Year 1712, Budapest, Hungary
I arrived in Budapest one week after the count's visit, and just in time for the masquerade. It was a lively time of year in the Hungarian city, and late that afternoon people still crowded the streets celebrating All Hallow's Eve. By sunset, however, many of them had begun to lock their doors for the night. They knew what All Hallow's Eve truly meant: the one day of the year that the dead could rise up and walk the earth. I laughed to myself. Little did they know that the dead walked the earth whenever they wished, and did not wait for one night a year.
I had assumed that Dracula knew that I was coming, and I had never replied to his invitation. I had been right: as soon as my carriage entered the city there was a rider waiting to escort me to the palace.
We made our way through the ancient city, and at last I looked out through the carriage window at the enormous palace. The sun was just setting, and as I stepped out I noticed that a few guests were already arriving. The ball would begin around midnight, and I was sure that it would be full of the undead.
A well dressed servant led me through the large, ornate palace doors and into the enormous foyer, then up a winding staircase to a door. Unlocking it, he led me inside, never speaking a word. Apparently this was to be my chamber while I was a guest of Dracula's. But I was sure that no guest would be staying in a chamber such as this.
Gold was everywhere: the ceiling, the walls, even the floor seemed to be dusted in gold. It covered the furniture as well, and the large canopy bed that was draped in golden material.
I had expected Dracula to come to me as soon as I arrived, but he did not. After I had changed into my ball gown and made myself ready for the ball, I relaxed in the luxury that surrounded me. To my joy I discovered that there was a harpsichord at one end of the room, and I entertained myself by playing it for a while.
Nearing midnight I peered out a window to see many carriages below on the street, and guests still entering the palace. I decided to make my way down to the ballroom, and when I turned I found Dracula standing a few feet in front of me. As usual he was dressed all in black, but tonight he wore a magnificent cape that fastened at the neck, with a high collar. He smiled, looking me up and down with a pleased look.
"I'm very glad to see that you accepted my invitation, my love. And as always, your beauty leaves me speechless." With this he took my hand and kissed it softly, his eyes still on me. "I am truly grateful for your presence here, Katrina. Having you by my side tonight means a great deal to me."
"I hope that it does. The journey from London was less than comfortable," I said with a slight smile.
Dracula laughed, and I was somewhat relieved that he seemed to be in a good mood. "Well I am sorry for your inconvenience, my dear. I suppose that I will just have to make it up to you," he said with a grin. "I think so," I said smiling back. He then held out his hand to me. "I believe that it is about time for the masquerade to begin. And we wouldn't want to keep my guests waiting, now would we?"
"Of course not," I answered, caught in his eyes. They were deeper than I remembered, and seemed to pull me in. I took his hand, and together we made our way out of the room and down the sweeping staircase to the ballroom.
The ballroom was magnificently decorated as it had been two hundred years ago when I last saw it, and everywhere there were guests in extravagant costumes. On one side of the hall an orchestra played strange, enchanting music. On the other side there were several long tables filled with magnificent food of every kind, and for the first time in years I wished that I was able to enjoy the taste of food.
But blood satisfied all the hunger that I had now, and soon I found myself searching the crowd for a human who would be an easy meal. There were many mortals in the crowd -- no doubt the very richest of Hungarian society -- but the number of undead was far greater.
The count stopped once we were in the ballroom, and on cue the orchestra stopped playing. Everyone turned to face us, and I felt myself grow a bit uneasy with so many eyes upon me. Dracula smiled at them all and spoke.
"Friends, noble guests. Allow me to welcome you to my annual All Hallow's Eve masquerade. I am honored that you all have come, and I am sure that you will enjoy yourselves greatly. The night is still young, and may the masquerade begin!"
With this the orchestra begin to play an eerie tune, and guests in wonderful costumes began a dance unlike any I had ever seen. It was an unusual dance, but very beautiful. The movements were enchanting, and I watched the dancers with awe. "Would you like to join them?" Dracula whispered into my ear.
"I do not know this dance," I answered, still hypnotized by the movements and the music. I felt Dracula behind me, trailing his fingers down my arm and taking my hand in his.
"Just listen to the music, let it be your guide," he whispered, leading me to join the dance. We joined in the movements, following the music as he had told me to. I moved with him as if we had danced this a thousand times, each movement perfect with the music and with the dancers around us.
It seemed like an eternity that we danced, the count pulling me close to him and dipping me over low. It was a wonderful sensation, and dancing with him was different than it had been when we were mortal. Several times during the dance I found the count's lips on mine, but I never fought him. It felt wonderful to be held by him, and I felt that I needed him and his kisses.
At last the dance ended, and as Dracula led me from the dance floor I noticed three women watching me closely from the crowd. They were huddled close together, as if in discussion with each other. One had dark blonde hair, one flaming red, and another dark brown. They were all stunningly beautiful, except that there was a dangerous and vicious look to them. They were definitely not human, and as they watched me with obvious fury I noticed a change in their eyes and teeth. So, Dracula had lady admirers? Not surprising, but these three women seemed to be deathly protective of him.
I had been too busy watching the three demons to notice where Dracula was leading me. He took me through a hidden doorway in one of the walls, which shut quietly behind us. We went through a barely lit passageway until we finally reached another door, which opened into another lavishly decorated room. Dracula led me inside before turning again to face me. I began to get lost in his eyes again, which of course was his intention. I blinked and looked away, angry at myself for being so vulnerable to his charms.
He only stepped closer and whispered to me. "Please, Katrina, look at me." When I continued to look away he gently lifted my chin so that my eyes met his. I felt myself falling into him again, and I realized that I wanted his touch more than ever. His seductive kisses came and I gave into them, needing everything that he gave me.
For the rest of that evening all I can recall is falling asleep in the arms of Dracula, foolishly content and satisfied.
I awoke several hours later, the dark night still clinging to Budapest. I sat up in the large bed, alone and in a room that I did not remember seeing before. I wrapped the covers around myself and tried to remember what had happened. I pieced together enough to infuriate me, and tearing the silk sheets from the bed I frantically searched for my clothes. After a few moments I found them, my ball gown folded neatly over a chair.
I dressed quickly, the whole time scolding myself in my mind for having been so stupid. I wanted to make Dracula pay for his trickery, but I knew that it was I who was stupid enough to fall for it. I found the door and made my way back down the hidden tunnel, then through another door and into the ballroom. To my surprise the ball had not ended, and the orchestra continued to play as masked guests danced. The room was still crowded as I made my way through the people, searching for him.
After a few moments I spotted him on the dance floor, and I felt my face flush with fury. He was dancing with the redhead that I had seen earlier, twirling and dipping her as he had me. I did feel jealousy, but also fury at having been used and thrown aside by him. I watched for several more minutes as they danced, both of them enjoying themselves, the woman looking extremely pleased with herself.
Dracula noticed me in the crowd, and the look on my face must have been enough. He stopped dancing, said something to the redhead, and quickly came my way. I turned and left the ballroom, finding an empty room down the hall and closing the door behind me. I wanted this to be a private discussion.
After a few moments I heard him quietly enter the room, closing the door behind him. Immediately I spun to face him, my mind wild with fury.
"I should kill you for this!" I hissed at him. He simply smiled. "Please do try. It would be most entertaining."
With a sound that was more animal-like than human I lunged at him, only to be stopped easily by him. "Now, now, my love. Why are you so angry with me?" he purred. He held my wrists in his hands, and I stopped struggling to answer him.
"You know damn well why I am angry! First you lure me here and seduce me with your mind games, then you leave me to be with one of your whores," I said furiously. Dracula looked at me calmly, with no sign of anger or mockery. "She is one of my brides, Katrina."
I blinked, anger still filling me, but now mingled with a bit of something else….jealousy, perhaps? "Brides?" I asked coldly. "And how many do you have?"
"Three," he answered, as if telling how many horses he owned. I tore away from his grasp and walked away from him, stopping in front of a window. I looked out at the city and the few lights that still burned. I heard Dracula move behind me, but he did not come toward me.
"What did you think, that I would remain alone forever? Or until you perhaps decided to return to me?" he asked. I closed my eyes tight, a few tears running down my face. He continued to speak from somewhere behind me. "I did not want to wait forever for you to return to me, alone in my castle to watch the years pass by."
I turned around to find him watching me from across the room. "And if you have your brides then why did you come searching for me? Why did you not just leave me to myself, to exist in peace?" Dracula stepped towards me slowly. "Because I need you Katrina, that I have realized over the years. I could have a hundred brides, but none of them would be like you are to me."
I stared at him coldly. "And why wouldn't they be?"
The count stopped in front of me, and I saw the pained look on his face. "Because you are the only one I ever loved, Katrina. I loved you as a mortal man. And though I can no longer feel love nor joy, I still need you with me."
I was stunned by this, and to my annoyance I felt my anger dying away. My life might have taken a very different turn then, had Dracula's three brides not joined us. They swept into the room silently and crowded around him, all of them clinging to him possessively and giving me hate-filled stares. I glared back at them, a new rage filling me, and felt myself return their hatred.
I hated how they purred to him and ran their hands over his shoulders, and their very movements disgusted me. I wondered why Dracula had chosen such mindless creatures to spend eternity with, but I realized that it was for this very reason that he chose them. And of course the fact that they were all three gorgeous.
"Master…." the blonde one purred, holding on to Dracula's right arm possessively. "Yes, Marishka?" he answered, but his eyes were still on me. The one named Marishka looked from him to me with a look of contempt, and I had the feeling that if Dracula had not been there she would have lunged at me. "Who is she, master?" "And what is she doing here?" the redhead added with a sneer.
There was a pause, and then Dracula spoke. "Her name is Katrina. She is an old….friend," he added.
"Friend?? I am just a friend, am I?" I asked, furious once again. "Then tell me what this is, Vladislaus." I held up my left hand, on which I still wore my wedding ring. The count looked at my hand, and for a second I saw a change in his face. But in an instant it was gone, and he looked back into my eyes. "I am amazed that you still have it. I thought that it would have been the first gift from me that you sold."
"Master," the brunette said, stepping forward. "You were married to this.…woman?" she asked, looking me up and down. It came to me that her name was Verona, and that she was the oldest of the brides.
"Yes, I was. And still am," he added, looking at me. The redhead, who was clinging to Dracula, rubbed her hand across his chest, looking up at him admiringly. "But you do not need something such as her, Master….we will fulfill all of your needs." The other two brides purred in agreement, but I could tell that Dracula had become irritated. "Why don't you three go and find yourselves a nice meal? You all look famished."
The brides were not pleased by being told to leave, and the redhead seemed determined not to leave her master alone with me. "Master, may I not stay with you? I do so long for your company," she said with a seductive grin. Dracula, however, was not affected in the least by her charms. "I said go, Aleera," he snapped at her.
With a hurt and angry look, she stared at him and then at me. "And why does she get to stay? She does not belong here, we do --" "SILENCE!" Dracula roared, his eyes once again an unholy blue. The brides all cowered in fear, but I simply stood watching the count, enraged by what the one named Aleera said.
There was a moment's pause in which the brides whimpered together, and my anger rose. I would take no more of this. "You're right, Aleera," I said, looking at her with as much hatred as I could stand. "And you have your wish. After tonight, you will see me no more." I walked by Dracula towards the door, but was stopped by him.
"Don't do this again, Katrina," he said, holding onto me. I pulled my arm from his grasp. "No, Vladislaus. I was a fool to even come here to you again. I should have known that things could never change, not even in two hundred years." With this I turned and walked away, and as I reached the door I heard him call my name. I do not know what made me turn to look at him, but I did.
"Remember what I have told you. We exist together, you and I. And nothing in the world nor in the vast expanse of eternity can change that."
I looked at him one last time but said nothing, then turned and made my way out of the palace. I left the city of Budapest that night, wishing to be away from there as quickly as I could. My mind was full of many confusing thoughts, but I never regretted my decision not to remain with him.
When I finally reached London I found that the happiness I had gotten from the city was no longer there. It had changed to me, and I knew that the time had come for me to move again. I did not think that Dracula would come for me again, this time I had a feeling that it was over for good. I still decided to keep my manor, which had brought me happiness for a while, but I bought a townhouse in Paris. I had never lived in Paris, and I decided to make my new home there.
I would remain there for almost another two hundred years, and it was there that once again fate that would step into my cursed and unnatural life. It would be in Paris that, after four hundred years, my path would cross with Van Helsing's once again.
A/N: Well, I hope that everyone enjoyed this chapter. I made it a little bit longer for you guys since it took me so long to get it up. I'm not exactly sure yet how it will end, but I hope I can make it good. Thanks for all the reviews, and keep them coming! As busy as I've been lately, reviews give me motivation to sit down and keep writing. ;-)
