Chapter Text
The Lady of the castle hadn't been seen in quite some time. Her daughters had been in charge of all the proceedings in the castle while she recovered hidden away.
Maids came and went, seasons changed, years went by.
Things were rapidly changing and declining for the human race that was left in the area, homes which once housed families were now desolate and run down, holes from gunfire, explosions, and combat riddled the area.
Lycans roamed looking for whatever they could, sometimes getting as desperate as to go for themselves, but regular humans still came and went.
For years, this place was grey, shrouded in fog, and a persistent existence of impending doom surrounded the area.
It had been 600 years since that small town in southern Romania saw much life. There was a period of time where all activity ceased within the historic castle's walls and was deemed abandoned, although no checks were officially made.
The area started receiving attention once more after years of neglect and biological growth.
Humans came and after about another 120 years, new generations of families had started producing foot traffic, supply and demand; their own economy which worked for them.
Rumors had started very early on about the castle which stood at a higher altitude, having to access a slightly steep, rough dirt road that can be traveled on by foot, but easier by carriage due to heavy vegetation and raised roots from impressively sized trees.
A couple of people, as stories tell, have traveled up there, most haven't returned. One younger male came out from a group of 7 which traveled up there looking for potential hunting grounds. He was covered from head to toe by blood and could only babble about flies and a woman with long knives coming out of her hands. No one believed him, chalked it up to a horrific hunting story.
He went crazy shortly after his visit to the castle and ran from the town, never to be seen again.
One thing the townspeople did notice was that women who normally went up wouldn't come back out; however, some of these women sent back letters. These letters were few in detail and seemed rehearsed. Vague statements about finding a job and being held in quarantine for a while until being let out freely to visit family in between shifts.
Eventually, these women were released to visit their own for a while, but always had to return, their homes were at the castle now. They weren't to live at home as they now served the Lady of the castle.