Hey, everyone! I don't own DU or The Hobbit. New story! I have wished for a LOTR/Du story, but none have been written so far. The settings in this story is before the War of the Ring and before the Desolation of Smaug. In this fic, Vlad has known Gandalf a very long time since the old wizard wanders all over. The begging takes place near the tragic ending scene of Dracula Untold. Will I kill off Vlad? Keep your fingers crossed that that does not happen!
I really hope you like this story, and reviews are most welcome!
Prince Vlad Tepes, now Dracula, had made a serious mistake. When Mehmed had led his army to ambush the Transylvanian people at Cozia Monastery, and Vlad's beloved Mirena had perished then his son, Ingeras taken captive, Vlad had given his dying people his blood so that they could take vengeance on their enemies full score. But he had not thought this act all the way through at the time. And now? It was too late!
His former subjects, now hungry vampires were surrounding little Legolas who clung to his father in fear and grief. Vlad did not let go of him, but clutched him so hard he was surprised his little bones did not break! He would protect his son no matter what.
Lucien, Vlad's priest, appeared out of nowhere and begged the people not to murder Ingeras. They continued to close in, ignoring him. He pulled a silver Christian cross from his cloak and waved everywhere. Its bright light made the vampires flinch. "Leave him. Be gone! The time has come." Lucien told Vlad, holding out his hand to Ingeras. "Please, you must come."
"No!" Ingeras shook his head. While Lucien was distracted, one of the vampires opposite the direction of the cross where the light did not hit him, lunged forward and bit down hard into Lucien's neck! The priest gagged and collapsed to the ground, dead, dropping the cross. Vlad sharply turned Ingeras's head into his chest so his son would not see the vampires feed on Lucien's blood.
Then a sudden, blinding light flashed everywhere with a thunderous boom. The vampires screeched and fell over. Vlad stumbled and held onto his son. When the light ceased, Vlad glanced around and saw the source. A tall, elderly figure in a gray cloak and big, pointy hat and a long stick strode quickly over to him. Vlad cried in relief. "Mithrandir...Gandalf..." He breathed.
"We haven't much time!" Gandalf warned Vlad. "They will not remain unconscious forever. Let me take the boy, my friend. I can take him far away from here, where he will be safe, until you return."
Vlad looked sadly at him in defeat as if to say, You know that I will not return. "You must go with him."
"Papa, no!" Ingeras wailed. "I don't want to leave you!" Vlad's heart physically cracked. His son's grief was more than he could bear as it wrenched his scourged soul in two.
"You have to go with him." He said sadly.
"No!" Ingeras begged. Vlad grabbed his face with his hands.
"You must go with Gandalf. He will keep you safe. Do not leave his side!" Vlad implored his shaking son. He handed him his silver cross necklace. "Please. Keep this and know I will always love you. Always!" He quickly kissed Ingeras's head. "Go!"
"NO!" Ingeras sobbed.
"Go!"
"No!"
"You take care of him!" Vlad looked helplessly at Gandalf who nodded sadly.
"No, Papa! No!" Ingeras cried out in the most pain-stricken voice Gandalf had ever heard! He gripped the boy's sleeves.
"Come with me, lad." He said firmly.
"Nooo!" Ingeras howled as the wizard pried him from his father's arms.
"We must go." Gandalf said.
"Paapppaaaa!" Ingeras screeched, his arms anxiously reaching out to his father.
"I love you, son!" Vlad called out to him. Gandalf thrust his stick into the ground two seconds later, they were gone. Vanished, with one poof of smoke. Vlad cried in despair and looked to the heavens. "He's safe now, Mirena." He choked.
When their feet landed on solid ground, Ingeras did not know where in the world he was. "Papa...take me back to Papa!" He begged Gandalf, looking up pleadingly at the old man as he clutched his robe.
"I cannot, my dear boy. I'm very sorry." Gandalf said sorrowfully, touching his shoulder.
"Take me back!" Ingeras yelled angrily, beating his fists on Gandalf's torso. "Please, Gandalf!"
"I'm sorry, Ingeras." Gandalf shook his head. Ingeras cried violently. Gandalf knelt down in front of him and let the poor boy sob into his chest. He just held the child close to him as the weeping shook his whole frame.
After two hours, Ingeras's weeping had died down to hoarse hiccups. "We must get away from here." Gandalf said. He stood up and carried the small prince in his arms as he made his way cautiously through the Mirkwood forest of the Wood Elves. As they passed the statue of the dead Mirkwood queen of old, her fate made Gandalf think of Mirena and it made his heart ache more for the boy leaning on his chest, with his face buried in Gandalf's shoulder.
"We will soon be at the palace of King Thranduil." Gandalf said. "You will be safe there until I can make other arrangements." Ingeras said nothing but kept his arms tightly wound around his neck.
They'd been going on for nearly an hour when Gandalf stopped suddenly. He'd heard a dreaded sound that he did not want to see come to life! "Gandalf?" Ingeras asked.
"Shh! There be dangers here that lurk in the shadows." Gandalf whispered.
There was no warning! As if waiting for the wizard's cue, a humongous spider dropped from the trees and hissed as it charged at them. Gandalf zapped it with a light from his stick and it flinched back. Gandalf held Ingeras tighter and ran as fast as he could deeper into the forest. To his great dismay, an army of spiders were at their heels! "Gandalf!" Ingeras screeched in terror. Carrying the prince would slow them down. There was only one thing to do.
Once he felt he had a moment to spare, he set Ingeras on his feet. "Ingeras, listen to me. You must run!" He told him urgently, his hands on the boy's shoulders.
"But what about you?" Ingeras trembled.
"I will try to hold the beasts off, but you must run! Follow the path until you reach the palace. That way. Tell King Thranduil that Gandalf the Gray sent you. He'll know who you're talking about." Gandalf instructed him.
"No! I won't leave you! I'm not gonna leave you here, Gandalf!" Ingeras exclaimed. Gandalf could hear the spiders coming closer and closer behind them.
"Go now!" He growled. "Stay on the path! Do not stray from it! GO!" He shoved Ingeras forward and turned his back on him as he prepared to face the spiders.
"But, Gandalf..." Ingeras pleaded once more.
"GO!" Gandalf yelled. Tears welling up in his eyes, Ingeras turned on his heel and ran with all his might. "And remember: stay on the path!" He prayed that the Valar would protect the boy. Then he glared when he saw the spiders approach. "Be gone!" He bellowed.
Ingeras ran and ran until his legs were tired. He kept on the path. He kept looking back, hoping Gandalf was following him, but the wizard never appeared. Ingeras cried again. He clutched his father's silver cross necklace. Why had the whole world turned dark on them? Everything was wrong, not as it should be. Ingeras white-knuckle gripped the cross as if it were a life line, the only physical connection he had right now to his parents.
"I must...be brave." Ingeras told himself shakily. "I want to make Papa...proud of me. Stay on the path...tell King Thranduil that Gandalf sent me." He murmured the instructions to himself over and over again as he continued to walk.
This dark forest was dense and sickly. "There is a curse upon this place. I can actually almost breathe it in the air." Ingeras stated. The air was muggy and heavily thick. There was no sound of birds singing, no signs of life anywhere. It was truly a terrifying place to be all alone, especially for a lonely, lost boy whose whole world had turned upside down and against him. He had never felt so alone.
Ingeras was weary. His head swarmed, it was so difficult to breathe. The air became thicker and thicker. Ingeras felt dizzy until he finally had to crawl on his hands and knees to be sure he stayed on the path. On and on it went. Would it never end? Ingeras finally had no strength left to push on and he dropped to the ground on his belly, exhausted, scared, and most of all, lonely. He couldn't see clearly. Everything was a blur to him. The world was spinning as he lay on the ground. He clenched the cross tightly in his fist.
"Must...be brave..." he panted weakly. "Stay on...the path...must stay...on the path..." Then he fell unconscious and alone on the forest floor.
