in the dungeons, the Lady wasn’t lying when she said she was safe… none of them had done a single thing to even suggest harm, she wouldn’t even count Cassandra’s hissing the first day she was here, it didn’t matter now… they had made her gifts, they were excited to show all of this to her…

They played with her like true siblings…

The Lady protected her from the wolf man…

They were so worried about her…

She shimmied closer to snuggle against Daniela’s side, her eyes half lidded as she curled up and hugged onto the toy lion she cherished so much. She never realized this was all she had wanted…

She always looked at the lit houses during night, as she and her brother scrounged for food and supplies, wondering what happened in those nice cozy homes.

Now she had a thought.

Glancing over to the Lady tiredly, gray eyes locked with golden and the Lady was smiling so fondly at them. Like a proud mother should, she made no effort to move off the sofa but her book was now closed and placed on her lap. She was simply watching the scene of her daughters all snuggled up near the fireplace, each enjoying their own hobbies with Vhaella in the middle of them.

And Vhaela gave her a sweet smile back, the warmth in her chest blooming into a fire, she didn’t know what that feeling was but she loved it so much. Just like this moment and the times she was in the Lady’s arms.

She felt like she was home.

She shouldn’t have fought so hard to leave…

-_-_-_-_-

“My, look at all my darlings.” Alcina cooed, all three sisters looking over at her with varying happy smiles, though they made no action to move due to a certain little sister who dozed off against Daniela.

“I think she really liked her room.” Daniela whispered, smiling in delight as she stroked Vhaella’s hair. Alcina nodded as she got up to walk over and bent down to carefully scoop up her sleeping baby. Vhaella would grumble and mumble as she hugged onto Alcina, currently trying to curl up in her arms.

“She did indeed. And I think we’ll find her here very often.” she cooed as she kissed her smallest’s head, smiling as her little one shifted closer to her affections. Her older daughters buzzed in delight as they went about getting up and cleaning after themselves, mostly Cassandra with her many wood shavings on the floor.

“I also believe it’s about time she gets to spend one on one with all of you. She is warming to us, and we should show her that nothing bad will ever happen to her.” she announced, all three girls freezing in surprise as they looked at her, Daniela was practically a cloud shaping a humanoid with how hard it was for her to calm. Bela was delighted with the news and smiled brightly, and Cassandra looked interested… although trying not to show since she was still trying to be so moody.

It definitely had Alcina chuckling and she motioned them to rest for the night, “We’ll plan out your play dates tomorrow. I’m sure she will love seeing all of your hobbies.” she mused. The girls smiling and grinning all the while as they rushed out, quietly as they could so they wouldn’t wake the baby.

It left Alcina standing there and looking around the room herself, her little one cradled in her arms with her face buried against her neck. From the first night of Vhaella being brought to her, she had immediately made the arrangements to spruce up this room. It had some of Bela’s clothes, Cassandra’s furniture and Daniela’s toys, but there were plenty that would be Vhaella’s. The crib she specifically commissioned and even expedited its shipment to her, knowing she would need it soon.

Her little girl adored lions and flowers, so there would be carving into the crib’s headboard of the majestic beast laying in a field of roses.

Her little one loved the color blue, so the room was accented with blue hues.

The room smelled just like her own. Just in case she had gotten anxious should she miss her when she was not currently there with her.

This was exactly what her little one needed to see. She needed confirmation that she was here to stay, that this all was not temporary, that nothing would happen to her.

She was extremely proud of the outcome.

She thought that her little one had retreated into her shell, reinforced her walls with steel instead of crumbling stone, yet her little one was surprising her so much today.

Not once had she fought. Not once did she try to run, try to resist, accuse them of things they would only do to those below them. She was calm, patient, a little nervous, and so, so needy.

Alcina adored it, and showered her little one with nothing but praise and encouragement. Wanting all of this and her discoveries to be positive. She knew now that the sight of all her daughters, curling near the fireplace and so lazily enjoying themselves without a care in the world, and her youngest looking at her and smiling so sweetly would be a memory she would forever cherish.

She had a feeling her little girl was finally coming back to her.

And she would welcome her back with open arms.

She glanced over to the crib silently, debating on whether she should let her little girl sleep here for the night… her chest certainly ached thinking of not having her snuggled against her in bed tonight. With Vhaella whining in her arms and shifting to nuzzle in Alcina’s neck more, the mother simply melted and held her closer to her chest, briefly nuzzling back and kissing her head of silver hair. She gently shushed her and muttered sweet things to her, smiling more when Vhaella finally settled back down.

Looking back at the crib though the thought definitely had Alcina pursing her lips in a stubborn pout, and soon she turned to walk out to her own room instead. Being careful not to disturb her daughter in her arms.

She might bring that crib into her room instead…

Chapter Text

“Bell!” came a cry, leading Bela to look over her shoulder at her door, blinking in surprise before she calmed into a smile at the sight of her mother waiting at the door with the little human hopping about, waiting for their mother to allow her in.

“I have calls to make, Bela. Will you watch her before her nap?” Alcina asked, giving her an apologetic smile as the eldest daughter put her brush down and walked over.

“I don’t mind watching her, mother.” she assured, Vhaella squealing excitedly as Alcina let her run over to her sister.

The mother smiled more at the sight as she looked to Bela, “Please try to not let her get paint in her hair.” she mused playfully before she turned her attention to Vhaella. “Be good for your sister.” she warned the little girl, who would nod and hold Bela’s hand.

“Okay!” Vhaella replied happily, smiling at their mother with delight as she waved at her with her free hand, Alcina cooed more for her as she blew a small kiss at her before finally leaving them be.

It had been a couple of months since Vhaella was brought into the family and she had developed so much.

It seemed like night and day where she used to fight anyone’s affections, refusing their mother and sisters’ attention. But after what she had seen in the dungeon, and returning from narrowly avoiding death a second time, she seemed to finally open up, and she blossomed beautifully .

She was no longer that frail thing who came to them in the blizzard’s night, with filth and wounds from dogs. Bones no longer protruding her previously starved form, fingers no longer rough and cracked, feet now smooth with care. Her hair so much healthier than it had ever been. She looked the very image of a well loved child.

And she was indeed such a loveable little girl, curious and yet so easy to be frightened still. Not of them, not anymore. But mostly of things that were outside of their little family bubble.

The lycans, the moroaică, the maids sometimes when they lingered too long or were a little too close for her liking. They found that Vhaella preferred to be in the company of any of them but above all she would be their mother’s shadow practically.

But while little Vhaella was regressing so well into the baby their mother had wanted so desperately, they had hidden the most monstrous of themselves. Alcina still felt as if she weren’t ready given how easily frightened she was, so they had toned down their talks of the dungeons, the monsters outside their castle were obscured out of her view, the dead men they were finding more and more they had to discard quietly.

Bela had a feeling her mother was a bit fearful they would lose Vhaella again. She had been a bit more protective of her ever since she had saved her from the lycan… whatever happened out there had bonded them in a way that was unique.

It made the eldest happy, and she was even happier her littlest sister was finally returning their mother’s affections so openly.

The only thing that hadn’t happened yet was Vhaella calling Alcina mother however.

And she knew it stung their mother each time Vhaella wouldn’t call her the title, instead she was mostly as silent as a mouse, clinging to her so needily as she had the first night they had her.

She knew it wouldn’t be much longer though. She just had a feeling.

A tug on her sleeve made her stutter out of her thoughts and she looked down at the little human looking up at her with those bright gray eyes. She gave her a smile as she scooped her up into her arms and walked over to the current project she was working on.

It would be a portrait of a woman in mourning garb, looking regal and elegant with a doll in a wedding dress in her arms, cradled as if a toddler in her lap. She smiled as she saw Vhaella’s eyes widen at the lifelike painting then look to her for questions.

“Who?” she asked innocently.

Bela smirked as she looked back at the portrait, it still had a long way of being done before she presented it to the person in the painting. “That’s Aunt Donna. The culprit who taught Daniela how to make all those toys flooding your room.” she teased, snickering along with Vhaella’s giggles.

“She’s pretty.” she commented, looking back at the painting and wriggling about, “Is she nice?” she asked again.

Bela hummed and nodded, “She’s very sweet, yes. Perhaps one day mother can invite her for dinner, I’m sure she has been dying to meet you herself.” she mused as she let Vhaella down.

With that Vhaella hummed again before she went investigating Bela’s room, wondering what else her sister did in her room all the time.

There were many supplies for art. From oil paints, canvases, charcoal, watercolor, brushes, and off to the side would be various clay with half finished projects of the woman’s body. Bela arched a brow at how Vhaella seemed genuinely interested in it. Smirking more she followed her over to them and knelt down to be at her level.

“Would you like to learn how to make flowers?” she asked, grinning playfully when Vhaella looked at her with a bright smile and nod enthusiastically.

-_-_-_-_-

“You know… I think mother would love these very much.” Bela mused, at the moment sculpting a rose and glancing over at Vhaella. She had placed her in an apron with her hair pulled into a ponytail and the sleeves to her dress rolled up. Ever since then they had sat at the small table and sculpted all manner of things.

Animals and flowers mostly, all different types and shapes. Bela had discovered Vhaella really enjoyed this and had tried her hardest to follow her instructions. Her most favorite to make were flowers.

“Think so?” Vhaella asked as she looked up at her, in her hands a small tiger she was able to make, she finished it off by placing a too long tail on it and placed it carefully to the side. So far they had two platters worth of sculptures that would need to be baked later.

“I know so. She keeps everything we make for her.” Bela puffed up her chest in pride, although knowing her mother kept her first ever painting of their family - and how horrible her anatomy was back then - somewhere in the castle was a bit of a frightening thought. If Cass ever saw it… ugh …

Vhaella grinned brightly and nodded, “I hope she likes them.” she huffed, now trying to get another clump of clay to make yet another flower for their mother.

The eldest and youngest spent another few minutes in pleasant silence before Bela hummed again.

“You know what else she would like?” she asked, whispering lightly as she leaned close, being playfully dramatic as she paused in making her rose. She smirked more when Vhaella tilted her head curiously at her, her hands slow and distracted as she tried to think.

“I think she would very much like you calling her mommy.”

Immediately there would be a frown, and Vhaella stopped her hands near instantly as she looked away, her brow furrowing and a small pout on her face. Bela arched a brow at her and hummed curiously. She could tell gears were spinning in her sister’s head and she would patiently wait as she went back to her rose.

She didn’t know her sister’s reasonings for not calling their mother by her name, but she could tell even now there was a conflict. Whether it was good or bad she wouldn’t be able to pinpoint.

“Dunno…” came a mumble, shy and frightened that had Bela looking back over casually.

“That’s alright if you’re not ready yet. But just know it’s something that would make her whole decade.” she assured, wanting to make this seem as if it weren’t a big deal so that Vhaella didn’t feel guilty.

Another long pause lingered in the air, and slowly the little human went back to working on her flower, looking confused and unsure of herself as she kept her eyes glued on her working hands.

Bela watched all of this silently as she began to hum, she noticed when their mother hummed that Vhaella would calm, so she thought to try it herself.

Luckily it worked like a charm and the tension she saw in Vhaella’s shoulders lessened to the point she was back to her normal self, a tiny appreciative smile on her face as she looked up at her before looking back at the top heavy sunflower she was making.

-_-_-_-_-

At one point in their little sculpture making Bela had noticed one particular thing.

A maid was lingering a little too long in her room, and would steal glances at Vhaella when she thought no one was looking. She slowly went about making Bela’s bed for the day and grabbed all of her used brushes to clean; any aprons she had stained with paint slung over an arm.

She was slow, meticulous, but very well distracted.

“Take these to the kitchens.” She barked at the maid, finding she didn’t like how she was staring at her sister, and how she tried to find things to do closer to her. Bela sneered at the startled human and got up with the two platters of sculptures and held them out for her to take, standing in front of her sister and blocking her away from the maid’s view.

“If one so much as chips… well … you should know by now what happens.” she hissed, forgetting herself only briefly and had to pause to correct herself. She didn’t know how Vhaella felt about their punishments of the staff and none of the family dared try to test the waters.

“Yes, my Lady!” came the maid’s frightened response as she carefully took both platters and slowly shuffled out of the room, the door slightly left open on her way out.

Bela watched her door for a good long minute before she returned her attention back at Vhaella, who was rubbing her eyes carefully with the back of her hand, looking exhausted after making so many gifts for their mother. The eldest sister smiled as she walked over and knelt down at her side again. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Mother should be done with her calls soon.” she offered, smiling when Vhaella responded with a childish hum.

Soon she took her clay caked hands into her own and led her off to her own bathing chambers.

-_-_-_-_-

“What’s all this?” Came the Lady’s curious question, smiling at the sight of Bela and Vhaella in her nursery with what looked like so many little figures of clay.

Vhaella would be wiggling about excitedly, much like her sister Daniela as she plucked up the hardened sculptures she had made earlier. Once she had been washed up her and Bela had been lounging in her own room, the oldest sister read her a story before a maid recently brought back the baked pieces they had made that morning. She was so happy to see that none had lost any pieces, and they were now ready to be painted as Bela explained.

“But that can be for another day. We can surprise our mother with them later.” Bela had planned, keeping some of the flowers Vhaella chose to paint to the side, leaving them as surprises for their mother.

“I made you things!” Vhaella declared proudly, soon getting up and rushing over to the small table that held her own supplies and plucked up a small tiger with the too long tail, she then ran over to the Lady and leaned against her legs hard. She held up the figure in delight and couldn’t help the excited hopping as the giantess took the figure delicately into her hands.

“And what a grand sculpture this is! We have yet another artist in the family…!” The Lady cooed, smiling at both her daughters and looking at the figure in her hands carefully, soon recognizing it as a tiger.

Vhaella beamed in pride as she nodded, she had never made anything so simple before but she found she loved it. She didn’t need to think, she could just create. Let her hands do all the work with her imagination broadening each day.

She really wanted to do more sculptures as soon as possible, but for now she was content to show all of these to the Lady.

“Mommy will treasure this forever.” The Lady purred, a playful smile on her face as she knelt down and scooped up Vhaella, quickly nuzzling and peppering her in kisses as the little girl squealed in delight.

Vhaella found she loved when the Lady would do this, scoop her up into her arms and just shower her in so much love and attention. She was addicted to it, and she found she never wanted it to ever go away.

Ever since she had accepted the Lady’s affections and intentions, things had gotten so much better. She accepted being babied, accepted the blasted nappies even if she still hated their very existence, accepted the naps and the mittens, the bottles in the middle of the night being one of her secretly favorite times as she loved how the Lady treated her.

Golden eyes turned honey sweet during bottle time, those eyes adoring her, arms loving her, it was all intoxicating. She knew if she ever had a mother that she would have Lady Dimitrescu’s face, her eyes, her voice, her warmth .

When she thought of a mother, she thought of Lady Dimitrescu.

But she still couldn’t bring herself to call her mommy.

Not that she didn’t want to. But she found she couldn’t. Her brain stubbornly kept one last line of defense, the last wall she had closest to her heart. Fears dug so deep had the name strangled in her throat, never letting it come out.

She feared if she was to call her mommy finally, something would happen. Something would come to rip her away from all of this. From the Lady and her sisters, from the warmth and the protection.

From a life she had always wanted.

She just didn’t know why she felt like that. Perhaps it was due to experience, whenever she was happy before her brother would come to ruin it, or her life would take it from her, situations worsening to the point she wondered why she was ever happy to begin with. Perhaps it was just an unfounded fear that settled.

The Lady would be able to chase them away. She had chased all of her other fears away and they never came back. The nightmares she had lessened more and more.

She just didn’t know how to voice this one. When she was able, she was sure Lady Dimitrescu would be able to chase this away as well, never to be thought about again.

But now a yawn erupted from her throat, and she could hear the Lady chuckle. “Someone’s late for her nap…” she teased, arching a brow at her and smiling more as Vhaella nodded and lazily rested her head on her shoulder, her arms loosely wrapping around her neck.

“Mmhmm…” Vhaella would mumble tiredly in agreement, she smiled lazily as the Lady gently pressed her head against her own, cooing so softly for her before she addressed her eldest.

“Thank you for watching her. You can return to what you were doing earlier.” she spoke softly to Bela, who nodded as she got up and walked over to them.

“It’s a pleasure to babysit her, mother. She’s so much easier to handle than Daniela was.” Bela joked before she snickered more as the Lady responded with a chuckle of her own.

With that both had left Vhaella’s chambers, with the Lady returning to her own.

The crib was something she was getting used to. The Lady had it brought to her room instead of the nursery and she had been trying to get her to take her naps in it. However she stubbornly would climb out and climb into the Lady’s bed instead; opting to sleep with her rather than being alone in the crib, as much as it was comfortable and pretty to sleep in when she did settle in it.

The Lady certainly didn’t complain, and she wasn't even attempting now as she placed her in bed and went about undressing her to replace with a onesie.

“Did you have fun with your sister?” the Lady asked, looking up at her as she plucked off the wool socks on her feet. Vhaella nodded tiredly and smiled.

“She paints good.” she mumbled before yawning again, leading to the Lady to nod in pride.

“With time you can be just like her. I think she would adore having someone to paint with.”

Vhaella could only hope so, what Bela painted looked so real, she didn’t know how she could do it.

But her mind soon drifted back to the Lady and her sweet humming, the lullaby she recognized as one during bottle time, immediately it had her feeling so sluggish and tired, and she would’ve nearly collapsed in bed had it not been for the Lady still dressing her.

“Such a sleepy girl I have.” the giantess purred, a teasing tone in her voice that had Vhaella try to smile back.

Once she was dressed in a warm onesie, Vhaella held her arms out needily for the Lady to pick her up again, which the Lady happily obliged and scooped her up into her arms. She carefully settled herself in bed with Vhaella cradled against her, and would resume humming as she ran her claws through her hair. Vhaella whined in delight as she leaned into the petting and closed her eyes, her little fists balling in the Lady’s evening dress as she finally settled down.

She could hear her deep voice chuckle softly, before feeling a pair of warm lips press against her temple. “Rest, little one. Mommy will be here when you wake.” she promised.

And Vhaella did. Because she knew the Lady always kept her promises…

Chapter Text

“Baby sister~! Baby sister~!”

Vhaella stirred briefly as she slowly opened her eyes, squinting at the dreaded sun shining into the room. She stirred slightly and hugged Patches closer to her chest as she looked over to Daniela. The redhead beaming a bright smile as she happily floated an inch off the bed.

Vhaella had looked around again, noticing a certain giantess was missing and it had her feeling anxious. Daniela easily sensed this and tutted at her. She playfully tapped Vhaella’s nose and giggled at the little human’s sputter of surprise and wiggle of her nose.

“Mother had to answer the phone. Grandma called.” she explained, quickly Vhaella relaxed back into bed. She knew the Lady couldn't ignore the phone or else she got in trouble, and she didn’t want her getting in trouble. So she would be a good girl for her sisters meanwhile.

“Wanna come spend time with me and Cass? We got new music from the Duke!” Daniela giggled, wiggling about in the air and impatiently waiting for Vhaella to answer. She didn’t need to wait long as the little human nodded and smiled back, leading to Daniela squealing herself and quickly scooping Vhaella up out of bed. Her cloud of flies buzzing so loudly as she placed Vhaella down on her feet and rushed to get her dressed.

Vhaella though would happily stumble after her, a playful grin on her face as Daniela giggled at her, “Save that energy! You’ll need it!” came the second youngest’s voice in the swarm of insects.

-_-_-_-_-

“I got her Cass!” Daniela squealed, happily trotting down the hall to a grand ballroom with upbeat music playing loudly. Vhaella would be grunting lightly as she tried to hold onto Daniela and her hyper jolt down the hall but there was a smile on her face, she loved it when Daniela ‘zoomed’!

Once in the ballroom Cassandra had just finished messing with the gramophone and turned to look at her two sisters barreling into the room, the smallest sister with her hair practically windswept at this point.

“Damn Dany, you’re going to mess up her hair if you fly down the hall like you are.” she huffed as she walked over and took Vhaella from her second youngest sister, earning a giggle from both as Vhaella wrapped her arms around her neck to better hold onto her.

“Oh please, she loves to fly!” Daniela huffed as she combusted into a cloud and flew past the both of them to the table with various vinyl discs laying about. All of them looked new judging by the way their slips looked pristine. Vhaela looked over curiously at the sight then sat up straight to look up at Cassandra, curious to know why they were here instead of in one of their rooms.

The second eldest seemed to notice this and she smirked as she patted her back, “Dany here wants to teach you something. I’m just here for the music.” she joked, though Vhaella had a feeling it wasn't just because of the music she was here.

“What?” Vhaella asked, more so to the both of them before the music scratched to a halt. Cassandra groaned hard as she looked over to Daniela already switching the music to something else, this time upbeat and quick as she began to bounce to the tune.

“This one! It’s perfect!” Daniela huffed confidently before she rushed back over to the pair and motioned for Cassandra to let Vhaella down.

“I’m going to teach you how to dance!”

-_-_-_-_-

Vhaella stumbled about to the tunes of the music, her legs shaking and feet tripping on themselves but she had the biggest smile on her face. Daniela was near as always and was close enough that should Vhaella fall, she would quickly catch her in her cloud and help her back up. At this point however Vhaella was doing it intentionally and it had led to Daniela just buzzing around her in her cloud, both squealing and laughing as they enjoyed the hyper music.

Cassandra would be nearby smirking as she lazily went about her carving, her foot tapping to the music as she kept an eye on the two.

She was starting to get used to her baby sister.

She was a brat when she first came here, and her mother had introduced her so suddenly without even hinting she wanted another baby in the castle. But now she could see why her mother had fallen for her so hard and quickly.

She was such a sweet girl once she came out of that shell of hers. And she was braver than she thought she was.

After all, even she had been afraid of what their mother was, what Bela was when it had only been the three of them before Daniela. She could see herself somewhat in little Vhaella, with her doubts and the fear of abandonment.

She understood it very well.

But she knew her mother would be able to handle it. She had raised them all and helped them forget their past lives. She never doubted her mother’s capabilities, she doubted Vhaella’s abilities to just surrender and accept her new life.

So far she seemed to have done that and Vhaella was finally happy. And her mother was happy. And she was happy because her mother was finally happy again.

She smirked as she watched Daniela pause and land hard on her feet, she could hear her urge Vhaella to carefully stand on the tops of her feet. Once the little human had done so, Daneial would start waltzing; grinning in delight as Vhaella held on and squealed without a care in the world, loud and proud of herself as she danced along. Daniela hummed aloud and laughed all the while.

She never saw Daniela so happy either.

She was always hyper and had too much energy for the older sisters. Her mind energetic and she never stayed in place for too long, her interests forever shifting like sand in an hourglass.

But she saw that she was grounded with Vhaella, her focus on their small sister never faltering. She could tell Daniela adored having someone who was just as energetic as her, and could actually tire her out surprisingly.

She realized that Vhaella was helping them in more ways than one.

Even Bela seemed to be happy she was here, as it gave her an opportunity to help with the wine business and its distribution as their mother focused on Vhaella’s regression. She was just as brutal as a business woman as she was critical with an artist's eye. She knew their mother was proud of Bela as well. Their mother was proud of all of them…

Well… except her… mainly because Cassandra hadn’t done much for their newest addition of the family besides the dollhouse she had already been making due to boredom…

She pouted as she glanced back up and stared at the two squealing sisters, her brow furrowing as she thought. She needed to do something too. What though she couldn’t think of just yet.

Her hobbies weren’t beautiful like Bela’s or fun like Daniela’s. Her’s relied on death and decay, patience with knives…

And she was sure if she showed Vhaella her collection that she would be bawling to their mother for a week straight. Carving wood wasn’t exactly quick to do either so she couldn’t rely on that…

She would let that sit in the back of her mind for now. She would come up with something…

Relaxing back on the sofa off to the side, sitting close to the gramophone and far enough away from swinging limbs, Cassandra would settle and watch the two.

Though she noticed something.

The door to the ballroom was slightly cracked open, and with it a maid was peeking in, trying not to be noticed. She recognized her as one of the recent staff they had to replace, this one surprisingly survived two months here if she remembered correctly.

She also remembered Bela saying something about that particular maid a couple weeks ago… her older sister didn’t seem to like her now that she was thinking about it…

Something didn’t feel right.

And she saw the maid notice her glaring and quickly moved away from the cracked door, leading to Cassandra growling and dematerializing to swarm after her. The force of speed she created caused a vacuum of wind and slammed the door hard behind her departure.

-_-_-_-_-

The two sisters jumped in surprise at Casandra leaving in a rush and slowed in their dancing, Vhaella frowning as she hugged onto Patches and looked up at Daniela for an explanation.

The redhead hummed curiously as she tilted her head to the side, “Maybe she forgot something…” she thought aloud before looking down at Vhaella and smiling more. “Are you thirsty?” she asked, cupping Vhaella’s face and lightly smushing her cheeks. Vhaella would sputter into giggles as she nodded.

“To the dining room!” Daniela declared, scooping up the little human to go sprinting out of the room, of course Vhaella squealing in delight all over again.

Soon they would be in the smaller dining room, this one wouldn’t be as grand and was more so personal for the family when they wanted a snack on something. Mostly this was for the sisters as their mother unfortunately couldn’t fit into the room nor its chairs…

But it would fit Vhaella and Daniela, who at the moment was going about making a horrible mess for the poor maids standing by.

Daniela knew the kitchens were prohibited to Vhaella, because it led to the dungeons, and she didn’t want her baby sister being scared and running away again. So she had snuck into the kitchens herself to grab milk, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and a small flask she wouldn’t tell Vhaella about. But now she was back in the dining room with Vhaella so curious at what they were making.

“Bela made this for me when I first came here. It’s very sweet and wonderful!” Daniela explained, not caring about making a mess on the white tablecloth with cocoa powder sprinkling about. Vhaella’s gray eyes sparkled in curiosity as she leaned over the table to see what her sister was doing, being careful not to slip off her chair.

“What?” she asked.

“Onnnne second…!” Daniela hummed, stirring furiously as the glass of milk quickly turned a creamy brown, then she grabbed a nearby straw and plopped it into the cup. “Tada! I introduce to you: chocolate milk!” she grasped, holding up the glass as if it was some treasured item before she placed it in front of Vhaela.

“Just don’t tell mother, she’ll be mad you’re having sweets before dinner.” Daniela grinned, giggling as Vhaella nodded enthusiastically before she looked down at the cup. Slowly with uncertain hands she would wrap her fingers around the glass and carefully pull it closer. Daniela made a noise as she held the straw still for Vhaella to latch onto and begin sucking on.

Then suddenly her eyes blew open in surprise, and she looked back down at the milk in shock before she went for a bigger sip, then another, and another and another.

Daniela giggled more manically as she wiggled about in her own seat, quickly she would go about making her own glass, though when she used the flask in her own cup, the drink turned more of a reddish brown. She sipped on her own, purring in delight at the sugary sweetness.

Then they would sit there enjoying their treats, with Vhaella humming in delight and Daniela swaying along to the humming.

“Is Cass mad at me?” came a small question, with Daniela humming in reply and shaking her head.

“Never! She’s just a bit of a hardhead, and wants to act tough when she’s just a puppy!” Daniela joked, smiling when Vhaella giggled at the thought.

“What she do?” came another question, leading to Daniela thinking on how to reply.

“For hobbies? Well…She builds things… like… animals…” Daniela struggled to explain, wondering if Vhaella could handle death… she didn’t want to risk it.

“Animals?”

Oh, she was so cute asking questions! She couldn’t help it…!

“Yes, many, many animals! Some made out of wood and some she has to rebuild after… uh… after they pass away.” Daniela tried her hardest to mince her words, her shoulders tensing as she watched Vhaella closely.

But no quickened heartbeats, no shuddering breaths, not even a hiccup. Instead Vhaella’s eyes widened in surprise and suddenly looked so curious to see Cassandra’s work.

Daniella positively buzzed in her seat, happy she was able to navigate the situation.

“Maybe she’ll show you! She’s very shy about her work!” Daniela stage whispered, just in time for a thump to sound nearby followed by a small scream and a feral growl, quickly she reached for Vhaella’s ears and glared hard at the door as if it had personally offended them.

Quickly a maid would shuffle into the room, holding her bleeding hand before she noticed the two Ladies. She stammered an apology as she looked back at the door, however she seemed as if she didn’t want to go back that way and simply rushed off to another door. Daniela hissed and growled at the sight as she tried to block Vhaella’s view of the bleeding maid.

“Get out of here!” Daniela snapped at the maid’s retreating back.

Soon though Cassandra would be seeping through the door and materializing afterwards, a look of anger on her face as she noticed the closing door on the other side of the dining room. Daniela growled as she narrowed her golden eyes at her older sister, she hissed at her, knocking her out of whatever thoughts she had to look over at the pair in perplexed surprise.

“What are you doing? You could’ve scared Vhael!” She snapped, still keeping her hands over Vhaella’s ears, though the little human didn’t seem to mind as she looked up innocently at her and sipped her drink.

Cassandra sputtered and glared at her as if insulted, before she bared her fangs and spat at her, “That maid-” she was cut off by Vhaella sneezing suddenly and spilling her milk, leading to it spilling onto the table and her dress, she began whining in despair.

“Oops…” came her fearful whine, leading to Daniela whining to herself and reaching over to wipe her face with her sleeve.

“That’s okay! I can make you another and we can go read in your room!” she assured her before looking back at Cassandra. “Just make sure to be quiet next time… Vhaella almost saw her.” she warned, getting up with their sister and scooping her up into her arms, leaving Cassandra there to fester and deal with the mess they had made at the table.

-_-_-_-_-

A few hours would pass by with little Vhaella emotional. Daniela was panicking due to not knowing what was wrong, and Vhaella didn’t tell her what was wrong either.

They had been doing fine in her little sister’s nursery, but at some point she had startled herself out of the light doze she was having and ended up crying as a result. The second youngest had a feeling that she wanted their mother but she was still doing her business, and she was unsure if she could bring her to her without little Vhaella making such a racket.

But she certainly didn’t like seeing her baby sister cry, and would cup her face and lightly stroke it as she had seen their mother do, it was only then that Vhaella began to calm and lean into her hands so needily, her sniveling lessening to sniffles as she closed her eyes again.

“Want…” she mumbled sadly.

“What do you want?”

“Want…” came a pathetic yet persistent whine.

“Do… you want mother?” Daniela asked hopefully, smiling softly as Vhaella nodded.

She thought more about it as she continued to stroke Vhaella’s cheeks. She supposed her baby sister was still a bit needy and their mother had unfortunately been busy for a few weeks… there were only so many things the sisters could do to distract their youngest from wanting their mother.

“Can you promise to be as quiet as a mouse?” Daniela whispered, her smile brightening more as those watery gray eyes looked up at her. Slowly the little human nodded as she held her arms up, wanting to be picked up.

“We’ll go see mother, but we must not make a peep! Grandma doesn’t like noise.” she explained simply as she scooped up her baby sister and carried her to their mother’s study. She would only feel a nod against her head as Vhaella hugged onto her and buried her face in her shoulder. With that Daniela began the long trek of walking to their mother’s study, hoping she wasn’t making a big mistake by doing this.

-_-_-_-_-

Alcina would tense as she heard the faintest knock at her door, her lips turning into a frown as she looked over from her phone and noticed her two youngest carefully walking in. She relaxed slowly at the sight and unfurrowed her brow, her frown of annoyance turning to one of confusion as she took in the sight of her baby. She snuffed out her cigarette in its ashtray and placed its holder off to the side before returning her attention back to her daughters.

Her little one looked like she had been crying.

She looked to her second youngest and read her silent sentence on her lips.

“She wants you.”

Soon warmth bloomed in her chest at the knowledge and she would slowly relax more, a smile now growing on her face as she silently beckoned them closer. She had to briefly respond to Mother Miranda on the phone however, “I understand.” she replied simply. She held her free arm out and carefully took Vhaella from her older daughter, silently tsking at her and smiling as her little one carefully shifted into her lap and snuggled into her chest. She soon wrapped her arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

She looked to Daniela and nodded her appreciation for her looking after her sister, the second youngest perking up with pride as she smiled and nodded herself. She soon looked to her baby sister and waved goodbye to her before sneaking out of the room to leave them be.

With that she would idly listen to Mother Miranda’s plans as she looked down at her baby, nuzzling her face against her youngest’s hair and holding her so close to her chest. Her little one relished in the attention and would make it a point to keep pressed against her as tightly as she could, her cheek practically smushed against her bosom. It was only then that her baby calmed and closed her eyes with a content sigh.

She had noticed that her smallest was particularly needy with nuzzling into her, her breasts more specifically. She was very adamant to rest her head above them or simply be near them… and it had the mother thinking it was perhaps time for the next part of her plan.

Vhaella had been regressing so well since the incident, and she adored the fact that her little girl was almost complete. She hated how she had gotten there but she couldn’t deny she loved the result nor deny she was happy for how quick Vhaella was finally giving in since that night…

She was almost complete, but not yet. She still needed some work but Alcina was sure the hardest was over with. She may not use her words much, and she may not have called her mommy yet, but she hoped with this next stage she-

“I am calling for a meeting. You are to arrive tomorrow.” came a dreadful line of words, one that had Alcina tensing and the warmth in her chest cool into icy dread.

This wasn't good at all…!

Her baby wasn’t ready!

She couldn't leave her, she still needed her mother…!

What if her baby thought she was betraying her…?

Alcina had to bite back a growl, her lips curling into a silent fanged snarl as her hold on Vhaella strengthened . She was despising the thought of her smallest scared, her mind coming back to tell her that her mother had betrayed her. The mother was brought back to reality as she felt her smallest hold onto her tighter in response, and Mother Miranda prodded for her answer.

The summoning wouldn’t be until the next day.

“Yes, Mother Miranda…I will be there.” she assured, closing her eyes tightly when she felt Vhaella tensing in her arms and so very roughly nuzzling into her chest, her form soon violently trembling. She wrapped her arm better around her baby and started to pepper her head in a flurry of kisses, wanting to console her and praise her for being such a brave girl at the moment. She was being so good and quiet that she couldn’t help but shower her in affection…

At least she had a day to spend with her darling. She would be back the next, she would make damn sure she would.

Soon the call ended and Alcina might have hung up a little rougher than she usually did, she growled low in her throat as she scooped up Vhaella better into her arms and stood up. She wanted to be anywhere but near that phone right now.

“I’m so sorry, my love.” she sighed softly, looking down at the teary gray eyes of her baby, and the trembling lips. “Mommy won’t be long.” she promised, her heart breaking as little Vhaella clung to her so desperately.

“Don’t go…” she hiccuped, voice small and pleading and it was killing Alcina not to just give in.

But she couldn’t refuse Mother Miranda.

“I cannot refuse her, my darling. Mommy must answer her calls.” she tried again, slowly and carefully walking into her own bedchambers and placed her little one down on her bed. She knelt down to be at Vhaella’s height and cupped her cheeks, using her thumbs to stroke underneath tear-drowned eyes.

“Mommy has a day to spend with you before she must leave. And once it is done she will come back here the moment she finishes her business.” she promised, looking her daughter straight in the eyes and hoping her little one would believe her.

Would trust her.

There would be a pathetic sniffle and her darling baby leaning into her hands like she so sweetly did usually, her small hands holding onto her own as she nuzzled.

“Promise?” came the sad but hopeful whisper.

“I promise.”

She could see her daughter want to say something else, yet her mouth would clamp shut, her brow furrow and her eyes grow glassy. Alcina frowned as she leaned close and rested her head against Vhaella’s humming deep and slow for her like she alway liked.

Her baby wanted to finally give in; she could see it, but there was something inside that was so stubbornly clinging on. Preventing her from just letting go and being happy… she couldn’t for the life of her understand what it was however.

“My brave little Vhaella…” she cooed so sweetly to her, relaxing as Vhaella leaned up into her nuzzles. She resumed to pepper her face in lipstick kisses and cooed more, wanting to calm her little one down.

Things wouldn’t be so bad.

She had a day to spend with her little one. She would have to alert her older daughters, but once she did so she would spend all of her remaining free time with her little one. She needed to ensure that her little girl wouldn’t have any doubts of her love, of her possibly changing her mind and never coming back.

She would always come back to her babies. This she swore.

Chapter Text

“Let me watch her.”

Alcina arched a brow at Cassandra curiously, at the moment placing down her glass of wine and motioning for her second eldest to continue.

At the moment the family was at breakfast, Daniela and Bela looked over to their sister in surprise as Vhaella was idly snacking on her bowl of cut fruit. The little thing adamant to sit in Alcina’s lap instead of the highchair.

“I mean… everyone else got to spend a lot of time with her but me. Let me have my time.” Cassandra frowned, looking around at everyone and seemed to flush the faintest hint of red, leading to the mother smiling lovingly and chuckling deeply.

“I don’t see why you couldn’t, dear. You all have been so good to your sister.” she assured, looking down at her baby and smiling as Vhaella sensed her looking at her, she looked up at her and cooed sweetly. Alcina scrunched up her nose at her playfully- leading to the little girl to sputter into giggles and soft squeals.

“Then I’ll leave her care to you when I depart, Cassandra. I’m trusting you all to behave yourselves and not do anything foolish.” she hummed, idly stroking her daughter’s chubby cheek and humming in delight at feeling her nuzzle into her hand and hugging onto her arm.

Cassandra seemed to relax immensely with that announcement and nodded to herself, appearing a bit distracted at the moment before she finally went back to eating. Though Alcina noticed she would keep looking around the room for something, or someone.

Bela seemed to be doing the same thing now that she noticed, though Alcina was unsure why. She assumed that they were simply keeping an eye on the nearby staff should they mess up somehow. Vhaella especially didn’t like any of the help around so perhaps her daughters were making sure that they wouldn’t get too close for their liking.

Either way it had warmed her heart to know how protective they were of their baby sister. She had been so worried it would have taken longer for them to warm to her, Cassandra especially, but it seemed she was just as fiercely protective as she herself was of the newest addition of the family.

With most of her travel plans settled for the next day, and a small bag packed for the trip, Alcina had alerted her daughters of her plans for the day and how she wanted to spend it with her baby. They all knew Vhaella would need this one on one time or else she would be panicking the moment she left, and this time the sisters wouldn’t be able to go to their mother for aid for their little sister.

She had written down instructions on what to do should Vhaella have her panic attacks, what to do when she requested her, what to do to calm her enough to sleep, how to chase those dark thoughts should they try to rear their filthy heads back the moment she left. She could only hope it helped. She hoped her baby would be brave and trust her.

Trust that she would come back to her.

“What would you like to do today, my love?” Alcina asked her baby, looking back down at her with so much adoration and pride in her golden eyes. Vhaella paused in eating a slice of apple to think, she hummed in thought as she childishly poked her bottom lip out.

“Paint?” she asked hopefully, looking back up at her with those sparkling gray eyes. Alcina swooned all over again and she chuckled lightly. Even though she didn’t particularly like the idea of getting messy so soon today… she’d bear it for her little girl.

“Then we will paint.” she announced, her smile growing when her baby squealed in delight and happily wiggled in her lap, dancing in her own way as she went back to eating her breakfast.

-_-_-_-_-

Vhaella huffed as she rushed about her little art studio, grabbing various brushes and the small jars of colorful paint Bela had made for her. She grabbed all her little figurines she made with clay, unsure of which ones she wanted to color and which she could let the Lady do.

She looked over at said giantess and grinned brightly at her, the apron she had on looking just a little snug around the waist and chest for her but it was enough to cover for her front. The Lady arched a brow at her playfully as she rolled up the sleeves of her evening dress, humming curiously as she waited for her to come over. She sat on the floor of her nursery, a sheet below them to protect the fluffy rug Daniela spent so long on, the Lady sitting on the floor with her legs crossed.

“Mommy must look silly for her darling to be smiling so big like that.” she teased, leading to Vhaella blushing and shaking her head as she toddled over with all of her supplies in her arms.

She had just never thought she would see the Lady look so… she wasn’t sure what to describe it… normal?

She was always so proper and elegant and regal and sophisticated… her brain hurt trying to come up with bigger words and it had her shaking her head.

She found lately it was hard to think long.

She was just delighted she wanted to paint with her. Quickly she placed everything down and crawled over to the Lady’s side to start laying out all the figures she had recently made with Bela, this time being a pile of various birds and dragons.

The Lady carefully plucked up a dragon to look over, humming curiously with a smile, “You’re doing so well with sculpting, draga mea. Already you’re learning so much.” she praised, the compliment made Vhaella melt so happily and grin in pride. The small human gasped excitedly as she got back up on stumbling feet and rushed back over to her table, desperately looking for one sculpture she had finished as a present.

Once she found it she grinned more and grabbed it, soon turning to rush back to the Lady and present it proudly.

It was a sculpture of a rose, painted black with the very tips of them painted white. The rose made her think of the Lady’s brooch, and she wanted to try and copy it with colors from her favorite dress. The Lady blinked in surprise and cooed as she carefully plucked up the small thing to inspect, a smile growing on her face soon after.

“What a beautiful rose, sweet Vhaella. Another gift for mommy?” she asked, the little human nodding enthusiastically.

“All for you!” she reiterated, dancing in place as the Lady watched her with delight.

The Lady laughed as she carefully placed the flower to the side for now, “Mommy will treasure this one just as she does all the ones you make for her.” she promised, soon reaching over to cup Vhaella’s face and lightly squeeze a chubby cheek.

Another series of giggles left Vhaella, simply too happy to do much else as she closed her eyes and hugged onto the Lady’s arm, seeming so content to just have all of her attention and affection at the moment.

“Which shall we color, my darling?” The Lady asked, Vhaella blinking her eyes open as she looked back down at all the figurines, her brow furrowed in thought as she slowly shifted closer to the Lady and leaned against her side. She soon pointed to the dragons first as she plucked one up.

They would spend hours carefully painting; while Vhaella was not caring for which colors clashed against one another, she would be mesmerized at seeing the Lady so carefully try to paint her own. The figure and brush were so small in her hands, but she held them with great care as she was currently painting a white dragon.

“What do you think of dragons, darling?” came a random question from the Lady.

Vhaella stuttered out of her daze of watching her to look up at her, brow once again furrowing as she tried to think. “ Big .” she mused, hoping she gave the correct answer.

The Lady chuckled more and nodded, “Yes, they are. Do you find them scary?” she asked, glancing down at her, her fingers paused from painting.

The little human pursed her lips in thought, she didn’t know what to make of them. Daniela spoke of them as giant, fire breathing beasts, scary and feral in the stories she read. She shuddered to think about meeting one here.

“A little… they destroy things…” she admitted, not noticing the Lady tensing so slightly before relaxing.

“They can be a little scary… but they can be friendly too, my sweet.”

Vhaella nodded but she doubted it; they could be like the wolf men that tried to eat her too!

“No matter, mommy will protect you from even a dragon.” The Lady mused, leading to Vhaella relaxing and snuggling up so close to her side, content to just watch the Lady paint.

“Promise?” she asked.

“Mommy promises.” the Lady says firmly.

-_-_-_-_-

When dealing with paint, one tended to get messy no matter how careful they were.

But Vhaella didn’t care, she was content to press her back against the Lady’s front, sighing blissfully as clawed fingers so carefully massaged the shampoo into her silver hair. Eyes closed as she listened to the Lady hum a familiar tune.

Lately her mind had been so blissfully blank, no more thoughts came running into her mind, trying to scare her into running away again. All she was ever worried about was being near the Lady, her warmth… food and perhaps naps… and playing with her sisters.

Everything else had faded away. She couldn’t even remember much of the village. Thankfully it was fading to time, she had forgotten about-

Almost.

“Don’t fall asleep in the bath, love.” the Lady cooed, lightly stroking her face and thankfully stirring her from her dazy sleep. Vhaella grumbled as she slowly stirred and reached up to tiredly rub at her eyes, a mumble coming from her throat.

“I know, mommy wishes to rest too. We’re almost done, then we can rest together.”

Together. She loved that word… she smiled in delight, loving the warmth that bloomed each time she thought about it.

She never realized how alone she had felt before.

How starved she was for someone to look at her with anything but disgust, hate, pity… indifference…

Now that she had all of this, she never wanted to go back. She never wanted this to end…

She yawned again as she looked up at the Lady with pure adoration in her eyes, the giantess taking notice and pausing in washing her hair, surprised to see such a look apparently.

“Mommy’s little girl is so sweet tonight.” she purred, cupping Vhaella’s face and gently kissing the tip of her nose, making Vhaella laugh and coo back at her, lazily she reached up to hold the Lady’s face as well.

The Lady certainly didn’t expect it, as her golden eyes widened ever so slightly and watched as Vhaella continued to nuzzle and coo. Soon she relaxed and began to purr, a proud warm smile growing on her face as she closed her eyes and returned all her little girl’s affections.

“My little Vhaella.” she whispered with such love.

-_-_-_-_-

“I change my mind.”

Vhaella looked to her brother in confusion, in her hands a rat she had been skewering onto a stick, a pathetic fire in the old fireplace being the only source of light. “Change your mind about what?” she asked her brother, a sickly man huddled in any fabric she could find to wrap him in, eyes sunken in more than usual, cheeks more hollow.

“I change my mind, I think you’re ready. You’re healthier than me… you got a chance and we both get what we want…” he rasped, coughing soon after and groaning in exhaustion.

“What are you talking about-?”

“Just don’t fight it. He’ll be good to you-” he pleaded, a look of desperation in his eyes, she couldn’t recognize her older brother in that stare.

He stared at her as if she was an object. A fruit that finally came to fruition after years of patience… a flower ready to be plucked.

A prized pig that was finally going to the butcher.

He always told her that to survive; you had to be selfish…

There was knocking at the door…

-_-_-_-_-

“Vhaella… Vhaella… come back to me, my darling…” Alcina begged, watching in fright as she watched her little one tremble and cry in her sleep, her form sleek with sweat and face flushing red in her tears.

She had woken to the sounds of whimpers, thinking none of it, she had gotten out of bed to request a bottle and had turned to stoke the fire for the night. However when she started to hear the choked sobs that sounded so broken, she knew these were not the cries of her little one being hungry.

This was a nightmare.

She hadn’t had them in so long…

Quickly she rushed back to her bed and scooped up Vhaella into her arms, cooing and humming to her in hopes of calming her, however they went unheard as her little one began to thrash, began to kick and sob.

And scream.

The screams were torture to her ears. She didn’t want to hear this ever again for as long as she lived.

Never again.

“You’re alright, my little girl… you’re safe with mommy.” she sang, pressing her head against Vhaella’s own, a frown deep on her face as she began to bodily rock, keeping the flailing girl in her arms. She made sure to wrap the girl’s own arms around her chest, not wanting to risk her hurting herself. She took extra precaution to grab Vhaella’s legs and tuck them close under her arm, curling around her practically

“Come back to mommy.”

-_-_-_-_-

“I’m not going with him!”

“You’re going to. I already made a deal with him!”

“What about you!? I thought…-”

“I need the medicine, Vhaella! He agreed to help as long as I give you to him.”

“I don’t even know him!”

“He’s the Mine Owner’s son! He works closely with one of the Lords giving metals; he has the lei to care for you and your future children…”

Vhaella began to raggedly pant, her eyes drowning in furious tears as she stared at the large fat man and his men. So full of himself with finer clothes, smelling of alcohol and grease. He looked arrogant. Smug.

Dangerous.

He stared at her as if she was a piece of meat ready to devour. She shuddered at his yellow tooth grin.

“Don’t you want to help your brother? He’s cared for you all his life, sacrificing so much for you. You should thank him by coming with me.” The fat man grunted, smirking and licking his lips.

“You’ll make fine children. That hair and those eyes are to kill for.” he mused, walking closer to her.

“Don’t touch me!”

She didn’t even realize she had stabbed the man in the shoulder with the skewered rat, the man yelling in surprised pain as his men sprung to action.

“Wait!” came her brother’s sudden cry, his frail form struggling to stand and rush to his sister.

-_-_-_-_-

Alcina whined so softly, her form rippling slightly as she listened to her little one’s wails, her arms so tensed up that she was sure to be feeling it tomorrow, but at the moment she didn’t care. Her claws extended against her will, threatening to pierce her little one’s pajamas. She tightly closed her eyes and bit her tongue, doing her absolute best to remain in control, but it was so hard hearing her little one trapped in whatever torment she was in.

She had gotten lax again… that horrible mind of her daughter’s was still festering so below the surface now. Like an infestation…

The rot was still there. She needed to rip it out. She needed to rip it to shreds. She needed to burn it away into nothing.

She needed it gone.

“Vhaella… Vhaella…Vhaella.” she continued to sing, her voice deep and warped and so, so worried. So pained.

“Mommy’s here… I’m here…”

-_-_-_-_-

“Andrei!”

She scrambled over to her brother, tripping over the overturned table and sobbing frantically, grabbing for his shoulder and shaking him hard.

Her brother’s head lulled unnaturally, the bones in his neck protruding yet not breaking through the skin. He looked at her with blood drowned eyes, mouth gaping like a fish, a look of stunned betrayal on his face. As if he had been the one to be betrayed.

Why!? Why did he get to feel betrayed!? She wasn't even the one to shove him aside so effortlessly, however she was the only one to try to catch him… but she couldn’t when strong hands tried grabbing at her… and she watched in horror as his head slammed against the nearby table with a sickening crack.

“Grab her and take her back to the carriage!” the fat man snapped.

She needed to run.

She needed to get away!

She needed to run for her life!

The storm around her was blowing so hard, she had lost what little she managed to grab, and she couldn’t see infront of her face but she could hear the men behind her. She could hear the fat man yelling in rage. She couldn’t move so quickly, her limbs were freezing up on her. She stumbled through the darkened snow, unsure of where she even was.

All she could see was black snow, felt their sting cutting into her, the wind knocking her about. Her hands and feet felt as if she had stuck them directly into fire. She was so cold…

She could hear the howls. The screams. The ripping and the tearing.

Then the raging storm. Screaming and roaring around her, the eerie silence of it all, the isolation.

The growl behind her.

She looks back to see the wolf men’s eyes.

Hungry.

Starving.

“Vhaella! Come back to mommy!”

-_-_-_-_-

Another scream pierced the air, only this time terrified gray eyes snapped open and she frantically tried to get herself free of whatever was keeping her confined. She was hyperventilating, gasping for air, heaving ugly sobs as she looked around in a manic confusion, her entire form trembling like a leaf in a raging storm.

“Vhaella…!” came a familiar voice, one deep and warped but she could recognize it all the same.

She could smell perfume… flowers… the fireplace… the Lady’s cigarettes…

The Lady…

Vhaella continued to greedily gulp in air, her form so tense as she dared to look up at the Lady, locking eyes with grief stricken gold, bright and glowing and looking so feral.

“My little girl… it’s okay… it’s alright… Mommy is here." She continued to speak, seeing now that Vhaella was looking up at her, the Lady calmed as she held her closer and buried her face in her neck.

“What horrid nightmares are tormenting you so…?” she couldn’t help but shudder, though Vhaella couldn’t find her voice.

All she could do was mumble pathetically through her loud sobbing, a word so close on her tongue but she still couldn’t say it.

She didn’t want the Lady ripped from her. Not after everything.

She didn’t know if she could survive being alone now that she knew what family was.

What a mother was.

She began to hum so violently, her lips trembling as she tried to push the word out of her mouth. The word stuck in her throat like a hook, even her sobs unable to dislodge it from her throat. The one thing she knew the Lady wanted to hear, what she wanted to say for so, so long.

But even now she couldn’t fucking say it!

“Shh… mommy is here.” the Lady continued, holding her flush against her chest and peppering her kisses, smothering her in nuzzles.

Did the Lady get bigger…?

Vhaella didn’t care. She needed the Lady. She clung to her warmth like a lifeline. Her grip on her nightgown was white knuckled. She buried her face into the Lady’s breasts, shuddering another breath as she continuously tried to press herself more and more into the Lady, this closeness wasn't enough!

“Calm, my sweet. All is well, my little girl…my little darling.” she could hear another sweet promise.

She felt shifting, and the Lady’s nightdress loosening, she looked up at her and tensed in surprise.

The Lady had slipped a shoulder of her dress off, and was currently trying to arrange her in a way she was cradled when being fed a bottle.

However she could see the brief sight of a maid, terrified off to the side with a platter in her hands, the bottle on the platter clattering so softly with the maid’s trembling.

“I know what you need, my little one. I’m here.” the Lady spoke, wanting Vhaella to focus on her, her cheeks flushing in a bright blush as she realized what the Lady was trying to do.

But the Lady made no move to force her, she simply cupped the back of her head, keeping her cheek pressed against her bare breast. The skin to skin contact felt so nice… She couldn’t understand why. Her sobs were finally strangled to a stop, her current predicament had her too stunned to continue to cry. She heaved big breaths in to catch her breath however, as fat tears still rolled down her cheeks and smeared against the Lady’s breast.

A soft nipple brushed against her lips.

It was warm and so enticing, never cold and alien like the bottle she realized, and she was surrounded by the Lady’s scent. Her warmth.

Her love.

Nervously she looked up at the Lady, shuffling only slightly to get comfortable before she finally yet slowly latched on. Her tears still present but she is calming down, the Lady’s warmth is comforting, her scent is assuring, her touch is soothing.

She tried to calm from her outburst to focus on making a proper latch, her tongue trying to prod and poke, lips creating a seal tight hold, but nothing was coming out just yet. She fussed and whimpered more, shifting more and kneading at the breast as the Lady helped to get her better positioned.

She is first rewarded with a slow trickle, a small taste on the tip of her tongue, her brow furrowed as she shifted again and kneaded just a little more.

Then a burst of milk floods her mouth. Gray eyes widened in the surprise of how sweet it was. Her tears and trembling are no longer the center of her attention.

Far sweeter than the drink Daniela made for her. Far more delicious than cow’s milk.

She hears a breathy sigh above her, and then the Lady begins to hum once more, gentle and sweet as claws combed through her hair.

She could hear her heart so clearly… she could feel her singing… the fiery warmth in her chest somehow grew into a raging inferno… warming her entire being entirely. Chasing away the frost of the nightmares that tormented her, evaporating the scars they dare leave behind.

Something in her died tonight. Something else was born in its place.

Her cheek pressed more against the Lady’s bare breast, her hand in the valley of her breasts, palm over her strong heart.

The Lady’s arms wrapped around her, her golden eyes looking at her with a new level of admiration and affection, a fanged smile prominent. She could swear she saw her gold orbs misty…

Vhaella finally felt as if the burning want she had was doused now. Simmering embers cooling to no longer be a problem. She swallowed her first mouthful, soon working her jaw for another gulp.

And another.

And another.

And another.

And she could feel the rumble of the Lady’s chest, new and curious, the Lady purring in delight through her humming. Claws worked through her silver hair again, stroking her lazily as she suckled her fill.

“There’s my little girl.” The Lady cooed softly.

She sighed in relief as she finally was able to relax, the nightmare she held washing away so quickly.

The fear. The betrayal. The horrible life that would’ve been the rest of her life. All gone. Never to happen.

Because the Lady promised her.

-_-_-_-_-

Alcina continued to watch her little one suckle to her heart’s content, gray eyes unfocused and glassy, however for once nothing was going on behind those eyes. The mind that had so abruptly tormented her dormant for now. She gave her yet another smile, watching so sweetly as she raised a hand to cup her cheek and softly stroke under her eye.

She had forgotten so many little things about nursing. How each of her daughters fit into her arms. Their little smiles against her skin as she showered them in affection, their needs to nuzzle and knead against her for more. The lazy jaw movements and the unfocused eyes, the little noises they would make.

She missed all of this. And she was so glad this was able to help her little one to calm, to return to her after what hell her slumber had caused her.

So focused was she on her little one, she hadn’t realized the maid who was sent for the bottle was still there. However the maid didn’t dare say anything, she simply stood there and stared at Vhaella.

It was the rattling of the glass bottle against the tray that had the mother finally looking over. Her once sweet smile turned sour as she slowly bared her fangs and held Vhaella closer, arms slowly covering her baby from the human’s view. Warm gold eyes cooling into steeled indifference, into critical and predatory.

“Is there a reason you’re still here, invading my privacy with your stench?” she asked, her tone promising death, the maid stuttering as her trembling increased.

“F-forgive me, my Lady… her… her bottle my Lady requested…” she wheezed, Alcina scowling more as she looked at it then back to the maid. She flicked a delicate hand at her, dismissing the flinching maid who scrunched up her shoulders in reaction.

“ Leave. ” she growled, voice deepening again into a feral snarl, not appreciating the fact her first time nursing her baby was witnessed by common filth .

The maid shuddered once again as she quickly tried to do a curtsey, one hand noticeably bandaged and almost dropping the bottle of milk in her hands. Alcina narrowed her eyes at her, this little wretch was on thin ice the longer she lingered here; her claws were already growing in size the more the grandfather clock ticked nearby.

But soon the maid was gone, and just in time as Vhaella would hiccup and grumble tiredly, though her incessant kneading and her unsuccessful suckling distracted Alcina once more.

“It’s alright… Mommy has you.” she cooed at her, slowly and carefully shifting her to her other breast. She had to take a moment to rescind her claws so that she could help her little girl latch once more. Once her little one was able to suckle again, the both of them calmed into a mind numbingly blissful peace.

The mother sighed heavily as she leaned back against her bed’s headboard, her eyes locked on the form of her baby and the thumb that lazily stroked a milk stained cheek.

Now more than ever she dreaded having to leave her little girl. She was not ready to be left outside her care. Not ready for her to be left at home with her sisters.

But she couldn’t bring her along either. She would not expose her to Mother Miranda. She refused to show any of her girls and she would be no different with her youngest.

She couldn’t risk her gaining her attention… she wouldn’t allow it.

She refused.

So she would have to stay home. And she could only hope that her little girl was brave for her. That she would remember all of her promises. That she knew she would come back.

That she could trust her not to betray her.

She looked down to her little girl upon realizing she didn’t hear anymore gulps, felt no more suckling.

Her little one fell back asleep so quickly… Perhaps something in her had died finally.

Perhaps the rot had been drowned away. Never to rise again.

She could only hope as she slowly unlatched her and shifted her to lay back down. She was still too wired to sleep herself but she settled down curling around her little one, simply deciding to lay here and watch over her.

She will watch over her tonight… just to make sure her baby could rest at least…

-_-_-_-_-

Alcina woke to the feeling of little hands patting at her face, slowly but surely she opened her eyes and looked at little Vhaella. She smiled softly as she slowly shifted in bed, realizing she must have fallen asleep with her little girl last night and not know it. The fact she woke now and not any sooner had her relaxing, that meant no more nightmares…

“Hello, my little one.” she purred, smiling when Vhaella giggled at her, smiling as if nothing from the previous night happened.

“Hi…” came her sweet baby’s gentle whisper, a shy smile on her face as she flopped back down against her side and cooed lightly. Alcina smiled more as she rolled over her side and pulled her close against her chest.

“How are you feeling?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“ Hungry… ” came her little girl’s mumble, leading Alcina to chuckle as she nodded.

“We should fix that.” she cooed as she nuzzled her sweetly, delighted to see Vhaella needily lean into them with no issue.

If she hadn’t witnessed what happened last night herself, she wouldn’t have thought it to ever happen.

The needy little paws clutching and tugging at her nightgown brought her out of her thoughts. The mother smiled more as she slowly got up and scooped her darling up into her arms.

“Don’t worry. Mommy will take care of you.” she promised as she went about helping Vhaella settle in her arms, her little one seemed to take nursing so well, and Alcina found that this would be one of her favorite past times to do with her little one. It was a good bonding moment for just them.

She nursed all her daughters, and bonded with them in ways any mother and child should. Vhaella would be no different.

But seeing her so relaxed was definitely something she would cherish.

“Mommy will have to leave soon.” she warned her, the little one looking up at her as she lazily suckled. “She wants you to be brave and behave for your sisters… she’ll be so happy if you do.” she requested.

“Can you trust her?”

Her little girl continued to watch her, the only sound coming from her would be the little gulps she’d make, until finally she hummed. Short and sweet but Alcina knew what her answer was.

The mother could only smile as watched her baby with adoration, “There’s my good girl.”

Chapter Text

“Bye-bye my darlings, I’ll return as swiftly as I can.” came their mother’s sigh, at her leg would be Vhaella hugging onto it and frowning so hard. The staff currently bustling about taking the Lady’s small luggage to her carriage.

She felt like she was already going to regret requesting she look after her youngest sister with their mother gone.

But she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

More and more she saw that one particular maid who thought herself sneaky, her sweat and rapid heartbeats always gave her away. She caught her lurking near Vhaella’s nursery, checking the windows in there. Bela had found her past curfew in one of the halls, one near to the courtyard, feigning being lost after going to the staff’s bathing rooms. But one thing all three sisters noticed once they had spoken of their own experiences with one another…

The maid was never far from Vhaella, whether pretending to dust a vase or walking by with a basket of linens. The human was even daring enough to do her duties near their mother when she was fawning over their little sister. Their mother was extremely distracted with Vhaella, as their little sister was demanding all of her affections before she had to go. She, unlike the sisters, hadn’t noticed that one particular maid was seemingly always around their sister. If she did, she would’ve sent her into a wine barrel on pure suspicion alone that she was up to no good.

The maid looked as if she wanted to yank her sister away. Steal her into the night.

And with their mother gone, she feared that bitch was going to try something tonight.

She would’ve told her mother about what she and her sisters noticed about the woman, however when she announced she was being summoned by Mother Miranda, she just couldn’t. This was something she and her sisters were going to have to handle. And the maid hadn’t done anything outside of her duties to give them reason to take her to the cellar, their mother would think them simply terrorizing the staff again.

Should that worm try to touch a single hair on her littlest sister’s head, she would be sure to flay her alive- slowly.

Luckily that one particular meatbag made herself scarce today, as she didn’t see her with the other staff preparing their mother’s horse and carriage either.

“Bye…” came Vhaella’s little sigh, looking all kinds of dejected as she was pulled from their mother’s leg and urged to hold onto Bela’s hand. All four of them would wave and smile their mother goodbye as she turned to walk out, being mindful not to let the chill linger too long in the main hall.

With the heavy thud of the front doors, Cassandra inhaled deeply through her nose and looked over to her sisters, Bela looking back at her with a furrowed brow and Daniela frowning hard, all three of them were tense and nervous. Mainly because they knew how attached and dependent Vhaella was of their mother, but also the fact they all felt as if something wasn’t right.

They’d try to shake it off, Vhaella may be little now but she was so observant even when she didn’t know it. They would need to make sure she was distracted at all times tonight and hope their mother returned before anything happened.

Daniela decided to speak up as she looked down to Vhaella who now clung onto Bela’s leg, nervously sucking her thumb and hugging onto her lion toy.

“Baby sister, guess what?” she started as she knelt down to be at her level, smiling more when their smallest sister looked up at her silently.

“Cass has decided to show you her room!” she gasped, Cassandra glaring hard at her because she had said absolutely no such thing!

Then suddenly Bela chimed in, humming sweetly as she ran her claws through Vhaella’s silver hair, her form relaxing slowly, “That’s right, she’s been very excited. She works hard on her specimens just like Daniela does her flowers and me with my paintings.” Cassandra balked now, feeling betrayed that both her sisters were ganging up on her so suddenly.

She may have offered to watch their baby sister but she planned to simply spend the night in her nursery, keeping guard over her should that maid attempt something extremely foolish.

But Vhaella had looked at her so hopefully, those big gray eyes sparkling with curiosity, Cassandra looked to both her sisters in stunned surprise, a frown on her lips as they silently urged her that it was alright.

Finally with a dramatic groan she nodded, “Fine… but if she starts crying I’m not taking responsibility for that.” she warned them as she walked over and scooped Vhaella into her arms. She tensed slightly as the little girl wrapped her arms around her neck and rested her head on her shoulder, already seeming to make herself at home in her arms.

“I warned her in advance before, she seemed really interested!” Daniela assured, smiling at the sight and fussed over her baby sister’s hair for a moment.

“It’s just until we can make our rounds, then we can switch roles.” Bela promised, as she wanted to take first sentry duty around the castle with Daniela before they came and joined in her room to entertain their smallest sister. They planned to be at their little sister’s side at all times, never giving that maid a chance to try anything tonight. Once their mother came back they would speak to her about the human woman to get rid of her finally.

The eldest middle could only roll her eyes. “I’m just warning you in advance.” she huffed as she excused herself, being mindful to keep a good hold on her sister in her arms.

“Bye!” Vhaella called, waving softly from Cassandra’s shoulders at her two other sisters. Daniela would squeal and hop about on her feet as she waved back excitedly however soon they would turn and walk off into another hall, with Bela looking tense and prepared for anything.

Cassandra would ensure that her little sister was fed and happy, though she was unsure for how long she would be able to do so. Vhaella was very much a mother’s girl like herself, and she knew it would be only a matter of time for her to start bawling her eyes out for their mother. She was expecting it at this point.

So she went through the motions of their day-to-day activities. All in which she let Vhaella choose what to do, with the occasional visit of Daniela and Bela to make sure things were alright on their end as well. So far nothing seemed to be happening today but the second eldest wouldn’t let herself relax until their mother arrived back home tomorrow… maybe if they were lucky it would be a short meeting and she would be able to come home somewhat in the morning before Vhaella woke. She doubted their little sister would be calm the second day she didn’t get to see their mother.

“Can I see your stuff?” Vhaella asked hopefully, Cassandra tensing as she placed down the book she was reading to her little sister in the library.

She furrowed her brow in thought and frowned ever so slightly, her little sister staring up at her with those damned big gray eyes of hers had the same effect Daniela’s had when she wanted her dessert…

There would be a long pause between the both of them before finally Cassandra sighed heavily in defeat, knowing she wouldn’t be able to deny her sister when she asked so politely…

“...Fine…”

-_-_-_-_-

Vhaella looked around in wonder, surprised to find so many skeletons in glass displays presented around her sister’s room.

They were large animals, from some she could recognize as bears… deer… even large cats. All arranged in ways as they would’ve been in life. Prowling, pouncing, running. Cassandra even had a pair of what looked like two wolves in a playful dance with one another. A large snake was hung on the ceiling, forever coiling around itself for the rest of eternity, candles in glass bowls twinning its coiling as they were tied to its spinal column with a thin rope.

There were smaller displays too. Turtles, lizards, birds, small creatures galore that Vhaella couldn’t all keep up with when Cassandra showed her about silently.

Their bones shined in the candlelight, ivory and spotless, not a speck of dirt or moss staining them. In glass displays with no fingerprints or smudges, wood is sealed with various varnishes.

Then she had some completely made of a mix of bone and wood, imitation and real. The wood having intricate carvings of runes and patterns with the bone left pristine.

Which was her current project now, as the broken head of a stag was on a desk nearby with various measuring tape and pencils around it, nearby a half carved antler and part of an eye socket laid untouched for the day.

“You’re not scared?” came Cassandra’s question, Vhaella only vaguely aware of her trailing behind her so closely.

How could she be? They were so pretty!

She understood death, she was afraid of it like everyone else, but somehow Cassandra had been able to make it look so less scary. And so much more pretty.

She always thought Cassandra just hung up dead things in her room, that’s how her other sisters acted when describing it. But she didn’t see dead things here. She just simply saw animals still being themselves, with the help of Cassandra replacing any parts they lost.

“ I love it here! ” Vhaella gasped, smiling up at her surprised sister who watched her run over to another display of a fox, curled up in a ball as if it was still hiding its face in its tail.

There’d be a chuckle nearby, “Somehow you keep surprising me.” came Cassandra’s musing, as she followed her about.

Vhaella giggled at her as she looked up at her, “What are you doing with that one?” she asked, pointing over to the broken stag head on the desk.

Cassandra looked over and thought for a moment, “I don’t know, I don’t have all of him to put on display here.” she hummed as she walked over to her desk and sat down, Vhaella soon toddling after her and looking over curiously.

“Can I help?” she asked hopefully, gray eyes wide like saucers as she took in all the detail of the carving her sister had done so far. She was so good with her hands! Just like Bela and Daniela! She was so envious!

There’d be a pause before Cassandra hooked her hands under Vhaella’s arms and hoisted her up onto her lap. “Sure, baby sister. Maybe you can help me fix him up.” she agreed, grinning as Vhaella wiggled about in delight as she looked at all the tools around.

-_-_-_-_-

Ultimately Cassandra let Vhaella help her with sanding down the antler, with her own hands working on carving out the eye socket and cheek for the skull. It was a nice thing to have someone help her out with her more bizarre hobby, one that had many staff and even her sisters not wanting to visit often due to the amount of death and blades about. Their mother simply couldn’t or else she’d hit a lot of Cassandra’s works, but she would peek her head in from time to time to check on her.

But her baby sister easily accepted it, just as she did everything else of theirs so far. Ever since the incident.

She accepted them drinking blood, eating man flesh; she was never scared of their mother’s warped voice or claws when she lost her temper on the staff. Never afraid of their bugs either. In fact Daniela particularly loved it when Vhaella would run and dive for her, knowing that Daniela would catch her in her cloud every single time.

It was as if she was an entirely different girl now, and it had Cassandra finally opening up to her in ways she only did for her sisters and mother.

She wondered if perhaps she didn’t mind they were monsters. She would like to hope. She’d hate having her still so scared of a part of her she couldn’t control. Couldn’t help being. She loved who she was now, and she wanted her baby sister to accept that.

But something told her that she would be alright. Their mother would simply have to choose a time for them to truly reveal themselves, and Vhaella finally accepts all of them for their pluses and negatives. Their humanity within their family and their monstrous instinct to those outside of it.

She could only hope so. Because she really liked having Vhaella around now-

She heard a gunshot.

Chapter Text

She heard a gunshot.

Vhaella jumped in surprise along with Cassandra as they both stopped what they were doing with the stag head, Vhaella’s eyes wide in confusion as she felt her sister’s form tense underneath her.

Quickly and carefully her sister got her out of her lap and urged her to stay behind her. A feral snarl was already coming out her throat as she reached for a sickle hanging nearby and rushed to her door.

Once the door was opened they could hear screaming of men, and so many gunshots, Vhaella could hear Daniela’s cackles of glee even from here.

“ Fuck… !” Cassandra cursed soon looking over to her, her golden eyes wide with frenzied worry as she rushed to her sister. She quickly knelt down to be at her height and reached to cup her face.

“You need to listen to me. Hide under the bed and do not come out until one of us says so…!” she whispered harshly, Vhaella stammering with her mouth opening and closing, words struggling to form.

However Cassandra was quickly distracted as she heard voices closer, and she turned to her sister with a pleading look in her expression. She uttered an apology as she began to roughly lead Vhaella over to her bed, threw off one side of her blankets, and urged the little human to get under the bed.

Vhaella didn’t need to be told twice as she quickly and clumsily scurried under, a whine being the only thing to sound from her as she curled up at the furthest part of the bed, away from the door and Cassandra, hugging her lion toy in a death grip.

She wanted the Lady…!

Quickly Cassandra fixed her bed until it looked like it was untouched, and as soon as she was done she heard a window being shot at, followed by Bela screaming in pain. Cassandra snarled animalistically as she combusted into an angry swarm of flies and flying out of her room, her door slamming so hard that it actually bounced back from its door frame, leaving her room wide open and exposed.

Then there was silence…

She didn’t know how long she spent under this bed, huddled into a ball and staring at the open door with unblinking eyes, her nails digging into her forearms in their vice grip around her companion. It was all so eerily quiet…

The isolation was coming back… memories of black snow dancing across her vision.

Of hungry wolf men coming to devour her.

Devour her and her sisters.

She wanted the Lady…!

Vhaella continued staring at the door, listening out and whining so faintly to herself, her form trembling and shuddering. She soon focused on the close sounds of gunfire, of her sister’s rageful roars, the men yelling…

Glass breaking again. She could smell smoke.

She wanted the Lady…!

Cassandra screamed in agony.

Vhaella’s eyes widened in horror as she trembled, her eyes drowning in fearful tears as her heart thundered in her chest, her lungs gulping in air greedily. She began to shake her head as she quickly crawled out from under the bed and ran out, her lion toy still in her hands. She and him will protect her sisters! Her brain was static, she wasn’t thinking, she just knew she had to save her sisters…!

She couldn’t do so for Andrei but she wouldn’t be too late this time from saving her sisters!

Not again!

-_-_-_-_-

There was fire, one of the oil lamps nearby had tipped over and caught onto the curtains, however none of it mattered as there was a group of men in front of her sister. Men she could recognize from that night. Their very appearances had snapped her mind into full alertness.

The fat man’s men. Why were they here!?

The room was a storm of fire and ice, gore and beauty, light and dark, of mortals and gods. She trembled in fear as she was able to recognize a few of the men from that night many months ago, one in particular being the one who shoved her brother into that table… the one who chased her into the storm…

The son of the mine owner wasn’t here.

They were here to do his dirty work for him instead.

None noticed her yet as they were trying to force a pale and cracking Cassandra further near the shattered windows, the snow angrily blowing in as if hungry to drag her into its storm.

Various mutilated bodies of men were splattered about, Cassandra having hacked and slashed off limbs and heads. Wet meat, bright blood and stinking organs sprinkling themselves amongst broken glass and snow, the stink of cooking flesh hung heavy in the air.

The room was being engulfed in flame and smoke but the men didn’t falter, they only had one last monster to deal with before they could take their objective away.

Trapped from escaping one of the many rooms of the castle, Cassandra was cornered against two grand windows, the glass shot through and allowed the nightly snowstorm to let itself into their once warm and safe home. Between the two sisters would be men from the village, fools hungry for the prospect of lei and treasure within these halls.

And if they took out the monsters of the castle… all the better…

The fire was growing…

She wanted the Lady…!

Her sister breathed raggedly as she held her cracking apart face, eyes manic and horrified as she wildly swung her sickle at any who came near her. While the frost was slowly making her fall apart, their fire could burn her away into cinders in her current condition… blurry golden eyes crazily looked from each man gaining traction, her fangs bared as she snarled as she snapped her head from each man-thing.

Until she noticed Vhaella, and her already pale and cracking skin somehow got paler , and she heaved heavily in despair as she opened her mouth, prepared to scream again.

Despite the barrel of a shotgun aimed at her head, the man unaware of what was behind him and his group, she dropped her sickle and reached out to Vhaela.

“ RUN! ”

So much yelling, it hurt Vhaella’s head as she stepped over the broken shards of glass, slipping on meat and organ and cutting her feet. She didn't need to be told that the snow was killing her sister, her falling apart while trying her best to keep away from the windows told her enough that the snow was dangerous to her. But with the men and fire in front of her, there wouldn't be a way for her to get out of there without risking getting hurt in her state. She needed to help her. She needed to save her big sister. Her mind went numbingly blank as she reached down for one of the dead men’s weapons and raised it over her head. Gray eyes wide and feral and crazy. She would not let it happen, she would not run, she would fight, she would protect her big sister!

She screamed angry and loud, they would not take any of her family from her!

She wanted the Lady…!

Slamming the hammer hard against the back of the man’s head, the others startled at the ambush and turned to her. The man with the shotgun yelled out a curse as he was knocked down for a moment, the gun in his hands dropping to the floor as he held the back of his head.

Soon all of the men focused their attention of Vhaella.

“ There she is! Grab her and get out of here!” he snarled, holding the back of his head and checking to see if it was bleeding, his eyes wide to see she had gotten him good.

Vhaella continued to scream and thrash, biting and clawing at any man who had grabbed her. However with all their focus on her, they didn’t see the Dimitrescu daughter barreling into them and shoving a good few men into the line of fire. Vhaella and the leader included were sent tumbling into the fire, the man thankfully catching most of the heat with Vhaella being grabbed by the daughter and tugged violently away before the flames even got a chance to lick her flesh.

“ Run…! G-go dammit…!”

“No! Not again!”

She wanted the Lady…!

Stuttering and shambling, Cassandra groaned and growled as Vhaella stumbled along with her, tugging her harshly away from the fire and the snow, the bottoms of her feet bleeding profusely as she urged her sister to keep moving.

Cassandra’s flies continued to fall from her, stunned but thawing quickly as they would flutter back to life and so slowly trail after the two, the insects feeding on the bloody footsteps Vhaella left behind. It helped them warm up, to heal and become energized.

They could hear the roar of the fire behind them, the crashing of wood and the screaming of men.

Something was behind them.

The fire is spreading...

One of the men rushed after them, a farmer’s boy it looked like as he had a pitchfork in hand. He grunted loudly as he raised it over his head, eyes terrified, aiming for the monster currently slumped over the smaller girl’s form. He acted as if he was trapped, and the two wounded girls were the lesser of evils at the moment.

With inhuman speed, one of the girls spun to face him and screamed at him, quickly sinking her claws deep into his neck and chest then slamming him against the wall, the force of the action making the smaller girl stumble and lean on the opposite wall for support.

The boy screamed in agony as Cassandra bit deep into his neck, ravenous and starving as she pinned him harder against the wall. Frantic hands try to grab and push her away in vain. Legs dangling and kicking in their attempts to free himself from the daughter’s ravenous mutilation.

Vhaella watched stunned as Cassandra ripped and tore into him, as if a cat playing with its food. Her claws thick and sharp enough to disembowel him on the spot as he continued to struggle for freedom, and his organs came pooling out steaming hot in the icy cold hallway. The boy stared at Vhaella with glassy eyes, terrified and dying and in agony as he silently screamed, Nothing but bubbles and gurgles coming from his throat. Cassandra continued to feast upon him, her form finally coming back and her face finally being able to heal.

The sound of chewing was heard over the fire, his head dangling off by threads of sinew as Cassandra greedily gulped down bloody chunks, the entire front of her drenched with blood and bodily fluids.

Yet as Vhaella watched, she felt absolutely nothing for the boy, she was only happy to see her big sister able to regain her form…no longer pale and falling apart and dying to the frost.

With a snap, the last bit of cartilage and bone broke away, and the boy’s head dropped to the floor like a rock, the look of agony still on his face. Vhaella swallowed thickly as she continued to stare at it before looking back at her sister. So relieved to see her alright, she had slammed herself against Cassandra’s back, sobbing loud and with total abandon.

It was here Cassandra froze in her feeding, her form tense as she raggedly breathed through chewing and swallowing. She tried to keep from looking at her sister, fearing if she saw her like this- feral and starving - she would hate her. Despise her.

They didn’t get to relax long as from down the hall they could hear the men, and Cassandra snarled at them angrily as she kept Vhaella behind her and began backing up.

“ Run… ! I’m right behind you!” Cassandra demanded, sounding like her normal self as she pushed Vhaella back with an unnatural force that had the human tripping and tumbling further down the hall. In a daze, Vhaella fell hard on her back, the wind knocked out of her from the force of her fall.

The fire exploded into another room, catching on fire.

Vhaella gasped and coughed, eyes watery as she slowly stumbled onto her feet and squinted her eyes. She tried to see Cassandra who rushed back toward the men. Her heart was thundering in her chest so hard she feared it would burst out of her chest any minute now.

“ Cassie !” she cried into the smoke, coughing hard as she struggled to breathe. Another gunshot sounded, whizzing past her and hitting a bust of a statue, making Vhaella gasp and stumble away from it. In the process losing grip on her lion toy, she yelped loudly before turning and running away.

She wanted the Lady…!

Heaving ugly sobs, Vhaella would stumble and cry out in pain and fright, she wanted the Lady so badly!

She wanted her to come save her and her sisters from these men, the wolves in the dark…!

She wanted to be in her arms again!

She wanted to paint with Bela!

She wanted to dance with Daniela!

She wanted to build with Cassandra!

She wanted her family back!

Crashing into the ballroom, Vhaella gasped for fresh air and choked on the smoke in her mouth, eyes watering as she held her throat and hacked as hard as she could. She continued heaving, her face nothing but tears and drool and snot as she crawled on her hands and knees, she needed to find her other sisters… she needed to know they were alright… that she could protect them too…!

Suddenly she heard the doors behind her slam open, and a flurry of footsteps came at her that had her shuddering in despair.

Rough hands grabbed at her hair, making her scream out in pain as the leader from before glared down at her angrily, in his other hand a machete as he aimed its blade at her throat. He lost his gun.

“Fucking bitch…! No amount of lei is worth bringing you in alive…!” he snarled, half of his face burnt black and a crazy look in his eyes.

Just like the fat man’s.

Just like her brother’s.

She tried baring her teeth at him, weakly kicking at him and claws at his hand in her hair. She continued to heave and swallow in air, the man before her not giving an absolute fuck as he slammed her back down into the ground.

A thunderous crash sounded far into the castle…

The fire was spreading more…

Various men screamed and wailed in agony, the fire burning away everything she had ever loved…

The rumbling gets closer… the fire is coming…

Vhaella grunted and screamed out, soon strangled with the handle of the machete as the man knelt onto her chest, hand in her hair, drool and blood splattering onto her face making her cringe in disgust. She continued to kick and grunt, a strangled scream struggling out of her constricted throat as the man pressed the handle deeper into it. She clenched her teeth as she tried reaching up to the man and clawing at the burnt away part of his face, making him even more enraged and punched her hard enough into the ground in stunned stupor. He quickly discarded the machete in turn to wrap his hands around her throat instead. Vhaella gagged hard as she tried to claw at his hands once again.

“If I’m dying because of you, I’m taking you with me, whore…!” he seethed, eyes wide as he relished the sight of her slowly fading. A look of pure insane delight on his face, his grip on her throat tightening.

Her eyes were drowning, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t breathe, her heart was stuttering in her chest, her lungs inflamed… she wanted-

“ Momma! ”

Suddenly the ballroom wall exploded behind them, the chunks of debris flying above and around the pair as a draconic roar bellowed out, the volume enough to make Vhaella go deaf and the man holding his ears in agony.

It was primal. It was sorrowful. It was terrifying. It was furious.

It was monstrous.

She feels like she’s falling asleep… she doesn’t want to!

But a deafening roar sounds above her, and suddenly the man is gone and there is a giant dragon person with tendrils biting his head off, and she can finally breathe… She doesn’t even care that the blood of the man is showering her in guts as he’s ripped in two and thrown away… she doesn’t even notice it.

But she sees the dragon is looking at her now with its red eyes and bloody maw. It stumbles for a moment before it lands on its knees, its hands crashing hard into the ground as it continues to stare at her. She begins to tremble, was the dragon going to eat her now!? Where were her sisters!? Where was the Lady… she was supposed to be home… she promised she was safe…

She promised to protect her from even dragons…

The dragon reaches for her. Swallowing and breathing hard, Vhaella sobs in fear as she tries to scramble away, and the dragon pauses as if hurt.

“ My little one… ” It calls to her in multiple voices, deep and sad and scared and- she can recognize it . It tried to speak clearly, softly, gently so it wouldn’t scare her more. Vhaella paused and stared in surprise, the color of her face fading as cold realization sunk in.

The Lady…

This was her other form… she never was able to turn into a cloud of insects…

She turned into this.

“What do you think of dragons, darling? Do you find them scary?”

Then the giant beast begins to hum… and Vhaella is thrown into a memory… back in the Lady’s arms in bed, cradled in her arms and looking up at her with pure adoration… and the Lady is looking back down at her with affection…

This was the song she sang when she had her worst nightmare…

The Lady… she came back…

She protected her…

She came back to her…!

She kept her promise…

“A little… they destroy things…”

The Lady carefully reaches for her again, cupping her face in her large hands, her talons big enough to skewer her should she choose. But the Lady simply strokes her cheek, Vhaella’s eyes getting bigger but she blinks as the Lady pulls away. She looked exhausted… hurt … she’s crying blood… Slowly and carefully Vhaella would stand, watching as the Lady before her seemed to collapse in on herself.

“They can be a little scary… but they can be friendly too, my sweet.”

She didn’t like seeing her cry…

She didn’t mean to make momma cry…

Chapter Text

She could see the smoke from here, smell the fire and blood, the fear of the villagers. The smell of destruction and death.

The stench of her daughters hurt.

Alcina stared in horror at her castle in the distance, smoking and burning, her form rippling as she frantically shook her head in denial. The gold of her eyes reflected the fire she focused on. A look of utter rage grows on her face, the creases of her face cracking ever so slightly. A black vein begins to appear along her neck.

“No… Nonono- NO! ” She snarls through clenched fangs, voice growing thick as she ripped apart her carriage to get out.

The meeting thankfully was a short one, as she was the last to arrive there she thankfully didn’t need to wait for any of her siblings to show and prevent her from returning home before the day was done. But the meeting itself was what took hours. The moment it had concluded she was the first to leave and return to her carriage. The sooner she returned home the sooner she would be able to see her daughters again, and ease the fears and worries of her little girl. She had hoped that she would return early that morning, and surprise her little girl when she woke the next day.

But she didn’t ever expect to return home to see it burning.

The driver stopped the horses immediately and watched in terror as the Lady screamed in fury as she ripped her way out of the carriage. Her form growing rapidly and mutating as she stumbled ahead along the road to her castle. They weren’t far, but even by carriage they wouldn’t make it there in time. Some beasts and its human were immediately no longer her concern as she glared daggers at the fire eating away at her castle. Her home. Her sanctuary she built for her daughters.

Her babies!

Black veins pulsed through her skin, her form bubbling and rippling and cracking as it grew, her dress ripping to accommodate the rapidly increasing size. Eyes glowing red. Talons growing. Teeth becoming fang.

She stumbled and snarled angrily as her heels broke, the weight on them unable to stand, even stumbling through her transformation her eyes were forever locked onto the destruction of her home. The look of a predator keeping sight of prey in her sights. She breathed in deeply as she felt her spine shudder and split. The tendrils on her back ripping through her dress, her wings budding soon after. She flared them out instantly and took to the sky, a scream of feral abandon leaving her as she soared straight to her castle.

Her babies!

She could smell her babies! Hurt after decades. Something or someone had found their weakness and waited until she was gone to exploit it.

She could smell her youngest from here, terrified and bleeding-!

She roared out in anger, her form rippling more and more as she lost control of herself. She pushed her wings harder, ignoring the pain of transforming, not caring that her dress ripped away and was swept into the winds, not caring that she no longer looked human. That this form she was taking would take days to transform back from.

She didn’t give an absolute shit about appearances right now.

She needed to save her babies!

She could see a flurry of humans on her grounds, most of the maids and staff in their sleepwear trying to fight against the fire, however there were those that stood out.

Men. Dead and tossed into a pile by her most loyal staff members, none of them were able to get back into the castle due to the fire raging through from the first level, thankfully it hadn’t reached the second story or the third… it could be manageable-

She didn’t care!

Crashing down onto her castle grounds, not caring if she crushed maid or man upon her landing, she snarled and angrily barreled into her castle, her form grand as she cracked floors and walls with her entrance.

The fire ate everything of the main hall, she could see multiple bodies of both men and her staff being eaten by the flames. There was a fight here, she could see her daughters’ handiwork everywhere and on the bodies strewn about.

One particular maid was impaled onto a wall, her insides dangling from her like crimson curtains, a pool of blood at her feet, her daughters’ sickles pinning her to the wall by the throat, shoulder and a bandaged hand. Her daughters would not be so careless as to attack a random maid in their employ. She was made an example out of. The mother pausing as a chill ran up her spine at the realization.

They had a traitor in their mists and she didn’t even know… she was not told… she had not noticed.

This was the same wretch that stared upon her and her baby’s first bonding moment… she snarled more, she had been so careless, distracted.

So distracted with her newborn, she had failed to see danger lurking in her halls. So close to her daughters as she focused her attention on her smallest. This all could've been avoided if she had noticed sooner. Noticed anything about the maid being suspicious. She had to wonder if the fact there was more activity around her castle could be linked to this. The dead scouts they found and the lycans lurking her castle grounds, she feared this all was connected since the very beginning of her finding her little one. And worse she feared this was linked to her little one as well, as this all was too convenient in timing.

The sounds of Daniela’s screams rang from the kitchens, leading Alcina to growl back in anger as she went barreling down that hall, wings and tendrils and tail crashing into everything as she lumbered through the halls to her daughter’s screams.

“I don’t want to die!” came her second youngest’s sobs, spurring the mother more into running.

Eyes wide and desperate, Alcina clawed her way through the small halls and roared out, crashing into the kitchens to find two of her daughters huddled in the corner. Daniela tried desperately to protect her paling sister from the windows, the men there long dead but the frost was finishing their work.

Daniela looked up at her in surprise as she pulled her sister closer against her in response. Her eyes manic and teary as she panted, stressed and dazed and clutching her older sister’s dying form. She wasn't even aware her entire left arm, head, and torso was gone, the flies white and dead on the floor. Bela tried desperately to clutch onto her sister, her entire lower form gone but she tried to claw her and her sister away from the window. Daniela’s legs were falling apart, neither could move away from the incoming snow… If she had come here a minute later…

“M-Mother…!” they both cried in unison, Alcina shuddered a noise of distress at them as she rushed to them and scooped them into her arms, her wings blocking the frost from emitting its icy breath toward her babies anymore. She quickly carried them out of the kitchens and away from any windows, tendrils grabbing for any dead body near and dragging them along as she did so.

Both daughters clung to her like babes, Daniela was sobbing loudly as Bela was grunting and growling through her pain. Both were so relieved she was here, that their mother had come to save them in time. Alcina would croon to them, grumbling soft things to assure them that they were safe as she stumbled through the halls awkwardly, her mass and the fact she held her daughters in her arms were making it too hard to easily move through them.

Soon she had found one of many lounge rooms in the castle, with a fireplace thankfully lit, her tendrils threw the bodies of the raiders hard into the room and stumbled in with her girls, eyes wide in fear as she placed them down gently near the fire and tried to look them over. Their flies dripped out of her hands like water…

“M-m-mother…-!” Bela shuddered, with Alcina gently cupping her pale face and shaking her head frantically.

“Don’t speak. Stay. Eat. ” She demanded, soon turning to the bodies and ripping them apart for her daughters, as her babies were too weak to do it themselves. Guts and fat and bone and meat shredding like tissue paper underneath her claws. She makes quick work mincing the bodies and pulls her daughters closer to the pile of gore.

Soon both daughters let themselves dissolve into their bugs and swarmed the bodies, each hungrily devouring everything their mother had ripped apart for them. The angry flurry of wings with the nearby shouting the only things Alcina could hear.

Then she hears Vhaella’s feral scream.

Angry. Insane. Scared.

Alcina shot up to stare at the door before she stormed back out, her tail slamming the door hard enough behind her to jam to keep her daughters safe in the room, away from fire and frost.

The fire must’ve started here. The hall is engulfed in flame and smoke.

She sees her babies, Cassandra and Vhaella, stumbling away further into the hall. Cassandra is falling apart.

Her baby is bleeding. The scent of her daughter’s blood fueled Alcina’s rage. Her desperation to protect her little ones.

A disgusting group of men stumbles after them, half in flames and others bleeding out.

Alcina grew in size again, losing more and more features as she stalks after them, claws ready to tear them to shreds. She bellows another roar at them, deep and demonic, the men stand no change. The veins in her body grow darker, blacker, her skin is cracking apart like porcelain, tears of blood run down her face in her anger.

Her fury. Her rage.

Her babies are hurt and being hunted like pigs! They almost succeeded in ripping two daughters out of her arms tonight. She will make them suffer.

The men try to run from her, try in vain to fight, try to surrender and plead and beg.

She hears Cassandra tell Vhaella to run. She promises to be behind her.

She hears Vhaella scream.

Each she slices and snaps apart, their blood and guts exploding out of them like the meat sacks they were. Bone splintered beneath her grip, her bite, the very weight of her mass. Tendrils digging into their flesh like clay, hooking and pulling them apart like bread. Claws spearing them into walls, flinging them out the open windows they busted out. Slicing them like bloody ribbons.

Brain matter slowly slithered down the wall, the man she had just slammed into it nothing but mush between her fingers as she charged the survivors.

She hears a gunshot.

Someone has brought a gun to her house!?

More tendrils sprout, branchlike spikes grow along her back and arms, fangs multiplying in her maw. She screams in fury at the disgusting mortals who have invaded her domain. This was her realm and she would make them regret they had ever stepped a toe onto it. The men left in her wake are nothing but a sea of unrecognizable gore and fluids, their very essence being the thing that manages to snuff out the fire in the hall, with the help of her loyal staff, the fire would be tamed.

She claws her way further into the small hall, smelling more blood however it isn’t her babies.

She sees Cassandra finishing off a man, her entire forearm shoved down his throat with the other gripping onto the mush that was his hand holding an ax. There’s many other bodies littering the hall, mutilated and left gasping, left wallowing in pain during their last minutes.

Cassandra snaps her head to her mother, blood coating her entire front, she’s healed and flourishing but is so bloodcrazed that it takes her a minute to calm.

She does not see Vhaella with her.

“Mother-!”

“Your sister?” she demands, Cassandra swallowing in air hard as she stuttered, she yanked her arm out of the man’s throat and threw him to the side.

“I-… I told her to run… there were too many to keep her near me…!” she gulped, hyperventilating now and looking behind her to the hall.

Her daughter had done as best as she could, she could see there were too many in such a small space, her baby would’ve been hurt if she stayed. She reached for her second eldest and brought her to her chest, only briefly hugging her and nuzzling the top of her head roughly.

“Find Bela and Daniela. Protect them.” She snarled, never angry at her babies, she needed someone to protect her weaker daughters and Cassandra was the only one healthy enough.

Her daughter didn’t need to be told twice as she exploded into her cloud and rushed around her giant form to find her sisters. She was so very proud of all of her babies, proud of her second eldest for trying so hard to protect her sisters, especially her youngest sister…

There was an explosion in front of her, Cassanda leaving just in time not to be caught in it and leaving Alcina to bear the brunt of it. With a snarling grunt, the mother shielded her eyes and tried to look through the smoke for her baby. She couldn’t see her smallest daughter but she could smell her so close, so frightened… so hurt…

She pushed further into the hall, her form so big she was struggling to move freely, the walls cracking and groaning more as they resisted against her. She sees her baby’s treasured lion toy as she clambers through the halls.

She hears her baby scream in pain. Someone is attacking her…-!

“Fucking bitch…! No amount of lei is worth bringing you in alive…!”

Alcina’s form rippled again, the walls giving way as she clawed harder into the hall, following the scent of her bleeding baby to the ballroom.

“If I’m dying because of you, I’m taking you with me, whore…!”

“ Momma! ”

Something snaps instantly.

The enraged mother lets out a bellowing roar, her form bursting through the wall and into the ballroom, her eyes wide and frenzied as she catches sight of a man above her crying daughter, holding his ears and writhing at her scream. Her daughter filthy and nearly strangled to death…

Alcina is upon him instantly, grabbing him easily into her hands and lifting him high in the air, her claws sinking into him like clay. The man is yelling and screaming with the primal desire to survive as he slashed at her hands and face. None of it even manages a miniscule cut upon her skin as she unhinges her jaw wide enough to shove his entire head into her mouth. He screams animalistically, desperate, terrified. She scents the horrid acts of him soiling himself in his final moments. Without delay she snaps her jaw shut, blood and brain matter flooding her mouth and leaking out the corners of it like faucets.

With a simple flick of her head she rips the bloody pulp off the body’s neck, her claws digging into the torso and ripping the entire body in half, each side flung off to each side of the ballroom with guts spilling across the floor.

She spits the grit from her mouth, the fragments of skull and brain splattering nearby.

She breathes heavily as she stumbles, her form was always hard to maintain this long…

She looks down at her daughter and freezes in horror.

Her daughter was looking at her in terror. Drenched in the manthing’s blood and gore.

Alcina stumbles back and hitches a breath, unsure what to do as she drops heavily to her knees. She reaches out to her daughter and flinches away as her little one begins to sob and quickly tries to scurry back, away from her, gray eyes bloodshot and filled to the brim with tears.

“ My little one… ” she called, voice deep and multi-voiced -warped and alien she was sure- to her little one. But she sees her slow to a stop, the color in her cheeks draining. Alcina feels something break in her chest.

She begins to hum sadly, a familiar lullaby yet warped by her voices, a memory flashes by of her holding her little one. Her baby looking up at her with half lidded eyes, smiling so sweetly as she sang to her.

She always calmed when she sang to her…

She slowly and carefully reaches forward again, blood and gore covered talons no doubt terrifying to her little one, but Vhaella is deathly still, eyes staring up at her as if she has no idea who she is. She cups her little one’s face carefully, her baby’s head the size of a baseball to her at the moment. Tenderly she tries to stroke her cheek with a thumb, smearing more gore on her face and it makes the mother flinch at herself.

Her little one still doesn’t react, making Alcina bite back a whine and crimson tears flood her eyes. She shrinks back, tiredly placing her hands on the floor, her tendrils slowly losing strength, her form losing itself now that her rage was gone.

She didn’t want to lose her baby. Not like this… never like this… She hung her head in defeat, her breathing labored as she tightly closed her eyes, trying not to break down. This was exactly what she was afraid of, her little girl being so terrified of her, of the side she tried to ease into introducing to her. This entire raid had derailed her plans entirely. Nothing would be able to bring her little girl back to her.

She still remembered the look in her eye when she had discovered the cellar, when she had saved her from the lycan. She could only imagine what was going on through her little girl’s head at the moment, she was so deathly quiet .

She didn’t want to lose her baby…

She felt the tiniest hands on her face, making her red eyes snap open and she slowly looked down.

Vhaella was standing below her, dirty arms and hands holding onto her giant face, those gray eyes wide and teary as she gave her the most happy smile ever. She kept tugging at her face, wanting her closer, her form trembling so much out of pure relief. Giggles leaving her so carelessly. Vhaella looked at her the same she did each morning, loving and so happy, her little girl was still here…

Vhaella was not afraid of monsters anymore. She has seen her at her worst and still sees her mother.

Alcina chokes a sob as she leaned her face hard into her daughter’s arms and chest, hands carefully coming to wrap around her baby protectively as she began to nuzzle and pepper her in sweet kisses, so happy and relieved her daughter wasn’t terrified of her.

That her baby-

She hears foreign footsteps.

Snapping her head to look over her shoulder, she turns to find a stumbling man with a shotgun. The man looking on death’s door and foolishly limping his way into the room with the gun clutched in his hands. Alcina growled low at him as he raised the gun, her wings flaring out blocking her baby. She snarled in anger as she pounced, hand raised high above her head. He pulls the trigger and the room erupts in an explosion.

She is only distantly aware of something brushing against her wing, the bullets spraying out and hitting everything.

The bullets do nothing to her as she slams her fist down onto him, like a cockroach that dared invade her home, the man is nothing but a gory puddle splattering across the ballroom.

The scent of her baby’s blood is suddenly so potent. Sickeningly sweet and suffocating.

“ M-momma… ?” She only briefly hears her daughter grunt and gurgle and gasp.

Then time seems to slow, and Alcina’s mind blanks, and her heart sinks into her stomach.

Alcina’s blood runs cold as she turns her head back to her baby, eyes stare in numb confusion as she shifts close to her, her hands shakily reaching for her daughter just in time for the little one to collapse into them, her tiny hands clutching onto her gaping and bleeding chest, looking at her in stunned confusion.

She stares down at her bleeding baby in her hands, her entire form trembling in renewed rage as her eyes widen in dawning horror, her lips trembling violently as she clenches her fangs hard, her eyes drowning in crimson…

The gun, although it didn't pierce her own skin, had a direct hit to her heart…

And the night uncaringly swallows her agonized screams, the echoes lost to its raging storm.

Chapter Text

She had waited so long for this moment.

She had been counting down the months, the days, the hours, until she was left pacing in front of a large incubator, the contents shrouded in colorful curtains to keep the light out, waiting for anything to happen.

The contents in it had yet to stir, not a peep just yet, but soon. It will be soon. She was confident it would be soon. Her baby was hitting all of her marks…

She has done this process three times before. It was easy enough, however it took time to complete. Months . And she has been monitoring the process of her baby every day, every hour if she could get away with it.

And if it weren’t her it would be her daughters. Each dying to see their little sister again.

Alcina still simmered with anger at that horrid night. She remembered she had raged long into the next day, none had been spared from her wrath. Not even her brother’s precious miners and highborn and other pompous beasts who thought they could raid her house and harm her daughters .

Not even the possible wrath of Mother Miranda would keep her from culling that entire family line out of existence, and her brother thankfully gave little about the owner. He had been looking for a reason to off the old man himself due to his inadequacies in producing enough ore for his factories.

Alcina now understood Mother Miranda on a new level. She could understand her desperation to bring back her baby, and how she would be willing to burn the world down to bring her back.

She came so dangerously close to losing all of her girls in a single night. All because of the greed and arrogance of men. They thought the lords would sit idly as the mortal families who worked close with them would be able to do as they pleased. Their slights forgiven with enough lei and pounds of flesh for the insult.

She took her pound of flesh indeed, and it weighed the entire familyline; man, woman, and child had not been spared from her wrath. Not for this. Never for this.

Alcina shuddered a breath as she slowed her pacing and scowled at her thoughts, tenderly she rubbed at her temple before she turned to a desk to grab another cigarette. She was doing everything she could to distract herself. Her baby would come back to her. She just had to.

Like the many nights after the incident, she would begin to hum, a familiar tune for a specific time of night. Her heart thumped painfully against aching breasts. Her brow furrowing as she closed her eyes, trying to relax and just remember that this process would work. She had done it three times before with each of her daughters. They were strong, Vhaella was strong too.

She will hold her baby tonight. She’ll sing to her and hold her and protect her so, so fiercely.

She will be the dragon who guarded her. She would be the mother who came running to her cries. Protect her from man and wolf alike.

But she had never done this to one who was so little in the mind. With each daughter she waited for them to grow into their new lives before attempting this, each daughter she raised still human as she cared for them. She wouldn’t know if this process would break her baby’s mind and she was still lost to her.

Her lip trembled slightly as she went back to pacing, briefly looking at the wall clock in annoyance.

The room she was in was more modern, medical and full of specimens in jars. Old journals written by her hand multiple times over the years strewn about on the desk. Every test results and surgical instrument imaginable laying around. Numerous papers telling her every minute detail of her little girl, to make sure she had the right specimens to merge her with. She only had one chance to do it after all, and her day-long rage had taken a chunk out of what time she had to do what she needed before her little girl would be too far gone.

Not even the cadou or its flies could bring her back if she had taken much longer.

After her day-long rage and settling her baby down into her incubator to slumber, she had focused on all of her older daughters. She dragged any and all bodies to them and kept them in the cellar with her so close by, away from the gaping destruction caused both from the fire and her rampage through the halls. She had already summoned all the working livestock she could find to begin the reconstruction of her home immediately. Money was never an issue, everything was well on their way into being restored.

Her girls had been begging her for a remodel on some of the older parts of the castle anyway.

She was never away from her girls for long. As they were recovering to this day as well. Bela and Daniela still had to regenerate all of their flies, which required flesh, warmth and humidity to do so. And so much time.

The dungeons were filled with the bodies of the men who raided her home, at least the ones remaining that could be transported down there. The rest had been cleaned up by the remaining staff, all too terrified to dare disobey Lady Dimitrescu for fear of her coming for their families next.

The rumors would roar back to life, and she would have to deal with it, but for now she was more focused on her daughters. With her smallest still in gestation in her incubator.

The day of her rage, when all of it burned away with the family who had dared try to destroy hers. Alcina had returned home, grief stricken and dazed. She automatically went through the motions of tending to her older daughters, her mind numb and she wouldn’t tell none of her daughters what happened to Vhaella. They were smart girls however, they knew, and they were just as stricken with grief as she was.

Daniela hadn’t stopped crying for three months straight, the lion toy Vhaella had carried around and had somehow survived the fire was never out of her arms. Even now Alcina has yet to see her smile or even dissolve into her cloud. She kept curled up with her sisters instead.

Bela had blamed herself, as she was the eldest she continuously stated that she should’ve done things differently. That she should’ve been with Cassandra and Vhaella instead of foolishly scanning the halls with Daniela and leading the both of them into the trap that maid set up. They knew something that night was going to happen, but none thought to the scale it had. No amount of consolation from her would make Bela change her mind, and she knew she wouldn’t until her firstborn was sure that Vhaella would wake up.

Thirty men raided them. They were invited into her home by a maid, one recently hired that she knew now had come for the sole purpose of letting those filthy men inside her home. None of the daughters or herself had noticed her behavior until it was far too late. And even then her daughters were reluctant to address it given Alcina had been summoned when they did finally begin to notice the strange behavior.

Usually when someone broke into her home it would be some fool by himself, or a group under ten that were too desperate to choose self preservation if they were arrogant enough to steal from Castle Dimitrescu. Her daughters or herself could handle them without messing up their hair. But never so many men before tried at once, never did anyone manage to exploit her daughters’ weaknesses…

It explained so much about the recent activities around her castle. The many men her daughters found killed by the Moroaică and dragged into the castle cellar. Why the lycans were stalking her forested grounds increasingly. How they knew of her daughters’ weaknesses. They had been watching them, learning. They had been here since her daughter’s arrival, waiting for an opportunity to snatch her baby out of her arms and take her away. And she hadn’t noticed a single thing before that horrible night.

They had been emboldened with promises to finally slay the ‘vampires’ of House Dimitrescu, the maid had told them of her daughters’ weaknesses to ice, and they planned a trap to rid her daughters before snatching her baby away. That was why so many had shown up, none had known of her daughters’ weaknesses and they assumed they finally had a chance. They did not expect her daughters to still be so formidable with this detriment however.

She made sure none survived to tell the secret to her daughters’ weaknesses. She would not let anyone exploit that again.

They were villagers close to Heisenburg’s territory, hungry with the promise of the Mine Owner’s coin; they had followed the old man’s son to her castle. To rob from them Vhaella for their boss to breed with in the hopes of his children bearing her pale hair and gray eyes. To steal anything else when they killed anyone in the way to her baby.

The very thought of a man defiling any of her daughters, especially her baby , had her relishing bringing him back personally to torment despite Cassandra demanding to do the honors herself.

Cassandra had been second worse to grieve compared to her own despair. Her second eldest had withdrawn completely and lashed out at anyone and everyone. It didn’t matter if it was her sisters trying to console her or Alcina herself. The mother knew she was angry she had failed to protect her baby sister after she promised she would keep her safe. She knew also that Cassandra strived to make her proud… to her this was her biggest failure and despite Alcina telling her how proud she was of her, the second eldest had simply ignored it.

Like her sisters she would not calm until Vhaella woke up.

None of them would be okay until the youngest of House Dimitrescu woke up…

Alcina sighed heavily as she looked back over to the incubator before she walked back to her desk. Carefully she sat down on the bench and leaned her head into her hand that kept propped on her desk. The cigarette in her free hand gently wafts through the humid air. The nearby music of a gramophone can be heard, she had brought it down in hopes of cheering her older daughters up, as all three were having to remain here in the cellar to devour and regenerate and keep warm… Just like with Vhaella, they too needed time to recover and heal.

But mostly nowadays they simply lazed about in their depression and boredom no doubt, and unfortunately Alcina couldn’t help with either of those when she was fighting her own demons of that night.

When her baby came to her fresh and cold and new, she had tried to send someone into that damned village to investigate. With Vhaella supposedly not remembering how she had gotten lost in the blizzard that night, she had to rely on word of mouth of anyone knowing of a girl with silver hair and gray eyes.

The lead proved fruitless as many didn’t remember, or they had too vague recollections of her daughter to remember. The villagers kept to their own, they didn’t bother to worry about their neighbors. Only the church and their merchants mattered to them. Their families’ survival rather that of a stranger’s. She had only got the information she knew from one of the surviving men that was hiding away, trying to escape after everything-

There’s a whimper in the incubator.

Alcina tenses as she looks over, eyes staring at it and straining her ears.

There’s a weak cry, a gasp of air after so long.

The mother quickly stood and rushed over to her daughter. Ripping away the colorful curtains to reveal her newborn daughter. The filth and decay of her old body was gone, devoured by the cadou and in its place were flies fluttering into their final places.

Her baby fully materialized. She was taking her first breath. And she sounds so scared…

Alcina hastily opened the incubator and reached inside to cup her baby’s face in time as her daughter finished forming, hoping to wake her gently. She began to coo to her, humming and tsking at her as she stroked her thumb under a closed eye.

“My little Vhaella…” she called to her gently, holding her breath as the whimpers lessened and her little girl’s brow furrowed.

Cream gold flutters open to look up at honey gold. They’re unfocused and uncertain. Alcina’s heart thundered in her chest.

But her baby smiles up at her so sweetly, quickly recognizing her and shakily nuzzles her face into Alcina’s hand. “Hi, Momma…” she croaked happily.

And Alcina is undone. She chokes a sob as she quickly pulls her smallest girl into her arms, her face buried in her baby’s neck as she collapses with her in her arms. She’s sobbing and clinging to her for dear life. She had never been so close to losing a daughter before this process, each of her older daughters she ensured were well prepared for this, but with her youngest she had no time. She wasn't sure it would’ve worked. That the cadou would bind with her, that the flies would respond.

But she was so glad they did.

“My baby…” she shuddered a sigh of relief, tiny hands weakly holding onto her as she nuzzled and peppered Vhaella in as many kisses her little one would allow. Her little one sighs and coos and mewls in response as she tries to hug onto her face.

Her little one was so small. Still the same as when she was human but there were changes.

Like her sisters and mother, her fingertips were dyed black, the ends of them pointed with claws instead of fingernails, her mittens would need to come back until she got used to them. Alcina sees the baby fangs in her mouth each time she smiles up at her, she would need to watch for teething now. Those wonderful gray eyes she had come to love are gone, however in their place are cream gold and they are so beautiful. She’s as pale as snow, black veins ever so slightly noticeable at the center of her chest. Her silver hair now a stark white, matching the very snow that had brought her to Alcina’s arms.

“You’re crying…” came a sad whine, her daughter reaching for her face and gently cupping it, copying her mother in attempting to calm her down. Alcina could only laugh softly as she nuzzled into them and kissed her little girl’s fingers, her own hand encasing them against her trembling lips.

“They are happy tears. I have waited so long to see you again, my love.” Alcina coos, her smile watery as she closed her eyes, just relieved to hear and see her little one breathe and move. Oh, how she had missed her so much… All the worry and the doubts had burned away the minute she heard her make the smallest peep in her crib.

“Was sleepy…” was her only response, slurred and unsure, her daughter simply too happy and content to use her words properly.

She could only hope that she didn’t remember anything from her past then. If she had to she would keep who she used to be and what happened six months ago to herself and her older daughters. None of it mattered to her now. And it never would.

Nothing would hurt her little girl again.

Nonetheless she smiled at her little girl and nodded, “You were indeed… my sleepy little girl slept for so long… her sisters are going to be so happy to see her.” Alcina mused, her daughter looking back up at her now and giggling all over again, her form fluttering and only briefly fell away before regaining their form.

“Let’s get you cleaned before you see them.”

-_-_-_-_-

Alcina had taken her time in preparing her youngest. She had brushed the white silk that was her hair into a wavy curtain, cleaned any filth that remained from her transformation, and finally dressed her in one of the favorite dresses Vhaella loved wearing. All the while she would ask questions and watch her little one critically, looking for any defects that might be a problem.

So far Vhaella didn’t remember much, only about the snowstorm where the mean wolf men had chased her to her mother and the time spent with her mother and sisters… however she remembers little of the fire thankfully… these are things Alcina can work with. She would assume that her little one didn’t remember her past before the storm, and whatever hell that was there that had tried to invade her new life with her new family. Alcina could only hope that was the case, and she was a little unsure if she would try to ask such a thing…

“Filthy man-things had broken into our house while I was away, my sweet… but mommy and your sisters protected you from them. Those pigs have destroyed much of our home however...” she explained, currently braiding her daughter’s hair. They would remain in a pleasant calm as she hummed to her little one, finally content after so long worrying for her daughters.

“Did I die?” Came Vhaella’s innocent question, making the mother slow her hands and close her eyes, inhaling softly.

“... No … you didn’t. You fell into a long slumber, little Vhaella. Mommy kept you tucked away to keep you safe until you woke.” she replied, not wanting to admit that she had failed in protecting the youngest of their family.

“But feel weird…” Vhaella persisted.

Alcina nodded as she looked at her daughter and lightly stroked her hair, her fingers trailing to cup her baby’s cheek and stroking her thumb under an eye. “Because you’re now like your sisters.” she said simply, and she wouldn’t budge more on explaining what that meant. What she had to do to her little one to prepare her for the cadou.

“ Really ?” came an excited gasp, Vhaella turning to look up at her, a bright fanged smile present. Alcina nodded with a smile.

“Yes, draga mea. And your sisters will be so happy to know as well.” The mother smiled as she finished with Vhaela’s braid and scooped her daughter up into her arms. “Let’s go surprise them now.” she purred as she turned and walked out of the room, closing the door and that part of her past that thankfully wouldn’t linger now.

Vhaella wraps her arms around her neck and nuzzles her face into her neck, and Alcina is melting, Smiling now more than she had in these past few months. She nuzzled back and kissed her youngest’s head as she made her way through the cellar.

The music of the gramophone is getting louder, and she can hear her daughters speaking. Mostly trivial things as they were sick and tired of being in the cellar and wanted to go back to their rooms. It was certainly dark and depressing down here, but she didn’t want her daughters away from her as she watched over her little one. She needed all of her girls near her right now… but with Vhaella awake now.

Perhaps Alcina would finally allow that. She’d consider it once she accessed the repairs above.

As she walks into the room she sees her daughters sitting in a makeshift lounge. Each daughter was lounging in sofas with standing lamps and candles strewn about, and the various bones and meat still left over from the raid. They’ve been mostly picked clean by now but some still unfortunately remained. Bela was trying to read a book with Cassandra gnawing on a man’s forearm, and Daniela was tossing the lion toy in the air and catching it lazily.

Vhaella had quickly recognized her toy and squealed in delight, making all three sisters jerk and throw themselves out of their seats to look over to their smiling mother and youngest sister, all three sets of gold wide and misting.

“ Baby sister! ” Daniela wails in utter relief, suddenly combusting into her cloud to speed to her mother with her sisters quick on her trail. All three swarm their mother and frantically go about trying to look over Vhaella, each asking questions so quickly and over one another that neither Alcina nor Vhaella could pay attention to them.

“You’re alright! You made us so scared!” Bela hiccups, wiping her eyes as Vhaella smiles at her.

“I had a big nap!” she replies innocently, Bela laughing and nodding.

“You did indeed…”

Cassandra would grab for Vhaella’s face, making the youngest squeak before she smiled and reach for Cassandra’s face, the second eldest swallowing back sobs as she gave her the biggest grin imaginable. Unlike her sisters, she couldn’t find her voice and could only pull Vhaella close to roughly nuzzle, Vhaella giggling all the while as she enjoyed all the attention from her family.

Alcina would watch all of this with a proud smile, so relieved to see all of her daughters finally opening back up, finally returning to their normal selves now that their youngest was returned to them.

“She doesn’t remember much, girls. Of the fire. But she knows you all were very brave in protecting her in my stead.” she warned them, hoping none of her girls would tell Vhaella what actually happened.

“Those disgusting man-things paid dearly! We made sure to make them scream for hours!” Daniela would snarl, still so furious and protective and buzzing around her smallest sister protectively.

Vhaella hiccuped as she placed her thumb in her mouth and nodded, smiling more as she looked around to all her sisters happily buzzing around her, half formed and floating in their clouds. Her own form would flutter once again before stitching itself back together. She wouldn’t know how to control it just yet… and Alcina doubted she would…

Her daughters were mentally equipped for the transformation. Each had grown out of their little minds and blossomed into her strong, elegant daughters. However for Vhaella, as she was placed under while she was small, Alcina doubted she would ever grow from this stage. She had been reborn, the old Vhaella and her scars were no longer there. She could only assume that was the case.

Somehow she hoped that was the case. She doubted she could handle risking giving another daughter to the cadou. If Vhaella was to remain her baby forever who needed her mother to care for her, she was eternally delighted with the prospect.

And her daughters seemed to be of the same mind. They knew their mother was happy to have a baby in the house, and they doubted after all this their mother would be inclined to bring another into their family. 

Plus no baby was cuter than Vhaella.

There was much to change. How to feed her little one. How to handle her newfound abilities. Teach her what she could and couldn't do now, being as she was now susceptible to frost like her sisters. But that would be for another time, as the mother wanted to sit finally and relax with her family.

“We can finally zoom around together, Vhael!” Daniela gasped excitedly, giggling as she sat in front of her mother and held Vhaella’s hands in her own, the little girl in their mother’s lap and smiling so big at her.

“Yes! Zoom !” She urged, her form fluttering again before coming back together.

Cassandra would be sitting nearby and huffing as she grabbed Vhaella’s toy Daniela had dropped earlier, and presented it to her little sister. She smirked as Vhaella gasped in delight and quickly snatched it from her, her chest erupting in squeaky purrs as she buried her nose into its mane. “Patches missed you too, little sister.” she snorted, Vhaella looking up at her and humming in delight.

Bela would be the only one to simply watch, as she was just relieved to see her sister alive and just like their mother, would just be watching her smallest sister’s newfound abilities display themselves as she mingled with her sisters. She kept an eye on her mother and smiled when she silently studied her. Things were finally going to be alright… She had hoped every night things would be alright and now she wanted nothing else.

“We have a lot to teach you, baby sister.” Bela finally spoke, with all three sisters looking at her, “We can do a lot of new things together now.” she mused with delight. Vhaella smiled more and nodded excitedly, soon hiding her face in her lion toy’s mane due to her own childish shyness.

“-’m hungry, Momma.” Vhaella looked up at Alcina eventually with shiny gold eyes, all three sisters tensing at the name finally being spoken from their little sister’s mouth and began to smile all the more with renewed vigor. They all had been waiting so long to hear her call their mother by her name, and they knew their mother was extremely pleased as she rumbled in proud purrs.

“Mommy will care for you, my sweet.” Alcina assured as she snuggled her closer into her arms and nuzzled her hair, Vhaella purred aloud and closed her eyes, her free hand balling in Acina’s dress, refusing to part from her whatsoever.

-_-_-_-_-

With all of her daughters healthy as could be, Alcina had finally allowed them to leave the cellar under the premise they kept far away from the man-things that were reconstructing what the fire burned away. Winter was coming and she didn’t want to risk them nor her smallest getting hurt by the frost again.

They would have to navigate deeper into the castle to get to their usual places but it was a small price to pay for safety and finally being free of the dark, damp, depressing cellar full of rotting man meat. Though now that they were up here, they had wanted to keep close to their mother and sister to ensure things would be alright despite the mother telling them that all was well. It certainly took them a lot of daring guts to stubbornly stay by their mother’s side despite her wishes, however they had left, realizing that Alcina had wanted to spend personal time with their baby sister.

After all, Alcina and Vhaella had bonded in ways thought unimaginable during that night. Things happened that only the two of them, things that Alcina would never speak about again and Vhaella would never remember about.

And Vhaella’s belly continuously grumbled, impatient and it was making her baby grumpy.

Alcina would hum to her little one as she slowly went about changing into something she could lounge in for the day. She wouldn’t be entertaining the man-things that were infesting her home rebuilding today, and all she had wanted to do was to climb into bed with her little one and tend to her finally.

She had discovered that while Vhaella needed to eat man flesh, the little one was still complaining of hunger. And she certainly fought whenever Alcina or her sisters tried to introduce blood to her. She was repulsed by it instead of craving it. It was certainly new to the mother as she had never seen this development for any of her other daughters. This led to her wanting to retreat to her bedchambers with her little one in her arms, as she wanted to test a theory she had when Vhaella kept pawing at her dress.

“ Momma… ” came Vhaella’s whine, her eyes welling with tears as she rubbed at her own eyes and began to hiccup. A sob trying to break out of her throat already as Alcina tried quickly to change.

“I know, my darling. Mommy will be there soon.” she promised her, soon humming afterwards that had thankfully worked its charm of calming her little one down to sniffles and whines.

Soon she would climb into bed and scoop her little one into her arms, cooing and smiling down at her as she shrugged off one of the shoulders of her dress. Vhaella was already needily nosing at her breast, blindly trying to latch on despite Alcina trying to reposition her in a way she was better comfortable. She would be lying if she said that she wasn’t excited to tend to her daughter after so long, she had only gotten to do this twice and each bonding moment was so addicting to her. Her little one so content in her arms would forever be one of her many cherished memories with her daughters. Since the moment of her little one’s first breath she had to hide the fact of her own body responding to her little one’s cries for her, it was only an amount of time before her older daughters caught onto why she had wanted to retreat to her chambers so quickly.

With a needy and squeaky suckle, Vhaella had calmed down into a content sigh as she sagged into her mother’s arms. Her jaws slowly worked on producing enough milk to satiate her gnawing hunger. Alcina would watch in fascination, realizing her little one would need her now more than ever when she was human.

She didn’t require man-blood, she required something else entirely. Something only her mother could provide for her. Another change of her transformation that adapted to her little mind perhaps.

“You are exquisite, my little Vhaella.” she spoke, breathy and soft as she held her little one’s fist into her own hand, kissing the baby soft knuckles of her hand and smiling down at her little one. Vhaella would look up at her with glassy golden eyes, watching in delight and smiling against her breast, tired and content and so small.

Even now she would be learning so much from her little girl. She thought she knew all about her when she was human, when she had fought so hard against her and slowly allowed herself to indulge into this new life shoved at her. But she was mistaken.

She learned of her stubbornness. Her bravery. Her strength. Her affections. Her loyalty.

She had chosen her daughter so well. As she had chosen such amazing daughters each time. Vhaella would be her darling jewel. Her brave little lion. Her beautiful little rose.

And she would be her dragon. Keeping her babies protected in their castle away from the evil outside their home. The cruel world outside. She would burn it all for them. Only and always for them.

“Your sisters and I cannot wait to spend eternity with you, my darling.”

Vhaella would watch her silently, the corners of her mouth white with milk, before she smiled more and nuzzled into her breast. Soon closing her eyes and purring louder, much like a sweet kitten. She had completely given into her life, given into the love and protection of her mother and sisters. The past would remain in the past, and with enough time she would forget it fully, with everything they held cold and dead in the ground. Vhaella was blissfully happy and would forever be, Alcina would make sure of that.

Alcina smiled more as she settled into bed and held her closer, her own chest rumbling in purrs as she leaned down to kiss her little one’s head. “Mommy will always be here for you. I promise.”

And Vhaela would believe her, because Mommy always kept her promises.