New Generation
Chapter IX
Alexander the
Great,
his name struck fear into hearts of men.
Alexander the Great,
became a god amongst mortal men-
"Alexander the Great"-Iron Maiden
Around eight o'clock the next morning Alcander was returning to his room after a brief visit to the bottom floor of the inn when he happened to catch Dana leaving his brother's bedroom. Dana did not walk in his direction, but instead walked in the opposite direction to one of the inn's other exits. Curious as to her visit, Alcander knocked on his brother's bedroom door.
When Lysander opened the door with a beaming smile on his face. "Good morning, Cander."
"Good morning, Sander. I noticed Dana left your room a few minutes ago, and she left to one of the other exits in the inn. What did she want?"
"See just wanted to say 'bye.'"
"How did she go home last night? She was still here when I finally decided to go to bed. Did you take her home?"
"I offered to, but she refused. She spent the night with me instead," Lysander added with a big smile.
"She did!?"
"Yes, Cander, she did."
"Did you…"
"Have sex with her?" he replied with a broad grin. "Sure did."
"Bullshit!" exclaimed Alcander. He found it hard to believe that Lysander could meet a girl for the first time and end up sleeping with her.
Lysander laughed. "No, no bullshit about it. I took her right there on that bed," he added, pointing to his bed.
"Well then…" Alcander began, trying to overcome the shock of his brother's revelation; "I guess that means I can have Jessica now."
"What makes you think that?" Lysander asked, maintaining his grin
"Well, I'd say you're with Dana and…"
"I wouldn't say that I'm with her. We had one night of romance, but it may never go anywhere from that point on."
"You think she might have any regrets?"
"Maybe, but I won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because that's a woman thing, not a man's…well, there is one exception to that rule that I can think of."
"What's that?"
"Dad told me once he had regrets."
"You mean after being with Mom?"
"No, I mean he had some regrets after he found out she was pregnant with you."
"Oh, shut up, asshole!" Alcander replied, while he playfully punched his brother in the arm.
Lysander playfully shoved his brother back, and the two brothers laughed until their older cousin entered the room.
"Hey Sander, Cander, lets have breakfast before we depart to the last town in our journey."
"All right, Christian," responded Alcander. "We'll be downstairs in a few minutes." And returning to his brother he asked him, "Sander, you said a few minutes ago that you wouldn't have any regrets, but what if Dana happened to become pregnant?"
"She won't."
"How do you know?"
"Because I used the technique that I overheard Dad talk about when Mom used to tell him that she didn't want to have anymore children."
"You did that?!" Alcander exclaimed.
"Yes."
"And she let you?"
"She did."
"Damn! I thought you also said that you overheard Dad say that Mom wouldn't allow him to do it?"
"He did say that, but Dana let me."
"Damn!"
"Hey, both of you!" Christian said, interrupting them again. "We need to have breakfast now, because I want to drill Brian a little more before we leave for the final town."
"All right, we're going downstairs right now!" declared Lysander.
*
After the four had breakfast, and Christian drilled Brian for an hour, the party set out for the village that sits at the base of Castle Dracula. "I wonder why sometimes," Brian began, "why people would build a village right below the Castle?"
"The village was probably there before The Castle was," Christian replied. "Additionally, despite that, Vlad Tepes was not always a vampire."
"Speaking of the Castle," Lysander said, interjecting himself into the conversation, "I thought that I might have overheard Dad say something years ago that when Dracula came back twelve years ago that the Castle did not appear right away. Yet this time the Castle immediately returned. I don't understand that."
"Neither do I," replied Alcander, "but then again I guess there's a lot of things that I'll never understand."
"That goes with all of us," Christian responded.
Brian offered no comment to the discussion between the Belmont and Tepes relatives. He only looked straight ahead on the Borgo Pass road. He refused to raise his eyes and look at the Castle that was growing larger and larger with every step the horse took. Eventually his eyes spotted something that was a lot more refreshing, a cross. "Hey, is that the town right there?" he asked, pointing to the cross.
"Yes, Brian," replied Christian, "that is the town, and that town is unique. For in the walls of that town have slept not only my parents, but also my ancestors Simon, Trevor, and Leon Belmont. There is a lot of Belmont history within the walls of that village."
"I guess that's also where Dad stayed when he traveled with Uncle Richter?" said Alcander.
"Yes," Christian responded. "That was also the community where your father received the praise along with my father for destroying Dracula."
"Hopefully the same will happen with us," added Brian.
"Yes, Brian," Christian replied. "So long as our faith is strong, we shall be the last ones standing."
When the four entered the village Christian decided to send Brian in this time to purchase the rooms while he, Lysander, and Alcander placed the horses in the stable. Inside the stable Christian said, "we'll have to pay the innkeeper to keep them here for us."
"Why?" asked Lysander. "Aren't we going to ride them up the hill to the Castle's entrance?"
"No," replied Christian. "There is nowhere to secure them, and it's not safe. Dracula's fiends would slaughter them within moments of tying them up."
"Christian," Alcander began, "on foot how long will it take us to reach the Castle's entrance?"
"It will be a good couple of hours," he told them; "but at least we'll be entering while there's still daylight."
"Well, the horses are secure. Shall we go inside now, Christian?" asked Lysander.
"Yes, Sander, we shall."
Inside the inn's tavern the three found Brian sipping brandy at the bar, and noticed that the bartender was smoking opium. "Opium!" the three exclaimed to themselves.
"Excuse me sir," Lysander began, approaching the bartender; "would you mind if we took a small puff of your pipe, because it would certainly make us feel better?"
"By all means, sir," the bartender replied. "I'm smoking some for the same reason. The appearance of Castle Dracula makes the citizens of this town very nervous, including myself. I won't leave my house to go home at night ever since the Castle returned. I've been sleeping on a cot in the back room."
"Well, at least you've got plenty of liquor in that back room," joked Alcander.
"Yes, but if I drink the profits, I'll lose my job."
"Good point," Alcander added, while the bartended presented his pipe to each member of the party to take one puff of it.
After Christian, Lysander, Alcander, and Brian were put in a perfect state of utopia the bartender prepared their drinks and said to them, "I can see by how you're dressed you're going on a journey. Where are you headed?"
Christian took a sip of his liquor and said, "To destroy the Castle that places its shadow on this village."
The bartender almost dropped his pipe at Christian's words. "Reeally?"
"Yes, sir," replied Christian. "We're here to destroy the owner of that Castle."
The bartender eyed Christian and asked him, "You're not a Belmont, are you?"
Christian nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm Christian Belmont, son of Richter Belmont," and gesturing to each member in his party he added, "these are my cousins Lysander and Alcander Tepes. They are the sons of my uncle, Adrian Tepes. This other gentleman is our companion, Brian Falkner."
The bartender smiled. "Well, there's always one thing God will do for this village."
"What's that?" asked Christian.
"Whenever evil is lurking on our door He sends a Belmont to face it for us."
Christian smiled at the bartender's remark and added, "I believe that God brought all of us here. The last couple of times that Dracula has returned God has sent my uncle to help my father, now God has sent my cousins to help me." And not wanting to leave Brian out he added, "And Brian, you're here to serve a special purpose with us."
"What do you think that is?" asked Brian.
"I don't know yet, but I've watched you improve everyday when I drill you. You're certainly worthy to follow us into battle."
Brian smiled at the senior member of his party and said, "Thank you, Christian."
"You're welcome, Brian." Christian then took a moment to look at everyone's glass and noticed that they were empty. "Looks like we could all use one more drink. Barkeep, serve us another round!"
The bartender poured the drinks that Christian requested, but when Christian tried to pay him the bartender placed the money back into Christian's hand. "No charge, Mr. Belmont. For your service, and for the service of your ancestors this drink is on the house."
*
At ten o'clock the next morning the party attended Mass at St. Mary's church and received the sacraments of penance and Eucharist, before climbing the long slope to Castle Dracula "I wonder what the inside of the Castle is like?" asked Brian.
"Dad always said that the interior of Castle Dracula can change," Lysander told him.
"Right," added Alcander, "the only thing in the Castle that is constantly the same is Dracula's throne room, which is on the sixth level of the Castle."
"Well, I haven't been inside the Castle for sixteen years, and what memories I have, I don't want to remember," responded Christian.
When the four finally reached the Castle entrance Christian turned to them and said, "if you guys would with me," and he gave the Sign of the Cross, which everyone followed. "Lord, may our courage and strength in you be unwavering. Amen." The party then closed with the Sign of the Cross and entered the Castle.
