Chapter Text
The day, or rather the night Alcina and you met was a quite warm one. The light had been soft all day long, and even though summer was still far away, it was a nice day for someone’s whose job was to work outside. The job of forest ranger ran in your family for generation : you dad, your grand dad, your great-grand-dad... The list went on. It was only natural for you to be a part of this legacy. You always loved being outside. You met the Lady of Castle Dimitrescu outside. It was on this sunny day, but the night was falling. You spotted few men trying to get inside the castle. You had followed them in silence, suspicious about those men’s intentions. You are proven right when they attacked one of her daughters outside in the garden. Three against one, that was a low blow ; even if the Lady’s daughters were ruthless, fierce fighters, this one couldn’t keep up with three idiots with axes and guns. You didn't think much before throwing yourself into the fight. Thinking wasn't always your strong suit.
They didn’t see that one coming. That’s all you could say when at the very end of your fight, when the Lady Alcina Dimitrescu showed up with few maids and the two other daughters, armed with sickles. You helped the assaulted one to stand up and let her go back to her mother. She stared at you with pure confusion in her eyes as her little girl pulled her down to tell her all about how your intervention when you saw the intruders. The Lady of the Castle stared at you for a few moments, taking you in. You had rather short ginger hair falling right above your shoulders, and it was still long enough for you to keep them down in a little bun at the base of your neck. Your eyes had warm amber tones, like the foliage of the trees in the middle of fall. Freckles drew constellations on your nose and cheeks especially, but the few you seemed to have on your neck indicated you must had them all over your body. You stared right back at her, still standing in her gardens, wiping some blood from the corner of your mouth. Your clothes weren't destroyed ; you looked like someone who was used to work outside, and were dressed in regard to that. But they were trashed and dirty from the struggle and could definitely use a good wash. An axe and some arrows hanged to your belt, and you carried what looked like a crossbow on your back.
It wasn’t safe for you to come home right now. That’s all she could say as you were all standing in the gardens in silence. She told you you could stay, that you were welcome and could leave in the morning without worrying about anything. Despise all the rumors surrounding the castle and your host, you said yes. You were sore, and she was right : the woods were dangerous at night. She kept her words ; after a cosy night in luxurious satin sheets, you left early in the morning. She was waiting for you down the stairs as you walk down in silence. You exchanged a nod and a smile.
'I fear I haven’t thanked you properly last night, for I wasn’t myself when I discovered they attacked Bela. You know how mothers are.'
You smiled and accepted both her apology and her thanks. The sun was already up in the mountain, but the morning mist remained. 'Looking forward to meet you again one day, my Lady.' She widened her eyes at the words were said with a clumsy bow. Who could be stupid enough to wish for another encounter with her, knowing that very few of them could end happily ? '... If you wish so, I mean.' is what you added before disappearing in the morning, a red blush on your cheeks. She stayed inside her castle, baffled, watching your silhouette disappearing in the thick white morning mist. All day long she asked herself if she wished to see you again, and why you seemed so keen on the idea of seeing her again. When she invited you to have lunch with her in the gardens, you came without second thought. You were never late.
You spent fantastic moments with her ; you discovered she was really funny once you overlooked this cold exterior. She discovered that you were not stupid, but kind-spirited, sometimes too much for your own good. You really enjoyed the moments when she opened up to you, especially when she talked about her past. You were amazed to discover she used to be a jazz singer. You guessed her deep sultry voice must had made people crazy back then. Even when she talked to you, you sometimes had to make an extra effort to focus on her words rather than the music of her voice. She took more time to talk about her infection and the early moments of her life with the Cadou. You understood it was mostly a lonely time of her life. She didn't have her daughters yet, for Mother Miranda gifted them to her later. She mostly spent time in this gigantic castle by herself. It would have driven you crazy. She asked a lot about you too. You didn't have much to tell compared to her, but you told her about how you never really felt like you belonged anywhere, not in the village, not somewhere else in the world. That was also why you stayed : helping people around here made more sense than going somewhere else finding Black God's knew what. For her who was confined to stay in this castle, this was an odd statement. She could not go anywhere else, even if she wanted to.
You came back every time you left. That's something that really made her tick. She wondered if one day you'd get scared of her or her daughters and never come back. They were really careful never to leave a corpse or some blood around. One of the daughters suggested one time they'd test you. They didn't want their dearest Mother to be left heartbroken by a friend who wouldn't have a strong enough stomach. They kept few limbs and dispersed them around when they knew you'd come. Then they would hide in a corner, and wait for your reaction. It was both boring and full of hope. You glanced at it, brows furrowing for a moment before you'd bend down and pick it up. You'd inform the closest maid about it and leave it to her with a smile before going back to your day. They mentioned it to their mom one time, at dinner. She didn't say anything, but a small smile curled at the corner of her lips. It sounded like good news, maybe. She kept on inviting you, every day, and you never refused. After some time, you even stayed for the night, after sharing a night cap with the Lady of the Castle. The guest room was always ready to welcome you.
After that, the daughters started to really like you. Sure, Bela was grateful for your presence that dreadful night, but your closeness bloomed with music. Who could have guessed you were a piano lover ? You didn’t have one in your forest. But you played the guitar nicely, and were a great learner. Even the first time you tried the piano in the Opera Hall, it wasn't that bad. Bela and you sometimes played together, and had long conversation about poetry, art, romanticism. She talked more than you, but you loved to listen anyway. She liked your peaceful nature.
You remained a child of the forest, and an outdoors person through and through. You were at the best of your capacities when you were running in the woods, keeping an eye on the Lycans population, or making sure it was safe for people to take the roads around the village. Daniela often assisted you in your daily tasks. At first she pretended to keep an eye on you, in case you would’ve been a spy selling information about the Castle to people outside. You shrugged at the revelation and let her follow you around. She started to take action and to work with you, giving you a helping hand every now and then. You weren’t complaining, neither did she ; it felt good to have someone who valued her energy, and someone who always listened when she told you about her books. 'I would love to read this one someday.' what was you always told her. The first time she lent you one, you knew it was a test ; she wanted to see if you would keep your words. She had a whole exam planned in her head, so you read it very carefully, and you aced it. That wasn’t much, but it was everything she needed to be sure you were worthy of her trust.
Cassandra was the toughest one of the bunch, but you had a soft spot for her in your heart. She looked so much like her Mother ; not only in looks, but with all those little habits she had. When they were in the same room, you had to fight the urge to laugh about it. She was a mama's girl through and through. Cassandra wouldn’t talk to you like the others did, but she would watch you closely. You often felt her dark glare on you. That made you uncomfortable in the very beginning. You would always wonder what was going on, wanting to know if you happened to have made any sort of mistake. You quickly learned that the middle-child didn't have walls up, but a whole fortress. Again, that reminded you a someone in her life. The first time she talked to you was after dinner. She muttered a simple 'good night, human' that made you smile more than it should have. You took few seconds to reply, but eventually did. Little by little, you wormed your way into her heart. You talked to her about arms, about hunting ; she didn't answer at first, but she would listen, and smile from time to time. Hunting trips then became a special moment, a moment you would spent with her and her only (much to the disagreement of Daniela). She would talk to you there, as well as during the moments she'd want to learn to ''build and repair stuff'' as she put it. She was a good craftier, but patience wasn't her strong suit. Another thing she must have gotten from her mother. You slowly became her confident ; you were always a good listener, and you were oh so calm. That wasn't something she was used to. The few advice you gave were cherished like a treasure, and always warmed the brunette's heart.