===Chapter 3: A Different Kind of Cinderella===
Disclaimer: I don't own Van Helsing, unfortunately.
A/N: I know a lot of you don't like the idea of a sad ending, but I'm still juggling it. But don't worry! The ending is far, far away from here.
Sinister-Darkness: I'm not quite sure if it's going to be a sad ending or not, but thanks for the spelling tip. Thanks for reviewing!
Forever Dreaming of you: I'm still thinking about the end, but thanks for the review!
Raynee: Yes, they do tend to fight a lot, don't they? ;-) That is an idea I have been playing with for a while, so we'll see what happens.
TearDrops: Yes I think he should die too, just not yet. LoL. Thanks for reviewing!
Immortal: Me too! Thanks you very much for your review!
A femininely shaped figured wandered the streets, cloaked and hooded in gray. A howl echoed in the night, causing the figure to snap its head in the direction the sound came from. As they did so, a lock of blonde hair fell out from behind the hood. The dark of the night hid the face of said person, making them look very suspicious. The person, or should I say girl, took off at a sprint towards a graveyard from which the howl came.
Two blurred things flew out from an ally; one seemed to be that of an undertaker, the other a very large and masculine wolf. The woman smiled, but it couldn't be seen thanks to the night. The undertaker landed in a newly dug grave, dead. The werewolf stood up dazed. Two shots echoed in the night air, and the wolf went in the opposite direction of the shots.
The wolf saw the girl, and she beckoned it to her. It followed her instructions. A man and woman rounded the corner and saw the girl and werewolf. The girl knew they were there, but ignored them. The werewolf growled at them.
Stay away from the wolf, ma'am. Just back away slowly," the man ordered slowly. The girl looked to him, but did not do what he said. Actually, she began to stroke the wolf lovingly.
"I am Princess Anna, and I order you to get away from the wolf if you want to live," the woman ordered. The girl laughed, and removed her hood. Blonde treks escaped the binds of the hood, pale skin glowed under the moon, and blue eyes laughed with hidden danger.
"What is your name, stranger?" Her voice was no longer full of mirth when she asked the question.
"I am Van Helsing, and I'm just trying to help. Please, step away from the werewolf, for your own safety," the burly man repeated. So that is his name. My Lord shall know about this. The woman looked to him in wonder. This was the man who killed Marishka. The legendary monster hunter. But there was something about him, that made him a threat, yet, the girl sensed know evil or even danger from him, though she knew differently. He had killed Marishka, anyway.
Van Helsing stared at the mysterious girl. How could she not be afraid of the werewolf? She was petting it! Why didn't the wolf attack her? It seemed as though it was protecting her, even. She reminded him of something, someone, but he didn't know what or who. Maybe someone from his past that he couldn't remember. But then, she would have already known his name. She was beautiful, but he sensed danger from her. Evil worked around her, but not in her, and that greatly confused him. At first he thought she was one of Dracula's brides, but his only three brides had attacked the village today, and she was not one of them.
"What is our name, Lady?" Van Helsing asked. The girl laughed again, her melodious act of joy causing the wolf to howl alongside with her. Anna was beginning to wonder about her weird behavior.
"Call me Cinderella, if you require a name," the girl asked.
"It is not your real name," Van Helsing stated.
"You're a smart one, Van Helsing. Really, you are," ÔCinderella' said dryly. "I will not tell you my name and less I see fit to.
"Very well." Van Helsing aimed his pistols at the girl. "Do you or do you not work for Dracula?" Cinderella narrowed her eyes in anger.
"I work for no one," She spat, unfazed by his weapons. "I just have happened to befriend the werewolf. A wise man once said fear the feared, and the feared will fear you. I do not fear the wolf, and he respects me." Cinderella hopped onto the werewolf's back, like a horse.
"Now if you will excuse me, I need to be getting home." And with that, the mysterious girl and werewolf took off through the streets, disappearing into the night.
The werewolf glided in through a fissure in the wall, its eyes on its Master, and Nerys on his back. She lid off gracefully when he slowed down. Dracula ignored him.
"Werewolves are such a nuisance during their first full moon. So hard to control." He said. The clouds covered the moon, and the werewolf shed its fur, and left Prince Velkan bent in agony and half-naked. Dracula stepped to him.
"I send you on a simple errand, to find out who our new friend is, and you stop for a talk with your sister.
"Leave her out of this, Count! She doesn't know your secret, and I am soon to take it to my grave," Velkan spat out. Nerys smiled at his loyalties to his sister. That's how a bug brother should be. Dracula turned and walked towards the pod, which held a burnt corpse.
"Don't wish for death so quickly. I intend for you to be quite useful," Dracula said.
"I would rather die than help you!" Velkan retaliated. Nerys threw her hands up in frustration. Now he's done it.
"Don't be boring. Everyone who says that dies," Dracula said, and everyone knew he was right. Velkan was going to die, and now Nerys wouldn't have a puppy to play with.
"Besides," Dracula continued, "tonight, after the final stroke of midnight, you'll have no choice but to obey me.
Dracula threw the burnt corpse towards Velkan. "Look familiar?" He asked, looking quite smug. Pain crossed the prince's face in realization.
"Father . . . ." he whispered. Dracula picked Velkan up and threw him into the pod. Nerys watched in pity.
"He won't work, Dracula," Nerys cut in. He ignored her.
"He proved useless," Dracula said to Velkan. "But I'm hoping that with the werewolf venom running through your veins, you will be of greater benefit." He finished strapping the prince in.
"I may have failed to kill you, Count, but my sister will not," Velkan said, struggling against his bonds. Dracula did a little tango with himself, but as he was turning, he was tugged aside, causing him to lose his balance. Velkan let out a quiet chuckle. Dracula stood up straight at fixed his clothed, then turned to his Ôtugger'.
"What now, Nerys?" Dracula asked in anger. Nerys mirrored his anger.
"We may have always argued, but at least you used to listen to what I say," Nerys said, slightly sad. Dracula caught on fast.
"I know that you think that only the monster will work, but there is a chance that the gypsy will work. And if he doesn't," Dracula said, a finger upon Nerys's lips, silencing her. "Then at least we will know what to improve. Now tell me what news still lingers on your mind," Dracula said, running his gentle hands up and down her smooth arms in a soothing manner. Nerys bit her lip, to keep from objecting to the touch. He had listen to her, and he deserved something for that.
"Our stranger is the very man whom you were murdered by, my Lord," Nerys said quickly. She closed her eyes, preparing herself for the Count's wrath. Instead, he laid a kiss on her forehead, and she opened her eyes.
"We need not worry about that now," the Count whispered, leaning his forehead upon hers. Nerys closed her eyes again. She couldn't handle the Count being so close to her, and she hated losing control. His will was too strong for her, and when he was so close to her, he could control her.
"Maybe if you tried wooing me without trying to hypnotize me, my lord, then you would succeed," Nerys mumbled, pushing the Count away from her. Dracula raised an eyebrow at her. He had never thought of that before. Life had been so boring lately, maybe a challenge was just what he needed.
Dracula raised his hands into the air, surrendering her her space, stepping away. This surprised Nerys; she had not actually thought eh would listen to her.
"Besides, I feel that we have some unwanted company roaming the castle," Nerys said, turning her eyes in the direction of the hatchling-filled hall. Her eyes turned a violent red.
"How dare they!" Nerys turned back to Dracula, fangs drawn. "They touch your children, Lord!" They may have not been her children Ðshe had always refused DraculaÑbut she did care deeply for them.
Nerys could feel the anger well up inside the Count.
"Then, for once, take them while their awake," the Count said turning from him and back to Velkan and the Dwergi. "Let us begin!
Nerys climbed silently on the wall, gradually getting higher. Every now and then she would stroke a cocoon lovingly. She spotted Van Helsing and Anna breaking open a cocoon, and Van Helsing pulling handfuls of goop out of the egg sack. She tried her best not to hiss when Van Helsing tried to pull the bat babe from its sack.
Just then, an electrical shock went through the wires, bringing the babes to life. The babe in van Helsing's arms began to hiss wildly. Nerys's eyes widened in anger. With a loud hiss, she transformed into her bat form. The bat bride swooped down to the two mortals and grabbed the babe from Van Helsing's arms. She landed on the balcony next to Dracula, Verona, and Aleera. Bat babes flew out of the castle all around them. The three brides shrieked in delight, though Nerys knew it might be short-lived.
The bat babe cooed and purred in Nerys's arms as she took her beautiful form.
"They must feed. Show them how! And beg the Devil that this time they stay alive!" Dracula's voice boomed, and for once, Nerys found it quite comforting. Verona and Aleera flew with the babes to the village, while Nerys relished the baby in her arms.
"So Cinderella does work for our man," Van Helsing whispered to himself. He started to shoot wildly into the sky, hitting several of the babes, causing them to explode. Nerys shrieked with anger and pain at the sight. Dracula whirled around to look at them.
"Now that I have your attention," Van Helsing said to them. Dracula screamed in rage and jumped off the eighty-foot balcony and dived to wards Van Helsing. He transformed into his bat form and chased the hunter and princess. Anna bolted up the stairs towards the laboratory, but Dracula ignored her. Dracula transformed back as Van Helsing hid behind a pillar.
"I can tell the character of a man by the sound of his heartbeat. Usually when I approach I can almost dance to the beat . . . . Strange that yours is so steady" the Count said angry, but calm. All of a sudden, Nerys dropped in front of Van Helsing.
"Hello Gabriel," She breathed.
"Cinderella," Van Helsing said, nodding his head.
"That is not my name you fool. Take a wild guess," Nerys said approaching slowly. Van Helsing was trapped. The small bat babe leapt out of her arms and through the window to its siblings.
"I don't know," Van Helsing said, looking for a way out.
"You don't remember me? Well, that hurts. I remember you, Gabriel. How you abandoned me. How God abandoned me . . . ." Nerys said, a wild look in her eyes. Dracula dropped down behind her, smiling viciously at Van Helsing. He laid a hand on Nerys's shoulder, and immediately her eyes turned back to their normal blue. She laid a hand to her head, as if she was to faint. Van Helsing wondered if she had been possessed.
Nerys blinked several times, trying to ignore the dizziness that ran through her. What ha happened? She had had flashbacks, horrible flashbacks of live she had not remembered living. She woke up at Dracula's touch. She had never been so happy to see him before. She knew he hadn't read her mind then, otherwise he would have been much more focused on her than Van Helsing.
Nerys let her fangs grow, so that neither man would wonder her behavior. She turned to ace Dracula. She laid a gentle hand on his face, before moving aside. She knew he wanted Van Helsing for himself.
With lightening speed, Van Helsing pulled out a wooden stake and thrust it into what should have been Dracula's heart. Nerys couldn't help herself; she let out a loud, melodious laugh, and the count smiled. And she had thought Van Helsing was smart.
"Hello Gabriel," Dracula said pleasantly. Van Helsing froze. Both vampires knew he could not remember what they were thinking about. Dracula calmly removed the stake from his chest and tossed it aside. His wound healed almost instantly.
"You don't remember, do you?" Dracula drawled, not realizing Nerys was having her own inner turmoil. She knew she had seen the hunter's face before, other than in the graveyard and on wanted posters, and this greatly confused her.
"Exactly what should I be remembering?" Van Helsing asked, backing up as much as he could as Dracula walked towards him. Dracula's face darkened.
"You are the great Van Helsing! Trained by monks and mullahs from Tibet to Istanbul. Protected by Rome herself! But like me, hunted by all others.
"The Knights of the Holy Order know all about you, so it's no surprise you know all about me.
"Oh but it's much more than that. You and I go back a long way, Gabriel. I know why you have such horrible nightmares. The horrific scenes of ancient battles past? Do you know how you received those triangular scars on your back?" Dracula continued. Nerys watched on in amusement. She saw something moving out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw an unbroken egg sack wiggling furiously.
Nerys flew up to it, and quickly broke the shell. Goop fell to the floor in heaps. A weak bat babe fell out and into Nerys's arms. It was weak from its struggle, and would soon de without feeding. It was a bit of a runt, and could just barely fly. Nerys cut a vein in her neck with her claw, and lifted the babe to her neck. It sucked on hungrily, and Nerys could almost feel the blood running through her again. When the babe finished its feeding, her neck healed.
The babe curled up in Nerys's arms, making itself comfortable. She cooed and rocked it, a motherly smile upon her face. She flew back down to where Dracula and Van Helsing were.
"So, would you like me to refresh your memory? A few details from your sordid past?" The Count asked evilly. Van Helsing pulled a crucifix on Dracula, who shrieked and swatted it away Ðand into Nerys. Her reflexes kept the crucifix from touching the babe in her arms, but also caused her to catch it. She let out a shriek in fright, and went to drop it, but found she could not drop the cross. The weirdest part, was that she didn't feel any pain from it.
"She brought the cross up to her face, staring intently at it. She found that watching it made her a bit happy, and she grinned broadly. She looked to the pair, both staring at her with wide eyes. She immediately dropped the crucifix at her Lord's stare. He turned back to Van Helsing.
"I guess that's a conversation for another time. But before you go, let me reintroduce myself." Dracula gave a regal bow. "Count Vladislaus Dragulia. Born 1432. Murdered 1462." Just as he said this, a scream was heard off in Vaseria. Van Helsing chose then o make his escape. Dracula watched him with anger. He turned back to Nerys when he heard her scream in anguish, not unlike the one he had just heard from the village.
Nerys looked down at the limp, lifeless form of the bat babe, trying to control her sobs, the babe reduced to ash, and was taken away with the wind that blew from the balcony. She fell to her knees, her face in her hands. Dracula looked down at his first bride. He was amazingly angry that the werewolf hadn't worked, tremendously embarrassed that Nerys had been right all along, and terribly hurt for the suffering of his brides and the deaths of his children.
Dracula bent down, and scooped Nerys up in his arms. She cried into his chest, and he wrapped his arms tight around her. Nerys had never been one to search for comfort, and when she literally fell into his arms, he knew she was much more hurt then she had let on. He had expected her to push away from him, telling him to leave, but when she didn't, he began to wonder if there was something other than just the dead babes.
After a while, Nerys's tears had dried out, and she lay limp in the Count's arms, eyes staring into nothingness. Dracula looked down at her, one hand stroking her hair, the other rubbing her naked stomach. Nerys had cried for a while, and the Count was terrified when he found not only could he not bring himself to leave her presence, but that he didn't want to.
Dracula carefully stood up, Nerys still in his arms, and carried her back to her temporary coffin for their visit at Castle Frankenstein. She did not protest when he placed her inside.
"I will be back so soon, first bride," Dracula whispered, giving her a kiss on hr forehead. He closed the coffin lid and left the room.
Dracula stood on the walkway along the parapet of the tower, his two other brides wept in his arms. It seemed to him like he had been doing a lot of comforting lately, and it was starting to get rather annoying. The werewolf stepped up onto the parapet. Dracula locked eyes with him.
"Hunt them down. Kill them both." Dracula ordered, voice level with ice-cold rage. The wolf snarled and bounded off.
Dracula spent some time comforting Verona and Aleera, before they retired to their own coffins. The Count glided through the halls, back to where Nerys was. He entered a room and found her casket, looking innocent. If only one knew the danger it held within it. He quietly opened the door, and climbed inside the roomy coffin to lie down next to Nerys, who was already asleep.
The sun would rise soon, and this night had tired him very much. He closed the coffin lid just as the first sliver of dawn entered the room from the window.
A/N: Well, that was definitely a long chapter for me. And think, I wrote that all in one day! Phew! wipes sweat off forward I beg of you, Review!!!