Book 2: The Village (Ethan Winters x Reader)

Chapter 7: The Castle of Dimitrescu

We walk into the castle when I stop moving just to admire the place.
'Holy shit...this place is beautiful'
I spin slowly taking everything in with my mouth open.
"Wow" I whispered.
The castle was simple colors of white, gold, and a few red accents. It had minimal, expensive furniture but looked beautiful regardless.
"Could Rose be here...?" Ethan asked.
"I'm not sure...but who ever lives here seems to be very important to Mother Miranda so...yes, Rose could most definitely be here"
There's a large painting that I spot once I stop admiring the room we're in and I walk over to it with Ethan following.
"Three Daughters Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela"
"Hmmm...maybe that tall woman is their mother?"
"I don't want to stick around and find out" Ethan whispered. He walked over to a journal that was near the painting.
"January 5th
Rednic - Delivery of one male, three females.
January 28th
Mother Miranda - Meeting with Mistress Dimitrescu.
February 1st
The Duke - Business discussions."
"So the tall lady is Dimitrescu?"
"I assume so" Ethan shrugged.
We started to explore the rooms of the castle. This place was huge there were too many rooms to keep up with. Eventually we came across a journal that Ethan read aloud.
"Norshteyn's Labyrinths
A craftsman of the late 19th Century, Norshteyn was branded a heretic in his homeland. He wandered the lands until he settled in a remote village.
Norshteyn then created four labyrinths. The Castle, The House on a Hill, The Water Wheel, and The Iron Tower. Upon their completion, he put a gun to his temple and took his own life.
Each labyrinth is unique and requires its own specially crafted metal ball to operate.
Each one contains crystallized human remains, which are said to be Norshteyn's four beloved wives, The labyrinths are their graves."
"...so we need to find a ball? I wonder if that's one of the things Duke was saying that we could sell...the crystallised human I mean."
"Yeah it could be"
We walk a bit more and find a door that has an inscription on it.
"Mask the angels' blinded gaze and only then will you be saved."
As soon as we finish reading the inscription a swarm of flies surround us.
"Looking for Rose?" A woman asks.
The flies form into three separate women that have blood on their mouths.
"What the-?" I start but am quickly cut off one of the women push Ethan over and stabs a sickle into his leg.
Ethan yells while she gets close to his face and...sniff him?
'What the hell'
"Mmmm, man-blood."
All three of them start to laugh. The one that has Ethan starts to drag him while one with blondish hair grabs me from behind and brings me with them.
"Mmm you smell pretty good too young lady" she giggled in my ear as I try to get out of her grip.
The other one stabs her sickle into Ethan's other leg to help drag him along too.
Soon we are brought into a room that has the tall lady, Dimitrescu.
"Mother. I bring you fresh prey."
She stared into her mirror sipping her wine.
"You are so kind to me, daughters."
She finishes her wine and slowly stands up.
"Now, let's take a look at them. Well, well. Ethan Winters. And the lovely (Y/n) Winters. You escaped my little brother's idiot games, did you? Let's see how special you two are."
She raises her hand.
"Yes, Mother." One of her daughters replied and made her way to Ethan. She cut his hand and turned her head to me smiling as if she accomplished a huge goal.
Dimitrescu goes down to Ethan and licks his hand.
"Hm. Starting to go a little stale."
She paused for a second in thought when one of her daughters spoke up.
"Then let us devour his man-flesh quickly, Mother!"
"Hey! No you are NOT devouring my husband!" I shout struggling against one of the daughters grip.
"Now, now, First, I must inform Mother Miranda. But later... Well, there will be enough for everyone. Put him up! And you Mrs. Winters will be chained to the wall" she started to laugh.
"Hey, hey wait..." Ethan shouted as her daughters attached his hands to hooks and pulled the chains to make him go up towards the ceiling. The daughter holding me moved me too a wall and chained my wrists and ankles to it.
"Hey. Let me... down! Unchain her you bastards!"
"Oh, careful what you wish for, Ethan Winters."
I pulled against my restraints as I yelled at them telling them they better let us go or else. All they did was laugh and leave the room.
"I'll kill that big bitch" I yell as she closes the door and leaves.
"Ugh these stupid little-" I muter a bunch of curses under my breath and don't notice Ethan pulling his hands out of the hooks until I hear something fall.
"Ethan! What are you doing! Your hands!"
He ignores me and finds a key that is on the table Dimitrescu was sitting at.
He grabs it and runs over unlocking the restraints. He's about to start to leave when I pull him back to me.
"Stop for a second Ethan!"
"Why? We need to go get Rose (Y/n)!"
"I know that but you can't do that when your hands are cut in half!" I shouted.
He stopped talking and I pulled out a healing item that I purchased from Duke earlier.
"This will probably hurt"
He lightly chuckles.
"(Y/n) I've had my whole hand cut off remember?"
I turn red getting a little embarrassed.
"Heh oh yeah" I sheepishly smile.
I hold his right hand and dump on the liquid. Then I unwrap his left hand. His fingers were still missing and I sighed a little feeling bad. I shook my head and dumped the rest of what was in the bottle onto his left hand then I wrapped it back up to keep it from being infected.
"Ok...now you may look around" I say as I finish healing his hands. He doesn't move though, he just stands in front of me. I look up at him and see him smiling down at me.
"You know...you're very cute when you worry about me"
I push his shoulder lightly.
"Shut up" I giggle, but then I thought back to what he told me earlier, "it's my job is it not?" I repeat to him.
He just shakes his head smiling and grabs my hand to look around the room.
We found a passage under the fire place and couched down and looked at it.
"If secret fireplace doors have taught me anything... it's that you just shouldn't go in because some psycho will be on the other side...but this is for Rose so fuck it" and I crawled in and heard Ethan laugh at what I said but crawl in behind me.
"Hmm almost like the Bakers house" Ethan's says, "except with mythical creatures and not some weird ass moldy family"
"True" I whisper as I continue forward.
-------------------
After a while we make it back to the room that had the statues and the door with an inscription on it.
"Ahh back where the ladies came and took us."
At this point the shirt I was wearing was covered in dirt as well as my pants. My hair was a bit crazy and I guess I had dirt and blood on my face because Ethan came up to me and wiped it off. Ethan looked practically the same as me except his hair was stuck to his face from sweat.
We both turned to a door that was near a hall and to the left of the statues. I walked in and saw Duke.
"Duke! Good to see you my friend!" I said as I ran into the room.
"Ahh the Winters! How are you (Y/n)? You seem awfully happy"
"Just happy to see a friendly face" I smiled at him. To the right I saw a contraption.
"Hey Duke, we read a note that said a contraption needed a ball in order to get a crystallised human...is this it?" I say pointing to it.
"Why yes! It is and once you get the crystallised human you can sell it to me" he smiles.
I just nodded my head and looked around.
"Why are you here?" Ethan asked.
"Where there's coin to be made I'm there... And have you found your daughter?"
"No" Ethan and I reply.
"If she is truly here, the Lady of the castle would have kept little Rose in her private chambers, would she not?"
"Dimitrescu?"
"The very same. Why don't you take a look? Maybe you'll get lucky. And speaking of looking... care to make a purchase? Seeking something in particular? I am skilled at all sorts of weapons modifications, and will do them for a small fee."
I walked over to Duke and looked at his selection. I bought another healing items as well as a few bullets and let Ethan look at what he may want. After a while we decided we were done.
"Thank you for your patronage!"
"Thank you for the goods Duke!" I waved as we walked out the room.
We walk into an area that had a set of stairs, a fire place and in front of the fire place a chair with a small table and a tea cup that looked to have blood in it.
We headed up stairs and into the wine cellar that was right at the top.
I saw a book laying on the table and grabbed it to read it.
"The winemaking techniques of Castle Dimitrescu can be traced as far back as the 15th Century, long before the current occupants of the castle.
Alcina Dimitrescu uses this legendary, yet peculiar, technique to enrich the wine's flavor intensity and bestow it with a thick bouquet.
Her best vintage is Sanguis Virginis, meaning "maiden's blood." It is kept in a special ornate bottle decorated with intricate silver flowers."
"So these women...are vampires?" Ethan asked.
"Ethan...what the hell have we gotten ourselves into" I say as I look up from the book with concern in my eyes.
He stayed silent like he was searching for an answer.
"I-I don't know...but..." he stopped talking like he didn't know what to say.
"I just don't even know any more" Ethan said with a sigh.
'We're going to fucking die to vampires and werewolves'