The Dragon's Journey
Prologue
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An: Please Review
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*Crack**Boom* the storm roused the a young prince from sleep. He brought his knees to his chest as he realized that he was in the darkness. His head turned to the nightstand where the exhausted candle stood. The wax, now cold and hard lay at it's base. The Prince had one of the woman who put him into bed leave it lit. He didn't want his father to know that he still sleep with the candle lit. The man had told him two years ago that he was too old for such things.
The prince's father was not what one would call a sensitive man. Many had called him downright cold. Never once one had he ever even hugged him. The older man had explained to the boy that men did not hug. His father also explained the many other things which men did not do. Among the long list of what men could not do, the boy longed to find something that men did do so that he could do this with his father, without catching the look of disapproval and disappointment in the man's eyes.
Unfortunately for the boy, what little time, his father did not spent with affairs of country, he always chose to spend with his new wife and youngest son, Radu.
So as time progressed his older brother, Mircea, only four years older than he, become more and more his father figure.
He just could not sleep in the dark. The darkness and anything associated with it frightened him, Thunderstorms too.
Mircea had once explained to him that that one should not fear the dark, they should conquered it.
The boy brought his knees up to his small chest.
The lightning lit-up the room. *Crack**Boom*
Then he heard the sound of wolves howling in the distance. This made the small hairs on the back of his neck stand-up on end. There were monsters out there.
He held onto his knee now very tightly. Mirceahad told him that wolves were not monsters, just animals, but they still scared him. He put his hands to his ears so he couldn't them or the storm.
When he was scared he relied on two things, Mircea and his cross. It was a large cross, which he had had for many years. It had been the last thing that his mother had given him. She had told him to hold it whenever he was scared. He had obeys these words and they had helped every time.
He reached for his cross which he always kept by the lamp on the nightstand. He didn't find it. So he leaned over more and fumbled in the dark. He still couldn't find it.
'Had he knocked it to the floor?' he moved onto all fours as he peered down onto the wooden floor. Again and again he looked. His eyes carefully searched the wooden floor of the dark room. He didn't see any spots darker than the others. He knew that he could get out of bed to look on the floor for it, but....what about the monster inside?
The prince didn't know how he knew this, but he believed wholeheartedly that there was a monster which lived either under his bed or in the closet depending on its preference for the night. He knew that it especially liked to eat children, because like lamb and veal they were more tender than the adults.
*Crack* *Boom* another series of bolt lighting and thunder rumbled the room. Scaring the boy once again.
Then he sighted it. On the far side of the room, under the one window, it sat.
The location couldn't be worse for this window was between his bed and the closest to his closet.
The prince looked outside the window. Though he could not see anything through the rain or the clouds which produced it, he could feel that dawn would be there soon.
This caused a dilemma for the boy. He could wait until morning, until the rays of dawn arrived to get it, or he could retrieve it right then. The boy also considered calling for help from Mircea, but...what if the monster were sleeping, this would wake it up? Or what if his father came instead? He could picture the scene of his father bursting in yelling at him. He did not want his father to lecture him, again, on the older man's beliefs that monsters did not exist, not when he knew that there was one in his bedroom!
No...he thought. He wouldn't call for help. He'd need to do this on his own, regardless of the consequences.
His eyes looked to the closet. He didn't see anything, while this seem to imply to the boy that the monster was hiding under the bed, he knew that the closet was deep and the monster, sly. He knew that the monster was probably watching and waiting for him to jump down.
But was he really willing to risk his life to get it?
This debate was not new to the prince, who had when he was a bit younger chosen on many occasions to wet the bed, rather than risk his life to get to the bathroom. Now he had a jar which he kept on the other side of the bed for such an emergency.
He further considered the problem at hand. The candle was out and with no way for him to light it. With no light to protect him from this creature of the dark, He knew that he needed the cross. While he believed that he was safe on the bed, he wondered how safe one could truly be without the Almighty's protection. If the evil beast were to discover that he wasn't wearing such a holy object it might for sure attack him regardless of where he was. He couldn't believe that he actually took it off.
The prince took a deep breath. He knew that their was a thin line between cowardice and wisdom...at least that was what he had heard.
Bottom line, he quickly decided that he'd rather be a brave idiot than wise coward.
He took another deep breath. He quickly dashed over to the window, ready to fight the monster, grabbed his cross and ran as quick as his short legs could move back to his bed .
He sat there on top of his blankets for a moment allowing himself to catch his breath.
He grinning looked down at the cross.
He knew that he had shown true courage just now. While he would never tell anyone of his bravery, he knew for sure that two would know of it; himself and, of course, God. For this boy it was enough to show this proud moment to the Omnipotent being. While words to the heavenly father, were all good and well, it was the actions of his earthly followers which were surely more likely to please him. He smiled widely as he thought of what he had just shown the all seeing, all knowing entity: He had just shown him that he would risk, or even sacrifice his life for his god. He would do anything for his god. He had sworn it when he joined the order of the dragon. Now he had made his first step toward proving it, beyond a doubt to the Almighty Father.
He grabbed the covers and snuggled comfortably beneath them. His small hands held onto the cross like most children hold onto their teddy bears.
Prince Vlad III stayed like this until he drifted off to sleep.
The boy lay there, pure, looking like an angel from heaven. A happy smile, the perfect expression for this child looking like it would always be a permanent feature on his face. He blissfully dreamt sweat dreams, dreams which would soon turn into nightmares, as cruel fate would soon start to twist this innocent little boy into something so dark that even he himself would never be able to escape.
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END of prologue
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AN: If there is enough interest in this I will continue it, if not...
This chapter is to introduce Vlad or young Dracula before he was the person his historical figure become. For the Hellsing cannon this provides a glimpse of Alucard before he was a monster, a time when he like any normal child was afraid of thunderstorms, darkness and monsters under the bed and closet.
It is easy to forget that Alucard was once an innocent human being with human wants and needs and fears.
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Preview of the next chapter: Hostage
"We are here to fulfill a promise made by our father to uphold the peace between our two nations." Vlad declared trying his best to sound both grown-up and diplomatic.
To which the large man chuckled. "I know why you are here, but do you?"
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