Chapter Text
"Don't hurt him." The human's attempt to sound stern fell flat when her voice catches. She hates herself for it.
The fire crackled. It is the only noise in the room besides her panicked breathing. Golden eyes bore into her but she refused to break eye contact. A hand reached up and she stiffened. Memories flash through her mind of that same hand shredding flesh, sharp talons dripping with blood. Now it was inches away from her son.
"Please." She begged while the other woman stared at her. The hand paused over the boy's head when the terrified human took a step forward.
He was the light of her world. If anything happened to him, she isn't sure she'd ever be whole again. She tried. She tried so hard to keep him safe but all her efforts still ended with her here. A monster standing over him while she was powerless to save him.
How could she let this happen?
“When we get there, stay close and don’t speak to anyone.” Gwendoline’s hands ran up her son’s shoulders to comfort him. She knew that the last part would be no issue but Maxwell was prone to wander.
“Okay.” He replied in a small voice. He was nervous and if Gwen were honest with herself she was terrified. This could go horribly wrong but she didn’t have much choice anymore. It was either this or live on the street. And in her village...they would not last long.
Not many jobs offered this kind of pay as well as a place to live, they needed this. Even the rumors floating around about the castle weren’t going to deter her. She put on a soft smile for him, brushing his hair back to the side. He didn’t like the semi-formal clothes she put him in that morning, nor did he like the way his hair was combed to the side. She knew this but they needed to try their best to make a good first impression if she was going to get this job.
Maxwell’s eyes stared into the ground as she straightened his jacket once more .
“It’s going to be okay Max, I promise.” She spoke softly, trying to put on a hopeful smile. He gave her a slight nod, wanting to believe her words but he’d heard what people had said about this castle too.
“Are we leaving now?” He asked.
“Yes, go say goodbye to your grandmother and we can head out.” She watched as he left out the room, running back upstairs.
“You don’t have to do this you know.” Her father spoke, his eyes creased with worry.
“Dad we talked about this. We can’t stay here anymore.” Her parents had taken them back in after she lost their home but bills were tight with the four of them living there. They were barely holding on from getting evicted and keeping food on the table was nearly impossible. There were no jobs in town, she’d been looking for months to no avail. At least working at the castle would also allow her to be able to send her parents money every now and again. It was the least she could do after they’d taken care of them the last year.
“I know you made up your mind but I’m worried honey.” He stepped into her space, pulling her into a tight hug. She returned it, gripping the back of his wool sweater.
“Me too but we’ll be okay.” If she spoke it enough she hoped it would be true. She didn't meet her father’s eyes when they pulled away, knowing that if she did she would start to cry. The sound of hurried feet coming back down the stairs was the signal that it was time to go. Maxwell came back into the room, the small bag of his belongings strapped to his back. With one final goodbye to her parents, she and Maxwell hit the road. It would take a solid three hours of walking to get to the castle.
Thankfully today wasn’t absurdly cold like most days here. Winter was finally coming to an end. Max talked as they walked, starting with the clouds and what kind they were. Then moving to a bird he saw and all about the species. After that he started pointing out different plants and what they could be used for. Gwen smiled as he spoke, asking him a question or two every few minutes. His excitement for the flora tapered off and soon he grew very quiet. Gwendoline looked at him in confusion but he pointed forward and she followed his direction. Spires of the castle came into view and she couldn't help her own rush of nerves. As they neared, the air that surrounded the castle seemed different. Almost like there were eyes on you constantly. Gwendoline shifted her eyes around as they ascended the staircase to the main doors. No one was there but a pit of fear was forming in her stomach. She kept a mask of calm up as she knocked on the heavy steel door.
Seconds passed as they waited, anticipation growing with every moment. The door slowly creaked open, revealing a graying older woman. Her brown eyes looked drained and resigned as she looked between Gwen and her son.
“May I help you?” Her voice was weathered from age.
“Yes, I’m here about the position that was posted.” She held out the piece of paper she’d gotten while in town last week. It didn’t give all the details, just that it was ground work that paid well and would require that you live in the castle. She took the paper from her hand, glancing once more at Maxwell.
“Follow me.” Was all she said before turning sharply and leading them deeper inside the castle.
Maxwell looked back for a second, seeing the door click shut on its own. Pricks of fear creeped up his neck. He looked around nervously. The feeling of someone watching them did not dissipate as they walked deeper inside. His eyes searched desperately for the source of his fear while they followed the old man. Just like Gwen, he came up empty. Strange. So strange.
Taking a calming breath he simply did as his mother asked earlier, sticking as close as possible. He slipped his hand into her’s again and she looked down at him. Her brow furrowed at the fear in his eyes.
"It's alright." She mouthed the words and he gave her a nod. She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. They both were so on edge they couldn’t truly really enjoy the magnificent design of the castle.
It was also eerily quiet. Not a soul was around while they followed the man through the maze of hallways. They eventually stopped in front of a large wooden door, the dark colored wood towered over them. The woman gave the door three sharp knocks.
“Enter.” A slightly muffled voice replied from the other side. The woman pushed open one of the doors, revealing a lavish sitting room.
Gwendoline and her son’s eyes went wide as they looked around at every ornate decoration. Gwen noticed a woman sitting at an old mahogany desk. The golden eyes that met her made her jump slightly. That bolt of fear was quickly followed by a different emotion. She’d only ever heard a few tales about Lady Dimitrescu but had never seen her before and...
…good lord.
It seemed like it'd been an eternity since Gwendoline’s heart skipped a beat like this. She blinked owlishly as the sight. Her eyes scanned the profile of the woman's face lingering on the dark curls that framed her beautiful features. Gwen tried she really did but her eyes traveled lower down the dress. The cream color clung to the rather strong muscles of the woman's back, down to the curves of her⎯ The elderly woman speaking dragged Gwen out her thoughts. She was a little taken aback at how far she'd gotten lost in the other woman's beauty.
“Good morning, my lady. The new grounds keeper has arrived.” She gestured to Gwendoline. “I was unaware she would have...a child with her.” The way she said it like Maxwell was some kind of dog made Gwen’s hand ball into a fist. She didn’t respond, not wanting to ruin her chances already. The Countess made a thoughtful hum before speaking.
“What is your name?” Lady Dimitrescu asked in a smooth tone, standing and turning fully to look at them. The back of the dress had made Gwendoline speechless, the front was going to outright kill her. It was cut so low, so very low. She had to force her eyes away from the view before attempting to talk.
“Gwendoline Hayward, my lady.” Trying her keep her voice steady was difficult under that piercing gaze.
“Have you done this sort of work before?”
“Yes, ma’am. I helped my father tend to different properties since I was twelve, even took over the business for him when he wasn’t able to work anymore.” Gwen couldn’t remember a point in her life where she wasn’t working outside, caked in dirt and leaf litter.
The woman nodded thoughtfully at her words before looking at the boy.
“And the child?”
“This is my son Maxwell. He can help me with my tasks and when he’s not he will be studying. I assure you he will not be a problem.” Even if Maxwell couldn’t get a formal education Gwen did her best to try to teach him what she knew and give him books to read to fill in the gaps.
“Maxwell?” Lady Dimitrescu spoke her son’s name. Gwendoline felt him straighten next to her, his eyes darting to her. Gwen gave him a soft nod before he looked at the tall woman.
“Yes, ma’am?” He nodded, stiffly.
“Will you be a problem in my castle?” Her tone was light but it dripped with danger.
“No ma’am. I’m just going to help my mother work when she needs me and study when I can.” He replied. His fingers were fiddling with the hem of his pants as he spoke. Lady Dimitrescu eyed the action. Gwen reached down to take his hand, stopping the movement. His small hand trembled, nerves obvious as the woman looked at them in silence.
“Very well. You can take them now.” She said curtly, before going back around the desk and sitting down.
They were dismissed.
As the door clicked shut, Lady Dimitrescu sat at her desk, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. That was odd.
It had taken all of her control to not rake her eyes over Gwendoline’s body as she spoke. A restraint the other woman obviously hadn’t shared because Gwendoline had clearly been staring at her cleavage. The thought made her chuckle softly. Most usually reacted to her with fear, wanting to get as far away from her as possible. But Gwendoline seemed to want something else. This was going to be interesting.
She had just gotten back into her work when there was another knock at her door and by the tone she knew who it was. Each of her daughters knocked a little differently.
“Come in.” She called and Daniela walked into the room.
“Hello mother.”
“Hello dear, what do you need?” She asked and there was a moment of silence. Daniela looked around the room hesitantly.
“Bela is busy and Cassandra won’t talk to me right now.” She said finally.
“What for?” Her question was met with another wall of silence. She’d broach that subject later.
“I’m sorry your sisters are preoccupied but I am rather busy right now dear.”
“I know...I was just checking to see if you weren’t.” Her voice sounded so dejected. Lady Dimitrescu turned to face her youngest, seeing the melancholy expression on her face.
“Alright.” She stood from the desk coming over to cup her daughter’s cheek. Daniela leaned into the touch. “I have a few minutes, how about we go for a walk?” Her words made Daniela’s eyes brighten.
“Really?” She beamed, the tips of her fangs poking out ever so slightly.
“Of course. Let's go.” She smiled as they exited the room together.
The elderly woman ushered them out the room and began walking once more. Gwen felt a tug at her sleeve before looking down at her son.
“Did you get the job, mom?” Maxwell whispered.
“I’m not sure.” Gwen replied honestly.
“You wouldn’t still be here if you didn’t.” The woman in front of them spoke. The way it was said was unnerving but Gwen relaxed a little at the information. She had expected more questions but decided not to dwell on it. If she got the job then she was happy. They were led down another maze of halls, Gwen tried her best to start remembering the layout but it felt impossible. As they walked the woman began listing all the rules of the castle and where they were permitted to go. It seemed like they’d been walking forever. How big was this place?
“These are your quarters.” She said finally coming to a stop. "You are to wake and begin your duties at 6am until the day's tasks are done. That could be in the afternoon or till dusk but you will finish your chores before the day is done. Tomorrow morning, you will come down to the kitchen and Lucille will guide you through your first day and assign you your tasks. After that, you are on your own. Mistakes will not be tolerated.” With that she left them.
As soon as the door shut behind him Gwen let out a breath.
“Well, that went as good as I think it could have.” She looked around the plain room. Grey walls, two small beds and one dresser for their items. Two candles burned on a small table, the wax melting down them. It would do.
Maxwell let out a yawn, eyes blinking tiredly. It had been a long morning and they’d been running around endlessly the last six days to prepare to leave. Of course he was tired. She kneeled down, putting her hands on his shoulders.
"You did great." She spoke softly and he gave her a genuine albeit tired smile. Her son was a wonderful and smart child but he was rather quiet. Never doing well with speaking to people he didn't know.
"I did?"
"Mmm hmm. You did. Now how about you unpack your things and then get some rest sweetie?”
“Alrighty.” He yawned again, sliding his bag off his shoulders and began taking his things over to the dresser.
They quietly settled in, Maxwell immediately falling asleep after he was done. Gwen carded her fingers through his hair before sitting down in the windowsill and looking out into the courtyard. The grounds definitely could use some work. Winter was always rough and the castle was surrounded by the dead foliage of last season. Melting snow revealing the cracked old branches and dead petals.
Her eyes caught movement. The large black hat immediately made her realize who she was looking at. The way Lady Dimitrescu walked with such grace it almost made her look like she was floating. Gwendoline could see black curls streaked with gray poking out from beneath the hat. Her eyes again trailed down to the impressive white dress that somehow managed to flow down her body while also clinging to the muscles in her arms and back. God she was beautiful.
The intrusive emotion felt like it was wrapping around Gwen's heart and tugging on it. Suddenly Lady Dimitrescu stopped and turned. Golden eyes looked directly at Gwendoline. The poor woman let out a little squeak at being caught staring and ducked back into the room. She plastered herself against the wall so fast she missed the little smirk on the other woman’s lips before she and her daughter continued on.
Gwendoline sat there, pressed into the wall counting backwards from twenty. She slowly peeked back out and saw Lady Dimitrescu was gone. Her tired hands rubbed over her eyes and she decided she was also in need of some rest.
She only managed to get about forty-five minutes of sleep before her body grew restless. With a disgruntled sigh she sat up, seeing Max still nestled into his bed. Not wanting to wake him with her pacing she stood and quietly exited the room. Her hand held up the key she was given to her quarters, eyes drifting to the lock. She didn’t think anyone would go inside but this was a new place and she was not taking any chances. The lock clicked shut with a solid thunk. Maxwell would most likely still be asleep by the time she returned. With that she set off to explore the part of the castle she was permitted in, hoping to get her bearings before the next day. She took time to actually take in the space. Dark wood lined all the halls, marvelous paintings were hung in various locations that she stopped to gaze at. Her exploration screeched to a halt when a voice called out.
“You’re new.” The voice drifted through the space. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Gwendoline looked around nearly frantic for the source but found none.
“I am.” She called out to the void. There was a sudden buzzing sound but she didn’t see any insects. “It would be nice to see who I’m speaking to.” Gwen tried to hide her nerves.
Seemingly out of nowhere a woman appeared. The woman stood before Gwen, her eyes looking down. Her eyes had that familiar golden hue and they almost looked like they were...glowing? She was tall too, not nearly as tall as Lady Dimitrescu but still abnormally so. A black dress covered her body, the hood pulled up but her dark hair still fell over her shoulder. When she didn’t speak, Gwen continued talking.
“You’re one of Lady Dimitrescu’s daughters?” She’d seen a portrait of Lady Dimitrescu surrounded but three other women that she could only assume were her daughters when she was exploring.
“Yes.” Was all that was said as she continued staring. Gwen shifted slightly under her gaze. The energy surrounding the woman in front of her was unnerving.
“Well I’m Gwendoline. Nice to meet you.”
Another stretch of silence. This was getting painful but she couldn't help but keep speaking to fill the silence.
“I’m the new groundskeeper.”
That made the other woman humm. “Ah. You are?” She stepped closer and Gwen had to resist the urge to back up. “Don’t make the same mistake as the last one.” A disturbing grin creeped up her face as kept walking forward before breezing past. When Gwen turned around she found that she was once again alone. She quickly scurried back to her room, having enough exploration for the day.
Gwen and Max were up before the sun the following day. She was thankful she took yesterday to look around because she wasn’t sure she would have been able to find her way to the kitchens if she hadn’t. Her eyes spotted a short older woman, sipping a cup of what smelled like coffee. Her gray hair was tied up in a tight bun on top of her head.
“Good morning. Are you Lucille? I was told to be down here to get a tour for my first day?” Gwen asked, coming over with Max practically attached to her hip.
“Ah, you must be the new groundskeeper. I am Lucille, I’m in charge of making sure you all get everything done around here.” She offered her hand out, Gwen took it in a firm grip.
“Gwendoline.”
“And who is this?” Lucille smiled warmly at Max.
“Maxwell, ma’am.”
“Oh and he’s a gentleman.” She nodded to him and he returned her smile. “Well you two eat breakfast, make it quick. We have a lot to cover today and not nearly enough hours to do so.”
As they ate breakfast a few different maids came and went. All were much younger than the two people she had met previously. Gwen had started to assume she was going to be the youngest person working here but all the maids looked her age or younger. Eventually she and Max finished and followed Lucille out the main doors and down yet another hallway.
"So you have experience with plants, tending to gardens and want not, correct?" Lucille asked.
"Yes, ma'am. I don't have a degree or anything in botany but I know my way around from doing ground work with my father." Gwendoline nodded as she followed the surprisingly fast woman down the hall. "I was looking at the grounds yesterday and just out of curiosity is it just me that's going to be working out here?"
"Oh you won't be working out there most of the time. But to answer your question there's four others that work on the grounds outside."
"Wait." She stopped walking, forcing the woman to turn to look at her confused expression. "I'm a groundskeeper and I'm not working outside?"
"No no you're not. How is your experience with tropical plants?" She asked as she started walking again. Gwendoline blinked a few times before jogging to catch up.
"I've read about them often but none grow here so I've never tended to them."
"Well I hope those books taught you a lot because this is where you'll be working." She opened a set of doors that led down an even narrower hallway until there was another set of double doors. These were more ornate and had a frosted glass pane with gold trimming around the edges. Lucille pushed them open and Gwendoline’s breath caught as she was hit with humid air.
It was a greenhouse.
The largest she'd ever seen in her entire life. Her mouth hung open as she walked deeper inside, turning slowly to scan every section. She recognized a few of the species she was looking at but some of the brightly colored leaves and vines she'd never seen. Maxwell looked like he just walked into the best place on the planet and Gwen had to agree. It was amazing.
"Oh my god." She gaped.
"It's quite magnificent isn't it?" Lucille nodded. The sight never got old.
"Y-yes. It is."
"This is where you'll be working most days. Making sure everything stays alive in here. And Lady Dimitrescu has also asked that you redo that section." She gestured to a path that led to another portion of the greenhouse. "She's grown bored of that layout and would like a new one."
"How...how would I know how to redesign it?" Taking care of the plants is one thing but interior decorator is not on the list of things she knew how to do.
"That I cannot help you with. But I'd suggest you explore the castle grounds and familiarize yourself with what Lady Dimitrescu likes. Her influence is all over the design of the castle."
"I can do that. I suppose I need to read up a little more about tropical plant care as well? I don't recognize a lot of these plants."
"Ah well. Follow me then dear." Lucille was quick to exit while Gwendoline and Maxwell took one more amazed glance around the space before following after her. They were taken to the library which is just as magical as the greenhouse was. Lucille directed her to a wall of books that had most of the information she needed. As she looked through the selection Maxwell already managed to pick up a book from the fantasy section and wordlessly began to read in a corner.
As she searched a question popped into her head and she turned to Lucille. "If you don't mind me asking. What happened to the last person who had my job?"
Lucille went quiet, her eyes looking distant. "That would be Emma she...she stole some of the more expensive plants and had been selling them. Lady Dimitrescu was furious with her and she-" Suddenly she snapped from the memory. "Emma was let go because of it."
Gwendoline knew there was much more to that story but by the haunted look in Lucille's eyes she didn't want to ask anymore questions. After clearing her throat, Lucille looked back at her with a bright smile.
"I must go do my rounds to make sure everything is going alright. Will you be okay here?"
"I'll be fine. I think I know my surroundings in this section of the castle. Thank you for showing me around."
"Not a problem dear.” Her eyes looked to Maxwell who was already engrossed in the novel he picked up. “He’s more than welcome to stay in here too. I’ll come in check on him in an hour if you need to go back to the greenhouse.”
Gwendoline nearly felt tears well in her eyes. Lucille reminded her so much of her mother. “Yes, I appreciate that so much. I’ll probably head back there once I find the book I need. Thank you so much.”
“Of course Gwendoline. Dinner is at dusk by the way." She gave her one more nod before exiting.
A pen scratched across paper for a few seconds before being tucked back behind her ear. Gwen studied the leaves for a few more moments before taking more notes. If she's going to keep this job she was going to make sure she knew every detail about every plant that was in here. The last thing she needed is for one of these to die and have Lady Dimitrescu fire her...or worse. The thought made a cold chill run through her but she continued. Images of golden eyes bearing down on her still filled her head. The initial fear became muddled with that same emotion she felt when she first saw the Countess. She could practically still smell her sweet perfume. Gwen quickly shook her head.
What the fuck.
The feeling was still here? She’d initially figured it was just her reaction to the first time she saw the woman and that these weird feelings would fizzle out. But they hadn’t? She refused to admit she was feeling attraction. So instead she buried those emotions and she flipped back open a book she'd borrowed from the library.
A few weeks had passed, she and Maxwell had settled in well into the castle. They found a pretty decent routine. In the mornings he would spend time studying while she worked, usually by the afternoon he would join her. Eagerly helping out or just reading a new book he found in the vast library.
During each evening as they went to bed Gwendoline would always catch a glimpse of Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters. While her daughters unnerved her with their wild eyes, Lady Dimitrescu still had confusing emotions filling her head. Each time she saw her, she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy. When they would make eye contact she would give Gwendoline this look. Try as she might Gwendoline couldn't quite figure out what the look meant. It was always followed by this slight smirk that made Gwen feel like she was being stared down by a ravenous hyena. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she kind of liked the hint of danger that surrounded Lady Dimitrescu.
Gwen wasn’t sure if the older woman wanted to rip off her skin...or her clothes.
As she thought about the expression, a spiderweb suddenly smacked into her face and Gwendoline let out an annoyed noise. She needed to stop getting distracted while she was working. The tiny arachnid whose home she destroyed, landed on her shirt.
“Sorry little guy. Make a web in a place with less traffic next time.” She let the tiny creature crawl on her hand and placed it gently in a different area.
She could still feel the web on her face so she wiped her hand across her cheek, feeling the soil from her palm rub into her skin.
"Shit." She cursed, looking for something else to wipe her face off with. The sound of the door opening caught her attention. A figure ducked into the room and Gwendoline stood up. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Just her luck Lady Dimitrescu would walk in while she was in the middle of fantasizing about her.
"Good afternoon, my lady." She nodded, bowing her head slightly.
Her nerves started to creep in when there was no response. Lady Dimitrescu wordlessly walked around the greenhouse, pausing to look at the brightly colored plants. Heels clicked on the marble floor. The sound reverberating around the room. Gwendoline stood with her hands clasped nervously in front of her.
Had she done a bad job? Was something wrong? She'd been doing her best and couldn't for the life of her figure out what Lady Dimitrescu might be upset at. After a solid five minutes of silence she finally came back over to where Gwendoline was standing. The smell of her floral perfume wafted into Gwen’s nose as she towered over her.
"Gwendoline?" The velvet tone saying her name made Gwen unconsciously press her thighs together. Yup. Yup. There was definitely something wrong with her.
"Ma'am?" She looked up, eyes locking with those golden ones that always made her heart skip a beat.
"Lovely work." There was the slightest hint of a smile on the other woman's red lips and Gwendoline breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you, my lady. I appreciate it." She ducked her head, suddenly feeling shy.
"Keep it up." Lady Dimitrescu strolled back out of the room without another word.
Gwendoline did not watch the sway of her hips as she left. That would be absurd.
Right?