Help in Unexpected Places

Disclaimer: Castlevania belongs to konami not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Alucard . . . then he'd be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: one of four

Setting: Pre SOTN

Authoress note: Little Adrian is sick. Dracula panics.

Please note that this story ignores the Netflix series, the only real change though is that Adrian is young when Lisa dies and the castle is full of monsters such as Death, etc.

Italics = thoughts and flashbacks

Chapter One

"I am not given to complimenting mortals," Death said slowly. "But the lady Lisa handled these instances of sickness with far more grace than you are, my lord."

"Shut up," Dracula muttered holding his unconscious boy tight against his bare chest. "This isn't working, call for an ice bath."

"You'll send him into shock if you do that," Death muttered. "Cool water not ice."

"I know that," Dracula was pacing again, the small form in his arms was getting hotter and hotter with each passing moment.

The chamber door opened and ice nymphs entered each carrying a pale of cooled water which they emptied into the bathtub that had been brought up a few days ago. As they rapidly retreated, uncomfortable being so close to the lord of the castle in such an agitated state, Dracula lowered his boy into the bath. Even unconscious Adrian flinched as the dramatic change in temperature. Death watched as his master muttered assurances to his unconscious child, wondering why the Lord bothered it wasn't like the boy could hear him.

"I hate this," Dracula said after a long moment, as Adrian was finally calming in the water. "Were this anyone else I would know what to do, I would not be so ..." he struggled.

"panicked?" Death offered, earning him a sour look from the vampire.

"fair comment," Dracula admitted. "I hate it, the panic, it robs me of thought. I don't know what to do."

"You helped the lady Lisa with far worse illness than this," Death said. "she came to you for advice, I fail to see why the patient should make such a difference. You know what to do for fevers and infections."

"You're an ideot," Dracula muttered. "of course, the fact that its my son makes a difference, that much is obvious."

"But it shouldn't," Death said, and frowned when his master lifted the boy out of the cooled water.

"He's shivering," Dracula muttered then glared noticing he was explaining himself, he distracted himself by drying the worst of the wet from his boy, using his cloak. "besides fevers are good, they do a job, they slow infection, they stop the spread of disease."

"Then why are you wetting yourself?" Death snapped. Dracula nearly dropped his son at the question.

"Because," he managed after he'd taken a calming breath. "left uncontrolled a fever that runs too high can kill."

"Kill mortals, it might not kill Adrian, it might fight this faster if it runs hotter," Death said.

"I'm not risking that just because your tired of dealing with this," Dracula said walking to the bed and lying Adrian down on it.

"I wasn't suggesting..." Death started but was interrupted.

"Yes, you were," Dracula muttered, sitting on the bed, a hand permanently attached to his son's brow. "it's never been this bad before," he muttered. "Being preternaturally cold I was always able to control it just by holding him. But not this time, somethings changed."

Death let out a sigh that caused his bones to rattle against themselves. It was not uncommon for the Lord of the Castle to turn his mind to something when he couldn't deal with a problem, it was an affective distraction tactic that he'd used on Dracula himself several times. But now it wasn't having the desired effect, he could feel the tension emanating from his master and it was getting worse.

"I need to find the cause," Dracula said. "perhaps a contagion, perhaps something in the blood?"

"You need medicine," Death said.

"You know as well as I do that medicine has never worked, we need to identify the source and remove it, or strengthen his body to fight harder."

"That's what medicine does," Death nearly shook his master by the shoulders. "You know this my Lord, please I'm starting to worry for your mind." He was genuinely starting to worry that the young master's fever was somehow destroying the masters brain cells.

"Every medicine that aids mortals is too weak for Adrian, or it does more harm than good, you recall the poultice?"

"Lady Lisa thought the allergy to garlic was a myth, it wasn't her fault," Death said.

"You sound like you have something in mind?" Dracula said.

"There's an old witch to the east of us, its a long journey however," Death shrugged. "I am not one to approach mortals, but occasionally one stands out enough that even I would consider it."

"You want me to see a hedge witch?" Dracula snapped. "I will not pour chicken blood on my son and call it medicine."

"She's not a hedge witch, or a fraud," Death said.

"But you call her witch not doctor, I know you know the difference."

"She is not a doctor, she is a witch," Death said. "but she is wise and while you cannot find a solution through science, she might be able to through ... other means," Dracula sighed loudly.

"What is the witches name?"

"Babba Yagga."

End Chapter One

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