Chapter 2
Lisa DePothier stood outside her home. The large mansion covered 3 acres of land, not including the stables or the woodland that the DePothier family owned. Her family had been in this province for generations; they were the third richest family in the area. Her father, Vance DePothier, owned a large shipping company that was founded by her great-grandfather. The money left them extremely well off.
Even then, her house wasn't the largest, nor the prettiest in Malachi. Small, but rich, the entire town was filled with people made prosperous by the plentiful recourses found in the land. It was also located near Dotour, a much larger, though less appealing city. Dotour's trade capita spilled over into Malachi, bringing even more currency.
Lisa gathered up her courage and walked toward the large twelve-foot front doors. Turning the handle, she heaved and opened the door. A large entrance room spread out before her. Directly across the door, the main staircase rose up, then split in two at right angles. The rest of the room was made up of antiques, tapestries and paintings. Her mother loved to impress people when they came in. She tiredly made her way up the stairs and turned left. At the top, she continued down the hallway.
"Somebody is in trouble," came a voice behind her.
Lisa turned around. A young woman with jet-black hair and a round figure stepped from the doorway. Kayla, thought Lisa, what are you doing here you bitch? Kayla was her immature cousin. She hated Lisa for reasons both had long forgotten. The feeling was mutual. Perhaps it was that Lisa was better looking. Or maybe because Lisa's father wasn't a drunk. Whatever the reason, neither of them got along very well. She had tried to make amends with her several times, but Kayla never seemed interested.
Lisa sighed. "What do you want, Kayla?"
Sneering, Kayla replied, "So you were staying at Catherine's?" Lisa's face drained of color, and Kayla smiled. "You were not. This whole time, you were never going over to her house were you?"
Regaining her composure, Lisa smiled tightly. "I was so. Since when did you care anyhow?"
"Somebody I know saw you last night. You went straight out toward the Counts territory. You have a death wish or something?" Kayla crossed her arms and gave Lisa a peculiar look. "Why in the world would you want to go over there? Not that I care."
Lisa was relieved. Kayla didn't know. One could only imagine the consequences is word got out that she slept with the Count. Oh beloved, I will be with you soon. I cannot ruin my family, however. Please understand. Standing her ground, Lisa faced Kayla. "You have no business following me anywhere," She spewed, wondering how such a large girl could follow her without her knowing. "I assume you have told my father?" she said. Kayla nodded animatedly. DAMN. "Well, it is none of your business. You have no right snooping into my business. As for your friend, following like some vagabond! I won't tell you what I think of him." Turning about, she stalked down the hallway. Fortunately, Kayla didn't follow her.
She sighed upon entering her room. Though well furnished, it suddenly reminded her of a cage. Lisa wondered how this could have happened. As a little girl, she dreamed of being whisked away to a castle where a prince would make all her dreams come true. She never imaged it would come true. Or that the castle would be haunted by a demon-king, one that she would fall so much in love with. Again, Lisa pondered the consequences of her status. Because of it's small size, Malachi had a tendency to make excellent breeding ground for gossip. She knew from experience how dangerous gossip could be. Her family could be devastated for this. She herself could be put to death.
Suddenly tired, she locked her door and positioned herself on the bed, only bothering to remove her shoes. Lisa closed her eyes and went into a most abnormal dream.
* * *
Darkness.
For a while, all Lisa could see is darkness. Peering closer, she saw that she was surrounded by shadows that seemed alive. They moved about her, embracing her, enticing her with their secrets. She followed, transfixed with wonder. The shadows swirled around and took shapes. Some seemed oddly familiar, but most did not. They moved about, dancing, shape shifting, and teasing her. Lisa tried to follow them, but they were too quick. "CoMe, ComE," they said in eerie voices, "FolLOw Us, KnOw US, LOVE US." She ran for hours, catching up and falling behind, then catching up again. Lisa fell to her knees, exhausted. The shadows surrounded her, swaying.
Suddenly, they all stood up and started dancing. It was a loopy dance that she would have found comical in another situation. A strange, familiar chanting struck up from them. She found it captivating, yet slightly frightful. Lisa returned to her feet. The shades continued their waltz oblivious to her now. A larger outline moved through them. A feeling of uneasiness grew in her the closer it came. The anxiety reached new heights by the time the large silhouette broke the final ring around her. Lisa was terrified. I'm in danger, she thought. The shade reached up and brandished its hand. Light flooded around her. As her eyes adjusted, the shadows gained shape. They were ugly little things, reptilian with large snouts, cat-like eyes and hooked claws. They came in all shapes and sizes. They danced on, caught up in their revelries. Covering her mouth in disgust, Lisa eyed the lizards warily.
"Do you like my children?" The thing whispered. Lisa stiffened at the voice and spun around. I AM in danger! Is there no escaping him? Not even in my Dreams? Lisa was facing Shaft.
* * *
Dracula couldn't sleep. He felt something was wrong. With a gesture, he called forth Death. "Do you feel something wrong in the air?"
Death lifted his head and sniffed the room. As a spirit of the darkness, he was privy to just about every incantation ever produced. It slithered around the room sniffing and laying its bony hands on the walls. "You are correct, Master. There is a spell in this room."
Moving about, Dracula tried to locate the source. No matter where he shifted, the waves felt the same. "Damn it, where is it?" he said.
"Master?"
"What?" he replied, clearly aggravated.
"Its you." Death whispered. Dracula went so still that Death became concerned. "Master?"
"You are correct. It is I!" He closed his eyes. Death watched, studying Dracula for any sign that he might need help. "My god, I have been enchanted! He was right. How could I have missed this? It was so obvious!" Dracula signaled Death. "Run, get Mason!"
Death hesitated. "Should I not get Shaft?"
"NO! Shaft is the cause of this. Get Mason, and then find Lisa. She is in danger!" Dracula roared.
Death bowed low and disappeared. Alone again, Dracula mentally rebuked himself. How could he be so stupid?
* * *
Lisa backed off. The lizards continued to hop about, chanting in the strange language. Smirking, Shaft stood there with his arms crossed. "You're going to run away? My children like you!" he said. Shaft laughed and clapped his hands. The lizards stopped dancing.
"What do you want?" asked Lisa. She was petrified.
"Straight to the point. I like that," he said. Shaft started to circle her.
Lisa finally tore here eyes away from him and looked at her surroundings. She was standing in a vast nothingness. A white mist wrapped around her and stretched on no matter what direction she looked. Even below her feet.
"Finding everything ok? Do you want something to make yourself more comfortable?" Shaft waved his hand and her dress turned into a white ballroom gown. Lisa gasped. "We're going to be here for awhile, so I think you should be at ease," he said. "Too extravagant? How's this?" With another wave, her gown disappeared. Lisa looked down and screamed. She was completely naked. Shaft laughed. The lizards hooted. "Please, you don't have anything I haven't seen before!" Tears streaming down her face, Lisa tried desperately to cover herself up. Shaft chuckled and materialized a small red dress in his hand. He tossed it to her saying "I guess you aren't that uninhibited as I thought. You sure looked that way however, after watching you with the count."
Lisa caught the dress and hastily pulled it on. "You monster!" she fumed, "I do not know what you want, but you will never succeed. Once I tell the count…"
"Spare me," Shaft said. "Its too late for him to interfere. Now as for what I want, I'll keep it simple. Your child."
Lisa's eyes went wide. "Now!?"
Shaft roared in laughter. "No, but soon. When you give birth, I'll take your son."
"Never!" Lisa fumed. "Once I tell the count, he will have your head on a platter."
Shaft continued to laugh. "I doubt that. He's gotten soft lately. Plus you'll never see him again, I'll see to that!" He walked over to her. She backed away until she was almost into the lizards. A serious look covered Shaft's face. Lifting his hands, he started to chant in another language. Minutes passed. Lisa was on her knees, thinking madly. She could NEVER submit to him. Just as she resolved to get up and attack him, a shriek rose up from within the lizards. The dark reptiles scattered and ran everywhere, while Shaft lowered his hands. "BLOODY HELL!" he roared, then lowered his face. "This isn't the end. Not by any means." With that, he vanished.
Lisa sat there in confusion. Then the endless whiteness around her started to swirl around her. The mist produced a funnel around her, churning around until it reached a frightening momentum. Closing her eyes and lowering her head until her forehead touched her knees, Lisa screamed. Suddenly, the mist spread out and the funnel dissipated. Slowly lifting her head, Lisa found herself in a large meadow filled with colorful flowers. A pleasant breeze was all that remained of the winding conduit.
Lisa stood up and saw a woman walking toward her. She in her late teens, perhaps eighteen, with long, dark red hair and an oval shaped face. Her dress was odd, making her look almost like a priestess or some other high-ranking person.
Lisa breathed in sharply when she saw pointed ears on the girl.
The girl walked right up to her and smiled. "Hello, Lisa. My name is Din. I've come here to help you," she said.
"As have we," came some voices behind Lisa. Turning, she saw two more young women approaching her. They looked exactly like Din except one had blue hair and the other had green. "We've all come to help you, child," said the one with green hair. She took stopped in front of Lisa and took her hands into her own. "My name is Farore," she said. Gesturing to the blue one, she continued, "This is my sister, Naryu. I assume you have some questions?"
What is going on? Who are you? Why is Shaft after my child? What will become of my love and me? She shook her head.
Nayru smiled. "She is confused. Perhaps if went ahead and do what we came here for?" The other two nodded and Nayru placed her hand on Lisa's shoulder and pointed to her right. Looking over, Lisa saw nothing at first. Then the air became wavy, like ripples in water. "We are going to show you the future. We are going to show you your child. He will grow up to be a fine young man. And he will grow up to be a horrible monster. He will be loved and hated. He will both love and hate." Lisa's bewilderment grew. Images started to race across the air in front of her. Lisa watched as several scenes played out before her.
-A large field came into view. The plains were dark and torn apart. Two large armies came into view. On one side there was horrific monsters, demons and other indescribable things. The other army consisted of humans. The 'window' flew down and showed a close-up of the human army. Lisa gasped when she saw the faces of the humans. They all had pointed ears, like the triplets. The window came to focus on a certain young man, in his early twenties and dressed in all green. His face was extremely cute, with a rugged side to it she found appealing. Lisa guessed that lots of women would agree. About 5'8, he had the built of an athlete, with a sword and shield strapped to his back. He was arguing with what was obviously a commanding officer. She couldn't make out what they say, as there was no sound with the picture. Suddenly, the commander pointed toward the direction of the opposing forces. The young man looked out towards where he was pointing and a look of total astonishment came over him. The window panned out towards where the commander was pointing. In front of the other army was a man on horseback. He rode up to confront the two young men. As his appearance became clearer, Lisa nearly dropped two her knees. The man leading the demonic army looked just like a younger version of her Dracula. Lisa knew for sure that this was her son. He rode up till he was exactly in between the two opposing forces. The young man in green ran up to her son, yelling and looking excited. Her son swung off his horse as the young man approached him. The two engaged in a conversation. The green man's face went from excited, to confusion, and finally to anger. The two were soon shouting at each other. Both drew their swords and charged. Just before they met, the window faded out-
-The next scene that came up was inside a large room in a castle. The room is filled up with more people with pointed ears (at this point, Lisa understood everybody would have pointed ears). She assumed that they were all important officials, by the looks of their clothing. A man, most likely the king, was sitting on a throne talking to someone dressed like a farmer. Beside and behind the farmer cowered a child. The window rolled down for a close up of the child. It was her son again. Younger, about 13, and looking scared. The farmer and the king continued to engage in a conversation. Then, everyone looked over and the picture showed a beautiful young girl, about 10, walking into the room. She was probably a princess, with blonde hair and a face that told Lisa that she would grow up to be an attractive women. Everyone except the king bowed as she walked up to him. Something about the princess' demeanor and countenance told Lisa that she was more intelligent than her age let on. The king talked with her and nodded toward the farmer and her son. The girl peered at him. A look of complete hate and revulsion came over the princess, and she pointed at Lisa's son, yelling. The whole room went into an uproar and her child had a look of sheer terror pass over his face. The scene faded-
-Lisa saw a ranch under a starry sky and bright full moon appeared in the window. The large ranch was on a vast hill with a great fenced corral in the middle. The window soared over it, giving a majestic view of the land. A two-story house and a large barn came into sight. Just as the picture came to rest, the front door opened up and her son came out. This was her best time to really look at him. She saw his father's nose and lips on him. He had long hair that spilled down to his lower back. Lisa noted the powerful frame, much like Dracula's, though he wasn't as tall. In this vision, he looked like he was in his early twenties. He rushed out, checking his gear like he was in a hurry to go on a long trip. He stopped suddenly and spun around as a young woman came out of the same door. She looked to be about 16, much smaller then him. Her face had a classic beauty, but her greatest asset was her flaming red hair, which tumbled over her shoulders and down her back. The two spoke quickly with one another. The small woman seemed to be pleading with him, as she was grabbing his hands and shaking her head. He had a determined look in his face and pointed forcibly in a direction away from the ranch. Suddenly she threw herself onto him, locking her arms around his body. He embraces her back, and they stood there for a few moments. Then he pries her arms off. Turning, he walked away from the ranch in hurried steps. Just before he disappeared from view, he stopped, turned around and waved to the girl. She wave back and watched him vanish below the hill. The window remained on her as she continued to look in the direction Lisa's son went, then turned and went back into the house. Lisa saw tears streaming down the girl's face. The scene fade-
-A dark dungeon-like cell came into view. Lisa was horrified to see her son chained to the wall. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days; his face and body was covered in dirt. A door opened and a young woman dressed elegantly came into view. Lisa recognized her as the older version of the princess she saw earlier. She was right in guessing that the girl would grow up to be gorgeous. The princess had a heart-shaped face framed with golden locks. She looked at Lisa's son with a look that was a cross between pity and aversion. The two began talking while the young green man from the first vision walked in. The young man began to speak heatedly with the princess. He pointed to her son, like he was demanding something. The scene faded-
-Another cell came into focus. This time, the princess was there, chained to the wall. Beside her, a young man was also chained to the wall. He had a long face with large purple eyes and purple hair. The two seemed engaged in a hushed conversation, as they looked cautiously around them. The door to the cell opened up and her son walked in. He had an evil look on his face that made Lisa wary. The three began talking. Suddenly the blonde man lurched out as far as the chains would let him, screaming at her son. The girl called out, but her son pulled out a dagger from his belt and plunged it into the heart of the purple haired man. The scene faded-
-A clearing inside a wooded area faded in. It was dusk. The young princess, dressed as a commoner, and her son stood facing each other. The princess began speaking to him. She talked on for minutes while he listened closely. The girl had as sad, distant look on her face, like she was recalling a memory. Her son's expression began to fall apart. Tears started coming down and he fell to his knees with his hands in his face. The princess watched him with a heartbreaking gaze on her face. Lowering slowly, she wrapped her arms around him. The scene faded-
Lisa continued to stare into the empty space even as the window disappeared. Images confused her to no end. Turning, she looked at the three young triplets. "What is it that I saw?"
"You saw a few of the more important moments in your son's life. A few," Farore said.
"He is important for the sake of the future of our world," said Din.
"'Our world?'" Lisa replied, puzzled.
"We are merely visitors to your world, your earth. We came here for your son," Nayru answered.
"My son? NO! Why can I not have my son? Why can I not raise him like a normal child?" Lisa cried.
"You can never raise him as a normal child," Din replied. "He is the son of a vampire."
"You must trust us, it will turn out for the best when he comes with us. This was written by fate. You cannot change it." Nayru said.
"Yes, he will make many people very happy," said a new voice behind her. Lisa turned and saw a small, wiry man with a big, goofy looking grin on his face. He had a short crop of light red hair on his head, parted in the middle. "But not before bringing them much unhappiness. Pity."
Nayru smiled, Farore frowned and Din looked indifferent. "What are you doing here little brother?" Farore asked. "This is our job, go back to your little shop." The strange man gave out a loopy kind of laugh and continued toward Lisa.
"We mustn't underestimate our enemy," he said. "He makes too many people too unhappy. I can't have that. So I thought that I might help out." He stopped in front of Lisa. Normally such an odd kind of person would have made Lisa extremely uneasy. Yet she felt at ease with him. She even felt kind of… happy. He continued to smile and said, "By the way, my name is Lokus. I love to make people happy. So I will be there to help your son, to guide him, if you will."
At this, Nayru smiled, Farore threw up her hands in disgust and Din merely shrugged, saying, "You better be careful. Fate has a way of punishing those who mess with it."
Lokus looked over at them and replied, "I'm well aware of the consequences of tampering with destiny. And I'm not going to try and change the path Alucard will walk on. I merely will smooth out some of the bumps."
Alucard? Is that what my son's name will be? Lisa thought.
Farore sighed. Lokus was a continuing nuisance in her life, but he was harmless. And he DID have good intentions. Besides, Nayru loved him and Din tolerated him. "Fine, but be warned, I will hold you responsible if you mess this up. And you cannot shield him from everything. How will he grow strong if he doesn't learn to deal with pain?" Somehow, Lisa thought she wasn't talking about physical pain. Lokus smiled again and turned to bow at Lisa. He then walked off, disappearing into thin air before her eyes.
The three spirits, as Lisa concluded they were, all turned to her and smiled. "We must go now. But you will be pleased to know that you will keep your son through the early years of his childhood," said Din. "Do your best as a mother and instill as much value and knowledge into him as possible. He will turn out to be a fine young man." Apparently finished the three spirits backed off. "You will soon wake up. Good day to you, Lisa."
'Fine young man'? Thought Lisa. He stabbed someone in cold blood! She shuddered as the vision passed through her head.
Farore and Din turned and started to walk off. Nayru hesitated. The two other sisters looked back at her. "Come, Nayru, our job is finished for now," Din said.
Nayru shook her head. "I want to show her one more vision. We need to show her the last one."
Din sighed. "We agreed that it would not be shown. It will be too much for her. Nayru looked pleadingly at Farore. Farore looked between the two of them. Finally, she walked up to Lisa again.
"Do you wish to see one more vision? It will not be pleasant. We debated to no end on whether it would be wise to show you or not." She said. Lisa thought about it. She had to know. So she nodded.
Nayru smiled sadly and came over to hold Lisa's hand. This is not a good sign, she thought. Din shrugged again and waved her hand. The air before Lisa shimmered again.
* * *
Lisa woke up, shaken from the final vision she saw. It was horrific. But strangely, it made her more determined then ever to see it through. The three strange spirits were right. One couldn't fight fate. Especially if you were just an ordinary woman. Lisa rolled over, still tired. Her last thought before falling into a blessedly normal sleep was: So it will be a he. And his name will be Alucard.
~Well, chapter 2 is under the belt. A real trippy one too! No, I was NOT smoking anything. Anyway, this chapter, in case you haven't figured it out, is a sort of preview of upcoming events. Like Farore said, only a few events. They are certainly important. I'm sure you all picked out Link, Zelda, Talon and Malon from the 'window' into the future. But who was that mysterious purple haired man? What was a war doing in Hyrule? Are Alucard and Malon going to fall in love? Well, you'll find out soon enough. Just be patient, as I have a lot to do.
~DarthVegita~
