Author's Note:
I apologize for the absence lately, been busy crushing over a teacher. Now go read and cry, my little worms!! <33
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The room grew silent as you peered down at her cold, crystallized figure. Her final hazy breath came from her delicate lips, making the last cracks fainter. "B-.. Bela?" you stuttered out of your lungs as you grasped her shoulders, a lingering realization washing over your shivering spine as you stared astonished at her gray eyes.
Little snowflakes landed on top of her body, while a faint breeze blew through your hair. It felt like your heart stopped beating as the fact of her death dawned on you, and with a slow lean forward, you rested your head on top of her quiet chest, tears streaming down your cheeks as you wailed above her, refusing to accept that she had passed in your arms. Your thoughts weren't able to comprehend that your daughter fell on her knees the moment you headed inside the demolished castle, as your cries filled the kitchen walls and the soothing piano filled your ears.
Approaching, frantic steps burstrd into the kitchen, and with a horrified look to the side, you saw Cassandra's eyes fade into devastation as she saw you kneeling beside her older sister's crystallized body. "Bela?" she spoke underneath her breath, her yellow eyes wide as she immediately rushed over.
Cassandra quickly tossed her sickle aside and sank down beside her sister. "Bela, bela!" She brushed her shaking hands over Belas' cheeks as she gazed into her eyes, her lips wide in a horrifying gasp as a tear dropped down her pale cheek, before she narrowed her frightened gaze to you, silence falling over you both as she slowly shook her head. "This can't be," she whispered through her slow tears, a form of agonizing shock wandering over her words.
"I'm.. sorry, I tried." You sobbed out, burying your sorrowful face into your shaking hands.
Cassandra pressed her gloved hand against her crystalized palm, little flakes slipping through her fingers as she quietly repeated herself. "It was my fault, Bela." You glanced at Bela, then back at Cassandra, who slowly shook her head, continuously blaming herself while holding her sister. Nothing could have prepared you for to witness her lean forward and hug Belas's figure, her quiet, faint cries escaping her yellow eyes as she hugged her tightly in her quivering arms. "I'm so sorry, sister." With a hazy sight to the side, you glimsped at the broken window. As you stared at the white sky, a single white snowflake fell into the kitchen, as if the world around you had stopped turning.
"I can't believe he dared to touch you." Cassandra's cold words drew your attention back to her as she rose from the floor. Her eyes were filled with rage as she seized her sickle and smashed it against the counter. You jumped in your skin as you watched her toss and demolish whatever she saw in her sight. "I'll get you, Winters!" she shouted with anger, pacing to the kitchen double door.
You hurried up to her as she dashed by you, a dreadful expression on her face while her eyes red and in utter despair. "Cassandra, w- what.. what are you doing?" you urgently asked, grasping her arm.
She shook her head, shoving her arm from your grasp. "That disgusting piece of a man. I'll rip his fucking limbs from his own damn bones!" She snapped furiously, shoving the double door open with such force that she nearly broke the wooden door.
Your brows frowned further as she again recalled a name. "Cassandra, wait!" you shouted, chasing her through the dining room.
"I knew I should've brought him back to that damn chamber." She said, wiping her cheeks with her sleeve.
You grabbed her arm again as she attempted to walk through the dining room door. "No, no, Cassandra, don't. I can lose you too." You pleaded with agonizing whines, struggling to hold her back.
She bared her teeth at you, barely inches from your face, while she spoke. "I need to find Ethan, so let me go, Y/N." Her glare was devastating as she fixed her gaze on yours, her brows furrowed, and nothing but hatred spread across her entire face.
You shook your head and refused to let go of her arm. "E.. Ethan? Cassandra, please don't leave! I am begging you, please." You pleaded, desperate tears flowing down your cheeks as she tried to shove you away.
She forcefully pushed you down to the floor. "He should have killed you too, if you are really that scared, Y/N!" she yelled furiously before turning into a swarm of flies, leaving you to cry in the empty, cold dining room. It felt as though your thumping heart sank to the ground upon hearing her harsh words. As you glanced at the double doors, a lingering anguish crawled up your chest, and tears streamed from your weeping eyes as you leaned against a chair.
As you brushed away your tears, you noticed a trail of blood that led to the door. With a confused frown you raised your head to look at the blood going to the main hall. And with a struggle, you supported yourself with the chair and stood up, approaching the long trail as you pushed the double door open. The blood was smeared across the marble white floor that led up the stairs.
With a concerned expression, you leaned against the wooden railing and followed the blood stains that were left on the long carpet. You looked over the wrecked hallway, an upsetting sight as you glimsped at the paintings and portraits that lined on each wall. A piece of golden cabinetry was ripped apart and scattered across the long corridor. Each candle was tossed aside, and the luxurious vintage wallpaper hung barely from the walls as you past by, following the blood drips to Alcina's office on the left side of the corridor. The door was slightly open, and with a gentle push, you were able to peek inside her office. Every book on the bookcases had been thrown to the floor, and a cold breeze blew through the broken window as the silky curtains swayed along with it. As you entered her empty office, everything was destroyed in tiny pieces. Every drawer on her wood desk was completely open, and tons of paper sheets were spilled across the wooden floor, covering the whole office.
But there was no sign of Alcina.
You dashed out of the office and paced down the main hall steps, eventually reaching the dining room and pushing open the patio entrance. The entire garden scenery was blanketed with freshly fallen white snow, which fell on every single flower planted in the courtyard. The sky was gloomy, and snowflakes fell on top of you as you made your way through the stinging cold. You walked through the deep snow to the other side and quickly into the Alcina's chambers. You swung the golden door open and sprinted up the stairs, following the golden white halls leading to her bedroom. A devasting sob poured over you as you carefully pushed the open door wider, your sight sweeping over her demolished chamber. Her golden vanity was shattered into small pieces when it had been smashed against the wall on your left.
As you approached the bed you both shared every night, you glanced at her cherished belongings, which were tossed on the entire carpet all around the floor. Despite the fact that everything else in the chamber had been scattered about, her silky white bed remained untouched.
You took a seat on the edge of the bed and brushed your palm on the soft covers. The castle was so silent as the people you had lost played on your mind that it was more devastating than you could have imagined. You hadn't felt so crushed since you lost your aunt years ago, it felt like history had repeated itself, leaving you all alone.
As you buried your distraught face in your hands, a faint cracking step on glass drew your attention to the windows behind you, as it suddenly flooded your ear. Your eyes widened as you glimpsed a strange figure pass quickly through the balcony just outside the windows. With a terrified voice, you rushed up from the bed, striking a broken glass piece on the floor as you stared terrifiedly at the large windows. You could have sworn to your life that you saw someone pass them just a second ago.
You held the glass firlmy in your palm as you carefully approached the window, feeling the broken glass beneath your heels shatter with each hesitant step you took closer to the big window. You froze in your steps, listening to the outside noises as you slowly leaned your head toward the window glass. The castle's balcony was completely empty, except for the snow that had recently poured. Although it was entirely empty, a path of dripping blood ran over the white snow, as did visible footsteps that made their way through it.
You lifted your head up and reached for the window lock before carefully opening the window. You squinted your eyes as the harsh breeze brushed against your face as you made your way through the window, following the mysterious blood with your gaze as it led to the end of the balcony.
With slow steps, you glimsped down to the shoeprints that were left in the fresh snow as you walked hesitantly across the balcony. Your eyes followed the trial to the right, where the open window of the chamber's hallway appeared once again. It was obvious someone made their way through it, as the window remained open when it was closed when you passed it earlier. You placed your hands on the edge while an eerie figure made its way quickly down the stairs as it heard you follow them.
You could hear hurried footsteps running down the stairs as you made your way through the open window. You quickly leaned over the railing and glanced down, seeing as someone made their way through the corridors beneath you. You frowned, almost sprinting down the stairs as you followed the person in the dark beige jacket, who obviously ran away from you. You hurried toward the courtyard door and pushed it open, pausing with a pant as you glanced over nothing but a snowy garden ahead of you.
With a surprised gasp, you drew your gaze to the side as someone struck at you from the corner. "Do not try to scream, or I will slit your damn throat." The man's voice stated violently as he pressed a knife against neck, forcing you to look up at the gray sky. You held your terrified breath in as he spoke again. "Who are you?" The man asked, holding you forcefully against his firm grasp.
You shook your head horrified, feeling as the blade pressed against your quivering skin. "P-.. please, I'm Y/N. I am j-.. just a servant here." You stuttered out of breath, the corners of your eyes welling up.
He snickered hearing you. "So you are Y/N? Tell me where to find my daughter, Rose." He demanded, his voice rising in madness.
"R-.. rose? I.. I don't know, I swear!" You almost cried out in a fearful shout as he pressed the dagger even harder, causing you to gasp against the sharp blade as you continued pleading for mercy.
"The Duke told me about you, Y/N. I know.. you know where the castle witch took my daughter. So, take me to her!" He yelled impatiently, demanding answers from you. With a furious frown, you struck his stomach harshly with your elbow as he recalled Alcina. You watched as he gasped, pulling back while holding his stomach with his palm. "TAKE ME TO ROSE!" He yelled, knocking you down to the snow. Now that you were in front of him, you could get a good look at the mysterious man, who didn't appear recognizable in your eyes. He had short blond hair and dark gray eyes that were filled with rage as he pushed you down onto the snow.
You resisted him as he climbed on top of you, aiming the knife at you. "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?" you shrieked violently, trying to shove him off of you.
He groaned angrily as you struggled to break away from his grip. "I WANT MY ROSE BACK! SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!"
"I HAVE NO IDEA WHERE YOUR FUCKING DAUGHTER IS! GET OFF ME, YOU FUCKER!" You shouted from the top of your lungs as he struggled back against you, his blade leaving minor cuts on your hands as you tried to force him away.
"I WILL FIND HER!" he yelled, forcing both of your shoulders back down the stone ground, leaving you to hit your head hard against the stone tile.
"Aagh.." You squirmed from pain as he watched as your fighting hands fell to the ground, rising up from you as your body laid unresponsive beneath him in the freezing snow. Your eyelids flickered continuously as you struggled to keep them open. Small, faint glimpses of him rushing through the courtyard were all you could see as you leaned to your side, holding your disoriented, dazed head in your palm as you watched him sprint to the double door leading to the dining room.
You groaned with a painful squirm as you placed your palm against the back of your head, trails of dripping blood falling onto the snow as you tried to stand up, but everything around you began to daze you, and you found yourself once more laying weakly on top of the snow. Who the fuck is he? You thought to yourself, gathering your strength to look for the missing insights. With a weak push forward, you strolled over the thick snow, holding your hand on the side of your head as you reached the courtyard door.
You looked forward and observed the main hall door wide open, indicating that he had exited through it. You heard the courtyard door close behind you as you made your way past the long dining room. Following the snowy shoeprints, the man left the marble floor.
You have never heard of a girl named Rose. Why is this man's daughter in this castle? Although many mysteries remained unexplained, Alcina's disappearance was the most painful aspect of it all, she was nowhere to be found. The daughters would have undoubtedly heard your conflict with the man in the courtyard, but no one appeared to have heard what was going on. Not only your colleagues, maids, were nowhere to be found, their belonings were still strangely remaining in the castle. Limbing over the castle's floor, a devastated tear fell your eye as you remembered Bela, her passionate yellow eyes that became gray before you knew it, whereas her sister Cassandra was blazing with rage, seeking for the man as you did. A faint, loud cry startled you out of your thoughts as you supported yourself along the hall. But your gaze shifted to the right as you heard a horrifying struggle arising from the library you had just passed. With a fearful turn, you made your way to the library door as Daniela's voice made itself louder.
It was as if your bones in your body had frozen when you stared over at the man, who was standing with his back to you in the middle of the big library. "ETHAN!" you yelled fiercely at him as he remained unmoved by the opening doors. Nothing could have prepared you for the quiet sobs that came from his arms as he slowly turned around, pressing the blade of the long dagger against Daniela's neck. Your eyes widend while your lips gasped with utter panic, glancing upon the shaking Daniela grasped around his arms.
"Let her go, she is innocent!" You shouted almost desperately. Your heart pouding against your chest as your gaze met Daniela's. Her yellow eyes were filled with fear, knowing she had little chance against the dagger of death flowers.
"Innocent?" He mocked, surprised, frowning even more as he stared at you. "You can't call a blood-sucking cannibal innocent!" He screamed vigorously as he pressed the dagger deeper into her silky, pale skin. A frightened gasp escaped her trembling black lips as her eyes pleaded against yours, her faint sobs becoming quicker.
You eagerly shook your head as he dared to scare her. "Ethan, do not fucking touch her! She had no act in taking your damn daughter!" You yelled, your wandering rage echoing through your furious words.
"She's one of the crazy daughters of the fucking witch of this castle! She's no different than any of them!" He screamed at you, causing Daniela to shudder in terror beneath his grip, her quiet, panicked weeping filling the shouts between you both.
You took a step forward, leaning your hand ahead while your gaze was locked on hers. "Don't you fucking dare touch my daughter, or you won't see your damn precious Rose ever again!" you said firmly, glancing at him with a headshake.
His lips snickered as he tilted his head toward Daniela. "What the fuck are you going to do?" He ticked the tip of the sharp blade against her chin. "Besides, this one already told me where she is."
Your panting, outraged chest tightened as you bared your teeth at him. "If you know where she is, then why are you still here, Ethan?!"
He frowned with a stoic expression wandering over his face, and with a harsh press against her vulnerable neck, he slowly drew the blade against her skin. "Daughter for a daughter," he hissed as Daniela's blood poured down her own heavy, panting chest.
A faint shocked gasp escaped from your lips as her pupils drew smaller, her gaze following yours as she fell to her knees in front of you. "NO, DANIELA!" You screamed in panicked despair, dashing yourself over to her fallen body as Ethan leaned against the bookshelf while he watched you desperately try to stop her bleeding open wound that was on her throat.
"Y/N.. Y/N.." She gasped softly, the corners of her black lips leaving a red trail as her eyes flickered weakly that glared up at you.
Your heart struck into your chest as you kneeled down in front of her, pushing your shaking hands over her flowing wound. "No, no, Dani! Keep your eyes open, please!" You yelled out in tears as her yellow eyes fluttered with every second. She dearly struggled against the blood that filled her mouth, leaving her no way to take another breath. Her body trembled severely on the wooden floor as a puddle of blood flew beneath her, spilling from her mouth as she shook her head weakly. "I-.. I don't want to die," she whispered, her gaze narrowing to the round window on the ceiling as her subtle voice became weaker as you held your hands against her neck, your entire hands covering themselves with her blood as you desperately tried stopping the bleeding skin.
"Y-.. you.. you won't, Dani." You shook your head while desperate tears left your eyes as you leaned over her bleeding figure, slow cracks forming on the tips of her fingers as she struggled to keep herself breathing. You glanced down at her shaking hands as they slowly became gray. "P-.. please, no, no, no!" A panicked wander drew quickly over your face as the realization struck you.
"Forgive me, mother." A daunting silence fell over the library as you turned your gaze to Daniela. Her sweet gaze remained fixed on the hazy white sky through the round window as her breath came to an end. Her biggest fear came to her as she died in the same room she wished to never leave.
Your breath became shallow as your palms froze over her wound. "No.." You whispered beneath your lips as you watched her figure turn into a white, elegant crystal. "No, no! Daniela!" You cried out, shaking your head in disbelief, hurriedly brushing your palms against her cold cheeks, gazing in shock as her bright eyes turned gray. "P-.. Please, no! I can't lose you, Dani." Your wailing tears poured on her crystalized cheek as you refused to realize that... she was gone.
"Don't bother trying, she is gone." Ethan said from the side, wiping the dagger with his jacket as he looked at you.
With a slow, daunting turn to the side, you glared at him in wrath. Your sobs turned to hatred as you charged at him, striking him roughly against the bookshelf. Tons of books spilled to the ground as he gasped in pain when you unexpectedly struck him on the floor, dropping the sharp dagger to the side. "She was a murderer, Y/N!" He yelled as you pulled him brutally to the floor, wrapping the bloody hands around his neck, feeling as your nails dug into his skin as an overwhelming hatred flooded over you.
"You fucking killed her!" You screamed furiously, furrowing your brow even more as you watched him struggle to fight you off.
He choked frantically against your tight grip as you leaned your entire body down to his throat, exerting as much weight as possible against his neck. Adrenaline surged through your veins as you stared into his struggling gaze. He firmly grasped your wrist and turned you over. "I don't want to hurt you, Y/N!"
You grunted loudly as he pulled your back down to the wooden floor, his figure sitting on top of you as he drew his hands toward your fighting hands. "Fuck you, Ethan!" You broke fiercely, spitting in his face as he grabbed your arms, making you unable to fight him off.
"You are fucking brainwashed!" He shouted almost in disbelief, pinning your neck down harshly while his other hand narrowed to the dagger on his left. You kicked him viciously as your frightened gasps rose while placing his hand against your throat. "I just want my daughter, understand that!" He shouted, leaning the blade against your quivering neck.
Your eyesight wavered with small black spots as his grip tightened around your pumping pulse, the blade brushing across your flesh as you shook your head. "D-.. don't!" you managed to gasp out as he hesitated to draw the dagger through your neck.
He groaned, frustrated, and let go of your neck as he watched your eyes slowly fall shut. You coughed loudly as you gasped for air, supporting your panting chest with one hand while he stood up from the floor, watching you cough out blood from your lungs. Ethan darted a brief glance toward the library door before returning his gaze to you, hesitant to leave you to choke on your own blood or flee. You watched as he rapidly passed through the double door in your eye corner while you lost blood out of your mouth. You spat out the blood and casted a weak glance across the library door before fixing your sight on Daniela's crystallized body.
"Motherfucker.." You leaned against the broken bookshelf and wiped your mouth with your sleeve. You pushed the shaddered books aside with your heel as you struggled your way over to Daniela. With a sorrowful expression on your face, you crouched down and took her sharp sickle from her right hand before rising from the ground and narrowing your wandering hatred toward the door.
You wiped the small cut he made on your throat with your sleeve and hurried to the library door, and with a quick push, you swang them open, following Ethan's distance steps you heard running down the corridor. You frowned furiously and sprinted to the second floor, ignoring the sharp, searing agony that went through every muscle in your body as you forced your way to the main hall. You saw him as he quickly turned his head to the top of the stairs, heading toward the four halls. You laid your hands on the wooden railing and watched him jump over the stone stairs down the main hall. "I'll get you, Ethan!" you shouted after him.
When you took fast steps down the stairs, a sudden black figure flew directly through you. Your body felt taken aback by the unexpected, stinging breeze that passed over you. You narrowed your bewildered gaze back and froze as you locked eyes with the piercing lagoon eyes that drew through the golden mask, her figure only one step above you. "Going somewhere?" Mother Miranda asked with a gentle tilt to the side.
Your eyes widened as you held your breath in terror, standing only inches away from the woman you feared the most. Although her face was hidden under her golden mask, a malicious smile grew over her lips as she watched your body shudder in fear. But before you could take another breath, she reached down and placed her hand on your left shoulder, pushing you down the stairs with a gentle push.
You groaned with a painful shriek as you fell harshly down the long wooden stairs, your head slamming along the stairs as your body splintered across the stairs all the way down to the marble floor. You grunted with a painful squirm as your body touched the cold floor, making you shake in your skin as you heard her devious chuckle that made its way slowly down the main hall stairs, her heels ticking at each haunting step she took. "Oh, how truly weak you are, Y/N." Mother Miranda said with a small sarcastic laugh, her heels echoing through the main hall walls as you sobbed in pure agony on the cold floor. You coughed as you supported your drowsy head in your trembling hand as you tried pushing yourself away from the stairs as her heels made themselves closer to you.
The gentle piano melody came to an end as your shoulder touched something unexpectedly when you desperately tried pushing your body away from the stairs. And with a slow glance up, your eyes locked themselves onto Maria's, your aunt.
She kneeled down with a soft sigh, her palm brushing across your cheek as your eyes widened in disbelief. "Good to see you again, my child." Maria spoke with a gentle grin, her green eyes shining through the long golden mask.