Sometimes the past refuses to stay forgotten as Alucard soon learns. Based on events prior to his enslavement.
Disclaimer: Hellsing and characters belongs to Kouta Hirano.
The Leaf Dancer
Chapter 1: Once Upon Two Hundred Years Ago
The flames whipped about in the passing breeze. Still, she held the torch before her, a beacon in the waning twilight. She wasn't too far away from home but she still felt uneasy standing there, alone, surrounded by dense forest alongside the main road. It was only a little ways from the hidden dirt path that forked off, leading to camp.
The main road was well worn with deep ruts from the many carts that had passed through. It was an old Roman road, she assumed from the cobblestone that peeked through the moss, long since abandoned. Many merchants who traveled from town to town along the southern coast used it. It was a road that was also frequently used by many Roma, especially during the annual pilgrimage to Notre Dame de Ratis. There they would gather for the festival in honor of Sara-al-Kali (Black Sara), known as Saint Sara to the locals.
She still remembered, from her last visit, the excitement that filled the air as the statue of Sara was carried to the sea reenacting her arrival with the other matron saints. The spiritual energy had filled her then when she was most in need. Her mother was long gone and Cole followed so soon after. Her and her father had found solace being surrounded by the other Rom; it was then that their relationship truly began to grow.
In their present journey to the west, the tribe they traveled with decided to stop near a small fishing village not far from Marseilles. They found the village to be very tolerant of their presence. It was a small trading outpost, a crossroad of sorts filled with different kinds of people. There the locals as well as passers-by could find exotic wares in the market place from the east and south, such as bright colored silks, herbs and spices. Now with the coming of summer came the season of festivals and street fairs which offered several work opportunities for traveling Roma.
She shifted the weight of her body to the opposite leg. She was growing tired and more wary now with nightfall fast approaching.
'Father should be here by now' she thought as she crossly blew a wayward lock of hair from her face. Where as she was able to find several odd jobs in town, her father, Mauricio, continued as a traveling merchant delivering goods to patrons often in remote areas. No matter how long or how far he had to travel he always returned when he said he would and she would always wait up for him. Even as a child, she would withstand the harshest scolding from her mother, all to hear the low rumbling of the cart, the steady hoof beat and, the deep laugh that came from her father as he playfully tossed her up in the air. She was much too old and several pounds heavy to be tossed in the air but she still loved to hear the stories of his adventures.
The sound of rustling bushes tore her from her reverie. A small animal of some sort, a fox or perhaps a rabbit she hoped. Regardless of whatever it may have been it still didn't stop her from reaching for the leather satchel at her side. Her fingertips grazed the long flap that covered the sharp flat blades. Her wrists were loose and her stance was relaxed but underneath her senses grew sharper. She reached out with them, something was there but it was gone now. With torch still in hand she knelt on the ground seemingly dusting off her boot. Still scanning her surroundings while crouched she also untied the cover of her dagger's sheath that was tucked in her boot. ' It never hurt to be prepared', she thought. Pushing her self up from her crouched position she felt slight rumblings emanating from the ground. Not too much time had passed when a very familiar cart and rider came into view.
It wasn't unheard of for a bird to call in those early evening hours. Mauricio pulled on the reins coming to a full stop to listen once more. The lovely twitters and chirps called again and he cupped his hands together, put them to his lips and responded to the call. Repeating it once more he listen carefully to the forest. He then heard something move in the distance, next appeared a light that moved towards him. He waited calmly as a body came into view. It was a young man dressed in a dark grey suit, high black riding boots, white linen waistcoat and a handsomely tied blue cravat at his neck. With lit torch in hand, the boy wore a hat that obscured his face from Mauricio until he looked up.
"Ah," Mauricio exclaimed as the young face, framed in dark auburn curls, looked up at him and smiled. He made room on the bench he sat on for the torchbearer as he hoisted himself onto the cart. Mauricio happily exchanged the horse's reigns for the torch as they began to move in the direction of the hidden road.
"I wasn't expecting to see you dressed like this" Mauricio said when they were finally well into the path.
"And, you expected being in full skirts to be any better at this late hour, alone on a dark road. Really, papa, you above all should know how dangerous it could be out there especially for us young lady's" she added sarcastically.
" I got held up in town a little longer than expected" he muttered when something had just occurred to him, "I hope you didn't go as far as to cut your hair to pull off this disguise".
It was now her turn to gasp in mock astonishment, " Of course not. It's braided and tucked away in my hat," she chuckled.
Mauricio fell silent once more. Looking over his shoulder a pensive grunt escaped from him as he sat back and folded his arms across his broad chest. His daughter threw several secretive glances at him as she continued to drive the horses' home. Her father was often a difficult man to read but never a hard man. He was often very pensive and kept to himself, she liked to think of her herself as one of the few people in the world who understood him since he was the only one who seemed to understand her.
"We're still an hour away" she spoke to his seemingly sleeping form, "As soon as we get home I'm going to jump into the bathhouse and change before anyone even notices".
" I hope so. I would hate to think of how your aunt would react at seeing you like this", he responded.
"What are you talking about? It was Adele's idea in the first place," she teased.
At that Mauricio's eyes snapped opened and turned towards his daughter who was trying very hard to keep from bursting. However, Mauricio had no restraint and laughed into the crisp night air even as a thick mist crept up in their wake.