~*FLASHBACK*~
"Joachim, your father is in need of you now."
Joachim sat at his desk within his chamber, scrawling attentive notes from mathematical calculations. When the words spilled and interrupted his thoughts, his head shot up from his paper and stared at Kyran dressed in formal red robes standing in the doorway. "My father? He is back already? How unexpected." He sat back in his chair, ignoring the man for a moment long enough to ponder the subject.
The moment he began he was interrupted. "Something is terribly wrong with Lord Armster. I suggest you see him immediately if you are interested in finding out for yourself."
Joachim found his thoughts lingering, and with an irritated glance he rose slowly from his chair. The finely made and newly bought dark indigo colored robes and vest plate added to his grown height and stunning blue eyes that could pierce any man's soul with hardly a glance. "Why must I come when he summons me? I am no longer a child under his authority."
"This is serious." Kyran replied, a hint of urgency in his voice. "Lord Armster returned early from the East and arrived looking as pale as death. There are bite marks on his neck which is a clear sign that a demon bat has bitten him."
Joachim furrowed his brow and stared expectantly as if demanding more detail, but when none came a disdained sigh parted from his lips. "Very well. I doubt a 'demon' bat did that, for none of us should resort to paranoid conclusions. Do you even know why he returned early? My father was not due to return to Creightel until ten months from now."
The vassal shook his head, his silvery eyes glinting with uncertainty. "I do not. Lord Armster has been unable to speak since he collapsed on the manor steps. Lord knows how he made it this far, considering…"
Joachim waved a hand at him and started for the door, his stance straight when he walked while the tails of his robe swished softly with his steps. "The fact is, Lord Zaeviean now knows what it feels like to be sickly and weak. I will go to him, and let us hope he will be able to speak when I do."
With a piercing glare at the vassal he departed from his chamber and swept through the hallways of Armster Manor. Servants bounded about carrying trays and blankets, and he followed them unhurriedly until he came upon a dimly it room. The young man peered through the doorway at the large canopied bed in the center of the room. His father had rather particular taste. The bedcovers were made of fine satin and dark blue in color, matching the drapes blocking out the sunlight. Joachim hesitated before entering the room. Now it was he who to visited his bedridden father, for their roles had been unexpectedly reversed. Despite remembering how Lord Zaeviean mocked him, ridiculed him, and even beat him occasionally – some part of the young man loved him. Because, he knew, his father did not want him to love him. Even Joachim's love for his own father was in defiance of the man's hatred of him. A gentle sigh parted through his lips before he walked into his father's chamber. The room reminded him of things he had seen as a child, things he did not wish to remember…
His steps became slower and softer, his boots making only soft thumps over the carpet when he approached the bed. The young man's vigilant eyes immediately noticed his father lying in the bed, his eyes closed and lips so dry that they cracked and bled. Lord Zaeviean was so pale that his skin almost matched his hair, which fell around his face and down his shoulders in untidy waves. The lord did not stir, even when Joachim took a step closer, his voice saying in a low whisper. "Father?" His lack of concern quickly turned into apprehension.
"What happened to you? You look as white as death…" In frustration to find the man had not responded, he pulled up a chair and sat down, his eyes lingering on the thin form lying in the bed. He brushed away a few strands of his father's ivory hair before gently pushing back the blankets. To his surprise, the right side of the man's neck was swollen and red. "Did something bite you? It looks like a bat's bite…or did an animal attack you during your travels?"
He stared at the two small puncture marks in his neck. Whatever attacked had left a clean mark. However, when he touched his father's cheek, he quickly pulled away upon feeling an icy chill flood through him. Lord Zaeviean's skin was cold and glistened with perspiration. Yet, the man's body temperature was so low it was impossible for him to have a fever. Joachim cocked his head, eyeing the wound on his father's neck suspiciously. "Perhaps whatever bit you has infected you with a disease? Let it not be a plague…" It took only one case of sickness to infect a whole village. He remembered hearing Maurizio tell him stories about the occupants of entire villages simply disappearing in the span of a few months. Joachim took a step back from the bed and continued to stare at his father, his pale blue eyes widening. Suddenly, his father's lips twitched as if to speak but no sound escaped them. The lord tossed his head, letting out a short gasp in pain. "Father!" Joachim cried and kneeled at his father's bedside. He reached out and grasped his father's hand in his. The lord's cold flesh unnerved him but he refused to leave his side for even a moment.
"I am here for you, father." He said in a soothing voice, pressing his father's hand to his lips in a small display of affection. "No matter what, I will not leave you. I promise." He was about to summon one of his servants for more blankets, when suddenly a dark figure appeared in the doorway. Joachim jumped upon hearing a familiar voice address him.
"Hello, my child." The figure was none other than Father Genesio, the local priest. The man wore a black cassock and was in his early forties. Though strict, he was a devout Catholic, well versed in both Christian theology as well as literature. His once thick, raven hair had turned a shade of dark gray over the years.
Though not a particularly tall individual, his presence started Joachim, who bowed his head respectfully. The young man stood up, his indigo colored robes flowing with his movements, whilst he brushed aside strands of his thick, ashen hair. His calm demeanor concealed the turmoil of unease that surging through him.
"Father Genesio. What brings you here?" He asked, keeping his voice quiet as to avoid disturbing his father.
"I have heard of your father's illness," The priest replied, revealing a Bible in one hand and a wooden cross in the other. "I have come to see Lord Armster. Vassal Kyran was concerned about the cause of his illness. Some of the villagers fear that he was bitten by a vampire."
The priest's eyes surveyed the figure lying in the bed. Joachim watched him approach and set the bible down next to his father. Almost instantly, Lord Zaeviean's eyes sprung open and stared up at the ceiling as one of his hands violently knocked the Bible onto the floor.
"Calm down milord," The priest soothed, leaning over to examine the lord's wounded neck. "You are in bed now and safe. God is watching over you and will make you well again so long as your faith in him remains strong."
Joachim nearly got up when the priest laid a hand upon his father's neck, causing the lord to stir in his sleep. "I see." The priest's voice became somber, his form stiffening when he added under his breath. "It seems I am too late."
"What are you talking about?" Joachim stared at the priest apprehensively, his brow furrowing when the man's soft gray eyes locked with his.
"Your father is very ill." Father Genesio began while turning away from the bedridden lord. "I can tell from looking at him that he has almost no blood left, which has made his skin turn pale. The only comfort I can recommend is to pray for his soul.
"Joachim folded his arms across his chest and spat in disbelief. "Soul? It is his body that is injured, not his soul."
The priest continued to gaze at him, his eyes calm but sorrowful. His lips curved into a frown, which made him appear old and worn. Years in the priesthood, it seemed, was taking its toll. "My poor child, his soul is in jeopardy, not just his body. The body is merely a shell for the soul. Lord Armster has grown so weak that at any given moment, he is capable of becoming a creature of the night-"
"Stop saying that!" Joachim interrupted, his eyes blazing as he clenched his hands into fists. "I will not listen to such tales! My father has been bitten by a diseased bat. That is all. It has nothing to do with vampirism!"
Without batting an eyelid, Genesio tied the wooden cross to the bedpost. The young man watched in silent disgust, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the priest in annoyance.
"Please child, the only thing God asks of you is to pray. Your father needs prayer, though if it is God's will he will ascend into heaven and not be damned-"
"God's will or not, I will hear no more of this! Leave me in peace." Joachim's lips formed into a scowl so deep he could have struck the priest across the face if the man mentioned vampires again. How he hated the fact that legends had become real for most people in Romania. Such things did not exist in civilized countries, he thought. It was the duty of the local priests to dispel such rumors. However, he knew that vampires and witches were beneficial to the Catholic church whether they existed or not. Feeding off people's fears was, apparently, a rather clever way to entice people into following the church. And, of course, more followers meant greater donations to 'the cause' to root out witches and the like. The sight of the man's black cassock made his teeth clench together, his eyes trailing after the priest in silent fury, waiting for the man to leave.
Father Genesio whirled to face the young man after picking the Bible off the floor. "As you wish, child." He said, his voice revealing a twinge of offence from the command.
"However, you are to say twenty hail Mary's and repent for your sinfulness. Have you learned nothing after all these years following God's will? I suggest you look in this sacred book again and re-read a few passages on faith. God is more forgiving than I. You have much to learn and be thankful for. Now, I want to hear you say at least one Hail Mary before I leave."
Joachim bowed his head, and despite his willingness to defy he had held himself back whenever around Father Genesio. So many times during his youth he spoke the Hail Mary's because of his swift tongue, and with reluctant compliance he spoke the prayer in a low mumble. "Hail Mary, full of grace the lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." He paused and looked up to see the priest nod when he took the Bible form his hands and clasped it securely.
"Now then," Father Genesio continued. "You are to say that nineteen more times without complaint. Then, you are to pray for your father's soul and ask the Lord to be merciful." The old priest gave him a weak smile, his dim gray eyes lightening from the fact that the young man had obeyed him without another objection. "My child, you are in my prayers as well. I will visit again tomorrow."
"You have my gratitude." Joachim whispered, pretending to seem appreciative, though his lips barely moved and his voice was monotone. So many times he had wanted to curse the Hail Mary prayer, but even when he avoided following through the old priest always had a way of knowing when their eyes locked and he saw through him as easily as if his heart was made of glass. The result was that he completed his requirement without complaint, and he bit every objection throbbing to escape his tongue when he understood his heart was not where his words lay. In fact, the priest had given him so many Hail Mary's from his outbursts that sometimes Joachim just said them without even being prompted. Again he repeated the prayer when the priest left the room, saying it under his breath as his eyes strayed to his father lying unmoving in the bed. "Hail Mary, full of grace the lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen." He repeated the prayer while he sat down and stared at his father, his eyes dim and unblinking as the words mechanically left his mouth. When at last he finished, he opened the Bible and read a few passages aloud to his father. The words had been written in the priest's own hand. Joachim spent the hours reading through until the sunlight faded into the darkness of night. Not once did he leave his father's side.
The day passed slowly and silently. Lord Zaeviean's condition had worsened until, in the middle of the night, he had to summon Father Genesio. The priest stood at the side of the bed, gazing down at the man whose breathes were growing shallow and weak. "Joachim." Genesio turned suddenly to him, a grave look washing across his face. "I am afraid Lord Armster is too weak. I do not mean to offend, however…"
Joachim leaned back in the chair of which he had grown accustomed to through his weeks, and stared at the frail figure lying in the bed, nodding silently. The priest gazed at him another moment before stepping close to the bed and leaning over and speaking softly to the dying lord. "Do you wish to make your confessions now Lord Zaeviean Armster?" Father Genesio's hand trailed to the lord's frail one and rested upon it. Joachim watched his father's fingers squeeze the priest's hand so lightly it was hardly noticeable. "Very well." Genesio continued, his voice softening. "Are you sorry for all the sins of your life and for offending the Almighty God?"
Joachim continued to watch, so overwhelmed by the situation that he was unable to find the words he wished to say. He watched his father's hand squeeze the priest's in acknowledgement. It was then that the lord's icy blue eyes opened and diverted to his son. Father Genesio swallowed hard and continued to recite the final words of absolution while tracing a cross over his forehead with his other hand. "Ego te absolvo…in nominee Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen." He let go when the man closed his eyes again, and slowly stepped back. "I shall leave you alone with him, Joachim. If God takes him tonight he is now prepared for it." The priest gave a sympathetic look, his hand reaching out and touching the young man's shoulder. Joachim squirmed under Genesio's bony fingers, ignoring the gesture as he approached his father's bedside and kneeled there. He was so absorbed in the fact that his father was looking at him that he did not even notice the priest leave the room.
"So many times you made me cry…and now you're doing that to me all over again. Why do I feel like I must mourn you when you would not so much as care for me? Perhaps I am only doing what a dutiful son would to remain at your bedside during your last hour, but you are and always will be my father." He whispered gently, his eyes transfixed by the dying man.
All the color had drained from his father's skin, leaving only a pale shell of a once proud man. The wound on the lord's neck remained red and swollen, despite Joachim's attempts to soothe it with herbs and ointments. Not even Catherine's healing remedies, which were passed down by generations of gypsies, succeeded in healing the wound. Joachim sat on the edge of the bed for a long time, staring down at the man's face. Finally, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against his father's forehead, closing his eyes as he whispered in a voice choked with tears.
"I forgive you…"
He opened his eyes and gasped, noticing that his father was looking at him gently for the first time. He had never seen the man look at him that way. Joachim reached out a shaking hand, touching his father's cheek. He shuddered upon finding that the man's flesh was colder than before. When he grabbed the bell to summon a servant, he stopped when he realized that the man's chest had fallen still. Tears slipped down his cheeks and dripped off his chin as he sat there, unable to move, his eyes gazing down at his father's lifeless body. Before he even realized it, his lips parted, whispering the admission he wished his father had said to him.
"I love you, father."