Chapter Text
The sunrise started peeking from behind the snowy mountains, slowly bringing light to the village beneath them. Each ray of sun illuminating the homes of the villagers, some of them still asleep, some were already awake, getting ready for their daily routine. It was still pretty quiet outside, except a few neighbors greeting each other by the doors on their way to work. Even the wind was quiet today, some people already praising today's upcoming warm weather. Despite it being winter time, the village was not affected by the snow last night. For this type of weather, snowstorms were pretty usuall. At least here, in a small, hidden village in Romania.
One of the last rays found it's way to a beautiful, massive castle, making it's way to your window, that being the only window with open curtains, allowing it's light to step inside, bringing a warm feeling to your cheek. The soft light on your long eyelashes was enough to wake you up.
You groaned, turning your body away from the window to protect yourself from the intense light. You didn't need an alarm clock. Haven't in a long time. Since working here as a maid, at the Castle Dimitrescu, you've learned to trust your body and your biological clock to wake you up.
You felt yourself falling back asleep, so you quickly turned on your back, making a big stretch to wake up your muscles. You sat up with a heavy groan, blinking, trying to adjust to the heavy sunlight in your room. Scanning the room, you looked at the clock sitting on a mall nightstand next to your bed. It was 5:34 in the morning. You were surprised by the sunlight being so bright and warm at this time, but you didn't mind. It was something you've missed for a long time.
You sat on the side of the bed, letting your feet touch the wooden ground, instinctively searching for your slippers. Fully awake now, you began your morning routine. Bathroom, get dressed, and somehow tame your hair to look appropriately. You take one last look on yourself in the mirror, adjusting some stubborn hair there and there, before heading out of the door, locking it up.
Walking down the halls, you heard quick steps behind your back, which didn't startle you, as you knew exactly who they belonged to.
"Good morning, Y/N!" A familiar voice rang through your ears.
You looked behind your shoulder and smiled.
"Good morning, Sofie." You greeted back as she caught up with you, now walking by your side.
As always, the smile never left her face. She was one of those people who always kept their chin up, lighting up everyone's day and mood, no matter the situation, always keeping the positive view on life. She helped you on your bad days, as much as you were trying to do the same for her. Despite her being the same age as you, you have always seen her much more like your mom, rather than a close friend. Every trouble you had, she was always there to help you, to cheer you up, or just simply be here with you, in silence, in the present.
"You look pretty tired. Are you okay?" She said calmly, eyeing your side profile, as she caught you walking with your head down.
You quickly lift your head up. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just a little headache" You answered, giving her a small smile. You didn't want to concern her much.
"You're working in the garden today, right? Try to make the most of it. You get to be outside, and it looks like It's gonna be nice weather today." She said positively, her dimples decorating her already beautiful, comforting smile.
"I definitely will." You answered, smilling back.
By that time, you two approached a large door. You stopped, exhaling heavily, trying to shake off the heavy anxiety that was building up in your stomach since you've left your room. One might say that after 3 years of working for the Lady Dimitrescu, you would get used to it by now. But still, she sometimes gave you creeps, and so did her three daughters. Hearing their laugh spreading across the hallways in the middle of the night was not something a normal person wants to hear.
"Hey." Sofie whispered, bringing her hand to your cheek, making you look at her.
"It's gonna be okay. Just do your job as usual. Okay?"
"...Okay. Thank You."
And with that, the massive door swung open, as you two walked into the main hall.
That's where your ways had to diverge.
She worked on the second floor today, along with the other maids. You saw them on the other side of the hall, where Sofie was headed. You quickly waved to them, just as they waved to you. Before you turned a corner leading to your workplace, you turned around one last time to the girls, and as they were already on their way up to the stairs, you could see Sofie looking back at you, with her eyes full of reassurance and a wide smile.
You walked through another hall for a while. The castle was silent, only the clicking sound of your boots could be heard. Quick, rhythmic. You couldn't help but felt like the walls were watching you. The feeling was always there, but today, for some reason, you could feel it more. You could feel the shivers running down your back, and you swear the walls seemed to tighten around you, threatening to squish you. Maybe it was the headache, or the lack of sleep. You closed your eyes tightly, shooking your head, trying to blame it to your imagination.
Your steps became faster, when finally, you reached the massive, metallic door, leading to the garden. You lean on them with all your body weight to open them, allowing a loud growl to escape your lips in the proccess.
The door swung open, and you stepped outside, letting your hands fall on your sides.
The morning sun was already up, welcoming your presence, blinding you with it's light, you could even hear the birds somewhere far up in the trees singing. You took a deep inhale, letting the cold, fresh air reach up to your nostrils. It brought a pleasant feeling to your stomach.
You looked around. It's been a while since you got to work here. You observed the flowers decorating the path in front of you, leading to another large door. The castle windows stretched out around you, with the curtains drawn so that no light could break through.
For a while, you just stood there, with your eyes closed, enjoying the silence and a comforting feeling around you. Even your headache seemed to slowly fade away, as you were trying to take as much fresh air as possible after a long time of not being outside.
You made your way to the small shed where all the tools were stored. You've been looking for gardening gloves for a good minute, slowly accepting the fact that they could actually be in another storage room, which was located almost on the other side of a castle.
You exhaled slowly. "That's fine." you said to yourself. Things moved around this place all the time. It shouldn't be surprising to you anymore.
You stood up quickly, heading back to the door. You were basically running all the way through the halls, so that you couldn't delay any longer and get as much work done as possible. You finally reached the door leading to the entrance hall. You stopped right in front of them, catching your breath, knowing you won't have to hurry anymore, your destination being right on the other side of this door.
You opened the door slowly, but froze in place instantly.
Someone was standing there, with their back turned to you. Looking at the large artworks hanging on a wall. A stranger. Someone you've never seen before in your life.
It was a man. You've never seen a man in this castle, ever. You knew what happened to any man who dared to step a foot into this place. Just thinking about it made your stomach turn.
He was wearing a long, green trench coat falling all the way down to his knees. Wearing a hat, you couldn't really tell how the rest of him looked like, but there was one thing that caught your attention this very instant, turning your blood cold.
Resting on his shoulder, there was a massive, metallic hammer, which he seemed to carry with just one hand, with such an ease. You couldn't deny the fact that it could be almost as big as you. That made the man seem dangerous, and you quickly realized you shouldn't be there.
Your lips started shaking, your bain going million miles a minute, trying to find the right words. Or should you just slowly back up before he notices you?
You let your inner thoughts take over, only a few words escaping your lips in a shaky, almost choking voice.
"What in the--"
Your breathless voice clearly startled the man, as he quickly turned over to you.
"Fuckin' shit!" he swore loudly, almost dropping the hammer off of his shoulder. You jumped at his loud voice, your eyes even wider now.
You both looked at each other that felt like long minutes. His lips were parted, and altough he was wearing sunglasses, you could tell he was just as surprised seeing you as you were. You remained in your spot in between the door, standing still like a deer looking directly at the upcoming headlights.
"Creepy little bitch." He cursed, looking more relaxed after realizing you were no real threat. "You scared the shit outta me."
You were too stunned to speak. He was the stranger here. You were more scared of him than he was of you. Wasn't that obvious?
A complete stranger, on top of everything else, A MAN.
Here?
At the castle Dimitrescu?
Alcina hated men and everything they touched, and you knew it very well.
Has he got a dead wish?
Also, all visits and quests were always announced in advance. You were 100% sure there wasn't supposed to be any visit today. You and the other maids would know and prepare in advance. You talked about upcoming visits DAYS beforehand, so none of you forget.
You swallowed the insult that was laying on your tongue since he called you a bitch. If you didn't know any better, you'd just tell him to fuck off.
You remembered what Sofie told you this morning. Just do your job.
Your eyes quickly flicked to the hammer, as if it were about to lunge at you at any moment, and then back to the strange man standing just a few feet away from you.
You collected your thoughts, the silence getting too long and embarassing by now.
"Can i help you?" You finally asked, trying to sound authorised, hoping your voice isn't actually as shaky as it felt to you. You left your spot from the door, letting it close slowly behind you with a creak as you took a step forward.
"Hell, you can." He replied in a harsh tone.
That was rude, you thought, frowning at him.
He put a large cigar to his mouth, clamped it between his teeth, and took a long drag. You hadn't noticed it before, but you weren't surprised, all your attention focused on the huge hammer he was clutching tightly in his other hand, resting on his shoulder.
Smoke came out of his mouth in between words when he finally spoke again.
"'Been waiting here all morning for my crazy sister of a witch to finally show up! Where the fuck is she?!"
He gestured with a wave of his hand, in which he held a cigar that left a trail of smoke as it was trying to follow the fast movement. The smell quickly spread throughout the room. It immediately hit your nostrils.
"Your...sister?" You asked, raising your brows, clearly confused.
And then it hit you.
The man standing in front of you was Karl Heisenberg.
The most dangerous Lord of them all.
Your eyes widen, dropping low to the ground. You bring your eyebrows together.
Fear paralyzed you again, just when you had calmed down. The fear that comes along with problems. Like being at an underage drinking party that's just been raided.
That kind of fear.
Your body was immediately covered in cold sweat. Your heart was beating so hard that you swore it would jump out of your chest at any moment.
You immediately began to curse yourself for not realizing it sooner. Of course none of you knew about his visit. You shouldn't even be talking to him right now.
Your mind drifted back to those long, sleepless nights when you and the other maids would tell stories about him and the rest of the Lords. None of you had ever seen him. No one dared to set foot on his property, where his factory stood proudly, thick smoke covering the skies.
Only thing you knew for sure, him and Alcina didn't like each other. You all knew this since Lady Dimitrescu would often come back from the meetings all furious, cursing about her idiot of a brother, Hiesenberg.
And now he was standing there, right in front of you. Talking to you.
An audible gasp was all that left your lips as bring your eyes back to him again. Before any of you could say anything, you were interupted by the loud sound of clacking heels.
You both turned your heads to the direction the sound was coming from.
And there she stood, at the very top of the stairs. Menacingly, intimidating.
Alcina Dimitrescu.
In her everyday clothes, a white, long dress complimenting her frame to the last detail of her body. A black hat covering half her face. Piercing you both with a single glance from her yellow eye. Her bright red lips contrasted with her unnaturally white skin, which was whiter than snow compared to her dress. She glanced at you, which send shivers down your spine, then at her brother.
The room was filled with thick silence once again. The air was heavy and you felt like you were about to pass out.
"Heisenberg." She finally spoke, her voice echoing through the hall, shattering the silnece into a million shards.
He just smiled broadly with his teeth in return, making his way right towards her fearlessly.
"Well, about time!" he replied, both hands spread out as he stopped right under the stairs where she was standing, now standing between you and Dimitrescu. He swung the hammer as if it were light as a feather. Alcina only glared at the smoking cigar, from which thick smoke was still coming out.
"Did you forget about our little meeting or what?!" He barked at her, clearly annoyed and angry, raising his voice at her by the end of the sentence.
The loud sound of his voice pierced through your ears. You made a step back, your eyes flicking in between him and the Dimitrescu's much taller frame.
Still standing threateningly at the stairs, she snuck a look at you, which made hair on your head stand up. Your cheeks were burning red. You quickly bowed your head and looked at the ground. You just stared at your feet and shaking hands, as you tried to put yourself together.
Yep. You were dead for sure.
But she quickly returned her gaze to her sibling, glaring at him angrily.
"Just what could you possibly want from one of my maids, you filthy man-thing?!" She clearly ignored his question, asking another one instead.
Heisenberg looked over his shoulder, peeking at you through his dark sunglasses, his smirk still decorating his face.
You only looked at him with his eyes, your head still down. If your eyes didn't scream the word "Help" loudly enough, the cold sweat on your forehead and bright red burning cheeks sure did. Otherwise you didn't say anything, your lips sealed and the inside of your mouth dryer than any desert.
He scoffed, turning back to Alcina.
"I simply asked her for directions, since this place is like a fucking maze." He replied, now more calmly.
For some reason, this made Alcina even more angrier.
"You know you're forbidden to speak to any of them!" Her voice echoed, making you froze. "Do you get that into your skull?!"
Heisenberg let the burning cigar fall to the ground, now fully ready to snap back at her.
"Miss me with that medieval bullshit!" He snapped. "I'm only here because Mother Miranda told me to. You wouldn't want to disgrace her word...would you?" His voice dropping low, almost unheard.
His answer made her inhale loudly, her nostrils wide. She looked like she was about to go berserk, but instead, she just exhaled, closing her eyes, as she tried to remian composed. She worshipped Mother Miranda dearly, and she knew she wouldn't be happy if she found out this little meeting between her and her brother didn't turn out well in the end. She stayed silent for a while, and you could swear you could almost hear her thinking, as she was trying to collect her thoughts.
Her eyes rolled at her brother. "Fine, Heisenberg." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "But I'm only tolerating you because of Mother Miranda. As soon as we're done here, you're out, and you're never coming back." Alcina hissed.
"That's one thing we can agree on." He scoffed. "Now let's get this over with." He said and nodded his head behind him, in your direction, where you were still standing, frozen in place. He gave you a quick look, almost as he was trying to make sure you didn't pass out back there.
The air wasn't so heavy now, as you felt the tension loosen up. You felt like you can finally breathe again. You felt the burning feeling leaving your face.
Alcina brought her focus to you once again and called your name.
"Y/N, please, bring us some tea to the meeting room." She commanded.
You noded. "Of course, My Lady." Your voice still a little shaky, you flashed her a small smile as she began to walk down the stairs, gesturing at her brother to follow her.
Your eyes focused on Heisenberg, the man who somehow saved your ass from being sliced to ribbons. You tried to smile at him too, as a way of saying "Thank You."
Smirking, he just tipped his hat, as they both walked right past you.
When you finally heard the door close behind you, and those two were out of your field of vision, you let out a loud, shaky exhale. Almost as if you had no access to oxygen for a good several minutes. As if a huge weight had been lifted from your shoulders, and you felt a huge sense of relief.
You brushed a few hair strands off your forehead, tucking it behind your ear.
To think all of this happened because you just wanted to get your god damned working gloves.
Your hands were shaking the entire time as you prepared the tray, carefully pouring the tea into the teacup. You placed both cups on the tray, along with a small bowl, containing sugar cubes.
You lifted the tray with your both hands, trying to stay steady. You weren't used to carrying dishes, as that was mainly your other friend's job. But for now, this job had fallen up to you.
Just bring the tea and get out. Out doing your job you were supposed to do today, work in the garden you've been looking forward to so much.
When you found your balance, you headed toward the meeting room. You were able to succesfully carry the tray from point A to point B, now standing in front of the door, behind which both Lords were waiting patiently, hopefully without tearing each other into pieces.
You switched the tray from both hands to one, so you could knock properly.