The first thing I noticed when I awoke was the sharp smell of Alcina's blood, my eyes opening instantly, and I shot up in her bed, realizing she was not beside me. What little color had been left in my face quickly drained out of it, my eyes locking on the large pools of blood around the room, black feathers lying in them, and in various other areas, my heart almost stopping again with fear. "No.. No, this cannot be happening! I must be having a nightmare." My breathing quickened, as I was unable to convince myself that I was dreaming, meaning that what I saw was very much real, terror gripping my entire body.

               I instantly climbed off of the bed, dressing as quickly as possible, then rushed out of the room, and to my own, not bothering to knock, rushing in, startling both Donna and Angie as they sat on the bed. Donna instantly closed the book she had been reading, and looked at me, then stood, and hurried over to me, pulling me into her arms. "Alex, what is it? You're trembling." Hot tears cascaded down my face, as I tried to explain, my breath catching in my throat, until I finally managed, "Alcina- She took her. Miranda took her away from me. This is my fault.. She wants to use me to bring her daughter back from the dead, but Alcina refused her to protect me. Now, she has been taken by that horrid monster!"

          I felt Donna's body tense up, and she went deathly silent, before whispering, "It'll be alright. We will all find her and bring her home. Stay here with Angie.. If Mother Miranda wishes to have you, wandering around the castle grounds is a dangerous idea. I will find the others, and we will all come up with a plan together. Whatever you do, do not leave this room." I nodded, and allowed her to help me sit on my bed, and pulled Angie into my arms, finding the shrieking doll oddly comforting. "Just don't make me cuddle you, and I won't bite you!" I smiled faintly at Angie's words, watching as Donna left the room, shutting the door behind her, and sighed. "I wouldn't dream of cuddling you. I might squish you to death, and then, who would tell funny jokes to make me laugh?"

          If a doll could blush, I'm certain that she would have done so right then, as she muttered, "Good point. Everyone else around here is boring compared to me. Except for you, obviously.." Both of us jumped, as a tapping sounded on the glass of my window, and I turned my head, a cold chill running down my spine, as I saw a crow standing on the sill, a piece of paper held tightly within its beak. I slowly set Angie on the bed, and stood up, annoyed as she flew in front of the window, blocking me from going too close. "Don't be a dumbass! It's probably a trap! Bird bitch loves her crows, and uses them to watch people like a weirdo." I frowned, as the crow tapped on the glass again, and moved Angie out of the way. "Trap or not, we still need to find out what that paper says. It might be helpful in finding Alcina."

           She grumbled, muttering swear words under her breath, but stayed out of my way, as I unlatched the window, shivering in the cold air that flowed into the room. The crow instantly hopped inside, looking up at me, and I hesitated, before reaching down, and pulled the paper from its mouth, untying the string wrapped around it. I unrolled the paper, finding flowing writing on it, etched in ink, and as I read, my heart sank into my stomach, tears sliding down my face. "Dearest Alexandria, we both have something the other wishes to possess. I know for certain you wish to retrieve Alcina, and in turn, I wish to claim you and your blood as my own, to use as a host for my daughter, Eva. If you truly wish to have your lover returned to you, come and find her underground, in the tunnels beneath this very castle. But be warned, you have little time in which to decide."

        I instantly tore up the paper, not wanting Angie or the Lords to find it and stop me from doing what I was about to do. Surely, it was stupidity, or pure desperation on my part, but I had already made my decision; I would save Alcina, no matter the cost. Even if I had to sacrifice my very soul to Miranda, Alcina would be free and safe to return home to her family, and I would not allow her to be slaughtered because of me. After all, it was my fault, wasn't it? She had been taken because Miranda wanted me, so it was my problem to fix. Letting the other Lords help would be too dangerous, for if Miranda saw them with me, she would surely slaughter them and Alcina without a second thought, but going alone would mean my death most likely.

               Dying was a price I was willing to pay for the woman I loved most in this world, and even though she would be sad when I was gone, I knew she would eventually be able to find happiness again. Choosing to do nothing or wait for a long time would take that chance away from her, and her daughters and siblings needed her, even more than I did. Angie asked, "What was in that stupid letter? Why the hell did you tear it up??" I sighed, and looked at her, a bit sad about having to leave her and the others behind, but knew it was safer for them if I did. "Nothing important. Stay right here- I need to go retrieve something I forgot in Alcina's room. I will be right back." She tried to protest, but I took off before she could say very much, sneaking my way out of the castle, hearing the Lords in the kitchen, discussing what to do.

           I didn't bother taking my weapons, knowing it was foolish to leave them behind, but going to Miranda armed was also a foolish idea, and she might slaughter Alcina if I appeared with the clear intention of attacking her, and shivered, running out into the snow, the cold already causing faint pain to burn underneath my skin. I made my way down the mountain quickly and carefully, knowing every inch of that place from when I was a child, having hunted every corner of it for food, and hesitated, as I found a path descending down into darkness beneath the castle. Who knew what fate awaited me below the surface? And would Miranda keep her word, and allow Alcina to go free? I didn't know the answers to those questions, but I knew taking too long would get my lover killed, and so, I slowly walked down the path into the darkness, surprised to find it illuminated by light somehow.

        I kept walking, finding myself venturing down a path of twists and turns, then stopped, shuddering, as I heard the sound of a heartbeat above my head. I slowly looked up, and my eyes widened, as I saw something red and glowing above me, oddly shaped like the fetus of a newborn child, the sound of the heartbeat coming from its center. I tore my gaze away, as I realized I had been standing there too long, and looked at a building of some kind nearby, heading towards it, then flinches, as dark roots of some kind shot from the ground, blocking my path, and the path I had come from, leaving me no choice but to follow another path deeper into the tunnels, until I reached a wide cavern, my heart aching, as I saw Alcina chained to some stone surface, blood staining her skin, deep wounds across her arms and chest.

            I raced towards her, tears in my eyes, but before I could, something slammed into my chest, sending me crashing against the rock wall in the far corner, paint radiating through my entire body, as I tasted blood. I groaned, getting back up, and swallowed hard, as I saw Miranda standing there, her bird mask in one hand, those icy eyes peering at me with determination. "Now, now, Alexandria. We have a deal to make, do we not? It wouldn't be a deal if you got what you desired before I did, now would it? You must swear that you will stay here with me, and allow me to use your blood and body as a host for Eva, and only then will Alcina be freed. And there's no need to worry- She will heal. She merely fought back valiantly as I took her from you, so of course there's some damage done to us both, but she is alive for the moment."

           She held out one hand, her metal claws shining in the light, a cruel smile tugging at her lips. "Now, do we have a deal or not? I advise you to be quick about your answer.. I am not a patient woman." I saw Alcina's head raise up, her golden eyes locking on me with terror and worry, as I looked at her, and then, I took a deep breath, and walked over to Miranda, slipping my hand into hers, and nodded. "We have a deal. Now, let her go, and I will do whatever it is you wish.. I have kept my word, now it is your turn." She moved her hand away, and walked over to Alcina, then looked at me, and smiled a cruel, icy smile, before plunging her metal claws deep into Alcina's chest, my lover's screams of agony shooting through my very soul. "NO! WE HAD A DEAL!"

         Miranda shrugged, as Alcina went limp, and shook blood off her hand in disgust. "I never once said I would let her go, did I? I only said she would be free. And now, she has been set free, from the pain of being near you. You turned her against me, Alexandria, and I could not let a traitor live, could I? And I have what I want, after all. There is no escape for you, and now, the one thing you care for most has been torn away from you. You have no reason to leave this place." I felt rage boiling inside of me, getting hotter and hotter, just as it had so many times before, and I saw red, ringing sounding in my ears, then, before I could stop myself, I charged at Miranda, baring my fangs, and the next thing I knew was pain and darkness, as I was flung roughly against another wall, though the rage continued to grow inside of me, something stirring deep within my very blood, releasing itself as my mind drifted away..