#lady dimitrescu fic

[her-ladys-cooper]

A new chapter of Oak and Wine is up on Ao3.

Peruse if you would like.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[writingforanxiety]

You Still Need Sleep Darlings

Alcina let out a tired sigh as she crossed the threshold of the mansions large intricate front doors. A sunrise of dark blues and greens was just starting to peak above the pines as she closed the doors softly behind her and secured the heavy latch. She had been down in the village most of the night looking for new households that would make a good candidates for any future wines that required more of a youthful taste. Finishing up with the locks she turned from the entrance and started to make her way to her bed chambers to unwind from a long night of perusing the mountain side homes and dealing with the elements. She reached the base of the staircase and undid her overcoat that had a fine sheen of midnight dew adorning it and gently hung it on the coatrack before making the trek up the stairs to her private room. As she neared the top and was taking her hat into her hands she heard hurried footsteps to her left down the hall that lead to the girls rooms. A guileful smile made its way to her face as she changed course from her own chamber to go check on her seemingly still awake trio. 

The girls rooms were all grouped up on the left wing of the house, with two rooms next to each other belonging to the oldest two and a third adjacent to them containing the youngest. Walking up to her youngest's room she opened the door gently and peered inside the sparsely illuminated room and glanced to the bed, where a sleeping girl should have been. The smile on her lips grew as she noted the absence of the child and she quietly closed the door. Turning gently she gazed at the two doors behind her and pondered a moment before choosing her eldest's door on the left and made her way over, getting her hand wrapped around the handle before pausing mid turn after hearing a giggle escape the room to her right. she released the handle in her hand and almost floated over to the door of her middle child and the smile on her face was downright mischievous.

 Forcing her smile into a scowl and mentally bracing herself she flung the door open with an unneeded force and in a mock furious tone let out, “And just WHAT do we think we are doing ladies?”.

 The girls, who were all grouped up on the single bed in the room let out an honestly scared shrill as they whipped around to look at their mother, whom upon seeing their faces immediately lost her mock expression and laughed heartedly at the wide eyes staring back at her in stunned silence. Daniela was the first to recover and picked up the closest object next to her, a small stuffed animal depicting a mountain lion and threw it at her still chuckling mother, who effortlessly caught the projectile without so much as opening her eyes or interrupting her hysterics. Running the back of her hand across her eyes she entered the room and started to settle as she approached her guilty girls. 

“Now I know none of you are young children but I also recall distinctly setting a bedtime for any and all girls living in my home to ensure proper sleep for health and strength, did I not? Perhaps my old age has caught up to me and I’m mistaken. Could one of you remind me my dearests”? 

Alcina’s tone held nothing but affection for the younglings before her and as she reached the bedside and sat herself upon the edge of it she handed Daniela her toy back. As Daniela reached out for the impromptu weapon the youngest daughter separated herself from her sisters and half crawled over them to reach her arms out toward her mother. Without even thinking Alcina reached out and grabbed the girl under her armpits to pull her forward and place her on her lap, stroking her hair back from a forehead that had a warm glow to it.

 “Oh my dear you’re terribly warm, are you ill? Did something happen while I was away?” 

The girl didn’t respond but pushed her head into Alcina’s chest and wrapped her arms around her middle. Her mother immediately wrapped an arm around her to hold her close and while her other hand continued to stroke her hair she looked up at her older two daughters with a worried expression.

 “We didn’t mean to break the rules Mother promise, but she had a horrid nightmare while you were away and we thought maybe if we cheered her up she’d calm down. We promise that’s it.”

 Alcina smiled warmly at her oldest girls and tucked the arm she had around her youngest's back under her so she could stand up with her firmly on her hip. 

“Well thank you girls, but it’s late and all three of you must be exhausted. I’ll take little darling to my bed tonight so you girls can get your rest.”

 She leaned down to kiss Daniela’s head goodnight and gasped a bit when she pulled away, a new look of confusion gracing her face. Daniela’s face had gone light pink and she looked down at her hands on her lap. 

“Can, can we join you too please? If that’s okay.” 

She looked up at her mother with a sheepish expression and the smile reserved just for her girls returned to her face. Without verbally responding Alcina nodded and held out a hand to help her other two children out of bed and led them all to her room, swaying as she walked to sooth the one still on her hip. Entering her room she allowed the two older girls to run into her bed and get comfy as she gently lifted her youngest off her hip and sat her down by the door and kissed her forehead gently and whispered to her she’d be in bed in a minute and watched as she made her way over to cuddle up with her sisters. She sat her hat on her gown rack by the door before closing it and made her way into her bathroom to change into her night gown and remove her makeup and any grime from her long night. Finishing her morning routine she returned to her room to find her girls cuddled under her sheets and staring at her expectantly. Smiling wide she made her way to the bed and scooted the girls over to make room for herself and settled in, one of her girls crawling over her to lay on her right side and the other two curling into her left. Wrapping both arms around her girls protectively she allowed them to cuddle into her sides and get comfortable before she started humming a tune she used to sing to them when they were little and couldn’t sleep. The girls didn’t stand a chance and were all out in minutes with their heads all resting on their mother and the occasional hand flowing through their hair. Alcina, already tired from her journeys and with her girls surrounding her fell asleep with a smile on her face and a comfortable lightness in her chest.  

[her-ladys-cooper]

Aftercare ft. Lucia

[her-ladys-cooper]

Lucia, from my fic Oak and Wine being a bit unhinged. This is much -much- further in the fic (if it at all gets written this way but we would love to see it)

[her-ladys-cooper]

[her-ladys-cooper]

Chapter 3 of Oak and Wine is up now on Ao3; take a look if you’d like.  

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36961624/chapters/93036592