She shuddered in worry upon seeing the bruises inflicted all over on the young woman's body. As her fingers delicately removed the fabric covering them, her blue eyes welled up in sorrow.

"This might hurt a little," she told Eleanor, trying to be as cautious with her as possible.

Very gently, she applied the ointment over her bruises, hearing the gasps of pain that escaped the woman in front of her.

After that, she carefully wrapped her up in bandages then she helped her get into that dress again, fastening the buttons herself.

"Here, drink this," she held out a cup to her that she accepted a bit hesitantly.

But after a few sips as she realized that it was making the pain lessen, she eventually finished it.

"I'll make some more for you in the evening," Narcissa spoke in a soft tone, trying to be as gentle to her as possible.

"Thank you," she replied at last but her voice was hoarse from lack of usage in those days.

"Are you hungry? I can bring you something to eat as well," she offered but Eleanor shook her head, feeling like she couldn't eat anything just yet. "Alright then lie down now and rest."

Narcissa had been ordered to stay with her until she got better so she didn't leave, using the very old remedy of lessening her fever by placing cold wipes over her forehead.

Eleanor found that she didn't feel uncomfortable in Narcissa's presence. The woman was kind and soft spoken, very unlike her elder sister. And then seeing her as such reminded her of Roxanne Malfoy too and how she had tried to help her out as well.

"Are you a Death Eater too?" Eleanor asked as her numb senses were starting to get revived gradually.

"I do not have the Dark Mark," she replied, "but my husband serves the Dark Lord and so do I."

"And your sister..."

"Yes," she nodded her head, "Bella is the most faithful out of all Death Eaters. The Dark Lord values her very much."

There was a short while of silence between them until Narcissa voiced out the concern that had been plaguing her ever since she had seen how badly Eleanor was treated.

"My dear, I probably shouldn't ask you as I can't interfere in this but there's one question that has been on my mind ever since you came here," she spoke softly, gathering Eleanor's attention immediately, "what did you do that the Dark Lord punishes you so severely for each day?"

Those wide green eyes looked as if tears would well up within any moment.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

But Eleanor looked at her in the eyes, a sorrowful look taking over her face, "I love Regulus very much and everything I did was to save him from dying at his hands."

Hearing that shocked Narcissa because as far as she knew Regulus Black was the second me st favorite Death Eater for Voldemort after Bellatrix. She couldn't understand why he would kill him.

But then he had also kept him imprisoned in the past month and no one, not even Bellatrix, knew what reason the Dark Lord had for inflicting that punishment on him.

"But what did you do?"

Eleanor took a deep breath, choosing not to tell her about the time travel as she replied in a shaky voice, "I attempted to kill him before he killed Regulus... But I failed."

Narcissa was staring at her in shock, unable to process that the woman she had thought to be as a delicate princess could go to that dangerous lengths for her love.

"And now he makes sure that I die on the inside repetitively. He makes sure that I beg for death but don't receive it."

A tear streaked down her cheek and it made Narcissa's heart tremble in pain and sorrow. If she could, she would put a stop to her neverending torture but that wasn't in her power.

"I... I'm so sorry, my dear, I shouldn't have asked..."

Eleanor didn't say anything in reply, closing her eyes in exhaustion.

But when Narcissa retrieved her hand from her forehead, she gently clasped her wrist, green eyes looking up in blue.

"Narcissa, can you please stay with me? I don't want to be left alone..."

She agreed at the request, "of course. I was ordered to stay with you nevertheless."

"Thank you," her eyes fell shut again, the cool wipes on her forehead making her feel sleepy, "you are very kind."

"You're welcome," she replied gently, her hand stroking her head soothingly, "and you can call me Cissy. I would like that."

She hummed in reply, sleep overpowering her at last.

In a while, she had drifted off to a deep sleep with Narcissa gently running her fingers through her hair.

While Narcissa stayed awake beside her, eyes locked onto the door in worry as she expected the Dark Lord to turn up any second and order her to leave while he would inflict torture on poor Eleanor again.

But that didn't happen and when the door opened after hours, jolting Narcissa awake from the brief sleep she had drifted off to as well, she saw it was her husband Lucius and not the Dark Lord himself.

He had come there looking for her and to ask if she could go back to Malfoy Manor that night.

"I'm ordered to stay here," she mouthed, not speaking up as she didn't want Eleanor to wake up.

He nodded, understanding that the Dark Lord's orders were something they couldn't go against.

So after making sure that his wife didn't need anything else, Lucius too left the room.

Narcissa looked down at Eleanor who had at some point snuggled close to her like a child scared from nightmares and yearning for comfort. She felt that someone like Eleanor shouldn't be there in such dreadful conditions or else she would get ruined completely.

She gently brushed back the hair falling over her face, gazing at her peaceful features as she slept. Right then she reminded her of the same princess like vision that she had associated her with in her mind.

A beautiful princess but unfortunately with a terrible fate to be held captive by the enemy.

***