~ Chapter Four ~
* * The Dream * *
White.
Everything was a sterile white. The walls, the floor, the ceiling, all you could see was this white. It were the surroundings of a hospital.
Screams.
A woman in pain. She is with the doctor behind this door over there. It is the door you can see a man pacing before. He seems nervous. Nervous, agitated and a bit frightened. He hates it.
He hates to feel this helpless.
The door opens and a young man comes out. At the first look he seems not old enough to be a doctor. He is older than you think.
"You have two beautiful and healthy sons, brother."
The man stops his pacing. "Son, I have a son? No, I have TWO sons. I have twins. Two healthy little boys…"
You don't want to listen to him much longer. He shows the same gratitude most fathers show shortly after their children's birth. Yes, he is quite happy.
The room is pink. The furniture, the draperies and the clothes in the cupboards. It is the mother's bedroom. The father is not allowed to enter this rooms. He wouldn't like to anyway.
A middle aged woman sits beside the bed. She holds two little bundles in her arms. One has blond hair like his mother, the other black like his father. Like night and day.
"Why do you think you have to do this? Why do you have to listen to your father, daughter?" the woman asks.
"You know it is for the best." This is the only answer the woman gets. The only answer her daughter is willing to give.
The woman looks at the bundles, her grandchildren. She sees perfection and beauty in the blond one. She knows he will live a happy life. The dark one on the other side…
He has the same eyes as his father the woman thinks. The same jet black hair. She looks at the baby's face and smiles. "You will find your true love in no time, little one. Oh, don't look at me as if you don't believe what I say."
She thought the baby smirking at her full of mischief. He is like his father. Exactly like him.
It never came to her that the little boy looked nothing like his father. She didn't think much about the baby's face…
"You can't do that, Father. It will be his death!"
The voice bellowed through the halls. It was the babies' father.
"I can and I will, Son. You can rant as much you like, you will never accomplish me changing my orders."
They didn't hear the doors opening, so engrossed were the two men in their arguing. The boys' grandmother frowned at the sight of the old conflict between father and son.
"Son, Husband, I bring you the children." Her voice was calm. She hoped to tame the hate between the two men she loved.
"Let me see them, Mother." There were tears in his eyes which he tried to hide. His father would not approve of this show of emotions.
"I am sorry." With these words she laid one of the boys on a nearby table. With a blinding flash of light the dark twin vanished. Her job was done. Damn you, that you forced me to do this. Damn you, that you made me hurt my son.
"You are not allowed to have any contact with the remaining child till his adulthood." Her husband took the blond baby and left with a rain of sparkles.
"Why? Why, Mother? Does he hate me that much? Is he that afraid of me?" Now the tears flew freely. In the arms of his mother he could be the man he really was. In his mother's arms there was no need to play the tough warrior.
"I don't know. I really don't know."
He is pacing.
He is pacing and talking to himself.
He is planning something.
The young man watched his uncle with interest. "What cha doin, Unc?"
His uncle stopped and looked at his nephew. It was like he only now remembers the young man was in the room.
"I have a job for you, Strife."
He wanted to die. He wanted to die and be buried next to his love. Nothing of this was allowed.
After the battle he came home, only to hear his love was dead. His love committed suicide. Thinking him dead his love climbed the castle's tower and sprang into the river which ran in the gorge beside the building. He was devastated.
And now he had nothing. Nothing to live for, nothing to fight for, simply nothing. But was his wish granted? No.
He was on the floor beside his love's body. His tears went dry a long time ago. He thought he was going insane. He heard voices without bodies.
"And you think he is the right one for this?"
"Unc, look at him. He is perfect. One of the best warriors of this era and he isn't wanted by the Master of Boredom."
"The Christian god doesn't want him? What did he do?"
"He was mourning his dead love. They thought it a sacrilege."
"Punishment?"
"He is eternal and nocturnal, Uncle. Like I said perfect for the job."
One of the voices was addressing him. "Hey, wake up. I said wake up… what's his name, Strife?"
"Vlad Tepez Draculea, Dracula for the writers."
"Well then, wake up Drake. You have a mission…"
T O B E C O N T I N U E D