Chapter
1
The tall figure waited
patiently inside the small clearing, trying not to look bored. He shifted from one foot the next, coughed,
and stretched his tired muscles. The
man's appearance was powerful to say the least. Over seven feet tall, he was large by anyone's standards, thanks
to his powerfully built muscle structure.
His face gave away his European descent. With his slim, delicate nose, lazy eyes, and emaciated lips, few
would doubt his noble breeding.
I hate doing this, hiding like a common
vagrant, he thought. Pulling
his cloak tighter around his body, he had just about given up when his eyes
picked out a movement across the clearing.
A small outline, cloaked and hooded like him, made its way toward the
large elm he stood under. Finally,
he thought, she is here.
The figure made small, delicate steps toward the larger one. She stopped in front of him and immediately
removed her hood. The face that came
into view was the type that poets had for centuries written about. Her small face held two large, deeply
intelligent eyes. A small button-like
nose, complete with a wide, giving mouth, concluded a face that made the gods
envious. The large man sucked in his breath. No matter how many times he saw her, she
caused the same reactions.
"Good
morning, Lisa."
"Good
morning, my love."
The man
pulled back his hood, revealing a head covered in shockingly white hair that
tumbled down below his shoulders. He
smiled and offered his hand, to which Lisa gladly accepted. "You know,
I really hate to meet you like this.
Perhaps I should go meet with your father?" He asked as they walked
toward the carriage waiting for them.
"That would
be useless, my lord. My father would
never let me go. Especially with a…"
She stopped suddenly, her face gone red.
"Especially
with a vampire, you mean?" The man
finished for her. Her face still red,
she only nodded. "Don't worry about
that, I won't bite!" He found that deliciously funny and started
laughing, trying desperately to hold it in.
"My lord…"
"Call me
Dracula, Lisa. Please use my name," he
said, still fighting down his sudden case of jollity. His eyes were starting to water.
"My lord,
Dracula, please!" Lisa was in no mood
to laugh. "It is too late for
that. I am with child."
And like that,
Dracula's laughter was gone. It was
like somebody threw a switch. He stood
there in front of her and said nothing.
The carriage was 20 yards away, looking lonely there on the road. He watched as the driver drained a flask of
water and waited patiently for him.
Dracula felt a cold hand in his mind and thought suddenly of wine. Red wine.
Now why would that come to mind?
For Christ's sake, I'm going to be a father, why would I think about red
wine? He motioned for her to
follow and they entered the horse-drawn carriage, immediately taking seats
opposite one another. Maybe
because it's the color of blood.
* * *
They had met on one of Dracula's hunts,
just outside of the forest surrounding Castlevania. He hardly ever hunted this close to his home, but something
seemed to pull him away from his usual haunts.
His first reaction from seeing her there, gathering herbs to make
medicine, was to attack her. He decided
to watch her instead. Something held
him back. He couldn't explain it, but
he knew there was something special about her.
She was beautiful. He had no other way to describe her. The way she gracefully moved, gathering ingredients for potions. The way her delicate hands picked at
particular flora. The way her small
feet never stumbled in the uneven soil.
She clearly knew her way around this area. The woodland had a small creek running through the middle,
bringing minerals down from the peak that Castle Dracula stood upon. The result was much rare plant life that
couldn't be found anywhere else for miles.
She's been here before, he thought. Dracula stepped out of where he was hiding
and approached her.
Lisa
instantly stopped what she was doing and stood up straight. She felt it. A clear drop in temperature, and yet her body heat
increased. Something was behind her;
something evil and unholy. She stood
stiff for a moment, then turned slowly.
Lisa's breathing became harder, more deep. Silence filled the forest around her. She felt a sexual charge build up as her eyesight sought out the
source of this reaction. When she
finally laid eyes one him, her breath seemed lost. Lisa never felt so aroused.
Her knees give out. The fall was
stopped when she felt his arms around her.
The man had cleared the last twenty-five feet between them in no time at
all. She looked up at him and uttered
three single words before passing out:
"You are Beautiful."
Lisa could not remember waking up. She couldn't remember how long it had been
since that moment in the forest. The
next thing she could recall, they were both in a bed inside his castle. Never in her life had she felt such
ecstasy. It was like her very soul was
set on fire, only in an infinitely more pleasurable way. Lisa had never been with a man before, so
she had no basis for comparison.
Dracula, however, seem like a god to her.
Dracula had
never seen a more perfect body. He had
sampled various women in his four hundred years on earth, yet none could even
hope to measure up to her. She writhed
underneath him, trying to find a way to compensate for the bliss she was
feeling.
My god,
if this continues, I will go mad, She thought. To feel his hands all
over her body, on her lips, breasts, stomach, her… OH GOD!! She felt another climax tear through her
body. Chimes sounded off one by one in
her head. The world was spinning around
her. He gave an animal grunt and came
in her. As the pleasure slowly descended,
as she returned to reality, Lisa wondered what would become of her now.
She turned on her side and looked upon the man that had
driven her so far toward the edge. She
should be terrified of him. But she
wasn't. She watched as Dracula
stretched his powerful frame. She loved
him. There was no doubt. She would follow him anywhere.
"Dracula?"
she asked.
"Yes?"
"I…what has
happened? How did I…?" She couldn't form the words in her
head. "I am not a whore. I do not lie down with every man I meet."
"I know
that," He replied.
"So what
happened? Does this happen with every
woman you meet?"
"Gods,
no!!" Dracula laughed.
Lisa thought for a moment, then "Why have you not bitten me
yet?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"You are a vampire, correct? Why have not you bitten me yet?"
"Do you wish to be bitten?" Dracula retorted.
"No I…"
He stood up suddenly, walking over to the window. Looking out he saw the forests that
surrounded his abode. Further, a large
lake formed a crescent shape that wrapped around his mountain. If he could see further, His eyes would have
passed over another large forest, this one held a small city, hiding with its
confines. Probably where she came
from. Without turning around,
he continued the conversation.
"I don't know
why this happened. You are
correct. It's not normal. I have no explanation. But I do know one thing. I love you.
I knew that the moment I held you in the forest."
"I also love
you."
Turning
around, with a pleased smile on his face, he asked, "Do want to know the answer
to your question? Why have I not bitten
you?"
Lisa looked
into his eyes. "Yes."
Dracula's
smile widened and said three single words, "You are beautiful."
So began an
affair of two unlikely people. A maiden
as pure as snow, and a demon king.
Every week, at the very spot where this all began, they would meet, flee
to his castle and spend one night in each other's arms. This went on for several weeks, before the
inevitable.
* * *
Dracula
watched as the land passed by outside the window of the carriage. He should have foreseen this. How could he have slept with the same woman
several times and not impregnated her.
The more he thought about this, the more it seemed like a scripted
play. He thought again of how oddly
they were pulled together, there in that grove. Consulting his chief sorcerer, Shaft, he was unable to find out
what had happened. Still, it was a moot
point. They were together and nothing
would change that. He swore it.
"How long
have you known?" he asked.
Lisa lifted
her head and looked at him. "About four
days now."
"And you are
sure of this?"
"Yes."
He didn't
wish to question her knowledge of this.
But he had to be sure. "How do
you know?"
"My lord, are
you familiar the signs of pregnancy?"
He shook his head. Lisa sighed
and started explaining. By the time the
carriage pulled into the courtyard of his castle, Dracula had learned quite a
few facts about life.
Castlevania
was a living castle. Born from the
darkest magicks, it was a creature of anarchy, creating corridors and rooms
filled with the most malevolent beings, both living and unliving. Dracula had created it after achieving more
power then any other life form on earth.
Under his command, he had armies of demons and ghouls that would obey
his every whim. His right hand was an
ancient phantasm that took the form of one of mankind's most hated and feared
symbols, Death. He also had the
Assassins, a group of men that were all mortal, yet deadly. The advantage was that they could actually
enter a village or town and not cause an uproar.
"That was an
educational trip," Dracula quipped as he helped Lisa out of the coach. She noticed his humor was a little dry. They entered that castle and were met by
Shaft and Mason.
The dark
priest Shaft was Dracula's second in command.
His knowledge of the black magic, voodoo, enchantment, and any other of
the "dark arts" was unparalleled, save Dracula himself. He stood over six feet tall with large robes
covering his body, hiding any shape his body might form. Only his hands and his face were seen. Lisa didn't mind his hands, but wished he
would cover up his face. She had never
seen such an evil face. It had two tiny
red eyes, always looking like they were up to something, set over a large nose
and mouth. He watched her with an
interest that made her uneasy. Nobody,
not even Dracula, is sure exactly where he came from. He was extremely well traveled, though, and came to Dracula in
order to sharpen his deadly magic skills.
Mason, a
thin, wiry black man, was head of Dracula's Assassins. Dracula bought him several years ago. Originally from southern Africa, he was
kidnapped by slave-traders and was sold from owner to owner, slowly making his
way toward Europe. Dracula bought him
for stable work, but an incident involving one of Dracula's many would-be
assassins proved that Mason would make a formidable warrior. Moving quickly through the ranks, he soon
earned Dracula's trust. Both he and
Shaft had a burning hatred for each other, though they kept it in check around
their master. His lean body was knotted
in tight muscles, and his cat-like way of walking betrayed how lethal he could
be.
Shaft bowed
low. "Good evening, my lord." His eyes never left Lisa. "I trust that you'll find everything to your
liking." Dracula had ordered him to
clear the upper levels of the castle of any sort of demon, ghoul, or other
monstrosity. He liked to keep Lisa at
ease inside his home.
Dracula
nodded stiffly and turned to Mason.
"How is your new conscript holding up?"
Dracula bought a new slave, a gladiator-like man who he thought would
make a good Assassin.
Mason brought
up his hands and started signing. "He
is a little slow, but will do fine.
Very eager to please, this one.
I think he will be perfect for the second squad." Long before Dracula, one of his earlier
masters cut out his tongue. Mason had
been little more than a child, then.
And he talked too much, according to that master. Dracula, however, had taught him a special
sign language. Even he was surprised
how quickly Mason had learned it. "How
is Lisa?"
"Lisa is
fine," Dracula replied. "In fact, I
have an announcement. Lisa is going to
have a child. My child, of course."
Mason nodded,
a small smile of approval fixed on his face.
Lisa blushed. She liked Mason,
as he seemed to be the most normal person in this castle. Her father had always told her about those
"savage" countries far to the south.
How headhunters or worse ran wild and naked throughout the
continent. Mason didn't seem at all
like this. He treated her with respect
and was always looking out for her.
Shaft, on the other hand, seemed like the complete opposite. He was always chuckling and looking like he
had a sick interest in her.
"Good,
good. Most excellent, master." Shaft chuckled again and walked off with a
look that resembled triumph. It left
both Mason and Lisa uneasy. Dracula,
however, didn't seem to notice it. He
took Lisa's hand and led her upstairs, leaving Mason alone in the
aperture. Hesitating only for a moment,
Mason hurried to follow Shaft. He would
get to the bottom of this.
* * *
Dracula
opened up the door to his room, letting Lisa in before him. He watched as she immediately sat down at
the table. The bed looked awfully good
at the moment but he put that thought out of his head. Looks like I might not be having
intercourse tonight. He groaned
and leaned his tall frame against the door.
A child! I am going to be
a father! Once again, red wine
flashed through his mind. He shook his
head and sat down next to Lisa. She put
her hand over his, a simple gesture, one that assured him of her love.
"My
love? What will our child be like?"
Dracula
groaned again, but answered her question.
"It will be a dhampire."
"A what?"
"A
dhampire. A cross-breed." He stood up and looked out the window. "When a vampire procreates with a human, he
or she produces a rare form of creature.
A being that can live under direct sunlight, immune to the effects of
garlic, crosses, silver or any other blight on a vampire's existence. It would retain all of the powers a vampire
is instilled with and…" he meant to continue but was shocked to hear weeping
from behind him. Turning, Dracula found
Lisa with her head in her hands. "What
is the matter?" he asked, truly concerned.
"Is that what you would consider our child?" she
sobbed. "A creature?" She continued to cry, leaving Dracula with a
feeling of helplessness.
"I…I apologize Lisa.
I never meant to hurt you or our child with that statement. You must realize that I have never been a
father before and I am only trying to prepare us for what is to come." Her crying lessened and she seemed to
understand what he was trying to say.
"Yes, I know, but listen to me." She had a fierce look overtake her. "I will NOT let people look upon our child as if he or she were
an abomination! I will NOT allow
that!" Lisa calmed down considerably
and motioned for him to continue.
Dracula did, wary of upsetting her again.
"Like I said, this will be a cre… person who will have all
a vampire's strengths, and none of it's weaknesses. This is all in theory of course," Dracula went on, "Truthfully, a
dhampire can also have all the weaknesses, none the that strengths. Or anything between."
"So what is to prevent this?" Lisa asked.
Dracula smiled, "When a vampire reproduces, it passes on
more than just physical traits. Because
it is a being of magic, it will also pass its strengths or weaknesses as
well. The more powerful the vampire,
the more powerful the offspring."
Lisa seemed less uneasy as she started to understand. "Are you as powerful as they say?"
"More."
"So our child will not be cursed?" Lisa asked, relieved.
Dracula smiled and nodded, "He or she, whichever, will be
quite powerful, I suspect. Lisa smiled
and stood up. She seemed to be in a
much happier frame of mind. Must
be one of those "mood swings" she told me about, Dracula thought. He stood up with her and took her in his
arms. She kissed him deeply and
motioned for him to follow her. She led
him to the bed.
* * *
Mason hid outside of Shaft's door, waiting patiently for
Shaft to leave. Patience was one of the
first things he learned. One of his
earliest masters (back when he could still talk) had been an avid hunter. Often taking Mason out with him, he taught
him most of what he knew today. How to
track your prey, how protect yourself if the prey tracked you, and of course,
how to kill. And patience tied it all
together. Without patience, you might
as well go home. That was what he was taught.
So he waited. He never moved a
muscle. A fly alighted upon his arm
and, despite the horrible itch, he continued his vigilance.
Finally, after as the clock struck two in the morning, with
the moon showing through the window, Shaft emerged from his room. His large frame drooped, like he was
exhausted. Gazing around, Shaft
continued down the hall and disappeared around a corner. Waiting a few minutes more, Mason then left
his dark corner and approached the door.
It looked like any other door that inhabited the castle. He grabbed the handle, turned it and found
it locked. Not unexpected. Reaching down into a hidden pocket, Mason
produced two oddly shaped pieces of brass.
Lock picks. Another skill he
picked up in his 40 odd years. Small
sounds of metal rubbing against metal filled the hall. After a while, he rocked back on his heels,
frustrated. No progress was made. He had picked many locks in his life, and
this one didn't seem any different.
Continuing, Mason got no further and with an exasperated sigh, removed
the picks from the lock, then dropped them in surprise.
Their ends were completely melted off.
"Did my door ruin your little toys?" a hated voice called
out from his left. Mason stood up
stiffly and turned. Shaft looked at him
with a smirk that told all. He knew
Mason was outside his door the whole time.
"I apologize for that, but I can't have you snooping around my
room. You might see something you
shouldn't." Shafts smile expanded, if
it was possible. His ugly, large face
seemed to give off and unhealthy glow that made Mason tense.
"You are up to something," he signed, "and I will find
out."
"You think you're so smart. Try and find out what's in that room."
"Maybe I will"
Shaft's tight smile lightened. "Maybe I'll kill you."
It was Mason's turn to smile. "Try that and maybe I will take you with me. I will drag you along with me to the pits of
hell." Mason took a menacing step
forward and continued signing. "I know
what you are. I have met your kind
before. Whatever you are planning, I
will stop you. Go near the girl or her
child and I will not hesitate in slitting your throat." He stopped in front of Shaft, who stood his
ground. Both men glared at each other,
their smiles long since disappeared.
Shaft backed off.
He was physically worn out and they both new it. "You wait.
I'll kill you if you interfere with my plans." He glowered at him once more, then turned and disappeared around
the corner. Mason let out the breath he
didn't know he was holding. If that
confrontation had gotten physical, they both might have ended up dead. While he couldn't speak for Shaft, he was
definitely mortal. Looking down, he saw
the charred picks lying on the floor.
Somehow he had to find a way into that magic door.
* * *
Dracula lay
on his bed, holding his love close. The
night deepened, causing a silence that caressed the land. The sky stretched across the large window
next to the bed. Cloudless outside, a
large moon bathed the room with more than enough light for lovemaking. It was magical. It was nights like this that he felt most human. It was so long since he had been mortal; he
had almost forgotten the feeling. After
some time, seeing that she was still awake, Dracula reluctantly broke the
silence. "I want you to leave your
home. I want you to stay with me."
Lisa shifted
slightly, then answered, "Here in you castle?"
"No. I have a villa not too far the north. It is hidden deep in the forest. None of my creatures reside in or near
it. But will they form a large ring
around it. You will be protected."
"Will you be
staying with me?"
Dracula
smiled. "Of course."
Lisa sat up,
a grimace woven across her face. Her
naked body was inundated in the moonlight.
It gave her an ethereal look that he found enticing. The frown deepened and she turned to
Dracula. "My father is very protective
of me. I told him that I was staying at
a friend's house all those times. You
know that. But he will never let me
go."
"You can no
longer keep up this facade," he said.
"I know, I
know. But you must understand. My father is an extremely protective
man. He will never allow this. I…" She looked at him. He had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Just how
would this mortal intend to stop me?"
He asked.
Lisa had a
distressed look on her face.
"Please. Do nothing to harm
him. I will come and live with you, as
your wife. But do not harm my
father." She advanced slowly, her face
drawing close to his. He could see the
tears stream down her cheeks. Oh, how
he hated to see her like that. "Father
is only going to do what he feels is best.
He will never let me go. He will
follow me, and try to get me back. I do
not want you to harm him. He will never
let me go." She was ranting, shaking
her head, the tears coming down in torrents.
Dracula
wrapped his arms around her. He held
her close, her face pressed against her chest.
Looking over her, he stared into the large mirror that hung on the wall. His larger body framed her glowing bare
back, which trembled from the force of her sobs. She is so small, he thought. Taking what he wanted was easy for
Dracula. It would be so simple just to
whisk her away now, and then dispose of her father. That is the way he always lived his life. But he couldn't, because she didn't want her
father to die. He would do anything for
her.
And it scared
him.
* * *
Shaft made
his way down the corridors after spying on his master and Lisa. He brusquely shoved his way past any monsters
that happened to be in his way. He
HATED that man. Mason was always
getting in his hair. Meddling with his
affairs. Shaft wanted nothing more then
to fry him into a crisp, but he knew better then to overstep his bounds. No, Lord Dracula wouldn't want
that. 'Oh, no, don't mess with my
precious Mason.' HA! I'll deal them both soon enough. Shaft smiled as he made his way through the
lower catacombs of Castlevania. Yes,
Dracula was getting soft. There was a
time when he would kill just for the fun of it. But that woman got to him.
And soon Dracula, Mason, and that slut Lisa would all be dead. The child would be his. Just like he planned.
Stopping at a
wall, he moved his hand and chanted.
The wall disappeared, allowing Shaft to continue. He entered a large room. It was empty, save for several magic books
stacked here and there. A desk sat in
the middle of the room, with a comfortable looking leather chair situated
behind it. In that chair, sat a young
man. Shaft stopped in front of the desk
with a look of annoyance on his face.
"Get out of my seat, boy," he stated irritably.
The young man
stood up and walked around, smirking like he had a good joke to tell. He was small, for a man of twenty-one. Yet he was surprisingly strong for his age,
with quick reflexes and good hunting instincts. He was a hunter all his life.
Not surprising, since he was born a lycanthrope. Tilting his head to one side, then running a
hand through his mass of red hair, he leaned against the wall and chuckled. An evil grin was plastered on his face.
"When are you
going to dispel that voodoo you cast on them?
They still hump like rabbits. It
is really interesting, I would love to learn how to direct it on someone I
know," the young man said.
Shaft couldn't
help but smile at that. "That's all we
need. Little wolves running around and
wreaking havoc. Stick to your job,
Villi, and leave the 'lovebirds' to me."
Shaft looked at the young man.
He had met him on one of his assignment away from Castlevania. Young and impressionable, Villi was promised
a large reward for helping him. He
proved to be both resourceful and deadly.
And he hated Dracula.
Apparently, Dracula had killed Villi's young bride. Convenient.
Enough so that Shaft found the young werewolf good enough help in his
plans. Of course, when this was all
over he might have to kill Villi. "Did
you finish slaughtering all horses at the DePothier mansion?"
Villi
shrugged. "Yeah, I did it. Killed every one of them."
"Good. Now remember. When dawn breaks and they found out about the horses, they have
to know that it was someone who worked for Dracula. Lisa's family has to know, also, where she was staying all this
time." Shaft sat down. "I want you there to protect the girl. Now that she's pregnant with the dhampire,
she's more valuable then ever."
"Fine," Villi
replied. "I will leave now, then." He
swaggered off towards the opening.
"Oh and one
more thing," Shaft called out after him. Villi stopped, not turning. "Kill Lisa's father. In front of her." Villi nodded and left the room.
Smiling wickedly, Shaft leaned back.
He worked hard and his moment would come soon. He hated this place and would soon return home. With the child. The child was the key to everything. With young dhampire, he could conquer Hyrule.
~Well there
is the very first chapter my very first story!
Again this is a ZELDA story, but the first few chapters aren't going to
take place in the Zelda universe.
Anyway, please read and REVIEW.
I cannot grow as an author unless I have some constructive
criticism. Still a few 'Your story
rulez' never hurt anyone! Lol.~
-DarthVegita-