Hope of Yharnam

(CH. 1) - The Pleague Of Beasts

Vallery POV

screams of pain could be heard from outside the window to my room as i sat and read my book, it was nothing specail really, nothing compared to the room i had at the Castle Cainhurst, or should i say The Forsaken Castle Cainhurst now, i have been kept here in this clinic since i was nine years old, i remember the day i was brought here as if it was yesterday, it was exactly a month after the once beautiful pale moon turned a blood red.

(memory)

I remember my mother becoming more and more anxious as the days went by, but what could she do besides keep her composure and do her best to continue her duty as queen, the day of my ninth birthday she told me i would be staying with a trusted friend of hers, it was that day i took notice of what the stress was doing to her. The once beautiful hair that hung from her head was now dry and tusstled in certain spots, her white dress that she always wore seemed to droop on her, no longer looking the briliant white it once was, she looked as if she could crumble at any second, so when she told me the sad news, all i could do was agree and tell her i would miss her. That night i was taken outside the castle for the first time, and what i saw still gives me nightmares, as we traveled through Yharnam to get to Iosefkas clinic all of the viligers looked sick, as if they were dying or becoming mad, i watched as some injected themselves with the "healing blood" provided by Yharnams blood ministration, mother had made it very clear that i was never to use too much of the blood, only in dire situations was it allowed. when i had made it to Iosefkas clinic i was thrown off by how scary the large dark building looked, the groans and screams of pain did not help me either as we walked up the entery way, my escort knocked and a petite blonde woman opened the door, she had her hair pulled back into a lose braid, and the dress she wore was a simple uniform that was stained with a little bit of blood. "Hello, how may i help you, is your daughter sick?" she asked the guard, she gave the guard a look and he nod in response, "yes this is my daughter vallery, her mother told me you have the best medicine and shelter available at the moment" she opens the door and motions into the building, "yes, i am Iosefka, this is my clinic i apologize for the mess, there has been a terrible rise in the pandemic and i believe i may be the last running clinic in Yharnam, as you can see from all the patients". I looked around as she lead us into the building, the first room had a couple chairs and was lined with books on the shelves that seemed to take over the walls, "my daughter is sick you see, her mother and i are prepared to pay good money for her treatment" she opened the double doors on the other side of the room to reveal a room filled with medical beds and medical equipment, each bed had a patient, there were a few people standing with the patients that did not wear the uniform Iosefka and the nurses of the clinic wore. "My office is just past this room" some patients slept, while others seemed to be muttering to themselves, we walked into a room that had a staircase on the other side, as we walked in i thought i had seen a lantern sticking up from the floor but when i blinked it was gone, 'i must really be going mad to see a lantern sticking out of the floor' walking into her office my escort pulled out a large bag, it was the bag my mother gave him before we left in the carriage. "this is your first payment, as trusting as the queen can be she insists that every two months she or i will come to check on her and make sure you are truly caring for her" Iosefka nods, "of course, i can understand her concern, i lost my daughter to the sickness, an infected child took my daughter from me, she was trying to help distribute the less fortunate, the girl attacked her and-" she trailed off as she looked at the picture of a younge girl on the wall, grasping her neck as a pained look crossed her eyes. "I am sorry for your loss" i quietly spoke, she gave me a soft smile before pointing to the double doors on the other side of the room, "if you go past those doors it will lead to a large room, you can have the right tower, away from the rest of the staff, it also has the strongest door, i will take the left tower from now on incase you need me" she looked towards my escort, "i'll have two of the volunteer workers help bring up her belongings, you should go look at the room and help her get settled, i appologize but i am needed downstairs" with that she bowed to me and walked out of the room. Going up to the tower as she instructed the room was simple, a bed with a canopy, a large wooden desk with fresh paper and ink, a bookshelf filled with books on various subjects but a majority were medical books and books on blood, and a wardrobe with a miror standing next to it, there was a large red rug that was stretched across the floor and i took notice of the abundance of blankets stacked on the bed, most likely in hopes to help me when it's the colder seasons, i smiled knowing i could give these to iosefka and the workers because i hade made sure to bring plenty of bedding with me, there was no fire place or wood burning stove but i knew i would be fine if a made what we used in the castle during storms. The Guard walked towards the bed and sat down, patting the spot next to him, "come here, your mother wanted me to give this to you" sitting next to him i notice an old book in his hands, "this is a book that has been kept in the royal family for a long time, your mother was hoping it would help you understand what is going on, it's the closest thing to answers we have until we find the true cause of this affliction" i nod and take the book from him, "thank your, sir Alfred" he stands before kneeling to the floor and bowing, "goodbye princess, i will never be too far" with that he stood and left me in this room, if only i knew how wrong things would go in the future.