Disclaimer: I don't owe anything of Van Helsing.
Author's note: this is my first Van Helsing fanfictionand tells about the first meeting between Van Helsing and Carl. No SLASH.
Carl Grimmasön rode through the open doors of the Vatican, which were closed quickly behind him. He looked around from the horse. He stood on a square of magnificent sizes, totally surrounded by a huge white wall, glimmering in the sunlight,on which guards in the official costumes of the Vatican guard patrolled. In one of the corners there stood a huge wooden statue of the Lord on his cross, not quite finished yet and supported by heavy beams. The face of the Christ was twitched in agony.A monk in an expensive looking robe stepped out the group of monkson the square,walked over to Carl's horse and he quickly dismounted. "Brother Carl Grimmasön?"
"Yes, brother," replied Carl uncertain.
"I am the chamberlain here," the man said with pursed lips. "I will show you your cell and the place you will work from this day on. You are not allowed to go out, do you understand?"
"Yes, chamberlain," Carl answered, getting more uneasy with the minute. He had known he would get a tough job, working in a secret organisation of the Vatican, but this man made him shiver.
"Good. You can take your –baggage," His eyes slid disapproving over the simple, brown bag that was tied to his saddle. "And follow me, please."
At that moment the huge doors opened again and another man on horseback rode through it. He wore a hat that shadowed most of his face, heavy boots and a long coat. He jumped easily off the horse and threw the rope to a soldier that stood nearby. Thesoldier looked strangely horrified.
"Van Helsing!" the chamberlain called, looking even more disapproving than he had done with Carl.
The man turned around and came over with big steps. Carl suddenly felt very significant. The man, Van Helsing, was tall, but that wasn't what almost scared Carl. His entire face was blank, but the grey eyes under the hat were –Carl thought first cold, but when he looked better he saw that they were the bitterest he had ever seen. "Yes, my Lord?" a pleasant, slightly harsh voice said mocking. He looked strangely familiar.
The lips of the chamberlain formed a line as thin as a pencil line. "Where is he?"
"Who, honourable chamberlain?"
"Don't mock me, Van Helsing. You know very well I mean Lacoön."
"Oh, he." Van Helsing scratched in his hair. "He didn't like coming. We had quite an eh… discussion about it, him ending dead."
The chamberlain's eyes burned. "Van Helsing! You were supposed to take him here!"
Van Helsing shrugged. "He's dead. Get used to it." He seemed completely uninterested. "Now I'd like to take a bath, if you don't mind." He started to walk in the direction of the building.
"That," the chamberlain said with something very close to a smile, "won't be possible, I fear. The cardinal wants to see you in his office right away."
Carl saw Van Helsing tensing at the moment the chamberlain mentioned the cardinal. "Whatever's at the loose around here, it'll have to wait. I need to clean off the blood first," he snapped.
"It's about a Griffin. It's been out killing people for a total week, and it's heading this way," the chamberlain smirked. He seemed pleased with the idea he had upset Van Helsing. "It seems to prefer blonde people." Carl stroke, pale, with a hand through his short,fair hair.
"Let De Moncerf do it!"
"He's working on it for the moment. So are all the Hunters. The cardinal wants you to interfere." Van Helsing turned around and Carl almost shrank when he saw the hate in his eyes. The chamberlain on the contrary almost looked triumphant. Van Helsing looked for a moment like he would kill the chamberlain on the spot, but the he relaxed and turned around again. Without another word he walked away.
"I'll have other duties, I'm afraid, brother Grimmasön," the chamberlain said, looking strangely happy. "But Brother Francis Brönte here shall lead you around." He quickly stepped to an older, fat, pleasant looking monk and whispered something to him. The monk bowed and walked as fast he could (which was not very fast) to Carl.
"Follow me, please," he smiled. He looked a lot more plausible than the chamberlain. Carl slowly started moving, along with the step of the other man. "So, you're coming to work here, I understood, brother… Carl, I believe."
"Yes, it's Carl," he replied. "I'm coming to work in the cellars, I think. As weapon designer."
"Ah, well, then you'll have much to do with the Hunters."
"They kill Creatures of the Dark, don't they?"
"Yes, yes, they do. Very much I don't know about it, I actually am just a secretary."
"Neither do I, I've never been out of the convent before."
"Ah, well, you'll have more to do with them than you could imagine."
"I've got…" Carl looked behind, without a good reason, "the feeling I've seen that man, Van Helsing, somewhere. Is that possible?"
"Highly unlikely, if you haven't been out often. Maybe you just saw him on a placard?"
Carl thought for a moment… "Yes! It was a poster with…" he shuddered, "wanted for murder?" He suddenly was very frightened.
"Don't tremble like that! He is dangerous, but I believe it were all Creatures of the Dark." Carl still didn't look at ease, so Francis continued. "He's the best Hunter they have here, though he isn't a pleasant fellow. Very silent and bitter. I don't like him and I'm not the only one. He doesn't have any respect for the Church. But don't let me influence you."
"A little late for that."
Francis chuckled. "Oh, yeah, before I forget, the Weaponry Master has asked if you could bring the prototype you had written about with you."
"Good!" Carl said enthusiastic, totally forgetting about Van Helsing or the chamberlain.
When they walked back, Carl with the big bow on his back (he had explained Francis how it worked, but he didn't understood a thing of it. Well, not everybody can be a genius, Carl thought), they saw Van Helsing standing on the battlement. A chill went through Carl. Van Helsing stood totally alone, clearly avoided by the guards. The setting sun made him look dark and gloomy while he looked down on the city of Rome, with his back to them. It wasn't very difficult to portrait him as a murderer. A horse was tied at the end of the stairs, like waiting for him.
Carl turned around to follow Francis again; he had almost reached the doors to the cellars in which Francis waited for him, when he heard shouts behind him and saw Francis' face turn deadly pale. He turned half around to see what was happening, when he saw Van Helsing, riding on the horse that not a minute ago had been tied on the stairs, coming right at him. Carl's eyes widened when he saw the huge, scary and strangely beautiful creature, half lion and half eagle, appear just behind Van Helsing, also heading directly at Carl and a lot faster than the man. He seems to prefer blonde people, the chamberlain sneered in Carl's head while he was frozen, waiting who of the two whould reach him as first.
Van Helsing jumped out of the saddle and pushed Carl on the ground, landing on him. Carl yelled, more because he was surprised than hurt, and he heard Van Helsing above him moan when the sharp claws cut deep in his back. He gasped and quickly rolled off Carl, on his feet again even before the Griffin had turned in the air. Carl hastily stood up too.
The Griffin concentrated on Van Helsing only now, clearly sensing the danger, not even noticing the arrows the guards shot on him. Van Helsing ran in the direction of the huge statue of Jesus Christ, the Griffin in pursue. He tore away one of the beams that served as support, so the entire statue came down, and held it before him to repel the Griffin. It gave a shriek that caused Carl to slam his hands for his ears. Van Helsing quickly ducked when a great claw came down on the place he had just stood.
Carl saw his hand-made bow lie on the ground. He picked it up and shouted: "Van Helsing!". The man looked up and skilfully the weapon out of midair. He spun around, evading the razor sharp beak, and pointed the arrow on the animal.
The next moment he flew through the air, launched by a huge paw. Before he hit the ground, though, he managed to shoot, right between the forelegs, in the heart. For a moment Carl was very proud when he saw how deep the arrow went (just right, he thought), then the Griffin started shrieking, destroying everything which was the statue of the Lord, on his way in his death agony. It turned his bloodshot eyes to Van Helsing and tried, in a final revenge, to crush him under its falling weight. It hit the ground with a sickening sound. The Griffin was dead. And Van Helsing lay beneath it.
Carl ran at the huge beast and tried to push him aside, to see what had become of Van Helsing. The guards quickly started helping.
"Finally," a coughing voice said. "It wasn't very comfortable around here." Van Helsing seemed to have some trouble with breathing, but was alright beside that. Carl and a frightened soldier helped him on his feet. Carl looked a little sad at the now completely destroyed bow. It had been his first piece…
"Van Helsing!" the chamberlain came over, a pale Francis on his heels. "Have you any idea how much that statue cost!" Carl stared at him, not believing his ears. Hello, the man had saved them!
"Oh, yes," Van Helsing turned with some difficulty to the fallen statue. "Sorry Jesus, and thanks a lot for the help." He mocking took off his head and bowed.
"Van Helsing!" the chamberlain looked like he was ready to give a harangue, but at that moment the giant doors opened again and about fifteen men on horseback rode through.
"The Griffin!" The first stopped, looking almost reluctantly from the animal to Van Helsing.
"You're a little late, De Moncerf," he grumbled. "Did you really hunt a whole week on this one without catching it?" He turned to the chamberlain. "Get me a doctor, will you? My entire back lies open." He slowly started walking in the direction of the building. Carl looked for a moment hesitating from the men on horses, which were probably the Hunters, to the chamberlain. Then he turned around and ran after Van Helsing.
He had stopped in the entrance, breathing heavily. "Do you need any help?" Carl asked shyly.
He looked back. "Why not." He gestured Carl to walk next to him, so he could lean on him. Van Helsing was pretty heavy and Carl still didn't feel quite comfortable around him, so he felt very awkward. Van Helsing chuckled, like he perfectly knew how his companion felt.
"Thank you for saving my life," Carl said uneasily.
"No problem." Carl saw with some satisfaction the other didn't look that much at ease anymore. "Was that your bow?"
"Yes," Carl said proudly.
"Not bad."
"Not bad! It was a genius' piece!" Carl exclaimed. "It combined the power and wideness of the crossbow with the quickness and easiness of the English bow!"
"If you say so." The grey eyes under the hat looked amused. "Carl, isn't it?"
Pleeeaaassseee review!