Disclaimer: Me no own Hellsing. However, Sir Kingsley is my own character.
Of Hellsing Blood
Chapter Two: Tough Decisions
Integra rushed down the hallway, thankful that it was near midnights and that the staff had all gone to bed. She walked past pictures of her ancestors, staring stonily down at her in their gilded frames. All of them had been distinguished personalities, brave in battle and loyal to their country. Like all Hellsings, she had that same steel. However, one thing that made them different was that they were men. Not one of them had to put up with the humiliation she was going through now.
The tears ran freely down her face as she reached her bedroom door. Slamming it behind her, she sank onto her bed. Her fingers immediately reached for the pack of cigars on the side table. Taking one out, she lit it up with trembling fingers and inhaled the tobacco smoke. It swirled around her like mist, its source the glowing tip that shone like a beacon in the darkness of the room. The only source of illumination was the moon outside her window. The same one she had admired from the balcony a few moments earlier.
The tears were flowing faster now, but she did not bother about it. She had not wept for a long time, and doing so now was ridiculous. Integra couldn't understand why Alucard's action made her explode in that manner. It was uncanny. She did not even know why she wept, and in catching herself doing it, she began to chuckle.
She had never fathomed marriage. Never allowed it to cross her mind. Now it was rearing its ugly head in her life. She did not personally hate Sir Kingsley. She knew him as a distinguished gentleman who was a top officer in the army. They had met a few times when Integra was a child, and had played together in this very mansion. His father and hers were close comrades, and the senior Sir Kingsley, also in the military, had often consulted him on matters of dealing with any Undead they came upon.
However, they eventually went their separate ways. Sir Kingsley senior had a lung problem, and the damp weather of London only aided in destroying his health. The family immigrated to Australia, and the Hellsings eventually lost contact with them.
She recalled when he first appeared in her office, after the news of the arranged marriage reached her. He was tall, tanned, with brown eyes and hair. His face was lined, and spoke of months of rugged training. He had been cordial with her, thought it had been distinctly awkward at first. Over time, both began to warm up when they reminisced about the time they spent in the mansion as children. He had never expected to marry, but on hearing the Queen's proposition, agreed to do his best to grant Hellsing an heir. After that, he would not have anything more to do with her.
Integra stubbed out her half-smoked cigar in the ashtray and buried her face in her hands. It was nothing more than a charade, she had told Alucard. Then why did the act of sleeping with another stranger and marrying him seem like bonds around her soul?
She sat there, reflecting, until the first rays of dawn coloured the sky a rosy magenta. The dusky light fell upon her face, failing to pick out the trails of tears that had already dried up.