Alucard slept peacefully throughout the night after his talk with Crina, despite the red on his cheeks for making such a move on her, kissing her hand in thanks and all. But when he awoke before the sunrise, he felt a sense of excitement fill him, along with that anxiety that he felt last night as well. Just as he looked around, he saw two figures by the door, which made him jump a little bit, only to see that it was Crina and Max the dog, the former holding her candelabra as she entered the room.
"I was just coming to wake you up, but seems I didn't have to do that" Crina said quietly, not wanting to speak too loudly. "Anyway, I wanted to get you up so that you could get your bath, it's already drawn so best to hurry before it gets cold. I already got mine so you should be good to go, just don't take too long. I'll have tea and a small meal ready for you in the kitchen" she said.
Alucard gave a yawn and a wave of his hand to say that he understood as he went to gather some temporary clothes for him to change into. Once Crina showed him where the bath was, she left him to do as he needed.
Meanwhile, Crina went downstairs and worked on making something quick yet filling for breakfast for the two of them. After some thought, she finally settled on making the pair of them some egg and bacon filled pita bread. After frying some bacon pieces, she added some mixed eggs and added them to the pan, scrapping them on the pan and making them light and fluffy. After layering the pita bread with some cheese inside, she filled the bread with the egg and meat mixture and added a small amount of a homemade tomato dressing on the top.
'These will work, at least until after the main test, then I can treat him to a good meal in the Gateway' she said to herself. She then went on to make a small side dish of sliced apples to eat with the meal.
A little while after she finished setting up breakfast, Alucard came down dressed in temporary clothes since his body was still wet.
He sniffed the air a little bit as his stomach gave a growl, "These look delicious. Thank you, Crina" he said.
Crina smiled, "Go ahead and eat" she said. But then she saw his hair, "Your hair's still wet. Once you finish eating, you'll want to keep drying it" she said.
Alucard nodded as he took a bite of the bread, "I know. That was the plan anyway" he said.
Crina then gave an embarrassed smile, "Oh, right of course" she said with a small laugh. She then shook off the embarrassment and ate her meal.
"By the way, I meant to ask you yesterday, will you dress up as well?" Alucard asked.
Crina was about to take another bite when she heard his question, giving a small sigh, "Well, as much as I don't want to, for the chief's sake, every time I see her, she asks me to dress up for her. So yes, I'll be wearing something formal as well" she said. However, she then had thoughts of last night when he kissed her hand, a blush creeping on to her face, but she shook it off as she finished her pita meal. "A-Anyway, I'm gonna go and get ready" she said as she picked up her plate and washed it lightly before putting it on the rack nearby. "We have roughly an hour and a half before the carriage arrives, so be ready before then" she said as she then lightly ran out of the kitchen and back to her room.
Alucard watched on in slight confusion, but he figured that it was just anticipation for her first time doing this. Once he finished his meal, he cleaned his dish and went to go and prepare himself for this event.
_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_
After a mere 20 minutes of dressing, Alucard was almost finished, save for the cravat that came with Edmund's dress coat that he was having trouble with. He did wear them before, but usually his mother helped him in making them work. He tried his best at getting the cravat to work, but in the end, he gave up, folding the cravat neatly before setting it on the bedside table. Once he did, he went to the full bodied mirror that was nearby and looked himself over, making sure that he was presentable for a chief.
Alucard's hair was pulled back into a low ponytail, tied up with a simple black ribbon, double knotted to keep it in place. The suit itself was washed, ironed, pressed and hung to ensure perfection for this occasion and as far as Alucard could tell, it would be perfect for any occasion. His pants were his usual black pants, but Maria washed them to make sure they were clear of any stains and such, since he did wear them for everything, even getting dirty. His boots also remained the same, but they were cleaned and polished, as the gold now shining brightly in the early morning sun.
He inched into the mirror to open his mouth and check his teeth, making sure the fangs were nice and clean, as his father always said to make sure to keep your fangs in top shape. 'Clean fangs make a vampire king', he would remember his father telling him. Once he was sure he was finished, he heard a knock at the door. He figured it might have been Crina asking if he was ready. But when he went over and opened the door, he was greeted not by Crina, but by Edmund and Maria instead.
Maria gave a small gasp in shock at the sight of Alucard in her father's frock.
"Oh my, you look like an entirely different person with that on, Alucard" she said with a bit of shock.
Edmund looked his grandson figure over and nodded, "It looks good on ya, lad" he said. But then he noticed the cravat was missing. "Did the cravat not work for you?" he asked.
Alucard shook his head, "No, I had trouble with putting it on. However, considering that one of the tools that will be used is a choker necklace, I figured the cravat would be a bit much" he said to the pair. This was true, considering the circumstances. If this was another occasion, he could learn to put it on, but not today. "Anyway, was there something I could help you with?" he asked.
"I just wanted to see you off. After all, it's not every day you get to see your still alive grandson figure look all fine and dandy to meet the chief of the Gateway" Edmund said with a smile on his face. "But if you're looking for something with that suit that works, I know just the thing" he said. He then looked at Maria, "Back on my dresser in my old cufflink chest, there should be a rope tie that should work for this occasion. Could you go get it for me?" he asked.
Maria nodded as she brought Edmund over to sit on the bed while she went to get the necklace.
Once she was gone, Edmund turned to Alucard. "Well my boy, you excited?" he asked.
Alucard nodded, "Yes, that and a few other things. Excitement, anxiety, nervousness, and much more. I'm just hoping that I'm accepted" he said. He then recalled what both Yohei and Crina told him, that he had to be open, to relax and be calm. He took a deep breath and then one more to make sure he felt calm enough to at least be prepared for the whole occasion.
Edmund gave an amused huff, "Don't worry Adie, I'm sure Minerva will accept you" he said.
Just as he said that, Maria came back in with the rope tie. The rope was pretty simple, but it was the pendant that connected the tie together that caught his attention. Set in two types of gold, it had a single cross at the center while a rim of gold surrounded the image. Maria smiled and went to put it on him, being careful of his hair, before pulling back and looking him over.
"Yes, I think that the tie suits this outfit perfectly, Father" she said.
Alucard turned to look at the mirror and viewed his entire form, giving a smile and nodded at what he saw. He then went over to both Maria and Edmund, the latter getting a good look at Alucard before nodding.
"You look just as handsome as I did on my wedding day when I was to be united with my wife" he said with a wide smile.
Alucard blushed at that, but he nodded all the same. Just then, the bell at the door started to ring, indicating a visitor.
"That must be Yohei now" Maria said. She then turned to Alucard, "Would you mind escorting Father down to the main entrance while I get the door? We can't send you off if we're not there, right?" she asked with a smile.
Alucard nodded as he helped Edmund from the room to the lobby. Once the pair got there, Yohei was there, dressed in a style Alucard had not seen on him before.
Hair slick and styled back so that none of his hair covered his face. A blouse top with a frilled white cravat covering a simple black dress vest with silver colored buttons. A pair of white trousers with knee high black boots with the same silver colored buttons as his vest. A half cape covering his right arm while his left rested on what appeared to be a dress sword. Yohei's stern face then turned to see Alucard on the stairs coming down with Edmund. His eyebrows raised a bit at the sight of him.
"Well well, seems that I had no reason to doubt your sense of style, Alucard. You'll make a good first impression this way" he said. He then looked around, "Now, where is Crina?" he asked. He then looked to the stairs and gave a clear shout. "Crina?" he called out.
"I'm coming, I'm coming! Don't force the tortoise to run when he goes his own pace!" Crina's voice echoed down the hall as she made her way down.
When Alucard finished getting Edmund settled, he then turned to look toward the stairs to see Crina, but the moment he did, he felt everything around him stop. For coming down the stairs was Crina, only instead of her regular attire of a tunic and pants, she was dressed in one of the most elegant dresses he had ever seen.
It was a simple white dress that reached a little passed her ankles, hiding a pair of gladiator style black sandals. On the bottom of the skirt was a simple design, a thick patch of dark gold colored fabric with white inner trimming, an along the trimming was a design of multiple diamonds laced with gold thread, giving her walk a look of gold every time she moved. Around her waist was a belt that was made of the dark gold fabric like her skirt border but this was decorated with real golden ornate designs that appeared unfamiliar to Alucard, but he figured that he would discover that later. Moving further up, the dress had a neckline that was outlined in gold, a choker at the center while the shoulders of the dress moved at an ankle that left both of her freckled shoulders exposed while two larger golden pieces set the sleeves in place. Along with the golden choker, a necklace of gold and emerald graced her neck, with an emerald the size of his palm set just above her breasts, which he quickly looked away from. Moving up to her head, her long black hair was straightened and was now flowing down her back with two strands shaping her front while her bangs were braided and pulled back behind her. Adorning her head and slightly interlacing with her braids was a simple tiara, crafted in gold, almost looking like two vines coming together while a smaller emerald drop that was set in a gold facet sat in the middle of her forehead.
Many words passed through Alucard's head as he saw her come closer to him and Yohei. Elegant, majestic, royal, and those were just a few. But overall, one word stood above all in both his mind and his heart: Beautiful. She was beautiful, like how a lily was after a gentle rainstorm, coated with diamond-like droplets that shimmered in the summer sun. He had never seen her look so fair, so radient. He found her lovely anyway, but this…this made him really confirm his feelings from before. So much so that he felt his heart stop for a split second before he shook his thoughts away when he realized she was talking to him.
"Um…I…I'm sorry, I didn't catch that. Could you repeat that?" he asked, heat adorning his cheeks in embarrassment.
Crina gave him a deadpanned look, "I asked you why you were looking at me like that?" she asked him, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"Oh, well…I knew you said you were going in formal wear….I just...I wasn't expecting this" the young dhampir said as he rubbed the side of his neck, clearly overwhelmed by his actions.
Crina felt a small blush on her cheeks, but she gave a sigh through her nose, "Well, don't get used to it. I rarely dress like this, so this will be your one and possibly only chance to see me like this for a long time" she said with slight irritation. Although deep down, she did feel flattered by his words, however she did her best to hide it. She then looked him over, trying to make sure he was presentable, but instead her mind couldn't get over the fact of how handsome he looked in this outfit. How his hair was pulled back to show off his neck, how the gold rope tie pendant made his eyes sparkle and just how the outfit overall made him appear dapper. It made a light blush come to her cheeks as she thought these things, only to look away to spare herself some embarrassment.
Yohei saw all of this and gave a silent amused huff.
'Well well, seems that there is magic here' he said to himself. However, he knew they would be late if this continued, so he cleared his throat.
"Now then, since we're here, shall we get going? We must not keep the chief waiting and it will be a bit before we arrive there" he said.
Both Crina and Alucard nodded at hearing that, shaking off their thoughts and prepping their minds for the event.
Yohei gave two claps and two hooded figures entered with the tools necessary for the journey. He then turned to Alucard. "Alucard, if you could wait right there, but don't sit yet" he aside, motioning to the nearby stool.
Alucard nodded, but then turned to look at both Maria and Edmund, both of whom had knowing looks on their faces that the young dhampir couldn't pinpoint. However, Edmund broke his thoughts and looked at Alucard with a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry Adie. Just relax and be yourself. You'll be fine" he said.
Alucard nodded and then looked at Maria.
She smiled as well, "Hope you enjoy your time in the Gateway" she said.
Alucard nodded to her as well in thanks.
"Alright Alucard, now lets get the cloak on" Yohei said as he held the hooded cloak that would be needed for the whole process.
After a few more minutes, Alucard was dressed in all the tools for the acceptance process except for one, the choker.
"Crina, will you do the honors?" Yohei asked her.
Crina raised a brow at him, but then shrugged. "Sure, I guess" she said. She then went to take the choker from the hooded figure and then made her way to Alucard, who was growing stiff at the feeling of her being so close to him. Once she was there, she gently moved his hair and worked the choker on to his neck, but noticed how tense he was.
"Try to relax" she said to him.
"R-Right" he said back to her. He then took two deep breaths before looking at her and nodding.
Crina nodded back and gently faceted the choker on his neck with a small snap.
"Now, slowly count to twenty" she said as she pulled away, a small blush creeping upon her cheeks when she realized what she did.
Alucard nodded and did just that, but slowly he started to grow tired until finally he was out cold in sleep, the last thing he heard was Crina saying some form of profanity at Yohei over something.
_*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*v*_
"…."
"…"
"…...ucard…"
"….Alucard…"
"Alucard, wake up"
Crina's voice called to him gently as the young dhampir felt himself being lightly shook awake. He soon came to his senses and woke up, giving a yawn and an attempt to stretch, but he couldn't move either of his hands nor either of his feet. That sent a joke of slight fear through him as he was now fully awake and looked down at his hands. He was sitting in a chair where his hands were chained down to the arm rests.
Crina could sense his panic coming to him, so she got in front of him and put her hands down on his.
"It's alright, it's alright. I know this seems frightening, but this is just apart of the whole 'take extra precautions' ordeal. Remember? When we told you how we experimented with this time and time again?" she asked.
Alucard recalled flashbacks of being constrained like this when Taka and Sumi were there, but instead of him being in bed, he was stuck in a strange chair in what appeared to be a dark room with the only light coming from above him shining brightly down upon him and both Crina and Yohei in front of him. He felt panic rise within him, but his attention was directed when he saw Crina moved her hands to gently touch both sides of his face, which made him freeze. He met her eyes and saw nothing but concern.
"It'll be alright. I promise. Do you trust me?" she asked.
Alucard stared into her emerald eyes for a minute or two before closing his eyes and taking a few deep breaths before meeting her eyes again, nodding his head at her question.
"I do" he said, with confidence in his voice. There was still a sense of nervousness in his tone, but it wasn't terrible. He continued to try and calm himself before Crina removed her hands. Once she pulled away, Alucard took one last breath before looking up, wondering what comes next.
Crina sighed in relief to see that her friend had calmed down. She then turned her gaze to Yohei and nodded.
Yohei nodded back before moving forward and clapping his hands twice.
The moment the clap ended, another light appeared before Alucard and started to expand in a rounded formation, with it slowly growing to where he could see a total of six thrones below six grand natural stone pillars, each chair occupied by a hooded figure, all of whom Alucard assumed was the council that Crina told him about. As the within the same circumference of light, Alucard saw two thrones that did not have pillars but it was clear that both of which were occupied. One he recognized, despite the stoic looking face, as Alister, the second prince, while the other was occupied by who Alucard assumed was the first prince. It was hard to see the figure's face because of the shadow the light made upon it, but Alucard could tell that he was definitely older than Alister and that he had shining black hair. However, as the circle of light expanded, it suddenly stopped, showing the court and the princes before Alucard, but stopping before a set of stairs between the two princes. While he wasn't in the center, Alucard's position was just outside the circle of the council, which he found a bit strange, but he didn't question it. All was silent until a voice called out from one of the figures.
"Now candidate, state your full name" said a male voice.
Alucard paused, recalling what both Yohei and Crina said, to be open and not hide anything. With a deep breath, he replied.
"I am Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes. Known to the Wallachians as Alucard. Son of Vlad Dracula Tepes" he said, being as honest as he possibly could.
The next figure spoke out, one whose voice sounded like an elderly female.
"Who brings this candidate to the Gateway? Those representing him, speak out now" the voice commanded.
Crina then took a step forward, standing tall.
"I am Crina Lupo. Member of the Gateway and niece to the Gateway Chief, Minerva" she stated.
"Young Lupo, do you know this man to be dangerous toward others?" asked the third hooded figure, one that sounded younger than the other two, but still mature.
Crina then turned to the figure, "I know him well to not harm others, only if they attack those who are dear to him as well as attack those who threaten the innocent" she said.
"Then, Young Tepes, would you say that this resolve is the best way to describe your moral?" asked the fourth figure, a male voice that was similar to the last, but this one was deeper with an accent Alucard did not recognize.
Alucard turned to the figure and nodded, "Yes. It does" he said.
"Now with this process of acceptance, you should've been told the rules of the creed. Young Lupo, have you explained them to this candidate?" asked the fifth figure, one that sounded younger than the others so far, but that could be because of it's feminine tone.
Crina nodded, "Yes, I have" she said honestly.
The last figure, this time with a voice that sounded like a hardy warrior woman, spoke up at last. "Then with that, Young Tepes, please recite the creed. No particular order required" she said.
Alucard felt a little bit of pressure with this question, but he thought back to when Crina told him the Gateway, the creed and all the rules within. He took a breath as he shut his eyes and recalled his memories.
"First, blood is never taken without consent. Blood may be offered as payment, but when the carrier does not wish to offer blood, the receiver must accept other forms of payment. Second, enforcement of opinion on other is strictly forbidden, as the Gateway symbolizes the freedom of belief. Third, those who wish to travel beyond the Gateway must take an oath of secrecy. The Gateway is a safe haven from the religious inquisition and more and must be protected at all costs. Fourth, religious freedom is allowed as long as it doesn't involve life sacrifices of neither man nor beasts. Fifth, anyone who defies these rules of the creed will be given a fair trial by the council and the chief. If one is found guilty, then necessary measures are taken in erasing all traces of the Gateway so nothing is left for the church to discover" He then finished and looked up, looking around to see if he was right.
"Very impressive young man" said the sixth figure.
Just then the first figure from before spoke up again, "Now then with those questions answered, as per tradition, each of the princes may ask the candidate one question each. And as per tradition, the first prince shall ask first. Now, Prince Abadon, do you have a question for the candidate?" he asked, his elderly voice filling the halls.
Alucard's attention turned to the figure he saw before who he assumed was the first prince and waited patiently. However, the more he looked at the first prince, the more he felt an uneasy feeling from him, almost like he was in the presence of a strong vampire or an alpha wolf. Just what sort of question would such a dominant aura ask him?
The young figure straightened himself in his seat as he looked up, the shadow of the light above him keeping his face still unknown to Alucard.
"He says that he is the son of Dracula, and to that, I have this to ask" the prince started, a voice that sounded emotionless yet strong filled the room. "Considering recent events that I have heard about Dracula wanting to cause the complete extinction of humanity and all the chaos that his 'war' has caused, I have to question if we can trust this 'son of Dracula'. If he carries the blood of his father, how can we be truly sure that he will not do the same as his father did? For all we know, should he be tempted, he could easily cause us OUR own extinction" he stopped, his shadowed gaze focused strictly on Alucard.
ALucard felt a bit offended that someone would think of him being the same as his father, but he did have a point. After all, he did follow his father's ways when he staked both Sumi and Taka, but he was better than that now, swearing not to be like his father and see reason before coming to a conclusion. He needed to prove somehow that he wasn't like his Father, and he knew just what to say.
"I assure you I will not become him. Yes, Dracula did plan to order a complete genocide of the human race, but I along with a few strong and determined fighters managed to stop him. For in order to save the world…I…" Alucard paused as he looked down, not proud of what he did, but he had to tell them, "I killed him myself. I committed patricide in order to bring peace to the world" he confessed.
Hushed whispers were heard in the room before Alucard saw Crina step out to the council and put her hand to her chest.
"Counselors, as the one who is representing him, I promise to take all responsibility for any trouble that he causes. However, he has not caused trouble with me or my family as of yet, so I see no reason as to why he would do trouble here as well. However, if something occurs and he is involved with it, then I ask you report to me, as I will settle the matter myself. However, I will firmly state this. I will not accept falsehood of problems or trouble, as from what I have heard through letters, some people have been trying to stir up chaos by framing innocents. So again, if he is indeed guilty of anything and evidence proves him true, then I will take responsibility for it all" she said, standing firmly before the counsel.
Once again, whispers were heard among the counselors, but Alucard's focus was strictly on Crina and how she was standing up for him. He found it admirable, but he knew that he would also have to be careful as well, at least for a few months until the intensity dies down. For now, focus on the situation at hand.
Crina then turned to look at the first prince. "Are our answers to your satisfaction, Prince Abadon?" she said with a bit of a strict tone to her voice.
Abadon kept his gaze on both Crina and Alucard, but he lowered his head after a moment. "So be it" he said in a bitter tone.
Crina narrowed her eyes but she backed away to Alucard's side once again.
Once the whispers died down, the first hooded figure spoke again.
"Now then. Second Prince Alister, do you have any questions for the candidate?" he asked the younger of the two princes.
Alucard turned his gaze to Alister, who in turn gave him a reassuring glint in his warm honey-brown eyes.
"I have nothing to ask. I have seen how he acts and how he is, so I, unlike my ever so loving Brother here, have no reason to doubt what Alucard says as well as what Crina says. So, no. I'll have to pass" he said, giving both Alucard and Crina a wink.
ALucard did feel some sense of relief from Alister's answer, but now he figured that next was the last hurdle to the end of the race. The inspection from the chief herself.
From the shadows beside Abadon and into the light came what Alucard assumed was a palace guard. He indeed wore armor, copper in color with cloth of red and gold adorning his uniform, forming a kilt around his waist that went to his knees. His face was exposed, unlike most armor that Alucard had seen, with a youthful face hidden under the helmet. Carrying what he figured was a palace guard's halberd, the guard then tapped the weapon twice before calling out to the room.
"To all within this room, her majesty, Chief Minerva" he called, but not loud enough to rack any eardrums.
At first there was nothing, but then Alucard could hear the soft yet noticable sound of footsteps on stone stairs. He watched the stairs in quiet anticipation, preparing himself for the grand finale to this whole ordeal.
'This is it. If I pass, then I'm allowed into the Gateway. But if I fail…lets just hope for the best' Alucard said to himself as the footsteps grew closer and closer to him.
Notes:
Oh wow, sorry for the delay. Had to do some serious research to get this next arc right and that wasn't easy to do. But now I got things figured out, however, be prepared as I may not reply as often as I used to, but only because I want to make sure things are historically accurate and at least make sense. Regardless, I will update as soon as I can, so please be patient with me. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and some more of the relationship between Alucard and Crina.
Now for the fun facts:
-Pita bread originated in the Middle East during the time of the stone age as a variant of flatbreads. With the Gateway and their connections to the world, I figured it would make sense to have Pita bread on hand for sandwiches. Might try this recipe someday.
-I already explained Alucard's dress jacket in a previous chapter, so now I will post Crina's outfit as well.
- For the throne room, I took inspiration from my trip to a set of Caverns in Virginia for reference, and they will serve more in the future so be on the lookout for that.
-The rope tie that was mentioned is in fact a bolo tie. Now I know that they didn't come into fashion until several hundred years later, but then again, this series does have it's sense of being way before it's time, so I figured a little bit of fashion wouldn't hurt.
And I think that's it. If I miss any or if you see anything that you're questioning, please let me know. Once again, thank you for your patience and keep looking forward to the next chapter ^^ Stay clean, stay safe, stay distanced! Bye now!
