Sanguine

Karnstein

Karnstein was not, in anyone's opinion, that particularly beautiful. It was, however, quite intimidating. With sprawling grounds, a multitude of towers and fortresses, hardy walls and well-worn roads, the land was clearly one of wealth and power.

The castle was quite large, especially considering the rank of people who lived there. It was surrounded on all sides by a large wall, boasting two large, imposing gates at the very front. It certainly was an admirable building, countess towers, spires, halls and arches. It also served a great deal of purposes, but of course, the most important one of all was housing the Karnstein family.

The Karnsteins were not on the highest rung of the noble class by any stretch of the imagination, but they were a mighty and noble family nonetheless, and their large estate was a testimony to that fact. And the family, itself, was quite large as well. Alongside a count and countess, the many gray walls also contained seven heirs. All of them female. To the count of Karnstein, Ferenc, this was more than a slight disappointment.

Ferenc had always been incredibly fierce, a true warrior at heart, as such, he took having 11 girls as a personal insult from God himself. He would've thought himself so masculine that every last child of his should have been a son, but apparently not. Or perhaps, he was already so tough and strong that it had left nothing behind for his children, hence why they were all girls. It was a crazy theory, but it was just what his ego needed.

But even so, the man was still more than a little unhappy when it was revealed that his 12th child was female as well.

"That's it!" he bellowed angrily. "I'm finished! I swear, I will never have another child for as long as I live!"

"Oh, darling, don't you think you're being a bit... excessive?" his wife, the countess Jusztina, asked. But Ferenc had already stormed out.

"Well. Perhaps it is a disappointment, but that is hardly the baby's fault!" Jusztina sighed and shook her head as she watched her husband leave. She knew he'd get over it eventually, but until then, it wasn't going to be fun trying to calm him down all the time.

"What will you name her?" the midwife asked timidly.

"Mircalla," Jusztina replied immediately. "Mircalla Karnstein."

Meanwhile, the other six surviving daughters were all a-buzz on the other side of the castle.

"When do you think Mama will let us see her?" one of them asked. Her name was Magdalena, and she was now the second youngest.

"Probably not for awhile," a second replied. Her name was Margareta, and she was the middle child.

"But I want to see her now!" a third demanded. Her name was Maria, she was the third eldest and the most aggressive.

"Me too! Me too!" the fourth agreed excitedly, hopping up and down. Her name was Maximiliana.

"Oh, calm down!" a fifth chided and rolled her eyes. Her name was Matilda, and she was the second eldest.

"No! You!" Maria and Maximiliana both shot back. Matilda opened her mouth again, as if to fight back, but Margreta quieted them down.

"No fighting, guys!" she commanded, and even though she was only the middle child, the other three still listened to her and fell silent.

Only one sister did not speak. It was Marcia, eldest of the Karnsteins. She was already quite mature for her age, and to be the eldest in the room meant that there wasn't much someone like her had, or wanted, to say. Instead, she sat quietly by the window, staring languidly at the other girls in the room. She would only intervene if fists flew. If not, however, she was more than content to watch passively in silence. In truth, however, behind a calm visage, she was just as eager and anxious to meet her new sister as all the others were.

But even though the children were dying to meet their final sister, Jusztina was in no rush.

"Do not worry, Mircalla," Jusztina cooed. "You will meet the others soon enough. In fact, there may even come a time when you've seen them too much," she added with a soft laugh, well aware of how much her children could squabble. "So why not just enjoy some private time with me?" she asked, kissing Mircalla's forehead gently. "Besides, you are a Karnstein either way. So, welcome to the family, Mircalla. Welcome home..."

AN: Sorry this was such a short chapter. It was more of a "prelude" than anything. But I hope you all enjoyed it either way!