Chapter Text
Her friends told her not to do it. They warned her and told her about all of the myths and legends of the strange old beast that lurked in the large castle up north. Where the snow was so thick it went up to your neck. And the biggest rumor was that the old beast was a vampire who trapped anyone who came within 10 feet of his kingdom.There were tons and tons of stories about him and for some strange reason Lucia was intrigued about this strange old beast that everyone talked about.
"Liliana you must be mad!"
Her mother chidded her only daughter as she grabbed her black leather boots and pulled them on.
"I don't want you going out there and freezing to death dear. Please don't go. You'd be better off here helping me with the chores."
Her mother begged and warned against her daughter leaving out to brave the harsh barren cold up north just to find the "myth" that their small town in Italy gossiped about. Lucia adjusted her satchel and tugged on her blue scarf, sighing as her mother continued on her rant.
"Please mama...just let me. I promise I'll come back in one piece.
" Liliana said as her mother grabbed her wrist, stopping her from leaving the small house.
"In one piece lilian-" "no mama...I'm leaving and that's final. You haven’t let me out of this god forsaken house since papa died." Liliana said as she tore her hand away from her mother's bruising grasp tears pricking her eyes.
Ever since Lucia was a small child she was always so adventurous and wild. Wanting to see the world with her own two eyes just like her father. Her papa always encouraged her to explore and go out and learn more about the world that was in her hands. That was until he died when she was 13 leaving just her and her mother. They slowly started to stop leaving, only going out to get supplies or go to church and the house had grown unfamiliarly quiet and blue without her father around.
As fast as she opened the door she was gone, leaving her mother to sit in her own bitter depression and rage from her daughter's "silly" and "outrageous" actions.
Storming down the steps and heading into the small Italian town she had grown to know and recognize less and less over these cold years.
As she ran down the small and narrow allies and passageways leading to the docks she ran into someone. “Umph…” Liliana huffed out as she fell to the ground with a loud thud. Rubbing her head and looking up, she saw her “friend” Gulia.
“O-oh Giulia i'm so so sorry I-”
“my dress! you just ruined my dress! Look it’s all muddy now….well it's fine I suppose since daddy headed off to the markets to get me a new one. She smirked devilishly. “ Why are you in such a hurry anyways you fool!” Gulia asked her face a steaming red as her red curls came down and framed her perfect face almost perfectly.
“I-I was on my way to the docks to go up North.” Liliana said getting up and dusting herself off as her “friend” scoffed at her.
“Don’t tell me you're trying to go find that wretched…beast up north….oh wait you probably are!” She enunciated the word beast spitting it out as she finished her sentence laughing some more.
“Come Gabriella I must tell you this.”
Gulia said, motioning for her older sister who had the same red curly locks minus for a few gray strands to come to her side. Once Gabriella was there Gulia whispered into her ear snickering afterwards.
Liliana stood there face red in red hot anger and shame as she took in fistfuls of her dress.
“Well I do wish you the best of luck Liliana.” Gabriella smiled at her softly, not laughing at all unlike her cruel and spoiled younger sister.
Gabriella Esposito, a well admired sibling in their town's church . She was kind, charitable, and pretty everyone fawned after her or wanted to be like her. But that was besides Liliana’s point. “Thank you sister.” Liliana said, smiling at the slightly older woman's comment.
“Now off you go Liliana or you wont get there on time.”
Gabriella said, smiling and making a slight shooting motion with her hands. “Goodbye sister! And Guilia!” Lucia yelled out as she ran across town to get down to the docks in time, her leather boots clicking loudly against the stone pathways and roads of her small Italian town of Giuseppe.
Just as liliana got down to the docks a man in a small carriage was packing away crates and bags preparing to leave.
“WAIT! WAIT SIR! I HAVE A QUESTION TO ASK YOU!”
Liliana shouted as she ran in her heeled leather boots trying not to trip or worse run into someone again. “Ah yes signora what tis it that you needed?” The old man asks as he hops onto his horse as Liliana approached him. “I-I was just curious as to where you were headed sir. I-If you'd like to know I've been trying to head up North near the old roman cathedrals.” Liliana said looking up at the old italian man who had gray and white hair with hope burning like a hot flicker of flame in her gaze.
“Ah-sei solo fortunato mio caro . I was just heading near there. I could drop you off. That is if you'd like.” He smiled down at Liliana, the wrinkles on his face creasing even more.
“Oh thank you so-so much! here.” Liliana said, fishing 10 gold coins out of her brown and green embroidered satchel to give to the old man.
“oh no need to pay me signora just hop on. The name is Tommaso a proposito.”
Tommaso said as Lucia picked up her skirt and hopped into the small carriage that was attached behind his large and almost midnight black murgese horse who was tugginging the old black wooden carriage around
“So signora…non mi riguarda but I couldn’t help but have the urge to ask why you want to head up North near the cathedral?” Tommaso asked in a curious tone.
“Well…heh heh…i might sound a bit silly for saying this but I-I actually wanted to go see the place for my own and discover the myths and legends about that place that everyone talks about so much.” Liliana said nervously, picking at the edges of her nails.
“Ah….I see I've been up there once myself. It was a fine and beautiful place but there was something off putting about it the entire time I was there. Now that I recall…It felt like someone was watching me the entire time I was there.”
Tommaso said scratching his white beard as he started to get lost in his thoughts. “Well miss…I suggest that you get some sleep now before we arrive at my first stop by lake Varese.
“Ok…And thank you so much again Tommaso for taking me up North.” Liliana said, sitting back in the carriage. As she laid down she thought about the cathedrals and the supposed beast of a man that lurked in them. Besides, maybe the man wasn't a beast after all. or as bad as they sought him out to be.
Lucia stirred to the bouncing and rattling of the old carriage on what she assumed was a brick road. Sitting up she rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes. Looking around she could tell that this was a different and new town. The town of Varese.
The old carriage then winded down a dirt road that quickly led away from the large town, obscuring what little of a view that she already had of the place. The Dirt pathway led up to a steep hill that was far off in the distance. The dirt pathway was lined by a thick coated deep green forest and smelt of pine and Earth,
“Ah, you're awake back there.” Tommaso said as he guided the horse through the dirt and muddy terrain. “yeah where are we?” Liliana asked, rubbing her face of sleep. “Just headed out of town. We should be up north in about a few hours or so.” Tommaso said as he pulled tightly on the horse's lead.
The further they went up the hill the colder it got making Liliana shiver a bit. Far in the distance of the thick fog that now surrounds them Liliana could make out a tall cathedral building. “We aren’t far from the cathedrals signoria.” Tommaso said as he pulled up the steep hill onto level-ish ground. The woods around them seemed to be ever ceasing as it covered most of the darkening afternoon sky.
As Liliana sat in the carriage she looked out at the thick forest at all of its tall trees and branches until something strange and slightly off-putting caught her eye. A dark shadowy figure up on one of the branches Peering down at them. Liliana felt her stomach turn and remembered what Tommaso said earlier about someone watching him when he visited last time.
Blinking her eyes she looked back away from the forest sighing as she waited to arrive near the cathedrals until something caught her eye once more.
The same shadowy dark figure had seemed to have gotten closer. Or was that just her imagination? And was that a tail!? Liliana thought as she watched the figure stand there by a tall deep pine tree before disappearing off into the thick dense forest.
Liliana shook her head as she decided that she might have just been tired or something right. But she had just taken a nap a few hours ago. How could she be so tired? Tommaso had to be more tired than her after all he was driving the carriage.
“Tommaso? About the time you said you felt people watching you. Umm…what did they look like? If you seen them.” Liliana asked, biting her lip nervously.
“Oh I never really got to see the-” Tommaso started but was cut off by the dark figure that had swooped down from the treetops and pushed him off the horse sending the carriage into a ditch as Liliana bounced around inside until she hit her head on the roof knocking her unconscious.
groggily blinking her eyes open looking around. She was in a room. A very fancy and expensive looking room at that. The fireplace in the middle of the room cracked and burned the strong smell of citrus and fruit incense drafting around the room. Sitting on the ground Liliana had realized she had lost her boots and her dress was torn. Sitting up she was quickly pulled back down against the floor.
Looking down over her shoulder she saw that she was chained to the floor. Shit. Liliana thought of pulling hard on the metal chains to try to break them to no avail.
“Help! Help me!” Liliana cried out as she heard the large wooden door to the left of her creak open revealing two…people? All Liliana knew was that they kinda resembled the shadow person from earlier.
The taller burlier man wore a shiny silver mask with devil horns, a black button up with suspenders, tight black dress pants and dress shoes. As Liliana looked him up and down she realized that he did not look human. He had gray almost black skin and a whipping tail behind him.
The shorter man looked the same as he cocked his head to the side and analyzed Liliana carefully, his dark gaze piercing her soul.
Pulling on her chains in a try to escape the taller man came over with a key and unlocked them. “Hey, Hey no need to be scared of us. I know we may not look all human but we won't hurt you.” He said, sticking a hand out for Liliana to take.
Hesitantly taking his hand Liliana let out a shaky and scared breath from her cold lips. “The names Aether and that little shit over there is Sodo or Dewdrop call him either he doesn’t care. And he won’t bite as long as I'm here.” Aether said kindly reassuring Liliana as she looked between the two ghoulish creatures shaking slightly with fear as she watched Sodo stare into her soul his bright ember eyes burning holes through her.
Liliana had only heard of these creatures in myths or in the bible talking about how they were Lucifer's helpers towards sin.
“W-what am I doing here? What even are you guys? Where...W-where am I?” Liliana stuttered out. “Oh don’t worry our boss just wants to see you after he heard that Sodo over there spotted you and that man out in the woods. “O-oh.” Liliana said more scared now. Who was their boss and what did he want? Where was Tommaso?