(Authors note: SORRY FOR THE INACTIVITY, I HAD A LOT OF THINGS COME UP BUT IM BACK.)

The cold wind bit at the ends of your ears and your nose. You reached your gloved hand up to your bandana and lifted it over your nose, at least shielding half your face from the cold.

You rested your free hand on the hilt of your silver blade, walking along the perimeter of the castle on lookout for anything or anyone that shouldn't be here.

Thick snow piled on your leather hood, as you've been out here for quite some time. It was your duty to guard the castle, and protect it with your life. You pledged your life and loyalty to your mistress, and you were not going to let her down.

When you first arrived to castle Dimitrescu, you were a maiden who was sold to the castle by your parents. You were an anxious and nervous girl, always worrying about if you folded the sheets correctly, or didn't dust the living room enough.

Lady Dimitrescu noticed you had a hard time with the tasks you were given. However, she didn't want to send you to the basement. Something in her stopped her from being angry with you. She felt a sense of pity for the poor, scared girl in front of her.

So she offered you a different position. One you were more comfortable with. She wanted you to be the guard of Castle Dimitrescu. Not that she needed one, of course. But extra hands to help rip out the throats of the fowl creatures that dare step on her land always helped.

She armored you with a dark brown set of leather armor, a hood, a cloak, a bandana, belts, a crossbow, and a silver cutless with the dimitrescu crest engraved on its end.

You looked down to gaze at the engraved end of your sword, smiling. It made you extremely happy to know that she trusted you this much.

You began to walk into the courtyard when you felt a large hand rest on your shoulder. You imeadietly tensed up and turned around, sliding your blade out from its casing and pointing it at the mysterious figure.

It was Lady Dimitrescu.

You.

Are.

Fucked.

You imeadietly drop your blade and raise your hands in a peaceful matter. "M-my lady! I am s-so sorry! You startled me and it was a reflex of mine" you stuttered in fear, quickly bending down to grab your sword and put it back on your belt.

She tilted her head and smiled. "Draga, don't be sorry. I'm just glad to know that my guard is always prepared for anything" she praised, following the sentence with a wink.

Your face turned pink. Thankfully your black mask shielded half your face from her. She raised and eyebrow and reached for your mask, pulling it down. You looked down at your feet.

"Why do you apologize so much, love?" She asked, grabbing your chin and looking into your eyes. You sighed a bit at the comforting touch. "My parents.. weren't the greatest.. I ended up having to apologize a lot. Sometimes it wasn't my fault.." You whispered, looking back down at your feet.

She frowned. "Oh, lovely. I'm sorry about that." She cooed. Then a smirk pulled on her crimson lips and she leaned down until her lips grazed your ear. "If they saw you now, they would be the ones who are sorry" she growled. Butterflies swarmed in your stomach and your heart sped up.

The sound of a twig snapping pulled you two out of your encounter. Alcina imeadietly stood up and looked around. You pulled out your sword and stepped in front of her.

She chuckled a bit at the small human trying to protect a giant mutant like her, but she didn't interfere.

"Come out! Come out and face the wrath of house Dimitrescu!" You yelled into the trees. Nothing.

You turned back to your mistress. "Please stay here, my lady" you ordered. She giggled and sat down on one of the benches. "As you wish, my knight in shining armor." She responded, smirking again.

You felt heat rush to your cheeks and you gripped your sword firmly, slowly marching towards the woods. A large, growling, slobbering lycan jumped out at you, nearly missing you by an inch. You turned around with the slash of your cutless, grazing its shoulder.

It cried out in pain and swung at you. You blocked the swing of its claws with your blade, slicing its hand off. It screamed and held its arm. Not wasting a moment, you trusted your thin blade into its chest, glaring into its yellow eyes before sliding your now bloody blade out. It collapsed to the ground, spewing its blood fall onto the snow.

You spat at the corpse and scowled. "Fowl thing" you muttered, sliding your sword back into its sheath. You walked back to your lady, who was resting her chin in her hand. She gave you an amused smile. "Not bad, sweetling. Not bad at all." She chuckled warmly.

You hid your face and fiddled with your bloodstained gloves. "It was nothing" you murmured, embarrassed by the pet names. She sat up and gracefully walked over to you, kneeling down to your height.

"Thank you" she whispered, placing a kiss on your forehead. You felt like you were about to pass out. "It's simply my job, my lady" you responded, flustered.

She stood up. "Now, you should probably give your armor a wash, wouldn't you think?" She asked. You gazed down at your once dark brown Armor, now covered head to toe in lycan blood. You nodded and took your gloves off and shoved them in your pockets. "On it, my lady. I'll take care of the body afterwords" you announced,

She shook her head. "No need for that. My daughters can take care of it. Go rest, dear. Then meet me in my quarters whenever you're available" she ordered, turning and walking back into the castle, the clicking of her heels fading.

You finally pulled yourself together and stabbed your blade into the snow, washing your sword of any blood. You put it back into your sheath and walked back into the castle, shaking your boots off before entering.

You entered your quarters and took your leather vest off, revealing your cream colored t-shirt. You heard light buzzing coming into earshot. You threw your leather armor into a bin, so you could wash it later. The door opened and Cassandra formed from the swarm.

You jumped in fright and stepped back, relieved that you still had your t-shirt and leather grieves on. "Hey, Cass" you greeted. She giggled and sat on your bed. "Me and my sisters saw you kill that lycan! That was badass" she announced, grinning ear to ear.

You scratched your neck and hung your sword on the rack attached next to your bed. "Just doing my job" you told her, setting your crossbow and bolts down on the table as well.

Cassandra huffed at your humbleness. "We were thinking.. when it gets warmer out, do you wanna hunt with me, Dani, and Bela?" She asked. You giggled a bit. "I wouldn't mind that" you replied, playfully punching her shoulder.

"Yay!!" She half yelled, hugging you tightly. You sat up and smiled. "I appreciate the company, Cass. But I have to get into clothes that aren't as bloody" you chuckled, gesturing to the bloodstain on your leg. Cassandra nodded and headed towards the door but stopped. "Sometime, will you show me how to use a sword?" She asked shyly. You grinned and nodded. "I would love to!" She squealed in excitement and disappeared into a swarm of flies down the hall.

You walked over and shut the door, taking your belt out of its loop and placing it on your nightstand. You took your pants and gloves off and threw them in the basket as well. You walked into your connected bathroom and fully undressed yourself, stepping into the shower.

You let the grime and blood wash off of your body, watching it flow down the drain. The heat of the water did wonders for your aching muscles.

As you washed yourself, you thought of what your mistress asked. 'Why do you apologize so much, love?'. Her words echoed in your mind.

Your father was a drunk and your mother hated you. They would constantly get in fights, blaming each other and you for every little thing. Little you would be tucked against a wall in your room, hiding your head in your hands while your dad screamed at you and threw his beer bottles in your direction. Your mother was nowhere to be found.

Once you turned 18, your family was broke. Your mother finally divorced your father, and he was left penniless from his alcoholism. He sold you to Lady Dimitrescu in exchange for more booze. Your own father chose his addiction over you, and that stuck with you. You thought you were worth nothing.

You've been working in this castle for about 4 years now, glad to be away from that shithole. Seeing your lady interact with her daughters always made you happy, but you felt a hole in your heart. A hole that your own mother's love never filled.

You shook yourself out of your thoughts and stepped out of the shower, drying yourself off and getting into your sleep clothes. You sat on your bed, but quickly darted up, remembering that Lady Dimitrescu wanted to see you in her quarters.

You gulped and slid off the bed, putting on your slippers and stepping out the door. You walked down the dark halls, looking out the windows at the bright moon in the sky.

You finally reached your mistresses door. You took a deep breath and knocked. "Come in" her beautiful voice chimed. You turned the nob and entered.

She was sitting at her dresser. She smiled over at you and motioned for you to sit on her lap. You nodded and struggled to climb up. She chuckled and picked you up, cradling you like a baby. You wanted to cry. You were so touch starved. You've never received this sort of affection before.

She sensed your sadness. "Darling, is everything alright?" She asked, caressing your face. You leaned into her touch. "Why are you treating me like this?" You ask curiously, wishing for the affection to never end.

"Because I appreciate my honored guard" she giggled. "I wanted to thank you for your service to castle Dimitrescu. It doesn't go unnoticed. I think I made the right choice making you our guard." She praised.

Tears filled your eyes and your bottom lip began to quiver. You were overwhelmed with emotions. Alcina furrowed her eyebrows and held you close. "Is everything okay?" She asked gently.

You sniffled and let out a small sob. "N-nobody ever treated me like this before. I-Ive always b-been a burden" you choked out, letting the tears stream down your face.

Alcina hugged you tightly and let you cry into her shoulder. "My poor, sweet knight. You deserve recognition for what you do. You make sure to keep me and my daughters safe, and I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart. We all appreciate you, (y/n)" she cooed, rubbing your back.

You cried more, letting your emotions out. She continued to comfort you until you were calmer. "I'm sor-" you began to apologize but Alcina cut you off. "Do not apologize, sweetling. You've done nothing wrong." She whispered, kissing your forehead.

You lifted your head to look up at her, your eyes were red and puffy. Some unknown force began to slowly move your lips closer to each other. Both your lips finally met. She kissed you slowly. Happy tears escaped from your eyes.

She pulled away, gasping for breath, you as well. "Do not worry about your father anymore, darling. I'll make sure he never bothers you again. You're safe now. You may be the protector of my daughters and I, but we will do the same for you" she assured, running her large fingers through your hair.

You fell asleep in her hold, inhaling her sweet scent of expensive perfume and cigarettes. After years of numbness, pain, heartbreak, and fear, you felt something new. Love

(This might have some more parts coming soon 👀 👀 👀. LOVE YOUALL 💋💋)