I dedicate this fanfiction to my girlfriend and all my readers, reviewers and the beta reader wallaceb.
CHAPTER 26 - Origins
Mavis woke up sitting on a regal chair and in front of her there was a table laden with succulent dishes.
She was in a room of a castle, but it was not the hotel Transylvania. On the walls hung banners red with an emblem of a red dragon incurved into the form of a circle with its tail winding around its neck.
The vampiress was about to get up, but the big door of the dining room swung open letting in a tall man with an aquiline nose, thick mustache and long black curly hair. He wore a headdress of red velvet bordered with pearls and with a large square ruby set in a golden eight pointed star, a heavy red cloak bordered with ermine and royal clothing. He appeared to be an emperor.
Mavis had never seen this man before, but his face was not new.
The man stared at her a moment before starting to speak in Romanian, a language familiar to Mavis, like many others.
"And so we have guests today! I have not received guests since Târgovişte Easter. Slavery!? Bring lunch in the garden." (Note: I'm sorry, I do not know Romanian, and so I'll leave all the dialogues written in English, if someone can make me a translation that is fine...)
After that four waiters came in, lifted the table and walked out of the castle.
Mavis and the man followed them up to the large door, which, on opening, let in a light that engulfed everyone. The girl closed her eyes immersed in this relaxing warmth as she left the dark castle.
"So what? Are not you hungry?" It was the voice of the nobleman of the castle.
The girl turned, opening her eyes to the man, then she looked around surprised... shocked.
A knot in her stomach, then oppression, distress, fears... Mavis' heart was in her mouth, so much that she could not breathe.
The trees, all the trees of that immense garden had been cut and processed in forks where dozens, perhaps hundreds of people had been impaled.
The girl began to walk stunned and confused by all that unprecedented violence. Her shoes sank into pools of mud created by the blood of young, old, men and women, all human, all sharing the same ill fate.
Mavis turned to the man in search of explanations, but she could not utter a word. He was sitting at the table and ate quietly, appearing relaxed at the sight of all that suffering.
"You... Who are you?" She managed to say, trembling.
The Lord looked up astonished at the question, and then stood up.
"I am Vlad III Draculea voivode of Wallachia, called "the Impaler."" The man said boasting the nickname with which everyone called him.
"Vlad Draculea... your name... your face... your voice... it's impossible... you... don't..." But the words were choked with tears which were interrupted by a strange noise coming from under the ground.
Mavis is a few steps away scared, while the earth began to swell. She shifted her gaze towards Vlad and noticed that he and his two guards had brandished swords. It seemed that not even he knew what was happening.
Crack... crack...
A faint noise caught the attention of everyone on the hemisphere of the earth.
Crack...
From it came out a hand that seemed human, then immediately after, the earth continued to break and a woman with long green hair, naked and covered in a slimy red substance came out.
The woman lifted her head and opened her yellow eyes towards Vlad, then got to her feet, even if she had no feet; a long green snake tail started from her waist and it was several meters long.
While the monster crawled toward them, regardless of the presence of Mavis just a few steps away from her, the three humans raised their swords into offensive position.
The two guards were about to order the monster to stop, but they slumped to the ground lifeless as if a breath of death had taken away their souls.
"Was it you who poured all this innocent blood on the earth which generated me?" Asked the monster a few meters from Vlad the Impaler, who impassively sheath his sword and said:
"Yes, it is my work. Do you like this sight? That smell? And these cries of pain?"
"It is a magnificent sight... "Whispered the woman looking around, even she was smug as the human, then continued with a sensual voice, "I want to repay you, ask what you want and I will satisfy you."
"I want to master the dark arts of magic. My skills as a human are too limited." The man answered without hesitation.
The black lips of the snake-woman grinned.
"Humans, yeah... such a strong soul, but unable to be turned into magic. With real magical powers I will also give you eternal life, but you have to sacrifice your blood to me."
"But if I sacrifice my blood will I not die?" Asked Vlad crossing his arms.
"Not until you feed off that of others..."
These words made the cruel voivode smile, now he would have an extra motivation to continue his bloody executions.
"There is only one thing, I don't make terms with those I don't know." The human pointed out.
The monster looked at him strangely, and then answered:
"I have no name yet... but you can call me Mamba, do you know who the lamias are?"
"No, and it does not even interest me." Vlad replied rudely, and then continued opening his arms, "Now keep your promise!"
The monster wrapped the man between her coils leading him towards her. She looked into his eyes and finally forced him into a luxurious kiss.
"I know what you think..." A weak and painful voice attracted Mavis' attention, who had not moved a muscle since the creature was born.
"But... don't change who you are..."
The girl turned around again and found out who was talking. A boy with red and disheveled hair, similar, but younger than the man in the pub. He was dripping with blood and a pole pierced his back protruding from his chest, while his limbs and his head were dropped without force.
Immediately Mavis ignored her father and the lamia to rush to the aid of the unknown, but such a wound would have been fatal even for a monster. The only thing she could do was hold his head.
"The origins do not mean anything... our destiny... is created by us... Coff, coff, coff..." The boy spat blood.
"You!?" The Mamba said addressing the two young people, "You should have already fallen into oblivion!"
"Do not let her confuse you... do not let her mislead you..." The dying boy continued, with almost no voice, turning to the girl who was becoming increasingly confused and scared. Then a flash of red light enveloped the young man in fire. Mavis wanted to stay close to him, but her hands could not bear any more pain and left the boy, who, though seriously injured and burned concluded defiantly looking at the lamia who used her powerful magic against him:
"You... can't get rid... of me... so... easily..."
Then a second blaze even more powerful than the first hit Mavis who crossed her arms in front of her face to defend herself and when she opened her eyes she found herself inside a house on fire. She felt the acrid smell of smoke from burning wood and the creaking of beams that were failing.
It was not the castle of before.
The girl looked for a way out, so she opened the door in front of her, but what she found outside seemed to be more dangerous than the fire.
A mob of angry humans armed with torches, pitchforks and scythes shouted death threats against the vampires, while preparing to assault the castle.
Mavis was scared and took a few steps back, until someone put his hand on her shoulder gently, like a caress.
The vampiress turned scared, but the fear soon turned into emotion, next to her was her father and... Her mother Martha, beautiful, just as she saw her in the paintings or described by Dracula.
"My love, we must flee." Dracula said to his wife.
"We can't, our daughter cannot fly and she would be too easy of a target." Martha said, who added, "Honey?" But she was interrupted by her husband:
"Go hide. I'll take care of this."
"Mom, no! Don't do it!" Mavis said worried, but she seemed not to hear her, so she tried to turn to her father:
"Dad, please, at least you can listen to me!" But not even he could hear her voice.
The vampiress tried to take him by his mantle, but she was taken by her mother and taken away. Mavis began to follow her mother, while fighting against herself to prevent Martha to meet her fate, but she was powerless as her body was moving against her will.
The two vampiresses took refuge upstairs, while Mavis was crying desperately because she already knew what would happen in a little while.
Martha stopped and hugged Mavis to console her; she rested her head on her mother's shoulder who said:
"Don't worry my little moon, everything will be fine. There's your mom here with you and I will stay next to you to protect you, forever. Whatever happens I will always be next to you, I promise. "Then she began to hum a sweet melody.
That maternal embrace was the only one that Mavis could ever remember and she would have wanted that wonderful moment to never end, but it was abruptly broken by a cry of pain.
Martha slumped to the floor with an arrow stuck on her back. Mavis tried to hold her up, but she was totally helpless.
"Martha, what is...? No!" Dracula had reached her attracted by the scream and after seeing his wife on the floor he approached her kneeling beside her.
"Drac, don't worry about me, save our baby."
"No! I will not leave you here!" Mavis and Dracula said in unison.
Martha got up to her feet, saying:
"It will be already too difficult to escape with Mavis, and if you have to help me now that I'm hurt, it would be impossible. You go away, I will hold them back!"
"How can I abandon you? How can I grow our daughter without you? And what if I were to return to being evil? Please, you run with the baby, I'll stop them!"
"They are here!" It was the voice of a man armed with a longbow who was giving orders to the crowd.
Martha kissed Mavis on her head, then on the lips of Dracula in tears.
"My love, make me a promise... don't pursue revenge, but protect our daughter and creates a safe place for all of us while waiting for the humans become mature enough to be able to live in harmony with monsters."
Dracula was sobbing too much to answer, but she knew that he had accepted the promise.
The woman turned while Habrham Van Helsing loaded another arrow, pointing to Dracula, but Martha began to run toward the humans peaking along the way of the arrow just shot, which hit her shoulder. The vampiress kept running roaring menacingly against the frightened crowd who retired, only Habrham was unmoved by pulling out his sword.
"Mom, don't forsake me, please! I need you!" The vampiress screamed in vain.
Dracula was about to run to her rescue, but he knew that the salvation of Mavis had the top priority, so took he advantage of the cover to escape just in time, before the ceiling collapsed.
The vampire turned into a bat taking Mavis by his legs in a dense cloud of black smoke in order to vanish from sight of the humans.
Mavis felt herself falling faster and faster. The acrid smell of burning and smoke was gone, but around her there was only darkness, until she slammed into grassy ground.
Mavis opened her eyes and realized she was again back in the grove that she had learned to hate.
The girl stood up and looked at the sky above the trees, around her there were no more mountains and hills, including the hotel, which was the only thing that could give her safety, had vanished, leaving the vampire alone and without guidance.
Not knowing where to go or what to do, Mavis fell to the ground and closed her eyes, hoping to wake up out of this nightmare.
I know, you were hoping to read the conclusion of the fight between Dracula and Victoria, but I leave you to suffer a little longer... but do not worry, just have to wait until the next chapter!
I hope to see you at next chapter!
If you like this, review it to make me happy!