“When people discuss Valentina Amarei’s legacy, so often they’ll mention the Siegesburg Reforms or, more notoriously, the Îngerii Sanguini. However, I find that in her earlier years it was those she kept under her employ —and how she treated them— that defined how she would rule.”
-‘Kallistan Bloodlines and Battlegrounds’, authored by Count Ampelius Ulrich
Dahlia was dumbfounded. Really, truly, dumbfounded. So much had happened. So much in so little time. Her fathers beating, her mothers surprising level of care, and now without warning she found herself elsewhere entirely. The carriage trundled along a road she’d never seen before — even with her blurred vision, the view outside made that more than clear. And there, right at her side, was the woman she had yearned for, even if she dared not say so out loud. Still, it was so much —too much— overwhelming in a way that left the girl near speechless. She didn’t even know where to start but… if she had to start anywhere, it may as well be there.
“What the fu—” The question was interrupted by a coughing fit, her throat dry and raw from disuse. Unfortunately, her perfectly articulated question didn’t quite receive the response she was looking for and now there was just a vampiress howling with laughter beside her. Dahlia gave the woman her best scowl, wincing at how the expression pulled on her skin, but the look only encouraged the Archduchess if anything.
“Sorry, sorry,” Valentina managed to get out, still grinning wide and clearly not sorry in the slightest, “but for that to be the first thing you say… regardless, I’m glad you're awake and seem to have a bit of energy in you.”
Dahlia raised an unimpressed eyebrow but, now that the woman mentioned it, it was true she was feeling far better than she would have thought. Compared to being dead, well… considering how she didn’t expect to survive, ‘better’ didn’t take much, but even setting that aside she felt remarkable. Not in perfect health, no, but Dahlia felt like she could actually stand up and move —maybe even dance a jig if she was given the chance— and was altogether feeling… perky? The idea must have shown on her face though as the Archduchess interrupted that blossoming thought before it could fully form.
“I say that, but maybe don’t go pushing yourself too hard? You’re far more healed than you could be, but it’s hardly a perfect bill of health. I imagine that between being unconscious for over a week and then getting a small shot of stimulants, you’re about ready to bounce off the walls but just… maybe let’s hold off on that for now, yeah?”
The reality of being in a completely different location returned to the fore of Dahlia’s mind and what the vampiress just said didn’t soothe her anxieties. She eyed up the woman, far more on-guard than she was a moment prior and she forced herself to speak, her voice croaking and tongue stumbling despite herself.
“I’m sorry, w-what was that?”
It came out harsh. Accusatory. A part of her felt guilty for being quite so thorny. The other part of her —the one who had been beaten, woken in a stranger’s carriage, and now apparently drugged— felt cornered and couldn’t bring herself to care. The Archduchess didn’t seem offended at least, instead just looking tired and perhaps a tad frustrated with the world as a whole.
“Oh, for fucks sake. I mean, I get it, you just woke up and there’s a whole lot of things not how you’d expect them, but let’s try to lower the hostility just a little? Please?” Seeing the tension hardly leave the girl, Valentina sighed and ran a hand through her hair: “Right, sure, I guess that’s reasonable. We can skip the pleasantries for now then and just get on to what matters.” She reclined a bit then, some of her languidity returning and replacing the stress. “Go on then, ask away: you lead and I’ll do my best to answer.”
Dahlia frowned, less bothered and more simply confused. With one thing after another happening, her fight or flight reflexes had begun to kick in but now… it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep directing them at the woman in front of her. Still, she was far too uncertain of her current situation to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Fine. Stimulants: start with that. What did you mean?”
“Hmmm, well, it was a bit of an assumption but I figured you’d prefer waking up now before we made it to the castle. Ease you into things, you know? And considering how you’ve been sleeping almost constantly and, when you have woken up it was in a confused stupor, I figured I’d provide a little something to help you actually be alert and fully aware.”
Again Dahlia frowned, trying to remember waking up and seeing the Archduchess before but—
The woman pointed at her face: “Yeah, just like that. You made that face a lot. Couldn’t hold a thought for long and never really remembered anything from previous times you’d woken up. Don’t worry though, I’m not forcing much here; you’ve been getting better day after day. More coherent and lucid each time you wake up, just… yeah, brain damage is a bitch.”
That snapped her attention back to the present, the blurred memories of a comforting voice of velvet and smoke set aside as she focussed on the there and now. “Yeah… Yeah I guess I would have brain damage. That’s… fuck.” She took a shaky, steadying breath, “I’m not remembering things clearly at all but that’s hardly surprising. How bad is it? Do you know?”
The question was met with a shrug.
“Well, we’re both here talking to each other so it’s clearly not as bad as it could be but, by the time I arrived to help, you were already well past the initial stages of the injury. I removed the excess blood and helped repair bloodflow, but the simple scarring was already in place; you’re a clever girl, I’m sure you understand the implications at least to some degree.”
Slowly, Dahlia nodded. “It’s permanent th-then?”
“Well, yes and no? I certainly can’t heal you more than I have now and I’d be damned before I let some backwater healers touch something as fragile and important as your brain, but I wouldn’t rule out something close to a full recovery. I’m hoping to have a Phoenakis healer begin treating you later today assuming everything goes well. For now, I’d tell you not to worry too much. You’ve been sleeping excessively and have been confused when previously awake, but that’s healing and trauma for you. For now, we’re able to talk, so I’d take that as a good sign.”
Again Dahlia found herself nodding and gradually she was beginning to notice how things were different. The vampiress wasn’t wrong, they were holding a conversation and she was even able to recall vague impressions of previous times she woke up, but there still were issues that had never existed previously. Be it the brainfog that constantly tried to smother burgeoning thoughts or the occasional sluggishness of speech that made her tongue almost freeze mid-word, Dahlia could practically feel the changes like it was a physical obstacle and it made her want to scream. Of all things, her mind had always been hers. She was never accepting of the physical abuse, but she could take refuge in her thoughts; yet now, even those had been marred — potentially permanently.
Again there was rage, welling up deep inside her and she had to remind herself that there would be healers. The best healers. Everyone knew of the Phoenakis, and everyone knew they could perform miracles. She would be fine. She had to be. She refused to accept an alternative. Dahlia’s jaw clenched as she tried to shift her thoughts away to anything else.
“Right… I guess all I can do is wait then. What about everything else?” She waved a hand around gesturing at nothing in particular, “I feel like I’m n-not exactly caught up on what the hell is happening”
The Archduchess smirked, “No, I suppose being hauled off by me isn’t quite what you were expecting.”
“Well…” The girl let herself smile, already feeling the distraction take away some of the weight on her mind, “depending on what you say next, I might not consider it a bad thing.”
The vampiress mirrored the smile: “Right, should I bother catching you up on what happened with your parents or should we skip that for now?” Dahlia didn’t even need to answer; the grimace made her thoughts clear enough and Valentina was more than happy to comply. “Later it is then. In that case… I picked you up from the barony. Helped heal you up a bit, and the short story is that I dragged you back home with me.” She nodded out the window, half gesturing, half looking out at the familiar bustling streets. “Viaţășoara’s a good city. Good people, lively streets, plenty of art, and fantastic food.”
The vampiress tried to ignore the grumbled “Not enough plants though,” although she did have to hide her smile with a hand.
“What I’m trying to say is that while I brought you here without waiting for you to agree due to the rush for good healing, if you wanted to stay then it’s not a bad place to be. I’m… biased —it’s where I grew up and lived most of my life— but I truly love it here. Once all your healing is done, I’m not going to force you to stay. That’s not—” She cut herself off, worrying her lip before starting again. “Back at the debutante, you seemed desperate. Not just seemed: you were desperate. And don’t get me wrong Dahlia, I find you more than charming… I wouldn’t have just come back and broken into a baron’s estate if I wasn’t already captivated by you, but I’m not going to use all of this to trap you. When this is all over and you’re fully healed, we can figure things out from there, yeah? Viaţășoara’s a good city but if you choose to go back to your barony or something else… I’ll try to help if I can.”
Valentina had to stop herself from grimacing; that was nearly a ramble and she was already mentally kicking herself for it. The truth of the matter was that she desperately wanted the girl to stay. Being with her at the debutante even for such a short time was a delight. Being beside her and nursing her back to health was almost soothing. And now that she was awake, alert, and actually able to converse again… the vampiress didn’t want to let her go. And it was exactly for that reason that she forced herself to give the girl a way out. To not simply follow the impulses roiling just below the surface and keep her. No. She was better than that. She was so trapped in her thoughts she almost didn’t notice when Dahlia propped herself more upright, grimacing as she peered out the window.
“Is it true w-what they say? The rumours and legends of The L-living City, that is.”
Valentina looked at her then, as the girl stared out into the streets and faintly smiled. She felt her mouth go dry and tried to smother her hope but it was already too late. She could only guess what Dahlia might have been thinking, but all it took was that one look and she knew she could go mad for her. Make herself a fool for her, even. She probably already was. She did her best to hide the yearning with a smirk, replacing the need with a teasing lilt.
“Wouldn’t you like to know? People have been trying to confirm the truth of that for ages now; don’t go thinking I’m going to ruin the mystery after just getting to know you.” The girl turned away from the window and looked at her then, her eyes —even half blind— seeming to see far more than Valentina wanted in that moment, but the vampiress indulged just a little. “I won’t confirm or deny the legends, but there is historical evidence that the city is a giant artefact. It’s part of what made it such a potent stronghold back in the day. Back before the Empire, there are records of how entire armies were decimated as the streets would rearrange themselves into labyrinths.”
Dahlia smiled, eyes practically sparkling: “And now?”
The vampiress smiled back — she couldn’t help it. “And now it’s the most efficient and over-the-top way of revising city planning on the continent. Behold my city’s splendour and weep.”
Dahlia snorted and it was music to Valenina’s ears.
“I can’t see much right now so maybe I’m just being sold by your sales pitch but… yeah, it seems like a good city. Sudicșoara did have more plants though; the fact you have so little must be a sin of some kind.”
“Mhmm, I’ll take it under advisement. Normally I’m not one to avoid a bit of sin, but maybe I’ll pass your complaints on to my city planners.” The Archduchess paused as the view out the windows caught her eye and she let herself sigh. “Well, I guess we were bound to arrive sooner or later though it would have been nice to talk a bit longer.” Again she gestured out the window and Dahlia’s eyes followed, landing on the massive structure before them. “Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll be able to stay with you once we arrive; I’ve been away too long and I can hardly imagine how many problems have piled up in my absence. You’ll be taken care of though, I promise. I wouldn’t hand you over to my staff unless I trusted them fully.”
The girl nodded, still staring out towards the castle. It was crafted from a different stone than the rest of the city; where Viaţășoara’s streets and buildings were carved of dark, slate-grey stone, the castle created a stark contrast. Formed of pale, near-white stone bricks, the entirety of the structure felt like a shard of bone jutting out from the otherwise mundane city. There, perched upon a plateau like a sentinel, Viaţăvár stood atop the city like a crown, and Dahlia could hardly comprehend the sight. It was a historical monument, a magical marvel and, to this day, was still considered one of Gitontitán’s ancient wonders. She could have spent hours just looking at it, taking in every detail even as she cursed her damaged eyes, wishing she could see it more clearly.
Unfortunately, admiration of bastions and flying buttresses would need to be put on hold as, the moment their carriage passed the outer bailey wall, a voice snapped her out of her reverie.
“I can’t believe you went out for a quick visit to congratulate the Duke and his son and then came back over a fortnight later with a new woman in tow and a massive political scandal in your wake.”
The sudden interruption had Dahlia jump, the voice itself wasn’t particularly harsh —it was soft if anything— however it was heaped with a healthy dose of judgement. As she turned to see the source though, what she was met with was a… bird? A very tall and very pretty, person-shaped bird. ‘Harpy’, a less confused part of her memory reminded her, though between the white plumage, occasional long black feathers, and vibrant orange patches around the eyes, the girl couldn’t place the type of harpy for the life of her. While she tried to wrap her head around the new visitor, Valentina sat up, smiled, and went for a hug that was quickly batted away with a wing.
“Avery! You didn’t need to come out to meet us, we would have come to you regardless. It’s good to see you though.”
The harpy —Avery— scoffed, though Dahlia thought they seemed rather chuffed. “You’re avoiding what I’m upset about, Your Grace.”
The vampiress slid into an easy grin, returning to a more relaxed posture as she patted the seat beside her. Something which Avery promptly disregarded and sat across from her instead, ignoring the woman’s pout all the while. Chestnut eyes just stared, waiting for a response, until the vampiress finally huffed and gave in.
“Fine, I missed you too; I guess we’ll just get down to business then. As you already know, Esmé dragged me off before the debutante was even over; the week we spent hunting wasn’t something I could afford to opt out of.”
All-too-calculating eyes flicked toward Dahlia, taking her measure before returning to the Archduchess. “Are you sure—”
“Oh fuck off Avery, don’t come here early and force us to talk about business only to get all hesitant because she’s here with us. You were the one that chose this. Besides, I trust her completely.”
Dahlia watched, both confused and fascinated as the harpy’s body went rigid in surprise. Another glance was turned her way, far less judgemental but even more analyzing than before.
“...If you’re truly certain, then I’ll put my trust in you. Regardless, yes, I heard from Bessie about Esmé taking you away. She also relayed everything else that happened at the debutante and… we can talk about that later. You’ve gone and created a gods damned mess but that’s hardly something new; Yorick and I have both been completely swamped in paperwork since you left and causing that uproar hardly helped things.”
The Archduchess at least had the decency to grimace: “I’m sorry. At least I came back as fast as I could?”
“No. No you did not.”
Dahlia felt herself shifting in her seat, uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the harpy’s gaze but also feeling oddly like she shouldn’t be overhearing the bickering of these two.
“Oh, don’t you give me that!” The vampiress continued, “I promised I’d be back for her and I stood by my word. And before you give me some lip and say I shouldn’t have promised that, she was on death's door when I found her. Don’t you dare try and say I was in the wrong.”
A long and centering breath was taken by Avery before they spoke again, and Dahlia suddenly had the realisation that they seemed far too blasé for this to be unusual. The scolding tone they took only confirmed the girl’s suspicions.
“Valentina, I’m not about to tell you that protecting or saving people is wrong but there are better ways to handle it.” A huff of a sigh followed and their tone softened as they properly addressed Dahlia for the first time. “I’m sorry for our first meeting to be like this but someone needs to tell her when she’s out of line and I felt it’d be better to do it when there weren’t other employees around. My name is Avery, Her Grace’s secretary, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They bowed then, shallow but still respectful and, to Dahlia’s surprise, seemingly genuine. She did her best to respond in kind.
“Thank you. And sorry if I don’t handle myself properly, I was n-never really trained properly for how to handle or interact with an Archduchess or her staff. Nothing beyond surface level interaction at l-least”
The harpy let out an amused hissing sound, eyes playfully glancing towards the vampiress. “It’s a good thing too, because our decorum is an absolute mess; you’ll fit right in. Now then…” They let out a sigh and their composure fully returned to business-like. “We can discuss most things later but I feel like there are a couple pieces of information you’ll want before we arrive.”
Immediately sensing the change of tone, the Archduchess straightened up and nodded, encouraging the secretary to continue.
“First and foremost, I regret to inform you that the Phoenakis couldn’t supply us with a healer in time.”
The vampiress wore her irritation and confusion on her sleeve: “What? We rarely call on them and, the one time we do, they don’t come? How does that even interact with their oaths?”
Avery shrugged, though they didn’t look pleased either. “From what I could tell, they were cracking down on an outbreak of a plague in their march. The oaths grant them the right to protect their own people as a priority unless there was a threat to the Grand Duchy as a whole or an Amarei themself was at risk.”
From their current distance, Dahlia couldn’t see the details of the vampiress’ expression but she could swear the woman’s eye was twitching. Meanwhile, the girl could feel her own anxiety begin to creep up on her as well; no Phoenakis, regardless of the reason, meant no healing miracles and that was… bad. Worse than bad, though she had no desire to think about it more and let herself spiral.
Seeing the slowly growing dread on her face though, Avery smiled.
“I wouldn’t let yourself lose hope just yet. The Phoenakis are proving to not be of any use, but having an archduchess on your side comes with some perks.” They gave Valentina a meaningful look before continuing: “Serapis offered us one of her flesh artists. Mylène arrived at Viaţăvár just yesterday, the same day they received our missive.”
The tension left both Valentina and Dahlia like a physical weight, both of them noticeably relaxing, though the vampiress was still rubbing her face as she mulled over the news. Dahlia could feel the carriage slowing down now, the pale castle looming over them like a gothic, calcified behemoth and, in front of it, a collection of attendants were arranged including one woman the girl recognised all-too-well. Without even meaning to, she met eyes with Bessie and, given how the woman’s posture immediately shifted, it was clear the lady-in-waiting recognized her. The maid’s judgement was so tangible it could have been a physical thing but, as they rocked to a stop, it was Valentina’s words that tore Dahlia’s attention away.
“I’ll have to thank Aurora for this at some point; we have plenty of vitalists but hardly anyone that could handle cerebral scarring. Thankfully, Mylène knows what she’s doing.” She placed a hand on Dahlia’s shoulder and smiled, “Well Dahlia, you ready? The longer we wait the worse healing will be so we’ll probably be splitting ways almost immediately as we’re dragged in different directions. I’ll come find you as soon as I can though. In the meantime…” she glanced out the window, eyes landing on a woman standing apart from the rest and wrapped in a heavy cloak. “This’ll probably be a bit of an experience. I trust Aurora and Mylène implicitly but just… sorry in advance. Compared to a Phoenakis, being treated by a flesh artist might be a tad less comfortable.”
Dahlia nodded, listening but not letting her own eyes leave the woman outside. She couldn’t see much —she was thoroughly covered by her cloak and Dahlia’s eyesight was awful regardless— but she could swear she could see beneath their hood. Red where skin should be, and eyes that seemed to glow beneath the shadow of her cloak; Dahlia couldn’t help but recall the stories she’d read of the flesh artists. A holy order dedicated to the goddess of monsters, stated to be murderers and madmen each and every one and yet, rather than the Phoenakis and their supposed miracles, it was this walking blasphemy that would offer her aid.
She felt herself smile at the thought. Theoretically, every single plan she made had fallen apart ages ago. Theoretically, so many things had gone wrong. And yet, in that moment, with the Archduchess by her side worrying for her and a whole new place full of things that could go wrong, the girl couldn’t help but look forward to it all. It was like a switch clicked, where the realization finally hit her: despite her injuries and despite nothing going quite as planned, she was free. She was free, and happy and —above all— looking forward to life again, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.