Disclaimer: I don't own anyone in the Van Helsing universe
A young woman peeked around the trunk of an ancient oak tree before ducking out of sight again and clutching the sword hilt tighter in her hand. The sound of a twig snapping made her whip around causing her waist length, curly reddish-gold hair to swing from the motion. Hearing more footsteps approaching the tree she was behind, the young woman sheathed her sword before grabbing a branch and swinging up into the oak just as five men reached the tree.
"Did you find her?" one of the men asked of the other four making the other men shake their heads in disgust.
"That brat knows these woods like the back of her hand," another man said spitting on the ground at his feet. The leader scowled staring at the woods around him as if the trees themselves would give up the location of the girl.
'The trees never talk to humans. Why would they when we always cut them down for firewood, paper, and building materials without asking their permission,' the girl thought as her sapphire-blue eyes narrowed in disgust at the five men standing below her. Four of the men wore dirty workmen's clothes and heavy work boots. Their leader wore a finely woven white linen shirt, a silk brocade vest, and a silk cravat. His linen trousers were spotlessly clean and his hands…
'His hands are definitely not a working man's hands,' the young woman thought her eyes widening in surprise. 'I wonder who he is.' Suddenly there was a shout from the path and another man in workmen's clothes and heavy boots ran toward the men at the base of the oak.
"Lord Armando," the man gasped bending over with his hands on his knees making the woman's eyes widen even more in surprise.
"Yes. What is it Pedro?" Armando Castile asked his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised imperiously.
"The Princess Aleera…" Pedro panted trying to get his breath back.
"What of her?" Armando questioned more alert than before.
"…Is gone," Pedro gasped not looking at his lord and jumping when Armando threw back his head roaring with laughter.
"Why do you think that we are out here?" Armando demanded laughing as he gestured at the woods surrounding them. "See. Here are her boot prints at the base of this oak."
Aleera Valerious, Princess of the Gypsies, nearly fell out of the tree but regained her precarious balance silently cursing at the leaves that rustled causing several of the men and Armando to look up suspiciously at the tree.
"Milord there's more," Pedro said eyeing the tree nervously. "Her father is back." Aleera felt her heart, which had been heavy with fear and worry these long months that her father had been gone, lighten in relief. Armando spat out a curse before looking wildly around the woods.
"Milord," another man said glaring at Pedro in disgust. "I suggest that we leave these woods right now." Armando scowled at the young man before striking him across the face hard.
"I will not be going home empty handed Malvolo," he sneered as Malvolo rubbed the spot where Armando had hit him. Malvolo growled as he dropped his hand from his face.
"Milord let me continue," he snapped making the other men's eyes widen in shock because no one had addressed Armando like that since he was a boy. "I was going to say let us leave these woods so that you could make your suit known to the girl's father. Let the father consider you as a prospective husband for the princess." Aleera's heart stopped then thundered on as the declaration reached her ears. A cold sweat broke out on Aleera's brow while she thought of life as Armando's wife.
'I have to get to father before he does,' Aleera thought as she desperately looked around the woods for anything that might help her get out of the tree without them noticing her. Just then there was a scream from the village making the six men jump and Aleera whip toward the path nearly losing her balance again. 'We're under attack! I really have to get out of this tree now. But how to get them away from here?'
"Shall we see what the commotion is all about Milord?" one of the men asked staring toward the path concerned.
"Yes," Armando said as cast another suspicious glance at the oak next to him. "Take the men and go look into it Roberto. Report back to me here when you return." Roberto bowed before turning and running toward the path with the rest of the men leaving Armando at the base of the tree and Aleera perched precariously on one of the branches clinging like a monkey to the trunk of the oak. There was silence in the woods except for the distant screams from the village making Aleera very nervous.
'I really want to go fight but I can't get out of this damn tree without him noticing,' Aleera thought miserably. Suddenly there was a gunshot close to where Armando stood making both of them jump. Armando drew his saber and raced off toward where the gunshot had come from finally leaving Aleera alone in the tree. She heaved a sigh before starting to climb down from her branch. Just as she reached the base of the tree there was a low growl from behind her causing Aleera to stiffen. Turning she saw a big, black shape swiftly dart past her. Reaching for her sword Aleera clutched at its hilt freezing when whatever it was, that had darted past her, growled again.
Suddenly a werewolf leapt out at her from the bushes and Aleera pulled her sword clear of the sheath before spinning away from the charging werewolf causing the monster to try to turn in mid-jump bashing its head on the oak tree trunk instead.
"Well what do you know," she said grinning slightly in amusement. "An oak tree is harder than a werewolf's head." The monster growled as it stood up shaking its head to dispel the dizziness that had settled on it. Just then Armando charged out of the bushes skidding to a halt when he saw Aleera. Armando gaped at the twenty-three-year-old young woman standing in front of him with a drawn sword that glinted in the light that had managed to filter down between the leaves on the trees. She wore black riding boots, black pants, an off white peasant blouse decorated with blue embroidery, and a black corset over her shirt. Standing in front of her was the biggest wolf he had ever seen.
"A little help would be nice domnul (mister)," Aleera shouted just as the werewolf charged her again.
"Why are you fighting a lobo (wolf)?" he asked as he watched Aleera stab the monster in the shoulder causing it to roar in pain.
"Not a lup (wolf)!" she yelled trying to lope off the monster's head and failing. "A vârcolac (werewolf)!" Armando's eyes widened as he watched Aleera try again to kill the werewolf.
"Don't you need plata (silver)?" Armando asked as she stabbed the monster in the leg making it even madder than before.
"My sword is made of argint (silver)!" Aleera bellowed finally managing to stab the werewolf in the heart before stepping to the side as it fell to the ground and changing into a young man with long shaggy black hair. She cleaned her sword on the grass before sheathing it and kneeling next to the young man and turning him over.
"Oh Derya," she sighed sadly as she brushed the young man's hair out of his chocolate brown eyes. "I'm so sorry."
"Mulţumire tu Principesă (Thank you Princess)," Derya gasped clutching at Aleera's hand as he drew his last breath causing Armando's eyebrows to rise. "Mulţumire tu (Thank you)."
"Odihnă în linişte mele amic (Rest in peace my friend)," Aleera whispered as Derya's hand slipped from hers before closing his eyelids. "Odihnă în linişte (Rest in Peace)." Armando stared as the Gypsy Princess gently slung the young man over her shoulder and walked back toward the village ignoring him as if he was not even standing next to her. But he never saw the tears that were coursing down Aleera's checks with every step she took carrying her dead friend's body back to his parents for burial. Two hours later Aleera walked into the center of town and was greeted by a scene of chaos. Families searched the bodies of the dead for loved ones, wails permeating the air as women found the members of their families dead. Walking toward an older couple Aleera gently touched the woman's shoulder. The woman spun around and seeing the body over the princess' shoulder wailed louder than any of the other women in the square. The old man turned and spotting his son on Aleera's shoulder did something that had never happened before in Aleera's memory. He cried. Big, fat tears flowed down his checks unchecked and into his gray beard.
"Mele fiu (My son!)!" the woman sobbed throwing herself onto Derya's body once Aleera had laid it on the ground. "Mele fiu (My son!)!" Aleera laid a comforting hand on the old man's shoulder as he knelt next to his wife as she sobbed over the body.
"Bogdan," Aleera whispered as she leaned down next to the old man. "El be cele vârcolac acela be îngrozi cele oraş. (He was the werewolf that was frightening the village.)" Bogdan stared at the princess startled before crying harder causing his wife to wail louder.
"Diana, Bogdan," Aleera said laying a hand on their shoulders. "Eu sunt aşa căruia. Eu be cele un cine termina el. (I'm so sorry. I was the one who killed him.)" Diana wailed louder as Bogdan took Aleera's hand in his.
"Mulţumire tu pentru ispitior el afară de lui suferinţă (Thank you for putting him out of his misery)," Bogdan said gently pressing her hand. "Be pers repezit şifără durere? (Was it quick and painless?)"
"Da pers be repezit şifără durere, (Yes it was quick and painless)" she said lying through her teeth as she spotted her father moving through the crowd trying to get to her. "Scuză pe. (Excuse me.)" Leaving Bogdan and Diana Aleera ran into her father's arms and held onto him as she tight as she could.
"Whoa," Alexandru Valerious said chuckling wrapping his arms around his daughter. "You haven't hugged me like that since you were a tiny girl. What's up?"
"Can't a girl just hug her father?" Aleera asked grinning up at him. "Besides a brush with death can do that to a person." Instantly Alexandru stiffened and drew back to study his daughter at arms length.
"You were attacked?" he demanded sweeping his eyes over her petite frame for any scratches or worse…bites.
"Papa I'm fine," Aleera said wincing a little when her father's grip on her left shoulder tightened. "I was attacked by a werewolf. But its dead." Alexandru relaxed and pulled his daughter back into his arms.
"Come," he whispered into her red-gold curls. "Lets go home." Aleera looked up at him gratefully as Alexandru steered them through the wailing mass of people surrounding them.
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Once in her room at Hampton Manor Aleera stripped out of her corset and shirt before pulling a light chemise on. Walking over to the mirror she glared at the bite on her left shoulder.
'I have to kill myself now otherwise I'll turn into a monster,' she thought withdrawing a pistol from her belt. Opening her mouth Aleera stuck the gun in and pulled the trigger.
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Hearing the sound of a gunshot Alexandru rushed up the stairs and threw open his daughter's bedroom door to see if she was okay. The sight that greeted him stopped him cold. Aleera lay on the floor in a growing puddle of blood that was seeping from her head.
"No…" Alexandru whispered as he walked forward as if in a trance and knelt next at Aleera's side. "No…" Looking around he saw two words written in the blood.
Forgive me. Alexandru broke down in tears as he pulled his baby girl to his chest finally noticing the werewolf bite on her left shoulder.
"My sweet girl," he whispered kissing her temple. "My sweet, brave baby girl."
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A/N: I don't know any Romanian so I looked it up. Don't remember the site but if you go into Google and type in Romanian Dictionary you'll get several sites.