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The door frame creaked as Alcina slid through it, her irritation causing her to forget her own strength as she hunted. In one hand she carried her gloves, quickly tucking them under her arm as she crossed the hall and ducked down through the entranceway to the west wing. Her prey of choice was known to haunt the unused wing, crawling through it like their own personal playground. If the servants didn't already believe that the darker parts of the castle was populated by the things that went bump in the night, the noise that had come from the west wing over the past month was sure to have convinced them.
The Lady of the house grit her fangs in annoyance, listening for prey. Going quiet, she stopped in the dark hallway, silently pulling her gloves on now that her hands were dry again. Flexing her fingers, she pulled the wooden paddle brush from under her other arm, absently running her hands over the bristles as she trained her ears. Down the hall came a soft click of a door. With a dark smirk, she glided down the hallway towards the sound.
The chances she had given out were long gone, their opportunities unused, and she was tired of playing games. They may still act like children, but they were big enough that she shouldn't have to chase them down just to instill basic grooming habits into them. More than anything else, there was no way she was going to let three unwashed little heathens run wild in her castle.
As she ducked through the next doorframe, she caught a flash of auburn hair and a black veil ducking through the door across the long, unused sitting room. "Daniela Dimitrescu!" She heard a shuddering noise- like the beating of so many glass wings. "Come here! Now!" Quickly, she tucked the hand holding the brush behind her back, her other hand propping on her hip as she watched her youngest meekly peek her head back into the room.
"..Yes, Mamă?"
The hand on her hip moved to point to the floor in front of her. "Come here, Daniela." she said, changing her tone of voice until it almost purred. Daniela smiled, ducking back into the room. False sense of security? Check.
"Yes, Mothe-ACK!" Daniela yelped as her Mother lunged, snapping her up off the floor as if she didn't weigh a pound. In the span of five seconds, she was face to face with Mother, her arms pinned to her sides with one of Mother's stronger arms, and her feet dangling uselessly against Mother's thighs. She saw the light glint off of the polished wooden hairbrush as Alcina pushed the black hood away from the mop of auburn tangles beneath it. "No-no-no!"
Alcina tightened her arm over her youngest daughter's body. "You've pushed my patience this time, Daniela Dimitrescu." she scolded, running the brush through the tangled red hair. "How many times have I asked you three to brush your hair in the past two days?" She gave Daniela's hair another pass, feeling the bristles catch every knot on its way down. "But did you listen?"
"NOOOO!" Daniela screeched, kicking her legs. "STOP! IT HURTS!"
With a soft tut, Alcina ran the brush down the back of Daniela's head again. "If you had let me help you brush it to begin with, it would not be in such a state." She tightened her arm as one of Daniela's feet kicked hard enough to hurt. "Be still, Daniela-" She almost didn't catch the glint of little fangs heading for her chest and cracked the back of the paddle brush against the girl's backside. "DON'T YOU DARE BITE ME!"
The youngest of her daughters let out a pained screech. "YOU DO IT TOO HARD, MAMǍ!" She gasped as a particular knot caught in the brush's bristles. "NO MORE!"
"I'm already almost finished, Daniela. Do calm yourself." She looked past the squirming redhead. "CASSAAAAAAANDRA!"
Daniela could hear the sound of her sister's swarm coming down the hallway and into the long room. She turned her head to see behind her to shout out a warning. "NOO! RUN, CASSI! IT'S A TRIIIIIIIIIICK!"
The swarm stopped hard, attempting to turn around and escape, but Alcina was too fast for her. With preternatural speed, Alcina reached out and plucked Cassandra from the air, her fingers grabbing enough of the swarm that the flies had no choice but to coalesce into the wriggling form of her middle child. "Dani, I'm stuck!"
Their Mother set the brunette down on her feet in front of her. "Don't you dare run. You stand right there and wait your turn, do you year me?" When Cassandra nodded, looking up at her with wide honey eyes, she ran the brush through Daniela's hair again. This time there was far less resistance, the tangles quickly brushing out. "I will not have three girls thundering through my castle like little heathens! You are my daughters and you will act like it!" This time the brush went smoothly, Daniela's hair finally tangle-free. "You will brush your hair and your fangs if I have to hold you down to do it until you learn!"
At her feet, Cassandra fidgeted nervously, pulling her hood tighter around her face. "But, Mother-"
"The time for excuses is over." Alcina said, her voice softer as she finished Daniela's hair. The brush was tucked under her arm before she gently settled the redhead down on the long couch beside them. She leaned down to plant a kiss on her youngest's forehead, but the girl ducked away with a yelp, rubbing her hands over her sore scalp before slithering off into a heap onto the floor. She pouted up at Alcina in mock-betrayal, the look darkening when Alcina only chuckled affectionately.
"But Mamă.." Cassandra whimpered, knowing her time was nigh.
Alcina looked down at the girl as she put her hands on her hips. "Now, will you stand still or do I need to hold you down, too?"
After one look at Dani still rubbing her head, Cassandra quickly spun around, letting her hood drop as she hunched her shoulders to brace herself. The brush came hard and fast, pulling the knots as she hissed and winced. When she dodged one too many times, she felt the bite of the paddle on her backside. She spun around in outrage, her hands going behind her to soothe over the sting. Before she could protest, Mother had her spun back around and pulling the brush smoothly through her hair.
Finished, Alcina stood to her full height. "Now, my lovelies.." she crooned, smoothing her hand over Cassandra's head as Daniela finally got to her feet. "What did we learn?"
Daniela harrumphed. "That Mamă is fast."
Again, Alcina chuckled, reaching down and pulling the young woman up from the floor. She settled her on her hip like a toddler. Considering the size difference, all of her girls seemed like toddlers. Perhaps that was why she let such childish behaviors continue without much more than charmed indifference. Still, everyone has their limits. "Try again, dragii mei."
Cassandra sighed. "Let Mother brush our hair. And don't run."
"Well.." Alcina held her free hand out to her middle child. "That's close enough, I suppose. Now, come along. Your sister is already in the bath. It's your turn now."
"Yes, Mother."
"Yes, Mother."