Hello loves I am back! I am re-editing Bene Placito and finishing where I left off. This story needed a lot of work. Thank you for being beyond patient and I hope I can do the story justice. Enjoy!
P.s If you like stories with Marvel characters check out my Thor story, "No more dreaming like a girl."
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Hellsing, Only Isabella and other Oc's.
I
1457, outside of Wallachia
"J'ai vu le loup, le renard, la belette."
We all sat on the wet earth, circled around the fire. We swayed merrily to the tunes ringing from the mandolin Félix played expertly. He was so engulfed in his singing he unconsciously swayed; his dark tresses flying on his face as he smiled brightly. The others laughed and clapped, singing along. Félix's dog Paris, ran around wagging his tail from the excitement. It was home when we could gather and relax a night.
"J'ai vu le loup, le renard cheuler," I took another swig of the brandy before handing it to Léonce on my left. He grabbed the bottle with his large hand and set it next to him and kept singing. I smiled to myself fully remembering Léonce was not the type to get drunk. He was more of the guardian of our group and always wanted to be aware and alert, even during celebrations or festivals.
"My dear Jeanette Isabella," Félix slurred happily getting up from his seat, his faithful dog walking by him. He started strumming another tune and waltzed over to where I was sitting. It was amusing to watch him struggled to avoid the fire, his dog and the other gypsies.
He was not a big man, nor was he deathly thin. He was tall and lean with a bit of muscle, but they were covered by his baggy brown trousers and large blouse that slightly hung off his shoulders.
"What is it fool," I smiled as a frown formed on his face. Slowly he danced, hopping on one leg and twirling in small circles until he finally arrived and plopped down next to me. Paris barked at us playful, crouching down low waiting for Félix to get up again.
"Shush dog!" Félix ordered pointing to the dog before turning his attention back to me. Paris ran off and sat next to Léonce in defeat.
"Why must you insist on unjustly humiliating my exuberant character with such a demeaning title? You truly hurt my feelings dear Jeanette Isabella." He set his instrument down and laid down, putting all his weight on his elbows. I rolled my eyes at his choice of words; for some reason whenever he drank he sounded like one of those scholars. I turned and looked at him friendly-like watching as he relaxed and closed his eyes.
Sighing I joined him, but kept my eyes open looking at the other three as they laughed and bickered amongst themselves, "I call you a fool Félix, because you are one. And I also call you a fool because you constantly insist on calling me Jeanette Isabella."
"Isabella!" Félix and I looked over to see Josephine glaring playfully at me. She was leaning against Guy, holding onto his arm lovingly. She brushed her blonde locks out of her face and smirked at me.
"Do not be so mean!" She cooed. Guy laughed and nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck before kissing her cheek gingerly. Josephine in returned tightened her grip around him and moved off the ground, settling in his lap; she kissed his lips with her own pink pouty ones. I watched the two lovers envious of their god given love. Ever so slowly they began to lay down still entwined in their passionate kiss. Guy rolled Josephine over so she laid with her back pressed against the ground and him on top of her. His darkened hands crept lower to the skirt of her dress and began to raise it to her waist.
"For the love of God Guy," Félix cried rolling over onto his stomach so he faced out into the darkened forest. "If you are to carry out such licentious acts, take it elsewhere away from the rest of us."
Guy grunted kissing Josephine again before raising his head. He turned to look at Félix with a devious smirk on his face, "what is wrong dear boy? Jealous and ashamed that you could never woo a woman in such a manner. Or perhaps the case is no woman would accept to be courted by a pathetic lad such as yourself?"
I heard Félix growl and felt him move. He sat up fully and opened his mouth to speak but Léonce interrupted him.
"The lad is right Guy," Léonce stroked his full dark beard with his right hand and pet Paris with the other, a smile on his face. He grabbed a nearby stick and poked the fire, disrupting the settled coals and stirring up ashes.
"Guy, be so kind and get some more wood, the fire; she is losing her spark."
"Why should I do such a laborious task?" Guy barked, pushing himself off his lover to meet Léonce's gaze. "Send the boy out! Give him a chance to get stronger since he is so weak."
"Hey!" Félix shot.
"Enough!" Léonce pointed to Guy, then to the forest, "I have asked you Guy, so go."
Angered, Guy rose from his seat and marched into the forest, but not without glaring darkly as Félix first. Everyone was quiet; I could sense the tension so I decided the silence needed to be broken.
"Félix, play another song. I am in the mood for some tunes again." I stared at him as he grabbed his mandolin positioning his fingers, ready to play. He looked at me.
"You must sing then," he said brightly, slowly strumming a harmonic tune. I laughed and nodded while grabbing my tambourine. I hit it timely, matching the melody of the mandolin, until I was able to catch a pattern and hit random beats as I liked. Getting up from my seat I began to dance around the fire, humming to the music and forming words in my head to sing.
"From the mountains to the seas," I hit the tambourine against my thigh and jumped in the air. "You and I shall forever be free. Our journeys will be far and long."
I shook the tambourine quickly while spinning around hunched close to the ground, then rose and stood straight up to jump on my left foot, then the right. Paris had joined me and was barking loudly while running around me in circle. He jumped in the air every now and again.
"We shall be happy with our gypsy song."
"We shall be happy with our gypsy song," the others repeated happily after me.
It had been a half an hour yet Guy had not returned; however I think I was the only one who noticed. I stopped singing and looked around the area before turning back to the others. Josephine was dancing with Félix, both of them were drunk. It was obvious by the way they were singing or rather screaming at the top of their lungs. I laughed and clapped my hands.
Léonce got up suddenly causing all of us to stop singing. We stared at the large man in wonder and confusion. I could tell he was in deep thought.
"I am going to go find Guy, since he has decided to take his time on getting wood," he announced, his baritone voice rang loudly. In a hurry he grabbed his jacket and headed the way Guy had gone off. I watched him disappear into the darkness, then turned to the others smiling, mainly smiling at Josephine.
"Fifi if I were you I would start searching for a new lover," she stared at me in confusion, grabbing an apple from the food basket and taking a bite. After swallowing the piece she spoke.
"And why would I be in need of a new lover?"
"Because Léonce is going to cut his throat when he finds him," Josephine frowned and threw the apple at me half heartedly. I knocked it away and laughed. "Come now Fifi don't be so cross."
She growled at me playfully and sat down beside me, "at least I have a man, unlike you. Poor foreign girl; can't seem to find a lover. No man of France wants a foreign girl…not when he can have a real French woman!"
I frowned. I knew she was drunk but… that still hurt.
Félix got up playing his mandolin again, swaying slightly. He danced over to where Josephine and I were and started singing,
"The French are glad to fight for love
When their love is so caring and true
We hate to hate, but love to love."
The strings of the mandolin stopped as Félix moved to stand in front of Josephine, a big smile on his young face. He raised his arms high in the air then brought them down as if reaching out to her, then spoke, "but only a true fool would love you."
I giggled hitting Josephine playfully on the back, but she was not happy anymore. She glared at Félix furiously and got up clutching her fist tightly. In a flash she was chasing him around the camp, cursing at him and throwing whatever she could get her hands on at him. Paris was up barking loudly following the two. Félix laughed in delight dodging the random objects.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed stopping to rub hit head, looking down at the broken pieces of glass of the ground. He turned to see the blonde French woman breathing heavily, nostrils a flare and cheeks bright red, "are you crazy woman?!"
"No, I am just going to castrate you!"
Felix stared at her wide eyed, his face paling as he gulped at the very idea. He backed away and looked at me, "I think I am going to go help Léonce with Guy."
Quickly Félix ran away into the woods, but not in the direction Guy and Léonce had gone. I laughed again grabbing the brandy, and uncorking the top, "I swear Fifi," I took a drink of the liquid than pulled it away.
"You are a bit mad."
She breathed hard and looked at me frowning. A long silence hovered over us, neither one of us looked away or spoke. Paris barked, snapping us both from our trance. A smile crept on to her face and she started giggling.
"I enjoy being insane," Josephine announced puffing out her chest proudly and placing her hands on her hip triumphantly. I clapped while getting up and bowing in front of her.
"Hail Josephine, queen of the gypsies!"
"Yes, yes I do love praise," she sighed out raising her head high and chasseing around the dying fire. She bent low and picked up Paris lifting him in the air. The dog yelped and struggled in her arms until she got fed up with him and placed him back on the ground.
"I don't think he wants to be your king, Fifi," I teased. She snarled at me and looked at Paris who was barking at the woods. He crouched low and growled, barring his teeth. I looked at Josephine who did not seem to catch the dog's defense. I moved over to where Josephine stood and frowned. Something was wrong; Paris never was so hostile. The thought that the others had been gone for a very long time was slowly creeping in my mind.
"Paris! You cannot act that way if you are going to be my king," Josephine laughed folding her arms. She began to walk towards him, but as soon as she took a step the dog ran off into the woods.
"Paris!"
Josephine growled and chased after him into the woods. I panicked trying to grab her arm but I missed her by an inch.
"Josephine wait!" I shouted, but she was off. I sighed in frustration looking around the camp nervously then back to where Josephine had gone, "damn you Josephine."
I took off after her into the woods trying to catch up. The moonlight did not give enough light due to the thick vegetation of the trees. It was very hard to see clearly; I kept on getting hit by stray branches, so I stopped. I looked silently in the dark for any movement, any sign of her or any sound of snapping twigs. There was nothing…nothing but the sounds of the forest. Slowly I walked forward, pushing branches out of the way and using what I could of the moon's dim light to avoid fallen trees or rocks.
"Josephine," I called out, hoping for a response. A twig snapped underneath me making me jump. In the distance I saw a pack of bushes and with a quickened pace I walked closer to it. Moments later I arrived but realized there was a deep ditch in the earth that had been hidden by the brush. I stepped forwards pushing through the bushes, but felt the ground give under my feet. With haste I stepped back gasping in shock at the crumbling earth. I pushed through the bushes again but more cautious to see how deep the hole really was. My heart beat quickened at the thought of Josephine falling down into the ditch. I started to panic.
"J-Josephine? Are you down there?" I shouted into the dark hole and waited. After no response I carefully stepped further watching were I put my weight until I was at the very edge. I crept low and sat on my knees and looked down using the light from the moon as a guide. Scanning slowly I looked deep passing large roots, fallen logs and piles of leave. Less than a moment later my eyes landed on the dirtied, motionless body of Josephine. I gasped seeing the pale hue of red running down her face and pooling around her.
"Oh no, Josephine!" I called down to her but she did not move. "Josephine can you hear me!"
When she did not move I began shaking in fear, scooting backwards slightly. I closed my eyes in hopes to calm my breathing and think of a solution. This was not the time for panicking. It would not make matters better nor would it get Josephine out of the ditch. The only way I was going to get her out was if I found the others and retrieved rope to get down to her. I crawled forward slowly looking down at her again.
"Josephine if you can hear me, I will be back I promise." I got up and backed away still looking at the hole in the earth. A few stray tears I could not hold back rolled down my cheek. Pushing through the bushes again I turned around only to run into a firm body. Gasping I looked up slowly coming to face a tall man; I took a few small steps back.
It was obvious the man was Romanian, with his long dark hair. The moonlight hit him perfectly causing his flawless pale skin to glow in the night. His cheekbones were high, his lips thin. He stood proud like royalty or perhaps an aristocrat clad in black armor that was partly covered by a dark cape; his sword tied on his belt. My gaze lingered on the weapon for a few moments before I stared back at his face, into his eyes. Dark haunting eyes. He looked like a demon god.
I swallowed hard. He grinned.
"You are a gypsy?" He asked in Romanian observing me, looking over my clothing no doubt. Then his gaze shifted to look past me. I stared, mouth slightly agape and unsure of what to say or of what he asked. I did not speak Romanian, only French, and a few words and phrases in Dutch. If I said or gestured the wrong thing surely he would kill me.
Impatiently the man looked at me again causing my blood to freeze; a terrible chill ran up my spine.
"Well?"
"Please sir, I do not speak your language," I spoke softly, praying he caught on that I did not understand him. I saw him smirk and take a step forward.
"Do you know who I am?" He pointed to himself. I figured he was asking me something that had to do with him. Since I knew nothing about him I shook my head no.
"I have many names and titles," he paused to look at me waiting to see if I understood. "Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler…Prince Vlad Dracula."
He bowed.
'Vlad Dracula,' I had heard of the name before and fear started to eat at me. This man was the ruler of Wallachia, this man was a murderer. I remembered hearing stories of his gruesome gory battles. How he would cut the heads of men and put them on silver platters. How he would run giant stakes through their bodies while they were still alive. Watch them suffer while eating massive feasts. I whimpered quietly stepping to the side further away from him, preparing myself to run. He stayed in place not moving a muscle; only his eyes moved, following me closely. It frightened me more.
His grin widened.
"Where are you going?"
"Please sir…m-my friend, she is hurt. She fell down a ditch and she is bleeding," I took another step cautiously and pointed to where the ditch was while keeping my eyes on him. "I must find my friends and help h-"
"My men will get her," the Prince snapped his fingers loudly. Suddenly three men holding torches appeared from the forest and stood behind him. He turned to the tall one on his left and spoke to him pointing at the ditch hidden behind the bushes. I watched as the man nodded and started yelling at the other two. Swiftly all three of them moved towards the ditch, one carrying a rope. I began to follow after them to help but a hand grabbed my wrist, pulling me back. In shock I began to struggle, trying to kick my attacker but as I tried I was thrown to the ground. I looked up to see the Prince looking down at me smiling.
"They will handle it, no need for you to put yourself in danger," I stared at him in confusion as he walked towards me. He held out his hand to me, looking at me confidentially.
"Come with me girl, I do not want you to get ill in the cold," when I did not give him my hand, he frowned darkly. I listened to his men, yelling and heaving behind me; I turned my head to see if they had pulled her out. As I did so, I felt arms wrap around me and lift me of the ground. I screamed in surprise and fear as I was forcefully thrown over the Prince's shoulder.
"Please put me down," I cried out but my pleas went unheard as he began to walk further away from the ditch. I could see one of the men climbing out of the ditch with Josephine over his shoulder. Adrenaline hit me and I began hitting the Prince's back and struggling. I needed to get down and help her. "Please I must to go to her, she needs help!"
Laughing he set me down on my feet; I pushed away quickly. I watched his men walk towards us, but my attention went directly to the gypsy. I ran over to them and grabbed Josephine from the tall man, struggling to hold her weight until I could lay her on the ground. Kneeling beside her I began examining her head looking past the blood and blond locks in search of the wound. My fingers grazed her scalp until I touched the wound; I looked closer at it and realized it was a deep cut. A cut that could not be caused by a fall or hitting rocks, it was impossible to make a cut that clean. It would have to be done by a sharpened tool, knife or…sword. Realization hit me and I quickly turned to see the Prince and his men standing silently behind us.
"You did this…" I stated rather than asked. The dark Prince laughed and walked towards us, his men following in suit. A groan escaped from behind me; I turned to see Josephine moving slightly, her face wincing in pain. I sighed in relief to know she was awake, but I fell back into worry as the Prince moved even closer.
"Please," I begged getting up from my knees and clasping my hands together. "Please stop! We have done nothing wrong."
The Prince lifted his right hand, pausing for a moment until he flicked his wrist giving his men a silent order. I watched as they rushed us reaching out to grab us; I screamed as one of them snatched me, dragging me off to the side. The other two grabbed Josephine roughly bringing her to the Prince. I tried to fight the man holding me but he held me firmly, laughing and yelling something to the others.
I saw the Prince touch Josephine's face and smile down at her.
"Do not touch her!" I screamed in anger. The Prince ignored me as he began talking to his subordinates. I watched one of them walk to the ditch and grab the rope they were using as the other one disappeared into the wood. The one with the rope quickly worked and made a noose and threw it over a high tree branch. My heart stopped. Just then the other man came back holding a long wooden stake and a small bag.
"No, no! Please! Please stop, do not do this. I beg of you!" Tears drenched my face as I fought to break free; my hair flew in my face half blinding me. The man holding me forced me to my knees. I watched as they carried Josephine over to the stake that had been shoved into the ground.
"Please," I whispered watching them tie the noose around her neck. They reached for the opposite end of the rope and began to pull. I closed my eyes sobbing unable watch, but I could still hear the sounds of the men grunting and the rope rubbing against the branch. Moments later I heard a loud scream echo in the forest. My heart dropped and my grief overwhelmed me causing me to sob harder.
The man holding me captive released me and stepped away. Weak and traumatized I fell forward and dropped to the ground on my stomach. Footsteps shook the ground getting closer; I opened my eyes to see the Prince looking down at me in mock sympathy. He smiled kneeling down on one knee, touching my cheek; his thumb grazed under my right eye wiping a tear away. My eyes looked past him to see…
I felt numb; the shock was too sickening. There was Josephine impaled on the stake; the tip protruding from her neck under the noose. Blood was everywhere; gushing from under her dress down the wood, running down her neck, passing between her lips, seeping through her bodice, sliding down her legs. I looked away feeling my stomach flip and a hard wave of nausea hit; I turned and leaned over vomiting on the grass. Emotions, fear, questions; they all raced through my mind making me dizzy; I could feel myself slipping.
'Léonce? Where was he? Did they kill him too? And Guy, Félix… Oh god,' I looked up at the Prince; he was standing again talking to his men. He looked irritated and they looked terrified. One pulled out a cloth while another reached into the small bag revealing a small bottle of liquid. The subordinate holding the cloth, opened the bottle, and poured some of the liquid onto the fabric.
He looked over to me.
"No," I mouthed, unable to speak. He stalked over. I looked over at the Prince silently begging him. He grinned speaking to me.
'What is he saying,' I shook my head slowly. The man with the cloth kneeled down next to me and covered my mouth and nose with the fabric. I started to struggled but he pulled me close binding me with one of his arms. The cloth was smothering me and fumes were burning my nostrils. I looked back at the Prince as the forest behind him grew darker… soon he grew darker. I couldn't think; I was becoming lightheaded.
I felt myself fading.
Next chapter will be up shortly 3