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It wasn't often that a feared Lord of this tiny village took in a child willingly. Especially when that Lord happens to be mutated like a vampire and drinks blood and eats human flesh almost daily, and has an immense hatred for men and lycans.
So here she was, possibly the youngest and only female lycan in the entire village, being led by her mother - Lady Alcina Dimitrescu - into a Lords meeting to meet the rest of the Lords for the first time.
Elysia did not like the heebie jeebies this gave her when walking into the arched and very high doorways. Taller then Mother! It seemed like they opened themselves, there wasn't any mechanism or person behind the doors opening them.
Elysia was not quite as lycan-esque as one would expect. She had fur on her cheeks and ears, her arms and legs were covered in a thin layer of fur, and skin was an uncanny color of blue. It was like she was in a magical state of hypothermia and every inch of her skin had turned a light shade of grey-blue. There was an animal quality of her eyes, well, one eye. Her right eye was completely gone, replaced by a long and rather nasty looking scar. It started from her hairline and went down her cheek. Her right leg was gone too, replaced by a mechanical prosthetic which resembled a wolf paw at the foot.
But there was no feralness to her, no extremely inhuman quality in her face. No gashing teeth or blood around her gums or white eyes like a traditional lycan. In a way, she was quite handsome. Her mother dressed her in the fanciest and probably most expensive pairs of dress shirts and vests and pants tailored to fit her.
But overall, she didn't act or look like those lycans in the village. Terrorizing villagers and eating the carcasses of men who've been drunk last night and couldn't make it home.
Elysia kept quiet as she and her mother approached the doors leading into what Elysia assumed was the actual meeting. She knew her mother was usually first, but with the extra package it took up a bit more of her time. Not that Alcina minded, besides, it was ordered by Mother Miranda herself that she bring Elysia.
Alcina stopped and crouched down to Elysia's level (or as best as she could), having not let go of her hand since they entered. She knew Elysia would need a minute.
Elysia looked at every spot in the hallway, every corner, and every small patch of... whatever this black goop was that she squeezed herself closer to Alcina's arm to avoid it. She only looked up at Alcina when she realized why they stopped.
Like a magic trick, Alcina smiled and pulled out a cream piece of cloth from her sleeve, it was freshly washed and patched up. Elysia yipped and put the cloth to her chest.
"I thought you would need that for today. Make sure not to drop it into the cellar next time."
"That was an accident!" Elysia whined, taking a corner of the cloth and rubbing her upper lip with it. It felt soft, like her mother's dresses.
"I know, but I don't like the idea that one day you will try to go down there yourself to get it, and not come back up." Alcina whispered firmly, taking Elysia's face into her hands, cradling her cheeks.
Elysia swallowed nervously. Oh yeah, that. There were monsters down there, and the ladder leading down there wasn't the sturdiest. She had asked her sister, Bela, to grab the blanket that fell. Of course it was extreme unluck that it fell into a blood patch and it had to be washed.
"But how is that different from here? With- with Mother Miranda?"
"Because I'm here with you now. I can protect you from her, from the other Lords if they try anything. I probably wouldn't have gotten down in the cellar fast enough to save you if you had been caught." Alcina stood up, her legs losing feeling fast when she was crouched.
Elysia took her mother's hand once more. They would have to go in now. But she could hear voices, and growls and noises.
"It's alright, copilul meu." Alcina's voice echoed above Elysia, disturbing the steady stream of sounds she was hearing. Elysia felt her hand being squeezed gently, and squeezed back as confirmation.
Well, no point in delaying the inevitable.
Alcina opened both doors with one hand, pushing them hard to reveal their arrival. The room quieted down, the Lords and Mother Miranda instantly looking towards the one who seemed to look like dead weight.
Elysia cringed and hid just behind Alcina's leg.
"Alcina, you've finally arrived." Another woman's voice spoke, booming throughout the echoed room. Elysia noticed it was the woman in the gold bird mask (and feathery dress?) that spoke.
"Yes, I apologize for being late, Mother. Elysia wouldn't quite let me go in yet." Alcina bowed her head towards the revered Mother.
"And this, is the fabled Elysia Dimitrescu?" Mother Miranda tilted her head to try and see more of Elysia, who had retreated fully behind Alcina's leg. Alcina put a hand behind Elysia's back to urge her forward, and Elysia couldn't do anything to fight back with a hand that was ten times her size and strength.
"Yes, Mother. My youngest daughter-"
"She looks like a furball! HAHAH!" A voice resembling an old voice recorder cackled at Elysia, and Alcina glared daggers at the doll who did it. "She is a lycan, Angie."
"A lycan? YOU TOOK IN A LYCAN?! HAHA EVEN BETTER!" The doll, Angie cackled and clapped her tiny doll hands together in excitement. Elysia noticed there was a person completely chad in black with a mourning veil over their head that Angie was sitting on.
"SILENCE!"
Oh, that shut Angie up. Elysia was clinging to Alcina's leg with sharp claws, her mother not reacting but it definitely hurt still.
"Alcina, sit! We'll get this meeting over and done with." Miranda gestured to the large chair.
Alcina peeled Elysia off of her leg and carried her over to the chair, and sat them both down. "It's okay. Shh." Alcina rubbed behind Elysia's ear to comfort her.
As Alcina was listening in on the meeting, Elysia took this time to explore the room around them, and get a look at the Lords.
There was Lord Heisenberg sitting across from Alcina on a wooden bench. Elysia knew Heisenberg as her uncle, and knew he was one of the four Lords. She gave a tiny wave, and Heisenberg nodded his head and gave her a quick wave himself.
"You'll be fine." He mouthed to her, quietly. Elysia nodded nervously.
She looked towards the large, standing mound of black over on the left, closest to Miranda. She could only see its face, or, if that was even a face. It looked like a slimy (mucus-y?), horrifying amalgamation of a man and swamp water and tadpoles and moss. From what Elysia could smell, he smelled disgustingas well. She didn't want to see what was under the coat. She feared her touch trigger would go off if she even saw what was under the coat.
Elysia turned herself around to see behind her. She saw the doll, which she deduced was Angie. She looked like she was made of human bone, and dressed in what once looked to be a very pretty wedding dress and flower crown, but it was old and worn and dirty. Elysia wondered how a doll could be sentient, speaking and walking and moving on its own.
She looked to the person behind Angie. It looked like a woman, the only thing not covered in black was the person's hands. She saw black nail polish coloring the nails. If Elysia looked closely, she could see the person was a woman. It looked like the woman was controlling the doll.
As if the sentient doll wasn't enough!
Elysia took this final moment to try and study Mother Miranda. She's seen plenty of pictures of the woman, but there was a big difference between seeing a picture, and seeing the person in real life.
It seemed Miranda saw her looking, for Miranda's form seemed to change. The feathery dress was actually four or five pairs of wings on her back, and the robe was something that a priestess would wear.
There's the Mother Miranda that Elysia was most aware of.
Terrifying, and menacing, and...
Oh.
"Mama-"
"Yes?"
"Didn't Miranda have me before you did?"
"I'm not sure what you mea-" Alcina paused. Realization dawned on her.
Oh Hell. Miranda did have her before Alcina did.
Was this why the meeting was called for? So Miranda could try and get Elysia back?
"Elysia! Come here." Miranda's voice boomed, interrupting Alcina's thoughts. Alcina made to follow Elysia to the priestess.
"Not you, Alcina. Elysia comes to me alone."
"But Mothe-"
"SIT!"
Alcina's body tensed up. She slowly sat back down in her chair.
"Elysia, please drop the blanket." Miranda asked, her voice unnervingly calm after she yelled at Alcina.
Elysia looked at Alcina, her blue eye widened in fear. "It's okay." Alcina held her hand out. Elysia reluctantly dropped the blanket in her hand and slowly approached the revered Mother.
The room was silent, the only sound was Elysia's own footsteps. The clank of her prosthetic as she stepped forward. Elysia finally saw there was many groups of lycans above them, all crouched or standing, with weapons in hand, looking down at the young lycan below.
Mother Miranda put her hand up, and Elysia stopped at the final step before she was on level ground with Miranda.
Miranda actually crouched down to Elysia's level, the wings open and blocking out any light behind her. Elysia saw the halo behind Miranda had an eyeball in it. She didn't want to know if that eyeball was once from a human or was man-made.
Icy blue eyes peered at Elysia's own baby blue eye. Miranda regarded the child with some sort of... well, Elysia didn't know that emotion yet. But it looked a bit like jealousy?
"How lucky you are, to have Alcina as your mother." Miranda's cold claws touched Elysia's cheek, and it took all of Elysia's restraint to not bolt right there. That was cold! Even colder then the leather on her mother's gloves.
"A-are you gonna take me away?" Elysia's voice threatened to crumble into whimpers.
Miranda looked towards Alcina, and Heisenberg. They were both stiff and ready to launch. Heisenberg had his hand on a giant mech-hammer, his glasses off.
Miranda looked back at Elysia. "I could. I have that power."
Elysia gulped, she was sure the entire room heard it.
"But, I want to see this through." Miranda stood up, her wings almost knocking Elysia off of the step from the wind force.
"Alcina! She's all yours."
Alcina sighed a breath of relief, visibly relaxing in her chair. She retracted the claws from her hands.
"Since you're here to meet the other Lords, I will introduce you. Lord Salvatore Moreau," Miranda regarded Moreau with disgust. Elysia saw Moreau whine and shrink back.
"And Lord Donna Beneviento, and her doll Angie."
Donna simply nodded to Elysia, the doll was sitting still in her lap. Elysia waved back nervously.
Miranda pushed Elysia back towards Alcina, and Elysia wasted no time and climbing back up her lap.
"I was sure my work would have been ruined by your hand, but it seems I was wrong. You've done remarkably raising Elysia." Miranda praised Alcina, and it looked like Alcina was relishing in it.
"Thank you, Mother." Alcina nodded and wrapped Elysia in the blanket.
Miranda stood back at her post. She regarded the room, but Elysia didn't listen. Apparently, neither was Alcina. Alcina was focused on keeping Elysia calm and kissing her forehead. Oh, won't the daughters be so happy that Elysia is staying.
Elysia's hearing zoned back in when she heard Miranda say something.
"Be sure to not forget where you all came from. I created you, and I can just as easily take your lives."
That may haunt Elysia for a long time.
~~~
Elysia was asked to wait just outside of the tower, and sat herself down in a grass patch near the door. She watched Moreau and Donna leave first, and saw Heisenberg just exit out of the tower, giant hammer held over his shoulder.
"Kiddo? You doing okay?" Heisenberg set his hammer against the wall and sat himself beside Elysia.
Elysia was visibly shaking, but he couldn't tell if that was from cold or from fear. He pulled her under his coat, the lycan burying herself into his side.
"Is- is what she said true? Did she create us?"
Heisenberg had to hold himself from blurting or scoffing. He simply rolled his eyes. "Not in the way you're thinking. But more or less, she made us all like this."
"With the cadou?"
"Yep, that very one. It may not come as a shock, but Miranda will never regard us as her children."
"I don't want her as my mom."
"Hah! Yeah, I didn't think so. At least you get to stay with your mum. Your sisters will be happy, yeah?"
"Yeah!"
Heisenberg smiled and looked towards the door. "The fuck is up with your mum? You're freezing here! I'm freezing! Here, let's get in the carriage. She won't mind." Heisenberg got up and carried Elysia into the carriage, the temperature difference was almost instant. It was much warmer in the carriage. "There we are. Your mum will probably be a while, likes Miranda's attention for some fuckin' reason." Heisenberg tipped his hat over his eyes, ready to take a nap.
Elysia snuggled herself in the warmth of her uncle's coat. Rustic, and smelled like a factory, but it brought a certain comfort.
At least Elysia would be able to officially stay with her mother, and now she could have frequent visits to her uncle. Hopefully things would get better from here.