Chapter 3: At Daybreak's Hour
Gabriel awakened early and looked over expecting to see his wife lying beside him but he saw no sign of her. He walked down the winding stairs to the dining hall. There was Anna, Gracianna, Velkan and Carl. It seemed he'd walked in on an interesting conversation.
Velkan was talking at the moment" No sister, there wouldn't be any particular reason to see Annora. We are simply friends and I want to see if my friend is all right"
Gracie looked thoroughly cynical. "Well, Velkan, it seems as though once again you are caught in a lie." she said smiling. "Annora has told me about a certain, ahem, moonlit rendezvous."
They laughed at her remark as Velkan blushed.
"You are your father's son, boy."Anna said.
Van Helsing waltzed in. "Good morning. How did you sleep lovely?" He asked putting his arms around Anna from behind.
"Quite well, when I finally fell asleep."
Carl had been quiet this whole time starring off into space.
Van Helsing decided to wake him up. "Carl, behind you, its Verona!"
Carl simply looked at him. "Oh, did you say something Van Helsing?"
Anna seemed concerned now. "Carl, are you all right?"
He simply said, "Yes, why?"
The others looked at one another in silence until Gracie spoke up. "You aren't yourself Carl. You're starring into nothing like someone's talking to you."
He woke up a bit at this remark. "I am fine really. You see, I was just thinking. Anna, did you know the brides when they were human?"
Anna was a bit puzzled but answered anyway.
"I knew Chalice. She was my neighbor when I was just a little girl. She looked after me once when my mother and father went away. Avery nice girl, but she fell into the grasp of Dracula." She looked down at the floor. "My father tried his best to save her from Dracula. He heard her last mortal scream."
FLASHBACK
Boris Valarious ran through the night following Dracula's shadow over the ground.
The screams of young Chalice echoed through the night. Boris ran into the castle that Dracula flew into; up the stairs and he reached a hall leading to an open door.
In the room sat Chalice on the bed with tears running down her face. The poor girl was hysterical.
Boris ran down the hall towards the door as fast as he could. Right before he reached it Dracula slammed and locked the huge oak door. As hard as he tried Boris couldn't get the door open.
"You are a monster!" Chalice screamed in obvious agony. Her screams slowed and were muffled by Dracula's mouth.
Boris soon heard her dry sobs as the inevitable for the situation happened. Boris couldn't do anything to help Chalice now. All he could do was go home and pray for her and pray she would be the last. For he himself had a daughter.
BACK IN THE SET TIME
Anna looked at the solemn faces listening intently eyes wide as she finished the story.
"And so that is why my father nearly lost his mind when he had to kill Chalice. Something told him she was still that same young woman on the inside. Aleera and Verona were not human in the time of my father, or my grand-father, but my three times great-grandfather knew Aleera as Velkan knows Annora, but that is the extent of my knowledge on her. Other than of course she has a streak of jealousy that could make a cow angry."
Carl looked at her blankly. "A…oh"
"Why do you ask Carl?" Anna inquired.
"Well." he said. "I have a new theory. Why do you think they are so bitter?"
They all looked at him in a funny way.
"Erm…" Gracie started. "Maybe because they are bound to immortality with the son of Satan."
"Well, I mean besides that." Carl said.
Velkan decided to take a stab at it. "Because they can't ever feel any happiness?"
"Besides that." Carl retorted.
"What is it Carl?" Van Helsing broke in.
"Well have you ever thought of maybe it's because they don't remember being happy?"