A new day came again. Sun was high up in the sky when Alfred woke, as it usually was these days. Before, he had never made a habit of sleeping late. But when your life was in the night, what could you do?
He yawned mightily and then sneezed. There was hair in his nose and upon closer inspection, he saw it was long and dark, though with a streak of silver. He opened his eyes fully, only to see that his chin was on the Count's shoulder and his face was planted firmly against the side of his head. His arm he had flung across the man's stomach. Johannes lay as he ever did, flat on his back and hands folded on his chest. Alfred pulled back swiftly, though he knew his proximity was not going to disturb the dormant vampire. Had he curled up against his lover before or after sunrise? Latter seemed more likely. He fully expected Johannes would push him back if he got so silly and cuddly.
He sat up and ran fingers through his tousled hair. Then looking at his hands and arms, he thought he looked very pale. There were two newly-closed little wounds on his wrist and a few scratches here and there. The marks, healing as they were, seemed even more red when the rest of his skin was so without colour. Either Johannes rather forgot himself when they were intimate, or the man liked to mark his territory. Probably it was both.
All the same, he decided he was in the need of some sunlight. It wouldn't do to get wan and ill; he felt certain someone would have things to say about it.
So he got up and dressed warmly. After a quick bite, Alfred headed outside.
The air had grown slightly warmer. So wrapped up in their affair he had been, he had not noticed that winter was now passing. There was still a lot of snow, and it would take at least a couple or more weeks for it to melt, but already the banks seemed smaller and the woods less impenetrable.
He wasn't going anywhere, though. His book wasn't finished yet and there was no sense in even thinking of leaving the castle before spring. And Johannes was here. There was plenty of reason to stay for a while yet.
Alfred cast out all thoughts of leaving and instead focused on his exercise. Afterwards, when he got back inside and had washed, he felt refreshed and ready to return to his writing.
The book was not yet finished, but the manuscript was starting to take its shape. Flipping through the pages filled with his neat hand, Alfred thought if he might soon show it to Johannes. A second set of eyes were always useful. And he didn't believe the Count would show him any mercy if his writing was bad, even if they were lovers.
The man and his high standards. It made Alfred smile fondly. But then he considered that those high standards did not seem to apply to him, and that wasn't necessarily a good sign. His smile faltered. This relationship was never going to make any sense, and even if it were possible for them to appear together, people would take him for a servant or some kind of a minion. It was only a matter of time Johannes realised that, too. Or maybe he had known it all along, and only allowed this because here in the dark wilderness no one could witness his dallying with someone so much smaller and lesser than himself.
Alfred rubbed a hand across his eyes. His thoughts had taken a pathetic turn and it was of no use to entertain them any further. So what if he didn't seem like the kind that Count von Krolock would pay attention to? No matter how unlikely and nonsensical, it was happening, right now. And it was a fact that would always belong to him.
Having successfully consoled himself, he focused on the manuscript and his notes once more. At times, when the writing wasn't flowing very well, he rose up and paced around in the room. Then, after mulling over it for a while, he returned to his seat and picked up the pen again. The routine of study and writing was secure in its familiarity. Even if he wasn't good at anything else, this at least he could do.
So he passed the day, ever waiting for the sunset, but also finding some solace in writing. But though hours went by quickly enough while he was working, he made sure to be back in the master bedchamber by sunset. It may be foolish and pathetic of him, but after his earlier doubts, Alfred did desire some reassurance.
Only few minutes after he had jumped in the bed and settled down next to the Count, he woke. His bright blue eyes opened and he inhaled through his nose, as though to take in the smells of the room before anything else. He turned his face to Alfred's direction and his eyes glimmered.
The human leant close right away, little bit desperate and somewhat clumsy. Sometimes he still felt timid to make the first move, even if he wanted it very much.
At first, the vampire did return the kiss, but he pushed him back gently when Alfred moved to straddle his hips.
"What's this now?" he asked curiously. Normally, Johannes wasn't one to refuse his advances.
"What does it look like?" Alfred asked back, struggling to keep his voice even. His insecurity was back in full force.
Johannes regarded him evenly.
"Perhaps not tonight", he said at length, at which the mortal's heart sank. Was his lover already getting bored with him?
There must be something on his features, for the vampire's expression changed. He sat up smoothly, grasped Alfred by the back of his knees, and kissed him so that his brain effectively shut down. At the end of it, the Count pulled back only very slightly.
"You are too tempting for your own good, dearest Alfred. If I touch you now, I will want your blood. And I have already fed on you too often on these past few nights. I don't like how pale you look", he said, calm and serious.
"So it's not... not because you don't want to..." the human stammered. How embarrassed he felt now! But there was also an undercurrent of relief, almost making him shake.
Johannes smiled wryly.
"Foolish Alfred. Don't you know I always want you? But if I don't take care, I might kill you by accident. You forget this fact too often", he said emphatically, but Alfred was too busy being delighted with his first statement to feel much concern over his lover's warning.
"I always want you, too", he said softly and little bit shyly. "And I suppose I forget the danger because you make me feel safe."
"Hmm. Absurd creature", the vampire muttered and shifted a little bit closer, almost kissing him. Alfred's heartbeat quickened as he took support of the Count's shoulders and shifted as well, hips rolling slowly, which made him feel some very interesting things, considering their position.
His Excellency narrowed his eyes and spoke again, "Trying to change my mind, are you?"
"Who, me?" Alfred asked as innocently as he could.
Johannes snorted in laughter.
"What am I going to do with you?" he muttered and lifted Alfred aside. Then he stood up quickly, as if to make sure that the human couldn't try his self-control any more. Once standing, he cast a stern look at the young man.
"Don't you think of any mischief, Alfred. I expect you'll eat heartily and get plenty of rest and sunlight tomorrow. And don't try to argue with me", he said and picked up his dressing-gown from the floor.
"You're so domineering", Alfred complained and made a face. Now the Count let out a real laugh.
"I am glad you noticed", he said in unusually light humour and then bent himself down to kiss the top of Alfred's head. "Now come along, my little fool. I shall tell Koukol to prepare something to strengthen you."
Shaking his head and grumbling, Alfred followed him out.
A couple hours later, when they were seated by the fire and Alfred was vainly trying to read his manuscript, the thought rose to his ever wandering mind.
The weird part was not that he was involved in a love affair with a real aristocrat, or that the said man was undead and had been so for several hundred years, or even the fact that Johannes somehow found him attractive.
The weird part was Herbert von Krolock.
It was impossible to avoid this notion especially now that they were all gathered in the same room, Krolock and his son in the armchairs and Alfred by the table. Every now and then, he couldn't help glancing at the two vampires, one reading a book and the other lazily flipping through the pages of some continental magazine. Where Johannes sat with his legs crossed, retaining his poise as he always did, Herbert had flung one leg over the arm of the chair and was slumped in a position that would surely ruin a mortal's back.
And here he was, a living human, sitting quietly with two undead close by. Maybe Johannes was right, and he truly was an absurd creature.
All the same, had he dared to imagine exploring this side of himself in a time before Transylvania, he assumed it would be with someone closer to his own age; perhaps a couple years older and slightly more experienced. But surely the faceless man in his imaginations was not a widower with an adult son more flamboyant than any dandy Alfred had ever heard tell of. And yet in some ways, he was more threatening than even Johannes – quite an accomplishment in itself. If in some unfortunate twist of events Alfred had landed in Herbert's lap, he had no doubt that the viscount would have immediately swallowed him whole.
What a family these two vampires made, the pale prince and his father the dark king.
But though Herbert had a carefree air about him, quite unlike Krolock's lofty elegance, at least in one thing he was still his father's son. At times, his eyes revealed the same keenness that glittered like cold fire in Krolock's eyes. And often it appeared when Herbert studied his father's paramour. What did he make of all this? Did he consider Alfred a mere trifle, a distraction to be used for some entertainment? The blond man rarely spoke to him, but it didn't mean he was indifferent.
However, he had no idea of how to engage the viscount, and chances were Herbert would consider him impudent if he did. It could be he wanted to take the initiative – and have it when it suited him. In the end, interaction with Herbert was not even what Alfred desperately needed. The companionship of Johannes made him quite content.
Alfred fiddled with his pen absent-mindedly. The manuscript and notes were spread before him, but he hardly saw the writing on them. Eventually, he decided to give up for the night. He gathered the sheets in a neat pile and instead, went to pick up a book for himself. Momentarily he was aware of Krolock's eyes following him, but he paid no heed. Once he had chosen a volume from the collection, he went and took seat next to the Count's feet and leant his back against the chair.
He felt a gaze on himself and a quick glance through his eyelashes confirmed that eyes, green rather than bright blue, regarded him studiously. But Herbert said nothing.
Long, thin fingers briefly brushed through his hair. His heart swelled at the gentle touch and he wanted to lean against it, but restrained himself now that they were under Herbert's observing eyes. He opened the book and focused on it, trying to ignore the two vampires. Both of them could be so distracting, though for entirely different reasons.
Some time went by in silence and Alfred was for a while entirely captured by his reading. It was such a lovely moment, and exactly what he had said to Johannes a couple nights before: a good book, company that was wanted, and a warm fire. He was actually quite happy.
The peace was broken eventually, though. Alfred could feel Johannes shifting slightly, and saw that the vampire had sat forward when he looked up.
"I will be away on some business for a couple of nights", the Count stated evenly. "But you needn't be troubled, Alfred. Herbert will keep you company."
The human glanced at the blond vampire in mild concern. The Viscount was pouting.
"Do I have to, Vater?" asked Herbert, never minding that Alfred was sitting right there.
"Yes, you do. I will not leave Alfred unprotected while I'm gone. And judging by your reaction, it will do you good, son", said Johannes calmly.
"Must you go?" Alfred asked for his part, looking up at the man beside him. The idea of Krolock being away made him feel surprisingly lonely and vulnerable, even with Herbert around. He had never thought himself clingy – though on the other hand, it was not like he had got a chance to find out about it before now.
"I'm afraid so. But like I said, it will only be for a couple of nights", Krolock replied and once more brushed his fingers through the mortal's hair. Alfred wanted to grumble and complain, but he knew it wouldn't take him anywhere; if Johannes had decided to go, then he would.
"Very well", he said at length, though he was aware his tone was petulant. He didn't want to come across as childish, even if he had no clear idea of how a centuries old vampire might define the measure of immaturity.
"If it's Herbert that worries you, then you need not be concerned. He'll be nice to you", Johannes said, though the last part seemed to be more directed at his son.
Herbert huffed.
Alfred suppressed a sigh. It was going to be interesting couple of nights.
Alfred slept late, partly because he knew he'd have long idle hours ahead, and partly because Johannes had strongly suggested it.
"If I were you, I would use the time to rest well. If you still look so wan when I return, I shall be quite displeased", he had told him before bidding him good night. And true to his earlier conviction, he had not joined Alfred in the bed but went to spent the rest of the night in his own devices.
He passed the day more lazily than normally. His manuscript he left entirely aside. Koukol had prepared him a hearty breakfast, no doubt at Krolock's orders, and after it, he took a long walk outside. When he got back inside, he took a lengthy soak in bath and only got out when his skin started to wrinkle in hot water. He also spent some time cleaning up his chambers, though he didn't have many personal possessions to put in order.
Satisfied with his efforts, he made a trip to the castle's kitchens, much too vast for these days when Koukol prepared meals for just the two of them. Yet everything was in order, each pot and pan in its rightful place, as though life might still return one day to these quiet, dark halls. Alfred fixed a cup of tea for himself and carried it to the library, where he curled up in Krolock's own chair with a book.
For some time, he was perfectly content to remain so, and he didn't even brood over the absence of his lover for the night to come. But as the day progressed and evening began to approach, his concentration faltered. Invariably his thoughts turned to Herbert von Krolock. He had not been pleased to have the duty of minding Alfred. And now they were going to spend two nights alone without the Count to act as a shield!
On the other hand, it would be good to get along with Herbert, if only for his father's sake. He shook his head, thinking once again of what a weird situation he was in. Would a moment ever come that it would start to make sense?
His focus deteriorated as the evening grew closer. Eventually, he was glancing at the door of the library and waiting for Herbert to appear. If he tried to read his book, he'd almost at once forget what the last line had been. And though he spent hours waiting for Herbert's arrival and knew that the Viscount was not going to do anything to him, his heart still jumped in his throat when the door was opened and the blond vampire sauntered inside.
Herbert stared at him. He stared back. A moment passed by, incredibly awkward but also bizarre. Maybe he was going into hysterics, but suddenly Alfred couldn't help but think of how he could be considered Herbert's step-father.
It almost made him laugh, but Alfred bit his lip hard. Herbert would probably think he was laughing at him, and this moment was precarious enough already.
"Good evening", Herbert said at last, surprising Alfred with his show of manners.
"Good evening", he replied, regarding the vampire cautiously as he went to take seat opposite him. He tried to find Johannes' features in Herbert. But the blond man's face was somewhat rounder and fuller, not quite so gaunt – like he had been in excellent health and spirits at the moment of his turning. It was a strange idea, because didn't it imply that for Johannes, turning had been great agony? All the same, Herbert had attractive features and he could almost be called pretty for a male. His hair was silvery blond and his eyes a rather unusual shade of green. If he shared any feature with his father, it was his height and build. Somehow, Herbert was much less mysterious and remote. With Krolock himself, you just knew he was something other than human, and while it wasn't to say Herbert came across as wholly mortal, he still lacked that strange, alien air.
The Viscount sat up straight, legs crossed, like he was about to discuss some business transaction. Clearly there was something he wanted to say, which made Alfred feel nervous. He wondered if he should start, or just wait for when Herbert wanted to speak.
But Herbert did not keep him waiting for very long. Keenly he stared at Alfred when he opened his mouth.
"I can't say I'm delighted to be your babysitter", he began, causing Alfred to wince with his choice of word, "but Vati had this notion you should not be left alone."
"I'm sorry if it's an inconvenience to you", Alfred said, opting to remain civil. Truth be told, he would prefer it if Herbert tolerated him, maybe even liked him – and not just for his father's sake, but Alfred's own.
Herbert made a noise at the back of his throat.
"You are a mortal, Alfred – you are an inconvenience by nature", he said coolly. Alfred's heart fell, but the vampire continued, "It's nothing personal. You must understand that, especially if you first came here to hunt our kind with your professor."
"Well, I don't think it has to be that way", Alfred dared to remark.
"That is easy for you to say. You don't even know the restraint it takes. Every instinct tells us to drain you, and yet you dangle yourself before me and before my father above all else, like a dainty free for taking", Herbert said, wrinkling his nose as though he considered Alfred horribly lacking in manners.
"Maybe you don't give him enough credit", said the mortal carefully, but his words made the Viscount laugh. The sound was not humorous at all.
"So, after a few nights, you think you know him better than I do? I, who has been his companion for centuries?" Herbert asked bitingly.
"No, that's not what I mean. But I know what I've seen, and he has shown me more care and consideration than many living people I've met", Alfred said steadily and seriously.
The blond vampire didn't say anything to that. He stared at Alfred as though he were some curious but potentially harmful creature. The young man met the stare, even if it made him feel uncomfortable. Herbert may already think him a careless fool, but blanching now would only further prove how right he was.
"What are your intentions considering my father?" Herbert asked suddenly, turning the course of this conversation entirely.
Once more Alfred almost laughed aloud. One might think he was some sinister character, here to tarnish Krolock's virtue! But Herbert was watching him with narrowed eyes, and he knew the question was not made to invoke his humour.
So he shrugged, hoping to come across as unbothered.
"I have no intentions. I just... I want to be with him", Alfred said, clasping his hands together in his lap.
"And why is that?" asked Herbert, tilting his head slightly.
"People don't normally pay much attention to me. But he does", Alfred said at length. How else could he explain this? It was obvious Herbert had been adored and smothered in attention. Could he even understand what it felt like to be the runt of the litter, the one everybody always forgot?
Herbert regarded him quietly, and Alfred could only wonder what his thoughts were.
"What do you expect to happen, then?" he asked at length, slower this time and a bit more thoughtful.
Again Alfred shrugged.
"To be honest, I have no idea. If this is weird for you, it's ten times so for me", he replied.
Herbert stared, but now there was something incredulous about it – like he had expected absolutely any other answer.
"Vater said you are bold", the Viscount stated at length. He was not able to hide the faint note of disbelief and grudging admiration from his voice when he added, "But I can't say I really understood what he meant until now."
Alfred refrained from snorting. Yes, Johannes had called him bold, but he wasn't certain he agreed. He had never felt so in particular, not even here.
Herbert let out a sigh and he seemed to slump a little bit.
"Even so, you must know just as I do that this won't last forever. In the end, humans and vampires are not compatible", he said, not quite as sharply suspicious as before, but somehow resigned.
"I never thought it would", Alfred replied softly and finally looked down. He had known all along that Johannes' interest in him didn't make sense, except as a passing curiosity. Yet why should he worry about it now? In a matter of few nights, he had felt more alive than ever before. If this brief moment in time was all he was going to get, then he would enjoy it to the fullest. No doubt going back to his grey old life would be doubly difficult, but at least he would always have his memories.
So he lifted his eyes again, meeting Herbert's gaze seriously as he added, "But it doesn't mean I'm not going to see it to the end."
He couldn't say what it was about his words that impacted Herbert, but it seemed to Alfred that afterwards, the Viscount was a little less dour towards him. It felt like he had passed some test he had not known he was participating. As Alfred got to bed later that night, he wryly considered if Herbert was just concerned whether he was good enough for his father.
Alfred allowed himself a small laugh over that notion and then buried his face in the pillow. It still smelt like Johannes. He breathed in the scent and curled up on his side, thinking of when his lover would be back.
He slept late again, mindful of Johannes' instructions. As he got up and washed quickly, Alfred thought colour had returned to his skin indeed, and even certain someone wouldn't have anything to complain when they met again. He was anxious to have the man back already, though he knew the Count wouldn't return before tomorrow night.
After sunset, Herbert joined him once more. The Viscount now came across a little more forthcoming, even going as far as inviting Alfred to some card games. One couldn't say their playing got very serious, though: Alfred didn't know many modern card games and those Herbert tried to teach him had to be at least a hundred years old, or more.
"I am absolutely ashamed", said Herbert after one game as he dropped his cards on the small table Koukol had procured for the purpose. "Back in the day, when Vati and I travelled on the continent, I used to be quite the menace in card tables. There are several old families still lamenting the loss of fortune their ancestors suffered at my hands! And now I can't teach a simple game to you!"
"I'm not sure it's your fault. I never was any good at games", Alfred replied. As far as he could recall, in games between his siblings he had only ever won because Matthias and Frieda had let him.
Herbert harrumphed under his breath.
"You are a young student! Didn't your friends teach you anything? Take you out for some gambling and drinking?" he asked in frustration.
His question made Alfred blush in embarrassment. Someone as flamboyant as Herbert was not like to understand his loneliness, sometimes involuntary and sometimes self-imposed.
"I didn't have any friends like that. Well, at times I did talk to others on my courses. But they certainly didn't invite me out with them. I usually spent my nights by studying", the human said quietly.
Herbert stared at him with narrowed eyes.
"So you've never got drunk? Never went out carousing?" he asked, sounding like this was unthinkable to him.
"No, I did not, and I can't say that I wanted to", Alfred said defensively. He couldn't see any sense in such entertainments for their own sake, and he knew his father would not have appreciated him wasting his time and money by pursuing pleasure.
Again Herbert harrumphed.
"Pity that we are stuck in this backwood. Otherwise, I would take you to some nice café right now, and perhaps to an opera and a game hall, and get you so drunk you wouldn't know your own mother if you saw her", he said emphatically.
"I wouldn't mind the opera", Alfred said carefully, knowing the blond vampire was trying to be nice in his own strange way. Idly he handled his cards and asked the vampire, "Does your father like operas?"
"Oh, he does, much more than I do. But his tastes have always been more conservative than mine", Herbert said and wrinkled his nose, as if to imply that his and his father's ideas about a good time could not be further apart. Alfred, on the other hand, was caught in what could only be called a daydream: going to opera with Johannes, sitting together in a dark box and perhaps grasping his lover's hand during the performance, and then walking slowly under street-lights while they talked about the music and the show...
The Viscount saw his faraway expression.
"Of course it would be perfect for you and him. I don't know how one so young can have so poor a taste as he does", Herbert sniffed. Alfred just smiled.
Herbert let out a sigh and continued to speak.
"We don't get out that much, though. Vati doesn't like the outside world very well, and he's always worried about being discovered", he said, little bit petulant.
"He didn't seem worried about being discovered by me", Alfred noted warily, but his words made the blond man smirk.
"And why would he? What could you do to us?" he asked lightly. And he was right. Even in the beginning, Alfred surmised his chances of slaying any vampires had been very slim. He didn't dare to think what the Professor would say if he knew what had become of his pupil.
He lowered his eyes. In more than one regard, he was a failure. But Johannes... none of that seemed to matter when it came to him. He didn't make Alfred feel like he had done something wrong, or that he had failed.
"Nothing, I suppose", he answered Herbert's question at last, though he didn't think this was news to the Viscount.
"And so you changed your course and adapted. A good tactic, I must admit. Though I can't say I've ever heard of a vampire slayer choosing to become his foe's lover", Herbert remarked.
Alfred blushed again.
"Well, I can't say that I planned it", he said briskly, unsure if the Viscount was mocking him.
Herbert smiled.
"No, I don't suppose either of you did. For truth is, you fell on my father just as much as he did on you", he said, picking up the cards again. Alfred gave up those he had in hand and the blond vampire began to shuffle them again. ¨
Alfred bit his lip. There were a thousand things he wanted to ask Herbert. What does he mean to do with me? Has there been others? Do you think he'll soon grow weary? What will happen if he does? Am I going to be killed?
Does he want me to stay?
His last thought surprised and unnerved even himself. And without much consideration, he knew it had to be impossible.
Thankfully, Herbert dealt him another hand. The Viscount sat up straight and cast a keen look at Alfred.
"Let's try something a little easier. I'll be damned if I can't teach you a single card game. Now, here are the rules..."
To be continued.
A/N: Here's a new chapter! I hope you liked it. :)
I've got to say, my inspiration for this story goes in weird bouts. Days go by without me giving one thought to it, then suddenly I get so hungry for Alfred/Krolock that I first read through every single piece available online (including my own!) and finally consume every possible moment writing a new chapter for this one. Oh, the joys of shipping a rare pair!
It was entertaining to write Herbert and Alfred interacting for real, and without Krolock himself around. I think they may now understand each other a little bit better than before! Alfred and Herbert as unlikely friends is a seriously underrated concept.
Thank for reading and reviewing!
ghostwritten2 - And I must thank you for bearing with me and the breaks in my updates! I have to say, I do love writing their dynamic, too. :)
I'm glad you liked the update! I hope you enjoy this one too, and the bits with Herbert and Alfred!
Calimera - Thank you for commenting again! Your reviews are always a delight to read. :) I'm glad to hear my writing inspired you to work on your own!
Sometimes I forget how much fun it's to write Alfred and Krolock together, but then it comes back to me with full force, and I get ridiculous amounts of writing done simpy because they're so entertaining!
I think Herbert would be amused about vampire lore, and Krolock somewhat disdainful and arrogant. Though, I guess, they might try to take advantage of it, too!
It's always fun to write Herbert's perspective, he's generally much more cheerful than his father. Also it's hilarious to think about how he'd react to his father being involved with Alfred. :D Anyway, I hope you liked the bits with him and Alfred in this chapter!
Also good to hear you enjoyed those parts! I admit I very much enjoyed writing their pillow talk. xD But you are right, in the matter of enjoying a quiet night with a good book I fully agree with Alfred!
Monkelala - Oh, nice! Well, I very much understand you, because I too keep re-reading Alfred/Krolock stories sometimes. :D I'm sorry for causing you to scaring your brother, though - even if the idea is hilarious! :D
I'm glad you liked the chapter!