Mother Knows Best (Russia x Reader)

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝘁𝐞𝗿 𝐗𝐗𝐗𝐈𝐗

The night was long, for this woman far too long, with a hideous smirk on her face, she gently patted the bag in her arms, "These will do... just fine," she chuckled as she looked back at the troops, "Have you got the cargo ready?" she asked, to which Cairo spoke up, "YES, MISTRESS!" she rolled her eyes, "Why must he ruin the joy of everything?!" she scoffed to herself, "Very well! Let's get going!" 

The harbinger of doom had traversed countless realms, leaving a trail of shattered lives in her wake. Now, she was making her way to the palace, the centre of the Union. With a deep cackle, she smirked. The shiny new era... tiptoeing nearer. As they rode on their horses, Cairo kept close to Teresa. Meanwhile... Alexei, Anastasia, and Sergei were on the verge of running away. 

At some point they ran off, stayed for a while to make plans, "Sergei, this woman is insane!" shouted Anastasia whined, obviously scared of her, "Look, one of us has to go and warn Master Russ that he must come back, and the other two should stay in case this crazy hag tries to kill mistress Natalia!" 

Alexei huffed, "Misha is with master Russ, Anastasia, you go and meet up with Misha, make sure that the two are safe and bring him the news," Anastasia looked at Sergei, almost begging him to reconsider, but Sergei did not speak at all, "Come now, Sergei, we cannot let them get too far." 

And so the two left Anastasia to find her way back to Russ, and she ran as fast as her legs carried her. She was afraid, she didn't like this one bit, but she could only hope that Sergei and Alexei would be alright, that they would not get killed along the way.

Meanwhile... The troops continued on their way, and before midnight even stroke... Teresa and the troop were before the foreboding gates of the ancient palace, a malevolent aura emanating from her every pore. With a sinister smirk adorning her face, she savoured the taste of impending terror, relishing in the twisted power she wields.

As the moonlight cast eerie shadows upon the desolate grounds, a chilling breeze whispered through the towering trees, their gnarled branches reaching out like skeletal fingers. The air grew heavy with a sense of impending doom, and a haunting silence pervaded the surroundings, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl, its mournful cry a foreboding warning.

Teresa's eyes, as cold as the depths of the abyss, scan the sprawling palace before her. Its, once, grandeur now reduced to a decaying facade, cloaked in darkness and despair. Moss-covered stones crumble beneath her feet, emitting a ghostly echo that reverberates through the desolate courtyard.

With each step, the crunch of fallen leaves echoes her malicious intent, punctuating the eerie silence. The wind picks up, carrying with it the faint whispers of forgotten souls, their tortured voices seeming to resonate from within the dilapidated walls. Teresa's predatory gaze fixated on the palace's entrance, an invitation to the darkness that awaits within.

The twisted grin upon Teresa's lips widened, revealing glistening fangs that glimmer with a hunger for chaos. Her voice, a haunting melody dripping with malevolence, cuts through the stillness, "Oh, how they tremble in fear, their spirits ripe for the taking. This palace, once a haven of opulence, shall become a tomb of eternal suffering. Tonight, my reign of terror shall reach its crescendo."

As she approached the imposing doors, a chorus of creaks and groans fills the air, as if the very foundations of the palace protest her intrusion. Yet, Teresa paid no heed to their feeble resistance. With a flick of her wrist, the doors swing open, revealing a gaping maw of darkness that beckons her forward.

As soon as the gates opened, even though the palace was old, and decaying, she could see that on the inside it was still quite intact, "What a surprise, perfect place for taking." 

There were guards that tried stopping her, only to be stopped by Cairo, "Stay back! Do not touch the mistress!" which Teresa was quite annoyed with, and she took only one step, causing the whole building to shake, as if an earthquake shook it, only for it to still be standing, as if it were built from jelly. 

"Now then, I shall find Natalia," she muttered as she produced a sharp dagger from her sleeve. The obvious mischievous smirk on the woman's face was more than noticeable, "Stop! You cannot harm madam Natalia!" shouted one of the servants. 

Teresa stopped dead in her tracks, a low chuckle escaping her lips, "And what makes you think so?" she turned around, the crazy eyes made chills run down the man's spine. Cairo being the only one who seemed to be crazed by the woman. 

"You cannot kill her! The young master had not taken over the throne yet!" he said, and Teresa did not take even a second, and with a slash... there was blood all over the woman's clothes, "Ah, another satisfying kill. I swear, these get more and more fun as we go!" 

The troops seemed to be in some sort of trance, Cairo being the only one who wasn't under her spell, but he was dumb enough to drool over her again, "Oh mistress, your skills are simply marvellous." 

Natalia rolled her eyes, "Will you let go of me?" she said, finally her eyes going fully black. Cairo stood, seemingly not even a little scared, he seemed... enamoured, "Your eyes..." he mumbled, to which Teresa's eye twitched, she wasn't certain... but she decided she'd ask. 

"What about them?" she glared at him, her arms crossed, "They're really shiny, like black pearls." 

Teresa's brain completely felt fried, not because Cairo was flirting, but because he was so dumb while he was at it, and Teresa hated fools such as Cairo, especially because of how much he was physically drooling. 

It wasn't until the troops began to march and actually, under Teresa's influence, threw him out, closing the front door. "Finally... peace." she muttered. Finally, she spoke, "Separate into two groups! Search the castle! Find her! I will not be at peace before I find her!" 

"WHERE IS SHE?!"