Work Text:
You knew it was a bad idea but what choice did you have?
The man had stumbled into the castle, gun in his shaking hand. You had recognised him from the village, sure he wasn’t the best example of a perfect member of society, but he was in no way a bad person, more misguided by the fear the plagued all of the village’s inhabitants.
He locked eyes with you and you could see the rage in his eyes , something you had never seen before in his eyes. There was evident loss and then it hit you. His sister. That’s who you had recognised in the last batch of stolen girls that were lucky enough to get made into wine rather than suffer the lack of humanity most of the maids were shown. Key word : most.
The daughters had taken a strange liking to you early on,
Daniela was almost obsessed, never hurt you too hard at least not intentionally. Sometimes she’d take a little too much blood, bite a bit too hard but never any real malice was in her acts. Nothing seemed to please her more than sitting and discussing romantic novels with you while she played with your hair, pulling it ever so slightly at random intervals to admire the shocked look on your face and you could not help but appreciate the smirk that would appear when the odd moan would sneak its way out of your body from it.
Bela. Every move calculated, every move with you teasing you just enough to be cruel without crossing a line however you always managed to get her back. Bela was known for her impressive yet intense work ethic, craving her mother’s approval, nothing could distract her. Well … almost nothing.
Then there was the most complex of all. Cassandra. Cassandra was possessive and downright animalistic in some of her acts towards you. The competitive nature of her never failed to amaze you, your body would be marked head to toe if she saw even a small mark left by either of her sisters. Maids kept clear soon after learning your relations with Cassandra, even the slightest touch or laugh could become a death sentence if she saw.
The man dragged you from your thoughts as he swiftly moved towards you grabbing your arm.
“Is she” his voice was breaking, it was evident he knew the answer. His sister was young, 16 maybe 17, never had any partner. There was no way she could have managed to get past the Lady and her skills at ‘selection’ “she’s gone, isn’t she? Shes fucking gone and those … those MONSTERS took her and fucking those those bitches killed her”
Tears were leaking from his eyes, his voice breaking and shaking with every word. Part of you just wanted to hold him, despite barely knowing the man your heart broke for him, he needed someone right now, he needed support, love, anything. The other side of you knew better, the longer he stood here the higher the chance there was of you both being killed. If any of the daughter's god forbid the Lady herself heard the names, he had called them, the audacity he had coming here armed.
No.
There was no time to consider the possibilities. You grab his arm roughly dragging him as swiftly as possible through the side of the castle, towards the door. If you could get him out safely, back to the village maybe just maybe you would not need to feel so guilty for your privileges, others died but maybe you could give people hope, help people escape.
A single fly. That is all it took to defeat your plan to get the man to escape unscathed. You had forgot it was there, you never had assumed it was Cassandra , it was placing teasing bites nearly every hour and simply observing from the distance making you believe it was Bela teasing you as you worked but you had not felt its affection in almost three hours. You thought it was safe.
The familiar swarm approached as you inched closer and closer to the door then finally the buzzing stopped and behind the statues of masks stood Cassandra. A Cassandra with a predatorial smile, clutching onto her weapon as if nothing else in the world would give her more joy than that wretched thing.
“well well well pet” she spat, discontent evident in her voice, her eyes still focused on the grip you had on the man “seems you caught yourself a man thing, now you wouldn’t be helping this thing escape us now would you bunny?”
“My lady I-”
“Proper titles please Bunny” She inched closer towards you both “you have never seemed to have an issue with it before or is it because this creature is here”
“Sorry Mistress I-” Another step “He was just-”
Before you could finish, she abruptly swarmed over grabbing your face forcing you to stare into her eyes.
“Do not lie to me darling” She raised the sickle lightly teasing you with it, running it slowly and lightly up and down your neck. She seemed to enjoy the fear you were clearly exerting, perhaps her enjoyment would preserve you “I see his gun and all of them vile things he called us, do you agree with what he called us bunny?”
You violently shake your head. You never really saw them as monsters as you got to know them, you saw their softer side such as Dani’s purring as you stroked her hair, the soft moments with Bela, holding her after her anxiety bested her, even Cassandra would have her moments. Cassandra’s aftercare was unmatched, how she would hold you, praise you. In those moments you would feel as though there was nothing else that mattered, the world was only you and Cassandra. It was those moments that you knew you were falling for the ladies, disregarding their sadistic and murderous tendencies. You had forgot all about how fearful you were taught to be of them, how dangerous they were but now, now you remembered.
“Of course, not Mistress” You breathed out, seeing doubt evident in her eyes. You had fucked up, you had betrayed the women who you had fallen for “Cass” your voice softer than before “you know I would never think of you in such a way”
Your hand slowly raises towards her cheek, her head slowly tilting to lean into your touch.
Then it happened.
The man pushed Cassandra away, breaking you and Cassandra apart, disrupting the evident contact that was about to occur between the two of you. His gun switching its aim between you and Cassandra, horrified by your evident care and sympathy for one of the women who had sentenced his sister to die.
“YOU- YOU CARE FOR THIS THIS BITCH” his voice was too loud, by now the other sisters would be on their way, hell by how loud he was the Lady herself would have heard him.
“Adrian I-”
“SHE FUCKING WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU” the gun flailing around as his anger took over his body “IF YOU WEREN’T SUCH A WHORE YOU WOULD HAVE DIED TOO SO DONT ACT ALL FUCKING LOVEY DOVEY WITH THESE BITCHES”
That was it. Cassandra lifted up her weapon and harshly struck the man causing his to stumble and fall due to the power of the cut. That did not stop her. Cassandra straddled the man, her smile growing while she saw the panic in his eyes.
“Well Bunny what do you think?” She turned and looked at you “cut his chest open and play with his organs or take him to mother’s workroom, string him up and have Bela and Dani play with him too?”
“Cass please he’s scared enough, what if “She did not look happy with your response already “What if we let him go back to the village as a warning you know, put others off coming here ever again” She slowly lifted her sickle onto the man's chest “please Cassie I-”
You were interrupted by the man’s scream and her blade was slowly cutting the man open before your eyes.
“Sorry Bunny but bad girls do not get to make requests” She began plunging the blade deeper into the man “Now let me have my fun Bunny and maybe if you’re lucky and have been well behaved enough you’ll have yours later”
So, you sat. Frozen. Watching a murder. Watching the woman, your lover’s smile grows wider with each second, she could hurt the man. By the time she had seemed to finish you had lost track of time, until she had grabbed your face searching your eyes for something, not quite sure for what.
Once she abandoned the affection she had shown, she stood up admiring her work”
“You know pet not all species hold men in such a high regard as you humans do” she says watching the tears leak from your eyes as your mind attempts to comprehend what you just saw “in fact bees simply use them for mating and once their purpose is done...”
She leans closer to the already bloodied corpse and roughly grabs your chin forcing you to look into her eyes. You can’t even bring yourself to pull away, in this state it would almost be a death sentence to even dare move out of her grasp. As lock with her eyes, you cannot even see a hint of regret, they remain with the same flicker of enjoyment, an almost prideful look at her work.
She raises her sickle to the air and swiftly swings down onto the man’s abdomen, breaking you out of your train of thought
“They kill them if they don’t die themselves, they leave them to starve so that they may prosper”
“Cass what are you-” you hear faintly in the distance
“Now then darling I suggest you start acting like a worker bee and ignore these ugly little things otherwise” she raises her sickle to her face, sensually licking it smirking with satisfaction “you may find yourself in the same situation as this unfortunate creature”
And with that she departs, leaving you shaking on the floor while a pair of arms attempt to comfort you and drag you away, yet your eyes refuse to leave the body. Lifeless and bloody just like most things at this castle. Why should you be awarded the privilege of living happily among these people while all other humans must suffer you begin to wonder.
Your thoughts feel like they are going 20 miles an hour, you had heard rumours of Cassandra’s cruelty towards people she deemed ‘unfit’ to be near you, but you had never seen it yet here it was in front of you with no way to deny what you saw.
Dani and Bela’s voices could be heard faintly despite being next to you, holding you, attempting to get you away from the horror that laid before you. They could do nothing. Your breathing now erratic and the darkness overcoming your sight.
His screams continued to echo in your mind until the darkness fully overcame all of you dragging you into an unconscious state.