Day 1

Morning

Selina was surprised when she awoke the next day. Her previous nights, whether in Vinvers or on the road to Pran, hadn't been very restful. They either consisted of her heading to the Dream and informing Eve of all that had occurred in the Waking World, or nightmares usually involving her children or Yharnam. The worst were when it was both. She remembered waking up with a grim expression on her face, hands gripping her weapons until her knuckles turned white, and eyes darting around looking for an enemy.

But now that she was back in her own bed, her dreams had been surprisingly pleasant. Her latest was simply her sitting in the middle of a peaceful meadow with Gloria and Horace sitting in her lap. She smiled at the memory as she exited her bed. She stretched a few times before making sure her hat and garb were smoothed out. Then she folded the sheets on her bed before heading towards the door to the room. The first person she saw as she opened the door was Koga.

The undead warrior looked up as Selina exited her room. He was sitting on his knees with his blade laid out on the floor. He bowed his head as the Huntress approached, "Good morning, Good Hunter. All was quiet this night."

"I see. Thank you for watching over us, Koga," the Huntress said, "Are you feeling alright?"

"I am undead, Good Hunter. I do not feel fatigue," he said while getting to his feet. He grabbed his blade and pushed it through the sash on his waist, "What is it you desire to do this morning?"

"Well, first, I would like to check on my children. Excuse me," the Huntress said while slowly stepping towards the door. She carefully placed her hand on the door handle. Attempting to be as quiet as possible, she slowly pushed the door open until she could poke her head through the opening.

Inside she could see Gloria and Horace both sleeping in the same bed. They were laying on their sides, facing each other with their hands still held together. Gloria's shining black hair was splayed out above her head and to her side. Some of it had fallen onto her brother's face, but Horace didn't seem to mind.

Smiling to herself, the Huntress slowly made her way into the room. Moving at a careful, measured pace, she snuck to the side of the children's bed. She watched their peaceful sleeping faces for a moment. Then she reached down and gently began to rock them back and forth.

"Gloria, Horace," she said in what she hoped was a soothing voice, "It's morning. Time to wake up."

The children stirred but didn't rise. Gloria's face frowned while her hand squeezed her brother's tighter. Horace tried to bury his face into the bed sheets. The Huntress, smile faltering slightly, tried again. This time the children actually began to awake. Horace was the first, one hand going to his eye to rub the sleep away. He looked up and groggily said, "M...M...Mommy?"

Selina felt a pang of absolute joy pierce through her heart at the boy's word. Her bandana hid her excitement well, "Yes, Horace. It's morning. Time to get up and get ready for the day."

"You're not leaving this time?" Gloria asked as she awoke, hair a mess of tangled strands and split ends. She yawned while using both hands to rub the sleep from her eyes.

The Huntress undid her bandana, removed her hat, then placed both down on the side of the bed. She nodded to her kids, "Yes. I'm going to be here for you this time. Good morning, my children."

Gloria quickly jumped forward and wrapped her arms around the Huntress. Horace soon followed, both children returning their surrogate parent's greeting. Selina wrapped her arms around the children and stayed like that for a few happy moments. Then she let her children go and stood up, "Alright, Horace, Gloria. Why don't the two of you go downstairs and draw some water? I'll be down in a moment to help you two wash up and put on clean clothes."

Horace nodded while grabbing his sister's hand. The two walked out of the room, saying hello to "Uncle Koga" as they left. Gloria said it without looking at the undead while Horace looked the Ochimusha in the eye. Koga kept his eyes on the children even as Selina left the room. He turned his attention to her as she closed the door, "The boy has a strong gaze. If trained properly, he would make a fine warrior one day."

Selina frowned while looking at the stairs leading to the floor below. She shook her head while responding, "Perhaps. But I would prefer if he chose a less...bloody and dangerous profession. But if he chooses to pursue such a path then I will support him."

"Is that wise?" Koga asked with a raised eyebrow, "It is a poor warrior that cannot take care of themselves."

"I said I would be a source of support, not a crutch, Koga," was the Huntress' reply. She turned towards the rest of the doors in the hallway, "Have you seen any of the others today?"

Before the Ochimusha could reply, the door to one of the rooms opened. From within stepped Felix, the former Order Scribe, stretching out and yawning towards the ceiling. He stopped and looked around the hallway, his eyes widening with joy at the sight of Selina. He started walking towards her while waving, "Good Morning, Ms. Cynthia. I hope you slept well. You too, Koga...though...do you even need to sleep?"

"No. I was awake the entire night to ensure no one tried to invade the Good Hunter's home and disturb your sleep," Koga replied bluntly.

"O-oh. Well..thank you then," Felix said, nervously scratching the back of his neck.

"How is your wife doing?" Selina asked, "Has she woken up?"

Felix's mood fell. He bit his lip and shook his head, "No. She's still sleeping. I'm sorry, Lady Cynthia. But I may need to impose upon you for a bit longer."

"That's completely fine, Felix. You may stay here for as long as you need to," she replied with a smile.

"Thank you. Truly," Felix said as the carefully stepped passed her to get to the stairs, "I'm going to get some wet towels and a tub. Need to make sure we both get cleaned up after a long time on the road. Then...um..."

He stopped on the top step and turned around, "Lady Cynthia, where do you keep your spare clothes?"

Selina had to stop herself from immediately saying the storage trunk. She clamped her mouth shut and began looking around the area. Her mind frantically thought of where she kept spare clothes in this world...and came up blank as she realized she hadn't bought any new clothes since she got here. She cleared her throat multiple times, making Felix tilt his head in confusion, "Are you alright, Lady Cynthia?"

"Ye-yes. I am sorry, Felix. I just remembered that I...do not have any spare clothes that would fit your wife," she left it at that.

"Oh," Felix's face fell, "I see."

"But," his face lit up at the Huntress' words. Selina began nodding, "If I have some time, I will see about getting her some new ones. It shouldn't cost me too much."

"I...I can't thank you enough, Lady Cynthia. I promise, I will find someway to repay you!" he nodded with a smile and was down the stairs before Selina could dissuade him.

She sighed and shook her head. Koga turned to regard her with a neutral expression, "You seem troubled by the fact that he wishes to repay you."

"Because I do not require something in return for this. I am happy simply helping him," she replied to the undead.

"But shouldn't one try to repay others for showing them kindness?"

"Yes, but only if they wish to be repaid. Some simply want to help for nothing in return," her voice took on a wistful tone as she stepped further into the hallway, "What else occurred after I put the children to bed and went to sleep?"

"Guard Captain Felix took the Dhampir and Kunoichi with him to the Guard House. He said that, while he wouldn't request your assistance, he would send a messenger every now and then to keep you updated on the current situation," Koga began while following the Huntress down the hall, "The mercenaries left shortly after. They did not say where they were going. The Mercer Family remains in their room."

Selina nodded, "And which room is that?"

Koga pointed to the door they were just about to pass by. The Huntress stopped front of the door. She walked up to it, then gently knocked, "Hello?"

After a few seconds of silence a familiar voice answered, "Come in."

The Huntress opened the door and stepped into the room. Inside she found a rather strange sight. Nick and Marcus were both on the floor, fast asleep. Marcus had his head resting on his older brother's lap while Nick had his back against the bed in the room. His right arm was on the bed with his hand laying in his sister's smaller one. Said sister was sitting up in her bed, a new blue dress on and her eyes focused on the wall.

Maggie turned to regard the Huntress. She forced a smile on her face, "Hello, Lady Cynthia."

"Hello, Maggie," the Huntress stepped forward, found some space at the side of her bed next to Nick, then knelt down to be level with the young woman. She nodded her head at the girl, her matching red hair bobbing as she did, "How are you feeling?"

"Fine," Maggie's answer was too quick to not be forced, "I am doing...fine."

"Really?" the Huntress' voice was soft but firm. She knew the girl was anything but "fine".

"Ye-yes. Re-really," Maggie voice started to tremble. She turned away from the Huntress, body shaking as she fought off her sobs.

Selina stared at the girl. Then she sighed, "I understand if you don't want to talk to me about it with me, Maggie. I am still a stranger after all. But have you at least talked to your brothers?"

Maggie was silent for a time. Then she shook her head. Selina prepared to reply when the girl spoke up, "I...I just...I couldn't. I don't...I don't want to remember. I was so...scared."

The girl hugged herself with her free arm, her hand squeezing her sleeping brother's, "It...hurts. It hurts to think about. To talk about."

Selina nodded to the girl and looked at the ground, "I know it does. More than you may think."

The confusion on Maggie's face was expected. The Huntress sighed then shook her head, "When I was a child, I spent my life on the streets. A little girl with no one to protect her, nowhere to call home, and forced to live in a place with other people. It was only natural that I would run into people who wanted me for my body. It only got worse as I grew up and became more attractive."

"Did...did any of them...?" Maggie left the question unfinished, but the Huntress knew what she was asking.

Selina shook her head, "No. If there was one thing I took away from my years as an urchin, it was to always find somewhere to hide a knife. Especially in your shoes."

Maggie stared at the Huntress, surprise evident on her face. Then it shifted to sadness and pity, "I am...so sorry you-"

Selina held up a hand, "It is in the past, Maggie. It matters very little now. However, most of the men I speak of were scum and worse. But most importantly, they were people I did not know. I have a feeling that isn't the same for you, is it?"

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Maggie had turned away from the Huntress. After a few moments, she nodded her head with a grimace. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to find her words. Then she sighed, "It's just...I never thought that he was thinking of me in that way. I...I would welcome him whenever he came to our home. I made him dinner and spoke with him about the weather. Those memories...I liked them."

"Now...now I can't even think of them without remember what happened the night before. Did he always see me like that? Was he...staring at me whenever he came over? Was that the only reason he even bothered to talk to me?" her voice became racked with fear. Tears started to flow freely as she started to sob. Nick stirred in his sleep at the sound, making Maggie go quiet until her brother stopped moving.

When he once more lay still, she shook her head, "And the whole time, Nick tried to tell me he was bad. Told me again and again to stay away from him. To not even give him the time of day. But I never listened. I thought that...that someone who bothered to give us a home couldn't be bad. That he did so because he saw our plight and wanted to help us."

The laugh she gave was filled with pain, "I was a fool. A naive fool."

"No, you weren't."

Maggie looked up at the Huntress, a confused expression on her face. Selina, guessing what the girl was thinking, continued, "There was no way you could've known that Brigid was that kind of man. It is not naive to put your trust in someone who has done good by you."

"What if your own brother is telling you that the person you're talking about only did it because he wanted to...to...hurt you?"

"Then you take their words into account, and decide your next course of action with them in mind. It is still not naive to believe that someone has only the best of intentions when they have shown you naught but kindness."

"And if it turns out like this? That their kindness is false?" Maggie grit her teeth in anger. Her free hand grabbed onto her shoulder and squeezed hard.

The Huntress, gently, took Maggie's hand in her own. She looked the girl in the eyes with a serious expression on her lips, "That is simple. You react to it, see what you can do to avoid it in the future, then act accordingly. This does not mean that you should think yourself a fool for trusting someone kind. Do so and your heart will harden, your world will become duller, and you'll find yourself unable to trust anyone at all. And when you find someone that could be one of the best people you have ever met, you'll end up hurting them and you'll never forgive yourself for it. All because you couldn't bring yourself to trust people anymore."

Selina was staring into Maggie's eyes the entire time. The girl blinked twice, speechless at the Huntress' words. Then she whispered, "Lady Cynthia...are you crying?"

Selina blinked.

She took her hands away from Maggie, took off her gloves, then touched her hands to her cheeks. Her fingers came away wet.

"Oh," her voice had a tinge of surprise in it, "It appears I am."

"Wh-why?" Maggie asked.

Selina sighed, "The words I say to you are not idle platitudes, Maggie Mercer. They come from experience. Before my twentieth year, before I became a Hunter, I met two men who both showed me an immense amount of kindness. One did so because he wanted my body. The other did so because he genuinely wished to help me."

She was quiet for a few moments.

Then, swallowing audibly, Maggie asked, "What happened to them?"

"They're both dead. Both because of me."

Selina stood up. She placed her gloves, bandana, and hat back on in swift succession. She tipped her hat to the young girl and said, "Do not make the same mistakes I have, Maggie. Do not let one man's wretched evil prevent you from seeing another's honest good-nature."

With those parting words she bid the young girl farewell and walked out the room. Maggie watched her go, mulling over the woman's words in her mind.

At her side, the awakened Nick remained still with his face set in a determined expression.

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Mid-Morning

To say Guard Captain Felix was stressed would be an understatement.

The man let out a frustrated sighed while running a hand through his blonde hair. The other was on his desk, holding down an entire group of papers to protect them from the wind coming through the single open window in the room. The Guard Captain was within his personal chambers, seated at the lone object in the stone room; his desk. On said desk were two half melted candles, a quill and inkwell, sealing wax and the sealing stamp, and the aforementioned papers.

The bags under the old man's eyes had gotten worse. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. The cooling wetness he felt from the act made him question how long he had been reading the reports sitting in front of him. To his left sat his cat, Chrissy, who was laying down and snoring softly.

Felix groaned, silently asking why he was putting himself through this torture. The question was, of course, rhetorical. He knew why he was reading these reports.

They were all the documentation they had gathered on Lescatie before it fell.

Being so close to the city, Felix made sure to keep careful tabs on the things that went on inside and outside it. He couldn't say what he learned painted a complete picture. Nor that he had his fingers in every pie as far as that city was concerned. He was no spymaster and his men were meant to guard people, not spy on them. So, while he had some inklings of what was going on inside the city, he never had enough evidence to act upon it.

But that was fine. He didn't need to know every single thing about the city to learn how it fell.

Or, more specifically, what Druella did to make it easier to take.

Felix looked back down at the reports. With a steadying sigh he picked a stack of papers up. His eyes roamed the pages as he studied them one more time.

Felix wasn't a general nor a strategist. But he had been in his fair share of battles before becoming a Guard Captain. If there was one thing he learned, it was that a major part of winning any battle or war had always been information. And that goes double when you're dealing with the most warlike of the Lilim. If they were going to stand any chance against her, they needed to know how she fought. Her tactics, her strategies, and how she weakened the enemy before a battle.

Because, as far as he knew anyway, there was no way Druella could've won Lescatie unless that was the case. A direct assault against a city known for producing extremely powerful Heroes? Even a Lilim should have trouble pulling that off. She should've come away from the conflict with at least a bloody nose.

But no. Instead she knew exactly when to attack, where to attack, who to attack first, and managed to take the entire city with little to no casualties on her side.

There was no way she could've done that without preparation first.

And as Felix ran his eyes across the reports, frowning as he tried to absorb and connect all the information, he found himself believing his conclusion more and more.

Caravans traveling to Lescatie with supplies suddenly being attacked and stopped before reaching the city.

Reports of aggressive groups of Mamono being seen around the outskirts of the city increasing in frequency as the date Druella attacked got closer.

The messengers the city sent out never making it to their intended destinations. Then said messengers reporting to be spotted among the ranks of the Mamono after the siege had succeeded.

It didn't take long for Felix to get the picture.

Druella didn't win through simple overwhelming force. She identified an enemy's inner weaknesses and defeated them before the battle even began. Which meant if he wanted to at least freeze her advance, then he had less than three weeks to start shoring up Pran's weaknesses.

Impossible? Yes.

But he had to try.

And he knew exactly where to start.

He slowly put the papers down on the table. He eyed the broadsword leaning against a weapon to his right.

"Chrissy," he looked down at the cat by his foot, "What would you say to walking into a den of vipers?"

The cat, awoken from her slumber, looked up at her owner. Her eyes flashed a bright crimson as she yawned and stretched her body out. Then she leapt up onto Felix's shoulder and laid down while staring at the door.

"I'll take that as a yes. I'll get the guys together," Felix laughed as he stood up and headed towards his weapon.

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Afternoon

"Can you...reach it...sis?" Horace grunted out as he struggled to stand on his tip-toes. Sweat rolled down his face as he tried to stay strong.

Gloria, trying to stay steady on her brother's shoulders, reached her small arms out towards the low hanging tree branch. She grunted as she tried to grab the edge of the branch, "Almost...there...just a bit...more..."

Horace took a step forward to try to help his sister. When the hanging branch remained stubbornly out of reach, he took another step forward...right onto the side of a waiting rock.

His footing lost the boy immediately tripped and started falling forward. He tried to right himself, but only succeeded in hastening both his and his sister's fall towards the grassy earth below. However, before either could hit the ground, they were both scooped into the white gloved arms of Selina.

The Huntress brought the two children into her embrace and looked between them with a raised eyebrow, "And what exactly were the two of you trying to do?" Her voice made it clear she was more curious than angry. After they had washed up, she had taken them out into the streets of Pran for a small shopping trip. It had taken them longer than she expected, but they had gathered enough food to last them for a month with proper storage techniques. They made it back home just when the sun began to near the horizon. Still full of energy, Selina suggested they all head out of the town for a day out.

Which is why she now found herself, Koga, and her two children standing outside the threshold of a forest. Behind them was a large grassland with two small hills rising up from the earth. Koga stood some distance away, his back against a tree while his eyes scanned the area for any movement.

Horace looked away in embarrassment and pointed up at the tree branch, "Gloria wanted to take that branch down."

The Huntress turned her gaze to the young girl in question. Gloria started pushing her fingers together while refusing to meet the Huntress' eyes, "I...It has a pretty flower on it. I wanted to grab it."

The Huntress turned to the branch the two children were trying to reach. Indeed, there was a single white flower growing out of the tip of the branch. It swayed with the low hanging stick of wood, its four petals seeming to dance with every movement.

"I see," Selina nodded then adjusted her grip on the children, "In that case. Here you are."

She lifted both of her children up to the branch. Her considerable height allowed her to easily move Gloria right next to the flower's location. The smiling girl quickly plucked the flower from its perch and began working it into her hair. As Selina brought her back down, she saw the girl struggling to get the flower to remain in her long black locks.

The Huntress placed both children on the ground, knelt to Gloria side, and took the flower in her hands. "Here. Allow me," she said sweetly as her fingers entwined the flower stem with strands of Gloria's hair. With a hum of approval she stood up and beheld the white flower poking out from the top of Gloria's head.

The girl touched the flower with one hand as uncertainty came over her face. She looked at Horace, "Does it look...cute?"

Her brother nodded with a smile, "Yeah. It does. At least, I think so."

"Thanks, Horace," she said with a happy giggle.

Selina patted the boy on his head, "And you deserve praise for helping your sister, Horace. You certainly have gotten stronger in my absence."

"Really?" Horace exclaimed with a happy smile coming over his face, "You can tell?"

"Yes, I can."

"Does that mean I can get a sword now?"

"No, not yet."

The boy's enthusiasm fell but he bounced back when he spotted movements in a nearby bush. Out from it a small, brown rabbit hopped away deeper into the forest. He pointed towards it and shouted for Gloria to help him chase it down. The two were soon dashing off into the forest, trying to beat a animal made for running in a chase.

The Huntress giggled at their antics while a happy feeling filled her chest. Koga spoke up from his position, "They are adventurous. As children should be. Let us hope they don't lose that spark, but learn to temper it with reason."

"I will ensure to teach them that lesson when they need it. For now, they should be allowed to be children," Selina responded, getting ready to follow after her kids.

Koga suddenly stiffened. He pushed off the tree and placed a hand on the blade at his side, "They have come."

Selina stopped moving. She didn't look over at Koga. Nor did she ask him who was coming.

For she knew who they would be.

She merely spoke to him in a calm down, "Can I trust you to handle them? Without harming them?"

"Yes, Good Hunter," Koga said while keeping his eyes on the skies leading back to Pran. The Huntress nodded to the undead and walked into the forest to be with her children. Koga stood proud as he beheld the four avian shapes headed his way. Their shadowy figures became clearer the closer they got to his position.

He took a breath to steady himself and focus his mind. The amount of supplies they brought wasn't the only reason they had spent so long in the market. There were two others that proved to be more problematic than either of them suspected.

The first was their appearance. Both he and Selina had drawn many eyes from the various humans that frequented the market. And the looks they received weren't exactly welcoming ones. While some seemed to have gotten used to the intimidating look of the Huntress, many saw him and immediately gasped with fright and shock. Merchants would refuse them business or not listen to the Good Hunter's words, as their entire being was focused on trying to understand what exactly Koga was. This made negotiating prices for goods and getting directions on where they needed to go to buy a certain good take longer than they needed.

And the other reason...

The figures landed one after the other.

All were about ten feet from Koga.

All were clearly harpies.

While Pran was near the frontier, the Mamono population was actually rather small. According to what Guard Captain Felix said last night, "You could count the number of Mamono in the town on one hand." However, due to being one of the few "Order Approved" Mamono out there, harpies would sometimes take up residency in Pran. They acted mainly as messengers, so their stay would usually be extremely short. Unless one of them happened to find a husband, but that hadn't happened for sometime in Pran.

And it just so happened that these four were flying over while the Huntress was out shopping.

The four Mamono stared the Undead down with serious glints in their eyes.

Koga matched each and every one with his own flat stare.

After a silent moment, all four harpies dashed towards the lone male Mamono. Their wings went behind their backs...and from them they produced four baskets. Each laden with a multitude of gifts that ranged from food, to candy, to some gemstones.

"Please marry us!" the four harpies sing-songed in unison.

"No," was Koga quick and blunt answer.

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Evening

"Alright, Tina," Felix said as he pushed open the door to their room. A tray covered in food was in one hand as he stepped inside, "I've got dinner ready for you, lets-"

Felix went silent when he saw the bed Tina was on.

More specifically, at the fact that she was sitting up and looking out the window.

She turned to him, her clear emerald eyes lighting up at the sight. Her lips curled up in a bright, happy smile as she spoke her first words since she had been demonsterized, "Felix. My love."

The tray clattered to the ground as the man ran forward and threw his arms around his fiance.