A/N: Sorry guys for the late update. Long story short: Work has been hell these days. I wanted to get this done, but didn't think it would take this long to write. Unfortunately, I can't guarantee an early update now due to the workload, but I will do what I can when I can. I hope you can bare with me as these hard times keep coming, but thank you for all the commenting, reading, following, favoriting, and more to show that you guys love this story. I really appreciate it and hope that you will continue to bare with me as I got big plans coming. That's a promise. Just hope I can deliver it well. Anyway, enjoy this new chapter!
Chapter 10: Is it really you?
15 years now.
It's been 15 years since he left Dracula's castle.
Not a day went by nor goes by when he thinks about the boy that he left behind in that lonely dark place.
Of course, the boy grew into a man, as he had seen in his distance mirror over the years.
During that time, he would check up on Adrian every now and then, but not enough to see about the man's whole childhood.
But nothing could've prepared him for the day he witnessed his former master attack and possibly kill his own son. He still recalls what he felt that day, as if the emotions tied to those memories were chiseled deep into his heart.
The shock of first seeing Lisa Tepes being burned at the stake, calling out to the heavens to someone. Edmund had his suspicion that she was calling out to her husband in case he saw her through his distance mirror. But the horror of seeing someone he knew being burned at the stake made his heart grow heavy from sorrow. It was then that he called on his mirror to show him Dracula, which showed the former master tossing books, breaking bookshelves and clawing books apart. Once the man returned to his mirror, Edmund saw Adrian enter the room, trying to talk to his father. Nothing happened for several minutes, but then, it happened. Dracula bared his teeth, extended his clawed hands, leapt into the air and just as Adrian moved to draw his sword, the father struck his son in the chest, making him bleed out. And the last thing that appeared in the mirror was Dracula standing over the body of his bleeding son, fangs drawn, eyes blood red with a glare that was like a predator to his prey before the final kill of the hunt, before the mirror broke apart and turned black.
For a moment, everything went silent and still. The whole world around him froze as his gaze, now with eyes wide from both shock and sorrow, was solely focused on the dark mirror, the image of Adrian bleeding out on the ground still fresh in his mind. Around him, despite all that was in his bedroom, everything faded away until there was nothing left but a cold darkness and a stinging silence. It only lasted a minute or so as Edmund's hearing was numbed out, but slowly it came back to him along with his consciousness as the next thing he knew, Crina, Maria and son-in-law Nero were surrounding him, holding his hands, hugging his back and calling to him, trying to stop his screaming and his thrashing around the room. He stopped his actions when he was aware of himself again and with tears pouring down his eyes, he told the three of them what had transpired, his heart and spirit breaking with each word that came out of his mouth. When he finally finished, his throat was sore from screaming and crying, his mind with contrasting views, not wanting to believe that Adrian was dead with his father looming over his corpse. But after processing it a bit more, he had no other choice but to face what he thought was the reality that was before him.
Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes was dead, killed by the hands of his father who had gone mad over the murder of his wife.
Dracula became a man who was so far gone that he would even kill his own son out of pure rage and hatred.
For Edmund, he felt that his life was over, now that he would never get the chance to see the boy he loved so long ago. The hope of one day reuniting with Adrian after so many years apart seem to have been shattered into pieces with no hope of being mended.
Despite his family's best efforts, from Maria making his favorite foods to Crina going spending a year searching all over Wallachia for Adrian, nothing could help him heal his broken heart. He knew his time was coming close, and while he regretted not seeing Adrian in life once more, perhaps he could meet him again in heaven.
And now here he was, going through one of the books that he took from Dracula's library, a Latin translated copy of the Arabian Nights, a favorite of Adrian's when he was a boy. Edmund recalled the different nights when he would read the adventures of Sinbad to Adrian before he went to bed, playing out all the voices, even the female voices, so the little boy could allow his mind to dream as he slept. Edmund recalled these memories well as he traced the elaborated patterned cover of the book, feeling a tear come to his tired eyes, despite being blind in one of them.
"Father?" a familiar voice called out, slowly bringing him out of his daydream.
Edmund turned his head to the door to see his only daughter in the doorway.
"Yes Maria?" he asked.
"We have a guest for dinner tonight. One who wishes to speak with you" she said with a smile.
Edmund raised an eyebrow, but sighed all the same. "Very well…help me up, will you?" he said in a gentle yet wavering voice, which has clearly been affected by his old age.
Maria went to him, grabbing his cane of sturdy blackthorn wood crafted in an ornate design where the handle is that of a raven head and handing it to him. Reaching his free arm, Maria gently helped her lame father to his feet and lead him from his bed to the hallway and, after walking over a few feet, into the main living room.
Once in the entrance, Edmund looked around, seeing his granddaughter Crina and one other. At first, he thought that it was another woman, with the long blonde hair. But as he got a better look with his good eye, a shine of silver caught his attention. He began to move forward, with Maria helping him move closer, the silver shine coming more into view as he finally saw what it was, the heirloom sword of the Tepes family, the blade that young Adrian was to inherit when he grew older.
'It cannot be….it's not possible' Edmund thought to himself as he looked at the being before him.
However, the more he looked at the back of this young person before him, the more Edmund's thoughts came together. The blonde hair, the tall height, the silver sword, the cold aura, all these pieces could only lead to one single person. At first, he said nothing, but then Edmund took a deep breath, and hoping with all he had left within him that this was the person who he was thinking of, and said the one name of said person with both hesitation and uncertainty.
"Adie?"
The figure tensed a little, making Edmund wonder if he said the wrong thing. The figure before him then, from what Edmund could see, took a deep breath and slowly turned around, showing his face to the elderly gentleman. For Edmund, it was still a bit hard to see, but he could've sworn he made out the face of Lisa Tepes at first. However, he tried to move closer, only for him to stumble a bit with Maria holding him up.
"Father! Father…maybe it's better for you to sit down" she said with slight hesitation.
But just as Edmund tried to get his balance back, he was then face to face with the visitor in his home who was now working to help the elder stand up.
"Are you alright…Old Grand?" asked the visitor, speaking with concern.
Edmund was about to speak but then he froze, his good eye going wide at the sight of the visitor.
Long blonde hair framing his chiseled angled face, skin as pale as the moonlight on the petals of a primrose, warm golden eyes looking into Edmund's, eyes so full of both long term suffering and joyous relief at seeing the old man. But the one thing that made the old man realize that this was indeed the little boy that he witnessed growing up in the castle all those years ago, was the smile on the young man's face. A smile as bright and warm as the light of the sunset, which was filling the room at this time, with a set of ivory white vampire fangs grazing his teeth. The visitor had his eyes closed for a moment as he smiled at Old Grand, which made the elder recall the little boy he cared for when he smiled.
"I-Is…is it r-really…Is it really you, Adie?" Edmund asked, his voice quivering from the building joy and shock in his chest as he reached his hand out to touch the visitor's face.
_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_
Alucard opened his eyes as Edmund reached his hand out to move his hair and cup his cheek. The warmth that Alucard remembered feeling when the elder's hand touched his face before was still there, even after these long 15 years. The young dhampir gave a sigh and leaned into the elder's touch, closing his eyes again and feeling a sense of relief that he hadn't lost all that was in his past. The heartbreak, the pain, the loneliness that all came from the loss of both of his parents and the mistrust that came from Sumi and Taka faded away as the rekindled kindness and love from his grandfather figure filled his heart.
"Yes, it's me…after all these years, Edmund" he said, smiling at the man before him. He was about to move his hand, when he felt the weight of Edmund fall a bit.
"We should get him to a chair, Sir Alucard" Maria said, slightly interrupting the moment.
"R-Right" Alucard said as he then worked with Maria to help Edmund get to the nearby chair.
After a moment, Edmund was now in his chair, panting a little from the lack of strength, but also from the tears that were falling from his eyes, which Alucard noticed.
"Old Grand?" he asked.
Edmund just brought a hand to his eyes, removing the tears, "I..I'm sorry….it's just….I thought for a long time that you were dead. Yet here you are, standing before me...and I'm still making sure that I haven't died and gone to heaven…" he said while sniffling.
Alucard gave an amused huff while feeling tears come to his own eyes, "No, you're very much alive Edmund. I'm sorry for the pain that I caused you…" he said, his hand shaking a little from the reunion.
Edmund, who was still crying happily, then opened up his arms to the young man, "Come here, lad. Come, I want to embrace you fully" he said.
Alucard, happy to oblige, kneeled to Edmund's level, opened his arms and embraced the man before him, feeling the long forgotten warmth from the man he used to be around as a boy. The moment they embraced, Alucard just let the tears out while he felt his smile spread from ear to ear in happiness and love while crying softly against the man. He also felt Edmund's body shake from the crying the elder was doing.
After a minute or two of being in this embrace, Edmund then gave Alucard a small pat on the back, which Alucard moved for. He then looked at Edmund again, which the elder smiled as he cupped Alucard's face.
"Oh, look at you. Look at how much you've grown. You look just like your mother" Edmund said as pushed the hair surrounding Alucard's face back behind him.
Alucard chuckled, "Yeah, I did get that a lot from both Father and Mother, not to mention the other occupants" he said, feeling his hair fall back around his face.
Edmund raised an eyebrow, "Other occupants?" he asked.
"Oh, uh, people who father recruited after you left" Alucard said, clearing up the confusion.
"Oh, I see" Edmund said. He then looked at Alucard's eyes, "But while you look like your mother, your eyes are not doubt that of your fathers" he said, looking at the two golden orbs looking back at him.
Alucard nodded with an amused huff, "Yeah, got that a lot too" he said.
"Yet that doesn't change the fact that you not only have grown into a man, but a very handsome man at that. I'd be surprised if you weren't with a wife already" Edmund smiled with a chuckle.
Alucard blushed a little at that last part, "W-Well…" he started, but then stopped, unsure of what to say.
Edmund raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong lad. Are you saying that you don't have a woman in your life yet?" he asked.
Alucard looked off to the side, unsure of what to say. However, something caught the corner of his eye and his head jolted to the window where a large snow owl was sitting on the window sill, looking in and tapping on the glass a little. He wasn't sure why but for some reason this owl didn't seem normal.
"Is there something wrong, Sir Alucard?" the young man hear Maria ask him.
"You have an owl in your window and it appears to be acting strange" he said to her, unsure of what is going on.
"An owl?" Alucard heard Crina ask. He then heard her footsteps coming up behind him, looking at the window. "Oh. Now I see" she simply said.
Alucard turned to Crina, who had a look that said she knew exactly what was going on. He watched her turn to her mother, all while wondering what was going on.
"Mother, did you know Alister was coming over?" Crina asked her mother, her voice sounding both concerned and suspicious.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you. He planned on coming by to see you. Something about giving you an important message involving a recent trial" Maria said, explaining what she knew to her daughter.
Alucard looked between Crina and Maria, only to see Crina nod her head.
"Alright, I'll deal with this" she said. Crina then went to the window and did a few strange hand motions that Alucard realized were military signals, something his father taught him as a boy. However, with the signals that Crina was giving, it was hard to figure out what she was telling the bird, but somehow the owl must have understood as it flew from the window. Alucard then saw Crina turning from the window and then looked at him, "I'll be downstairs in the lobby if you need me" she said. And it was in that moment that Crina left the room, leaving Alucard with Maria and Edmund.
"Who's Alister, if I may ask?" Alucard asked, looking between Edmund and Maria.
"Alister is a cousin to Crina, well step-cousin really. It's a…kind of a long story" Maria explained.
"A story for another day, my boy. For now, I'm getting hungry and I would love if you would stay for dinner so we can catch up on the times we've been apart" Edmund said with a smile as he looked at Alucard.
The young Dhampir looked back at the elder and smiled, "Crina had invited me to dinner already, but I'll happily take up your offer if it means we can catch up" he said.
Edmund gave a chuckle, making it ring through the living room and bringing a smile to both Alucard's and Maria's faces. "Alright then, lad. Help me up" he said as he tried to get up, only to be held up by the young Dhampir when he started to stumble. Edmund then gave a chuckle, "I may be down one leg and one eye, but damn it, I still got a life left in me and now that you're here lad, I feel like I could take on anything!" he said with a hearty laugh.
"Oh-hoho no. Don't think you're gonna get past me with that statement, Father. So long as Crina and I are taking care of you, we will decide what you take on. And right now, that is dinner" Maria said, speaking in a serious tone but with a grin on her face.
Alucard smiled, "I'm glad to see you still have your spirit, Old Grand" he said as he helped Edmund walk down the halls to the kitchen and dining area. Once Alucard was sure that Edmund was secure in his chair at the end of the table, he went to put his sword in the corner of the room and sat in the chair right beside him.
"So," Alucard started, "thirteen grandchildren, huh? I can't imagine what a house would be like with that many children" he said, recalling the time when Crina told him the first time.
Edmund chuckled, "Yeah, I wasn't expecting that either when I came to the home 14 years ago. Took me an entire year to find my family and what do I come to find, my daughter taking care of the house on her own, a husband who was on a journey for trading businesses, four troublesome teenager girls growing to marriage age, four toddlers running around and one single energetic eight year old causing fights with her two teenage brothers" he said with a smile. "It was a house of chaos and it took me a while to adjust to it, but eventually, you get used to it. Especially when it came to the holidays. If you think that having all 12 of Crina's siblings here for the holidays was bad, just wait and see their children, all 30 of them, roaming around and causing trouble" he added, laughing a bit.
Alucard's eyes widened at that fact, jaw dropping, not believing what he was hearing. "30?! Oh my god!" he said, clearly shocked.
Edmund gave a hearty laugh at that, "Just imagine Lord Dracula and 30 grandchildren running about! He would've gone mad and crazy" he said.
Alucard put his hand to his forehead and shook his head with a light laughter at the thought of his Father dealing with 30 grandchildren, let alone 13 children. "He would wish that he could be put into purgatory, that's for sure" he said.
Edmund's laughter died slowly, "Yeah, I can imagine that. Of course, you were a handful as it was, always running around the halls, trying to get either your mother or father to catch you. I tried, but these old bones couldn't have done much back then, you know?" he said, recalling Alucard's childhood. "I still recall that time when you stole your father's long cloak and tried to make it into a sail for your bed which you wanted to turn into a sailboat in your bedroom. Oh, your father was so mad, I can still see his face now" he chuckled.
Alucard recalled that time and blushed, "Oh god I totally forgot about that. Yeah, father was fuming with anger. And then he managed to find another sheet in the castle for me to use" he said.
Edmund chuckled, "Yes, I remember that. But I also recall the time you stole your mother's nightgown and tried to make a kite out of it" he said with a grin.
Alucard's blushed darkened, making his cheeks dark red, "Oh my god, not that time" he said as he covered his face with his hand.
"What's this about a nightgown?" asked a voice, which Alucard recognized as Crina's voice.
"Uh, n-nothing. N-Nothing at all" said the young Dhampir, now entire face and even the tips of his ears red from embarrassment.
"Just recalling times from Adie's childhood" Edmund said, trying to cover Alucard's embarrassment.
"I see. Well, Mother just finished with dinner, so we'll be bringing it all in shortly. Best to prepare yourselves. Oh, and have you two washed your hands?" Crina asked.
Alucard and Edmund looked at each other and then back to Crina.
"The washroom is right across the hall here, Alucard. Could you help Grandfather?" she asked as she worked on setting the table, dishes and all.
Alucard nodded and helped Edmund walk to the washroom, helping him wash his hands before doing his own. The actions reminded him of how his mother would wash hers during times between patients, making him happy to know that it wasn't just him who valued cleanliness.
Soon both men were back at the table as Maria put the last plate down and Crina poured the last bit of wine into the cups. Alucard looked at the table, seeing what looked like a leg roast of an animal, possibly boar, a roasted root vegetable and onion dish, a dish consisting of potatoes cut in rounds covered in cheese and finally a large bowl of various fruits that were cut in chunks and easy to pass around. Alucard looked at all the food and recalled times when his family would do meals like this, making him a little sad, but he put it aside when the family started to pass the food around, which he took part in. Throughout dinner, there were conversations about the past, tales of laughter from two old family figures and getting-to-know-your-neighbor talks, which let Alucard feel that he was indeed welcomed into the family. The night went on for hours before Edmund was forced to retire for the night, despite the man's protests to stay up. Maria went to help Edmund through his nightly routine, leaving Crina and Alucard alone in the dining hall.
"Well, was he what you thought he would be after all these years?" Crina asked, wondering Alucard's thoughts.
Alucard smiled, "He may be a little bit older than when I last saw him, but he still has that twinkle in his eye that I saw as a child. He hasn't given up on life yet and I'm glad I could help him rekindle that spirit" he said.
Crina smiled, "I'm glad. Please, feel free to come by the house whenever you like. I'm sure that Grandfather would love to spend more time with you" she suggested.
The young Dhampir smiled and nodded, "I will gladly do so" he said.
Crina then got up from the table and stretched for a bit. "Well, the night is still young. But are you feeling tired?" she asked, not wanting to keep her guest awake if he was.
Alucard looked at her and then shook his head, "Not really. Why?" he asked.
"Well, you're free to spend the night here. Mother and I discussed it while you and Grandfather were talking. Once Grandfather is done for the evening, she'll get Gabriel's room set up for you so you can sleep" Crina said, explaining the offer.
Alucard was a bit shocked but after seeing how dark it was, it did make sense to spend the night. "Very well then. I accept" he said.
"Good. Now, since you're not too sleepy yet, I was wondering if you had room in your stomach for tea. Now that you're here, I'd like to discuss something with you and because you're here in my family's house, I feel more comfortable telling you about what I've been holding back. Something that I believe will interest you quite a bit" Crina explained.
Alucard looked at her and thought about it. After a few seconds, he nodded, "Very well, lead the way" he said.
Crina smiled and then lead Alucard to the kitchen, knowing that she would be in for a long night of discussion.
A/N: Phew! Another chapter finished. Like I said before, I will update as soon as I can, but it may just be weekends only as I feel that is when I have more time. But I will do what I can to keep you guys interested, just bare with me.
As for this chapter, not too many fun facts, but who is Alister? You'll have to wait and see to find out.
I'll see you all soon and keep smiling!
