Chapter 3
Alone inside
Lydia had died. I was on burial and saw how her pale body was burnt. It is a gipsy tradition. Women were crying and men were numb and severe. Lydia's father stood near the fire on his knees and raised hands to the sky.
"For what! Why Lydia! My innocent child! " – he cried. Few men came to him and took him away. It was the saddest moment that I have ever seen. I took tears away and saw Dracula. He wasn't crying …
He was so calm … but not sad!
He looked like a man that had lost sense of life. He was looking at the fire and at his love that was disappearing in flame. It seemed that he hadn't got emotions at all. Gabriel was here too. He placed hand on my shoulder softly and asked:
"Are you alright, Maria?"
"That's so awful! Why she? Lydia was just a woman! " – Tears again, I felt so weak and needed his protection.
"Turks know that Vladislaus loves her, that's why they killed pour girl. They wanted Vlad to suffer, Maria. " – Gabriel sad wisely.
"And they guessed right …" – said I almost in whisper, so Gabriel didn't hear me, and looked at Dracula once again.
Calm as usual, but nobody knew that this warrior would cause Turks do many troubles.
Vladislaus changed. He became cruel, insensible and cold as snow on the tops of Carpathians. Turkish sultan regretted that ordered to kill Lydia. Vlad was very good in his revenge. He didn't fight for faith either; he fought to quiet the pain in his broken heart. I can't remember all his feats. My father told me that Turkish sultan asked our prince to serve him. Dracula agreed ant sultan led him to come to Turkey without hindrance. Vlad came with his army; he didn't get to Istanbul. He turned back to Walachia destroying every city and every village on his way. I don't think sultan liked it. He knew how to make people suffer. Soldiers told that he is strong and mighty warrior; others told that he is devil in flesh. Valerie Senior couldn't understand his son. Old knight also didn't like that people (because of the Vlad's cruelty) think that surname Dracul used to be interpreted as devil. (A/n: Valerie Senior got surname Dracul because he consisted in Dragon Order, «Dracul» means dragon or devil in Romanian; Vladislaus got surname «Dracula – son of the dragon/devil»)
Well, never mind, Dracula liked to see his enemies suffer, so he used the most refined tortures. His favorite execution was to put people on stakes. I saw those wretch people. Awful and cruel way of murder. Pain and despair were frozen on their dead faces like terrible masks. Ravens had enough food that time. Because of his"hobby" Vlad got nickname: "Putter – on - stakes". (A/n:"Cepesh" on Romanian)
Gabriel didn't blame his best friend. He said:"Vladislaus soon will calm down. He needs time to forgive himself for Lydia's death. "
Perhaps Gabriel was right, we'll never know. But prince Vladislaus III left trace in history as sadist and pitiless murderer.