New Generation

Chapter XVII

I felt the coldness of my winter.
I never thought it would ever go.
I curse the gloom that set upon us,
but I know that I love you so.
But I know that I love you so.
These are the seasons of emotion,
and like the winds they rise and fall.
This is the wonder of devotion
I see the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient.
Above us all a little rain must fall-
 "The Rain Song"-Led Zeppelin

     The time was three in the morning, but Alcander was unable to sleep.  His mind drifted from thought to thought.  "In a few days I guess we'll be home again.  I have to admit, I do miss sleeping in my own bed, but this has been an incredible adventure.  Thank God all of us lived through it though.  We risked our lives facing a monster that turned out to be our grandfather.  I wonder what Dad will say when Sander and I bring it up?  Speaking of Sander, I guess that Mom and Dad will have to meet Dana, because I think she'll be in Sander's life for a while; or at least she sure sounds like it, because I think that's her moaning on the other side of the walls.  Of course, Dana wants to travel.  Will Sander go with her?  Probably.  Sander, after all, said to Jessica and me that he was tired of our village that has never changed for centuries.  Jessica.  That's a name that keeps coming back into my mind.  I realize that I did everything I could to save her, and that when I come home she'll be there.  But will she be there?  How do I know something else didn't happen to her?  I guess this is just one of those things that you have to leave in God's hands.

*

     At noon the party set out for home.  Dana rode beside Lysander, but Lysander confided to Alcander that he wished Dana would have left her horse at the inn's stable and rode with him.  To which Alcander replied, "From what I hear it seems like you 'ride her' every night.  I'd quit your bitching if I was you." 

     A few days later Christian, Lysander, Alcander, and Brian returned to their hometown.

     "So this is where all of you live?" asked Dana.

     "Yes, this our village.  Hasn't changed a day for probably the last five hundred years," responded Lysander.

     "Must get pretty boring."

     "I know.  That's why I've considered traveling to other lands.  After the adventure I've had I don't think anything can scare me."

     The party continued on a steady gallop until they were spotted by some of their fellow citizens.  "Welcome home!" one of them declared, as he nodded his head in respect to the party.  "We learned through other members of our community that you had set off to destroy the Castle.  We were filled with joy when we woke up a few days ago to see it no longer present in our lives."

     "Yes," Christian replied, "both the Castle and its master are no more!"

     Shortly after Christian completed his sentence another member of their village came to offer thanks to the party.  Eventually villager after villager joined in praising the four young heroes.  Dana was in awe over the respect Lysander, Alcander, Christian, and Brian were receiving.  Here they are not even twenty, save Christian, and the citizens of their village are treating them like royalty.

    "We shall prepare a great feast for all of you," echoed one villager.  "Please come to the square this evening!"

     "Thank you," replied Christian; "and we will certainly be there, but for right now we'd like to get back to our families."

     "Understandable, Mr. Belmont, but please come by the tavern this evening.  We'll serve the drinks!"

    "Thank you, we will."

     The party arrived first at Brian's house.  Christian turned to him and smiled.  "Well, Brian is it good to be home?"

     "Yes, it is," he said, mirroring Christian's smile.  "But at the same time, everything seems so much different."

     "I think that's because you grew up some on this journey.  It's not everyday that a 15 year old goes one on one with Vlad the Impaler."

     Brian laughed.  "No, that's certainly true."

     "Shall we see you in the bar this evening?"

     "Yes."

     "Good, I'm sure it will be a great time."

     "Take care Brian," Lysander, Alcander, and Dana said simultaneously.

     After Brian left the party Christian turned to his two cousins and asked, "So how would you describe your view of Brian now that our journey has concluded?"

     "I think I've grown to respect him more than I ever did at the start of the journey," Alcander said.

     "I'm with Cander on that," added Lysander.

     "Good.  He's not a bad person, but he did need some growing up.  Of course, he got a really quick course into it."  After Christian completed his sentence his horse came to a complete stop.

     "What is it Christian?" asked Lysander.

     "I think I'm going to turn home.  I want to visit my parents and sister first, then I'll come by and visit Uncle Adrian and Aunt Maria."

     "Say hello to everyone for us," added Alcander.

     "Don't worry, I will."  Lysander, Alcander, and Dana waved goodbye to Christian as he galloped away from them. 

          After Christian left the party Alcander said to his brother, "Sander, I want to go to Jessica's first.  Tell Mom and Dad that I'm safe and that I'll see them soon, but I just have to visit her parents.  I can't help but wonder if she's all right."

     Lysander nodded.  "I understand, Cander.  Would you like me to come with you?"

     "No, that's all right.  I'll talk to them myself."

     "Very well then," Lysander replied, as he and Dana galloped toward the Tepes residence. 

     "Lysander," began Dana, "who's this Jessica that your brother's talking about?"

     "Someone who Cander has a crush on.  We were afraid though that she was trapped in Dracula's Castle, but we never found her, even after intense searching.  I don't believe that she ever was there, and I think Cander finally came to the conclusion that she wasn't either."

     "So where do you think that she was?"

     "Hopefully, she's at home with her parents, but…"

     "Yes?"

     "Well, I would be worried if she wasn't.  That's why I offered Cander if he wanted me to go with him."

     "Well, maybe you still should."

     "No, I trust my brother when he said that he could handle it.  Besides, if Jessica is home I'm sure that he would like to have the privilege of being alone with her."  He paused to look at Dana and smile, "Besides, I've got you to worry about now."

     Dana giggled and replied, "You didn't seem too worried those last couple of nights at the inns about anything."

     "No, I'm not worried about anything right now," Lysander said leaning over his horse to kiss Dana.

*

     Alcander took two deep breaths before knocking on the Sage's front door.  Jessica's father answered the door and exclaimed, "You're alive!"

     Alcander was relieved that Jessica's father was so calm.  "Yes, I'm alive, but I'm sorry."

     "About what?"

     "That I wasn't able to find Jessica.  We, my companions and I, searched everywhere in the Castle, but we simply couldn't find her."

     "Well, why would you?"

     "Huh?"

     "Jessica was never in the Castle to start with.  She's right here with us…Oh, that's right, I forgot!"

     "Huh?"

     "I remember the last time you were here that I thought maybe that Dracula captured her.  Well, he didn't, which is a good thing.  She…oh, why don't I just have her tell you?  Jessica!"

     "Yes, Daddy?" Jessica said, as she charged down the stairs.  She was wearing a beautiful red dress similar to the dress that Alcander saw his grandmother wear in the mirror at Dracula's Castle.  Jessica's face became radiant when she noticed that Alcander was standing in her doorway.  "Alcander!  You're alive!"  She charged Alcander and embraced him, and Alcander responded by lifting her off the ground to spin her around.  Jessica giggled at Alcander's embrace, and also for the fact that she made him blush.  "Your green eyes and blonde hair really stand out when your cheeks turn red," she said, teasing him while she ran her fingers through his hair.

     "Jessica," her father began, "this young man believed that you were being held by Vlad Tepes, and he risked his life searching for you in his Castle.  Along with defeating him as well, I take it?"

     "Yes, although it was my brother, Lysander, who actually delivered the final blow."

     "Well, I'd be interested in hearing your story, but I told you that Jessica would tell you exactly what happened to her that night.  So Jessica if you would please."

     "Yes, Daddy."  She cupped Alcander's hands into hers and said, "Alcander, please follow me into the forest."  Alcander smiled, and allowed Jessica to lead him into the forest doing his best not to have Jessica's father notice that he was staring at her backside.

     When they entered the forest Alcander and Jessica sat down on a large rock.  The two continued to hold hands when Alcander asked her, "So what happened that night Jessica?"

     "I had trouble sleeping that night, and I decided to go for a walk.  I had to be very quiet because I didn't want to wake my parents, but I thought that I almost did when I accidentally knocked the icon off the wall in my bedroom.  Perhaps I shouldn't have entered the woods after dark.  My parents always told me not to, but I did so anyway.  I was sitting on this very rock when a cloud of fog suddenly appeared.  It was an extremely thick cloud of fog.  I never saw fog that was so thick, but the fog wasn't able to cover the moon, and it was through the moonlight that I saw the towers of Castle Dracula.  I had never seen the Castle before, but I knew where it was located and where it could be seen from our village.  I was terrified, and didn't know what to do.  I was afraid that Dracula was close, and that he would capture me and drink my blood.  I could barely see to make it back to my parents house, so I went to another place that I knew was safe."

     "Where's that?"

     "Did you know that there's a convent in these woods?"

     "Yes."

     "That's where I went.  I don't know how many times I crossed myself, or how many prayers I said because I believed that they were my only means of protection.  I pounded on the convent door, and the sisters let me in.  They were in constant prayer, because they too had seen the Castle.  I stayed with them until sometime in the afternoon.  It was after I returned home that I learned that you and your brother had been here and that you thought I'd been kidnapped by Dracula."

     "There were signs that made us wonder.  The icon on the floor was certainly one of them."

     "Well, I wasn't, but I was so worried."

     "About Vlad Tepes?"

     "No, about you.  You and your brother, but I was a little more worried about you."

     "Why?"

     "Well, I thought that you went into Dracula's Castle mostly to save me."

     "Well, you were a factor on our minds, but we had actually been training our whole lives to possibly face Vlad the Impaler.  That's why Dad made Sander and me do all those exercises after school."

     "I realize that now."

     "Jessica?"

     "Yes?"

     "Why were you a little more worried about me?"

     "Well, umm, how can I say this?  I kind of liked you a little bit more than your brother."

     "Really?!"

     Jessica giggled while she motioned a well-manicured hand through Alcander's hair.  "Yes, really.  But I'm so glad that you're safe."

     "Thank you, I'm glad that you're safe as well," Alcander added as he motioned his fingers through Jessica's shinny curls.  Jessica smiled, just before Alcander leaned forward and locked his lips with hers.  He massaged her arms and said, "Would you mind if I stopped by and saw you later this evening?"

     "No."

     "No?"

     "No, I don't want you to stop by later this evening because I want to spend the rest of the day with you."

*

     Alcander approached his house with Jessica at his side.  Lysander and Dana were obviously inside when Alcander opened the front door to let himself in.  Once Maria noticed her that youngest son had returned home, she immediately embraced him.  Alcander loved his mother's warmth, but he also felt slightly embarrassed with his mother hugging him as though he were still a baby with Jessica standing at his side.  She said nothing, however, only laughed, and Alcander introduced her to his mother.

     "Looks like both my boys have a girl on their arm," she said with a smile.

     "Both?" asked Jessica.

     "Yeah, Sander has a girl with him that he met along our journey to Castle Dracula," Alcander told her.

     "Oh, well, I'll have to meet her."

     "She's in the sitting room conversing with your father," Maria said to Alcander.  "I'm sure your Dad can't…"

     "Alcander?" Adrian said, jumping into the conversation.

     "Yes?"

     Adrian smiled, and stepped forward to hug his youngest son.  Now Alcander was really embarrassed, but again, Jessica just smiled.  "Pleasure to meet you Miss Sage," Adrian said to her.

     "Same to you, Mr. Tepes."

     "Alcander, why don't you direct this beautiful young woman into our sitting room?  Lysander and Dana are already present.  But, you'll need to excuse yourself from her.  I need to talk to you in private.  There's something regarding our history that I'm sure you want to know about?"

     "Yes, Dad, there is, thanks."

     "Well, I'm going to tell you everything that you want to know."

The End

+ Cody + 

     So there you have it!  If anybody has an idea for a sequel please send your thoughts to cody.hayes@sbcglobal.net